The Bears offseason

[UMFan83]

SERIOUSLY CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE WE GAVE UP A [expletive] FIRST FOR RICK MIRER??!

 

I remember when that trade happened I was mildy excited because I had heard of him. Looking at his pre-Bears numbers now, what the horsefeathers were we thinking? And then we tried to follow that up by using another 1st on Cade McNown who was an even bigger bust.

[David]

SERIOUSLY CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE WE GAVE UP A [expletive] FIRST FOR RICK MIRER??!

 

I remember when that trade happened I was mildy excited because I had heard of him. Looking at his pre-Bears numbers now, what the [expletive] were we thinking? And then we tried to follow that up by using another 1st on Cade McNown who was an even bigger bust.

 

i don't think cade was an even bigger bust

[WrigleyField 22]

I was super excited about Cade lol.

 

Also the real bad part of Cade is we traded down and Culpepper went right before him. Not that i have any idea who the Bears actually liked, but still, he was available at our original slot.

[David]

I was super excited about Cade lol.

 

Also the real bad part of Cade is we traded down and Culpepper went right before him. Not that i have any idea who the Bears actually liked, but still, he was available at our original slot.

 

if i remember correctly (which i easily might not) i think we traded down after mcnabb got taken (since that's who we really wanted)...does that sound right?

[WrigleyField 22]

I was super excited about Cade lol.

 

Also the real bad part of Cade is we traded down and Culpepper went right before him. Not that i have any idea who the Bears actually liked, but still, he was available at our original slot.

 

if i remember correctly (which i easily might not) i think we traded down after mcnabb got taken (since that's who we really wanted)...does that sound right?

No idea, that was the first time I really remember watching the draft though and I'm sure I would have loved anyone they picked.

[David]

Remind me never to respond to a Bears tweet again.

 

I make one comment to a beat guy about Fuller having put things together toward the end of the year last year and my mentions get flooded with hot takes.

[JonJayCutler]

I said that the last decade of Bears football has not been terrible enough to be tempted to root for another team. There's no doubt the org has been [expletive] and the results on the field have not been acceptable, but its not like being a Browns fan where the season is over pretty much every year by early October. I have had reasons to watch Bears football in December in 7 of the last 11 seasons. I like Pace so far and think he is steering the ship in the right direction. So still [expletive] dysfunctional org, mildly compelling past, optimistic future, not a really a team I or anyone else should feel compelled to bail on.

 

I made that comment not even really thinking about the on-field product. I survived the 90s Bears, which, as been alluded to here already, featured far more incompetent teams.

 

Rather it's the fact that nobody wants to horsefeathering play here, which should never happen with a big-market, historic franchise. The mishandling of players - running them out of town, the mind-boggling stupidity of the casual fanbase with the neverending Cutler crusade, relentlessly killing the one guy who always shows up to camp in shape, goes about his business, has his horsefeathers together, and plays decently enough.

 

Still, with all that said, I could never actually bail. It's just sometimes I have this utopian fantasy where Jay gets traded to a team with some pieces in place like Houston or the Rams, wins a Super Bowl, and I have the most glorious Bears bonfire ever as retribution. And I feel absolutely disgusting for feeling that way, believe me.

[David]

I said that the last decade of Bears football has not been terrible enough to be tempted to root for another team. There's no doubt the org has been [expletive] and the results on the field have not been acceptable, but its not like being a Browns fan where the season is over pretty much every year by early October. I have had reasons to watch Bears football in December in 7 of the last 11 seasons. I like Pace so far and think he is steering the ship in the right direction. So still [expletive] dysfunctional org, mildly compelling past, optimistic future, not a really a team I or anyone else should feel compelled to bail on.

 

I made that comment not even really thinking about the on-field product. I survived the 90s Bears, which, as been alluded to here already, featured far more incompetent teams.

 

Rather it's the fact that nobody wants to [expletive] play here, which should never happen with a big-market, historic franchise. The mishandling of players - running them out of town, the mind-boggling stupidity of the casual fanbase with the neverending Cutler crusade, relentlessly killing the one guy who always shows up to camp in shape, goes about his business, has his [expletive] together, and plays decently enough.

 

Still, with all that said, I could never actually bail. It's just sometimes I have this utopian fantasy where Jay gets traded to a team with some pieces in place like Houston or the Rams, wins a Super Bowl, and I have the most glorious Bears bonfire ever as retribution. And I feel absolutely disgusting for feeling that way, believe me.

 

Is this an actual narrative? I don't recall us having any trouble getting free agents to sign here or anything along those lines. And I'd imagine it's one of the more desirable cities to play in in the league among most players.

[jersey cubs fan]

I said that the last decade of Bears football has not been terrible enough to be tempted to root for another team. There's no doubt the org has been [expletive] and the results on the field have not been acceptable, but its not like being a Browns fan where the season is over pretty much every year by early October. I have had reasons to watch Bears football in December in 7 of the last 11 seasons. I like Pace so far and think he is steering the ship in the right direction. So still [expletive] dysfunctional org, mildly compelling past, optimistic future, not a really a team I or anyone else should feel compelled to bail on.

 

I made that comment not even really thinking about the on-field product. I survived the 90s Bears, which, as been alluded to here already, featured far more incompetent teams.

 

Rather it's the fact that nobody wants to [expletive] play here, which should never happen with a big-market, historic franchise. The mishandling of players - running them out of town, the mind-boggling stupidity of the casual fanbase with the neverending Cutler crusade, relentlessly killing the one guy who always shows up to camp in shape, goes about his business, has his [expletive] together, and plays decently enough.

 

Still, with all that said, I could never actually bail. It's just sometimes I have this utopian fantasy where Jay gets traded to a team with some pieces in place like Houston or the Rams, wins a Super Bowl, and I have the most glorious Bears bonfire ever as retribution. And I feel absolutely disgusting for feeling that way, believe me.

 

Is this an actual narrative? I don't recall us having any trouble getting free agents to sign here or anything along those lines. And I'd imagine it's one of the more desirable cities to play in in the league among most players.

 

I don't think it's entirely true but they have missed out on guys they went hard after, with the most prominent examples probably Bennett's brother and then Martellus wanting to get the hell out of dodge.

 

I think what they have in place is a reasonably well respected group, between Pace and Fox and to a lesser extent Fangio. But nobody is impressed by them or anything about this team.

 

The strength coach and hippy did a bang up job of gutting this organization. Pace brought in a well respected Baltimore guy but he's already left and now this staff is nothing but old time Bears people and some Saints guys + Fox. It's complete blah.

[UMFan83]

 

I made that comment not even really thinking about the on-field product. I survived the 90s Bears, which, as been alluded to here already, featured far more incompetent teams.

 

Rather it's the fact that nobody wants to [expletive] play here, which should never happen with a big-market, historic franchise. The mishandling of players - running them out of town, the mind-boggling stupidity of the casual fanbase with the neverending Cutler crusade, relentlessly killing the one guy who always shows up to camp in shape, goes about his business, has his [expletive] together, and plays decently enough.

 

Still, with all that said, I could never actually bail. It's just sometimes I have this utopian fantasy where Jay gets traded to a team with some pieces in place like Houston or the Rams, wins a Super Bowl, and I have the most glorious Bears bonfire ever as retribution. And I feel absolutely disgusting for feeling that way, believe me.

 

Is this an actual narrative? I don't recall us having any trouble getting free agents to sign here or anything along those lines. And I'd imagine it's one of the more desirable cities to play in in the league among most players.

 

I don't think it's entirely true but they have missed out on guys they went hard after, with the most prominent examples probably Bennett's brother and then Martellus wanting to get the hell out of dodge.

 

I think what they have in place is a reasonably well respected group, between Pace and Fox and to a lesser extent Fangio. But nobody is impressed by them or anything about this team.

 

The strength coach and hippy did a bang up job of gutting this organization. Pace brought in a well respected Baltimore guy but he's already left and now this staff is nothing but old time Bears people and some Saints guys + Fox. It's complete blah.

 

Didn't Michael Bennett re-sign with Seattle before FA even opened? Martellus wanted out of town but that's always going to happen when there is a regime change and roles and changed etc. Plus he seems like he subscribes to the Brandon Marshall school of franchise jumping where everyone loves him until he wears out his welcome. I think it was mutual between Bennett and the Bears not just Martellus forcing himself out of town.

 

I feel like other than that I can't think of many high profile misses for the Bears (but my memory sucks so I could be missing some). I think they went after some of the more in demand defensive FAs out there and got them to come aboard. I'm sure most of that was wanting to play for a guy with a reputation like Fangio, but the city is still a desirable place to play.

 

In terms of the meatballs and their cutler obsession/hot takes (now more responding to CubsBearsMagic's OP here), football is the most mainstream sport in America, and from living in other cities I can tell you every town has idiots that carry on about dumb horsefeathers. Maybe Bears fans do it more than others, I don't know but if they do its not noticeably more.

[David]

Obviously, plenty of sour grapes after guys leave town, but I don't think I've ever once heard of NFL players not wanting to go to Chicago being a thing.

 

With John Fox around, it's probably even less of a thing. With Lovie it also definitely wasn't a thing. Trestman maybe, but he was here for 2 years. But more importantly, even beyond that, it's Chicago.

[Banedon]

Obviously, plenty of sour grapes after guys leave town, but I don't think I've ever once heard of NFL players not wanting to go to Chicago being a thing.

 

With John Fox around, it's probably even less of a thing. With Lovie it also definitely wasn't a thing. Trestman maybe, but he was here for 2 years. But more importantly, even beyond that, it's Chicago.

 

The NFL isn't really a league where the "I don't want to go to X city" even happens all that often. The scarcity of guaranteed money means the players don't really have that same kind of power to picky like other sports. I mean, some in demand guys hit free agency every year, but they seem far more worried about getting every dollar they can while they're still able to play than they are about location.

[jersey cubs fan]

In terms of the meatballs and their cutler obsession/hot takes (now more responding to CubsBearsMagic's OP here), football is the most mainstream sport in America, and from living in other cities I can tell you every town has idiots that carry on about dumb [expletive]. Maybe Bears fans do it more than others, I don't know but if they do its not noticeably more.

 

The specific anti-Cutler stupidity aside, there's nothing that unique about Bears fans stupidity. Yes, they are obsessed with the one year they won it unlike, say, the Jets, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that there is a 17 year difference in those seasons, and that Bears team was historically great. You can be in your 30s and actually remember that team. If you were 8 when the Jets won you'd be approaching 60. I think a fan base like Washington is at least as obsessed with the past as Bears fans, if not just one specific team since they won 3 super bowls. Miami is sort of a similar situation but they don't actually have fans to obsess over their team. Their fans are absolutely delusional monstrosities, just in a different, and less abundant way.

[David]

Obviously, plenty of sour grapes after guys leave town, but I don't think I've ever once heard of NFL players not wanting to go to Chicago being a thing.

 

With John Fox around, it's probably even less of a thing. With Lovie it also definitely wasn't a thing. Trestman maybe, but he was here for 2 years. But more importantly, even beyond that, it's Chicago.

 

The NFL isn't really a league where the "I don't want to go to X city" even happens all that often. The scarcity of guaranteed money means the players don't really have that same kind of power to picky like other sports. I mean, some in demand guys hit free agency every year, but they seem far more worried about getting every dollar they can while they're still able to play than they are about location.

 

Yep.

[jersey cubs fan]

Obviously, plenty of sour grapes after guys leave town, but I don't think I've ever once heard of NFL players not wanting to go to Chicago being a thing.

 

With John Fox around, it's probably even less of a thing. With Lovie it also definitely wasn't a thing. Trestman maybe, but he was here for 2 years. But more importantly, even beyond that, it's Chicago.

 

The NFL isn't really a league where the "I don't want to go to X city" even happens all that often. The scarcity of guaranteed money means the players don't really have that same kind of power to picky like other sports. I mean, some in demand guys hit free agency every year, but they seem far more worried about getting every dollar they can while they're still able to play than they are about location.

No, but there is more of a "I don't want to play in that system" thing at play. Conveniently though if a team runs a certain system they may not want that player either.

[David]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[David]

Alshon is playing tonight

[David]

maybe it's just me but the jerseys look a little darker this year...closer to black (not that they're black). kind of like in the 80s.

[raw]

maybe it's just me but the jerseys look a little darker this year...closer to black (not that they're black). kind of like in the 80s.

 

I thought that last year. Look the same as then to me.

[UMFan83]

7 sacks allowed in a preseason game? Geez take it easy Broncos the game doesn't count

[Banedon]

7 sacks allowed in a preseason game? Geez take it easy Broncos the game doesn't count

 

Gotta get Jay ready for the regular season.

[Banedon]

https://gfycat.com/PlayfulMildFunnelweaverspider

[JonJayCutler]

Nothing groundbreaking, but the OL is going to be a problem this year. Zero depth whatsoever.

[jersey cubs fan]

Nothing groundbreaking, but the OL is going to be a problem this year. Zero depth whatsoever.

I wish depth was the only concern with the line.

[UMFan83]

I'm guessing most of us didn't watch much of this game. The radio people are tearing the Bears apart for the performance which makes me glad I didn't watch much of it so I don't overreact to a preseason game. I mean how bad could it really be for a fake game?