How Bout Dem Bears?

gufc21 wrote: »

Why though? Is Fales ready? This is his first year on the roster. If he is well and good but can we expect him to be much better than clausan? I mean when was the last time California produced a good quarterback?

Because Clausen's performance was sub-standard even for a backup QB. They wouldn't be auditioning Fales to replace Cutler (by all accounts he doesn't have the arm talent to be a starting QB), but to replace Clausen as backup QB.

The Saints and Cowboys had their starting QBs out on Sunday too, but got good performances out of their backups, McCown and Weeden. It'll be interesting to see how Mike Vick gets on on Thursday night against the Ravens too, I suppose.

padraig_f wrote: »

Because Clausen's performance was sub-standard even for a backup QB. They wouldn't be auditioning Fales to replace Cutler (by all accounts he doesn't have the arm talent to be a starting QB), but to replace Clausen as backup QB.

The Saints and Cowboys had their starting QBs out on Sunday too, but got good performances out of their backups, McCown and Weeden. It'll be interesting to see how Mike Vick gets on on Thursday night against the Ravens too, I suppose.

Ah fair enough. Weren't the pats after him last year too?

Surely vick is washed up at this stage?? (May Just be saying that so i don't feel bad about missing it really)

padraig_f wrote: »

Were they, yeah? But I suppose he can't have been too much in demand if he cleared waivers recently.

I just saw yesterday the Clausen vs. Fales debate may be moot anyway:

@BearReport: "Gut? Yeah, I think he plays. Limited today was a good sign.

- You think Cutler plays sunday?"



I thought he was salvageable at least as a functional QB, but I dunno, we'll see over the next few weeks.

Ya i think that's why he was activated last year.

D9Male wrote: »

Benjamin Allbright @AllbrightNFL

"For what its worth two contacts in Chicago have said Matt Forte is on the block...Jeffrey isn't."

I would not be happy reading this if I were a Bears fan.

It's a couple of days old - Aaron Lemming has tweeted about this couple of times in the last few days.

This quote from elsewhere sums it up best for me

'Everyone is aware of the situation. He's a 30-year-old RB that is going to ask for a big contract. Forte is not the future and the Bears need to focus on the future. He deserves a chance to win and the Bears need to spend their money elsewhere. Forte has been a workhorse and mostly a class act, but it's simply time to move on and spend the money elsewhere.

No he won't be easily replaced and he has been great for the Bears, but the way the NFL is structured he won't be here beyond this year.He's a free agent at the end of the year. They aren't going to give a big contract to a 30yo running back.'

It's either take what you can get now or let him walk for nothing.

He's been brilliant for us - a total star - I'd be happy to see him get his shot with a contender if they do trade him.

I don't want to trade him per se, but you have to make the best long term decision.

D9Male wrote: »

Fair enough, I don't disagree with any of that. But it is depressing to think that Bears FO considers their future so bleak that mortgaging their best player is an optoin.

They are 0-3, that gives them like a 2% chance of making the playoffs this year. Then you look at the schedule and the roster and you very quickly realise it's 0%. So this year is irrelevant.

The question then becomes do you a) extend him, b) let him walk or c) trade him now?

obviously has no long term value. So you are taking a) versus c).

I can see why you could think about extending him for 2/3 years if the price is right, but it likely won't be. History tells us handing out big contracts to 30yo running backs isn't the way to go.

I think the FO is a breath of fresh air - we've had 1 playoff in 10 years now - we've been declining steadily for years now as shown by our record. We lack talent and depth. We've handed out big FA contracts to useless vets. I think we are all sick of trying to patch things over and pretend we are any use.

This FO want to focus on the draft - accumulating picks and drafting well and building from within. Very hard to knock that.

Whether it will work or not will solely depend on whether they are good at drafting or not. It's the exact right idea, it just needs the execution. That is going to be the test.

The last few years have been bleak, I find this hugely refreshing and exciting. The fact we might build a sustainable base for success.

Again I'd point you back to 4 playoffs since 1995.

Small thing I saw on reddit during the week:

@ScottEklund: "Four Chicago Bears scouts here to watch the UW/Cal game...guessing that Cal QB Jared Goff is the big attraction...but I could be wrong"

Mel Kiper has Goff #7 on his 2016 big board:

[7] Jared Goff, QB, California Golden Bears

The system hands you numbers, but Goff is good enough to do damage anywhere. He has a cannon when he wants to really cut it loose, able to drill the ball down the field and into tight windows with ease, and he has effective movement skills and anticipation for a player with good length who seems to see the whole field. He can also move defenders with his eyes pretty well, and will continue to get better.

It's obviously a long way off at this stage, and the Bears probably just doing their due diligence as much as anything, but I'm going to check out this guy Goff. I notice they're playing at home to Washington State tonight, at 9pm Irish time.

Watched Raiders @ Browns from week 3 on condensed-view today. Couple of takeaways...

- Really impressed with Derek Carr. Looks very accomplished in his 2nd year, threw with accuracy and made good decisions. The offense is very balanced, they run a good bit with Latavius Murray, but don't overdo it. Carr has the full keys to the engine, it's not a simplified offense. He stays in the pocket and works it well, and can make a wide range of throws. Didn't see much to exploit there, except I suppose with a young QB, you tend more towards blitzing.

They look a fun young team to watch between Carr, Murray and Amari Cooper (Michael Crabtree's a decent receiver too). It may have been the Browns, but it's a road game in the NFL, and the Raiders marched up and down the field.

- The secondary is awful, really bad. Josh McCown threw for 350 yards on them, on about 7 yards/attempt, with little assistance in the run game. If Clausen plays, they have to let him throw, it can't be a gameplan like last week. In fairness, I'm sure they'll recognise this and alter the gameplan. It'll be up to Clausen then to make the throws. If he doesn't perform well against this secondary, forget it.

Yeah agree with most of what you write Oat23;

- Happy to have a win as it's been too long. Enjoyed the nail bitter and I think a win is important for some of the younger players. You don't want to forget how to win.

- Not sure how many more i want us to win though. I suppose the next couple of games will tell more as to what's realistic.

- To win with that Oline is no mean feat. Leno Jr, Omameh and Ducasse! Wow that's staggeringly awful.

- The defense is really improving. nice to see Goldman get a sack. Jenkins & McPhee have been excellent. Goldman and Amos pretty good. All either FA or Pace draft picks which is encouraging. Carr's stat line wasn't too impressive compared to his previous weeks. Also we seem to be able to stop the run now pretty impressively.

- Our dline now looks like a strength and it will be great to have Ratliff back too. Overall Fangio seems to be doing a good job with minimal enough talent. Imagine if we had a realy #1 corner and a game changing ILB. I've been very impressed so far (arizona game aside which was mainly a penalties issue)

- We need to get another OLB in first couple of rounds next year so they can learn from McPhee & Acho.

I think Slauson will stay at centre though, Grasu was destroyed in preseason - pushed into teh backfield regularly even against 2nd & 3rd stringers. Think he'll need a full year in an NFL weights program.

Bit of a crazy game. Last few minutes was Cutler in a nutshell....throws the bad interception and you're wondering why he's throwing a 20-yard pass off his back foot. But then leads a great drive to win the game, making a couple of key passes while back-pedalling.

Oat23 wrote: »

It's nice that we don't have to worry about 0-16 now, but I'm not sure how I feel about winning going forward as I really want the first pick.

Yeah, I have some mixed feelings whether I want the team to win when you know you're not going to make the playoffs (I want to see positive performances, but not necessarily W's). Ultimately I was happy for the players, they didn't deserve to be 0-4....they're doing some good things and it's good for them to get that validation.

kennyb3 wrote:

- To win with that Oline is no mean feat. Leno Jr, Omameh and Ducasse! Wow that's staggeringly awful.

Yeah, and I think in the end you have to give Cutler credit, with the o-line and Slauson playing his first professional game as center. Also Cutler seemed to be still a bit hampered by his hamstring....couple of times he wanted to get out and run, but didn't or couldn't.


The defense continues to play well, and it's good to see some consistent performances there. It's sometimes hard to see the secondary in the TV-view unless they're making mistakes, but the coverage has to have been better as often Carr was often forced to decline his initial options.

kennyb wrote:

In the last 2 weeks McPhee has...

Looks like a great signing alright. Must've been an under-rated player, because I've heard multiple commentators mention how the Ravens' pass-rush has diminished this season, but not pointed to McPhee's departure (only Suggs' injury).

For anyone that likes PFF

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/05/oak-chi-grades-cutlers-return-dooms-raiders/

Great to see Goldman doing so well.

kennyb3 wrote: »

We are away in arrowhead next week, I would defo keep slauson at centre for that game. No way you want grasu making his debut in that arena and against Poe and Bailey.

I don't think I want him making his debut this year at all unless he has seriously and quickly increased his strength. He was bullied every snap in the preseason, it would be a great opportunity for him to get experience, but only if he's physically ready for it, which I would seriously doubt right now.

Oat23 wrote: »

The line would be so weak if Slauson stays at C. He should stay at LG and Grasu at C, or sign a veteran C.

I dunno if I like bringing in a veteran, although de la puente and Garza are both free agents.

Apparently Grasu has been at C in practice this week, because Patrick Omameh, who replaced Slauson at G when he moved to C last week, is out with an injury as well. Could be a tough day for Jay. Dontari Poe is a-comin'.

Some good articles for a bit of a read in the lead up to the weekend

http://www.chicagofootball.com/2015/10/08/in-line-for-first-nfl-start-undersized-chicago-bears-c-hroniss-grasu-can-learn-from-kevin-mawae/axmt6y4/

http://www.chicagofootball.com/2015/10/08/will-montgomery-injury-forces-chicago-bears-to-choose-between-potential-or-production/a9la4oo/

Fangio seems very high on Porter & Amos

http://www.chicagofootball.com/2015/10/07/hub-arkush-vic-fangio-chicago-bears-defense-gaining-confidence/a76ufop/

I really really hope Amos continues to develop and turns into a really solid player. Getting that from a 5th round pick is how you build a team.

kennyb3 wrote: »

Jeffrey didn't practice Friday so will likely be out Sunday. I've no clue what's going on here - he's practised intermittently then keeps missing games. He's for all intent and purposes not played yet this year and is in his contract year. Getting frustrating.

He was limited deep ball wise for a number of games last year with soft tissue injuries too. He also missed a big part of his rookie year. Only had that 2nd year as injury free.

Going to be tough Call re giving him big money when he spends so much time injured. Then again he's one of the few young and proven players we have. Very difficult situation

Yeah its a funny one, I definitely thought he'd be back by now, the injury didn't seem too bad. It must be frustrating for him as well in his contract year, his value is only going down.

In terms of the Bears contract....they have to push for value with his injury history, and not having played yet as a #1 receiver. They can play hardball a bit with Kevin White in reserve (fingers-crossed his injury isn't a lingering one).

I like Alshon, I hope they can re-sign him, but being practical you need to get a bit of value.

Jared Goff threw 5 interceptions last night?

Goooo Cutler!

Cutler will get a lot of credit and rightly so but the defence was immense. 10 points conceded and none in the 2nd half.

Oat23 wrote: »

Fangio is something else alright. My only concern would be Gase leaving after the season for a HC job and bringing Fangio with him. Seen it mentioned somewhere else and it's worrying me .

I always thought the plan might be for Gase to take over from Fox and I hope that is the case.

Fair play to Grasu too. He started well enough, then struggled for a bit (around the time of the endzone fumble) and he recovered in the second half. They targeted him all game as the color commentator mentioned throughout. They won't all be as tough as that one.

A win and valuable playing experience for a young center. Pretty good night.

Yeah that's a massive fear - which is why you don't want them winning too many this season with such a lack of talent.

Fangio & Gase are both producing nothing short of miracles - particularly Fangio.

The defence had 2 rookie safties, Shea & Jones starting at ILB in their first years, no high profile corner #1 corner, a rookie NT and they give up 10 points all game and none in the second half. They've been getting better week in week out. Give him a quality corner & ILB and he could probably make an elite unit from this defence.

Again offensively - we were missing our #1,#2 & #3 wide receivers. Our oline had a rookie Centre who was playing his first ever game and Leno Jr who for all intents and purposes is a rookie.

For all I've been impressed with the offence given the lack of WR's & constant flux on the Oline - I think without the defence playing so brilliant the offence isn't on the field half as much. That's what was happening the last 2 years - the defence just couldn't get off the field (without giving up points).

The offence has yet to catch fire, but the defence is doing so well we are keeping games tight.

My one note of caution would be not to get carried away with this (not that i think many will) - KC aren't the team they were and are trending downwards massively. I predicted on the vikes tread we'd be within a score (and they'd comfortably beat them). I watched KC against the Packers & Bengals and they look awful offensively this year. they were two 4-0 (now 5-0) teams however.

A win at arrowhead is still impressive by this team

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/12/chi-kc-grades-mcphee-continues-to-be-foundation-of-bears-defense/

McPhee grading out well again. Good to see Acho & amos & Wilson in there too.

I'm surprised Leno was so bad - he did okay from what I could see.