jumbo

Updated again, not much new here Offense (25) QB (3): Trubisky, Daniels, Bray RB (4): Howard, Cohen, ______#3, Cunningham WR (6): Robinson, Meredith, Gabriel, White, _______#5, Bellamy TE (4): Burton, Shaheen, Sims, Brown OL (8): Leno, Kush, Whitehair, Long, Massie, Sowell, Grasu/#2C, Morgan/#2G/Watford Defense (25) 5T (4): Hicks, ______, Robertson-Harris, Bullard NT (2): Goldman, Jenkins OLB (5): Floyd, _____, Lynch, Acho, _____ ILB (4): Trevathan, Kwiatkowski, ______, Timu/Anderson CB (3): Fuller, Amukamara, Cooper Slot SB (2): Callahan, LeBlanc S (4): Jackson, Amos, Bush/Hall, Houston-Carson Special Teams (4): K: Parkey P: O'Donnell LS: Scales ST: McManis

He's probably fine, but the idea that they just took themselves out of midyear upgrade season to spend $14 million on a injury prone closer is pretty good And they lose a draft pick

I decided I would finally watch it and turned on an episode in progress. A guy is getting a dildo in the ass and I turned it off. PS You got this, SB

Updated this for Bray/Lynch signings and my take on rosters spots that still need to be addressed Offense (25) QB (3): Trubisky, Daniels, Bray RB (4): Howard, Cohen, ______#3, Cunningham --- I think we need to spend a late round pick getting a Howard backup and let Cunningham be the Cohen backup. WR (6): Robinson, Meredith, Gabriel, White, _______#5, Bellamy --- 1-4 is pretty clear at this moment with room for a draft pick to come in and develop while also keeping Bellamy on ST. TE (4): Burton, Shaheen, Sims, Brown --- Sims is going to remain a Bear after $4M of his salaryt was guaranteed yesterday OL (8): Leno, Kush, Whitehair, Long, Massie, Sowell, Grasu/#2C, Morgan/#2G --- Would love to push Kush back to the top interior backup by picking up a G or at least make him compete against the other in house options or a draft pick. Defense (25) 5T (4): Hicks, ______, Robertson-Harris, Bullard --- Need someone to step into Unrein's spot. Maybe RRH/Bullard can do it, maybe not. NT (2): Goldman, _____ --- Really need a capable backup behind Goldman. Losing him a couple years back really hurt this defense. OLB (5): Floyd, _____, Lynch, Acho, _____ --- Acho is a capable backup; Lynch is all potential; Floyd hasn't made it through a full season. We need to pick up two players who can make a real contribution. If the right player is there I think this is the #8 pick, ILB (4): Trevathan, Kwiatkowski, ______, Anderson/#4 --- Anderson is a #5 in my world. Need some depth here or Edmunds bumps down Kiatkowski a notch. CB (3): Fuller, Amukamara, ______ --- Cooper's gone and we have a space to develop a draft pick here. Slot SB (2): Callahan, LeBlanc S (5): Jackson, Amos, Bush/#3, Hall/#4, Houston-Carson --- We've got two starters and three special teamers here. Some depth to develop would be a good idea. Special Teams (3): K: Parkey P: O'Donnell LS: _______

Bryce is going $400MM if 28 y/o Altuve gets 30/yr

I also think Contreras is going to have a monster year. #Notspringtrainingoverreaction I think Schwarber is going to have a monster year too and prove his doubters wrong. And Bryant is going to bounce back from his disappointing 2017 And Russell is finally going to get locked in after his tumultuous 2017 And Baez is going to get bit by a radioactive spider and end up with 20/.001 vision and hit 486 home runs And Hendricks is going to invent 8 new pitches and confuse the hell out of everyone And Maddon will get liquored while they win

Huh, that goes against Hoges tweet earlier. I think we need to see the rest of the guarantees spelled out to really understand it. What's the signing bonus, what salary is guaranteed each year, etc. Right move to match, but the backloaded part seems to favor GB more than us, thought I heard Rodgers is getting an extension any day now which should be $30MM/yr.

I think we're in a good spot, but not a great one. Barkley/Chubb/Nelson/Fitpatrick seems to be a pretty consensus first tier of non-QBs. If four QBs go ahead of us, which seems more likely than not, then we're guaranteed one of them. If only two or three QBs go ahead of us, then we'll likely have a good chance to trade back with Buffalo or Arizona. I'd feel way better if we had the 7th pick, but 8 should still be good. I should have thought of Fitzpatrick. Maybe I left him off because we don't have quote the immediate need in the secondary. It sure would feel like a misuse of resources to pick him when we have such high needs in the front 7, especially OLB. Lynch helps, but he's not the stud that we need to strengthen the pass rush. Your point is a good one, though, that if the top four don't go, we have a chance to trade down with someone looking for the last one.

A up to the moment state of things: Offense (25) QB (3): Trubisky, Daniels, __Sanchez/#3??__ RB (3.5): Howard, Cohen (1/2), __Cunningham/#3__, Mizzell WR (6): Robinson, Meredith, Gabriel, Burton (1/2), Cohen (1/2), White, Bellamy TE (3.5): Burton (1/2), Shaheen, Sims, Brown OL (9): Leno, ____, Whitehair, Long, Massie, Kush, Sowell, Grasu, Morgan Defense (25) 5T (4): Hicks, ______, Robertson-Harris, Bullard NT (2): Goldman, _____ OLB (5): Floyd, _____, _____, Acho, Irving ILB (4): Trevathan, Kwiatkowski, ______, _____, Anderson CB (3): Fuller, Amukamara, ______ Slot SB (2): Callahan, LeBlanc S (5): Jackson, Amos, Bush, Hall, Houston-Carson Special Teams: K: Parkey P: O'Donnell LS: _______ I kind of cheated with Burton/Cohen taking some WR snaps. I think that will happen. Lots of holes on defense. I've been trying to formulate who might be going QB in the draft still following FA. Teams who I think could/should draft a QB: 1/4 Browns 2 Giants 5 Broncos 6 Jets 11 Dolphins 12 Bills (hottest trade up candidate) 15 Cardinals 16 Ravens 17 Chargers 27 Saints 28 Steelers 29 Jaguars 31 Patriots The general consensus on the QB's is (tiered): Darnold/Rosen Mayfield/Allen Jackson/Rudolph The rest Barkley is a really interesting wrinkle, as the Browns and Giants are both rumored to be picking him #1/2. Browns could go Barkley and gamble their guy is there or trade up to 2/3 to get whomever they like (this was the rumor last year in which Pace gamed them to trade up to 49ers for Trubisky). Or they could pick their QB and if Barkley's there, he's there. I find it unlikely that anyone will be trading up to the Bears to get a QB, as any team trading up will jump to 2/3/4/5 to get who they want. If 1-4 QB's go in the top 5 picks, that means that Barkley/Chubb/Nelson round out the top 7, leaving the Bears just outside the elite talent. Reminds me of the Kevin White draft, in which Leonard Williams went #6 to the Jets as the last of the top tier players on the board. I'm trying to come up with a scenario in which the bears end up with one of the elite talents at a position of need. Lots of time before then, lots can change, and I hope it does so that we can end up with a stud pick or a rock solid trade down option. It's possible someone gets despreate and trades up to get Rudolph, or Davenport/Landry, or Edmunds even. Thoughts?

this feels like the si,ultaneous csstro trade and zobrist signing there has to be something else happening contingent upon yelich and cain

I feel like you could get a glimmer a god complex when he got to Denver and wanted to trade Cutler immediately. And lets not forget, he’s working with Tom Brady for crying out loud. How long before he bails in Mitch and wants to dump him for some NE cast off? How much of his success is actually due to his play calling? Speaking of Brady, did any explanation ever come out about Brady screaming horsefeathers you at McDaniels a few weeks back? If you didn't see the video https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/12/03/tom-brady-josh-mcdaniels-yelling-video-patriots-bills I don't think it means anything about McDaniels, but anytime Brady does something like this I always imagine what the media would do if Cutler did the same thing. I always wanted Cutler to fulfill his potential with the Bears so much that I was somewhat of an apologist for him, mainly because of the ridiculous facial expression storyline. Then psycho Brady does something like this, or screams at his O-line and it's "leadership." I guess it's all about how much you win.

Here's the current/active coaches with 9 wins/season and at least 50 wins, to give a sense of sustainable success: Defense: Belichick, Tomlin, Carroll, Rivera, Mike Smith Offense: Reid, McCarthy, Payton ST: John Harbaugh Just missed: Pagano (D), Zimmer, (D), Arians (O), Garrett (O), Caldwell (O), Jim Harbaugh (O) Your list presented in anotherway: Defense: Brady, Roethlisberger, Wilson, Newton, Ryan Offense: McNabb, Rodgers, Brees ST: Flacco Just Missed: Luck, Bridgewater/Bradford/Keenum, Warner/Palmer, Romo/Prescott, Stafford, Smith/Kaepernick So it's a QB list as much as a coaching list. I am asking myself now, who are the top QB's that aren't on this list? The 50 win threshold & active status eliminates quite a few: E. Manning, Rivers, Carr, Cousins I'm sure the credit goes to coaches and QBs both and in some cases other ways to build a team (elite running/defense teams), but we all know its a QB league. Nothing shocking there, but I think it's clear that Mitch needs someone doing a great job developing him, even if it's not necessarily the HC.

is that two lastellas in that picture?

Feels like their being a little kind on a few of those throwaways. That preseason accuracy we saw jasnt quite shown up. I agree with your take on this. He seemed to throw several balls way high/long of his receivers. Maybe that was him trying too hard to put it where "only his guy could get it," but it could have just as easily been rushed throws.

Most replays of passing plays show very little separation from anyone.

I thought I heard a story around draft time that he was going to go to Ohio State to be the QB then they unexpectedly landed a higher rated QB and rescinded their offer (or something like that). I think in the clip it said something like, "I wanted to stay close to home, but it didn't work out," in reference to this. I may be full of it or rememebring incorrectly, but maybe someone else heard the same thing.

With her and Rex it was more like a high school broadcast. With some work maybe Rex can get on Dennis Miller's level. God, I forgot all about Dennis Miller doing MNF

for whatever reason I hadn't heard that. seems stupid to waste a 53 man roster spot on a mentor but whatever. Yes and no, to start the season. The team is generally healthy, so you're going to have up to 7 healthy scratches on game day. If that healthy scratch was say, Ben Braunecker or Mark Sanchez does it matter? No, and you can keep Braunecker on PS. Now midseason if the team is banged up... They may find they can't field a healthy 46 from their 53, and they may cut Sanchez to get a healthy 46 on game day. Isn't the number 3 QB a "free inactive?" Meaning they don't count against the 46 man game roster and can play in the event of injuries to the first two. Wasn't in 45 active on gameday recently? I didn't realize it went up to 46

I still like my Titleist 910, but it's probably time for me to upgrade there, too. I like the look of the Baffler 4-wood. I would try that one out. I've mostly subsituted my Cobra 2/3 hybrid (in 2-setting) for my 3-wood this season. I wish I could get a 1-hybrid.

Davis absolutely is getting QO'd barring any sort of late season injury and/or his medicals looking awful (which his performance wouldn't indicate this year) I assumed that Davis and Arrieta would get the QO. I'd be happy with either for another year. Haven't looked at Cot's for a while, didn't realize they have about $56MM coming off the books (not counting Montero). Not expecting a wacky spending spree but there will be plenty of payroll available. Hard to accept that Heyward is the highest paid Cub the next two years.

Davis absolutely is getting QO'd barring any sort of late season injury and/or his medicals looking awful (which his performance wouldn't indicate this year) I assumed that Davis and Arrieta would get the QO. I'd be happy with either for another year.

I thought he meant one dimensional offense relying heavily on running game. they also have guys that can throw the ball. the line should be fine. You make fair points. I've just taught myself to exercise caution before I believe in a Bears unit reaching its potential after a couple preseason outings.

one dimensional running game? they have two distinct type of backs that can share the ball. Whitehair at guard is better than Long at guard and moving Grasu to center isn't different than playing Kush or Larson at guard. i'm not worried. I thought he meant one dimensional offense relying heavily on running game. Right

The running game not as good? I mean, it's possible, but it was fine with Long being out much of the year. They also added the perfect compliment to Howard in Cohen. Assuming health, the running game will be elite. Long may not even start the season. If Grasu starts at center and Whitehair shifts to G that seems much worse than last year when Kush/Larson stepped in. Again, it may just be my constant sense of impending doom, but the line just feels thin. Another reason for my concern is the defense stacking up against the run since the WR depth is so poor top to bottom. A one dimensional running game doesn't seem like the recipe for a winning team. I hope I'm wrong and you're right. The pieces are there, I'll give you that.

I have Bears excitement defense mechanisms built in over years of crummy teams that are kicking in now. I want to be excited, but then I remind myself its only preseason. I've been hurt before! Logically though, there are positives. I'm not as bullish on the running game being as strong as last year, mainly due to a lack of depth on the O-Line. The WR group is still pretty blah and could be a real drain on the running game. TE, QB, RB, are all exciting positions on offense though. Defensively it's hard not to get excited about the front 3 & OLB's. Hopefully the secondary can step up and display some general competence and benefit from the pass rush and really look good.