WrigleyField 22

So nothing new. We'll see what happens, but I'm thinking Lovie is definitely a lame duck until next season.

I'm gonna be so bummed at 2:00pm tomorrow. Even though I'm bracing myself for it, I just don't want Lovie back. The only thing I have to say is that I hope the past two weeks didn't have anything to do with the decision to retain him. My favorite team next year is my fantasy team. Sorry Bears.

If Lovie is back I'm finding a new team to cheer for next season. If Turner is back I may never cheer for the Bears again.

I don't know about him staying in Chicago or not, but bearing a major injury, he is opting out. No doubt. At the very least he can make the same amount as now but tack on a few extra years of guaranteed cash.

Haven't read much in this thread, but we better not offer Byrd a 3rd year unless its a team option. And please no ridiculous back loading of his contract. I'd rather settle for Podsenik than give out another bad contract.

The thing that sucks is that the players we have coming off the books soon are some of our more productive players. The key will be to not back load contract so irresponsibly in the future. Also keep contracts at a reasonable length. The only time I ever want to see a Lilly type of back loaded deal ever again is if we are legitimately one step away and know that come contracts will come off the books the next year. Money coming off books: 2010 : $40.75M Lee $13M Lilly $12M Ramirez $15.75M (PO for $14.6M in '11, TO for $16M in '12) 2011: $27.75M Fukudome $13.5M Grabrow $3.75M *couldn't find contract breakdown Silva $10.5M (I subtracted the 3M from Seattle, and added the $2M buyout) 2012: $14M Dempster $14M (PO, he'll take) 2013- $19.25M Zambrano $19.25M 2104- $18M Soriano $18M So we actually have $68.5M coming off the books the next two years (I assume ARam opts out), but I'd only classify $14.25 of that as really dead weight. Fukudome is kind of the wildcard. As a CF he is at least somewhat worth is contract. As a RF, I'd also classify him as dead weight. I'd say we take our 2010/11 money and pay to keep those three guys or pay for comparable players to replace their production. With the new deals, I'd structure them to pay as much in 2010/11 as possible, even potentially front loading them a bit. Then I could see some bigger pay days in 2011 and 2012, hopefully coincided with some of our young talent beginning to make an impact.

Coco Crisp would also make this season worth while: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_mjuWEw8LPBw/RxYTNL9sAjI/AAAAAAAAALs/uBomuNs4EH0/s1600/cocokrispies.jpg

Screw it, we're probably going to suck either way, so I say Scott Podsenick. http://www.fantasybaseballdugout.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lisadergan3.jpg We can salvage something out of this season.

I could kind of buy some of that because as an employer you have to set guidelines from what to expect from an employee. Now while I'm not really sure what Milton publicly did that was so damaging, I'll just give them the benefit of the doubt that something occurred behind the scenes. Here's my problem though: We gave him most of his negative value! We threw him under the bus and made it be known that moving him was our number one priority. We gave ourselves the lower hand in negotiations. If you are going to be deadset on trading a guy, you should try anything you can to raise his value not trade it. Its the same [expletive] that happened with Sosa.

rofl. Hey if this tight knit clubhouse can handle a malcontent, why did we have to trade away Bradley. Oh I get it, we're one of those ball clubs who can handle a malcontent, so long as we don't actually have one on the team. rolfmaobbq.

The WR position isn't a huge strength, but unlike most of out other needs it can be filled with just one person, that person just needs to be a legit number one. Drafting one in the 3rd round for instance, does nothing. Basically its Marshall/Jackson or bust for me. If not one of them, might as well take the young guys we have for another year. OL probably needs at least 2 new additions, and another one or two in following year or two. Actually Beekman is the only on I feel comfortable penciling in past 2010. And even then thats still just pencil. Williams I'm fine penciling in for next year, but if he doesn't improve... My current off season plan. 1. Bring in new coach and staff. If they're willing to blow money on a big name thats good, but if we need to be cheap then take a chance on a first time head coach. Anything but our current situation. 2. Sign Marshall (unlikely) or Vincent Jackson. 3. Trade Hester for best set of picks you can. We have depth and a new #1, so it doesn't hurt. Selling high too. 4. Trade Briggs for best set of picks you can. This hurts, but we're probably selling high here as well, and have depth at LB. 5. Sign the best OL you can, whether it be G or T. No old guys either. With our draft focus our first few picks (hopefully Hester and Briggs net us a 2nd and 3rd at least) focus on OL and DL. Offense would look like: Cutler, Hanie Forte, Bell, Draft Pick McKie or whatever Jackson, Bennett, Knox, Aroshoyourmomma, Enrique Olsen, Clark, Davis Williams, Beekman, Kruetz (don't necessarily want him, but he aint going anywhere), Draft Pick, FA, other draft picks Defense is hard to say because a new coach might bring in the 3-4. I'll just assume a 4-3 though. Brown, Harris, Harrison, Pool Boy, Adams, Draft Picks (Gaines Adams and Anderson need to prove worth), perhaps Melton Roach, Williams, Urlacher, Pisa (if we think he recovers from injuries), maybe Hunter Tillman, Graham, Bowman (cut Vasher) Afalava, Payne, Manning, draft picks The defense is filled out with other draft picks and a couple FA signings. If by chance we brought in a new system, almost no one is a guarantee on that Defense. I think Alex Brown would do well as a DE in the 3-4. Adams/Harrison can probably play NT. Harris I'm not sure about. Anderson and Gaines Adams actually stand a better chance with a switch to OLB. DBs probably don't change much.

I never thought I'd feel this way, but... Go Pack. I'm gonna go puke now.

Wooo!

I really wouldn't like this decision. If we're that worried about the money I'd rather see us skip the big names and hire a first time Head Coach who is willing to work for very little rather than taking another year of Lovie/Angelo. Kind of like the Del Negro hiring in Chicago, except we get someone who at least has assistant coaching experience.

I do want the Bears to lose a lot, but I'd rather have them win this one and then lose out.

If Kubiak is out at Houston, Kyle Shanahan would likely be out too. He is apparently one of the hottest young names out there. Cowher/Shanahan

Sick to my stomach.

I'd consider trading anyone on this team except Robbie Gould.

They did...the Cleveland game. Doing well against the Cleveland Offense requires having a pulse. That doesn't count.

I'm not following the irony.

Thats why I prefer to think about it like this: In order for there to be any chance for Lovie to get the can the Bears can't do better than 5-12. The Bears play bad teams in the 49ers, Lions, and Rams. What are the chances we can blow two of those games? The rest is simple, but I worry we're just mediocre enough and Cutler is just good enough to will us a nice 7-9 record. I will bet you eleventy billion dollars that the Bears do not go 5-12 this year. haha whoops... Uh I was counting 1.5 losses for Cincy and Arizona.

Thats why I prefer to think about it like this: In order for there to be any chance for Lovie to get the can the Bears can't do better than 5-12. The Bears play bad teams in the 49ers, Lions, and Rams. What are the chances we can blow two of those games? The rest is simple, but I worry we're just mediocre enough and Cutler is just good enough to will us a nice 7-9 record.

Well on the plus side, I got a nice apology from Fox for showing me this crap.

This is a bad team.

idiot