***Official 2013 Chicago Bears Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[flapgreen]

From the looks of things so far, Tucker is awful. Injuries or not, this is one of the worst defenses in the league,and there's no reason to believe it will get better anytime soon. I realize Tucker won't get fired but hiring him and the ST coordinator both look to be terrible decisions. It will take a couple years to make the defense even respectable. Shea sucks. Peppers is all but finished. Tillman probably won't be back. Briggs can't hold up for much longer either. Paea is an injury prone turd. Who knows how Melton will be or if we will pay him. Long road ahead.

 

[KCitons]

Will Ratliff help at all up the middle?

 

[RBM]

Will Ratliff help at all up the middle?

33 and hasn't played in over a year. Doubtful.

 

[DoubleG]

From the looks of things so far, Tucker is awful. Injuries or not, this is one of the worst defenses in the league,and there's no reason to believe it will get better anytime soon. I realize Tucker won't get fired but hiring him and the ST coordinator both look to be terrible decisions. It will take a couple years to make the defense even respectable. Shea sucks. Peppers is all but finished. Tillman probably won't be back. Briggs can't hold up for much longer either. Paea is an injury prone turd. Who knows how Melton will be or if we will pay him. Long road ahead.

Sadly, I agree with most of this. The defense has been awful. They can't stop the run or the pass and they have stopped creating turnovers.

The safety play has been some of the worst I have seen on an NFL team. Conte takes some of the worst angles I have ever seen and both safeties come at the ball carrier in run support with absolutely no control and no idea where they are trying (or should be trying) to direct him to help. Austin's big run on the end around misdirection was completely misplayed by Conte - he got there, but then ran right up the back of his own guy, instead of getting outside of him to force Austin back inside. Austin gladly continued, un touched to the sideline and was gone.

On several of the big running plays, Conte and Major were chasing the play down from behind (despite often be in the two deep shell) - meaning, they either got over late or were simply out of position.

The LB play has been equally bad. On run plays, they are rarely in position to make any kind of play and on pass plays, they're not dropping deep enough or fast enough. I realize they are not Briggs and Urlacher, but they are constantly being caught in the wash at the LOS on running plays or standing flat-footed in no-mans-land on passes.

The entire defense has been terrible in gap control as well. It seems as though they can never make their gaps - or in the rare instance that they do, they are out of control and unable to make a play (i.e. they miss a tackle, can't/won't pursue the play, etc.)

This team needs a TON of defensive help. Both in terms of players and coaching.

 

[flapgreen]

Once again, no pass rush either. The defense doesn't do one thing good, except for forcing turnovers time to time. I'm sure Urlacher is giggling somewhere. Does anyone think they will try Shea at OLB at some point, or do they go down with the ship with him at DE and then cut him?

 

[RBM]

Funny you bring up Urlacher Flap, because I was just coming in here to say I think its safe to assume we were correct yet again on our stance that losing the big guy would hurt us, and he was not going to be so easily replaced as many here thought.

 

[DoubleG]

Funny you bring up Urlacher Flap, because I was just coming in here to say I think its safe to assume we were correct yet again on our stance that losing the big guy would hurt us, and he was not going to be so easily replaced as many here thought.

Great point. When people look at Urlacher they often forget a few things:

1) He is TALL for a MLB. In that Tampa 2, where the MLB has to drop to cover the passing lanes in the middle, the extra inch or two he had in height was the difference between a deflection and a 20+ yard completion for his head.

2) He was very fast for a MLB. His ability not only to close in run support - but get deep enough on his pass drops was huge. At the end of his career, he lost a step, but his height, play recognition and smart play still made him better than most.

3) He was a safety in college. Playing deep off the ball in his pass drops and reading the QBs eyes come much easier to him than many LBs. Many of the Bears current LBs simply don't seem as comfortable dropping that deep - they naturally feel more "at home" up close to the LOS. Urlacher had no such discomfort to overcome. He could get 20-30 yards deep in hearbeat - and then read the QB and break before the ball was even released.

 

[flapgreen]

Funny you bring up Urlacher Flap, because I was just coming in here to say I think its safe to assume we were correct yet again on our stance that losing the big guy would hurt us, and he was not going to be so easily replaced as many here thought.

Still amazed how some wrote him off as worthless and so easily replaceable. Now it's clear as day he wasn't. So what if he lost a step and missed a few more tackles, his importance to this defense was immense. I'm sure Emery is kicking himself, and for good reason. Also kicking himself over Shea too I'm sure.

 

[RBM]

Funny you bring up Urlacher Flap, because I was just coming in here to say I think its safe to assume we were correct yet again on our stance that losing the big guy would hurt us, and he was not going to be so easily replaced as many here thought.

Still amazed how some wrote him off as worthless and so easily replaceable. Now it's clear as day he wasn't. So what if he lost a step and missed a few more tackles, his importance to this defense was immense. I'm sure Emery is kicking himself, and for good reason. Also kicking himself over Shea too I'm sure.

Guarantee you he never missed tackles and was so out of position like this crew.

I have a feeling a lot of people didn't want to imagine the Emery/Trestman combo could be so wrong, so it was as much about backing them than anti-Urlacher. I don't get it but to each his own.

 

[ryno1980]

Funny you bring up Urlacher Flap, because I was just coming in here to say I think its safe to assume we were correct yet again on our stance that losing the big guy would hurt us, and he was not going to be so easily replaced as many here thought.

Yes it's easy to say now but things would be much better with Briggs and D.j on the field

 

[flapgreen]

Funny you bring up Urlacher Flap, because I was just coming in here to say I think its safe to assume we were correct yet again on our stance that losing the big guy would hurt us, and he was not going to be so easily replaced as many here thought.

Yes it's easy to say now but things would be much better with Briggs and D.j on the field

 

[flapgreen]

Funny you bring up Urlacher Flap, because I was just coming in here to say I think its safe to assume we were correct yet again on our stance that losing the big guy would hurt us, and he was not going to be so easily replaced as many here thought.

Still amazed how some wrote him off as worthless and so easily replaceable. Now it's clear as day he wasn't. So what if he lost a step and missed a few more tackles, his importance to this defense was immense. I'm sure Emery is kicking himself, and for good reason. Also kicking himself over Shea too I'm sure.

Guarantee you he never missed tackles and was so out of position like this crew. I have a feeling a lot of people didn't want to imagine the Emery/Trestman combo could be so wrong, so it was as much about backing them than anti-Urlacher. I don't get it but to each his own.

You hit the nail on the head.

 

[yoman]

The Bears are painful to watch right now on defense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't agree with some of you about Brian Urlacher because I doubt he would have lasted more than a few games before he got injured again. His body was breaking down quickly. I think Williams was turning into a great replacement for him before he got injured. The horrible D line play magnifies there linebacker/secondary issues. If you don't get a pass rush and play your position correctly it puts more stress on the inexperienced secondary. It's hard to blame Tucker for the D line. Bostic has been beaten a ton and isn't ready for prime time but might be okay in the future. TIllman was obviously a huge loss and he never made it to late in the games in the last bunch of games he played. I can't stand watching McClellin out of position and not covering his gap. He ran himself out of plays yesterday and didn't need to be blocked.

 

[flapgreen]

DJ has always been a good linebacker but could never stay healthy himself. Not much of a replacement for a guy everyone said was broken down and finished. It was inevitable we would have a rookie lb starting at some point with DJ as the starter. I don't really care to go much more into the Urlacher discussion again. I think we have all been through that enough.

I don't think anyone is blaming Tucker for everything, but it's hard for anyone to say he's done a good job either. I am blaming the ST coach for all of their problems.

 

[yoman]

DJ has always been a good linebacker but could never stay healthy himself. Not much of a replacement for a guy everyone said was broken down and finished. It was inevitable we would have a rookie lb starting at some point with DJ as the starter.

Injury prone? Before joining the Bears Williams had played in all 16 games in 6 of his 9 seasons. Last season he was suspended for more than half the season for violating the leagues substance abuse policy but I don't think he missed any games due to injuries. in 2011 he only played in 13 games so I don't think his injury could have been too serious.

 

[RBM]

David fn Bass outplaying Shea is a pretty big indicator of how big a bust we've got on our hands.

 

[Statcruncher]

Sorry guys, the #54 you're missing is long gone. Age and injuries had reduced his range to a fraction of what it once was. I know it's hard to believe the D sucks so bad, but it wouldn't be any better with Brian in there. The opposing O-line gets so many free runs at Chicago LB'ers this year that no one could look good.

Trying Shea at LB? I suppose it could work, but in my own jaded world I just want him gone. Watching him play just pisses me off. In the passing game he's got a speed move up the field then after that he's got a big bag of nothing. In the run game he's completly MIA. A huge whiff by Emery, but that's OK, it happens. What needs to not happen is sticking with a failure for years. Move him or trade/cut him.

Getting the feeling this is a lost season to be honest. It's possible that Chicago could get some players back and go on a run and make the playoffs, but with that D I don't see them going very far. The D regressing from ridiculous play last year and injuries have taken most of the optimism out of this year. There will be a ton of turnover in the offseason, I'm hoping Emery goes D heavy in the draft/FA and can field a younger and more respectable D in 2014.

Offensively I really like the strides they've made and can't help but think they take another step in 2014. If Long/Mills can continue to progress and Emery can find a way to upgrade Garza the Bears might be able to actually start running the football. Image Forte with actual running lanes and Cutler having the luxury of D's forced to respect play action.

 

[Wrigley]

AP may run for 300 this weekend

 

[flapgreen]

DJ has always been a good linebacker but could never stay healthy himself. Not much of a replacement for a guy everyone said was broken down and finished. It was inevitable we would have a rookie lb starting at some point with DJ as the starter.

Injury prone? Before joining the Bears Williams had played in all 16 games in 6 of his 9 seasons. Last season he was suspended for more than half the season for violating the leagues substance abuse policy but I don't think he missed any games due to injuries. in 2011 he only played in 13 games so I don't think his injury could have been too serious.

You're right on that. I was going by the games he has missed. The defense was below average even with DJ and Briggs playing, though. I think you may be overestimating DJ's ability due to how bad the D is now. It couldn't be anymore obvious how important Urlacher was to this defense. If you can't see it now, I can't convince you or anyone who doesn't think so. Most of us have been round and round with this discussion, however. We just see it differently.Coaching and injuries have also played a role. It's just sad to see the D being this bad after we finally have an offense. If it's not one things, it's another.

 

[DoubleG]

AP may run for 300 this weekend

Agreed. Sadly, I think the reason he stops at 300 is simply because he keeps hitting the endzone. If the Vikings are smart, they'll just hand the ball to AP about 35 times. He'll run over Conte (if he's actually in position to stop him...lol) about 4 times Sunday. It'll be like Michael Jordan poster shots. If I was a playing the ADP owner in FF this weekend, I'd ask the commish to have him sit everyone else on his roster just to give me a chance.

 

[RBM]

Gearhart may hit 100 this week too.

 

[ryno1980]

DJ has always been a good linebacker but could never stay healthy himself. Not much of a replacement for a guy everyone said was broken down and finished. It was inevitable we would have a rookie lb starting at some point with DJ as the starter.

Injury prone? Before joining the Bears Williams had played in all 16 games in 6 of his 9 seasons. Last season he was suspended for more than half the season for violating the leagues substance abuse policy but I don't think he missed any games due to injuries. in 2011 he only played in 13 games so I don't think his injury could have been too serious.

You're right on that. I was going by the games he has missed. The defense was below average even with DJ and Briggs playing, though. I think you may be overestimating DJ's ability due to how bad the D is now. It couldn't be anymore obvious how important Urlacher was to this defense. If you can't see it now, I can't convince you or anyone who doesn't think so. Most of us have been round and round with this discussion, however. We just see it differently.Coaching and injuries have also played a role. It's just sad to see the D being this bad after we finally have an offense. If it's not one things, it's another.

I don't think anyone is arguing DJ and Briggs would make the defense great by any means. Below average sounds fantastic compared to what we're seeing.

 

[flapgreen]

Agreed

 

[RBM]

The defense has cost us our season. Emery and Trestman have their work cut out for them trying to get this D to playoff quality for next year.

 

[twistd]

Thank God that Ratliff and Paea played today, otherwise AP might have run for 300.

 

[flapgreen]

It's not getting any better either. No holding on now. Season is over

 

[twistd]

It's not getting any better either. No holding on now. Season is over

What we are seeing is not only is this season over, but the Bears have very little to build around on defense. You pretty much have to blow up the defense and start over. Briggs is the only player that is ranked in the top 25 at his position. You have some young linebackers you may be able to develop in Greene and Bostic. Anderson and DJ Williams were on one year contracts.

Tillman probably is gone, and Jennings is a below average corner. Conte and Wright are the worst safety tandem in the league by far. They should both be replaced.You either have to renegotiate with Peppers or release him. Peppers is not playing up to his salary at this point. Shea is a bust, so you probably need two ends. I don't think that you can afford to pay Melton the contract he will demand. After two knee surgeries I wouldn't want to bet on Melton returning to his pre-injury ability. So you need at least one tackle, if you think you can squeeze one starter out of the guys they have.

All that taken in to consideration you probably have to replace at least six starters. I don't think those replacements are on the roster now. And this is assuming that you are able to develop both Greene and Bostic into starters. You may be able to replace one or two starters in free agency, but the rest will have to come from the draft. I think this is a two or three year rebuilding project.

The other concern is that so far Emery has not shown an ability to draft defensive talent. Shea is a bust. Emery has drafted 7 defensive players and used a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 2 6ths, and a 7th round picks in the last two years. Out of that group we have two that might be able to play. Those being Bostic and Greene. We still haven't seen enough to judge. Worries me that Emery has to pull a lot of defensive talent out of the next two drafts and his track record so far leaves a lot to be desired.

Emery has done a fine job on offensive talent. Jeffrey is showing the skills to be a Pro Bowler. Long and Mills have been very impressive this year. He has done a pretty good job with free agents in Slauson, Anderson, Williams and Bennett. So I am encouraged by that, but he has to do a much better job drafting defensive talent if the Bears are going to fix their defense.

 

[DaveL]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

 

[3nOut]

Any chance we can get Singletary to come back to Chicago to be the Defensive Coordinator?

 

[flapgreen]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

Another blunder. Terrible stuff

 

[flapgreen]

Any chance we can get Singletary to come back to Chicago to be the Defensive Coordinator?

We are stuck with Tucker. Where is Singletary now?

 

[Phenix]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

Another blunder. Terrible stuff

Cutler will be back on crutches if he has to this week.

Also, why is he not playing anyways, Manning is playing on two high ankle sprains?

Were they really that comfortable with a backup QB McCown because he had a few decent games? lol, he only lost to STL and MIN in consecutive weeks.

But lets talk about a QB controversy. Ummm, There is no controversy.

As a Lion fan, I'm worried if Cutler comebacks this week against DAL when we head to Philly. But sorry Bears fans, if you keep rolling McCown because you all feel he is good enough to let Jay recover, well...

BTW, Trestman needs to learn the game of NFL football if he is going to be successful. Kicking on 2nd down from 47 yards away? WTF is that?

 

[Phenix]

The defense has cost us our season. Emery and Trestman have their work cut out for them trying to get this D to playoff quality for next year.

No Cutler sitting out with bad ankles while players like Manning can play on his is what cost you your season.

Before you all get on me, I fully believe since these people are paid handsomely and the game they play has injury risks at all times, you must play with injuries and if he can walk.... he should play. I remember when you couldnt pull hurt dudes off the field, now we let them sit with playoff hopes on the line. Wussification of football in full swing.

 

[parasaurolophus]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

Another blunder. Terrible stuff

Cutler will be back on crutches if he has to this week.

Also, why is he not playing anyways, Manning is playing on two high ankle sprains?

Were they really that comfortable with a backup QB McCown because he had a few decent games? lol, he only lost to STL and MIN in consecutive weeks.

But lets talk about a QB controversy. Ummm, There is no controversy.

As a Lion fan, I'm worried if Cutler comebacks this week against DAL when we head to Philly. But sorry Bears fans, if you keep rolling McCown because you all feel he is good enough to let Jay recover, well...

BTW, Trestman needs to learn the game of NFL football if he is going to be successful. Kicking on 2nd down from 47 yards away? WTF is that?

Trestman is an idiot.

I am tired of seeing Alshon come in motion only to stop right by the TE and be in an obvious blocking pose. Then we watch them hand it off to Forte for no gain. Yeah, nobody saw the run coming. Not to mention that Alshon now just brought another defender into the middle who knows darn well it is a run.

I also like when he puts three guys on the left that all run a route to the same spot and there is no designed pick. Tea party at the 50!

Why was Earl Bennett even an option at the end of regulation 2 yards away?

I was screaming that 47 yards is not a chip shot even for Robbie. Was begging for them to run a play after the timeout.

How many times do we need to see Bush plod up the middle for no gain before he realizes it simply doesnt work.

rant over.

 

[Phenix]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

Another blunder. Terrible stuff

Cutler will be back on crutches if he has to this week.

Also, why is he not playing anyways, Manning is playing on two high ankle sprains?

Were they really that comfortable with a backup QB McCown because he had a few decent games? lol, he only lost to STL and MIN in consecutive weeks.

But lets talk about a QB controversy. Ummm, There is no controversy.

As a Lion fan, I'm worried if Cutler comebacks this week against DAL when we head to Philly. But sorry Bears fans, if you keep rolling McCown because you all feel he is good enough to let Jay recover, well...

BTW, Trestman needs to learn the game of NFL football if he is going to be successful. Kicking on 2nd down from 47 yards away? WTF is that?

Trestman is an idiot.

I am tired of seeing Alshon come in motion only to stop right by the TE and be in an obvious blocking pose. Then we watch them hand it off to Forte for no gain. Yeah, nobody saw the run coming. Not to mention that Alshon now just brought another defender into the middle who knows darn well it is a run.

I also like when he puts three guys on the left that all run a route to the same spot and there is no designed pick. Tea party at the 50!

Why was Earl Bennett even an option at the end of regulation 2 yards away?

I was screaming that 47 yards is not a chip shot even for Robbie. Was begging for them to run a play after the timeout.

How many times do we need to see Bush plod up the middle for no gain before he realizes it simply doesnt work.

rant over.

Not a rant, its all truth. I love hearing rants and wish more would do it instead of trying to stop people from having an opinion here that isnt a popular opinion.

 

[twistd]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

Another blunder. Terrible stuff

Cutler will be back on crutches if he has to this week.

Also, why is he not playing anyways, Manning is playing on two high ankle sprains?

Were they really that comfortable with a backup QB McCown because he had a few decent games? lol, he only lost to STL and MIN in consecutive weeks.

But lets talk about a QB controversy. Ummm, There is no controversy.

As a Lion fan, I'm worried if Cutler comebacks this week against DAL when we head to Philly. But sorry Bears fans, if you keep rolling McCown because you all feel he is good enough to let Jay recover, well...

BTW, Trestman needs to learn the game of NFL football if he is going to be successful. Kicking on 2nd down from 47 yards away? WTF is that?

Trestman is an idiot.

I am tired of seeing Alshon come in motion only to stop right by the TE and be in an obvious blocking pose. Then we watch them hand it off to Forte for no gain. Yeah, nobody saw the run coming. Not to mention that Alshon now just brought another defender into the middle who knows darn well it is a run.

I also like when he puts three guys on the left that all run a route to the same spot and there is no designed pick. Tea party at the 50!

Why was Earl Bennett even an option at the end of regulation 2 yards away?

I was screaming that 47 yards is not a chip shot even for Robbie. Was begging for them to run a play after the timeout.

How many times do we need to see Bush plod up the middle for no gain before he realizes it simply doesnt work.

rant over.

Trestman has done some very good things with the offense. The Bears are 4th in scoring. Did you ever imagine that? I think Trestman has done a masterful job at making McCown productive. However, Trestman has done a number of really stupid things that have been major contributing factors to them losing games. The call on the field goal yesterday being the most recent. I'd like to think that this is part of his learning curve as a head coach. But Trestman was a head coach in Canada for the last five years or so. So although I think Trestman is a terrific offensive strategist, and very good at grooming QBs, he is probably going to turn out to be a disappointment as a head coach. He would be a fantastic offensive coordinator, but I think he will be below average as a head coach.

 

[DoubleG]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

Another blunder. Terrible stuff

Cutler will be back on crutches if he has to this week.

Also, why is he not playing anyways, Manning is playing on two high ankle sprains?

Were they really that comfortable with a backup QB McCown because he had a few decent games? lol, he only lost to STL and MIN in consecutive weeks.

But lets talk about a QB controversy. Ummm, There is no controversy.

As a Lion fan, I'm worried if Cutler comebacks this week against DAL when we head to Philly. But sorry Bears fans, if you keep rolling McCown because you all feel he is good enough to let Jay recover, well...

BTW, Trestman needs to learn the game of NFL football if he is going to be successful. Kicking on 2nd down from 47 yards away? WTF is that?

Trestman is an idiot.

I am tired of seeing Alshon come in motion only to stop right by the TE and be in an obvious blocking pose. Then we watch them hand it off to Forte for no gain. Yeah, nobody saw the run coming. Not to mention that Alshon now just brought another defender into the middle who knows darn well it is a run.

I also like when he puts three guys on the left that all run a route to the same spot and there is no designed pick. Tea party at the 50!

Why was Earl Bennett even an option at the end of regulation 2 yards away?

I was screaming that 47 yards is not a chip shot even for Robbie. Was begging for them to run a play after the timeout.

How many times do we need to see Bush plod up the middle for no gain before he realizes it simply doesnt work.

rant over.

Trestman has done some very good things with the offense. The Bears are 4th in scoring. Did you ever imagine that? I think Trestman has done a masterful job at making McCown productive. However, Trestman has done a number of really stupid things that have been major contributing factors to them losing games. The call on the field goal yesterday being the most recent. I'd like to think that this is part of his learning curve as a head coach. But Trestman was a head coach in Canada for the last five years or so. So although I think Trestman is a terrific offensive strategist, and very good at grooming QBs, he is probably going to turn out to be a disappointment as a head coach. He would be a fantastic offensive coordinator, but I think he will be below average as a head coach.

I agree with most of this. But to kick the field goal on 2nd down is terrible. His clock management is bad - and much of his "when to go for it on 4th down" has been bad. But the decision to kick a 47 yarder on 2nd down is just awful (not to mention what it says to the offense - pretty much "we can't expect you not to screw this up in the next couple of plays") and what message it sends to the O-line when they pass on 3rd and 1. He might be great with QBs and decent with offense (sometimes) - but as a head coach? I am starting to have very strong doubts.

 

[twistd]

The defense has cost us our season. Emery and Trestman have their work cut out for them trying to get this D to playoff quality for next year.

No Cutler sitting out with bad ankles while players like Manning can play on his is what cost you your season.

Before you all get on me, I fully believe since these people are paid handsomely and the game they play has injury risks at all times, you must play with injuries and if he can walk.... he should play. I remember when you couldnt pull hurt dudes off the field, now we let them sit with playoff hopes on the line. Wussification of football in full swing.

Actually McCown has looked better than Cutler. And if you remember, the Bears probably would have beat the Lions the last time they played if Trestman had pulled Cutler earlier in the second half. Cutler looked great in the first half, but he was terrible after he got hurt. If Trestman would have pulled Cutler even after the third I think McCown would have helped the Bears win that game. Cutler's inability to stay healthy has certainly been costly these past few years, but I don't think it is the major factor of the Bears struggles this year. The offense is fourth in scoring in the NFL this year. It is the pitiful defense that has cost the Bears this season. They are currently rated as 32nd in rushing yards allowed. That is why the Bears will miss the playoffs once again.

 

[twistd]

wtf did gould kick on 2nd down

Another blunder. Terrible stuff

Cutler will be back on crutches if he has to this week.

Also, why is he not playing anyways, Manning is playing on two high ankle sprains?

Were they really that comfortable with a backup QB McCown because he had a few decent games? lol, he only lost to STL and MIN in consecutive weeks.

But lets talk about a QB controversy. Ummm, There is no controversy.

As a Lion fan, I'm worried if Cutler comebacks this week against DAL when we head to Philly. But sorry Bears fans, if you keep rolling McCown because you all feel he is good enough to let Jay recover, well...

BTW, Trestman needs to learn the game of NFL football if he is going to be successful. Kicking on 2nd down from 47 yards away? WTF is that?

Trestman is an idiot.

I am tired of seeing Alshon come in motion only to stop right by the TE and be in an obvious blocking pose. Then we watch them hand it off to Forte for no gain. Yeah, nobody saw the run coming. Not to mention that Alshon now just brought another defender into the middle who knows darn well it is a run.

I also like when he puts three guys on the left that all run a route to the same spot and there is no designed pick. Tea party at the 50!

Why was Earl Bennett even an option at the end of regulation 2 yards away?

I was screaming that 47 yards is not a chip shot even for Robbie. Was begging for them to run a play after the timeout.

How many times do we need to see Bush plod up the middle for no gain before he realizes it simply doesnt work.

rant over.

Trestman has done some very good things with the offense. The Bears are 4th in scoring. Did you ever imagine that? I think Trestman has done a masterful job at making McCown productive. However, Trestman has done a number of really stupid things that have been major contributing factors to them losing games. The call on the field goal yesterday being the most recent. I'd like to think that this is part of his learning curve as a head coach. But Trestman was a head coach in Canada for the last five years or so. So although I think Trestman is a terrific offensive strategist, and very good at grooming QBs, he is probably going to turn out to be a disappointment as a head coach. He would be a fantastic offensive coordinator, but I think he will be below average as a head coach.

I agree with most of this. But to kick the field goal on 2nd down is terrible. His clock management is bad - and much of his "when to go for it on 4th down" has been bad. But the decision to kick a 47 yarder on 2nd down is just awful (not to mention what it says to the offense - pretty much "we can't expect you not to screw this up in the next couple of plays") and what message it sends to the O-line when they pass on 3rd and 1. He might be great with QBs and decent with offense (sometimes) - but as a head coach? I am starting to have very strong doubts.

I agree. That decision on the field goal was atrocious. Now we see why no one had hired him as a head coach in the NFL before. If only the Bears could have gotten him as the offensive coordinator, and the QBs coach this would be terrific. But as a head coach I think this will turn out to be a mistake.

 

[RBM]

The defense has cost us our season. Emery and Trestman have their work cut out for them trying to get this D to playoff quality for next year.

No Cutler sitting out with bad ankles while players like Manning can play on his is what cost you your season..

Wrong. Not even remotely close to being right. These last two losses are 100% without a doubt on the defense and it's not open for debate. McCown has played great, made big throw after big throw, not turned it over in bad spots. Really just been great and done enough to win both games.

 

[yoman]

The defense has cost us our season. Emery and Trestman have their work cut out for them trying to get this D to playoff quality for next year.

No Cutler sitting out with bad ankles while players like Manning can play on his is what cost you your season..

Wrong. Not even remotely close to being right. These last two losses are 100% without a doubt on the defense and it's not open for debate. McCown has played great, made big throw after big throw, not turned it over in bad spots. Really just been great and done enough to win both games.

The defense definitely is killing the Bears this year and not McCown. I agree with everyone about wondering what Trestman was doing kicking a 47 yard field goal on second down. I know kickers are getting better but I would have tried one more play to get at least an extra 7 yards or more to make it more manageable. If they didn't do anything on second down and tried kicking a field goal on third down than I wouldn't be as upset with the decision. If you feel that the defensive line is starting to dominate so you don't want to run you have to at least trust McCown as a veteran QB not to make any stupid decisions and throw the ball away if nothing is open. I guess 1 positive that came out of the game is at least they held Peterson to under 500 yards.

 

[Phenix]

The defense has cost us our season. Emery and Trestman have their work cut out for them trying to get this D to playoff quality for next year.

No Cutler sitting out with bad ankles while players like Manning can play on his is what cost you your season..

Wrong. Not even remotely close to being right. These last two losses are 100% without a doubt on the defense and it's not open for debate. McCown has played great, made big throw after big throw, not turned it over in bad spots. Really just been great and done enough to win both games.

No he didn't do enough because they lost. But you are entitled to your opinion.

 

[Statcruncher]

For those of you knocking Trestman for trying a FG on 2nd down I don't really understand that. It's in a dome, Gould is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and if Gould makes it the game is over. Coming into the game Gould had missed only 1 FG all year while going 5/5 on FG's of 47+ yards.

As for not running more plays I think the previous Vikings possession answered that. Did you not see the best RB in the NFL get stuffed for a 3 yard loss by the Bears defense resulting in a 57 yard FG attempt? Forte carried the ball 23 times Sunday and 6 of those resulted in no gain or lost yards (it could have been 7 but a 4 yard loss was negated by a Viking penalty). When you weigh your options I think the odds of a fumble or loss of yards trying to run another play is far greater than Gould missing a 47 yarder in a dome. I can't help but think the birth of his child changed the outcome.

That being said everyone has a share of the blame on this one. There is no one play that can win or lose a 60+ minute game. This defense is just so bad, like last year's offensive line bad. It will be an interesting offseason.

And I've been a huge Cutler fan but him being out is no excuse. In McCown's 4 starts he's been ridiculous, averaging 299 yards with 1.75 TD's and .25 INT's for a 100.2 rating. If Cutler posted these numbers I'd be thrilled. I'm not saying I think McCown is any kind of solution for Chicago at QB, but it's really making me rethink whether what Jay brings to the table is worth all the turnovers that come with it.

 

[twistd]

For those of you knocking Trestman for trying a FG on 2nd down I don't really understand that. It's in a dome, Gould is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and if Gould makes it the game is over. Coming into the game Gould had missed only 1 FG all year while going 5/5 on FG's of 47+ yards.

As for not running more plays I think the previous Vikings possession answered that. Did you not see the best RB in the NFL get stuffed for a 3 yard loss by the Bears defense resulting in a 57 yard FG attempt? Forte carried the ball 23 times Sunday and 6 of those resulted in no gain or lost yards (it could have been 7 but a 4 yard loss was negated by a Viking penalty). When you weigh your options I think the odds of a fumble or loss of yards trying to run another play is far greater than Gould missing a 47 yarder in a dome. I can't help but think the birth of his child changed the outcome.

That being said everyone has a share of the blame on this one. There is no one play that can win or lose a 60+ minute game. This defense is just so bad, like last year's offensive line bad. It will be an interesting offseason.

And I've been a huge Cutler fan but him being out is no excuse. In McCown's 4 starts he's been ridiculous, averaging 299 yards with 1.75 TD's and .25 INT's for a 100.2 rating. If Cutler posted these numbers I'd be thrilled. I'm not saying I think McCown is any kind of solution for Chicago at QB, but it's really making me rethink whether what Jay brings to the table is worth all the turnovers that come with it.

We will have to agree to disagree about the field goal. I think that Trestman blew it. But I will agree that there is blame to go around in this loss. This defense is atrocious. There have been injuries, but at this point of the season everyone is dealing with injuries. You said it will be an interesting offseason. I think that Emery has a much bigger chore ahead in rebuilding the defense than he had with the offensive line. At least on offense you had some good young players to build around. On defense your best players are Tillman and Briggs. Both are over 30, and Tillman is a free agent. Peppers actually played good in the Vikings game, but overall his play has dropped off dramatically. Peppers is not worth his $14 million salary. I don't think Emery can turn this defense in to an elite unit again next year, but I am hopeful he can make some good strides by signing a couple of free agents, cutting some dead wood, and drafting almost all defense in 2014.

I too have been a Cutler fan, but I am questioning what to do about Jay. I thought they would franchise him. I read today that Emery doesn't think franchising Jay is a good idea. Even if you sign Jay I would still draft a developmental QB in this next draft to hedge your bets. The turnovers you mentioned are troubling. But what is more troubling is Jay's inability to stay on the field. He has played 16 games once since coming to the Bears in what is now his fifth season. He played 16 once, and 15 twice. But this is the second season he has missed multiple games. If you look at the top QBs one thing they have in common is they don't miss time. Brees, Brady, Manning, and Rodgers have missed very little time. Rodgers is out now but prior to this he had missed two games since 2008 when he became the starter. Brady and Manning each missed a season, but never missed a game outside of that lost season. Brees missed one game since he became a Saint in 2006. Even the guys that have recently signed huge money deals, Romo, Flacco, and Ryan, all have stayed relatively healthy. Flacco and Ryan have never missed a game. The most injury prone of the top QBs is Roethlisberger. He has only played the entire season once since 2004. However, he has never missed more than four games, and he won two Super Bowls. Winning two Super Bowls wins you a lot of loyalty, despite the injuries. Cutler has won one playoff game in five years.

Honestly, looking at all this evidence, I let Jay go in free agency, draft a QB, and start the season with McCown as your starter. Jay isn't worth a $16 million franchise tag, and he isn't worth a $100 million contract. I think Trestman can be successful with an average QB. Save the money you would have paid Jay and look to rebuild the defense.

 

[ryno1980]

For those of you knocking Trestman for trying a FG on 2nd down I don't really understand that. It's in a dome, Gould is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and if Gould makes it the game is over. Coming into the game Gould had missed only 1 FG all year while going 5/5 on FG's of 47+ yards.

As for not running more plays I think the previous Vikings possession answered that. Did you not see the best RB in the NFL get stuffed for a 3 yard loss by the Bears defense resulting in a 57 yard FG attempt? Forte carried the ball 23 times Sunday and 6 of those resulted in no gain or lost yards (it could have been 7 but a 4 yard loss was negated by a Viking penalty). When you weigh your options I think the odds of a fumble or loss of yards trying to run another play is far greater than Gould missing a 47 yarder in a dome. I can't help but think the birth of his child changed the outcome.

That being said everyone has a share of the blame on this one. There is no one play that can win or lose a 60+ minute game. This defense is just so bad, like last year's offensive line bad. It will be an interesting offseason.

And I've been a huge Cutler fan but him being out is no excuse. In McCown's 4 starts he's been ridiculous, averaging 299 yards with 1.75 TD's and .25 INT's for a 100.2 rating. If Cutler posted these numbers I'd be thrilled. I'm not saying I think McCown is any kind of solution for Chicago at QB, but it's really making me rethink whether what Jay brings to the table is worth all the turnovers that come with it.

We will have to agree to disagree about the field goal. I think that Trestman blew it. But I will agree that there is blame to go around in this loss. This defense is atrocious. There have been injuries, but at this point of the season everyone is dealing with injuries. You said it will be an interesting offseason. I think that Emery has a much bigger chore ahead in rebuilding the defense than he had with the offensive line. At least on offense you had some good young players to build around. On defense your best players are Tillman and Briggs. Both are over 30, and Tillman is a free agent. Peppers actually played good in the Vikings game, but overall his play has dropped off dramatically. Peppers is not worth his $14 million salary. I don't think Emery can turn this defense in to an elite unit again next year, but I am hopeful he can make some good strides by signing a couple of free agents, cutting some dead wood, and drafting almost all defense in 2014.I too have been a Cutler fan, but I am questioning what to do about Jay. I thought they would franchise him. I read today that Emery doesn't think franchising Jay is a good idea. Even if you sign Jay I would still draft a developmental QB in this next draft to hedge your bets. The turnovers you mentioned are troubling. But what is more troubling is Jay's inability to stay on the field. He has played 16 games once since coming to the Bears in what is now his fifth season. He played 16 once, and 15 twice. But this is the second season he has missed multiple games. If you look at the top QBs one thing they have in common is they don't miss time. Brees, Brady, Manning, and Rodgers have missed very little time. Rodgers is out now but prior to this he had missed two games since 2008 when he became the starter. Brady and Manning each missed a season, but never missed a game outside of that lost season. Brees missed one game since he became a Saint in 2006. Even the guys that have recently signed huge money deals, Romo, Flacco, and Ryan, all have stayed relatively healthy. Flacco and Ryan have never missed a game. The most injury prone of the top QBs is Roethlisberger. He has only played the entire season once since 2004. However, he has never missed more than four games, and he won two Super Bowls. Winning two Super Bowls wins you a lot of loyalty, despite the injuries. Cutler has won one playoff game in five years.

Honestly, looking at all this evidence, I let Jay go in free agency, draft a QB, and start the season with McCown as your starter. Jay isn't worth a $16 million franchise tag, and he isn't worth a $100 million contract. I think Trestman can be successful with an average QB. Save the money you would have paid Jay and look to rebuild the defense.

You make a couple good arguments, but with the offensive talent in their prime, I don't want a rookie quarterback. I'd rather take my chances with cutlers potential to improve under trestman. Just re-sign mccown and know u have a safe backup.

 

[twistd]

For those of you knocking Trestman for trying a FG on 2nd down I don't really understand that. It's in a dome, Gould is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and if Gould makes it the game is over. Coming into the game Gould had missed only 1 FG all year while going 5/5 on FG's of 47+ yards.

As for not running more plays I think the previous Vikings possession answered that. Did you not see the best RB in the NFL get stuffed for a 3 yard loss by the Bears defense resulting in a 57 yard FG attempt? Forte carried the ball 23 times Sunday and 6 of those resulted in no gain or lost yards (it could have been 7 but a 4 yard loss was negated by a Viking penalty). When you weigh your options I think the odds of a fumble or loss of yards trying to run another play is far greater than Gould missing a 47 yarder in a dome. I can't help but think the birth of his child changed the outcome.

That being said everyone has a share of the blame on this one. There is no one play that can win or lose a 60+ minute game. This defense is just so bad, like last year's offensive line bad. It will be an interesting offseason.

And I've been a huge Cutler fan but him being out is no excuse. In McCown's 4 starts he's been ridiculous, averaging 299 yards with 1.75 TD's and .25 INT's for a 100.2 rating. If Cutler posted these numbers I'd be thrilled. I'm not saying I think McCown is any kind of solution for Chicago at QB, but it's really making me rethink whether what Jay brings to the table is worth all the turnovers that come with it.

We will have to agree to disagree about the field goal. I think that Trestman blew it. But I will agree that there is blame to go around in this loss. This defense is atrocious. There have been injuries, but at this point of the season everyone is dealing with injuries. You said it will be an interesting offseason. I think that Emery has a much bigger chore ahead in rebuilding the defense than he had with the offensive line. At least on offense you had some good young players to build around. On defense your best players are Tillman and Briggs. Both are over 30, and Tillman is a free agent. Peppers actually played good in the Vikings game, but overall his play has dropped off dramatically. Peppers is not worth his $14 million salary. I don't think Emery can turn this defense in to an elite unit again next year, but I am hopeful he can make some good strides by signing a couple of free agents, cutting some dead wood, and drafting almost all defense in 2014.I too have been a Cutler fan, but I am questioning what to do about Jay. I thought they would franchise him. I read today that Emery doesn't think franchising Jay is a good idea. Even if you sign Jay I would still draft a developmental QB in this next draft to hedge your bets. The turnovers you mentioned are troubling. But what is more troubling is Jay's inability to stay on the field. He has played 16 games once since coming to the Bears in what is now his fifth season. He played 16 once, and 15 twice. But this is the second season he has missed multiple games. If you look at the top QBs one thing they have in common is they don't miss time. Brees, Brady, Manning, and Rodgers have missed very little time. Rodgers is out now but prior to this he had missed two games since 2008 when he became the starter. Brady and Manning each missed a season, but never missed a game outside of that lost season. Brees missed one game since he became a Saint in 2006. Even the guys that have recently signed huge money deals, Romo, Flacco, and Ryan, all have stayed relatively healthy. Flacco and Ryan have never missed a game. The most injury prone of the top QBs is Roethlisberger. He has only played the entire season once since 2004. However, he has never missed more than four games, and he won two Super Bowls. Winning two Super Bowls wins you a lot of loyalty, despite the injuries. Cutler has won one playoff game in five years.

Honestly, looking at all this evidence, I let Jay go in free agency, draft a QB, and start the season with McCown as your starter. Jay isn't worth a $16 million franchise tag, and he isn't worth a $100 million contract. I think Trestman can be successful with an average QB. Save the money you would have paid Jay and look to rebuild the defense.

You make a couple good arguments, but with the offensive talent in their prime, I don't want a rookie quarterback. I'd rather take my chances with cutlers potential to improve under trestman. Just re-sign mccown and know u have a safe backup.

I believe if you resign Cutler you have pretty much assured that you won't go to the Super Bowl for many years. Cutler can't stay healthy and he just gives the ball away too much. But if they are determined to keep Cutler I would be more in favor of using the franchise tag on Cutler. Emery seems to be against that. He seems to think that the franchise tag will keep you from being able to sign other players. Apparently he hasn't looked at the long term contracts that quarterbacks have been signing lately.

I think with a long term contract Cutler is probably going to demand money like Ryan, Flacco and Romo got, or at least something close. Ryan got five years for $103 million and $59 million guaranteed. Romo got six years for $108 million and $55 million guaranteed. Flacco got 6 years for $120 million and $52 million in guarantees. So the least expensive of those three is Romo at $18 million a year. Even if Cutler is willing to take a little less I'd guess he won't take a lot less. So signing him to the franchise, if it is only $16.2 million, is a better deal. He is going to command that much a year on a long term contract, plus the guaranteed money which would have to be at least $40 to $45 million. Franchise him and if he stays healthy for the year explore a long term contract.

 

[RBM]

Very tough decision. He definitely has no business asking for the same amount of money as the Ryans and Romos and Flaccos. He doesn't have the reg season production or the postseason wins to warrant it.

But, right now this offense can hang with any in the league. Forte and Marshall are getting up there but the Alshon breakout is promising and it's not as hard to find a productive rb.

And then how early are we willing to draft a qb? At the expense of a possible contributor on D?

Unfortunately I don't see anyway we put a playoff caliber D on the field, to coincide with a Cutler/Forte/Marshall led offense.

 

[twistd]

Very tough decision. He definitely has no business asking for the same amount of money as the Ryans and Romos and Flaccos. He doesn't have the reg season production or the postseason wins to warrant it.

But, right now this offense can hang with any in the league. Forte and Marshall are getting up there but the Alshon breakout is promising and it's not as hard to find a productive rb.

And then how early are we willing to draft a qb? At the expense of a possible contributor on D?

Unfortunately I don't see anyway we put a playoff caliber D on the field, to coincide with a Cutler/Forte/Marshall led offense.

I agree with you. I don't think Cutler should be asking for the money that Romo, Flacco or Ryan got. But do you think that Flacco deserved to get more money than Brees? I don't think Flacco is anywhere near the QB that Brees is. There is the elite group of QBs, Brees, Rodgers, Peyton, and Brady, and they there is a pretty sizable drop off. But Romo, Flacco, and Ryan all got close to, if not more than Brees. If Cutler were to hit free agency I can guarantee that there is a team that would not hesitate to sign him to a $20 million a year contract. You look at the teams that need a QB, Minnesota, Cleveland, the Jets, Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tennessee. One of those teams would step up and give Cutler that money. So whether we believe he is worth it or not, someone would be willing to pay him that.

The best case scenario in my mind would be for the Bears to tag Cutler, or sign him to a long term contract and trade him. They should be able to get a first for him. The teams that would have an interest are drafting at the top of the draft. Then use one of those first round picks for a QB. I think Trestman can get very good production out of journeyman QBs, like McCown, or maybe Matt Cassell. Let those guys play while you develop your rookie. Or throw the rookie out there. I think Trestman could draft and effectively develop a rookie.

What will probably happen is the Bears will sign Cutler to a long term contract structured like Flacco's. So he will be safe for the first three years and then his escalating cap number will require you to either renegotiate or cut him. I think we will watch Cutler do what he has done, give the ball away too much, and struggle to stay on the field. We will watch that for three years until the Bears finally tire of it and start fresh with someone new. Cutler getting hurt once again has really soured me on Cutler. That and his expiring contract make me ready for them to go a different direction.

 

[Statcruncher]

This is pure speculation, but I've noticed a trend of people saying sign X to a X year contract and cut him after X years. I get the feeling that that is not the way Emery wants to operate. IMO he's far to intelligent to cripple his cap in future years by accelerating signing bonuses. I may be wrong, but unlike Angelo I think every contract Emery hands out he expects to run the full length.

 

[The Tick]

I actually didn't think Angelo was too bad with that was he? I thought most of our players played their contracts through without crippling the team. The only glaring exception to that is Peppers right now. Am I missing some big ones?

As far as Cutler, I would not be willing to pay him 20/year, but I don't think he is going to demand that much. He wants Marshall resigned, he wants to stay in a powerful offense and win, so I think he comes back at decently less than that 15-17/year range. If he comes down to that, I think we sign him and hope with the more stable offense he continues to improve like he started to this year. If he truly thinks he should be making what those guys are, then I'm ready to move on.

I would not use the franchise tag, either we've seen enough to want him or we haven't, just make the decision and try to work a contract.

I also don't see the sign and trade happening, maybe franchise and trade, but not a whole new contract.