jersey cubs fan

I'll go ahead and give him credit for the improved coaching staff. The problem is he spent so many years with a bad one and did so at his own choosing. He wanted the inexperienced teachers. Now he has actual NFL caliber coaches at several key spots, and not just special teams. Lovie is good at getting the most effort out of guys (most of the time) and generally doesn't lose them. But he needs an OC with a killer instinct and a DC with a mind for the job. If those guys all leave for greener pastures (something I see as doubtful with the exception of Tice) then it will be all for not. But if they keep the staff in place they can win with Lovie. But they need to do a lot more than win 10 games and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in 4 years in order for me to applaud a job well done.

That is neither here nor there.

With Philly's surprise acquisition of Lee I think they have to be looking for cost cutting moves elsewhere. The Cubs have a couple guys that could fill replacement level performance for them at cheap costs, like Gorzelanny, Wells and Colvin. But I wonder if both teams are thinking something bigger. Philly probably wants to save some money and the easiest way to do so seems to be dealing Blanton/Lidge/Ibanez. The Cubs seem to be looking for the type of mediocre inning eating that Blanton seems capable of providing. They also seemingly want to get rid of Fukudome and add power. Would they do something like Blanton/Ibanez for Fukudome (saving Philly $6.5m this year). Fukudome seems to be a bench guy. Ibanez would be the Cubs LH power bat off the bench, plus sort of insurance for Pena. They did like him when he was available, right? Individually Fukudome may be the more overpaid. I don't know what the back end of their rotation looks like but Gorzellany might be somebody they'd really like to fill a role at low cost. Yeah I think I just wasted 5 minutes of my life.

Shut the hell up David Haugh!!! I for one am not concerned with saving the highly compensated jobs of Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith (two guys who will still get paid if they get fired). This team has always had an opportunity to be a 12-game winner. They have several highly paid defensive players who can be studs. They have a franchise QB and other potential stars on offense. Expectations were relatively low because Lovie and Jerry have delivered so little for three years, not because of circumstances beyond their control. 6-10 or 10-6 should not have surprised anybody. 11 wins was never out of reach. If this team does win 11 or 12 it is time to be impressed with a job well done. But 10 still makes them only 33-31 for the past four years, hardly something to get giddy about. For Jerry and Lovie it may be about saving their jobs. But for fans it is always about winning as many games as possible and getting a championship.

If they don't have faith in Jackson going forward there are a few reasons to play Favre. One is that if Favre wants to play they probably want to go with the go they think gives them the best chance to win a game. I have trouble imagining Favre wanting to leave the game this way. The Vikings should love the opportunity to ruin the Bears hopes for the division. Isn't there a rumor going around that Favre asked the team to IR him so he wouldn't have to do press conferences? I don't think Favre cares about how he "goes out". If so, he would have quit last year. Haven't heard that rumor. There's been joking talk of a phantom suspension from Goodell regarding the dong photos.

Maybe it is, but by the deadline you have to make the decision on at least Seabrook. If you resign him you are more or less committing yourself to coming back next year with the same roster. And soon enough, the cheap young talent filling spots at the back of the roster are going to get their own raises. Guys like Pisani, Skille, Stalberg and Brouwer are either UFA or RFA, as well as Crawford. If you keep Seabrook and Sharp you have to more or less start over in the process of restocking the rest of the roster. If you trade Seabrook and Sharp you get payroll relief immediately and over the next two years, plus you should get a massive infusion of talent to help fill those roles. I would much rather strengthen this team's chances in 2011/2012 and beyond than try and hold on too long to what is left from 2009/2010. As good as he was in the early going, Sharp has 1 goal in December when the team has needed the secondary scoring with the other losses. And for what it is worth, despite leading the team in points he is somehow a -8, the 3rd worst on the team. Campbell has been the most steady defensive player on the team. Seabrook has been a disappointment and the team has to be questioning the idea of signing him longterm, unless they can get him cheaply. It is December now. You can wait until the deadline, but so far this team hasn't looked anything like a playoff team, let alone a contender. Hockey teams need a kick in the pants from time to time and I think while a trade of those two may hurt them in the short-term, it is the best decision long-term. And it may be the only realistic thing they can do to wake them up. If they sneak into the playoffs with this roster and even win a series, it's a disappointment and they won't be any better off next year. If they make the move they could conceivably still sneak into the playoffs this year, and they will be better off going forward.

This isn't Kansas City. Big boys don't get to take 2 years off and only build for the distant future. Which is why I don't like where the Cubs are. And the point of my original comment was that the Phillies are going to have to take off multiple years soon enough and they really didn't have to. They could have had a great team now and been prepared for the future but they've utterly ruined that. That is an utterly ridiculous assumption to make years in advance. They are a successful big market team acting like a successful big market team.

Trading Sharp would be a massive mistake, and so would trading Seabrook. Massive overreaction. Completely disagree. Keeping Sharp may have been a good idea when there were high hopes to win against in 2010/2011. But keeping him longterm is impossible and he is their best trade chip. It's not an overreaction, it's something I was interested in doing this offseason. If you can get a haul for those two, I think you do it.

This isn't Kansas City. Big boys don't get to take 2 years off and only build for the distant future.

If they don't have faith in Jackson going forward there are a few reasons to play Favre. One is that if Favre wants to play they probably want to go with the go they think gives them the best chance to win a game. I have trouble imagining Favre wanting to leave the game this way. The Vikings should love the opportunity to ruin the Bears hopes for the division.

Seriously? You are nit-picking that maybe they should have only scored the 4th most runs in the NL last year? This is a ridiculous line of reasoning you are attempting to use. The Phillies are a fantastic team and organization that has been winning for years. They have blown away the Hendry era Cubs with a lesser payroll, have demonstrated a commitment to spending what is necessary to win, and acquire who is necessary to help them win. They have the stars in place, they have the stable successful franchise model in place and any hole plugging they will need going forward is going to be replacement level players that are easy and affordable to find. It is by far the better situation than the Cubs who have to actually go out and acquire stars to get better.

I am going to swing my arms in circles and if you get in the way it's not my fault. In sports it's very easy to inadvertantly attack somebody. It's called being reckless. Hockey sticks and knees do this a lot. Inadvertant but sloppy and dangerous fouls happen in basketball as well.

Would still be difficult for Bears to sneak in on wild card if they lose Minnesota game.

They have outstanding pitching and at worst, good hitting. They scored the second most runs in the NL last year. What the hell are you talking about? It doesn't take much to plub holes when all you need to do is plug holes. They have the production and stars taking care of. Teams like the Cubs struggle to plug holes because they still have to go out and find the production in the first place.

Dome to dome or dome to outdoor night game in 13 degree temps. Seriously?

What can the Blackhawks get for Seabrook in a trade? I think you really have to consider trading him and Sharp. Fans won't abandon them or turn on the team if you get back into contention in a year or two.

what?

This is a ridiculous statement. You prepare for specific games. You don't have dome game plans and outdoor game plans and mix and match accordingly. You play the Vikings differently in Soldier Field than in Minnesota, and you play differently at Detroit than at Minnesota. If you do not know whether a game vs a dome team is going to take place in a dome or in 13 degree open air at night you are in trouble. whatever man. I really think you are making a huge issue out of a minor one, really. Where an NFL game is going to be played matters.

also, it sucks because the Giants are now more likely to beat the Vikings then if they were able to play at TCF. They will be playing on a neutral field now, without the crowd that they would get in Minneapolis. this isnt about the wonderful availability of amenities 600 miles away Well yeah, it sucks for Bears fans that the Giants are getting a break here. Although they've had some crazy travel situations this weekend as well.

This is a ridiculous statement. You prepare for specific games. You don't have dome game plans and outdoor game plans and mix and match accordingly. You play the Vikings differently in Soldier Field than in Minnesota, and you play differently at Detroit than at Minnesota. If you do not know whether a game vs a dome team is going to take place in a dome or in 13 degree open air at night you are in trouble.

Backup QB is overrated, especially in a league where star QBs make all the difference. It just doesn't make a ton of sense to invest heavily in backup QB for guys like Rodgers/Brady/Manning. Right, until they get injured. Its not like Rodgers has had a clean bill of health his entire career. He took a lot of hits last year, and the line play has not been great in front of him. There's better options out there then Matt Flynn. You run that risk. If Brady goes down so do the Patriots chances. That is life in the NFL. Backup QB is one of the least important decisions you can make on a team and in a salary cap league like the NFL where your starting QB takes all the practice time, it just doesn't make sense to whine about backup QB preperation to replace an All Pro caliber guy like Rodgers. It is a hell of a lot easier said, than done, to have a quality backup. Good backups want to play on teams where they are likely to play, not teams that already dedicate a huge portion of payroll to the star who has never missed a game.

I was thinking you were a Minny person. It's their own damn fault for playing in a decrepit stadium that is prone to roof collapses. You can't blame the NFL for putting the game in Ford Field. It's like Houston people whining about the Miller Park games. If their owner did a better job in advance of that hurricane, it could have been resolved differently. The timing of the issue can't really be pushed aside. Coaches are already making game plans for next week. I didn't think I blamed anyone for it, I simply said it sucked. and, how, other then clothing or shoes, does the change of fields change coaching? Its our Offense vs their Defense, and vice versa. Its not like we are Miami and we never play in cold weather. How can you honestly ask that question. Field conditions matter. Domes and 15 degree nights matter. I don't see why it sucks. The roller dome sucks, but having another midwestern dome to play in a day later is a blessing more than something that sucks.

http://deadspin.com/5713139/somethings-going-down-at-iowa The game is off the board in Vegas and Deadspin is talking about some vague "specific rumor".

I was thinking you were a Minny person. It's their own damn fault for playing in a decrepit stadium that is prone to roof collapses. You can't blame the NFL for putting the game in Ford Field. It's like Houston people whining about the Miller Park games. If their owner did a better job in advance of that hurricane, it could have been resolved differently. The timing of the issue can't really be pushed aside. Coaches are already making game plans for next week.

Backup QB is overrated, especially in a league where star QBs make all the difference. It just doesn't make a ton of sense to invest heavily in backup QB for guys like Rodgers/Brady/Manning.