2009 Chicago Bears offseason

[biittner77]

Nowhere did I say that you could win without playing good defense. What I said was that offense first teams usually win more often than defense first teams.

 

Teams with bad offenses don't win the superbowl. The Steelers certainly were better defensively. Their offensive were horrible in that win with Rothlesberger playing about as a bad as a QB can and still win. However, he did play well enough to get them into that position.

 

Whoever said that the Rams were good against the run is easily mislead. Teams that score lots of points usually are good against the run because the teams they play against are playing catch up and have to throw the ball.

[rchap24]

Nowhere did I say that you could win without playing good defense. What I said was that offense first teams usually win more often than defense first teams.

 

Teams with bad offenses don't win the superbowl. The Steelers certainly were better defensively. Their offensive were horrible in that win with Rothlesberger playing about as a bad as a QB can and still win. However, he did play well enough to get them into that position.

 

Whoever said that the Rams were good against the run is easily mislead. Teams that score lots of points usually are good against the run because the teams they play against are playing catch up and have to throw the ball.

 

Dude they were ranked 4th in the league in overall defense I wasn't mislead. Check yourself

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1999/opp.htm

The Rams are historically known for there offense, but there defense was one of the best in the league as well

[Magnetic Curses]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

[biittner77]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

 

They got to the superbowl because their offense was good enough to get them to that game. They won the actual Superbowl game because of their defense. Their defense was better than their offense but I do not believe that they could have made it out of the AFC on defense alone.

 

It really comes down to this. Is it an accident that the Bears have not been able to develop a QB the last 20 years or is it because they focus the bulk of their resources on defense? Have the Bears had little offensive success because of bad coordinators or because of a lack of offensive talent? Perhaps the answer is both. So why can't the Bears get a good offensive coordinator? Why do they keep hiring Defensive guys as head coach?

 

The Bears team philosophy hasn't changed since the days of Ditka and they have 1 superbowl victory to show for it versus many one and done playoff appearances.

 

So if you want to say that defense wins championships thats fine by me. It just hasn't won the Bears many championships. That fact is undeniable

[Soul]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

 

They got to the superbowl because their offense was good enough to get them to that game. They won the actual Superbowl game because of their defense. Their defense was better than their offense but I do not believe that they could have made it out of the AFC on defense alone.

 

It really comes down to this. Is it an accident that the Bears have not been able to develop a QB the last 20 years or is it because they focus the bulk of their resources on defense? Have the Bears had little offensive success because of bad coordinators or because of a lack of offensive talent? Perhaps the answer is both. So why can't the Bears get a good offensive coordinator? Why do they keep hiring Defensive guys as head coach?

 

The Bears team philosophy hasn't changed since the days of Ditka and they have 1 superbowl victory to show for it versus many one and done playoff appearances.

 

So if you want to say that defense wins championships thats fine by me. It just hasn't won the Bears many championships. That fact is undeniable

 

Well, in fairness though, having a defensive emphasis doesn't mean you *must* ignore offense and finish at or near the bottom of the rankings every year, like the Bears. Just as having an offensive emphasis doesn't mean you must finish at the bottom in defense every year.

 

If you're a good organization, well-coached -- you should still be able to get that other side of the ball to an average level. If you can't, then you'll probably wind up like the many teams that have only one side of the ball with absolutely nothing on the other side. You know, like the Bears.

[jersey cubs fan]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

 

They got to the superbowl because their offense was good enough to get them to that game. They won the actual Superbowl game because of their defense. Their defense was better than their offense but I do not believe that they could have made it out of the AFC on defense alone.

 

And the Bears almost won the Super Bowl this way as well. This year's Steelers team isn't good offensively, neither is Baltimore, and one is going to make the Super Bowl.

 

You can win with an emphasis on defense (which the majority of SB winners this decade have won with). But it's very hard to win with incompetence on offense. You don't fix incompetence by abandoning your defense.

[rchap24]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

 

They got to the superbowl because their offense was good enough to get them to that game. They won the actual Superbowl game because of their defense. Their defense was better than their offense but I do not believe that they could have made it out of the AFC on defense alone.

 

It really comes down to this. Is it an accident that the Bears have not been able to develop a QB the last 20 years or is it because they focus the bulk of their resources on defense? Have the Bears had little offensive success because of bad coordinators or because of a lack of offensive talent? Perhaps the answer is both. So why can't the Bears get a good offensive coordinator? Why do they keep hiring Defensive guys as head coach?

 

The Bears team philosophy hasn't changed since the days of Ditka and they have 1 superbowl victory to show for it versus many one and done playoff appearances.

 

So if you want to say that defense wins championships thats fine by me. It just hasn't won the Bears many championships. That fact is undeniable

 

Yet three of the four teams left in the playoffs this year were The Steelers who were number one, The Ravens who were three, and The Eagles who were four.

[minnesotacubsfan]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

 

They got to the superbowl because their offense was good enough to get them to that game. They won the actual Superbowl game because of their defense. Their defense was better than their offense but I do not believe that they could have made it out of the AFC on defense alone.

 

It really comes down to this. Is it an accident that the Bears have not been able to develop a QB the last 20 years or is it because they focus the bulk of their resources on defense? Have the Bears had little offensive success because of bad coordinators or because of a lack of offensive talent? Perhaps the answer is both. So why can't the Bears get a good offensive coordinator? Why do they keep hiring Defensive guys as head coach?

 

The Bears team philosophy hasn't changed since the days of Ditka and they have 1 superbowl victory to show for it versus many one and done playoff appearances.

 

So if you want to say that defense wins championships thats fine by me. It just hasn't won the Bears many championships. That fact is undeniable

 

Yet three of the four teams left in the playoffs this year were The Steelers who were number one, The Ravens who were three, and The Eagles who were four.

 

and AZ has somehow discovered their defense just in time for the playoffs

[Soul]

So, the year the Bears actually went to the Super Bowl they finished:

 

5th in total D

15th in total O

 

 

That, to me, is the definition of a team that emphasizes one side of the ball, while treading water on the other side (i.e. can still make some plays even though they aren't the best).

 

The past 2 years we haven't even finished top 20 on D, to say nothing of the O.

[minnesotacubsfan]

you know, even though I have long pined for a 3-4 defense, I would go so far as to say I dont even mind the Cover 2 being the basis of philosophy for the Bears. There are PLENTY of teams that still imploy derivatives of the west coast offense, which the C2 was developed to counter. The issue is understanding that since the pure WCO no longer exists, the pure C2 can no longer exist and it needs to evolve as well. I'm just not sure Lovie and Co are willing to accept that. I wish he was, I like him as a coach for the most part.

 

 

but thats a whole other discussion.

[jersey cubs fan]

So, the year the Bears actually went to the Super Bowl they finished:

 

5th in total D

15th in total O

 

 

That, to me, is the definition of a team that emphasizes one side of the ball, while treading water on the other side (i.e. can still make some plays even though they aren't the best).

 

The past 2 years we haven't even finished top 20 on D, to say nothing of the O.

 

That's the big problem with the Bears. If you are going to emphasize D, you can't afford to actually be bad on the side of the ball you emphasize. They need to be better at preventing yards, even if it means less of an emphasis on turnovers.

[minnesotacubsfan]

So, the year the Bears actually went to the Super Bowl they finished:

 

5th in total D

15th in total O

 

 

That, to me, is the definition of a team that emphasizes one side of the ball, while treading water on the other side (i.e. can still make some plays even though they aren't the best).

 

The past 2 years we haven't even finished top 20 on D, to say nothing of the O.

 

That's the big problem with the Bears. If you are going to emphasize D, you can't afford to actually be bad on the side of the ball you emphasize. They need to be better at preventing yards, even if it means less of an emphasis on turnovers.

 

this is true, despite how madingly fun it is to score 6 on D

[biittner77]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

 

They got to the superbowl because their offense was good enough to get them to that game. They won the actual Superbowl game because of their defense. Their defense was better than their offense but I do not believe that they could have made it out of the AFC on defense alone.

 

It really comes down to this. Is it an accident that the Bears have not been able to develop a QB the last 20 years or is it because they focus the bulk of their resources on defense? Have the Bears had little offensive success because of bad coordinators or because of a lack of offensive talent? Perhaps the answer is both. So why can't the Bears get a good offensive coordinator? Why do they keep hiring Defensive guys as head coach?

 

The Bears team philosophy hasn't changed since the days of Ditka and they have 1 superbowl victory to show for it versus many one and done playoff appearances.

 

So if you want to say that defense wins championships thats fine by me. It just hasn't won the Bears many championships. That fact is undeniable

 

Yet three of the four teams left in the playoffs this year were The Steelers who were number one, The Ravens who were three, and The Eagles who were four.

 

None of those teams are the Bears. All of those teams have a QB that they drafted in the first round and supported with a good O line.

[jersey cubs fan]

you said that the steelers won because of their offense.

 

They got to the superbowl because their offense was good enough to get them to that game. They won the actual Superbowl game because of their defense. Their defense was better than their offense but I do not believe that they could have made it out of the AFC on defense alone.

 

It really comes down to this. Is it an accident that the Bears have not been able to develop a QB the last 20 years or is it because they focus the bulk of their resources on defense? Have the Bears had little offensive success because of bad coordinators or because of a lack of offensive talent? Perhaps the answer is both. So why can't the Bears get a good offensive coordinator? Why do they keep hiring Defensive guys as head coach?

 

The Bears team philosophy hasn't changed since the days of Ditka and they have 1 superbowl victory to show for it versus many one and done playoff appearances.

 

So if you want to say that defense wins championships thats fine by me. It just hasn't won the Bears many championships. That fact is undeniable

 

Yet three of the four teams left in the playoffs this year were The Steelers who were number one, The Ravens who were three, and The Eagles who were four.

 

None of those teams are the Bears. All of those teams have a QB that they drafted in the first round and supported with a good O line.

 

And neither Ben nor Flacco are all that good.

[Guest]

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5525

 

John Hoke is the new DBs coach. He was the Texans DBs coach the last 7 years.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Hoke-dokey

 

 

(I have no idea what to make of this hire)

[jersey cubs fan]

Hoke-dokey

 

 

(I have no idea what to make of this hire)

 

Another coach with actual NFL experience that is not Bears related.

[Guest]

Hoke-dokey

 

 

(I have no idea what to make of this hire)

 

Another coach with actual NFL experience that is not Bears related.

 

Which is encouraging.

[Soul]

Hoke-dokey

 

 

(I have no idea what to make of this hire)

 

Another coach with actual NFL experience that is not Bears related.

 

Which is encouraging.

 

Less encouraging is Houston's pass defense rankings over the past few seasons, although that's obviously not a DB-specific stat.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Hoke-dokey

 

 

(I have no idea what to make of this hire)

 

Another coach with actual NFL experience that is not Bears related.

 

Which is encouraging.

 

Less encouraging is Houston's pass defense rankings over the past few seasons, although that's obviously not a DB-specific stat.

 

exactly, he may be a non-Bear coach, but its hard to judge his success otherwise.

 

I guess we'll see. Maybe he will convince Angelo to draft Vontae. I wouldn;t mind that, dispite the non-need.

[rchap24]

Hoke-dokey

 

 

(I have no idea what to make of this hire)

 

Another coach with actual NFL experience that is not Bears related.

 

Which is encouraging.

 

Less encouraging is Houston's pass defense rankings over the past few seasons, although that's obviously not a DB-specific stat.

 

exactly, he may be a non-Bear coach, but its hard to judge his success otherwise.

 

I guess we'll see. Maybe he will convince Angelo to draft Vontae. I wouldn;t mind that, dispite the non-need.

 

Wouldn't mind him...I've heard he's a huge problem in the locker room though...My friend who plays safety for them says he always mouths off to Zook. Maybe he'll tone it down on the NFL level, but I got a bad feeling based on how Vernon is

[jersey cubs fan]

Disappointing

 

Smith, addressing the media via conference call Tuesday, said defensive coordinator Bob Babich would remain in his role but also would serve as the linebackers coach, replacing Lloyd Lee. Babich spent three years as the linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator.

 

Smith said he plans to help Babich with coordinating the defense.

 

``I'm excited about taking a more hands-on approach,'' Smith said of getting the defense back to where it used to be.

 

``After my evaluation, these are the changes I thought were necessary,'' Smith said. ``Getting rid of Bob Babich was not a part of that. Bob's duties have changed, like all of our guys duties have changed. But no one is in the same position that they were, defensively, last year. So there weren't any scapegoats. The guys I thought didn't need to be here anymore, we needed to go a different direction from, we did that. The ones that stayed, I think these guys all bring something to the table.''

[SpongeWorthy]

So, the year the Bears actually went to the Super Bowl they finished:

 

5th in total D

15th in total O

 

 

That, to me, is the definition of a team that emphasizes one side of the ball, while treading water on the other side (i.e. can still make some plays even though they aren't the best).

 

The past 2 years we haven't even finished top 20 on D, to say nothing of the O.

 

And probably the greatest special teams unit in NFL history.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Disappointing

 

Smith, addressing the media via conference call Tuesday, said defensive coordinator Bob Babich would remain in his role but also would serve as the linebackers coach, replacing Lloyd Lee. Babich spent three years as the linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator.

 

Smith said he plans to help Babich with coordinating the defense.

 

``I'm excited about taking a more hands-on approach,'' Smith said of getting the defense back to where it used to be.

 

``After my evaluation, these are the changes I thought were necessary,'' Smith said. ``Getting rid of Bob Babich was not a part of that. Bob's duties have changed, like all of our guys duties have changed. But no one is in the same position that they were, defensively, last year. So there weren't any scapegoats. The guys I thought didn't need to be here anymore, we needed to go a different direction from, we did that. The ones that stayed, I think these guys all bring something to the table.''

 

while it may be disappointing that Babich isnt being completely removed, it is nice to see Lovie taking more control. I'm not sure, after a 0-16 season, Maranelli would have been a good "marketing" stradegy.

[jersey cubs fan]

while it may be disappointing that Babich isnt being completely removed, it is nice to see Lovie taking more control. I'm not sure, after a 0-16 season, Maranelli would have been a good "marketing" stradegy.

 

The last time Lovie took more control was after the Super Bowl, when he was able to fire a non-Tampa 2 Lovie BFF coordinator in favor of his BFF Babich and have more say on personel matters. That did not work out well.

 

Well, at least a move like this might mean it's 2009 or bust for Lovie. If this defense remains the mediocre mess it's been the past two years he'll have very few people to blame.