rawaction

Between a more seasoned Upton and Scherzer, a full season of rauch and a possibly healthy Byrnes (though some would debate he's makes them better) Along with the likely improvements of Young, Jackson, Drew and Reynolds they could be very good team. They need to find a 2B and another starter but they could be a very good team this year. Why are those guys likely to improve? I think Drew is ready to break out. He had a big 2nd half this year. Young still has some upside and his power and SBs were down in 08. He should improve, but I don't think he'll be as good as 07. Jackson is probably done improving, but should be steady. I don't see Reynolds getting any better. As for the Giants, they now have a rotation of: Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Lowry, Johnson and Zito. Lowry is a ? because he didn't pitch last year. But I wonder if the Prince Fielder for Cain trade could be back on.

Last game as a Bear? I would think so. He's a free agent. He can't be counted on. He only made it to week 16 because the Bears scheme took it easy on him early in the year. He's too similar to Payne, who is younger. He can still play though. I'd like to see him hook up with Singletary in SF.

I don't quite understand that sentence if it pertains to coaches. From an outside perspective, I think the Bears coaching staff did a heck of a job to get this team to 9, maybe 10 wins. Look at the talent on your offense. Forte has been better than anyone expected but your o-line is average at best, your WR's aren't a threat and Orton has regressed this year as a QB. Your defense is about what you would expect them to be at this stage of their careers with a few injuries. Not great anymore but still above average. I can whine all day about luck but I just don't see a roster talented enough where fans should expect more than 9 wins or 10 tops. If you were just talking about Angelo and those on the personnel side, disregard everything I just said. I agree with this post. This is a 4 win team who might win 10 and go to the playoffs. The coaching staff, for the most part, has done a great job especially Turner, Hiestad(sp?), and Toub. This is stupid. Teams don't win 2.5 times more than their talent dictates. If the Bears win 10 games. They are a 10-win team. The team does not lack talent. Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman, Harris, Ogunleye, Mike Brown, and Vasher have all played at a probowl level at times in their careers. On offense, Hester, Olsen, and Forte are extremely talented. Kreutz is still a solid player. This team is not devoid of talent. Just because the Bears don't have a QB dating centerfolds, a RB in ESPN commercials, or a WR that whines about not getting the ball, doesn't mean they aren't a talented team. Besides, talent has never guaranteed anything. The two most talented teams may be sitting at home come Sunday night.

I think he'll still be pretty good for another 2 seasons probably, but yet he is getting older. Also I'm still not convinced Orton's horrible. I would at least want to see him with a decent receiving core and younger line and see if he could be a manageable QB He'll be decent. He'll be much better than Moose was, though the similarities are striking. He'll be a possession WR, but he'll likely get money like he's Randy Moss. I'd rather spend the money on someone like Gaffney to be a relatively cheap possession WR, worth the money. And I don't think Orton is bad either, but this offense is not condusive to a WR putting up the 100 reception per year average Housh has had the last 3 years. Even if you take his 75 average earlier in his career, that's probably the very high end you can expect from him. For what he is going to get paid, he should be a lock for 80 rec, 1100 yrds. It's not his fault though, as nobody will put up those numbers in this offense with this (these) QB(s).

Again. Housh is going to be 32 next season. He's going to command enough money to be paid as a top 5 WR, which is not anymore nor will be a couple years into his next contract. The Bears still don't have a QB to throw to him. Paying millions to a WR without anything more than a serviceable QB is like a one-legged man paying $200 for a pair of Jordan's. It doesn't make any sense.

Thayer was saying first round OL second or third round reciever I dont think we have to draft OL the 1st round, but one of 1-3 rds needs to be oline. I think we can be more selective then locking in @ 1st rd oline. Not to downplay the need, but the OL the Bears need would only be a RT. The guys w/ 1st round grades are typically LTs or stud guards. However, if the Bears can find a stud in the 20s, they should take him. Chris Williams hasn't exactly shown he can be a LT in the league yet. But I think the Bears should look at DE, FS, OL in that order. If you have 3 evenly graded players, go w/ defense. If you can get an OL that is graded higher, definitely pick him. LOL. You are fine with the group of WR's that are on the team now? Sure, if you are fine putting words in my mouth. Just because I don't see a major need to draft a WR in the first 2 rounds doesn't mean I think the position is fine. Again, this is a team designed to get the ball to the TE and RB. Both are great receivers. Hester is developing. Bennett is developing. Lloyd is ok. And how is a WR, without a QB to throw to him, is going to help this team? Berrian has shown this year he is a top 15-20 WR in the game. Bears offense sucked with him in it. What makes anyone think it will be better with a marginally more talented draft pick?

Thayer was saying first round OL second or third round reciever I dont think we have to draft OL the 1st round, but one of 1-3 rds needs to be oline. I think we can be more selective then locking in @ 1st rd oline. Not to downplay the need, but the OL the Bears need would only be a RT. The guys w/ 1st round grades are typically LTs or stud guards. However, if the Bears can find a stud in the 20s, they should take him. Chris Williams hasn't exactly shown he can be a LT in the league yet. But I think the Bears should look at DE, FS, OL in that order. If you have 3 evenly graded players, go w/ defense. If you can get an OL that is graded higher, definitely pick him.

He's a very good QB. I didn't say he wasn't. But how good would he look if the Falcons didn't sign Michael Turner (2nd best RB in the NFC this year), draft Sam Baker, and develop Justin Blalock who they drafted the year before?

Crabtree will be gone before the Bears pick, he's a top 10 pick. I agree that OL and WR need to be addressed but you can't ignore defense in the draft, especially when there are 2 glaring weaknesses on the defense (DE and S), the defense is continuing to age and you spent the first two picks in the previous draft on offense. As I said earlier, next year the Bears will have a 24 and 26 yo on the left side of the line. Buenning will only be 28, if he gets a starting spot. Orton will be 27. Forte 23. Top 2 receiving threats 24 and 26. Bennett 22. Lloyd 28. Defensively, they are looking at ages 30 and 32 on the ends. Two 29+ LBs. Tillman will be 28. Brown will be 31. Brown and Vasher both will be HUGE injury risks. The only old (over 28) starters on offense will likely be Kreutz and the RT. The only young starters on defense will be Roach, Harris, and Payne. Makes sense to me to draft (i.e. get younger) either on defense or on the line. 1. If the Bears D is going to get better against the pass they have to get a better pass rush, without having to blitz more than any other team in the league. It would also help to not have slow safeties who would rather be in the box than playing the deep middle. 2. The Bears success is, was, and will always be predicated on the defense. Drafting a top 3 WR isn't going to make the pass game better. Unless we are talking about a OT that can come in and start right away, there is no 1 position that's going to make the Bears offense good. Matt Ryan isn't making the Falcons' offense good. It's Michael Turner and the OL they brought in.

I like him, but I get the feeling the Bears will over-pay him and he'll have a subsequent dropoff with this team. signing him reminds me of the muhammed signing a few years ago. a wide receiver on the down side of his career, heading to a poor offense. That's because that's exactly what it would be. Housh will be 32 early next season. Same age Moose was when he signed. Not to take anything from either in their prime, but they both had the benefit of playing with a stud #1 WR in a pass heavy offense. Housh probably has more left than Moose did at the same age, but no team should expect more than 1 good (not great) season from him.

He doesn't miss because he doesn't try long ones. He's not all that impressive. He's 8/11 from 40-49 this year, but so what, others are just as good or better from that distance. I think it hurts the Bears that the 35 yard line is not scoring territory for them. Whether or not his misses are blocks is meaningless. He does miss from inside 49 and never attempts anything longer, so that props up his percentage. His misses: 2008: Missed from 49 yards Blocked from 42 Blocked from 48 2007: Blocked from 52 Missed from 39 Missed from 40 Blocked from 48 Missed from 53 2006: Missed from 37 Missed from 49 Blocked from 45 Missed from 37 So of his 12 missed FGs in the last 3 seasons, 5 were blocked. Other than those 5 blocks, he is 88-95. I think that's a pretty good mark. I think we'll have to agree to disagree because of your point that the Bears aren't in scoring territory from 35, and its valid. I don't think he's worth the contract, but in terms of the amount of praise he receives, I think he is rated properly and deserves his props for being rock solid from inside 50 You can't take out the blocks though. The reason those kicks get blocked is because he hits them low trying to get distance, which helps to show he doesn't have the strongest leg.

Who all got injured? Mike Brown was it right?

Wow. Ye of little faith. I understand that this game is not in Chicago, but the Bears just beat two top 10 passing attacks in the last 2 weeks. And while Houston is 5th best in passing yardage, their 2 headed QB leads the league w/ 20 INTs. I'm not sure what the Bears are going to do with Andre Johnson, but there's more than 1 phase to the game. Houston is bottom 1/4 in run D. Despite having a favorable matchup w/ Mario Williams vs. JSC, they have the 4th fewest sacks in the league. This is not a game the Bears should lose. Not to say it won't be difficult. But if the Bears stop Slaton and the ground game and make Houston 1-dimensional, they should win by a TD.

Ship = sailed

Man. I ain't done talking about this game! I slept about 2.5 hours because I was too excited to sleep last night. -Corey Graham was absolutely excellent. -Danieal looked good on returns, kick coverage, pass coverage, and for some reason was invisible to the Pack on the blitz. -Briggs. What can you say about him? He's lapped Urlacher as the best LB on the team. And that's not a knock against Urlacher. -Tommie only showed up for about 3 plays. But they were 3 great plays. I think that's about the best we can hope for from him right now. -I thought Steltz played well after Grant ran him over. -Urlacher and Alex Brown did some good things. Brown controled the RT all game, but just isn't a pass rusher. 15 games in, and I still don't know if this team is good. But I am enjoying it.

This is my post at halftime. Forte and Olsen only had a combined 9 touches in the first half, with a combined 1 throw to either, that being the first offensive play of the game. Bears did exactly what they needed to do. In the 2nd have they got the field position a couple more times and took advantage of it. 27 yard TD drive. 51 yard TD drive to tie it. Second half they touched the ball 21 times between them. The difference is the Bears scored 14 on their 2 short drives in the 2nd half. The Packers scored 3 after getting the ball at the Bears 30 and 35.

Cardiac Bears!

BEAR DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WWOWOWOWOWWOWOW :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

YUCK FEAH!

Had to get 3 there Kyle, you dumbarse.

UK, I go DE and FS in the first 2 round if available. I was watching the Skins game yesterday and a Laron Landry type FS would do wonders for this team. Raisin, I like Charles Johnson too in the 1st.

Anybody and Garza. He;'s getting his ass kicked. Kreutz is fine. He's not going to blow anyone off the ball, but he needs a G next to him that can do that. Tait is about done.

The Bears can't go into next year with Kreutz and Garza next to each other on the line.

Bears had their chances. Turnover on the GB side of the field. Kickoff return to get the ball at the GB 28. Kickoff out of bounds, get the ball at the 40. Playcalling needs to get more aggressive. Get the ball to Forte vs. a LB. Get the ball to Olsen vs. whoever. Hester is open on the curl all day because of the fear of the deep ball. Bears are not taking advantage of the matchups they have.

I'd rather have Briggs.