RynoRules

If the Bears stay close to the cap limit and pay their coaches well, what more can they do? Major market doesn't mean nearly as much in football because every team spends about the same-about the only difference is that owners with more money can sometimes come up with multiple big signing bonuses in one year, but that money still has to be managed under the cap-it's more of an actual payroll thing of when the cash is paid than anything. I don't wish to belabor this any longer, but 20 mill under is the near the cap, in your opinion? Again, let's wait and see what happens. I'll be happy to be proven wrong in this case.

Banedon / Goony: We will have to agree to disagree. Apparently you both view the McCaskeys as being out of the picture. I do not not, and that colors my opinion of how the org is run. Let's see how they handle free agency, not this year, but next year when they are likely to part ways with at least 2/5 of the O-Line, Briggs, one of Wally / Alex Brown, Moose, and if he struggles, Grossman. I understand that you need to rebuild through the draft in football, but if you are a major mkt team with a brand new stadium that is always full, you should be spending as well.

They aren't 20 under the cap every year, and the McGinnis thing was the straw that broke the camels back. I'm talking about the Phillips/Angelo Bears. There is no reason why this had to get done earlier. There were people who got freaked out by it and those who didn't. Instead of blaming the Bears for freaking people out, I put the onus on the freakers. All of the evidence point to this team being run much differently than it was when free agency first started. People who work in pro sports do honor contracts. If you fire a guy, you still have to pay him everything that is guaranteed. It does not make an organization cheap when they sign a guy to a contract and pay him what that contract stipulates. Some organizations like to throw money at all of their problems. I don't think it's done a whole lot for Snyder, nor has it helped Jerry Jones. Other organizations are more pragmatic when it comes to expenditures, like Philly, New England and the Bears. People will scoff at comparing the Bears with those organizations, but the fact is the current regime has ammassed the most talented team in their conference and have set-up the team for lasting success. They have a president who hired his current GM who hired his current head coach, and a head coach who is being allowed to have the coaching staff he wants to keep. I get what you are saying, I just disagree. FYI - I did not freak out when the K did not get done initially; I always figured it would, and I believe that I posted that here. It bugs me, however, that Lovie apparently had to make a power play and use the media in order to make it happen. One last thing: I understand that Phillips is the Prez and Mike McCaskey no longer is, but you know, he works for someone too, and those people have a horrendous track record for making good decisions and compensating deserving EEs.

I dunno if I agree with that given how stupidly the McCaskeys have conducted themselves in the recent past (does any major sports city have as many "ify" owners as Chicago?), but I am very happy that Lovie is getting what he deserves. The Bears have been run completely differently ever since Virginia backhanded her son. I don't know why the national media insists on calling this franchise cheap for honoring contracts and why so many locals still think it's 1988. This is the best run organization in town. They work smart, take calculated risks and spend big when they need to. BTW, that ain't sayin' much. Its like saying that DeRosa is somewhat better than Neifi so we should all shut it and be satisfied. LOL...are you calling the Bears, the team that won 13 games this year, and 11 last year, and went to the Super Bowl.....Mark Derosa? I seriously don't get your beef. If that is what you understood from my commentary then I don't know how to help you, but let me try: I was criticizing goony's comment that implied that I should lay off b/c the Bears are apparently the best run org in town. Given how poorly some of the orgs in town are run, that ain't sayin' much.

I dunno if I agree with that given how stupidly the McCaskeys have conducted themselves in the recent past (does any major sports city have as many "ify" owners as Chicago?), but I am very happy that Lovie is getting what he deserves. The Bears have been run completely differently ever since Virginia backhanded her son. I don't know why the national media insists on calling this franchise cheap for honoring contracts and why so many locals still think it's 1988. This is the best run organization in town. They work smart, take calculated risks and spend big when they need to. BTW, that ain't sayin' much. Its like saying that DeRosa is somewhat better than Neifi so we should all shut it and be satisfied.

I dunno if I agree with that given how stupidly the McCaskeys have conducted themselves in the recent past (does any major sports city have as many "ify" owners as Chicago?), but I am very happy that Lovie is getting what he deserves. The Bears have been run completely differently ever since Virginia backhanded her son. I don't know why the national media insists on calling this franchise cheap for honoring contracts and why so many locals still think it's 1988. This is the best run organization in town. They work smart, take calculated risks and spend big when they need to. You and I honor contracts. People who work in professional sports do not. You know it and I know it. I'll stop thinking that the McCaskeys are truly running the show when they finally stop tripping all over themselves. There is no reason they could not have gotten this done earlier. There is no reason to name Dave McGinnis as your coach before he accepts the position. There is no reason that a major mkt team like this one should be 20 mill under the cap every year.

co-sign again!

co-sign Time to move on folks. It appears we will have some good things to look fwd to this season.

Marquis is going to be far better than last year, IMO. I have no hard evidence for this - I just have a good feeling.

I don't have a problem with that. I actually prefer it b/c - as has been mentioned a million times here - it increases Jacque's over all value.

I dunno if I agree with that given how stupidly the McCaskeys have conducted themselves in the recent past (does any major sports city have as many "ify" owners as Chicago?), but I am very happy that Lovie is getting what he deserves.

Murt in the 2 hole = RynoRules officially on the Piniella Wagon.

Prediction? Cesar Izturis will follow in the grand tradition of the Gremlin and Neifi and become this Bd's official Whuppin' Boy. What is it about light hitting MIFers?

Bhogg is here all week! Try the veal!

He untied the purse strings, in direct contrast to Mr. MacPhail, so he is cool w/ me

Lots of guys get that, but I think it makes all the more nervous with Wood because his arm could become a pretzel at any moment.

I dont know where that comment came from. I don't think anyone has blindly defended him. The only times I see people really defend his moves is when people jump to the conclusion that he should be fired. I think he's done a wonderful job turning this team around and making us into a perenial playoff team. I think Skiles should play Tyrus Thomas more, but that has nothing to do with Paxson. Paxson has assembled a pretty solid team that can compete in the present and still have a very bright future. I'm pleased with the job he's done so far. It isn't hard to assemble a perianial playoff team, especially in the east. I'm still convinced he doesn't understand the concept of inside scoring. To be fair, he hasn't had many chances at inside scoring in drafts (and as I remember, you wanted Brandon Roy over Tyrus Thomas - TT is much more of an inside presence). There are reasons to criticize Paxson - but I think your way of comparing him to other Chicago GMs based on championship game appearances isn't that great. Also, we don't truly know exactly what Jerry West and the Grizzlies were asking for Gasol, I have no problem in not parting with a combo of Deng and another valuable player on the team as some rumors indicated. Paxson has done a commendable job building up a young team from nothing, he has certainly made a few mistakes but which GM doesn't? I wanted Roy over Thomas b/c then we could have spinned Gordon off for the big man we so desperately need right now. We forced 20-plus TOs last night, but got out-rebounded by almost 20.

Stop nitpicking. The key is always putting the ball in play. Juan Pierre just hit very weakly. When DLee puts "a ball in play", that is much different than a "pierre ball" put into play. . I am not nitpicking. Derek Lee is not successful because he puts the ball in play a lot, it's because he swings at pitches he knows he can drive more often than not. Uh, isn't that pretty much the same thing Perry said? You are nitpicking.

Bad as this org is at developing any sort of position player (3B being the worst of the worst), C has always been particulalrly horrendous. When was the lats time we developed a C with any staying power? Girardi and Berryhill in the mid-to-late 80's?

To me it all depends on how tradeable the deal is. Like someone mentioned earlier, he could be traded to the AL to DH if the deal is configured properly. Plus he could probably play an IF position, no?

Perception is reality in some cases. It would be nice if we were rated higher if only to increase perceived trade value of some of our prospects. I am always interested in the predicted "ETAs" as well.

No. It is collusion.

Honestly, some of you guys need to chill with the Dusty comparisons. That's completely unfair given that we haven't seen Lou manage a game yet and thus far his statements have indicated a lean towards positive movement in a "statistical direction".

If I were the Raiders with that putrid O-Line, I'd trade down and pick up extra picks. Then you can draft a QB later (Stanton, for example). I just think you build the line first, and boy do they need to do that.

FLIPPIN' YES!!!! =D> \:D/