How Bout Dem Bears?

Definitely the staff and GM (great draft but $126m for Cutler?). Plenty of talent there - it's just a mess how it's been used.

Not putting best players on field, poor schemes/play calls, poor clock management etc etc.

Why keep putting McClellin on the field?
Why after last week declare the other LBers will get their job back?
Why keep throwing so many screens when not working?
Why keep Mills on the field when getting killed?
Why keep accepting such a sh'it return game & ST?
Why give a QB with a 60-53 record $126m?
Why is our offense so average this year?
Why no real investment in safety?
Why not go for the onside kick after the TD? (we gave up a 31 yard return anyway). We never looked like getting a turnover and that was a pure dumb decision imho.

So much seems wrong and off.

You have Costanzo on twitter saying Trestman has made the Bears soft.

Christ, and I thought yesterday's game couldn't have gotten worse. Fuller is going to be a huge loss. Fans were really pi$$ed leaving the stadium and booing the team at the end so big changes will have to happen.

^^ There's a good hint of optimism in that post.:)

I predict we go 6-10 and finishing bottom of the division from here (maybe 7-9). We'll be 3-6 after we play the packers again imo.

Yeah yeah we beat the 9ers and can beat anyone on our day but the above is just my own feelings on it. There's plenty wrong with this team in all areas from weak leadership, not putting the best players on the field, injuries, age etc.

We haven’t a bull’s notion at a play-off spot. Without Fuller it must be the worst secondary in the league. Linebackers are just dreadful. If Mills isn’t dropped then it’s clear performance is immaterial in selection.

We’re effectively 3 and 6. A soft second half to the season gives us a shot at 500 but I doubt it. I wish Tucker and Joe D were gone, it seems like wasted time with them on the deck still.

http://www.chicitysports.com/forum/showthread.php/55033-Phil-Emery-Answering-Questions-on-ChicagoBears-com-Today-at-12-pm-CST/page2

Good read, I'm sure emery will know how the fans feel after that.

Way too obsessed with stats though imho, I really like phil but himself and trestman seem to trot out the same rhetoric again and again (obviously to be somewhat expected). I wondered if they were different behind closed doors but I seriously doubt it. Every now and again you have to call it like it is or call someone out.

Both seem a bit soft and don't want to hurt their little children (the players) feelings. The bbq fiasco, marshals TV show and of course cutler s show appearances say a lot imo.

I see phil continues to defend McClellin , very hard to have hope for us when that comes from the top. We all know he should have been cut by now or if not stashed at the bottom of the roster till his contract runs out this year. Instead he's a starting LBer who can do no wrong and is given the opportunity to fail week after week. Honestly reckon he's among the worst nfl players I've ever seen. Soft, lost positionally, glued to blocks - just downright awful. Every time he takes the field I cringe at being a bears fan - we are embarrassing ourselves here.

And have to say I never knew till now that we have captains based on who s birthday or been a good boy like when I was 10 and playing football. Like wtf?

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

I'm sure he knew before. His answers sound like utter bull****, which I suppose we should expect, but it's just kind of funny to hear him deflect important questions about clock management and stuff which he must know are indefensible weaknesses in Trestman's gameday coaching. I presume you were disappointed with the more or less total dismissal of the idea of drafting a high round QB next year?

Yes And no. We are married to cutler now so I don't expect anything else really. Obviously not happy they handed him the keys to the safe when mccown outplayed him with all the same weapons but I ve made that clear many many a time.

I guess the yes bit is we have to draft one eventually- may as well be sooner than later but ain't going to happen in win now mode. Though part of me wouldn't want them learning the cutler force it into coverage balls.
or the fumbles.


We ve be been in win now mode for couple of years and won't be getting near a playoff again and it isn't working. The Vikings will overtake us in a year or so imho. They are starting a rebuilding the way we should be. We too many holes and throwing money at Allen and a fortune at cutler wasnt the way to go for me.

Phil Emery defends Jay Cutler as a “winning quarterback”

had to laugh at one of the comments: "He’s probably the winningest QB I’ve ever watched, the only problem is half the time it’s for the other team."

Playoff hopes are long gone. Losing at home to the Bills and Dolphins ended those hopes. You have to win those games if youexpect playoff spot. Last thing I want us another average middle of the road 8-8 season. It gives you no hope of playoff spot and also gives us overage draft pick. Yes Fuller looks like a great call but here's the controversial bit. Should we emulate the suck for luck campaign if we find ourselves 3-6 after next 2 games? Why push on for a 7-9 or 8-8 and hope we get anther Fuller rather than another McClellen. why not keep an eye on getting a high draft pick and pick up some top players

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000415163/article/report-chandler-jones-hip-to-miss-about-a-month?campaign=Ext_Email_1st10_20141022&cvosrc=Ext_Email.Epsilon.1st10_20141022

Luckily for us!

I'd never want us to purposely lose, it's more about assessing why we have gone from 10-6 to 8-8 to ??? (6-10/7-9?). That's what has to be figured out.

You can say Emery has done a lot right, put talent in place but there is obviously something missing. Is it coaching? attitude? too much change/not enough?

Results speak for themselves.

It's not all on Cutler, but I don't understand the logic of giving him $18m a year for next 3 years when we've a deteriorating record - how is that going to help the situation?

Something ain't right.

My own theory on it is how to you expect to be an exceptional team when you've $18m pa (13.5% of your entire cap figure) tied up in Cutler when he is distinctly average.

We are an average team, as our record last year shows and will again this year. We've an average QB.

Look at his salary compared to Aaron Rodgers - in any way - average, this years or next years cap hit. It's embarrassing.

Out of interest last night i listed the other QB's I'd rather have at the Bears ahead of him. Many will disagree with it no doubt but it's my honest assessment:

1) Aaron Rodgers
2) Peyton Manning
3) Drew Brees
4) Tom Brady
5) Andrew Luck
6) Russell Wilson
7) Philip Rivers
8) Joe Flacco
9) Matt Ryan
10) Alex Smith
11) Tony Romo
12) Nick foles
13) Colin Kaepernick

They are definte's for me.

He then fits somewhere in here (not really sure where exactly)

1) Andy Dalton
2) Cam Newton
3) Carson Palmer
4) Matt Stafford
5) Ben Roethlisberger
6) RG III
7) Eli Manning

So he's at best the 14th best QB in the league. He is paid like he's in the top 6-8 imo.

With 32 QB's that puts him in the 56% percentile.

So again why would I expect us to have a record much above this percentile? especially when we've invest such a big proportion of our cap in that area to be average (or very slightly above it)?

kennyb3 wrote: »

Phil's comments are wrong wrong wrong imho. You can be an average player on a winning team - don't make you elite.the lions have a winning record is every one of their players elite? Honestly that's just embarrassing stuff.

Ah yeah, I don't take his comments too seriously, he has to say some of that stuff and support his player in public. Can't really come out and say 'yeah, he's been a bit crap this season'. I'm sure his private assessment is different.

kennyb3 wrote: »

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000415163/article/report-chandler-jones-hip-to-miss-about-a-month?campaign=Ext_Email_1st10_20141022&cvosrc=Ext_Email.Epsilon.1st10_20141022

Luckily for us!

Chandler Jones out, that's a big loss for them, coming a week after losing Jerod Mayo, two blows to the front 7.

crunchie44 wrote: »

Playoff hopes are long gone. Losing at home to the Bills and Dolphins ended those hopes. You have to win those games if youexpect playoff spot. Last thing I want us another average middle of the road 8-8 season. It gives you no hope of playoff spot and also gives us overage draft pick. Yes Fuller looks like a great call but here's the controversial bit. Should we emulate the suck for luck campaign if we find ourselves 3-6 after next 2 games? Why push on for a 7-9 or 8-8 and hope we get anther Fuller rather than another McClellen. why not keep an eye on getting a high draft pick and pick up some top players

No, I don't think it's a good idea. I don't think there's a sufficient difference between the top and the middle of the first round to add a losing culture to your team. It's never going to happen anyway because with playoff hopes disappearing fast, Trestman and Emery will be playing for their jobs in the second half of the season. I think Emery's pretty safe, but if they finish the season 7-9 or worse, Trestman will be in the firing line. If you can't have success, you at least want to see progress, and through the first 7 games we've seen the opposite if anything.

I'm not out on Trestman, but the honeymoon period is over. I like the guy personally, but at some point you have to say you're defined by the team's performances on the field.

Interesting talk with Dan Durkin on Boers & Bernstein about him yesterday:
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/audio/670-the-score-interviews/dan-durkin-with-boers-and-bernstein-10-20-14/

kennyb3 wrote: »

Urlacher has been a media clown since retiring but finally gets one right here;

“We say it every year how talented Jay is … how much talent,” Urlacher said. “But the NFL is not a talent contest. It’s a winning contest.”

Cutler is just 4-8 in his last 12 starts.

“You look at his contract, he was paid like an elite quarterback, if I am not mistaken,” Urlacher said. “He just hasn’t produced like an elite quarterback.”

Echo's my thoughts from yesterday - 4-8 is worse than I thought.

But that's just urlacher continuing his vendetta combined with never having liked Cutler. Not defending Cutler but this thing of him being paid as an elite qb is not quite correct, it's pretty much the going rate for a starter right now. Nobody was realistically expecting him to perform like the guys lach compares him to (excerpt brees who has been very poor this year). Not defending Cutler, but this is more agenda driven nonsense, it's a shame he can't let it go because it's tarnishing his legacy in a big way. He's loved by fans (Who he never loved), but every time he speaks he undermines the team he was the face of for years.

He just misses Lovie. I don't personally.

Good post I spotted on CSS on Allen & Houston not coming up with sacks. Young still seems to be able to produce all the same.

I think Houston has done better than he's given credit for, I never expected sacks - he is there to be a stout LDE and to play some 3-tech.

Allen on the other hand looks washed up, much like last season Hulkhands, of this board, basically told us as much. His money v's production will kill us this year and next.

Anyway here it is:

'On early downs, Tucker's D scheme often puts our DE's in a 9 technique

From this position, they are still required to close in (Pinch) on A and B gap running plays. Because of this, the Ends are required to read and then react.

What does "read and react" mean? Generally they will key off the first step of the Tackle. If he blocks down or steps forward, it is likely a run. If he steps back, it is generally a pass play.

When you combine the half second delay to read with the fact that they're already lined up a yard to a yard and a half from a 5 technique, you quickly begin to understand why they are both getting some pressure but not sacks.

This isn't new information. If you note Peppers, and every other DE he's had, they all have to overcome this same handicap. This is a base concept in every Tucker D I have watched film on going back to Cleveland...'

I remember looking up the DE stats last year when the signings were being made. And I don't think stats are the be-all-and-end-all, but I noticed that Jared Allen and Willie Young were polar opposites.

Allen graded really well on traditional stats (think it was 13 sacks), but quite poorly on the advanced stats (QB pressures/hurries), which suggested he was over-valued when you just looked at his sack-rate.

Young was the opposite: very low sack number, but graded exceptionally well on pressures, which suggested he was under-valued based on his sack rate.

Just find it interesting that the advanced stats turned out to be better predictors, and that Emery signed both, despite them looking very different stats-wise.

The other article I remember reading at the time was how DE production tends to fall off a cliff around the age of 33 (Allen is 32). It was an article about DeMarcus Ware, but had good information on projecting DE production in general:

Why the Dallas Cowboys Had No Choice in Cutting DE DeMarcus Ware



Just reading it again, good article. Says that DEs get paid according to past sacks, but that pressures are a better indicator.
Allen had 13 sacks and got paid $8m, so it wasn't a major overpayment (typical payment tends to be about $1m/sack).

Article also says a DE should have 85% of his peak production at age 32, so Allen shouldn't be completely washed up.
He had that pnuemonia thing, and we played a few read-option QBs, so I'm happy to reserve judgment til the end of the season.

Brady isn't a read-option guy and the New England o-line isn't great (though they do scheme well to mitigate that), so bit of an opportunity for him this weekend.

I was hoping to see Briggs & Bostic back, the linebackers will come under particular pressure against New England. When I've watched the Patriots, I notice they get the ball out super-quick to protect their shaky o-line. I think a lot of times our d-line won't have time to get there and it'll be up to the LBs to cover those short-passes & runs.

I think the Bears should push the safeties up to help. If you get beaten over the top, so be it, but I don't think the Patriots really want to do that. Try and take away the middle & flat, and if they do go deep, at least the d-line have a chance to get there.