The Bears Offseason Thread

[OleMissCub]

 

The Giants fans I know just hate Eli.

 

Not a fair assessment because Giants fans hate everybody on their team. Typical New York sports fans. Everybody on that team hates everyone else on the team. That's just a messed up franchise. They desperately need a new Head Coach.

 

That's not true. NY fans worship at the alter of good players and good teams. Eli just isn't that good. He's got all the bad aspects of Rex without the success of making it to the Super Bowl to soften the blow. He's clearly had better weapons at his disposal but hasn't done anymore with them than Rex has done with the Bears minimal options.

 

I dunno, he was basically stuck with only one WR for half the season after Toomer got DL'd, and I'd much rather have someone like Berrian than Plaxico, who's just an ass who quits on his routes. But no doubt, he's definitely got the best, or one of the best TE's in the game today.

[Derwood]

i'm bummed because i'm not excited for next season. after last year's playoff loss to carolina i was bummed that night, but was really looking forward to the off season because the bears seemed to be on the cusp of something very special. i don't have that feeling today, at all, and that sucks. my team just made it to the super bowl but i don't know if they'll get that close again any time soon. i hope they make it back next year and win but something is telling me its not gonna happen.

 

I don't get why you'd think that. I think this team is in a better position to sustain success than any super bowl loser in several years. Maybe they won't make it back for a long time, but they've got as good a chance as anybody in the NFC for the time being.

 

I agree. They may not win 13 games again next year, but 10 ought to get the North Division. The other North teams have a lot of work to do...too much to do in one off season.

[goonys evil twin]

 

The Giants fans I know just hate Eli.

 

Not a fair assessment because Giants fans hate everybody on their team. Typical New York sports fans. Everybody on that team hates everyone else on the team. That's just a messed up franchise. They desperately need a new Head Coach.

 

That's not true. NY fans worship at the alter of good players and good teams. Eli just isn't that good. He's got all the bad aspects of Rex without the success of making it to the Super Bowl to soften the blow. He's clearly had better weapons at his disposal but hasn't done anymore with them than Rex has done with the Bears minimal options.

 

I dunno, he was basically stuck with only one WR for half the season after Toomer got DL'd, and I'd much rather have someone like Berrian than Plaxico, who's just an ass who quits on his routes. But no doubt, he's definitely got the best, or one of the best TE's in the game today.

 

And a much better running game.

[OleMissCub]

 

And a much better running game.

 

Not that much better actually. Giants are only averaging 15yds per game more than the Bears.

[Chocolate Milk]

 

The Giants fans I know just hate Eli.

 

Not a fair assessment because Giants fans hate everybody on their team. Typical New York sports fans. Everybody on that team hates everyone else on the team. That's just a messed up franchise. They desperately need a new Head Coach.

 

That's not true. NY fans worship at the alter of good players and good teams. Eli just isn't that good. He's got all the bad aspects of Rex without the success of making it to the Super Bowl to soften the blow. He's clearly had better weapons at his disposal but hasn't done anymore with them than Rex has done with the Bears minimal options.

 

I dunno, he was basically stuck with only one WR for half the season after Toomer got DL'd, and I'd much rather have someone like Berrian than Plaxico, who's just an ass who quits on his routes. But no doubt, he's definitely got the best, or one of the best TE's in the game today.

 

Eli also had one of the better pass catching backs in the history of football at his disposal.

[goonys evil twin]

 

And a much better running game.

 

Not that much better actually. Giants are only averaging 15yds per game more than the Bears.

 

4.7 YPA, good enough for top 6 in the league, compared to 3.8 YPA, which is bottom 3rd of the league. It's a significant difference.

 

 

Bottom line is that Grossman is getting extra criticism for losing a game that Eli couldn't even sniff. He'd have been better off if the Bears missed the playoffs.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

What are the cap ramifications of cutting Wale? What could you attract if you traded him? The one thing in letting him go (and letting him go makes a lot of sense - he's paid a lot and his production has dipped) is that it depletes the depth at DE.

[cubweiser03]

i'm bummed because i'm not excited for next season. after last year's playoff loss to carolina i was bummed that night, but was really looking forward to the off season because the bears seemed to be on the cusp of something very special. i don't have that feeling today, at all, and that sucks. my team just made it to the super bowl but i don't know if they'll get that close again any time soon. i hope they make it back next year and win but something is telling me its not gonna happen.

 

I don't get why you'd think that. I think this team is in a better position to sustain success than any super bowl loser in several years. Maybe they won't make it back for a long time, but they've got as good a chance as anybody in the NFC for the time being.

 

...And it helps being in the NFC North. The Packers might be better next year but unless the Bears fall completely on their face they should win the Division. Then Favre retires they will go downhill. The Vikes are going through changes at the QB and the Lions are the Lions.

[OleMissCub]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

[Banedon]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

 

The AFC section of that will defintely be the toughest part. We'll have to wait for the offseason to play itself out to see how tough the NFC will be. I think the Cowboys game could be really interesting depending on what Rivera does.

[OleMissCub]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

 

The AFC section of that will defintely be the toughest part. We'll have to wait for the offseason to play itself out to see how tough the NFC will be. I think the Cowboys game could be really interesting depending on what Rivera does.

 

Broncos and Saints won't be pushover Home games either.

[Mark Priors Calves]

i'm bummed because i'm not excited for next season. after last year's playoff loss to carolina i was bummed that night, but was really looking forward to the off season because the bears seemed to be on the cusp of something very special. i don't have that feeling today, at all, and that sucks. my team just made it to the super bowl but i don't know if they'll get that close again any time soon. i hope they make it back next year and win but something is telling me its not gonna happen.

 

I don't get why you'd think that. I think this team is in a better position to sustain success than any super bowl loser in several years. Maybe they won't make it back for a long time, but they've got as good a chance as anybody in the NFC for the time being.

 

i don't have any rational reason why i feel that way. i just seems that things unfolded very well for the bears this season and i don't see that happening again. i hope this wasn't our only chance for the next few years. i'm hoping that i'm pissed off about yesterday still and some time away from the season will recharge my batteries.

[RichHillIsABeast]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

 

The AFC section of that will defintely be the toughest part. We'll have to wait for the offseason to play itself out to see how tough the NFC will be. I think the Cowboys game could be really interesting depending on what Rivera does.

 

At least we'll have a better idea of how good the Bears really are if they play more quality teams.

[goonys evil twin]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

 

The AFC section of that will defintely be the toughest part. We'll have to wait for the offseason to play itself out to see how tough the NFC will be. I think the Cowboys game could be really interesting depending on what Rivera does.

 

The Chargers part is tough, akin to going to New England, but I'm not sure Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders is going to pose any more of a threat than Jets, Dolphins, Bills.

[cubweiser03]

What are the cap ramifications of cutting Wale? What could you attract if you traded him? The one thing in letting him go (and letting him go makes a lot of sense - he's paid a lot and his production has dipped) is that it depletes the depth at DE.

 

Warning: do not hold me to this. Wale signed a 6 year contact with a $15M bonus. He's played 3 years so half of the bonus would be a cap hit. Roughly $7.5M. I think if they cut him after June 1st it would count towards 2008. Either way its a huge hit. He is going to get $3.9M in salary next year (not a cap hit). So its better to pay him than cut him (roughly $2.5M bonus + $3.9 salary= $6.4 cap).

[OleMissCub]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

 

The AFC section of that will defintely be the toughest part. We'll have to wait for the offseason to play itself out to see how tough the NFC will be. I think the Cowboys game could be really interesting depending on what Rivera does.

 

The Chargers part is tough, akin to going to New England, but I'm not sure Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders is going to pose any more of a threat than Jets, Dolphins, Bills.

 

Broncos might be tough. Cutler is going to be bad to the bone when he gets more experience and confidence. Be nice if the Bears had him instead of Rexy.

[ChiCubsFan]

Did anyone hear something about McNabb and/or Garcia? A somewhat friend is saying to me online that he saw on PTI that there are rumors of a McNabb trade to the Bears or if the Eagles don't resign Garcia, him coming here. I don't see it happening, but I'm just curious if anyone saw what that part was about. It was probably just Wilbon dreaming.

[Soriano12]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

 

The AFC section of that will defintely be the toughest part. We'll have to wait for the offseason to play itself out to see how tough the NFC will be. I think the Cowboys game could be really interesting depending on what Rivera does.

 

The Chargers part is tough, akin to going to New England, but I'm not sure Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders is going to pose any more of a threat than Jets, Dolphins, Bills.

 

Broncos might be tough. Cutler is going to be bad to the bone when he gets more experience and confidence. Be nice if the Bears had him instead of Rexy.

 

What has Cutler proven in the NFL?

[OleMissCub]

Did anyone hear something about McNabb and/or Garcia? A somewhat friend is saying to me online that he saw on PTI that there are rumors of a McNabb trade to the Bears or if the Eagles don't resign Garcia, him coming here. I don't see it happening, but I'm just curious if anyone saw what that part was about. It was probably just Wilbon dreaming.

 

Mariotti said a few things about Garcia on ATH

[goonys evil twin]

The Bears schedule looks much tougher next year than it was this year:

 

http://www.nfl.com/schedules/tv/2007_opponents

 

Home: Det, GB, Min, Dallas, Saints, Giants, Bronco's, Chiefs

 

Away: DT, GB, Min, Eagles, Skins, Raiders, Seahawks, and Chargers

 

The AFC section of that will defintely be the toughest part. We'll have to wait for the offseason to play itself out to see how tough the NFC will be. I think the Cowboys game could be really interesting depending on what Rivera does.

 

The Chargers part is tough, akin to going to New England, but I'm not sure Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders is going to pose any more of a threat than Jets, Dolphins, Bills.

 

Broncos might be tough. Cutler is going to be bad to the bone when he gets more experience and confidence. Be nice if the Bears had him instead of Rexy.

 

I think they'll be tough, but no more than most NFL teams. That's a strange team in salary cap mediocrity hell. They don't really do anything all that well. I'd be much more afraid of a team that was great at something (ie. Ravens, Patriots - defense; Colts, Saints, Chargers - offense). I think Miami was similar to Denver in the yards allowed vs yards gained and points scored vs points allowed departments. Middle of the pack.

 

The truly crap teams the Bears played this year were what, Detroit and maybe Arizona? Replace Zona with the Raiders next year, and we have similar "cakewalks". Replace road games at the Giants, Jets, Patriots and Rams with Eagles, Seahawks, Chargers and Redskins. I think we're talking relatively comparable teams here. Sure, it's going to be a little tougher, but they are still playing the NFC North 6 times, and playing a few teams that left the playoffs in disappointing fashion.

[Jon]

Nothing is going to happen with the QB spot this offseason. Nor should it.

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

[goonys evil twin]

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

 

I think it's the one thing that could make this team fall apart next year and miss the playoffs. A banged up and/or ineffective offensive line could lead to some horrible losses against teams they should otherwise beat.

[soccer10k]

 

And a much better running game.

 

Not that much better actually. Giants are only averaging 15yds per game more than the Bears.

 

4.7 YPA, good enough for top 6 in the league, compared to 3.8 YPA, which is bottom 3rd of the league. It's a significant difference.

 

 

Bottom line is that Grossman is getting extra criticism for losing a game that Eli couldn't even sniff. He'd have been better off if the Bears missed the playoffs.

 

Not only was the NFC East a FAR tougher division than the North was this year, but Rex also had the advantage of having one of the best defenses in the league on his team (5th in ypg, 3rd in scoring defense) while Eli had to deal with one of the worst (25th and 24th in the same categories). Eli had to do much more for the Giants to win and had a much smaller room for error than Rex did.

[WindyCity]

Did anyone hear something about McNabb and/or Garcia? A somewhat friend is saying to me online that he saw on PTI that there are rumors of a McNabb trade to the Bears or if the Eagles don't resign Garcia, him coming here. I don't see it happening, but I'm just curious if anyone saw what that part was about. It was probably just Wilbon dreaming.

 

Dan Patrick mentioned the rumor on his radio show today.... something along the lines of McNabb (a Chicago native) being traded to the Bears (for who knows what) and the Eagles going with Garcia as their QB next year.

 

I doubt the rumor is much more than random speculation, but I can't say I wouldn't be very excited if the Bears opened 2007 with McNabb as their #1 QB.

[dew1679666265]

 

And a much better running game.

 

Not that much better actually. Giants are only averaging 15yds per game more than the Bears.

 

4.7 YPA, good enough for top 6 in the league, compared to 3.8 YPA, which is bottom 3rd of the league. It's a significant difference.

 

 

Bottom line is that Grossman is getting extra criticism for losing a game that Eli couldn't even sniff. He'd have been better off if the Bears missed the playoffs.

 

Not only was the NFC East a FAR tougher division than the North was this year, but Rex also had the advantage of having one of the best defenses in the league on his team (5th in ypg, 3rd in scoring defense) while Eli had to deal with one of the worst (25th and 24th in the same categories). Eli had to do much more for the Giants to win and had a much smaller room for error than Rex did.

 

Very true. Saying Rex is better than Eli because Grossman's team went to the Super Bowl is akin to saying Peyton can't win the big one because his team wasn't good enough to make it all those years.

The Bears are a significatnly better team than the Giants. The Bear defense is immensely better and the offense is somewhat better.

Would you rather have Urlacher, Briggs, Harris and Brown or Arrington, Strahan and Umenyiora? Also, would you prefer Berrian, Muhammed, Jones/Benson and Clark or Burress, Shockey, Barber and Toomer?

Again, the defense is no question significantly in the Bears' favor and the offense is slightly. Plus when you factor in the ridicoulous injuries the Giants have faced and that the Bear coaching staff is remarkably better, the no Super Bowl means Eli sucks is a very poor argument.