2009 Chicago Bears Preseason Thread - A new era begins

[dew1679666265]

I am so tired of hearing about Cutler's record as a starter. Evidentally, if a QB is not good enough to put 50 points on the board every game to outscore what their defense gives up, then they suck. Makes perfect sense.

 

I've never understood citing a player's record in a team sport.

[Soul]

I don't know McDaniels personally, of course, but he certainly comes off like kind of a pompous prick in interviews. I don't understand media pundits that put the whole Cutler trade on Cutler being a crybaby.

 

To be fair, on the postgame NBC show, they gave Rodney Harrison a lengthy spot of airtime which he used to pretty much thoroughly trash the Broncos for how they dealt with the Cutler situation.

[soapy]

I don't know McDaniels personally, of course, but he certainly comes off like kind of a pompous prick in interviews. I don't understand media pundits that put the whole Cutler trade on Cutler being a crybaby.

 

To be fair, on the postgame NBC show, they gave Rodney Harrison a lengthy spot of airtime which he used to pretty much thoroughly trash the Broncos for how they dealt with the Cutler situation.

 

Collinsworth did that a bit in the 2nd half of the game as well.

[cbbryan]

I don't know McDaniels personally, of course, but he certainly comes off like kind of a pompous prick in interviews. I don't understand media pundits that put the whole Cutler trade on Cutler being a crybaby.

 

To be fair, on the postgame NBC show, they gave Rodney Harrison a lengthy spot of airtime which he used to pretty much thoroughly trash the Broncos for how they dealt with the Cutler situation.

 

Collinsworth did that a bit in the 2nd half of the game as well.

 

I actually agree with most of what Harrison and Collinsworth said about the trade. From the Broncos standpoint you just can't afford to trade someone as talented as Cutler. Suspending him ala Brandon Marshall is one thing, but does it really matter how many position players you get back for him in trade? All the "experts" seem to agree that filling the QB position as opposed to positional players is much more difficult.

[soapy]

Players get upset and "demand" trades all the time. Seems like most of them end up back-tracking and getting back in the fold if you just give them time to cool off and show you aren't going to trade them. Seems like that's how the Broncos likely could have/should have handled the Cutler situation if they were really interested in keeping him. Instead, they traded him (which they seemed fairly eager to do anyway) and got to blame it on Cutler being a crybaby.

[brinoch]

I had the pleasure of watching this game last night, and I thought the Bears did fine. They struggled a bit offensively to start the game, but I think all that is a good thing. The intensity of the game was much more like a regular game -- maybe even an important game -- than a pre-season game. That can only help the offense (and defense) come together. More importantly, once the Bears had good field position (or at least not terrible field position), the offense looked better.

 

The O-Line still needs some work.

[CubColtPacer]

Players get upset and "demand" trades all the time. Seems like most of them end up back-tracking and getting back in the fold if you just give them time to cool off and show you aren't going to trade them. Seems like that's how the Broncos likely could have/should have handled the Cutler situation if they were really interested in keeping him. Instead, they traded him (which they seemed fairly eager to do anyway) and got to blame it on Cutler being a crybaby.

 

Most of those players don't get back into the fold until training camp though. I can see why the Broncos didn't want to have that uncertainty with their QB situation and then potentially have to trade Cutler for even less than they did. Especially when he would be working with a new coaching staff that he was refusing to meet with.

 

Still though, it's the Broncos fault in the first place. If they had wanted him, then they would never have tried to trade for Cassell, and Cutler would have had no reason for wanting a trade. The Broncos made a horrible mistake trying to get the player the coach wanted and it has backfired on them.

[Flames24Rulz]

I'm hoping Pace is just having a hard time blocking a little butt plug like Dumervil and will handle the traditionally sized DEs better. He did well against the Giants last week.

 

I hope you're right, but I could see other teams seeing that Pace is having issues with a small guy and line up a LB or something on him...

 

He looked better in the later drives. It could be a concern, but the Bears were giving help to St. Clair on a bunch of plays last year. Giving Pace some help on a few plays, if the situation calls for it, would still be an improvement.

 

Yeah....it was just one game, and a preseason one at that. I'm not overly concerned yet.

 

he doesn't usually see freakshows like the 3-4. he's played in the NFC most of his career, and even HE hasn't faced many schemes that rush midget defensive ends/"outside linebackers" and line up free safeties at the middle linebacker spots and giant fatasses at NT.

 

More and more NFC teams are implementing the 3-4, though. In fact I wouldn't be surprised to see the 3-4 be the premier defense in the league within the next 10 years.

[soapy]

Players get upset and "demand" trades all the time. Seems like most of them end up back-tracking and getting back in the fold if you just give them time to cool off and show you aren't going to trade them. Seems like that's how the Broncos likely could have/should have handled the Cutler situation if they were really interested in keeping him. Instead, they traded him (which they seemed fairly eager to do anyway) and got to blame it on Cutler being a crybaby.

 

Most of those players don't get back into the fold until training camp though. I can see why the Broncos didn't want to have that uncertainty with their QB situation and then potentially have to trade Cutler for even less than they did. Especially when he would be working with a new coaching staff that he was refusing to meet with.

 

Still though, it's the Broncos fault in the first place. If they had wanted him, then they would never have tried to trade for Cassell, and Cutler would have had no reason for wanting a trade. The Broncos made a horrible mistake trying to get the player the coach wanted and it has backfired on them.

 

He refused to meet with them (which he denies) for, what, a week? In February/March?

 

I'm not saying Cutler handled it properly, or maturely mind you. Regardless, I'm happy things worked out the way they did, of course.

[Soul]

Players get upset and "demand" trades all the time. Seems like most of them end up back-tracking and getting back in the fold if you just give them time to cool off and show you aren't going to trade them. Seems like that's how the Broncos likely could have/should have handled the Cutler situation if they were really interested in keeping him. Instead, they traded him (which they seemed fairly eager to do anyway) and got to blame it on Cutler being a crybaby.

 

Most of those players don't get back into the fold until training camp though. I can see why the Broncos didn't want to have that uncertainty with their QB situation and then potentially have to trade Cutler for even less than they did. Especially when he would be working with a new coaching staff that he was refusing to meet with.

 

Still though, it's the Broncos fault in the first place. If they had wanted him, then they would never have tried to trade for Cassell, and Cutler would have had no reason for wanting a trade. The Broncos made a horrible mistake trying to get the player the coach wanted and it has backfired on them.

 

I think Cutler acted poorly, but it was a highly unusual situation in that very few times will you see a team trying to trade for a 2nd starter when they already have a QB like Cutler. Jay should have taken a deep breath at some point, and he didn't. He's going to need to develop that ability or he will probably run into more trouble at some point.

 

I definitely agree with you -- if I'm the Broncos, and I'm going to go down that path, then I need to understand the risks of it backfiring. If I don't, then that's on me. I don't go out afterwards and try to pretend I did everything right and it was just a whiny player who made everything a mess. That's just silly. I made that bed, sleep in it.

[David]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/08/30/mmqb/?eref=sihpT1

 

King continues to rave about the Bears.

[David]

Wow...

 

http://sportsbybrooks.com/rick-reilly-implies-broncos-owner-has-alzheimers-25833

 

Bowlen, 65, admitted recently that he has “short-term memory loss.” There are whole parts of the Broncos’ Super Bowl seasons he says he can’t recall.

 

Bowlen still insists Jay Cutler never called him back during McJay Gate this winter, which left him “no choice” but to trade a dead-lock Pro Bowl 26-year-old quarterback for Kyle Orton and draft choices.

 

But I’ve now got it from three different sources — who choose to remain unidentified — that Cutler did call Bowlen back.

 

“Jay called him twice,” said one source. “It’s unbelievable it came to this.”

 

 

 

Thank god we capitalized on this :yahoo: :-)) :-)) :-))

 

 

 

But seriously, what a cluster-expletive

[Banedon]

Yeah, I read that...I didn't post it because I'm not real sure what to make of it. It seems like that would've come out back when all this was going down. I'd like to see someone else confirm it or something....

[David]

Apparently, doesn't remember telling Marshall he'd trade him, either.

[Mark Priors Calves]

If I was a player on the Broncos, I'd be saying that Bowlen told me that he was going to be give me a 7 year/$100 million contract.

[Mark Priors Calves]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/31/could-deion-branch-be-cut/

PFT is reporting that Seattle might cut Deion Branch. Any interest from Bears fans?

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah, I read that...I didn't post it because I'm not real sure what to make of it. It seems like that would've come out back when all this was going down. I'd like to see someone else confirm it or something....

 

There was something that came out at the time about Bowlen's memory.

[rawaction]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/31/could-deion-branch-be-cut/

PFT is reporting that Seattle might cut Deion Branch. Any interest from Bears fans?

 

I'd take Branch over Rideau and Davis who are competing as the Bears #6.

[Banedon]

Yeah, I read that...I didn't post it because I'm not real sure what to make of it. It seems like that would've come out back when all this was going down. I'd like to see someone else confirm it or something....

 

There was something that came out at the time about Bowlen's memory.

 

I must've forgotten.

[Soul]

Yeah, I read that...I didn't post it because I'm not real sure what to make of it. It seems like that would've come out back when all this was going down. I'd like to see someone else confirm it or something....

 

There was something that came out at the time about Bowlen's memory.

 

I must've forgotten.

 

:rotfl:

 

Seriously though, why are they bashing Reilly for that? To me, Bowlen having memory loss might explain much, and it's pretty good writing if it is confirmed by 3 sources. Isn't just about everyone trying to get to the bottom of how something like this could have happened? Even though we benefitted, I'm definitely interested in how it got as far as it did.

 

There are many things you can bash Reilly for, this piece doesn't seem like a very good one.

[RedFlash]

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/huddleup/2009/08/chicago-bears-waiveinjured-nose-tackle-dusty-dvoracek-cut-three-others.html

 

Dusty has been waived. :(

[Splendid_Splinter]

cutler has no chance because we have no idea how to block a gimmicky 3-4 scheme

I missed this comment earlier, but I have two questions.

 

1. What, in your mind, make the 3-4 defense a "gimmicky" scheme?

2. Do you feel that the Tampa 2 defense is also a "gimmicky" scheme? If you don't consider it a gimmick, please explain why.

 

i only consider it a gimmicky scheme because the packers run it, of course. but don't worry, they'll get their dismantling soon.

 

and the tampa-2 is about as conventional as defenses get.

I have to say I'm disappointed with your response. At the very least I was hoping you would make another incoherent rant like the one you started when the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin. I guess I will have to settle for your response to Banedon.

 

I also find your response about the Tampa 2 funny, especially after you incorrectly described the 3-4 as:

undersized linebackers and oversized linemen. it's for players like farrior and foote who are too slow to play safety and too small to play linebacker in normal scheme. i hate them.

Change the oversized linemen to undersized linemen and that would be a great definition for the personnel needed to play a Tampa 2.

 

If you want to attack a real gimmick defense, then by all means attack the 1-5-5 or 2-4-5 that the Packers will be using in nickel and dime packages.

[Magnetic Curses]

you should go make yourself useful and spend some more time looking stuff up.

[David]

Bears sign Rod Hood.

[Banedon]

http://readandreact.info/2009/08/30/denver-cutler-love-fest-photo-essay/