Re: Week 8: Browns at Bears noon on CBS

[Soul]

If we do lose to these bozos, then it's going to be a very expensive Sunday for me, because things will be thrown. And things will be broken.

 

At least you wouldn't have driven 5 hours and paid $150 bucks to go to the game with an entire family of Bengals fans who think it's fun to scream "WHO DEY" in the Bears fan's ear every 6 seconds while their team is beating mine by 35 points like I did last week.

 

LOL, ouch man. That sounds nightmarish :)

[Soul]

Wow, this is a fun thread. I'm not completely down on this team, but you can't make the playoffs without being able to beat a decent team away from Chicago. Even if they do get into the playoffs, it's all but a given they will need to win a playoff game on the road to even get to the NFC championship. The next 3 on the road are SF (short week), Baltimore, and Minnesota. Gotta sweep at home and win @ Detroit to have a shot at the playoffs.

 

They had their chance to beat a decent team against Atlanta, but they pissed it away on turnovers.

[Keener98]

Tillman sucks people, no way in hell is he an untouchable. He may be the most overrated "#1 CB" in football. He'd be "ok" as a #2 CB, but having him as your #1 CB says plenty about your teams secondary.

 

No.

 

Yes. He is not a number 1 CB in this league.

 

you don't get to have an opinion on anything football related anymore.

 

If I cared what you thought, then I'd listen, but since I could give 2 shits what you think, I'll keep posting, thanks.

[ELCABALLO45]

Bears 31

Browns 3

[rawaction]

Wow, this is a fun thread. I'm not completely down on this team, but you can't make the playoffs without being able to beat a decent team away from Chicago. Even if they do get into the playoffs, it's all but a given they will need to win a playoff game on the road to even get to the NFC championship. The next 3 on the road are SF (short week), Baltimore, and Minnesota. Gotta sweep at home and win @ Detroit to have a shot at the playoffs.

 

They had their chance to beat a decent team against Atlanta, but they pissed it away on turnovers.

 

Had a chance doesn't put a notch in the W column. They had a chance in GB too. It still amounts to 1-3 on the road against teams not missing 7 or more players.

[rawaction]

This should be similar to the Detroit game in which there should be some big plays available in the run game. Cleveland has allowed 170 yards per game on the ground. The Browns can't throw the ball at all, but that could change if the Bears DL decides to just watch the QB sit in the pocket again.

 

This hasn't looked like a team that's motivated the last couple years. Didn't play motivated by getting back after the bye. Didn't play motivated defensively after a tough loss for the 2nd year in a row in ATL (gave up 41 to MIN last year after losing to ATL). Didn't play motivated with a chance to sneak into the playoffs in Houston last year. If this team has any pride, it will beat Cleveland by at least 3 TDs.

[Soul]

Wow, this is a fun thread. I'm not completely down on this team, but you can't make the playoffs without being able to beat a decent team away from Chicago. Even if they do get into the playoffs, it's all but a given they will need to win a playoff game on the road to even get to the NFC championship. The next 3 on the road are SF (short week), Baltimore, and Minnesota. Gotta sweep at home and win @ Detroit to have a shot at the playoffs.

 

They had their chance to beat a decent team against Atlanta, but they pissed it away on turnovers.

 

Had a chance doesn't put a notch in the W column. They had a chance in GB too. It still amounts to 1-3 on the road against teams not missing 7 or more players.

 

We'll do great against teams decimated by swine flu.

[cubweiser03]

Both lines are sucking this year. I just dont get how the olines performance can go down from last year to this years. Pace>JSC and Williams>Tait(at least pass rush wise). That leaves Frank O. who blows, why is beeckman not in is beyond me. Kruetz cant get a shotgun pass above cutlers crotch. Im tired of Brown, Ogun had a great game against the pack but thats all he has done, Anderson is blah, i want to see Gaines. Vasher at FS was an interesting idea but that didnt look to last more than a qtr.

 

Ron Turner can go to hell.

[Soul]

I see the "Cutler sucks" voices are starting to gain momentum now, too.

 

Took all of 6 games. :roll:

[UMFan83]

Where are you seeing Cutler sucks at?

 

I'll admit that I am a bit frustrated at his play especially the last 2 weeks. He hasn't seemed very accurate at all, not just on the INTs but on incomplete passes and even completed passes. I'm also reading Broncos fans are saying that the comments in the media about his arm accuracy are a complete myth.

 

However, I still do not doubt the decision to make the trade one bit. It's pretty obvious he has the skills to be among the top 3 QBs in the league, but it's up to us to develop them further. His ceiling is much much higher than Ortons and I'd say right now in a vacuum he's a better QB than Orton.

[Sosa21MVP]

Where are you seeing Cutler sucks at?

 

I'll admit that I am a bit frustrated at his play especially the last 2 weeks. He hasn't seemed very accurate at all, not just on the INTs but on incomplete passes and even completed passes. I'm also reading Broncos fans are saying that the comments in the media about his arm accuracy are a complete myth.

 

However, I still do not doubt the decision to make the trade one bit. It's pretty obvious he has the skills to be among the top 3 QBs in the league, but it's up to us to develop them further. His ceiling is much much higher than Ortons and I'd say right now in a vacuum he's a better QB than Orton.

 

Wow, reading that bolded part just scares me to death the more I think about it. At least with the current coaching staff.

[UMFan83]

It's true though. People forget it's only his 3rd full season as a starter. Many past elite QBs weren't at their peaks in that part of their careers. I too worry about our coaches being able to develop Cutler further, especially when I go back and look at Cutler highlights in Denver and see him making the same exact mistakes I've seen him make with the Bears (mostly refusing to take a sack and forcing balls into areas that it takes a perfect pass to get to).

 

I do believe he can improve on his weak areas and become an elite QB. As it is, he's probably only slightly better than middle of the road QB along with QBs like Eli, Hasselbeck, Romo,etc.

 

Also, this would be a non discussion if he had an offensive line that could give him time to throw. He would be having a stellar season and people would be praising us on the trade.

[RedFlash]

Also, this would be a non discussion if he had an offensive line that could give him time to throw. He would be having a stellar season and people would be praising us on the trade.

 

And if we had a GM who would give a damn about upgrading the OL instead of avoiding it like the plague. Cutler is too talented to have it wasted behind this line.

[UMFan83]

Also, this would be a non discussion if he had an offensive line that could give him time to throw. He would be having a stellar season and people would be praising us on the trade.

 

And if we had a GM who would give a damn about upgrading the OL instead of avoiding it like the plague. Cutler is too talented to have it wasted behind this line.

 

I still don't know why people say our GM doesn't try to upgrade the O-line. I don't think he tries super hard, but he's paid attention to it, using a 1st round pick, a 3rd round pick, and multiple FA signings to try to fix it. Raisin and I had this discussion recently. I think the problem is, Angelo doesn't make good decisions regarding the O-line. Williams seems ok and I realize it's his first year, but a couple of OTs taken within 5 picks of Williams (Brandon Albert and Jeff Otah) are already solid contributors on their team's O-lines. In fact, I was reading a couple of weeks ago that Albert is starting to be considered a potential Pro Bowl caliber player.

 

The Bears 2 big FA signings on the line have been absolutely disastrous. Pace has been old and slow, and Oimiyle or however you spell it has been even worse. Angelo gambled that Pace still had something left in his tank (I remember hearing quotes from Rams personnel that Pace still had considerable talent but couldn't stay healthy), and Omiyle has not at all lived up to the "loads of potential" people said he had, albeit while learning a new position.

 

Until Angelo learns how to evaluate talent on the O-line, we'll never be able to build a decent line. I will say though, he did build the last incarnation of the Bears line right? (Garza, Brown, Miller). By no means was it a world class line, but it was above average until age caught up to everyone.

 

The final sporadic thought I have is that Angelo should have gone out and gotten Alan Faneca 2 offseason's ago when he was a FA. Now we are under the cap and have a horrible O-line.

[JonJayCutler]

I still hold my position that what this team needs the most is a talented possession WR. We've seen how great Brandon Marshall has made Orton look. I'm not sure I completely subscribe to the "QBs make the WR" theory, although I do think it is true to an extent. But we need a guy like Marshall, and it most likely isn't going to come via draft since all of our day one picks are gone. Also because of this, I doubt we have the trade chips needed to get such a receiver. Does anyone have a list of WRs who are slated to become FAs after this year? Thats probably our best bet.

 

And I'm not ignoring the problems with the O-Line because I agree that its a mess. Tait and Beekman > Pace and Omiyale. Tait retiring really hurt us.

Edited October 28, 2009 by CubsBearsMagic

[gflore34]

As I understand it zone coverage' effectiveness is predicated on the ability of your DL to get to the QB. Being so, it confuses me why the Bears play any zone at all, if you can't get to the QB, which they can't, the zone just leaves wide open recievers.

[Butterscup1679666578]

As I understand it zone coverage' effectiveness is predicated on the ability of your DL to get to the QB. Being so, it confuses me why the Bears play any zone at all, if you can't get to the QB, which they can't, the zone just leaves wide open recievers.

 

Which once again shows the staff not doing their job in adjusting the scheme to the players they are putting on the field.

[UMFan83]

I still hold my position that what this team needs the most is a talented possession WR. We've seen how great Brandon Marshall has made Orton look. I'm not sure I completely subscribe to the "QBs make the WR" theory, although I do think it is true to an extent. But we need a guy like Marshall, and it most likely isn't going to come via draft since all of our day one picks are gone. Also because of this, I doubt we have the trade chips needed to get such a receiver. Does anyone have a list of WRs who are slated to become FAs after this year? Thats probably our best bet.

 

And I'm not ignoring the problems with the O-Line because I agree that its a mess. Tait and Beekman > Pace and Omiyale. Tait retiring really hurt us.

 

It's funny how you use Marshall as an example when Marshall was a 3rd round pick I believe.

[JonJayCutler]

I still hold my position that what this team needs the most is a talented possession WR. We've seen how great Brandon Marshall has made Orton look. I'm not sure I completely subscribe to the "QBs make the WR" theory, although I do think it is true to an extent. But we need a guy like Marshall, and it most likely isn't going to come via draft since all of our day one picks are gone. Also because of this, I doubt we have the trade chips needed to get such a receiver. Does anyone have a list of WRs who are slated to become FAs after this year? Thats probably our best bet.

 

And I'm not ignoring the problems with the O-Line because I agree that its a mess. Tait and Beekman > Pace and Omiyale. Tait retiring really hurt us.

 

It's funny how you use Marshall as an example when Marshall was a 3rd round pick I believe.

 

How many mediocre receivers have we drafted in the 3rd round or later the last few years? We can't rely on getting lucky and finding a star WR in the later rounds. Every once in a while it happens, but we'll most likely have to made a trade or sign a FA.

[UMFan83]

I still hold my position that what this team needs the most is a talented possession WR. We've seen how great Brandon Marshall has made Orton look. I'm not sure I completely subscribe to the "QBs make the WR" theory, although I do think it is true to an extent. But we need a guy like Marshall, and it most likely isn't going to come via draft since all of our day one picks are gone. Also because of this, I doubt we have the trade chips needed to get such a receiver. Does anyone have a list of WRs who are slated to become FAs after this year? Thats probably our best bet.

 

And I'm not ignoring the problems with the O-Line because I agree that its a mess. Tait and Beekman > Pace and Omiyale. Tait retiring really hurt us.

 

It's funny how you use Marshall as an example when Marshall was a 3rd round pick I believe.

 

How many mediocre receivers have we drafted in the 3rd round or later the last few years? We can't rely on getting lucky and finding a star WR in the later rounds. Every once in a while it happens, but we'll most likely have to made a trade or sign a FA.

 

How many mediocre WRs have we busted on in the 1st round too? Well just 1 (Terrell) but he's the only one we've drafted.

 

Actually I don't know why I'm arguing with you, I agree with you. The thing is, I don't trust anything drafted by Angelo at this point and time. How many league average starters has Angelo drafted in the last 4 drafts? One? Yes you can upgrade by FA, but if you can only draft 1 league average starter in your last 4 drafts (and I realize the last 2 drafts need more time to develop but so far so bad), the team is going to be in trouble.

[JonJayCutler]

 

It's funny how you use Marshall as an example when Marshall was a 3rd round pick I believe.

 

How many mediocre receivers have we drafted in the 3rd round or later the last few years? We can't rely on getting lucky and finding a star WR in the later rounds. Every once in a while it happens, but we'll most likely have to made a trade or sign a FA.

 

How many mediocre WRs have we busted on in the 1st round too? Well just 1 (Terrell) but he's the only one we've drafted.

 

Actually I don't know why I'm arguing with you, I agree with you. The thing is, I don't trust anything drafted by Angelo at this point and time. How many league average starters has Angelo drafted in the last 4 drafts? One? Yes you can upgrade by FA, but if you can only draft 1 league average starter in your last 4 drafts (and I realize the last 2 drafts need more time to develop but so far so bad), the team is going to be in trouble.

 

I agree with everything you're saying about Angelo and the draft, but I'm not sure how it relates to the point I was making. Although I agree that consistently drafting non-effective players is a serious problem, I was just simply stating that when it comes to the WR position, I believe our best chance to find a #1 guy is by FA or trade.

 

Actually in Angelo's defense, he has made some nice picks in the later rounds (good players, not necessarily impact players), its the first two rounds that have been the problem, which is why I'm not all that upset that we don't have a first or second rounder next year.

[Sammy Sofa]

Where are you seeing Cutler sucks at?

 

Check the online articles and editorials related to the Bears for the Sun-Times and the Trib where comments can be left. People are crying that they regret the trade and the extension left and right and think he's a bust.

[Banedon]

I'd like to put $100 on Cutler's "accuracy" magically improving when the O-line is improved.

 

Make that $1000.

[Soul]

Where are you seeing Cutler sucks at?

 

I'm not talking about media, I'm talking about fans. Have a look around (not nsbb).

[jersey cubs fan]

I still don't know why people say our GM doesn't try to upgrade the O-line. I don't think he tries super hard, but he's paid attention to it, using a 1st round pick, a 3rd round pick, and multiple FA signings to try to fix it.

 

Way too late in the game. This line needed help in 2006/2007 and it wasn't until 2008 that he spent a significant draft pick on a lineman. Between the Columbo and Williams selections he ignored it far too long. And then this offseason he went crazy for a bunch of backups. Omiyale was a joke from the start. I still don't get why people thought he was quality when there was absolutely zero evidence to suggest so. He was a backup who never played. Shaffer is just depth, and Pace was well past his prime. He's washed up. He's much like Fred Miller was when they got him. He was contemplating retirement when they threw a bunch of cash at him. It's a 5 position group. The largest of any on the field. Buying an occasional free agent or draft pick is not addressing the position, it's putting your finger in the [expletive]. You need to invest heavily on the line every year. People talk about needing to draft a QB every season, but OL is much more important since there are always 5 positions to fill and nearly always 6-8 guys used in a season. Even if you hit big on one lineman, you still have 4 others positions. And this team has been relying on Kreutz to be the steady force in the middle for far too long.

 

And it doesn't help that every time they draft a 6th/7th round lineman, he's the first casualty of roster cutdowns. They need to develop these guys.