rawaction

I'd be pretty upset if the Bears started 6-0 and went 5-5 the rest of the way, unless they were resting players the last 2 weeks. Same goes for them being 10-2 and losing 3 in a row. Also can't understand the logic that the Bears win 28-7 in Green Bay, but lose by double digits in Minnesota and Arizona when neither of them are in the playoff hunt (presumably).

Assuming that's Sidney Rice? While, I do like his potential this year if he's healthy and with Russell Wilson keeping plays alive, I would wait til he proves it before starting him. Boldin's the safest bet out of those 4. I'd probably go Romo and Decker. Romo and Cutler are close, but when in doubt, go with the guy you drafted first...you did so for a reason, and I'm assuming you picked Romo up first. Plus, Cutler is more likely to have his team running the ball late while Romo is more likely to have to throw late to keep up with the Giants. As for WR, I'd take Decker because he's been in camp longer. Got a good rapport with Manning (2 TDs last preseason game they played), and Wallace has been in camp a week. Steelers also have a horrible pass D. Probably go Demaryius. Again, bad Pitt pass D. Assuming no Ryan Clark in Denver. Gerhart wasn't really that good when he was the only RB. Peterson will at least get 1/2 the carries, so I wouldn't start him. Garcon would be my 2nd choice.

This is more of a "hey look at my team" thread.

That's gotta be the best lineup Boise has ever had while a Cubs affiliate. The top six in the lineup all have a really good chance of making the bigs. Even the bottom three have a shot if things break right for them. The 2008 Boise team has Vitters, Josh Harrison, Ryan Flaherty, Tony Campana, and Marwin Gonzalez currently in the majors. Cashner, Coleman, Beliveau and Carpenter on the staff. The 2002 team was absolutely loaded though. Robinson Chirinos, Micah Hoffpauir, Ronny Cedeno, Dwaine Bacon (31 steals in 63 games), Matt Craig and Kevin Collins were somewhat intriguing power hitting corner IFs for that team, at least similar to Shoulders. Felix Pie and Geovany Soto made brief cameos there as well. The pitching staff, though, was nuts! Ricky Nolasco, Andy Sisco, Jae Kuk Ryu, Rich Hill, Luke Hagerty and even Justin Jones were all top 10 prospects in a GOOD Cubs system at one point. Randy Wells, sadly is the 2nd best major leaguer from that team though, and he was catching at the time. Previous year's rotation featured: Dontrelle Willis, Sergio Mitre, and Angel Guzman. That 2002 rotation was sick. The 2001 rotation also had Felix Sanchez and Carmen Pignatiello who both made brief cameos in the big leagues. Sanchez gave up a grand slam and got the win in that game the Cubs came back from a 6-0 deficit against the Cardinals (where Dusty and TLR got into it). It's crazy that all 5 starters in a shortseason baseball pitching rotation made it to the big leagues. HA. I was going to mention Sanchez, but didn't know if anyone would remember him. I was a big fan. Piggy (Pignatiello) was pretty solid for a while too.

I understand you're trying to temper your expectations, but I feel you are way off base here. Lovie has consistently gotten his teams ready to play opening day. The offense hasn't started off slow at all under Cutler. He had his best passing games (yardage wise) for the season on opening day of each of the last 2 years. He was also pretty good in the 09 opener vs. GB. Also think you are off base on the defense. The Bears aren't going to see what the Colts are going to do. They are going to try to dictate what the Colts do. The Colts won't be able to run it. I think they will disguise a lot and even blitz Luck more than you are used to seeing from the Bears. He's still a young QB, and that offensive line is suspect. The Bears don't play nearly as much Cover 2 as people think they do. I agree with the point of your post, but he was a disaster that game. Yeah, I was thinking of a different game I guess. That was the 4 INT game.

I understand you're trying to temper your expectations, but I feel you are way off base here. Lovie has consistently gotten his teams ready to play opening day. The offense hasn't started off slow at all under Cutler. He had his best passing games (yardage wise) for the season on opening day of each of the last 2 years. He was also pretty good in the 09 opener vs. GB. Also think you are off base on the defense. The Bears aren't going to see what the Colts are going to do. They are going to try to dictate what the Colts do. The Colts won't be able to run it. I think they will disguise a lot and even blitz Luck more than you are used to seeing from the Bears. He's still a young QB, and that offensive line is suspect. Especially in long yardage to go situations, I think the Bears blitz Luck, try to trick him into the wrong hot read and create a turnover. The Bears don't play nearly as much Cover 2 as people think they do.

That's gotta be the best lineup Boise has ever had while a Cubs affiliate. The top six in the lineup all have a really good chance of making the bigs. Even the bottom three have a shot if things break right for them. The 2008 Boise team has Vitters, Josh Harrison, Ryan Flaherty, Tony Campana, and Marwin Gonzalez currently in the majors. Cashner, Coleman, Beliveau and Carpenter on the staff. The 2002 team was absolutely loaded though. Robinson Chirinos, Micah Hoffpauir, Ronny Cedeno, Dwaine Bacon (31 steals in 63 games), Matt Craig and Kevin Collins were somewhat intriguing power hitting corner IFs for that team, at least similar to Shoulders. Felix Pie and Geovany Soto made brief cameos there as well. The pitching staff, though, was nuts! Ricky Nolasco, Andy Sisco, Jae Kuk Ryu, Rich Hill, Luke Hagerty and even Justin Jones were all top 10 prospects in a GOOD Cubs system at one point. Randy Wells, sadly is the 2nd best major leaguer from that team though, and he was catching at the time. Previous year's rotation featured: Dontrelle Willis, Sergio Mitre, and Angel Guzman.

I actually like Lynch in non ppr. I wouldnt do that either. HEs likely to produce similar to MJD this year. At least closer to mjd than Maclin will be to Fitz. The guy i really dislike for u is Gore

No. If u wouldnt draft MJD over Megatron dont trade for him now. Plus there is a bad track record for holdouts getting hurt or underperforming.

My 10 bold predictions and final standings for the 2012 NFL season. 1. Seems like every year, there is a team that comes roaring out of the gate and goes on a long winning streak to start the year. 2011 it was the Packers, this year it will be the ATLANTA FALCONS. Start off with all 4 mediocre AFC West teams, with Carolina and Washington thrown in. Bring back their complete offensive team. Their toughest stretch of the season (@ Philly, @ NO, vs. Dallas) comes after their bye week. Falcons sweep thru and start 10-0. 2. The disaster that is 2012, continues for the Saints. The team struggles on defense and eventually is dealt a season-ending blow with Drew Brees going down for several weeks. Also lose Sproles and Jimmy Graham for extended periods of time. 3. AJ Green becomes a stud. Not quite Megatron 2011 numbers, but AJ puts up 85-90 catches, 1400-1500 yards and 12+ TDs. 4. Chris Johnson is back. Wins his first rushing title since the 2K season. Puts up over 1600 yards (only MJD got over 1400 last year). 5. Year of the mobile QB! Mobile QBs actually win some games for their teams this year, as Jake Locker and Russell Wilson lead their teams to the playoffs. Cam Newton falls just short of the wildcard for 9-7 Carolina. 6. The Steelers put up an inconsistent season on both sides of the ball and they have in-season locker room distractions from Roethlisberger, Wallace, Harrison, etc. for the first time, all separately complaining about coaching, schemes, and playing time. Finish 7-9. 7. With Tom Brady taking too many hits by midseason, the Patriots take to the running game by committee, rushing for over 2100 yards as a team, good for top 8 in the NFL. 8. Eli Manning adds another notch to his belt by winning the regular season passing title for the first time in his career. 9. Five IN. Five OUT. Every year there's about 5 new teams that make the playoffs that weren't in the previous year. This year. OUT= Steelers, Broncos, Lions, 49ers, Saints. IN= Bears, Titans, Eagles, Raiders, Seahawks. 10. Ravens beat the Falcons in Super Bowl. AFC East- Patriots 10-6, Jets 8-8, Bills 7-9, Dolphins 2-14 AFC North- Ravens 12-4, Bengals 11-5, Steelers 7-9, Browns 6-10 AFC South- Texans 11-5, Titans 9-7, Jaguars 7-9, Colts 5-11 AFC West- Raiders 9-7, Broncos 9-7, Chiefs 7-9, Chargers 6-10 NFC East- Giants 10-6, Eagles 10-6, Cowboys 8-8, Redskins 5-11 NFC North- Bears 11-5, Packers 11-5, Lions 9-7, Vikings 6-10 NFC South- Falcons 14-2, Panthers 9-7, Saints 6-10, Buccaneers 4-12 NFC West- Seahawks 9-7 (sweep Niners), 49ers 9-7, Cardinals 7-9, Rams 5-11. *wildcard teams in red ** not sure if W/L records are possible, just random guessing.

I didn't really see it on the field. Price showed flashes, but it was against 2nd and 3rd stringers, and he clearly didn't look like he was ready to play 4 quarters. I wonder if Paea was healthy, if the Bears would have gambled and released (or traded) Matt Toeina. Toeina's solid, but all he'll ever be is basically just a body out there and Price, Okoye and Collins all have more upside.

Surprised they cut Price. But it was really their only choice, couldn't keep 6 DTs. Figured they'd cut Trahan or Ozougwu and then hold off on the Price decision for a week until Collins came back from suspension. As for the LB position, if the Bears don't bring back Urlacher, I could see them going with Roach for a year, allowing JT Thomas (or a re-signed Geno Hayes) to play SLB, leaving LB as a late pick before going LB early in 2014. The Bears can't continue to ignore OL early, and they could use some serious "top of the draft" talent at DT (2 UDFAs, 2 FAs after the year on roster) and CB (Moore and Hayden are FAs after the year, Tillman is old).

Must be right if Harold effin Reynolds said it.

It would be kind of cool if Almora was one of the top 5 players in baseball from the moment he hits the majors.

But the player that's missing was a rookie, who missed 2011 and last played as a CB in college. Basically, if you think the Bears are thin at S now.....you should have thought they were thin before, so losing Hardin doesn't change anything. Your 4th safety is now a guy that's been around the team for 2 camps and a full season now, instead of a guy playing S for the first time ever and football for the first time in 20 months. Obviously, Hardin is more talented, but the "lack of experience" isn't a new issue at the S position.

I doubt it for two reasons: Kenny Britt and Jared Cook. Britt will be the #1 guy again when he gets back from suspension/injury and Cook may well be the 2nd option the majority of the season. I think early in the year while Britt is suspended/recovering, Nate will be the #1/2 target along with Cook, so I think he can post some pretty good numbers early on. But as the season goes along, I think his touches will drop as Britt and Cook get more. He'll still be a nice deep receiver, but won't be relied on nearly as much as he was last year (ideally). What about Kendall Wright? I think he will steal some reps too. And yeah, not only are the 4 games to start the year pretty rough for the Titans, but the whole schedule looks tough. Out of division home schedule is: Patriots, Lions, Bears, Steelers and Jets. 4 teams that are expected to make the playoffs, and a Jets team that if it can get any offense will be in the hunt too. Then there's still Houston twice, and at Green Bay. Titans are looking at having to "steal" 2 games to make the playoffs. Probably going to have to beat all the teams they are better than, split with Houston, and then beat the Jets and Chargers.

The Colts OTs are Anthony Castonzo, a 1st round pick, but he struggled last year....and Winston Justice, who has started 1 game in 2 years and was going to be cut by the Eagles. I can unbiasedly say that I'd rather have the Bears 2 OTs than the Colts group. Also, not sure how losing the 4th safety makes the Bears "thin" at DB. The starters and primary backups at both CB and S should all be healthy on Week 1. The backups (Hayden and Steltz) have started several games in their careers including several last year for both.

Maybe a few years ago....but he's an old dog, learning a new trick. At 31, I can't imagine him being as good of a 3-4 LB than he was a 4-3 DE...especially vs. the run, out in more space than he's used to.

Figured they would look at Jon Scott and Trai Essex from Pittsburgh. I think they will try to get something for Chris Williams if they get one of those 2. More of a change of scenery vs. an actual upgrade, which is not really available at this point.

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this in this thread, but there is a tennis player named Jack Sock.

That's about what I'm thinking. Maybe I'm way off base here, but I'd be very disappointed if the Bears don't have their way in this game. Andrew Luck will be great, but the Bears should be able to handle an offense that has only put up 2.8 yards per carry on the ground (and that's all strings of offense) in the preseason...the season after finishing at or near the bottom in rushing, with most of the same personnel upfront and in the backfield. The passing game should be OK, but the Bears should be able to get pressure on Luck. On defense, you're talking about a team in it's first real game in a 3-4 defense, without the proper 3-4 defense personnel. Mathis and Freeney may be able to provide some pass rush at times still, but they've never been good at stopping the run, which won't get any better with them standing up now. Vontae Davis helps their pass D, but not nearly enough as he himself isn't exactly a shutdown CB. Throw in special teams and a rookie QB, who will make a mistake or two no matter how good he is, and a team that usually comes out strong in openers under Lovie....and I expect 30 points scored and 10 or fewer points scored while the game still matters. I'll guess 30-14, Colts with a late TD as the Bears rest some guys getting ready for the following Thursday.

Went into my 12 team PPR last night with the #1 pick (re-draft). Was hoping after 5 rounds to have Ray Rice, AJ Green, Ryan Mathews, Percy Harvin and Matt Ryan....in that order. Got picks 1, 4, and 5. But instead of Green and Mathews....ended up with Julio Jones and Demarco Murray. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy about that. My 2 12-team PPR teams are: QB- Eli Manning RB- Matt Forte RB/WR- AJ Green WR- Antonio Brown WR- Percy Harvin TE- Brent Celek Flex- Rashad Jennings, David Wilson, Stevan Ridley, Roy Helu (one of them has to step up right?) K- Gould D- Eagles Qb- Ryan RB- Rice RB- Murray WR- Julio Jones WR- Harvin TE- Tamme FL- Torrey Smith, Ridley K-Prater D- Eagles

Wow, Bears actually cut James Brown. Jeremy Jones and Patrick Trahan are on the 53-man roster. Wilhite also cut. The 53 (54) will change when Podlesh is healthy as the Bears 2 punters on the roster. Another move will have to be made Week 2 when Nate Collins comes off suspension. And if the Bears re-sign Okoye as rumored after his being cut from TB....that's another move to be made. Also have 5 safeties, 4 TEs, and 7 LBs...which all seem like overkill. OFFENSE QB Jay Cutler Jason Campbell RB Matt Forte Michael Bush Lorenzo Booker H-Back Evan Rodriguez Kyle Adams WR- Z Devin Hester Earl Bennett Dane Sanzenbacher WR- X Brandon Marshall Alshon Jeffery Eric Weems TE Kellen Davis Matt Spaeth LT J'Marcus Webb Chris Williams LG Chris Spencer Edwin Williams C Roberto Garza RG Lance Louis Chilo Rachal RT Gabe Carimi DEFENSE LDE Israel Idonije Shea McClellin DT Henry Melton Stephen Paea Nate Collins NT Matt Toeina Brian Price RDE Julius Peppers Corey Wootton Cheta Ozougwu SLB Nick Roach JT Thomas MLB Brian Urlacher Blake Costanzo WLB Lance Briggs Geno Hayes Patrick Trahan LCB Tim Jennings Kelvin Hayden Sherrick McManis RCB Charles Tillman DJ Moore SS Major Wright Craig Steltz FS Chris Conte Anthony Walters Jeremy Jones K Robbie Gould P Adam Podlesh Ryan Quigley LS Patrick Mannelly

With the injuries to guys like Conte, Paea, and Urlacher...the Bears are probably keeping extra bodies at Dt, S, and lb

Ugh. Bears are already down to 5 draft picks for next year. Id rather give Walters a shot, we are talking about a 4th safety anyway.