Bears at Vikings: 3:15 on Fox

[Banedon]

I just hope the available coaches factor into the decision. It's pretty unreasonable to think a crop of avaialble coaches like the ones that are out there will come along again in a year or two when you might finally be ready to get rid of Lovie.

 

The Bears made the bold move to get Cutler, but most of the cost there was in draft picks. Now it's time to make the bold move for the coach to go along with it....this time it's gonna cost you more in cash...that's where the "cheapass owners" aspect would possibly take hold.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

How bad does that Gaines Adams trade look right about now?

 

Real bad. I had given Jerry and Lovie a free pass for a couple years, and after the Cutler trade I extended that for Angelo, but man, that is going to hurt big time in April. Now they'll be picking somewhere around 75, I guess.

[Banedon]

 

How bad does that Gaines Adams trade look right about now?

 

Real bad. I had given Jerry and Lovie a free pass for a couple years, and after the Cutler trade I extended that for Angelo, but man, that is going to hurt big time in April. Now they'll be picking somewhere around 75, I guess.

 

The Broncos and TB are gonna get nice picks though.

[jersey cubs fan]

I just hope the available coaches factor into the decision. It's pretty unreasonable to think a crop of avaialble coaches like the ones that are out there will come along again in a year or two when you might finally be ready to get rid of Lovie.

 

The Bears made the bold move to get Cutler, but most of the cost there was in draft picks. Now it's time to make the bold move for the coach to go along with it....this time it's gonna cost you more in cash...that's where the "cheapass owners" aspect would possibly take hold.

 

They already extended Jay and in a way put themselves in position to have to commit $100+ milion to him in a couple years. Plus, the reason it's going to cost to make a change is because they weren't cheap enough when it came time to extend Jerry and Lovie in the first place.

 

 

And I'm always skeptical of the savior proven head coach. Parcells made a killing going from desperate team to desperate team but hasn't come close to recreating the results with the Jets, Dallas or Miami. Belichek was a joke before going to New England. Tomlin was a nobody before going to Pittsburgh. Two of the most succesful teams in the league this year employ the much maligned "hot coordinator in first head coaching job" at the helm, while the third, Indy, has a guy who was a college coach and NFL position coach. The most recent "savior coach" story I can think of had Holmgren in Seattle where he turned a mediocre franchise into an up and down contender, but not an elite team. Most of the successful teams this year are employing the "young coordinator type" (Harbaugh, McDaniels, McCarthy) or a journeyman head coach type (Turner, Phillips).

 

At the same time, there's a whole bunch of Super Bowl coaches leading relatively disappointing seasons (Lovie, Fox, Tomlin, Fisher, Coughlin).

 

I think coaching in the NFL makes more of a difference than anywhere in sports, however, I think what's most important is having the right OC/QB coach working with the right QB, and not just relying on a fomerly successful head coach to come in and turn things around.

[RedFlash]

 

How bad does that Gaines Adams trade look right about now?

 

Real bad. I had given Jerry and Lovie a free pass for a couple years, and after the Cutler trade I extended that for Angelo, but man, that is going to hurt big time in April. Now they'll be picking somewhere around 75, I guess.

 

The Broncos and TB are gonna get nice picks though.

 

I don't know if having a top 5/6 pick is considered a "nice pick" anymore. When you consider the high bust rate and the even higher contracts demands/possible holdout, I think having a top five pick is more of a curse then a reward. And when you take into consideration that this could be the last year for uncapped rookie salary, I think there is a real possibility that we might see more hardball negotiation by next yr's incoming rookies trying to get the most in their rookie contracts which could lead to perhaps an abnormally high amount of holdouts. I am not saying it will happen, I am saying the condition could be right for perhaps a very rough round of negotiations.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

How bad does that Gaines Adams trade look right about now?

 

Real bad. I had given Jerry and Lovie a free pass for a couple years, and after the Cutler trade I extended that for Angelo, but man, that is going to hurt big time in April. Now they'll be picking somewhere around 75, I guess.

 

The Broncos and TB are gonna get nice picks though.

 

I don't know if having a top 5/6 pick is considered a "nice pick" anymore. When you consider the high bust rate and the even higher contracts demands/possible holdout, I think having a top five pick is more of a curse then a reward. And when you take into consideration that this could be the last year for uncapped rookie salary, I think there is a real possibility that we might see more hardball negotiation by next yr's incoming rookies trying to get the most in their rookie contracts which could lead to perhaps an abnormally high amount of holdouts. I am not saying it will happen, I am saying the condition could be right for perhaps a very rough round of negotiations.

 

Don't you mean more hardball negotiations by the teams? Incoming rookies will be more pressured to take what they can get. Also, I don't think the Bears pick will be top 5 or 6. They probably win 2 more, and are probably going to be anywhere from 8-12, which is a pretty good slot.

[RedFlash]

Don't you mean more hardball negotiations by the teams? Incoming rookies will be more pressured to take what they can get. Also, I don't think the Bears pick will be top 5 or 6. They probably win 2 more, and are probably going to be anywhere from 8-12, which is a pretty good slot.

 

I just say there could be some rough negotiations.

[rawaction]

 

How bad does that Gaines Adams trade look right about now?

 

Real bad. I had given Jerry and Lovie a free pass for a couple years, and after the Cutler trade I extended that for Angelo, but man, that is going to hurt big time in April. Now they'll be picking somewhere around 75, I guess.

 

*cough*itoldyouso*cough*

 

6 games and he only has 1 more (solo) tackle and 1 more batted pass than the 2010 2nd round pick has for the 2009 Bears.

 

The only way the Bears are competitive next year is if they get huge sophomore seasons from Melton, Gilbert, and probably DJ Moore. Oh and Urlacher and Tommie Harris have to raise their level of play back to what will be 3-4 years ago by next year.

 

The Bears can't possibly patch up enough thru free agency, and odds are they won't get much better thru the draft.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

How bad does that Gaines Adams trade look right about now?

 

Real bad. I had given Jerry and Lovie a free pass for a couple years, and after the Cutler trade I extended that for Angelo, but man, that is going to hurt big time in April. Now they'll be picking somewhere around 75, I guess.

 

*cough*itoldyouso*cough*

 

6 games and he only has 1 more (solo) tackle and 1 more batted pass than the 2010 2nd round pick has for the 2009 Bears.

 

The only way the Bears are competitive next year is if they get huge sophomore seasons from Melton, Gilbert, and probably DJ Moore. Oh and Urlacher and Tommie Harris have to raise their level of play back to what will be 3-4 years ago by next year.

 

The Bears can't possibly patch up enough thru free agency, and odds are they won't get much better thru the draft.

 

Yeah well, you win. Congratulations the Bears are screwed and it's your fault.

 

Jerry really took it to the extreme when he said higher draft slots are overrated.

[Banedon]

Peter King suggests that if Lovie ends up firing Turner, and ND fires Weis, that Weis could be a candidate for Bears OC.

 

Total conjecture of course.

 

And I think Shanahan is clearly going to be the most obvious rumor for the Bears the rest of the season....

 

I think I'm doing the same thing if I'm Mike Shanahan: waiting for the end of the year and surveying the field. Because I want to see what the Bears do. I want to see what a lot of teams do -- Dallas, Washington, Carolina. Why jump at the first team with an opening? How much would Shanahan kick himself if he commits to the Bills and then in a month his old friend Jay Cutler is coachless and it could have been Shanahan's gig?

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/11/30/week12/4.html

[OleMissCub]

This Cutler cartoon is ok, but is really funny at the end. I'm sure y'all will know what I'm talking about.

 

http://www.bangcartoon.com/2009/pick_sick.htm

[Banedon]

This Cutler cartoon is ok, but is really funny at the end. I'm sure y'all will know what I'm talking about.

 

http://www.bangcartoon.com/2009/pick_sick.htm

 

I laughed even though I didn't want to.

[hawkeyecub]

And when did the Metrodome become the Mall of America Field?

 

Just this year. The building is still the Metrodome. Mall of America got naming rights to the actual field.

[RedFlash]

Oh and Urlacher and Tommie Harris have to raise their level of play back to what will be 3-4 years ago by next year.

 

That's assuming Tommie Harris will be back next yr, which I am convinced he might not be.

 

As for the Adams trade, I think we need to reserve judgement on that for the time being. That trade wasn't made for this yr, but for next yr in preparation of losing one of the FA DE. So again, I think we have to leve the trade blank for the time being.

[Banedon]

Oh and Urlacher and Tommie Harris have to raise their level of play back to what will be 3-4 years ago by next year.

 

That's assuming Tommie Harris will be back next yr, which I am convinced he might not be.

 

As for the Adams trade, I think we need to reserve judgement on that for the time being. That trade wasn't made for this yr, but for next yr in preparation of losing one of the FA DE. So again, I think we have to leve the trade blank for the time being.

 

They won't get rid of Harris. They have so many legitimate holes to fill...they can't afford to create new ones.

[UK1679666180]

Given that Harris is well into his contract and the cap hit wouldn't be as bad, I can see the Bears cutting him as well as Vasher. Harris can be replaced fairly easily, given how mediocre he has been. It's just bad luck that Anthony Adams has forgotten how to play like he did last year.

[UMFan83]

This Cutler cartoon is ok, but is really funny at the end. I'm sure y'all will know what I'm talking about.

 

http://www.bangcartoon.com/2009/pick_sick.htm

 

"I think they mean kick returner" :lol:

[jersey cubs fan]

Oh and Urlacher and Tommie Harris have to raise their level of play back to what will be 3-4 years ago by next year.

 

That's assuming Tommie Harris will be back next yr, which I am convinced he might not be.

 

As for the Adams trade, I think we need to reserve judgement on that for the time being. That trade wasn't made for this yr, but for next yr in preparation of losing one of the FA DE. So again, I think we have to leve the trade blank for the time being.

 

They won't get rid of Harris. They have so many legitimate holes to fill...they can't afford to create new ones.

 

When things looked a little better, I thought this might be his last year because they would decide to move on from his headache.

But now there's two ways of thinking of it. They have such a lack of talent that they have to keep their few real players, like Briggs, Urlacher, Harris, maybe Tillman and Afalava, and go from there. On the other hand, they have such a long way to go to improve, they might as well cut their losses.

 

Either way, I think his future remains uncertain.

[jersey cubs fan]

Given that Harris is well into his contract and the cap hit wouldn't be as bad, I can see the Bears cutting him as well as Vasher. Harris can be replaced fairly easily, given how mediocre he has been. It's just bad luck that Anthony Adams has forgotten how to play like he did last year.

 

I'm not sure he can be replaced easily. He's still the only guy they have that can do what he does, even though he doesn't do it enough. But I think he has a big roster bonus due in February or March, which would be a major influence if the decision.

 

I also think Tommie would be an impact player if somebody else signed him. It hasn't been good for him to play for Lovie who doesn't really demand anything of his players and doesn't get the most out of the head cases who need pushing.

[UK1679666180]

He's a mediocre DT, who given the Bears poor roster is likely their best DT, which adds value to the team but doesn't take away that he's a complete clown and hasn't been productive since getting hurt/large contract (whichever one leads you to believe why he has dropped his production).

 

Lovie not being able to motivate Harris, falls on Smith more than harris as far as why would they want to keep him. Lovie will be back next year and if he or Marinelli can't get him motivated then what's the point? Fear of cutting the next Cedric Benson shouldn't prevent them from wanting to get rid of another overpaid and soft baby who has to rely on getting cut to realize to get his head out of his ass and actually put some effort out there.

[RedFlash]

Given that Harris is well into his contract and the cap hit wouldn't be as bad, I can see the Bears cutting him as well as Vasher. Harris can be replaced fairly easily, given how mediocre he has been. It's just bad luck that Anthony Adams has forgotten how to play like he did last year.

 

Carolina traded Kris Jenkins for a 3rd and a 5th, Detroit traded Shaun Rogers for a 3rd rd pick, and New England traded Richard Seymour for a 1st rd pick and Tommie Harris is younger by a quite a few years. So while I am not saying the Bears can get a 1st rd pick for Harris (very unlikely), I think the Bears could get a a draft pick or two from some team that believes a change of scenery would help Harris.

[rawaction]

Would anyone trade Hester? He's the only player on the roster likely to get the Bears a 1st day pick (other than Briggs or Culter), if teams still value his return skills after 2 down years. Plus he has upside as a WR.

 

Other than the need for a day 1 pick, my thinking is that Knox can do the things that Hester can. Bennett is a solid WR. And Iglesias can still develop into a decent player. But that could open the door for the Bears to pay for a legit #1 WR (read Brandon Marshall), while also allowing them to fill other needs.

[davell]

If there is no new CBA agreement and we have an uncapped year, there will be very few free agents out there, as guys who are supposed to be free agents after their 4th year(ie Marshall) will now have an extra two seasons with their current team. Plus, teams will receive an extra tag to use as well......Basically, this is going to be one of the worst free agency classes ever, if we don't come to a new agreement and that seems unlikely at this point.

[Banedon]

Would anyone trade Hester? He's the only player on the roster likely to get the Bears a 1st day pick (other than Briggs or Culter), if teams still value his return skills after 2 down years. Plus he has upside as a WR.

 

Other than the need for a day 1 pick, my thinking is that Knox can do the things that Hester can. Bennett is a solid WR. And Iglesias can still develop into a decent player. But that could open the door for the Bears to pay for a legit #1 WR (read Brandon Marshall), while also allowing them to fill other needs.

 

What could you get for Urlacher at this point? He's coming off an injury, but the Bears can't be thrilled with some of the stuff he said in that Yahoo article, and he could bring in some picks.

 

To answer your question, I wouldn't be opposed to trading Hester. I'd be curious if they ditch Lovie for say Shanahan or someone what their thoughts on Hester would be. Keep him as a WR? Or move him back to returns.

[RedFlash]

Would anyone trade Hester? He's the only player on the roster likely to get the Bears a 1st day pick (other than Briggs or Culter), if teams still value his return skills after 2 down years. Plus he has upside as a WR.

 

I wouldn't be opposed to trading Hester, but nothing less then a 2nd rd pick.