Soul

2nd most wins in the NFC in the last 6 years. The problem is consistency. 3 double digit win seasons. 2 sub .500 seasons in the last 6 years. Even the good teams in 2005 (29th ranked offense), 2006 (Grossman), and 2010 (30th ranked offense) had major flaws and won because unsubstainably good defense and special teams. I'm a big believer in the 3 phases of football, because the Bears have shown that you can win with substandard qualities (mostly on offense). But alot of this is perception: people value offense above all. The fact is, building a team on defense is valid. The Bears do really well in everything *except* offense. I do believe we need to succeed on the offensive side of the ball to be a consistent winner like the Patriots. But casting this team as a bunch of bumbling idiots is what gets me. We all like to complain about Angelo, complain about Lovie's decisions. But let's not take it too far. There are real accomplishments on those resumes. Would I like it to be better? Of course. But it's not......the Texans (sorry to pick on them). Or the Browns. But great defense has not shown to be sustainable. After the SB year, the Bears were a bad defensive team for 2 of the next 3 years, with the same coaching staff and pretty much the same key personnel on D. They were 28th, 21st and 17th in D from 2007-2009, after 2 years of a top 5 defense. Can argue that guys like Mike Brown and Tommie Harris got hurt and never were the same or guys like Vasher fell off. But that's what happens on defense. It becomes very player dependent and if those players don't play well, the D is bad. On offense, it's scheme that sustains production. We've seen NE win 11 without Brady. We've seen Manning win with WRs nobody has ever heard of until they're on the field. We've seen SD and Philly change franchise QBs while they were a double-digit win team and come back and win 10 again. Not as sustainable, true. But do-able for some peak years. For a team that hasn't shown a lot of competence building around offense, at least they've done well in the other areas. I'll withhold comment on the Williams deal until I know the dollars. It's going to be weird seeing him do that first down thing in a Bears uni. But hopefully he does it a lot.

2nd most wins in the NFC in the last 6 years. The problem is consistency. 3 double digit win seasons. 2 sub .500 seasons in the last 6 years. Even the good teams in 2005 (29th ranked offense), 2006 (Grossman), and 2010 (30th ranked offense) had major flaws and won because unsubstainably good defense and special teams. I'm a big believer in the 3 phases of football, because the Bears have shown that you can win with substandard qualities (mostly on offense). But alot of this is perception: people value offense above all. The fact is, building a team on defense is valid. The Bears do really well in everything *except* offense. I do believe we need to succeed on the offensive side of the ball to be a consistent winner like the Patriots. But casting this team as a bunch of bumbling idiots is what gets me. We all like to complain about Angelo, complain about Lovie's decisions. But let's not take it too far. There are real accomplishments on those resumes. Would I like it to be better? Of course. But it's not......the Texans (sorry to pick on them). Or the Browns.

Cutler has progressively accomplished what people said he couldn't. First they said he would flat out fail period. Then it was that he couldn't get to the playoffs. Then it was that couldn't win a playoff game. He's progressively knocked down all this BS. Yet people still cast him as a devil. This is just media types & fans who don't like his personality, wanting him to fail because he rubs them the wrong way. The fact is, he's on track and progressing. Yes, there are challenges on the roster. But he's dealing with them. Defensively, have the Bears not shown over the years that they can put together a solid defensive roster? Of course they are aging, because they are attempting to put a little more focus on the offensive side of the ball as well. But in terms of competence, defense is right in the pocket of the Bears' core.

Bottom line for me (and I've felt this way for awhile): there are too many people casting this team as a perennial loser, and too many people buying into it. We've been either in the Super Bowl or on the the brink 2 of the last 5 years. This team isn't doing badly AT ALL. If not for struggles with the management of the OLine, I'd say we are in damn fine shape compared to the rest of the league. Defensively, few would argue the Bears are one of the better franchises in the NFL.

Well I could say something right now but N&G would get upset because it's melodramatic.

That's a lot of spin. They were in the NFC Championship game. Somehow that's a joke?

Just institute replay and we don't have to worry about demonizing refs. But no, instead lets allow them to be lambasted and tortured over every bad call. I posted an article awhile back on the ref who blew that no-hitter call. He's basically living a life in hell now. Great system, thanks Selig.

Sorry :)

Really? In that picture it looks to me like the front part of the glove is in front, but the back part lags behind the leg. Which means the glove is on the leg. I don't know, it looks pretty conclusive to me. I don't really care though. I've given up on replay in MLB, until the Yankees are screwed again. Then suddenly the league will be magically open to talking about it again.

Alex Linnenkohl (Oregon State) Hub Arkush said this morning that of the UDFA's, Alex is the one who he would watch. Yes, I know, it's Hub. But frankly out of 26 UDFA's I'll take any callout I can get as to who might actually stick on the team.

Sweet :)

Time for a long impaired drive over a short guardrail There's got to be some team in this league that knows how to coach him right.

This is so stupid. Hendry had been here for a decade of disappointment. Not two years. This organization has performed as poorly as possible given the resources spent. Soriano sucks and is overpaid today, not jus two year from now. Hendry has been horrible and keeping him is a stupid idea. People are adjusting their thought patterns to fit the idea that Hendry might just be sticking around. Wonderful.

Why must we suffer THESE IDIOTS?!?

OK at times. Decent DT for the rotation but certainly not special.

See? It doesn't just happen to the Cubs.

Next time, I suggest taking a gander over to these parts, where they could learn the reality before going through a months-long delusional period of thinking a player is something that he isn't.

The song makes me feel ill when I see Cub fans still singing to it. WE SUCK THIS YEAR. STOP SINGING, YOU LOOK LIKE IDIOTS. Thanks, I'm done.

I wonder what that was, exactly. I figured it was one too many injuries and he'd never get it back. Then boom -- he's back.

When a veteran-loaded team is at 21 games under .500 in the middle of July, he could call out a player a day. That's a stupid way to run a baseball team. Calling players out like Quade did almost never accomplishes anything, veteran or otherwise. Just cut to the chase next time and say "I'm a meatball and I want meatball things." Whatever he did, it wouldn't turn this turd into a winner. So I don't see the point of doing it. But I suppose when you're entering old age and finally getting your shot, you resort to anything when it isn't working out.

Right. So for Josh Hamilton, a full effort would not include diving and putting his entire season at risk......which if injured would mean he couldn't put forth *any* effort at all the rest of the season. And people just need to start understanding that kind of stuff.

What's the read on Burress? Just not going to be ready? I think he's just lacking in any kind of common sense. But the talent is pretty hard to ignore for a team in our position.

So the better a player is, the more foolish it becomes for that player to give a full effort? Do I have that right? Uh, no. It's about what people perceive to be giving a full effort, and for which players.

I wonder what the Cardinals are doing to Ryan to make him suck.

Hate to lose Manning's speed. I also like how he's made improvements over time, to the point where now it seems he's found a place on the team. But you're right, there's only so much we can offer a guy like that, who has holes in his game.