UMFan83

The inability to figure out defense is mind numbing. Every offseason portal guy was considered a good defender and KenPom liked Michigan somewhere in the 40s on the strength of their defense before the season but this years defense is somehow worse than the previous 2 years. It's amazing how Beilein could spend years building this great culture, almost making Michigan look blue bloodish if you squinted your eyes and ignored the decade in the wilderness, and in just a couple of years its destroyed. Howard really should have mixed up his assistants last year at the very least...not doing so I guess gives him a potential argument for him keeping his job (not saying he will necessarily but he can at least claim he can get things back on track by replacing assistants). Also shouldn't have spent the last 2 offseasons to get TSJ and Caleb Love on campus when it was apparently clear they would have major admissions issues. Will they fire Howard? If he wasn't Fab 5 legend Juwan Howard, he might have already been fired, especially considering the various incidents. It's really hard to ignore the massive decline from 2021 to now but he might be able to talk himself into one more year to the delight of the rest of the Big Ten. Football team has certainly helped mask how bad its been but now the focus is on the mess that men's basketball.

FWIW his agency's baseball office is located in Chicago so he likely set up a base of operations here while he was preparing for/going through FA. Certainly an advantage for the Cubs for him to get comfortable here though. And thankfully the weather wasn't too bad in December.

Yeah that's one of them. Crawly is just a superfan but he's made connections over the years and not someone who would make something up for clout. Doesn't mean he'll ultimately be proven right but its a credible rumor imo.

He's too much of a wild card personality for the McCaskeys. They dealt with Ditka and don't want to go through that circus again. Plus they likely hate the idea of giving a head coach the amount of control over the roster as Harbaugh would likely want. Just my 2 cents.

Christohper Morel is now no longer attending Cubs convention, and Cubs twitter is whispering is the reason is not weather related. No official reporter but people who I wouldn't be shocked would know something.

I think I made the first comparison in this thread though I called Busch a rich man's Mervis. You can see how on the surface there are some similarities, though having reading a little more into Busch I back away from the comparison a bit. RE: the tidbit posted above, I don't love the idea of Busch having the inside track at 1B. The Cubs value versatility so I'd prefer him to not be slotted for any particular role but prepared to give him opportunities to work himself into the everyday lineup. I'm more confident with Counsell that he can properly establish him into the mix. There are still solid 1B options out there and I'd rather have someone established there after the Hosmer/Mancini disaster last year (yes established major leaguers but a gamble to make them the primary 1B options). Also is this the end of Mervis being anything for the Cubs or does he just become minor league depth?

He wants to break the all time coaching wins record and is like 15 away. I think he is coaching somewhere next year

Very ignorant comment but seems like a rich man’s Mervis just by looking at basic details Top 100 prospect that hit well in AAA but struggled in a <100 PA audition in majors. Questions about defensive fit and long term position. of course Busch was a consensus top 60 prospect, hit almost 100 points higher in OPS at AAA while Mervis was a fringe top 100 guy in one ranking system. On one hand top 100 prospects are so hard to get teams to give up these days it makes me wonder why the Dodgers were so willing to part with him but on the other hand they clearly didn’t have a full time spot for him next year and got back a potential top 100 guy but further back in the development process so it helps them out in the short term I guess.

https://www.youtube.com/live/5OCcjXxY82k?si=p03eDVEaIBXTHk0f

Bears press conference is about to start with “Poles, Eberflus and Warren”. Streaming live on Youtube

This is exactly what I was thinking. Is it possible that he’s a weirdo and was more concerned about fit and took a smaller offer? That’s a gigantic drop from what people were projecting

This basically replaces Stroman and while I think he'll be solid he has no MLB track record so you never know how his stuff will play in the majors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on this move, I like it. Just think the Cubs have a lot more to do this offseason. Happy Jed broke the seal finally

I am happy the Cubs did something and from what I've read I like Imanaga but funny that we went after another starter with a 91-92 mph fastball. But hey he's got electric stuff from what I see, good stuff.

it was mentioned above. im all for the bears going for him but I think he's probably eying the NE job if Belichick leaves

Wow, guess I'm not following closely enough but I thought he was considered an elite coach. I know the results weren't there the last 2 years but as an outsider it seems like he did a lot with less. If the Pats move on from Belichick I bet they zero in on him but if not, definitely a name I'd like the Bears to consider.

I don't know whats up with JJ though, I wouldn't be surprised if he had an MCL injury agianst PSU and has just been grinding through it. Completely different QB than earlier in the year. Yes I get it, they played a very weak schedule early and there are those sign stealing allegations but I still think something is up with him. On the bright side he might just come back now.

I know everyone hates Michigan but sorry I'm so horsefeathers happy. I was horsefeathers 14 when this happened last. Can't believe they actually did it.

Bored waiting for the Natty game and don't feel like creating my own thread for the playoffs so, here are my playoff predictions: WC Round: 5 PHI over 4 TB 24-20 6 LAR over 3 DET 21-18 2 DAL over 7 GB 34-21 5 CLE over 4 HOU 26-20 3 KC over 6 MIA 24-17 2 BUF over 7 PIT 19-13 The Stafford homecoming game to extend the Lions postseason winless streak story was too good to pass up. I went back and forth on Philly/TB because Philly has sucked that badly down the stretch but ultimately they'll tush push their way to a win. Also almost went with Miami over KC but they've faded in too many big games for me to pick them over KC. DIV Round: 1 SF over 6 LAR 41-17 2 DAL over 5 PHI 24-21 5 CLE over 1 BAL 30-20 2 BUF over 3 KC 27-24 (OT) CONF Finals: 1 SF over 2 DAL 17-13 5 CLE over 2 BUF 26-21 SB: SF over CLE 31-20 Wanted to shake things up a bit, especially in the AFC where there really doesn't seem to be a dominant team. KC is having a down year, Buffalo even in their surge late season hasn't looked as dominating as in the past. I really like Cleveland even if I think the Flacco magic is a little bit flukey. Defense can match up with Baltimores, they do a good job of controlling games and Lamar has a big game narrative he needs to overcome. So why not in a wide open AFC have the Browns, who lost their starting QB and all-pro RB for the season, make it to the Super Bowl? Despite their occasional lapses, SF seems like the most dominant team at their best. A week of rest to heal up and I think they'll be at their best for the playoffs.

Not hurt or angry necessarily but disappointed because I expected the game to be more even and instead the Bears just got pantsed everywhere but the scoreboard.

DontfeedthekyleDontfeedthekyleDontfeedthekyleDontfeedthekyle

That’s the 3rd team this year that lost to the Bears and later fired their coach. Ron Rivera should probably be nervous. O’Connell, Gannon and Campbell should probably be safe.

Here is a question....who is the best OC the Bears have had since 2000 (roughly when Shoop started)? I'm looking at the list and even people I would consider also kind of suck. Adam Gase? I think the whole story about him bringing an amazing transformation to Cutler/Bears offense was overstated. They were maybe a slightly below average offense. He did some decent things to get Cutler to move the ball more consistently but overall meh. Mike Martz? The offensive mastermind that traded way a HOF TE because he doesn't use pass catching TEs in his offense. The offense was fairly solid but I still felt underwhelmed and his QB hated him. Ron Turner? Seems like a generic Madden OC. Very vanilla, it wasn't terrible by any means but wasn't particularly good either. Bears had a lot of success on the field with him but the offense in 2005 was mostly "don't let the offense horsefeathers up the game" style of playcalling. In 2006 it was being able to manage the game when Rex Grossman decided not to show up. Edit: Looking at a list now. Getsy, Lazor, Helfrich, Loggains, Gase, Kromer, Tice, Martz, Turner, Shea, Shoop. woof

I think I’m down with Caleb/Maye and then Odunze at 9. I’ve been watching him a lot due to the game tomorrow and dude is a stud. I’ve seen some people say they like him more than MHJ though I’m almost certain they are just trying to say something controversial to get clicks. But they might not be that far off. I reserve the right to change this opinion if he lights up Michigan and wins the championship tomorrow

Losing to Michigan every year gives a QB a chip on their shoulder coming out of college.