Handlebar McSkullet

Not it isn't. Ben is much much much much better than Grossman. It's really not even remotely close. Even in this, Ben's worst year, he was signifigantly better than Rex. http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/qb.php Fair enough.

I went home to watch the game with my dad, and im back... I know this thread has blossomed already but I didn't feel like reading all eight pages. But I would really like to chime in on what I feel the Bears should and will do. 1. They must resign Lovie, Rivera to a fair market value contract. From reports the bears and lovie were haggling over 3 mil a year(bears offered under, Lovie wanted over). Now that Smith coached the team to Super Bowl, his FMV is probably 5 mil a year(possibly more). Offering anything less than four is embarrassing considering the profits this team realizes. 2. Briggs cant hit the open market. They can franchise him (7 mil) or take that 7 mil x it by 6 years add a 10 mil signing bonus(spread that over the life of the contract, and call it a day(hopefully). 3. Draft Lineman!!! Tait is 32, Brown is 34(and a fa), and Miller is 33. Drafting a guard and tackle or signing someone like Eric Steinbach would be needed. On the defensive side, Brown and Wale are overpaid, Tank is overrated and Ian Scott has regressed(and is a FA). Dusty Dvorack will be back next year and can push Tank Johnson. I think another DT would be a needed in the draft. 4. Thomas Jones wont be a Bear next year. It sucks but his stock will never be higher, and numerous teams need a running back. If you can get something substantial for him.(ie a 2nd or 3rd round pick), I think they should do it. Jones should and probably will hold out, and the team can go with Benson and Peterson and have a solid run game. 5. Grossman should play out his contract, and should be subjected to open competition. Why would he want to stay if he plays well in 07, and why would the Bears lock him up if he cant progress. He is 26, will be 27 next year. Has a full year under his belt, and will be in his third year in this offense. Right now he is average, but can he get better? I think so. He can make the throws and sometimes does, most of his faults are mental, hopefully it can be fixed. Peter King wrote an article about what the bears should do about the qb group. He fails in most respects to realize that this 1. was grossman's first year starting(fully) 2. He is still relatively young 3. Can get better. BUT he does hit on something important. Eventually this team will break up. The bears can't resign briggs, harris, tillman, vasher. And if they can, it will be a reverse Colts situation-> all cap room on defense, offense will suffer. The time table to win is probably at best three years at worst next year(disregarding drafts and reloading fa's(that is too unknown right now). Grossman's performance this year was ok for a budding playoff team with time to grow, not a super bowl contender who was 40 min away from a title. The qb corp must elevate itself, but their isn't a viable sure option other than sticking with grossman. drafting another qb is so ridiculous because qb prospects are as volatile as pitching prospects. Even if the bears could draft Quinn or Russell, they still need time to DEVELOP, time they dont have. Trading for someone like Matt Schaub is of the same ilk, because Schaub hasnt started either, he would need time to develop into the offense(also his completion rating isnt exactly barn burning either). Signing Jeff Garcia could actually hurt more than it helps(a lot of you have touched on this already). He is weak armed, old, and will cost a bundle. He failed in Cleveland and the Lions, the same Lions team that had Kitna throwing for 4000 yards. Trading for David Carr is almost too good of an idea to happen. Carr still has a substantial cap number(that would be soaked up mostly by the texans). I get gitty thinking about what carr could do with a solid offensive line and a running game. BUT does it seem like something the Bears would do? I hope so, but I doubt it. First, I think the texans can conjure at least a 6 round pick(not expensive, but place an empathizes on "at least"). If the asking price goes over a 5 round pick, I doubt the bears will pull the trigger, and if all the texans can get is a 6th round pick, I doubt they will pull the trigger. I hope this happens but this seems like a Cubs trade for Adam Dunn thing.

Everytime Creed talks, its golden

This is from Wikipedia.org.... Why is wikipedia trying to jenx us?

Bears Super Bowl Loss = 03 NL Championship

Hype and more hype. With the variabliity of the scouting reports I am going to go with caution. He's 22 and his growth as a baseball player has been [expletive] for four years. He can't get those years back. No amount of athleticism or quick learning will get them back. Even at ND his numbers (besides wins) weren't all that spectacular. Most people blame football, but I don't know if that's the case at all. I'm hoping the hype is justified, but I wouldn't bet on it. Playing college baseball is not "retarding progress". I could also spin this and say he hasn't thrown as much as other prospects have, giving him a fresher arm.

Your signature made me cry laughing.

That is a classic case for blocking a team from talking to one of your assistants.

He was forced into retirement because of frequent concussions. I believe he sued the Bears for that, because after his last one, his brain had been damaged to the point where he was unable to read. He had to re-learn how to read. They told him to get back onto the field 1 or 2 weeks after a major concussion I think, and he got another one. I'm not sure if that's exactly how it happened, perhaps someone can elaborate more with the real news. I know he was also diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma back in 2003. But after treatment, he is now cancer free. I'm really suprised his wikipedia article makes no mention of the lawsuit. It was a pretty big deal: player successfully suing a major sports franchise and all. Anyway, he's gone through a lot of problems; it hasn't been easy for the guy. I just think it's important to realize the history between he & the Bears when he starts commenting on Chicago, that's all. He was one of the first free agent signing I got excited for. They had to give Lewis Tillman 200 plus carries because of his concussions. He started my love for white running backs. Hence, I still think Brock Forsey can be a star in this league. :lol:

This article just proves that Scoop is a terrible writer. It's heavily biased towards the Bears obviously, and the entire article is garbage. I'm also fairly certain Rex never said "When it's all said and done, I will have multiple Super Bowl rings." I'm pretty sure what he said was "If I have multiple Super bowl rings, I will be satisfied with my career," or something to that effect. No, he actually said it. Good. I like the confidence. Let's get #1 on Sunday, Rex. Its that same confidence that had him hucking it downfield against Arizona and New England even though he clearly didn't have it those days. Oh snap.. especially in Arizona.. Yeah.... and against the Saints and Seahawks x 2. wait... we were talking about his bad games, nevermind.

I just got finished watching the NFL network "Road to the Super Bowl" about the Bears. It is outstanding. It will be watched by me over and over. For those who have Comcast On Demand, its under sports-nfl network- superbowl xli-nfc champions.

I wanted to chime in here because im not as well versed in statistical analysis as many here are, but I also haven't watched nearly enough games (besides cubs and tigers) to allow me to give a subjective opinion on who is "bad or good" in comparison. Here are a couple of questions and points that I would appreciate feedback on, and maybe that can be tied in to the discussion. (btw: this is a very good thread regardless of the title). 1. I thought/heard/read that errors(being used by both the subjective and analytical crowd here) is a fundamentally flawed statistic like saves because a) errors are always going to be skewed toward the athletic outfielder. The comparison between Cedeno and David Eckstein would be a good example because cedeno can get to many more balls hit then Eckstein. Same can be said for the comparison between Chris Duncan and Jock. Duncan cannot get to the same amount of balls that Duncan can. Or looking at throwing errors, Juan Pierre did not have any errors last year, but was less inclined to throw the ball because of his arm strength than Jim Edmonds. 2. About Barrett calling a poor game. I thought that a good number of pitches are called in the dugout. So even if a catcher is a good game caller like Mike Matheny or Sandy Martinez :lol:, isnt pitch selection dictated by the coaching staff for the most part, not to mention the pitcher himself. 3. If we are to say, subjectively, that the cubs are a poor defensive club. Can we not automatically upgrade them because of personnel changes this season? ss-izturis over cedeno, 2b-derosa over walker, 1b- Lee healthy(knock on wood).

I was reading McMahon's wikipedia page(because its only monday, and the game refuses to start). You guys remember this: On Aug. 12, 2002, Jim was interviewed by Joe Carter during a WGN Cubs baseball telecast. The following exchange took place: * Joe Carter: "So is Pete Rozelle (former NFL commish) still giving you grief for wearing the headbands during your Super Bowl season?" * Jim McMahon: "Well, actually Mr. Rozelle has been dead for several years now." How funny is that.

Haha what a great picture. thanks for my facebook picture!!!

Seth Wickersham of ESPN: This was part of his insider blog today:

Here is a question for everyone, but let me tell the story first: A fellow classmate said to me, when seeing me wearing my prized Neal Anderson jersey, "aren't you from Wisconsin?" I replied I was. He then said, "See I hate people like you, why don't you root for your 'own' team, just because 'your' team sucks doesn't mean you can root for ours" I thought he was kidding at first, so I decided to accommodate him by asking who could root for the Bears then. He said "I think if you haven't lived in Chicago for at least a year, you shouldn't be able to root for them." I noticed that he looked dead serious, so I started to feel that burning feeling of rage, but I asked him, calmly, so you don't think I should be able to root for the Bears? He replies, "Well, I just think it is crap that people all of a sudden root for the Bears because they are going to Super Bowl." He ended this conversation by saying "That is pretty cool Payton jersey" Now here is my question: Should I kill this kid or what?

Think that was Eugene Robinson. And Packer fans treated that as some vindication for not retaining him, completely disregarding the fact that the man was starting for a super bowl bound team while their team was watching the game on tv like the rest of us... sorry I hate the packers so much it must bleed into my super bowl talk.

Even Profootballtalk.com is picking the Colts(from what it looks like). Paraphrasing "The only way they dont lose the Super Bowl is if the Bears cut them and the Colts pick them up before the game." Sigh.

The scary thing is that acuscore picked the Bears last week, while all the morons picked the Saints. BTW... I JUST REALIZED WE HAVE ANOTHER DAMN WEEK TILL SB41.... :wall:

UW-Milwaukee plays UW-Green Bay on ESPN 2 tomorrow at 2 pm Eastern!!! Go Panthers!!!!!

Admittedly, that was the part that struck me as odd. I don't disagree with some of your points, but the 4 game edge when Lee was struck down is a very meaningless stat. Yours and mine. Therefore, I feel it has to be dismissed as part of the argument. And the winner for the nerdiest thread goes to....... :lol: (By the way, I am in a library studying the tax ramification of term life insurance pay outs.) I always thought of Hendry as the polar opposites of good and bad when looking at free agency and trades. His free agent signing are bad, but for the most part his trades are outstanding. Lets all pause and think of the two trades with the Pirates in '03. I don't think I have heard anything about Floyd starting over Murton. By the way... I love hearing about the crazy cheering Uncle Lou got when he said they need to get Murton as many at bats as possible.

Lots of QB's progress up the ranks from backup status. Orton doesn't have to run practice squads the rest of his career. But he could end up being a nice Mike Tomczak style longterm backup role with the Bears. Griese may or may not be back next year. I don't think it's a guarantee he's better than Kyle by then. Orton can progress via practice and studying. He's under contract, isn't he? A 3rd string QB doesn't have much leverage to force a team to move him. I think you're being entirely too impatient with this situation. There's no need to do anything with Kyle right now. Even if they keep the same 1/2/3 next year, Griese is definitely not coming back for a 3rd year as the backup. By 2008, at 26, Orton could be the proverbial heartbeat away from the starting job. I definitely think that he would have to consider that a very nice career trend for him. A 3rd string QB doesn't have any leverage to unseat a veteran backup who can still play such as Griese. BTW, where are you getting this Griese leaving stuff? The guy is signed for big dollars for years to come. Griese will not play out his contract. His contract was a classic, "we'll sign you at 5years.. and cut you at 3 years" Either they will restructure it at some point down the road, or they will cut him. A 5 million dollar cap hit for a backup qb is too much, even if the cap keeps going up like it is. Of course, all that assumes... Grossman is still healthy still QBing the crap out of this team in 09.

Lots of QB's progress up the ranks from backup status. Orton doesn't have to run practice squads the rest of his career. But he could end up being a nice Mike Tomczak style longterm backup role with the Bears. Griese may or may not be back next year. I don't think it's a guarantee he's better than Kyle by then. Orton can progress via practice and studying. He's under contract, isn't he? A 3rd string QB doesn't have much leverage to force a team to move him. I think you're being entirely too impatient with this situation. There's no need to do anything with Kyle right now. Even if they keep the same 1/2/3 next year, Griese is definitely not coming back for a 3rd year as the backup. By 2008, at 26, Orton could be the proverbial heartbeat away from the starting job. I definitely think that he would have to consider that a very nice career trend for him. A 3rd string QB doesn't have any leverage to unseat a veteran backup who can still play such as Griese. BTW, where are you getting this Griese leaving stuff? The guy is signed for big dollars for years to come. Griese will not play out his contract. His contract was a classic, "we'll sign you at 5years.. and cut you at 3 years" Either they will restructure it at some point down the road, or they will cut him. A 5 million dollar cap hit for a backup qb is too much, even if the cap keeps going up like it is. Of course, all that assumes... Grossman is still healthy still QBing the crap out of this team in 09.

:cheers: SERIOUSLY IF I COULD START THE CORNEY SLOW TO FAST CHEER THAT PEOPLE DO WHEN SOMEONE DID OR SAID SOMETHING IMPRESSIVE I WOULD!!! I CANT BELIEVE PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS POINT!!! IF THE SUPER BOWL WAS CAGE MATCH BETWEEN GROSSMAN AND MANNING THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT.... BUT ITS NOT.