DABEARSDABOMB

We have no secondary and still a pretty non-existent pass rush (yes we got plenty of sacks and Floyd is emerging, but he is the only real guy who has shown high upside potential on the defense). Other guys are solid players and we didn't see enough of Goldman (who seems like a potential high impact guy) due to injuries. We have plenty of other solid players but still some major voids and that is really evident in the fact that we can't force any freaking turnovers. I see us a number of playmakers away from being a top 5 defense. It could happen, but it would take a pretty miraculous offseason, imo.

If one thing is clear, Barkley is not a starter. He could be a solid backup but even that he hasn't proved. As the league got film on him, he got worse and worse. Just a turnover machine without the arm. Old Greg Gabriel was right when he kept telling people the guy probably isn't even a good backup. I'd still keep him around (at least for training camp) and let him battle it out, but I certainly would expect Hoyer to be the starter on opening day (unless we go after Jimmy G or Tony Romo or Cousins). If it is a draft pick, I presume they won't be starting day 1. Barkley absolutely shouldn't be the opening day starter (not based upon what he showed).

I thought Pryor was a free agent? he's probably the one wideout I'd be interested in. I think he's got some real upside.

Pretty spot-on assessment.

None of the other Patriots "backup's" were 2nd round draft picks though. In terms of your comparison to Wilson, I won't say the two are identical, but they definitely have similarities. Russell never wows you, but the total package works very well and I feel the same way, long term with Dak. He clearly benefits from the oline and running game, kind of like Wilson benefited from having such an elite defense (and for a while Lynch).

So I am sure all of us have heard by now about how Cre'von LeBlanc has been absolutely dominating practices since the Bears picked him up from the Patriots (especially in the takeaway department) and we all know about his pick six in last weeks game, but some analytics point out that his actual production the past 4 weeks has been "elite". Thought it was an interesting read and I've definitely seen a lot of positives out of him (not to say he hasn't had some rookie mistakes as well). Given the major need in the secondary, would be huge turn LeBlanc into a starting corner or better yet a well above average corner. I know I have seen some recent gripes on here about our DB coach, Donatel, but he is widely regarded as one of the best in the business and like Fangio has done for this entire defense, I'm impressed what Donatel has gotten out of such an unknown group of defensive backs (none of which have been high picks...with the exception of Fuller who is finally back from injury).

Ditto...my preferred route would be to trade a 2nd for Jimmy G. I'd then trade down a few slots in the first to get that 2nd round pick back.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2680788...ng-unemployment

Whatever there plan is, it better involve handing Fangio a bunch of money to ensure he sticks around.

They'll both be gone.

Take it for what it is worth. Also indicates that they think Jim Bob Cooter (Lions OC) will be near the top of our list.

Didn't know where to put this...but classic Fangio and why I am such a big fan of him. He better not be going anywhere anytime soon. Kevin Fishbain ‏@kfishbain 2h2 hours ago Vic Fangio: "The group we inherited wasn’t built for the 4-3, either ... They weren’t built for anything, so we had to start at ground zero"

Time will tell, but no way he goes top 10. The football people that get paid to watch on a daily basis know how flawed his game is.

Peppers is more likely a second round pick vs. a top 5 pick and realistically, he probably is somewhere in the 20's to early in the 2nd round. He is so freaking overrated.

I've been having the same thoughts, that said, here is a good piece from Greg Gabriel of the Bears talking about why he isn't a starter and to be frank, why he doesn't even know if he is a backup. I don't quite agree with the backup aspect, since the reason he looked so bad with the Bears was probably due to the fact that he didn't even have preseason / training camp reps in this offense. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/12/12/gab...fl-quarterback/

Schefty says no truth to the report. See below. ESPN's @AdamSchefter after talking to Bill Polian: "He's not coming to work for the Chicago #Bears." Says Polian was confused by the story. Go to the top of the pageReport Post

Hanie was god awful with the Bears. He had a half that he wasn't terrible and then when he was forced into action the following season, he was about as bad as I've ever seen any QB.

I want us to be in all of these games. I think it says a lot for our team. If we get whooped, that is a bad way to finish the year and leaves a really bad taste in everyone's mouths (vs. having ending the season on a positive up). We've done a lot these past few weeks to reinstill faith in what the plan is, I don't want it to all come crashing down with three blowout losses.

Barkley's arm may not be the strongest, but damn is he accurate. He's thrown a ton of balls to the right guy in the right spot. His poise and decisiveness have been great too and for a guy who doesn't have a big arm, I've seen him throw a lot of downfield passes with the right precision and accuracy. I guess my point is, as someone who was a huge Barkley basher, he's done nothing to show me that he can't be a long-term option as a starting QB. This was a guy who had he gone pro at the right time, would have likely been a #1 overall pick (and at the very least top 10). And he would have been a 1st round pick had he not hurt his shoulder severely at the end of his final season at USC. General rule of thumb is it takes 4 games on film for the NFL to adjust (for a recent example...look at Wentz who went from awesome to crap after the league got enough film on him). These next few games will be telling, but I've been really impressed (especially with the drops, etc). He should be 2-1 and if it weren't for those holding penalties, could be 3-1 for all we know. More importantly, I'm getting excited for our defense (please oh please don't leave Fangio). So much development going on. We need to identify a corner (seeing Jenkins play last night was a thing of beauty). We need the next Peanut. I like our chances at filling the depth at CB, but I think we need to either use a pick or FA money on a top CB and also need to find a playmaking safety. Again, I trust our depth to fill the rest, but I think if we added a playmaker at both spots, that would be a huge help at turning our defense into a lethal attack (pass rush seems to be there...although I'd love another pass rusher...you literally can't have too many, especially in this era of throw the ball all the time). Howard / Whitehair / Floyd all look like total beasts of picks by Pace.

Ragland was drafted in the 2nd round. Who are we comparing Ragland to? I'm quite happy with Whitehair and Floyd, who were the only guys we picked above him. Whitehair was selected 3 picks before Ragland? Amari Cooper would have been the Bears pick....unfortunately Raiders took him before we could.

The hard part is, it is going to be really difficult to solve that QB situation.

Brown has made some nice catches. Like this guy. The nice thing about Sitton is, there will be pressure for him to play. Whitehair is supposedly a better guard and we will have Grasu back. Who knows if Grasu is anything, but he's still young and was athletic (pre-injury) so another guy who could push. Nice to have depth. We could definitely use an elite LT tackle (then again, so could most teams).

I kind of like Pace, so I don't want to mess with that, but do like the idea of having a football president. Timing of this is ass backwards though, cause it is just Pace's second year and he is coming off a pretty stellar looking draft (Floyd / Whitehair / Howard all look like real keepers).

Haha...I was about to post this as well. When I saw he was elevated, the first thing I thought of was your post Jason. Good call. Hopefully he shows something.

I think the record you are showing is our opponents that we have played to date (and is not factoring in who we will be playing the rest of the season). Where as Haugh's record is showing the current winning percentage of our opponents we have played thus far as well as the ones we are scheduled to play from here out.