Week 7 - Bears (4-2) @ Humanskins (1-3) 12 pm CT FOX

[UMFan83]

Ugh, Jordan Mills and Major Wright...from PFF.com

 

Chicago – Three Performances of Note

 

The All-Purpose Tight End

 

Martellus Bennett (+2.5) hadn’t been as good so far this season as he has in the past, but the Redskins’ secondary was exactly what he needed to remedy that. The former Cowboy and Giant was simply lethal on outside runs when he got to the second level to crack-block safeties and when widening the edge against corners. Bennett sat down Doughty on a couple of plays using crack-blocks, the best of which came with 11:37 to play in the third quarter. Widening the hole for runs inside also came naturally to Bennett as he generated some serious movement on Josh Wilson on the very next play. The battle between Orakpo and Bennett in the run game was also a good one to watch. The outside linebacker was able to explode off the ball and make a tackle for a loss on one play, but the tight end had the last laugh as he was able to hook and seal Orakpo inside on another. While it was a quiet day for Bennett in the receiving game (he was targeted just twice in 32 routes) he made what might have been the game clinching touchdown reception if not for the Redskins’ late comeback. He also contributed in the screen game, shielding DeAngelo Hall away from a play in the third quarter. Overall, Bennett contributed in every facet of the game.

 

Tackle Trouble

 

Jordan Mills (-4.5) has had a rude awakening to life in the NFL regular season. He’s now grade below -1.5 in each of the last six games, failing to achieve a grade above -2.0 in pass protection in any of them. Facing Ryan Kerrigan was unlikely to help matters. Overall Mills was beaten for a sack (which ended the game) and six hurries, all but one of which came at the hands of the former first round pick. Mills (-5.0 in pass protection) gave up the seven combined hurries on just 36 drop backs. He’s now third-last in Pass Blocking Efficiency among offensive tackles (90.2). Kerrigan also ate his lunch on a screen pass where he shed Mills’ block and made a tackle for a loss (Q4, 6:27). Thankfully there was at least some good in the run game, where Mills did a good job sealing Kedric Gholston inside on a couple of occasions.

 

Majorly Wrong

 

Major Wright (-3.8) really struggled against the Redskins, finding it tough going against both the run and pass. In run defense, he made a pair of defensive stops but also missed a tackle. The attempt was pretty pathetic too, as he lunged rather aimlessly at Morris in a pile of bodies who hardly had to do anything to get around him. The stats don’t really tell the whole story though as Wright, tasked with being the eighth man in the box, was consistently taken out of run plays. He ended up on a bench on one run play where Darrel Young simply never stopped driving Wright as he tried to set the edge. It wasn’t just the fullback who had success, as wide receivers and offensive lineman alike had their way with him. There were serious issues in coverage too, where Wright allowed two of three targets to be complete for 64 yards. The only incompletion was actually a drop by Pierre Garcon, while he allowed significant separation on the two catches by Jordan Reed. Wright now ranks last in the NFL among safeties in Yards Per Cover Snap allowed (1.32).

[Guest]

UMF, do you have Conte's grade? I thought he was worse than Wright.

[UMFan83]

UMF, do you have Conte's grade? I thought he was worse than Wright.

 

Actually yeah, Contre had a -4.5 according to PFF's "Had a bad day" team.

 

also Bostic was a "dishonorable mention" among linebackers that sucked, but it didnt give his score. Same thing with Stephen Paea with interior defensive d-line

[davell]

Bostic was a -2.7

[rawaction]

If not Cutler.....then who? Plus, he won't cost $20Mil/year unless he comes back and wins the Superbowl this year. $16Mil will probably get it done long-term. But I actually don't know that either side would want a long-term deal if Cutler is done for the year. 6 games, 5 good ones. A slow heal from injury. If he doesn't come back, I'd be suprised with a long-term deal. I think he still has to play well, and win games to get a long-term deal.

 

FWIW, I've heard whispers that the Bears really like Derek Carr. He'd probably be the "who", if not Jay. Obviously, that's not the ideal situation for anyone though.

[rawaction]

UMF, do you have Conte's grade? I thought he was worse than Wright.

 

Conte played one of the worst games I've ever seen. Probably exaggerating, but still, he was pathetic on Sunday.

[Guest]

UMF, do you have Conte's grade? I thought he was worse than Wright.

 

Actually yeah, Contre had a -4.5 according to PFF's "Had a bad day" team.

 

also Bostic was a "dishonorable mention" among linebackers that sucked, but it didnt give his score. Same thing with Stephen Paea with interior defensive d-line

 

Thanks.

 

Bostic was quite up and down but he did show signs at least.

[rawaction]

Say Cutler is indeed out for the season and the Bears finish with around the 10th pick... Do you see if you can get a guy like Sammy Watkins out of Clemson to play in the slot or do you go after some young guys on D?

 

I am totally on board with Watkins in the draft... assuming that like 90% of that cap space Bears will have this offseason (plus cutting Peppers), goes toward the D. The other 10% goes to re-signing Cutler.

I don't think you can pass up a talent like Watkins if we end up in a position to draft him, but I think you need more than FA to build up the D so it puts some pressure to find some mid round hits. There should be some good DL available though in the first and I don't ultimately think we'll be in a position to draft Watkins by combination of him shooting up boards and the Bears not finishing with a worse enough record. Even without Cutler, I'm a little more bullish on the Bears than finishing top 10 range.

 

If you can get Watkins, you might have to. He's likely to be BPA at that point in the draft. And he'll bridge the gap from Marshall. If Watkins can develop like Jeffery (and he's a better talent), you go from Marshall/Jeffery to Jeffery/Watkins and that's probably not much dropoff from right now.

[WrigleyField 22]

Say Cutler is indeed out for the season and the Bears finish with around the 10th pick... Do you see if you can get a guy like Sammy Watkins out of Clemson to play in the slot or do you go after some young guys on D?

 

I am totally on board with Watkins in the draft... assuming that like 90% of that cap space Bears will have this offseason (plus cutting Peppers), goes toward the D. The other 10% goes to re-signing Cutler.

I don't think you can pass up a talent like Watkins if we end up in a position to draft him, but I think you need more than FA to build up the D so it puts some pressure to find some mid round hits. There should be some good DL available though in the first and I don't ultimately think we'll be in a position to draft Watkins by combination of him shooting up boards and the Bears not finishing with a worse enough record. Even without Cutler, I'm a little more bullish on the Bears than finishing top 10 range.

 

If you can get Watkins, you might have to. He's likely to be BPA at that point in the draft. And he'll bridge the gap from Marshall. If Watkins can develop like Jeffery (and he's a better talent), you go from Marshall/Jeffery to Jeffery/Watkins and that's probably not much dropoff from right now.

Agreed on your evaluation. It definitely lets us part with Marshall after his current deal and hopefully Wilson develops as your slot guy. Jeffrey, Watkins, Wilson could be lethal in a couple years. As much as I would miss Marshall, parting with him after the current deal is probably gonna be the smartest move.

 

Still just question if we will even be in that position. I see a DL in our future.

[Guest]

Say Cutler is indeed out for the season and the Bears finish with around the 10th pick... Do you see if you can get a guy like Sammy Watkins out of Clemson to play in the slot or do you go after some young guys on D?

 

I am totally on board with Watkins in the draft... assuming that like 90% of that cap space Bears will have this offseason (plus cutting Peppers), goes toward the D. The other 10% goes to re-signing Cutler.

I don't think you can pass up a talent like Watkins if we end up in a position to draft him, but I think you need more than FA to build up the D so it puts some pressure to find some mid round hits. There should be some good DL available though in the first and I don't ultimately think we'll be in a position to draft Watkins by combination of him shooting up boards and the Bears not finishing with a worse enough record. Even without Cutler, I'm a little more bullish on the Bears than finishing top 10 range.

 

If you can get Watkins, you might have to. He's likely to be BPA at that point in the draft. And he'll bridge the gap from Marshall. If Watkins can develop like Jeffery (and he's a better talent), you go from Marshall/Jeffery to Jeffery/Watkins and that's probably not much dropoff from right now.

 

Agreed that drafting Watkins is a forward thinking move that allows the Bears to let Marshall go after 2014 (which would be the right move) but they need address the defense for 2014. They don't have the luxury of looking into the future to keep the offense humming if the defense is this bad, with this many free agents.

[cubbyvirus00]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

[Guest]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

 

The offense looks very good and it's still early in its development. It isn't exactly young but it isn't old either. It's also possible to alleviate the defensive problems with one really good draft (obviously will take some luck).

[UK1679666180]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

 

The offense looks very good and it's still early in its development. It isn't exactly young but it isn't old either. It's also possible to alleviate the defensive problems with one really good draft (obviously will take some luck).

 

The offense is definitely in its prime years with the defense needing to be rebuilt, it has happened before with a one year turnover with less talent in that previous year.

[Guest]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

 

The offense looks very good and it's still early in its development. It isn't exactly young but it isn't old either. It's also possible to alleviate the defensive problems with one really good draft (obviously will take some luck).

 

The offense is definitely in its prime years with the defense needing to be rebuilt, it has happened before with a one year turnover with less talent in that previous year.

 

To clarify, I meant early in its development as a system.

 

And yes, I agree.

[UK1679666180]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

 

The offense looks very good and it's still early in its development. It isn't exactly young but it isn't old either. It's also possible to alleviate the defensive problems with one really good draft (obviously will take some luck).

 

The offense is definitely in its prime years with the defense needing to be rebuilt, it has happened before with a one year turnover with less talent in that previous year.

 

To clarify, I meant early in its development as a system.

 

And yes, I agree.

 

I was piggybacking what you were saying (I just went by age rather than time in the system).

 

I hope I'm not as argumentative as goony.

[Guest]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

 

The offense looks very good and it's still early in its development. It isn't exactly young but it isn't old either. It's also possible to alleviate the defensive problems with one really good draft (obviously will take some luck).

 

The offense is definitely in its prime years with the defense needing to be rebuilt, it has happened before with a one year turnover with less talent in that previous year.

 

To clarify, I meant early in its development as a system.

 

And yes, I agree.

 

I was piggybacking what you were saying (I just went by age rather than time in the system).

 

I hope I'm not as argumentative as goony.

 

I figured you were (piggybacking) but just wanted to make sure what I was saying was clear.

[cubbyvirus00]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

 

The offense looks very good and it's still early in its development. It isn't exactly young but it isn't old either. It's also possible to alleviate the defensive problems with one really good draft (obviously will take some luck).

 

The offense is definitely in its prime years with the defense needing to be rebuilt, it has happened before with a one year turnover with less talent in that previous year.

 

I think the defense needs at least 3-4 new starters + young talented bodies to create depth. By the time the Defense can bridge the gap with the talent level on the offense Cutler, Forte and Marshall will be near the end of their prime. Not sure if that is extremely negative, or just realistic.

[Guest]

I'd be OK with drafting a QB in the second round this year and defense everywhere else.

[UK1679666180]

Man, any Bears talk just makes me depressed. The short term and long term outlook for this team is.....not good.

 

The offense looks very good and it's still early in its development. It isn't exactly young but it isn't old either. It's also possible to alleviate the defensive problems with one really good draft (obviously will take some luck).

 

The offense is definitely in its prime years with the defense needing to be rebuilt, it has happened before with a one year turnover with less talent in that previous year.

 

I think the defense needs at least 3-4 new starters + young talented bodies to create depth. By the time the Defense can bridge the gap with the talent level on the offense Cutler, Forte and Marshall will be near the end of their prime. Not sure if that is extremely negative, or just realistic.

 

It's pretty realistic, Emery will need to have a hell of a year with FA and the draft. Luckily, it's been proven to happen. With that said, they're going to need much much better game planning from Tucker for that to occur.

[UK1679666180]

I'd be OK with drafting a QB in the second round this year and defense everywhere else.

 

I'd hesitate on that (assuming Cutler is back) if McCown does well, there's a chance it might end up being productive as a system type QB builder (like Flynn in GB). Without a 7th rd pick and the massive holes, that 2nd rounder should be a productive starter on either side of the ball, We seen last year with guys like Bray and even Barkley in the 4th, those projects can come later.

[Banedon]

I'd be OK with drafting a QB in the second round this year and defense everywhere else.

 

I'd like to get at least one offensive lineman. A center, preferably.

[sneakypower]

I'd be OK with drafting a QB in the second round this year and defense everywhere else.

drafting a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round seems like such a losing proposition to me; how many of those guys turn out?

 

i mostly can only think of guys with height concerns (Brees, Wilson), otherwise Andy Dalton seems like the upside

[Thed Hoyerstein]

I'd be OK with drafting a QB in the second round this year and defense everywhere else.

drafting a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round seems like such a losing proposition to me; how many of those guys turn out?

 

i mostly can only think of guys with height concerns (Brees, Wilson), otherwise Andy Dalton seems like the upside

 

Kaepernick, Nathan Enderle and Geno Smith.

[Formerly Snayke]

Agree; outside of Bridgewater, Mariota and maybe Hundley, the list looks like a bunch of backups. Manziel is interesting, but Murray, Boyd, McCarron...not exciting.

[Guest]

I'd be OK with drafting a QB in the second round this year and defense everywhere else.

drafting a QB in the 2nd or 3rd round seems like such a losing proposition to me; how many of those guys turn out?

 

i mostly can only think of guys with height concerns (Brees, Wilson), otherwise Andy Dalton seems like the upside

 

Normally I would agree but isn't this a really deep QB draft?