Week 17: Bears at Houston, noon on Fox

[WrigleyField 22]

Wide Receiver and DB should be the main targets through draft and free agency.

 

O-Line please

I'd like some O-Line depth to eventually replace some of our older guys, but a line of:

Williams, Beekman, Kreutz, Garza, and Tait should do for next year.

[NOLA]

what does it take to get McNabb? Go Cowboys (to make the loss less painful).

 

Whatever it takes is what I would say. As a Saints fan, I remember this time in 2005 wondering if we would draft Vince Young. We signed Drew Brees out of the blue, which freed us up to address other holes. The Bears could sign McNabb, then draft Knowshon Moreno from UGA, or trade up for Crabtree form TTech. That fixes alot of problems.

Now, I will resume sulking about my Saints. PLEASE let us draft Rey Maualuga from USC or Laurenitis from OSU!

 

Why in the world would they draft Moreno? Crabtree is probably going top 5-7 where it would cost an awful lot to get into.

 

Moreno is the prototype of that change of pace back that ppl have mentioned in this thread. He's a great receiver out of the backfield and a homerun threat. That seems to be something the Bears seriously lack outside of special teams...a threat to stretch a defense. Match that with McNabb, with Moreno being his new Bryant Westbrook, in addition to Forte...that' a nice offense!

 

It would just be an awful use of resources. When your best player on offense is a RB and you have many holes to fill, it's not a sound decision to use your first round pick on a RB.

 

My point is that Forte cannot take the beating being the only worthwhile RB, the offense badly needs big play ability that Hester hasn't delivered, and your offensive backfield would be set...with depth. Defense needs help, but there are alot of free agents out there to address this and plug holes. I just think Moreno is really that good especially that late in the 1st round. I guess I just think the Bears are closer than some are saying and he could put them over the top. The offense scares NO ONE right now.

[CubmanPi]

Just got home. I took a little solace in the vikes winning, but the oakland philly double upset is actually happening. what a pitful showing. those idoit sderserve to sit home abnd watch the playoffs go by. choking goats and their no show pathetic defense. freaking terrible.

[BigSlick]

ah well, the game pissed me off but after a few hours it doesn't bother me as much

 

they were, as has been said, what we thought they were

 

if they make the right moves they can be an elite team next year in the NFC. Need to shore up the O-line, wide receivers and add a few pieces on defense, but it can all be done

[RynoRules]

We can have an elite defense again with just one or two new players, .

 

Nope, that ship has sailed. They are several players away from an elite defense. Back to back seasons of mediocrity (or worse) isn't a fluke.

 

I agree. The D Line is slowing down in a big, bad way. To go sackless against a pass-happy offense like Houston is horrendous. They had a 16 or 17 quarter sackless streak earlier, and they have bene inconsistent against the run. I think that Adewale has played his last game as a Bear, and much as I like him, Dvorachek has been hurt during each of his three seasons. Harrison and Adams have played well enough to be alongside Harris, who is suffering, IMO, from the fact that no one else on the line has played well (save for Brown in bursts).

 

As for the LB's, Briggs is a stud. Notice I didn't mention a certain MLB'er. I am not sure what Urlacher's deal is, but I can't believe he is all of a sudden that bad. I wonder if it has something to do with the scheme.

 

The DB's are ok. I don't think they are as bad as many do. Again, the Cover 2 depends on pressure on the QB. The DB's look bad when they are hung out to dry by the QB having too much time to set and throw.

 

On "O", we need two new tackles (Williams is one) and a new guard to replace Garza. A possession WR is needed to pair with Hester. TJ Who's-Your-Momma would be perfect, but I doubt we can afford him. What happened to the Bennett kid we drafted?

 

I'd like a backup RB who can catch a pass and move with some speed . Probably need another FB as well.

 

Truth is the D is much more screwed up than the O.

[chuckywang]

Blame the season on the Falcons squib kick.

[Wilson A2000]

Urlacher didn't lose his step all at once. He has been getting slower the last two seasons (plus the bad back) which is why Angelo should not have flinched when Urlacher demanded a new contract. The scheme makes it so that he doesn't take part in as many spectacular plays though.

[jersey cubs fan]

Wide Receiver and DB should be the main targets through draft and free agency.

 

O-Line please

I'd like some O-Line depth to eventually replace some of our older guys, but a line of:

Williams, Beekman, Kreutz, Garza, and Tait should do for next year.

 

Having an OLine that "should do" should not be good enough for us. The Bears offensive talent isn't good enough for an okay line. With their weak talent, and no chance of significant improvement in the offseason, the only realistic way they can be very good next year is with a really good line. Really good lines can turn mediocre teams into division winners. That is the only way this core Bears group will ever win during the Lovie/Angelo era. There is no magic receiver or QB on the market or in the draft to fix their problems.

[Butterscup1679666578]

How much is T.J. Houshmandzadeh going to cost? He's a FA.

 

Isn't Anquan Boldin one too? I'd love to go after one of these two in FA, then use the draft to rebuild the defense/o-line.

[UMFan83]

I want to get mad that Philly beat Dallas to go with Oakland beating Tampa Bay, but its really hard to say weather Philly would have come out with any fire if they knew before the game that they were done

[NCCubFan]

Julious Peppers is also a FA.

I think there's almost no chance he leaves Carolina. That's his home, and I think he'll re-sign with the Panthers. If they have to in order to keep him I think Carolina would franchise him.

[salukifudd]

How much is T.J. Houshmandzadeh going to cost? He's a FA.

 

Isn't Anquan Boldin one too? I'd love to go after one of these two in FA, then use the draft to rebuild the defense/o-line.

 

I'm pretty sure Boldin is not a FA, but there has been talk he is available via trade.

[cubweiser03]

What was up with the Manning at FS but then nickel back when they would go 3 wide plan. That seemed very strange to me.

 

My areas of concentration: OL and DE.

If Julius Peppers is a FA go after him hard. This defense relies on the blitz too much to force pressure and teams do quick slants, hot routes etc to combat it. The Bucs took their defense to the level of domination with the addition of Simeon Rice; the DT on this team are good, a guy like Peppers might really take it to another level like Rice did (their LBs werent better than the current Bears and it wasnt anybody in the secondary other than Barber and Lynch that were noteworthy). This team really needs an edge rusher. Ogun and Brown dont give that added presense to this team anymore.

 

Oline: Find a replacement for Garza and/or Tait. Give Forte a really good oline.

Hester made some real progress as a WR. He has the abiltiy to get open underneath with nice slant routes and quick outs/curls or even fades if they guard him tight at the line, what i really like was he makes some terrific double moves to get open deep and get beyond the CB and S. He is inconsistent with his hands, thats the weakness i see from him, i think he will get better with that.

 

It all starts up front and thats where the Bears need to start the FA and draft.

[TruffleShuffle]

What was up with the Manning at FS but then nickel back when they would go 3 wide plan. That seemed very strange to me.

 

My areas of concentration: OL and DE.

If Julius Peppers is a FA go after him hard. This defense relies on the blitz too much to force pressure and teams do quick slants, hot routes etc to combat it. The Bucs took their defense to the level of domination with the addition of Simeon Rice; the DT on this team are good, a guy like Peppers might really take it to another level like Rice did (their LBs werent better than the current Bears and it wasnt anybody in the secondary other than Barber and Lynch that were noteworthy). This team really needs an edge rusher. Ogun and Brown dont give that added presense to this team anymore.

 

Oline: Find a replacement for Garza and/or Tait. Give Forte a really good oline.

Hester made some real progress as a WR. He has the abiltiy to get open underneath with nice slant routes and quick outs/curls or even fades if they guard him tight at the line, what i really like was he makes some terrific double moves to get open deep and get beyond the CB and S. He is inconsistent with his hands, thats the weakness i see from him, i think he will get better with that.

 

It all starts up front and thats where the Bears need to start the FA and draft.

 

as long as the panthers don't use their franchise tag on chris gamble they'll definitely slap it on peppers. i can't imagine a scenario in which they let him walk.

 

terrell suggs is a really good pass rusher who may end up on the free agent market. at least i think he's less of a pipe dream than peppers.

[Magnetic Curses]

Wide Receiver and DB should be the main targets through draft and free agency.

 

O-Line please

I'd like some O-Line depth to eventually replace some of our older guys, but a line of:

Williams, Beekman, Kreutz, Garza, and Tait should do for next year.

 

so, we should just forget about rushing the passer with the front 4? which, i might add, is the focal point of lovie's defense.

[cubweiser03]

What was up with the Manning at FS but then nickel back when they would go 3 wide plan. That seemed very strange to me.

 

My areas of concentration: OL and DE.

If Julius Peppers is a FA go after him hard. This defense relies on the blitz too much to force pressure and teams do quick slants, hot routes etc to combat it. The Bucs took their defense to the level of domination with the addition of Simeon Rice; the DT on this team are good, a guy like Peppers might really take it to another level like Rice did (their LBs werent better than the current Bears and it wasnt anybody in the secondary other than Barber and Lynch that were noteworthy). This team really needs an edge rusher. Ogun and Brown dont give that added presense to this team anymore.

 

Oline: Find a replacement for Garza and/or Tait. Give Forte a really good oline.

Hester made some real progress as a WR. He has the abiltiy to get open underneath with nice slant routes and quick outs/curls or even fades if they guard him tight at the line, what i really like was he makes some terrific double moves to get open deep and get beyond the CB and S. He is inconsistent with his hands, thats the weakness i see from him, i think he will get better with that.

 

It all starts up front and thats where the Bears need to start the FA and draft.

 

as long as the panthers don't use their franchise tag on chris gamble they'll definitely slap it on peppers. i can't imagine a scenario in which they let him walk.

 

terrell suggs is a really good pass rusher who may end up on the free agent market. at least i think he's less of a pipe dream than peppers.

 

Yeah i forgot about the possiblity of franchising Peppers, thats a huge hurdle. I dont know if Suggs can be a down lineman in 4-3 defense like the Bears run. They need to find some RDE that makes more of an impact at pass rushing than Alex Brown.

[Magnetic Curses]

what about albert haynesworth, whom the titans cannot franchise? he would take pressure off of the ends, and allow more of an outside pass rush. plus, maybe harris could return to form beside a guy like that.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Do we know what pick we'll have?

[cubweiser03]

Oh and that ruling that the Bears couldnt challenge the spot because it wasnt a first down needs to be corrected. Thats a freakin joke.

[Derwood]

Oh and that ruling that the Bears couldnt challenge the spot because it wasnt a first down needs to be corrected. Thats a freakin joke.

 

the entire replay/challenge system in the NFL is terrible. college football's isn't perfect, but it's FAR better

[WrigleyField 22]

Wide Receiver and DB should be the main targets through draft and free agency.

 

O-Line please

I'd like some O-Line depth to eventually replace some of our older guys, but a line of:

Williams, Beekman, Kreutz, Garza, and Tait should do for next year.

 

Having an OLine that "should do" should not be good enough for us. The Bears offensive talent isn't good enough for an okay line. With their weak talent, and no chance of significant improvement in the offseason, the only realistic way they can be very good next year is with a really good line. Really good lines can turn mediocre teams into division winners. That is the only way this core Bears group will ever win during the Lovie/Angelo era. There is no magic receiver or QB on the market or in the draft to fix their problems.

Well, ideally, with Williams stepping up, replacing St. Clair, and playing like a first round talent, our line should already see a big upgrade.

 

We will have multiple needs, so not every one can be a top priority. Assuming Williams provides the necessary boost, any activity on the offensive line should be lower round picks to add depth and learn under the current guys until they can take over.

 

We have to balance the line between winning now and setting up for the future. Considering other needs, I think the line falls under, setting up for the future.

[jersey cubs fan]

We have to balance the line between winning now and setting up for the future. Considering other needs, I think the line falls under, setting up for the future.

 

the rest of the team isn't good enough to win now with the offensive line they have.

[WrigleyField 22]

We have to balance the line between winning now and setting up for the future. Considering other needs, I think the line falls under, setting up for the future.

 

the rest of the team isn't good enough to win now with the offensive line they have.

We nearly did it this year, without Williams playing a role.

 

Now if Williams doesn't step up, I'd agree, but if the Bears are confident he'll contribute, you're already talking about adding a first round talent.

 

We certainly could upgrade the offensive line if the right player is available, but its far from a necessity. A stacked offensive line isn't going to open up the passing game all by itself. It will help, but as I said, we're already hoping to get one upgrade. Any other upgrades should only be done if the value is the best available.

 

Tentatively, I'd put the draft wish list looking something like this:

Rd1: BPA, except RB

Rd2: WR/S (hopefully the other adressed via FA)

Rd3: DL,OL,DB,QB (BPA)

Rd4: DL,OL,DB,QB (BPA)

Rd5-7: BPA, regardless of position

 

Based on that, within the first four rounds, I'd like to see one of saftey or wide reciever, and three out of DL,OL,QB, DB. LB is another I'd consider putting with that group, but either way, there will be a few positions that will have to be left up to later rounds or FA stop gaps. I'd like to see BPA though.

 

I don't see more than one major FA acquisition, nor do I think teams should do too much in FA, since the draft is the best long term strategy for building a team. Some starting spots will have to be below average or passable. Right now I really don't see even a below average WR or FS (since I won't count on Mike Brown). Therefore those two spots should get the main attention in free agency. Maybe we can get an uprgade at a position like Guard as well, but I don't see us going after any top players at other positions, instead getting second tier guys. If we can get a second tier FA who is an upgrade, that's fine, but I don't like seeing teams blow too much money on free agency, and you can't count on getting more than a couple main contributors in the first year after a draft.

[Outshined_One]

Do we know what pick we'll have?

 

Arizona and Philly won. We should be picking at 18. We could move down to 17, but that requires San Diego going to the Super Bowl.

[RedFlash]

The Bears changed defensive coordinators after reaching the Super Bowl. Surely they won't stick with the status quo after two non-playoff seasons. More than one defensive player talked about how things need to change. When players say that, they don't really mean the roster. The seat behind defensive coordinator Bob Babich's desk will feel hotter when he gets to work Monday. Speculation already has begun to swirl about Lovie Smith adding soon-to-be-fired Lions coach Rod Marinelli, who would be a good fit on the defensive staff. If the Bears react as they should, expect a staff shake-up.

 

from the Trib.....