benson_will_lead_the_way
Footballguy
Started off 7-3, lost 5 in a row, won week 17.
Lets chat about what needs to happen for the Bears to improve.
Lets chat about what needs to happen for the Bears to improve.
Wouldn't that mean that the DL and DBs are more of a priority?Most important thing is to get the passing attack improved. If not, it could be a long decade with Rodgers and Stafford in the division. Jay has the ability, but the WR and OL needs to get better, now.
Sorry to pick on this, but I say we START to build through the draft. Angelo has this roster seriously lacking depth in almost all areas after many terrible drafts. Shiitcan Angelo, keep Lovie and most of his coordinators. I am lukewarm to Martz coming back, but I don't think he has had much to work with outside of Cutler and Forte.Cutler needs a go-to weapon. The offense goes through and around Forte as it should, but when they're in catch up mode Cutler doesn't have a crutch to lean on. Earl Bennett's fine, but he's not a game breaker. I usually balk at free agent WR's, but Chicago is one of those situations in which I think it'd work.
Other than that, keep building through the draft and focus on maintaining your identity on defense. From here it looks like the secondary is the biggest problem.
I think Chris Williams found a home at left guard. He's very athletic, and did get a great job of leading on the pulling run plays to the right. I think Williams showed on more than one occasion though that his skill set is not best used on the edge. I think the LT spot is one most likely to change with help from the outside. Williams will be back at LG, Garza at C, and Carimi at RT. I think the Bears will attempt to resign Chris Spencer as the RG, but that spot could get competition from Lance Louis, who faded as the season wore on at RT, but has proven to be a useful player.I also would like to see Martz stick around. He doesn't always run the ball as much as might make sense, and usually needs a Lovie Smith sit-down to revisit the running game, but the offense was playing well when Cutler and Forte were healthy. They just need more weapons on the outside - at least one more, and improved pass blocking from the offensive line. It would be great if they didn't have to compromise the offense with as much TE blocking as they used this season on the edges.If the Bears add 1-2 key players in free agency on the offensive side, my guess is that they will look to the draft to shore up some of the age issues on the defensive side.Anybody else want to see C Williams get another shot at LT? Tice always talks about wanting his five best out there....I think in a perfect world the line would be Williams-Louis-Garza-Spencer-Carimi.I actually would like to see Martz stick around for Cutlers sake. He also seems to really get the most out of Forte. We were scoring alot of points before the injuries. Having said that....Id like to see a legit go up and get it receiver brought in. And of course lets be smarter about our backup qb please.So what I am getting at is.....I would like priority number one to be getting the defense younger and more complete. I love what the Giants did all those years loading up on stud pass rushers. We could use all kinds of help in the secondary....and then of course Urlacher is not getting any younger and Briggs is a pain with the trade demand crap.
I say keep Williams at LG too. He showed he can play the position effectively. He never came close to showing that at LT.I think Chris Williams found a home at left guard. He's very athletic, and did get a great job of leading on the pulling run plays to the right. I think Williams showed on more than one occasion though that his skill set is not best used on the edge. I think the LT spot is one most likely to change with help from the outside. Williams will be back at LG, Garza at C, and Carimi at RT. I think the Bears will attempt to resign Chris Spencer as the RG, but that spot could get competition from Lance Louis, who faded as the season wore on at RT, but has proven to be a useful player.I also would like to see Martz stick around. He doesn't always run the ball as much as might make sense, and usually needs a Lovie Smith sit-down to revisit the running game, but the offense was playing well when Cutler and Forte were healthy. They just need more weapons on the outside - at least one more, and improved pass blocking from the offensive line. It would be great if they didn't have to compromise the offense with as much TE blocking as they used this season on the edges.If the Bears add 1-2 key players in free agency on the offensive side, my guess is that they will look to the draft to shore up some of the age issues on the defensive side.Anybody else want to see C Williams get another shot at LT? Tice always talks about wanting his five best out there....I think in a perfect world the line would be Williams-Louis-Garza-Spencer-Carimi.I actually would like to see Martz stick around for Cutlers sake. He also seems to really get the most out of Forte. We were scoring alot of points before the injuries. Having said that....Id like to see a legit go up and get it receiver brought in. And of course lets be smarter about our backup qb please.So what I am getting at is.....I would like priority number one to be getting the defense younger and more complete. I love what the Giants did all those years loading up on stud pass rushers. We could use all kinds of help in the secondary....and then of course Urlacher is not getting any younger and Briggs is a pain with the trade demand crap.
about damn timeJerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.Wonder if Lovie is safe...
Great news! I just hope they go out and get the best candidate and don't promote Ruskell.Jerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.
That's the question.Jerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.Wonder if Lovie is safe...
I don't think so. Today's game is all about passing, and there aren't too many teams that can stop high powered passing attacksWouldn't that mean that the DL and DBs are more of a priority?Most important thing is to get the passing attack improved. If not, it could be a long decade with Rodgers and Stafford in the division. Jay has the ability, but the WR and OL needs to get better, now.
I hope notJerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.
Wonder if Lovie is safe...
Bears finished 5th worst in the NFL in pass defense.The four team that finished worse than them are....Packers, Pats, Giants, SaintsI don't think so. Today's game is all about passing, and there aren't too many teams that can stop high powered passing attacksWouldn't that mean that the DL and DBs are more of a priority?Most important thing is to get the passing attack improved. If not, it could be a long decade with Rodgers and Stafford in the division. Jay has the ability, but the WR and OL needs to get better, now.
This is great news as long as Matt Millen's phone isn't ringing. Here are my thoughts from the regular season thread.Jerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.Wonder if Lovie is safe...
I'll be honest with you the only person I'd like to see gone is Angelo. Too many years of glossing over personnel deficiencies and not filling roster needs. I'll be glad when he's gone and don't have to listen to his smug "we're comfortable with who we have" BS. I know Lovie and Martz aren't popular right now, but I don't feel the need to can them. I'm probably delusional, but IMO the Bears still have a window of opportunity to do some post season damage and changing schemes won't help that. I'm not thrilled with Lovie but he's at worst an average head coach. If they would bring in a Gruden or Cowher I'd personally throw Lovie out, but I honestly don't believe Chicago would get an upgrade if they canned Lovie. Chicago can win with (in spite of) Lovie, I don't know if that would apply to whoever they hired to replace him.As for Martz I believe his system works. Cutler has now been in Martz's offensive scheme for two years in a row and while I think he made tremendous strides, IMO he still has the ability to get even better. Martz absolutely needs to continue to conform the scheme to fit the team's current strengths and weaknesses, but the system works. Fewer seven step drops, more shotgun on obvious passing downs, and more planned rollouts would be easy to implement. IMO the offense turned the corner before Culter got hurt. Look at the last 5 games Cutler started, the Bears averaged:348 net yards per game (season rank would be 15th)32 points per game (season rank would be 3rd)17 points per game allowed (season rank would be 4th)Yeah, it could have been just a hot streak against some weak teams (Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Diego) but it appeared to me the offense was starting to roll. I'm not suggesting they could post those numbers for a season, but a team with an above average offense and above average defense is not something that needs blown up. Shore up the o-line and get a real #1 WR (Dwayne Bowe would look good in blue/orange) and the offense could be lethal. The defense while declining, is still solid enough. With a potent offense the Chicago D no longer has to keep opponents under 14 points to get a win. Sure, I'd love to watch a current version of the '85 defense but with so many needs it's going to be a long and slow rebuilding process defensively.It sucks that the season is over and It's frustrating to watch the implosion, but honestly didn't we all see it coming once Cutler went out? At least we know that Caleb Hanie is not the answer.
I agree with the premise, but these teams are a little misleading. Most teams had to pass to keep up with those guys, not so much with the Bears.Bears finished 5th worst in the NFL in pass defense.The four team that finished worse than them are....Packers, Pats, Giants, SaintsI don't think so. Today's game is all about passing, and there aren't too many teams that can stop high powered passing attacksWouldn't that mean that the DL and DBs are more of a priority?Most important thing is to get the passing attack improved. If not, it could be a long decade with Rodgers and Stafford in the division. Jay has the ability, but the WR and OL needs to get better, now.
:confetti:Jerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.
Mike Martz isn't under contract.Dave Toub(the best ST coach in the NFL) also isn't under contract either. He's interviewing for the Miami HC job.I agree it will be interesting in Chicago, but hopefully it will help save Cutler from being killed.Wow, Angelo is gone, eh?This is interesting on a whole bunch of levels. Does this change the Cutler paradigm? He was playing well before getting hurt, and presumably if Lovie is safe nothing changes in 2012. But a new GM is going to have his own ideas about how to build the franchise, and he's going to see the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford in his division and realize that they need to be able to hold serve.
You really think starting everything over with a new coach is a good idea with the veteran nucleus we have?I hope notJerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.
Wonder if Lovie is safe...
Probably not at this time but I am just not satisfied with his coaching. He is mediocre at best.You really think starting everything over with a new coach is a good idea with the veteran nucleus we have?I hope notJerry Angelo has been fired as Bears GM.
Wonder if Lovie is safe...
I think the same reason the Colts didn't announce Caldwell's firing.Ultimately the GM and coach have vastly different responsibilities and many times we don't think about the less obvious aspects of their jobs. We don't know if the owner had given Angelo specific mandates that he felt were not met, or if there were specific internal conversations or relationships that caused the decision. Plus, it seems from the outside that Lovie is VERY popular with the players in Chicago, and as a veteran team, I think there may be some validity in the idea of letting Lovie prove his mettle with a new guy crafting the grocery list.My first thought is that if Lovie were to be fired, why not announce that as well? Unless, the new GM will be allowed to make that decision.The assumption is that a top tier GM would want his own coach and a lesser GM may be forced to keep Lovie Smith in place.I do think that Lovie Smith is nationally regarded as a good head coach so even a top GM may decide to keep him.
Id be shocked if we brought in a "top tier" gmMy first thought is that if Lovie were to be fired, why not announce that as well? Unless, the new GM will be allowed to make that decision.The assumption is that a top tier GM would want his own coach and a lesser GM may be forced to keep Lovie Smith in place.I do think that Lovie Smith is nationally regarded as a good head coach so even a top GM may decide to keep him.
Or coachId be shocked if we brought in a "top tier" gmMy first thought is that if Lovie were to be fired, why not announce that as well? Unless, the new GM will be allowed to make that decision.The assumption is that a top tier GM would want his own coach and a lesser GM may be forced to keep Lovie Smith in place.I do think that Lovie Smith is nationally regarded as a good head coach so even a top GM may decide to keep him.
I think this firing of Angelo is a direct result of the team not being able to win a game (before the meaningless last game) after Jay Cutler and Matt Forte were injured. Caleb Hanie was horrible, but it also showed how thin this roster was. Lovie Smith is seen as getting the most out of his players each week. With the news that Lovie Smith will be back, it does bring up all sorts of speculation about what Lovie's long-term future will be since he is signed through 2013, not to mention why type of GM the team is interested in signin since he won't have control over one of his more important hirings - his coach.I think the same reason the Colts didn't announce Caldwell's firing.Ultimately the GM and coach have vastly different responsibilities and many times we don't think about the less obvious aspects of their jobs. We don't know if the owner had given Angelo specific mandates that he felt were not met, or if there were specific internal conversations or relationships that caused the decision. Plus, it seems from the outside that Lovie is VERY popular with the players in Chicago, and as a veteran team, I think there may be some validity in the idea of letting Lovie prove his mettle with a new guy crafting the grocery list.My first thought is that if Lovie were to be fired, why not announce that as well? Unless, the new GM will be allowed to make that decision.The assumption is that a top tier GM would want his own coach and a lesser GM may be forced to keep Lovie Smith in place.I do think that Lovie Smith is nationally regarded as a good head coach so even a top GM may decide to keep him.
If this was facebook I would like this commentThe Chicago Tribune reports OC Mike Martz is resigning over "philosophical differences" with the BearsFrom Rotoworld
Yes, but, the alternative was playing in a system that exposes all the weak points of the offense, while ignoring and minimizing the strengths of both him and the offense as a whole.The fact of the matter is, I'd rather the Bears change offensive philosophies to one that takes advantages of their (and Cutler's) strengths - not the Martz system, which ignored them.Wow....another freakin system for Cutler