I've never seen anything like Devin Hester. Neither have you. We haven't seen anything like Devin Hester because there's never been anything like Devin Hester. He's the most exciting player to ever wear the the navy and burnt. And as far as I'm concerned he's the best player in the National Football League. Don't agree? Name me another player in the league at his current position in the league who is clearly the greatest to ever play that position. You can't. Hester's the greatest return man in league history. The numbers are staggering. We just have to thank God organizations keep employing coaches like Herm Edwards so folks will keep kicking him the ball.
Hester saved a Bears offense that besiders mustering one nice drive and a relieving (if under-exciting) hundred yard game from Cedric Benson, still can't get out of its own way. The offensive line is about as protective as an expired condom and looks overwhelmed by any blitz package created post-1952. Once the pressure comes, the quarterback makes "mental midget" look like a line for the movie poster, heaving balls into places they have no business going and missing open receivers on the sideline but what looks like miles on television. And because #8 wasn't enough of a turnover machine, the Bears have coverted the Second City into Fumbletown USA - electing Bernard Berrian its third mayor.
Sure the Bears won yesterday but you try and get me excited about it. They won due to football heroics that can't be counted on for a full season. A defense that's held the league's two best rushers to nothing in back-to-back weeks can't hold up staying on the field this long. A special teams unit so good, even the place kicker can drop a punt inside the twenty. When the Chicago Bears needed their offense to mount one, one, ONE fourth quarter drive to put this game away, Muhsin Muhammad let a sure first down fall through his fingers. You can play like this and beat bad teams. The Chiefs are certainly that. The team is better Sunday.
You know I heard a lot about the Bears involving Devin Hester on offense. I didn't know it meant the rest of the offense wouldn't be involved.
#2 jdawg said . . .First!
I got nothin
September 17, 2007
#3 Midway Monster said . . .Actually I've got something.
Yes, Hester's a freak.
The offense is in a funk, or funky, or has a funky smell.
What gives? Is Rex really mediocre -- as opposed to awesome or horrible?
Is our o-line really not getting the job done. Perhaps suffering from not playing together as a unit until the SD game?
Are our rookies on O green, including Hester? Is the play telegraphed to the opponents D when either Wolfe or Hester enters the game?
Should Grossman's head still be attached to his body after the first two games.
Are our receivers kind of sucky sometimes?
Can anybody pick up the blitz
Well, we’re going to just have to let the season unfold, like a beautiful flower.
September 17, 2007
#4 Max said . . .I guess the next best thing to Hester would have been Billy 'White Shoes" Johnson from a long long time ago. Give the man the e-game ball!
As for the O. You gotta believe that Lovie is banging his head against the wall and knows he needs to fix this, he just doesn't show it. I'd expect they all know they are dodging close ones and need to pull it together.
Lovie- I'm backing you. Big game this week bud, time to earn a pay check.
--Midway--
September 17, 2007
#5 StartOlsen said . . .Jeff, i agree with everything you said, only one minor correction, you said the D couldnt staying on the field for that long, but we actually held the ball more than the Chiefs did, 31:13-28:47. not a huge advantage, but at least something. But your right about everything else.
big game this week. . . big game. This is the real test in my mind.
September 17, 2007
#6 jeff said . . .HESTER = BARRY BONDS.
(Without the 'roids, obviously)The obvious analogy? Nobody would pitch to Bonds. From here out, nobody will be stupid enough to kick to Hester.
Memo to Ron: get him the fucking ball.
September 17, 2007
#7 jeff said . . .it's not the time of possession i'm worried about. the offense should have 2-to-1'd time of possession. and the more times you put the defense out there, the the better chance someone gets their ankle rolled up on.
September 17, 2007
#8 Al in WI said . . .it's not the time of possession i'm worried about. the offense should have 2-to-1'd time of possession. and the more times you put the defense out there, the the better chance someone gets their ankle rolled up on.
September 17, 2007
#9 chitownfan23 said . . .A really balanced post, I'd have to agree with most of it. I'm especially thankful Jeff, that you included the rest of the offensive team in the criticism. Too often the last two seasons they have gotten a pass while everything has been dropped on Grossman.
I'm wondering a couple of things; is the reason the offense has been so conservative a result of having run quicker routes because of the lack of protection, or because we've had to put fewer wideouts in the pattern due to lack of trust in the backs to pick up the blitz? Just a thought.September 17, 2007
#10 Coxy said . . .Can anyone just tell this guy to step into a throw? I wish Lovie could figure out that he's trying to back peddle to the bench!
September 17, 2007
#11 big rob said . . .Last year is a over. Rex has had one bad half of football. He played fine the first game and did not have a chance at all. First half of last game he played very well. One bad half so far. If he plays against Dallas and Detroit like he did against the Chiefs, fine bench him. I dont think the replacement will be better but at least it will get all of you to stop crying. Then it will be mine and PO'd turn to bitch about the QB.
September 17, 2007
#12 jdawg said . . .I am just gonna get right down to it....
I have been a Bears fan all of my life, through thick and many thin years. I love this Bears team probably more than any other in my life. BUT for some reason we just can't get the fucking job done on offense. Last year Rex was basically new to the league and came out firing, but other than a few games against not so great teams late in the year he looked like shit, basically they figured him out...... And now this year he is continuing his shitfest of play....
I look at other teams offenses i.e. Dallas... I hate fucking Dallas..... And I sit and watch Tony Romo picking teams apart for 3-4 TD's a game.... I guess what I am getting at is our offensive schemes aren't made for the talent that I want to believe that we have..... That I know we have(Hester, BB, RD, Moose, Des, & GO). Arguably a very talented group of recievers. And it looks like we are running a HS playbook for godsakes....
I guess I am just confused as to why the Bears offense with so many damn weapons hasn't been able to do shit with the football... And I feel like its just not Rex or Ron.... But everything about this offense.... The whole system is fucked.....
Sorry for the rant.... It just really pisses me off that we are not putting up 35-40pts against the Chiefs.....
Hope we get this shit figured out real soon....
Go Bears!!!
September 17, 2007
#13 mikebdot said . . .I think we think too much of our receivers.
Moose droppings
FumblesLet's crown Romo after next week, if he has a good week.
Its early in the fucking season. We'll see how things pan out. I think the running game will improve. I think that the additions on offense will eventually pan out (Hester, Wolfe, Olsen).
As far as Grossman's concerned, who knows? Maybe he's a broken man. Maybe he's had a couple bad quarters. Maybe we'll see Griese soon than later. Maybe he'll light it up against a hurting Dallas D.
September 18, 2007
#14 StartOlsen said . . .I am thoroughly convinced that Rashied Davis sucks. I hope at some point this season Mike Hass gets a chance to get in there and run some actual crisp routes. Davis just seems very lazy out there.
As for the screen pass pick, it certainly looked as though they didn't practice that play well. I'm sure they practiced it, but they obviously didn't really scare Rex using Urlacher or someone to really breath down his neck. It also looked like Wolfe stopped running forward and went towards the left, so perhaps Rex thought he was going to be somewhere else. Our blockers are also slow as hell, which was the reason Wolfe couldn't advance forward any more, because there was a big damn slow ass lineman standing in front of him. There shouldn't be any screen passes in this team's playbook as you just allow defenders to run free at the quarterback after a second or two of standing them up, but when you don't ever fucking stand them up it makes it difficult to run the screen pass since they're pretty much running after Rex untouched. It's like giving raw meat to a lion.
The Hester "screen" should be permanently removed from the playbook, forever.
I really hope Turner is just playing possum for our division foes, but I really think he's a "mental midget" and incapable of such a cunning plan...
That's not to say the two Rex picks weren't bad passes, they certainly were, but it just doesn't look like there is any flow on this offense.
I'm thinking some of this is due to Olsen being missing. There is some amount of hope there too.
I also considered the possibility that San Diego game planned for us all summer and forgot to think about NE. That's just a homer thought though.
The defense was tremendous with the exception of those two drives, one with the illegal shift calling back the TD (on a flea flicker) and the one that ended in an INT. We really need to start considering trick plays against us. There WILL be a fake punt or field goal in the near future. But, like I said, KC had a ton of 3 and outs and that is nice, especially when we get Olsen back...
September 18, 2007
#15 Decatur Staleys # 7 said . . .Here is the saddest statement Ive ever had to make about my team:
I privately hope they don't go to the show this year.
Before you crucify me, rightly, hear me out. We were clearly not as good as the Chargers. The Chargers are nowhere near the class of the Patriots.
The Patriots will absolutely roll whatever NFC team comes out of a weak field this year. We could easily win the NFC.
However, I don't want to be on the wrong side of a 55-10 type beating, and boys, be honest, that would likely happen.
I don't want to be the team that lost back to back Bowls.There, I said probably the lamest, most negative shit I have ever said. Hang me now and put me out of my misery.
September 18, 2007
#16 Megan said . . .Well I've tried to stay out of the love/hate Rex fest.
But for the haters,This is Rex's contract year.If he doesn't step up an improve his play,You can throw a parade when he boards the plane to leave for his next new team.
If Rex's improve then you'll have to learn to love him with all his warts.
I don't know what would be a good stat line to appease the masses(20-35 270yds 2 TD's 1 int 158 qb rating?)
But I know most QB in this league don't shine every sunday,But they still find a way to win or not lose a game.
Rex hasn't lose us a game this season,But he has given our D a lead to hold.Every week can't be a 30 pt lead an win.Sometime it going to be 10 an you have to make it stick.
Have other QB's preform well yes,I'm sure we're not looking to bring Derek Anderson in to QB this team because he had a good game,Your going have to judge Rex for a whole Season or 2 before you can really say the kid has it or not.For me the jury still out,By mid season I sure you then can gauge if he's the next Farve or Couch.
But by all mean everybody has a right to their own asessment about Rex.
I'm just going to take the win an move on.
Reason I still blame Ron Turner alot is because I feel he doesn't do anything to keep keep other teams off balance,I feel he still calls plays like Kramer is still here.If he's such a offenseive guru,Why does it seem every week his game plans seem so vanilla.Some can blame Rex but it starts from the top an trickles down.This week it the Cowgirls,An as Lovie would say"We'll go from there"
September 18, 2007
#17 Megan said . . .It bugged the crap out of me that we could barely get any first downs. I couldn't believe how easily our O-line was penetrated thus, the condom analogy. We need some serious protection up there. What happened to the O-Line, somebody posted previously that they aged in dogyears during the off-season? Why were we stuggling so hard against the Chiefs?
September 18, 2007
#18 Megan said . . .It bugged the crap out of me that we could barely get any first downs. I couldn't believe how easily our O-line was penetrated thus, the condom analogy. We need some serious protection up there. What happened to the O-Line, somebody posted previously that they aged in dogyears during the off-season? Why were we stuggling so hard against the Chiefs?
September 18, 2007
#19 Jimbo said . . .I did NOT hit that twice, why did it post twice? Sorry 'bout that gang.
September 18, 2007
#20 Al in WI said . . .Good posts Pissed Off and Jeff. Agree with the need to focus on the positives but not deny serious negatives exist.
Went to the game and need to sound off. I sat in 104, row 19. The last row on the lowest level. These were going to be the best seats I ever had, or so I thought.
They sucked. I felt like I was watching the game in a tunnel. The concrete overhang from the Cadillac Club was just too much.
Long story short. The Grandstand is absolutely where it's at. Better breed of fan. Better view. FYI.
Go Bears.
September 18, 2007
#21 Jimbo said . . .Jdawg, you are on to something with your comments about the recievers. I think far too many people have much more faith in our wideouts than is justified by preformance.
It gets back to what I stated in my first comment on this thread #8. Too often when the offense struggles all the blame is placed on one guy, Grossman. Overlooked is the play of the line, backs, wideouts, and tight ends. That is just too simplistic for me, and I'm glad Jeff didn't do that with this post. Remember how when Rex was terrible against Green Bay, and then Griese came in and was just as bad? That suggested to me that there is more at play here than just Rex. Our recievers can be, and have been, just as inconsistant. Mushin Muhammad has now played 2 plus seasons in Chicago, and has been a complete bust for what he was brought in for. He is not a #1 reciever, he doesn't get open, he doesn't go deep, and he drops too many passes. But does he get any heat? No. It's time for him to move to #3 and let Bradley have a shot to make some plays down field. He's overrated too, but they need to try something.
September 18, 2007
#22 'nuff said . . .About blaming the entire offense and not just Grossman... I'm not sure you can travel too far down that road before you hit a wall. Maybe for the two games this year, the others have been suspect. But last year, the table was set and all we needed was the steak. We'll see how it plays out this year.
September 18, 2007
#23 jdawg said . . .http://www.molyworld.net/aa/aabufgriz.htm
Go ahead, click it mu'fuckers. Click it. There's the pic, straight up. The Buff buff chasin' off the Grizzly. That's a bear if none of you mu'fuckers know what a Grizzly is. The poor grizzly bear runnin' away from the big bad, mu'fuckin' Buffalo Bill.
Buff's takin' it all, po po.
September 18, 2007
#24 jdawg said . . .I don't think we play the Bills this year.
Hey Nuff. Check out the great film Buffalo 66. Its all about the Bills, in a way.
BTW, your ID doesn't say McLovin, does it?
September 18, 2007
#25 jdawg said . . .I meant to spell that McLuvin, I think.
September 18, 2007
#26 big rob said . . .I meant to spell that McLuvin, I think.
September 18, 2007
#27 jdawg said . . .you were right McLovin.....
http://deezteez.com/menstshirts/i-am-mclovin-superbad-tee-shirt_147.html
September 18, 2007
#28 big rob said . . .Big Rob,
I declare you awesome-0
September 18, 2007
#29 Z said . . .thank you sir!
September 18, 2007
#30 Z said . . .A Win- Yeah. A convincing win- Certainly Naught. I definitely didn't think KC's D would give us so many problems on top of the ones we created 4 ourselves. A lot of improvement to be made on offense all around.
Would we win against NE, IND or SD right now, probably not. Will we face any of those teams unless it is in the big game, No.
Even right now with our O, I think with this D and ST we can battle with anyone on our schedule and any potential NFC playoff team and there is a lot of room for improvement on O as everyone is explaining on here.
Our D except for 2 series was just nasty (if we keep stopping the premier RB's in this league and stay as aggressive and attacking as we have been we shouldn't need too much more from the O (but definitely some). I love Babich's style. Maybe we should let him coordinate both sides of the ball and double his pay.
Especially with a ST (Is it possible that #23 could have 10 ST TD's in a season) that will score more than some opponents O or close against our D. I still believe 12-4 or 13-3 and another SB appearance and I will glady take the chance of getting crushed in the big game. We lost by 12 last year to a great team and we played bad. The D did too.
September 18, 2007
#31 StartOlsen said . . .There is plenty of blame all around for the general lackluster play of our O, starting from the top down, except maybe Olin and maybe Hester and Bradley who haven't really had a chance (As said in an earlier thread, Hetser needs to be used like Reggie Bush, put in for half a drive so that the D has to account 4 him and someone else gets open or they eventually forget about him and he can hurt you).
RT did impress with the St. Clair play but generally called another plain, vanilla game. You have to throw downfield once in awhile or any NFL D will eventually gear up for the short passes and get a pick and slow down the run. Try it to someone fast like BB or Devin (isn't Bradley pretty fast as well, worth a shot). A reverse to Hester or something funky, go on Ron take a chance.
Rex hasn't been too terrible (good 1st half, I still think he will get better as the year goes on [those two picks were pretty awful, over the middle u got to zing it in there and the screen should never be thrown too far forward over everybody's heads], he definitely had that deer in headlights look 4 awhile in the second half but any QB would have been lit up on Sun.
The O-line needs to gel and get some holes opened up 4 the RB's and buy Rex some more time (I hope it is more rust than showing age, which I think it is).
The RB's have to pick up the blitz and hang on to the rock. I definfitely won't bitch about 101 yds and a catch and AP needs more time in as a change of pace for Ced and had 3 nice catches. I would rather see Hester get the extra touches than Wolfe.
The receivers have been eh.., BB has been catching them but a few plays off the 1st 2 games and the fumble I didn't see (stupid CIN/CLE game) don't help, Moose dropped an easy one and has been pretty invisible, 9 catches between BB, Moose and Davies is not going to cut it. Did Bradley play a single down?
Clark was pretty solid and I think Olsen coming in will give Rex a reliable option that should help stretch the field, but we need to throw downfield to open things up for the short passes and the running game. How is Olsen doing, is he almost ready?
I agree with any play that gets the ball into Devin Hester's hands, he just makes everyone look like they are running in quicksand trying to catch him.
We need some work but many NFC teams look rougher out of the gate including NO and PHI at 0-2 who I thought would go deep into the playoffs and the Rams who I thought might sneak into the playoffs. Only 1% of teams starting 0-2 have ever made the playoffs. And to the GB fans pretending to be Bears fans, I hope you guys squirm into the playoffs after we have our spot all locked up. I would love nothing more than to send #4 into retirement with a playoff loss to the Bears at Soldier Field. Bring on the Cowboys and lets see what we are made of.
I have the longest posts ever, sorry, I have no self control!! It probably won't start tonight and tomorrow isn't looking too good either. (The break it into 2 posts to make it look like less didn't work at all)
September 18, 2007
#32 Max said . . .Z you are right, I would take any shot at the big game again. I am just letting all the negative posts depress me. We win and all I hear is 1. we still suck and 2. now we play the "mighty" cowboys. I need a big game to shake me out of my funk. I need the O to emerge- whether it is a string of nice games from Rex, or Ced, or somehow finding 5-10 touches a game for Hester.
Bear Down, kill the hated cowboys. Is it Sunday yet?September 18, 2007
#33 Z said . . .While I dont think Rashied did that bad of a job, i have to admit i might be slightly biased. But he had what, 3 catches for 20 yards? not terrible for the third receiver. And im not sure how he is not running crisp routes. . .? but then i havent gotten the chance to go back and look at Rex's second pick that was intended for Rashied, so maybe it was his fault, i cant say with any certainty.
That said, I think Bradley would probably be a better option and spread the field more than Rashied can. He is bigger and faster and the only thing keeping outa of that role was the fact he was hurt.
Again, all i can say is, I can't wait till sunday. Big, big game.
September 18, 2007
#34 Decatur Staleys #7 said . . .Oh and I do feel Rex is the best QB on our team and gives us the best chance to win but he has to identify the blitz coming and call that out. The QB is most responsible 4 that and he can help reduce his pounding considerably if he can develop that part of his game. And no matter how many people are coming to light him up, he has to set his feet. No throws off the back anything, ever. If he starts that against Dallas, a previous idea in a thread a few months ago about a certain cattle prod as a deterrance from said back steppin and chucking may be necessary to zap that into his brain to never ever, ever ever, ever ever do that again. Ever
GO BEARS
September 18, 2007
#35 mikebdot said . . .For those wondering about Bradley.Lovie said this
"I mean, Mark's our fifth receiver," Smith said. "It's hard to talk about where the fifth receiver fits in. No team in the country can talk about where the fifth receiver fits in. Mark's one of our guys who will dress. He'll get some occasional plays. And we'll go from there.
Is he in the doghouse or does Hester an Davis play that much better?
September 18, 2007
#36 Phil from SATX said . . .I don't understand why Hester is the 4th receiver. It makes no sense. If they don't use him as a receiver rather than a gimmick, what's the point of even having him on the roster as a receiver? They could have called him a CB still and it wouldn't have mattered. Mark Bradley should be 4, unless he just isn't playing well in practice, which I just can't believe.
That statement just really pisses me off, unless it's an underhanded knock on Turner for not calling his number...but Turner might not "get" it. Stupid SOB.
September 18, 2007
#37 jdawg said . . .Okay, now I'm worried. That is some stupid shit if they're saying Bradley is the 5th receiver. I sure hope the media is doing a little probing here, because it's getting curiouser and curiouser. Hester has proven NOTHING as a receiver. And don't we think that Hester would be better used in a less complicated position - say being handed the ball? I just watched highlights this morning and saw Steve Smith (who obviously is one of or the best receivers in the league) take a handoff and take it to the house. Why not use Hester this way? Rex may throw picks wantonly but he can hand off pretty good, right?
Bradley maybe slept with Lovie's daughter, wife, or something? He looked close to unstoppable in training camp.
W T F
I agree about being worried about receivers, but they're such intertwined parts between them and the QB, how do you discern who's causing what? On the other hand, I have seen Rex make complete bonehead plays, so I know HE's got issues. I won't say it's their fault until I can determine it's not Rex's.
Also, I agree we need downfield throws. Here's the problem - this year, unlike last year, the downfield throws have not been CLOSE. It's like Rex just heaves it up and if the ball and receiver come close it looks like random chance. I like a previous post (jdawg's maybe) about Lovie spritzing Rex's neck and pulling him back but that doesn't seem to account for why this year he has no downfield chemistry with receivers.
I am worried.
September 18, 2007
#38 Phil from SATX said . . .It could be either Bradley dogs it in practice or he doesn't like to run block
September 18, 2007
#39 Pissed Off said . . .Went and read the Lovie interview in the Trib today. I think there's some very interesting stuff in there, reading between the lines. I get the distinct feeling that Lovie is not happy with RT (nor should he be). Let's remember that the offensive coordinator is not just responsible for the game plan and play calling, he is responsible for getting the entire offense ready for the season. This squad does not look like it's ready for the season.
He says of the offense "Right now I'm going to say as an entire operation, we're just not there."
He does not single out Grossman, but he does say "It's a little too early to say 'This happened last year,' and then start judging it based on what's happened after two games. I'd say give us a little more time. Hopefully it'll be this week."
That's a lot different than last year - he's saying he will be judging, and I think he's even indicating that this week will be important in evaluating what goes on in the future.
Now of course I may be reading too much into this, but I do want to ask - is an offensive coordinator ever fired mid-year?
This offense is not ready.
September 18, 2007
#40 Coxy said . . .I'll have to go thru and read all the posts later today but I'll respond to Jeffs thread by saying that I think too much pressure = doom for any QB. If he consistently had time Sunday things would have been different. In SD he was fine, we just played a good defense. And dont give me the shit about how SD gave up so many points to New England cuz games at home for elite teams is a different story, had SD come to Chicago last week, I think we win.
I think the used condom analogy fits well, no pun intended. I'm not giving Rex a pass here but damn, he needs a bit more time. Theres nothing I can say that hasnt been said already about #8 or #23 for that matter. But we ARE going to win Sunday night, maybe with a break out game from Rex, maybe an average game, I dont care but we'll win.
September 18, 2007
#41 Phil from SATX said . . .Phil, I dont know about the firing of a guy midyear, but I have to agree with you on how Lovie sees the offense. He is a defensive guy, he put together his baby (the D) which is super bowl quality. He has to see the O as the redheaded stepchild that may ruin everything. Luckily I think he is smarter than saying anything about this, but I am sure he does not like Turner.
Once our line, backs, and Qb, can recognize a blitz and pick it up the offense will start looking great. The deep ball will open up again and it wont be a blind heave from Rex off the back foot. I hope it is not age that is the reason for our futility against vanilla blitz packages. Also hope it is not a lack of TJ.
Some other random thoughts. I like Wolfe, but keep him off the field. Everybody knows he's not there yet. If I was the opposition, I would spy him with a linebacker bc you know he is not going to stay in to block or be handed the ball. He is going to catch a pass out of the backfield with blockers in front. Just too predictable.
Bradley - Someone said it before, but if his coaches dont put him in, then he is not better than the others. Yes, I agree that Moose's only role on this team is cheerleader for Grossman at this point, and Davis has seemed "just there". And the playcalls have not allowed Hester to be anything but a decoy, but there's a reason Bradley is not in there, so we cant speculate. Either lazy or slept with Mrs. Turner as someone said earlier.
September 18, 2007
#42 Phil from SATX said . . .Neither of Rex's two interceptions had ANYTHING to do with pass rush. That's why they were so disturbing. He had time on the screen pass and he had OODLES of time on the Davis interception. His sacks, yes, but not his interceptions.
And Lovie said "When you get a 17-0 lead, sometimes you can relax a little bit and not play as well as you need to. And that's what we did."
Gotta disagree with you there Lovie because you were talking about the offense, not the defense. The offense took the field with only a 10 point lead in the second half and looked anything but relaxed. Rex looked tight, and inexplicably so - he should have been relaxed because Devin Hester had handed the team 10 points. (so far this year - Devin - 10 Offense 13 - not so good).
September 18, 2007
#43 Mike said . . .Coxy, that was an excellent post. You bring up a great point about Lovie - think about it from his perspective - he has delivered on his side of the ball, but the offense is making the team look stupid. He's got to be livid. And you're right, he's too smart to let us know, but I bet everybody on that side of the ball is on the hot seat - whatever that means when you're in the midst of the season already.
Your point about Wolfe is well taken too - and brings up the overall point about maturity and experience potentially being an issue in this offense - we've got 2nd year Rex, 1 1/2 year Ced, little used AP, new Wolfe, new Hester, new Olsen whenever he gets here - not a whole lot of collective experience at the skill positions. And of our experienced folks, only Des Clark is delivering so far - Muhammed should be ashamed of himself.
They all better grow up in a hurry.
September 18, 2007
#44 Mike said . . .This we know....
A. The offense line is a high mileage model and certainly beyond its peak playing ability as a unit. This should come as no surprise, and I'm sure Angelo and Lovie would agree. The question is does this unit have enough left in the tank to do a reasonably acceptable job for one more season. So far, my answer would be no. Fred Miller looks like he's done. Roberto Garza (the youngest of the bunch) hasn't looked good, perhaps because Miller is crumbling beside him. We had better hope and pray that John Tait and Ruben Brown hold up.
B. Rex Grossman isn't a good QB. Objective ranking of NFL starting QBs would put him in the bottom one-third of signal callers in this league.
C. The wide receiver corp is, in all likelihood, overrated. Bernard Berrian is the best by a big margin, but even he is prone to mistakes. Mushin Muhummad started slowing down last year, but still is easily the second best on this roster. Mark Bradley has vaporized. Rashid Davies is a project and classic definition of 4th or 5th type receiver.
D. Cedric Benson is no Thomas Jones when it comes to catching the ball out of the backfield. The Bears really miss that dimension of the offense. Especially Grossman, who desperately needs a "safe" outlet valve during certain plays.
Overall assessment? In the land of parity that is the NFL, the Bears are not a guarantee to make the playoffs. I think they will, but it is no guarantee. The defense and special teams can only take you so far.
This is why I'd like to see Brian Griese take the reins. Griese is certainly no ball of fire, but he is talented and savvy enough to run an offense that chews the clock, minimizes mistakes, and can score a couple touchdowns in complement to Robbie Gould, Devin Hester, the special teams unit and of course the defense.
September 18, 2007
#45 Midway Monster said . . .And another thing....
For the time being, the notion of weaving Devin Hester into the offense needs to be abandoned. Grossman is already too fucking overwhelmed. Let him try and get comfortable with Bernard Berrian, Mushin Muhammed, Rashied Davis and the tight ends in the passing game. And let Cedric Benson get into the routine of carrying the football 20 times a game.
Right now, the whole Devin Hester and Garrett Wolfe thing is too much for the mental midget.
September 18, 2007
#46 Al in WI said . . .::Geeze:: here is an e-slap in the face!
You guys all sound like you're ready to mail it in for the season. Yeah, I agree that we have some big problems- but heck, we have a lot of good here also.
We have a good defense that can be a damn good defense if they do not have to be on the field all the time. We have good special team units and if you count "Mr Flash" Hester we are damn good as well. As for the O: they played at a high level last year and all Lovie really needs is to find that mix in play calls that opens it up. Yah, so far we're not successful (tho we are 1-1), and yeah, we may need to abandon the "power it" mentality and look for more of a west coast look/feel. Either way I am backing them come hell or high water. If it ends up I am the last one holding onto optimism, so be it (hey, I am out of rehab so I am invigorated).
It's "Beat Dallas week", catch the wave!
--Midway--
September 18, 2007
#47 Phil from SATX said . . .Hub Arkush on the Score Monday with Murph.
Murph: How much upside do you see for Rex Grossman?
Hub: He's made some strides, and he's close but until we get him some NFL caliber recievers you can't really tell. He's really held back by that right now.
Interersting.September 18, 2007
#48 Mike said . . .You know Mike, the more you post the more I find myself agreeing with you. But you still have some stubborn blind spots. You keep insisting Cedric can't catch the ball out of the backfield. That's simply not true. It is true that Thomas Jones caught many more than Ced last year - 46 to 11 looks like, and is, a huge disparity - but TJ was in there more than Ced (nearly double the carries). Ced may not have the world's greatest hands as a receiver but he was considered a "better than average" receiver coming out of the draft. Scouting reports also said that not enough is known about him in pass protection because the Longhorns didn't ask him to do it very often. Which probably explains his less than stellar abilities in this area.
Thomas had great hands, but give Ced a chance too.
September 18, 2007
#49 Mike said . . .I respect Hub Arkush's knowledge. Interesting that he shares the growing opinion that our receiver corps is weak. It is very revealing (to me at least) that Mark Bradley is now # 5 on the depth chart, behind two big-time projects in Devin Hester and Rashied Davis. Speaks incredibly poorly on Bradley.
I also think that ridiculous expectations have been heaped on Greg Olson by Bear fans. We're talking about a rookie. I don't care how wondrous he looked during training camp and in preseason games. Once the season starts it's a whole different ballgame. Hopefully Olson will be a positive addition. But I wouldn't expect much his rookie season, especially for a team that's never embraced the tight end position a great deal.
September 18, 2007
#50 Bill said . . .Phil, the Bears have loads of problems on offense. But I will acknowledge that Cedric Benson isn't one of the most pressing concerns. Like I've renumerated before, I've resigned myself to the fact that Benson is what he is. If he can carry the football 20 times a game, rush 75 plus yards a game and hang onto the football then he will be doing his job. But Il maintain the Bears sorely miss the dimension of a running back who can be significantly engaged in the short passing game. Maybe Jason McKie can fill this void?!? Maybe the addition of Greg Olson will help matters?!? Maybe Des Clark can get the ball more?!?
September 18, 2007
#51 Mike said . . .Hub's commnet is intriguing. I think he is right - part of what is slowing Rex's development is he has no reliabel go to guy. Hopefully it will be Olsen.
Doesn't excuse the dumb picks though. Frankly, it seems to me that he loses focus once things start going good. The second half had all the markings of a guy who thought he was mopping up already in the 3Q just because the dominated in the first half.
September 18, 2007
#52 Don K. Balls said . . .Rex Grossman has been in this league 5 years. He is far from being a newbie. He's participated in 5 offseason programs, 5 training camps and is playing his 5th NFL season. When he was out with injury he still was reporting to Halas Hall everyday and working and learning. So lets stop with this "inexperienced" bullshit. Grossman is no good, period. And the problems the Bears have on the o-line and at wide receiver should by no means distract from Grossman's deficiencies. Put him behind center in New England and he might do marginally better, but he still would be sub-par NFL QB.
September 18, 2007
#53 jdawg said . . .Interesting the debate about the wide receivers. During day one of the NFL draft, we learned that Jerry Angelo had his eyes on a wide receiver in the first round before taking Greg Olson. People thought that was sort of strange. But now? The problem with the offense is that there is no shining offensive strength to overcome the deficiencies at QB, RB, WR or the o-line. For example, if we had a brilliant RB like a LaDainian Tomlinson or Larry Johnson, then weakness at QB would be neutralized to a degree.
This is going to be a trying year unless something positive happens to this offense that I can't currently envision.
September 18, 2007
#54 Bill said . . .Hub has been saying the same thing about the receivers since the beginning of last year.
I think part of the problem is they counted on running a 2 TE set with Olsen and did that a lot when the first team O was in there in the preseason. Now that Olsen is hurt it seems they're scrambling a bit.
We'll see what the O looks like against Dallas. Unfortunately I think Grossman's going to have to have the game of his life with 60,000 Bears fans booing the hell out of him.
September 18, 2007
#55 Bill said . . .Carol Slezak in the Sun-Times today:
"Am I the only person who wonders why Ron Turner and his staff seem unable to come up with a plan to counter the opponents' defensive tendencies? It can't all fall on Grossman's shoulders, can it? Defensive coordinators around the league must love to game-plan for the Bears because they're so predictable. "She goes to argue that since the Arizona game last year, Turner pulled in the reins too much on Grossman; trying to make him too conservative. It's made Rex uncomfortable and hasn't cut back on the turnovers. As many people have been saying - Griese or Orton could do the job they are asking Rex to do.
Rex seems shaken somewhat - and maybe the only way to unshake him is to let him loose. He seems to have lost his cockiness and that's not good.
Lovie said that we can't judge Rex yet after only two games, but then said we have to get into the first quarter of the season a bit before doing that. Well, maybe I'm reading way too much in that, bu tthe first quarter of the season is only four games. "Getting into it a bit" would mean sometime before it's over. So does that mean Rex essentially has one more game? I doubt Lovie is going to pull the plug that soon - maybe he just meant the time to consider the issue would be after game three or four.
I wish it was clear what the issue is - but I'm seriously thinking it's Turner.
I doubt that - cleartly Lovie
September 18, 2007
#56 Mike said . . .Sorry for the sloppy editing - the last line shoudl have been deleted.
September 18, 2007
#57 Phil from SATX said . . .Good grief. I for the life of me do not understand the incessant bashing of Ron Turner. An offensive coordinator is only as good as the talent on hand to work with. Turner and Grossman have been together for three seasons now. He knows Grossman's abilities and deficiencies more than anybody. If Lovie and Turner have dummied down the offense, then it speaks volumes as to their true opinion of Grossman.
The Turner bashers among make blindly idiotic statements on how to fix the offense. "Throw the deep ball", "get Mark Bradley involved," "get Devin Hester the football", blah blah blah. Do you honestly think Turner sits around and purposefully implements a game plan that can't move the football?!? Turner is the best offensive mind this organization has had in eons. I am convinced he is adopting the best possible game plan based on the resources available to him. Some of you make it sound as though he has Brett Favre and a solid offensive line, running game and wide receiver corp at his disposal. He doesn't.
Turner's REALITY is a subpar QB, a pedestrian running game, an overrated wide receiver corp and an offensive line beyond it's collective peak.
September 18, 2007
#58 jdawg said . . .I think the tight ends are what can end up saving this offense. If pre-draft hype is to be believed, Greg Olsen is one of those special talents. There are teams out there that rely heavily on their tight ends - Chargers we saw first hand, the Cowboys rely a lot on Witten - I think the Bears will be one of those teams as well. Rookies receivers CAN have an impact - witness Marquis Colston of last year, to mention one.
Des Clark did well in the last game but only had it thrown his way a few more times than his 4 catches (don't think he had any drops, did he?). He looks ready to shoulder a bigger load, and if there's any such thing as a comfort zone for Rex, it appears to be him.
We don't get to see film of the whole field like the coaches do. I'm dying to know whether these guys are getting open or not. If they're not, we need to keep trying new bodies. Flashing back to the one play where Berrian was throwing his hands up like he was open when he wasn't. Not sure if Moose is ever open anymore.
On the other hand, the wide receivers/tight ends for the first 2 games are the same guys that helped put up all those points last year. Moose is a year closer to death, but those other guys should have gotten better. What's changed? Older line, no more TJ, Rex remaining in his second half 2006 funk? All of the above? I was certainly willing to give SD defense credit for the first game, not the same for KC in the second game.
Guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Counting on the defense and ST to do a job on the Cowboys (their special teams suck) and wanting one more touchdown out of the offense - put up 17 points, let Devin/Defense add 9 (seven plus safety), hold Cowboys to 17, Bears win 26-17.
(no points yet from the D, time to change that Sunday night, D Manning takes it to the house!)
September 18, 2007
#59 beardown1982 said . . .Hey Mike,
Maybe if you look at the offense this way:
QB: inconsisent at best, lousy at worst
O-line: aging and ineffective at pass blocking half the time; OK at run blocking
RBs: Unproven
WRs: medocre
TEs: OK with a possible big upgrade from a rookieit'll become clear why not everyone is ready to yank Grossman. I'll agree that if he doesn't play better against Dallas my patience will grow very thin, but the problems we have on O run deeper than just him.
I think we all got caught up in the hype during training camp and expected much more from this offense. But the part of training camp that was missing was the hitting. And it looks like once that started we weren't as good as we thought.
September 18, 2007
#60 beardown1982 said . . .I agree that our receivers are not as good as advertised. Bernard has shown some potential this year, and seems to have a bit of chemistry with Rex...but his strength is the deep ball and teams are starting to play 2 deep on us to take that away.(wisely so) Moose never gets open at all, and needs to be much better. I like Davis in the slot...although Rex seems to look for him a bit too often when he is in trouble instead of throwing the ball away. I'm okay with throwing Hester in there, but don't like the gimmicky ways we have tried to use him so far. We clearly aren't fooling anybody. I do think that they need to get Bradley some PT...although, Lovie made comments that he is the #5 receiver so I wouldn't expect it. Baffles me that you wouldn't throw him out there from time to time...he has big play potential. I wonder if there is something deeper going on there.
As far as the blitzing...seems to me that it is a combination of things. Rex doesn't always seem to notice the blitz coming off the edge and fails to point it out like some of the best QBs do. At the same time, our line has been less than stellar (especially Miller) and our running backs have not been very good about picking up the blitz. (that was certainly one thing TJ had on Benson hands down)
I think having Olsen will help. It will spread the field a bit. Also, when he and Clark are double tight ends, you will have to pick your poison because they are both good pass catchers. Still, he is a rookie, so you never know how quickly he will adjust...especially after an injury.
That said, Rex has to be better. Let's not forget that all three of his picks were not a result of pressure. (BB didn't help in San Diego of course) I can live with interceptions, but not the ones I saw in the Chiefs game. It seems like once Rex makes one bad play, everything snowballs. Maybe he just doesn't have a short enough memory. Not to mention, his mechanics were not too good against the Chiefs again.
I still have dreams about the beginning of 2006 when we looked like the complete team that the Patriots do now (and wow are they good...who is gonna beat them?), but it looks like those days are not coming back. We better just hope our offense finds a way to be more consistent, so they don't end up taking us out of games. I believe they can do it...and the Cowboys will be a big test on Sunday.
September 18, 2007
#61 Max said . . .That was waaayy too long. I apologize.
September 18, 2007
#62 Pissed Off said . . .Mike, I agree that Turner is currently working with some sub bar performers right now, not to say that they wont get better, but they arent playing up to their abililites.
That said, you have to throw the occasional deep ball to keep the defense honest and Turner refuses to do this. Not to mention, the Chargers game where we had second and 1 and ran three straight times up the middle for no yards. Come on!
People have used the term "vanilla" to describe Turners play calling and i think they are right. He refuses to take any chances even when the opposing team is daring him by putting 8 men in the box. If Rex throws a pick then fine, I would rather have it 40 yards down field than 2 yards past the line of scrimmage. It sometimes really feels like John Shoop has come back to coaching. You have to take shots downfield. Have to.
September 18, 2007
#63 Pissed off said . . .Decided I will only post a few times per day until at least next week. Theres not much to say. I took a half hour and read all the comments and I'll respond to a few things.
First someone said we should use Devin as a RB instead of a WR, that would have been a great idea, like Reggie Bush is used but without the runs unless they are reverses/pitches to the outside. This would ensure he gets the ball more and can make thing happen.
There has been some talk of late about the WR core not being up to par. I agree (drops, lazy routes, lack of superstars) but I will say Rex hasnt gotten them the ball all the time either but that can PARTIALLY be due to constant pressure becuase the O-line is old and sucks. Like Coxy said I would love to bitch about the QB for a change. Lets put Greise or god forbid Orton in there and then we'll see what happens. Then you idiots can listen to me bitch about the QB while you defend those failures. The more I think about it, the people who blame Rex, Rex and only Rex are obviously "football stupid." Yeah he can get some blame but it all starts with the coach, coordinator, and so on. Those who think Rex is the only issue with this offense are just naive. Moose is a shell of his former self, put TO or Chad Johnson, etc on this team, Rex's numbers will be better.
I wonder if Lovie has ever thought of taking over the play calling. If not he should consider it. It has worked for many many teams where the coach, not the Offensive Coordinator calls the plays. Look at how it worked for Billick last year.
Rex's go-to guy is Berrian without question but wouldnt it be nice if we threw Bradley in that mix? 5th WR.....Good God.
Phil will defend this comment somehow but lets see Ced perform good consistently for a few games before you give him a pass. We havent seen anything yet. He's been featured for 2 games in his career now. When he gets that 200 yard rushing game or 200 yard all purpose game like all the great backs do then I'll be happy. He was the #4 pick wasnt he?
I think our team might become that of a few years ago if shit doesnt turn around. Remember when we hoped for 8-8 seasons? When our offense sucked more than it has the past 2 games. When we had a QB carosel, starting about 10 different guys each year. We loved those teams but we didnt expect much from the offense. We hoped for a low scoring defensive battle that we win late in the game on a Kevin Butler FG. We expect too much from this offense cuz Rex spoiled us so many times last year.
September 18, 2007
#64 Phil from SATX said . . .#59 I just cant believe you threw the "snowball" thing out. If you think either of the games so far this year compare to the "bad rex" performances of last year your dead wrong. He's been mediocre but no way has he been "bad rex" of last year with the snowball shit. And people get pissed whenever a pick is throw no matter what the situation. If we throw some deep balls they are going to get picked and then its like a punt so no big deal other than a mark on Rex's stats.
So much for the few posts.
September 18, 2007
#65 Pissed Off said . . .It really is strange - something is different about Rex this year, and not in a good way. It's like he's a dog with his balls cut off and he doesn't know who to be anymore. I guess I agree with those who wished we could have the gunslinger back, because there were certainly times (actually a bunch of times) when he was brilliant last year. The Rex of this year doesn't look like that anymore, and in asking for that consistency we knew he had to have it's like we stole his mojo.
Not enough on the offense has changed from last year to warrant claims that everything just sucks now - shitty line, shitty RBs, shitty WRs, shitty QB - it doesn't all go from way better than average (as measured by points scored) to way worse than average just from a year's aging and offseason. The only major loss, TJ, cannot have meant that much.
Somehow in the interplay of Rex and Turner something is just off kilter here and they've got to get it back.
September 18, 2007
#66 Mike said . . .I dont have stats but I can assure you there have been many teams who have gone from really good offensively one season to below average the next year with a key player lost or not at all. How about New Orleans this year, they didnt lose anyone and they suck offensively worse than we do.
I also think your downplaying the loss of TJ. He accounted for half of our offense or more in several games over the past couple of years. Do you think that if PIT lost Willie Parker or Sea lost Alexander or KC lost LJ, the list goes on and on, they would have a dropoff? Take the most important offensive player off any team and see what happens. Thats whats happening to us so far this year. You think there wouldnt be a dropoff? Of course there would, we'll let it play out here but Rex had TJ to fall on and we'll have to see if Benson can carry the load too.
September 18, 2007
#67 Phil from SATX said . . .It is logical to assume that Lovie and Turner decided to go more conservative this season. Do you blame em?!? Grossman was wretched for big stretches in 2006. With a defense like this one, a supreme kick returner and the most underrated field goal kicker in the league, you too would be tempted to implement schemes where the chances of Grossman losing the game are minimized. Truth be told, THAT PRECISE STRATEGY is what won the Bears the football game against Kansas City. Could Grossman have aired it out and put up gaudy yardage totals? Yeah, maybe. But he also could have just as easily had one of his typical nightmare performances that would have deeped-six the ability to come out with a victory. I think this is part of the explanation. To go along with a crumbling o-line, a middling running attack and a crappy wide receiver situation.
September 18, 2007
#68 Mike said . . .Not buying it PO'd, in the first two games last year TJ had 63 and 64 yards on 21 carries each, and 1 reception in each game. We scored 26 and 34 points in those games. You could certainly make the argument that TJ would have changed the game against SD because you can effectively erase those two fumbles, but you can't say it with the Chiefs game.
September 18, 2007
#69 Frank Mcallen, TX said . . .I agree PO'd. This team misses the multiple dimensions that Thomas Jones brought to the table. I don't have a problem with Jones being gone. I'm betting the Bears got the three best years out of his career. But they needed to fill the void better than simply saying Cedric Benson is the guy. Jones caught nearly 50 passes last year (if my memory serves). Benson won't do that. And Jones also held onto the football. Can Benson hang onto the football? I don't know. So far he makes me nervous. And keep in mind that the Bears did nothing to replace Benson in the role of "second running back." Those are too big of shoes for Adrian Peterson to fill. And fellow NIU alumnus Garrett Wolfe is little more than a specialized back project.
September 18, 2007
#70 Bill said . . .BEARSSSSS!!!! Well The offense is in a funk but I feel we will get out of soon. The D Fense's we have faced knows Rex doesn't pick up the Blitz well but he actually did a decent job calling hot routes but when the running backs do not pick up blocks he get smoked and knocked on his aZZ. I am BEARS fan for life, try living in TX right now. IT SUCKS !!!!!
It is too early in the season, what matters most is winning the Central and getting into the playoffs
GO BEARS!!
September 18, 2007
#71 nutjob said . . .They miss TJ mainly for his blocking and picking up the blitz.
If the offense is "dumbed down" for lack of personnel, then why do we have the same personnel? (Except Olsen, who will have a world of unreasonable expectations when he finally plays.) Turner has to be help accountable is all I'm saying - he can't get a pass by saying "the personnel isn't there".
Rex has lost his swagger and I think it's due in part ot knowing the game plan has been dumbed down. My only point is, that isn't working really either. Looking at the diviosn so far, my hope of going 5-1 is now being revised to hope of going 3-3.
September 18, 2007
#72 Pissed Off said . . .I agree with Mike that Lovie has decided to limit Rex’s role this year
Turner is being more conservative this year. He tried that in the super bowl also. They are trying to win games with their defense. That said with the level that the defense is playing right now all we need is an offense and a qb that will manage the game. We don't need blow outs it would be nice but the chances that games would get away from us like they did last year is too scary.
It is a smart way to play to minimize the hurt rex could do because lets face it he has the talent to be great but he is missing a few screws up there. He is not a Payton Manning smart football player. I would like to see us open it up and score more but I do not want to see a bad rex game ever again and this year he has not been bed rex he has been “conservative rex�.
September 18, 2007
#73 big rob said . . .I dont give a shit about the Cheifs game Phil. I'm talking in general, you know, more than 2 games. We didnt waste a #4 pick on TJ either. I want to see Benson have a breakout game before I crown his ass. I dont think his performance was great Sunday, in fact I'd say it was a mediocre attempt. If he can do that for 14 more games, fine we know what we have but 2 games isnt enough and if you make the arguement for TJ VS SD like you did, we're probably 2-0.
September 18, 2007
#74 Don K. Balls said . . .Just have to say that AP did make a couple Chiefs look SILLY last week...
September 18, 2007
#75 Phil from SATX said . . .These last dozen or so posts have been the best discussion on this board in a long time. I agree with the general consensus. Grossman isn't very good. In direct consequence of a great defense, return game and kicking game, conscious decision was made to neuter Grossman. When Grossman runs out onto the field for a new possession, I'm sure the message from the sidelines, "look numb nuts, keep it simple and dont' fuck things up!"
September 18, 2007
#76 Mike said . . .Mike, I know it doesn't seem like it will work but AP has a good rushing average in the two games, and more importantly to your analysis, his 3 catches for 23 yards is better than TJ's average game - TJ averaged 2.4 catches per game last year for an average of 9 yards per game. I just think you are overemphasizing how great TJ was as a receiver and underemphasizing what Benson and AP together may be able to do.
Ball security once they have the ball in their hands, yeah, they're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than they've shown. But neither has a history of fumbleitis, as we've discussed previously here. (For the record, again, Cedric had his first and only fumble of the year last year in the Super Bowl, Adrian had 2 last year, 1 the year before).
September 18, 2007
#77 beardown1982 said . . .I don't want to pile on Rex Grossman, but I get the impression that he doesn't have many friends on the team. You rarely see his offensive lineman or the defense walk over to him during the game to pat him on the fanny or to shoot the breeze. About the only guy you ever see talking to Grossman is the new QB coach.
Do other people get the same impression that Grossman isn't much embraced by his teammates? Remember the days of Jim McMahon, Mike Tomzcak and even Jim Harbaugh. Those guys would always have an entourage of players around them, both on and off the field. Same was even true for Eric Kramer and Jim Miller. The players seem to walk the other way when Grossman approaches.
September 18, 2007
#78 Don K. Balls said . . .P'oed.
I actually think that Rex can do the job. He has the tools, and to me, he is the best option we have to get us back to the super bowl. Still, the two picks in the Chiefs game were terrible. You cannot deny that. I thought at first that the Wolfe pick may have been Garrett's fault, since it was his first play ever in the league. That ball sailed big time, over Garrett, and over what was going to be his blockers...that's on Rex. On the second pick, he never saw the linebacker. Rex himself said he can't make those mistakes. I'll take a pick here and there...honestly, if it happens on a deep ball I don't mind, because the deep ball is obviously his big strength. Not to mention, Rex will throw some picks, because he is going to take some risks, that is his game.In defense of my snowball comment, obviously, the Chiefs game was not like a bad Rex game of 2006. (I didn't make that comparison by the way) I actually didn't think he played terrible against the Chargers, but that 2nd half was not good on Sunday. However, there certainly seems to be some evidence that Rex's mistakes come in bunches. If Rex wants to prove this theory wrong, I will be more than happy to eat my words!
September 18, 2007
#79 Pissed Off said . . .I don't know how many friends Grossman does or doesn't have on this team. He has always seemed like an outsider in Chicago. Perhaps this is even true among his own teammates. At a minimum, he should be close buddies with the offensive line members and the wide receivers. Doesn't he have a close bond with Mushin Muhammed?
September 18, 2007
#80 Al in WI said . . .Cedric hasnt played enough for us to judge wether he has fumleitis or not, he'only started 2 games for shits sake. He could end up being one of the most fumble prone backs of all time, or not, nobody knows but you cant say definitively that he doesnt have a problem. And Phil your seriously going to compare stats of 2 games for AP to a full season of TJ, if we do that then Benson may be the most fumblingest back of the year so far and LT may be the RB with the lowest rush yards per game total of any RB ever. Its just stupid to take such a small sampling.
And Mike, yes I did read your last post - 1st one in a long time, Unless your on the sidelines you dont know that his team mates dont like him or walk away from him. The team did vote him the Ed Block courage award last year so what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard...... So no I dont think that at all.
Beardown, I never said those picks werent his fault, never. And even if they were not his fault a good QB wouldnt put the blame on someone else when asked about it, DUH. And Rex hasnt had a so called "snowball game" this year. Two picks is not a snowball, 3 or 4 picks and several fumbles,etc that go for TDs to the opposition is snowball.
September 18, 2007
#81 Pissed Off said . . .Mike your way off base about Grossman's support amongst the team. He has the total support of the locker room. At the end of last year they voted him the Ed Block Courage award for his leadership, and overcoming adversity, both from injury and media/fan nonsense. I'd also refer you to the comments of HOFer Ruben Brown just prior to the season, as well as Olin Kruetz. On several occasions Urlacher & Mike Brown have spoke out on his side. That is not an issue.
Several posts back someone brought up the wideout issue and hit the nail on the head; we don't have a go -to-guy or a true #1 reciever. The group as a whole is very good, and better than most, but they do not have a true #1 who always gets the ball in cunch time. I don't know if anything can be done about that this season unless Moose is being bothered by the ankle injury and makes a recovery or Berrian really steps up.September 18, 2007
#82 nutjob said . . .Great article.
September 18, 2007
#83 Al in WI said . . .I think the Defense is getting fed up with Rex. They are playing their hearts out and he keeps messing things up. It is a huge testament to Lovie that they have kept it in house. TH let it out a little with his joke about MCnabb. He also talked recently about how they were so mad on the sideline during the sd game.
With a decent QB we could have won that game at SD. I have been a rex supporter all last year. He was my boy but I hate to see a extremely talented team get crushed in the media every week because of this guy. On that note I cant wait for Sunday night and hopefully they will open it up a little we will need it they are a great passing team and that is a weakness right now with Brown out and they will try to expose it.
Bear Down bear fans it going to be a good one my only fear is anytime rex has been on national tv he sucks it up.
September 18, 2007
#84 Al in WI said . . .Nutjob,
Rex was great against Atl off the bench in 2005 on SNF. He was excellent against the Seahawks, and Giants last year on SNF. And he had the big bounce back game against the Rams on MNF. Then there is the matter of the two NFC playoff games on national tv but not night games. He did have two rough games agains AZ, and the 2nd Gb games, but overally he's been pretty good in prime time.September 18, 2007
#85 beardown1982 said . . .Something off topic to consider:
KC may not be as bad as well all thought. The Texans beat Carolina in Carolina this last weekend and put up 34 pts on a pretty good defense. They also put up 20 on the Chiefs.
September 18, 2007
#86 Mike said . . .Poed, thank you for your unofficial definition of the term 'snowball.' In the future, I will use it with more hast. Although, let's hope that none of us has too. I'd rather have Rex snowball the other way and put up some Derek Anderson numbers (who ever thought they would think that).
September 18, 2007
#87 Max said . . .Al in WI says the wide receivers are "very good, but there isn't a # 1 go to guy"?!? Crikey. You might want to stop trying to smoke that bratwurst, ya hey der.
I dont' care what award Grossman won. Watch the sidelines. The only guy who kibitzs with Grossman is that new Steve Erkel QB coach. His linemen stay far away. I also gotta believe that Grossman is the subject of running joke among the defensive players.
September 18, 2007
#88 Objectively speaking...Dallas said . . .sunday needs to hurry up. . . god
Step up and Bear down
September 18, 2007
#89 Max said . . .I don't like our chances to beat the Cowboys. But I'd love to be convinced to the contrary. The Cowboys are leading the league in points scored after small sample size of two games. They possess one of the finest front sevens (outside of Chicago of course) in football. Grossman sucks, the o-line is retiring in place, Benson is Benson, the wide receivers are nothing special, yada yada. So HOW do people seee the Bears beating the Cowboys on Sunday?!? My brain is telling me the Bears get beat in this game.
September 18, 2007
#90 Max said . . .Mike believe whatever you want. I still think the guys are behind him. . . for now
September 18, 2007
#91 Max said . . .I say bears win cause we have a better defense. Speakin of the Dallas D, didnt they get smoked by the Giants and then gave up 20 to Trent Green and the Dolphins? Maybe this is just what Rex needs if he is given some time.
September 18, 2007
#92 said . . .Tank signed with the Cowboys. . . not an issue since hes out til week 8. I am glad to see he made it somewhere in the NFL
September 18, 2007
#93 Al in WI said . . .#83 your right I admit I was hasty in calling him bad on national tv. I just have that Arizona taste in my mouth.
Tank signed with dallas maybe he will be giving them trade secrets. I like our chances against dallas our defense is sick maybe the best in the league we will have another test the next week against detroit this is the time for our secondary to show what they are made of!!
Go Bears!!!
September 18, 2007
#94 big rob said . . .Mike, I realize you are functionally retarded so I will slow down and explain it to you. If you took Chad Johnson off of the Bengals, I would say the Bears as a group are equal or better to the rest of the Cincinnati receiving core. They just don't have one guy who is exceptional. Davis is a good slot player; Berrian is excellent as a #2 receiver, ect.
And by the way, why don't you find a team you actually like and cheer for. And while you’re at it, since all of your posts involve gayness or poop come out of the closet, you'll be happier that way.
September 18, 2007
#95 Coxy said . . .Everything is going to be OK!!!
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10304480
Relax for goodness sakes....
September 18, 2007
#96 Rancid said . . .To the supposedly objective dude in Dallas, their D blows and is hurt. They may pick up Orenthal James and put him on D now that he is a felon once again. But in all seriousness, Dallas has a good Offense. I would argue we have a better D than they have O. We are sucking at O, they suck at D. Dont see how Bears are overmatched.
On another note, did McNabb saying "black qbs are under the microscope more than white ones" give you the mental picture of Sexy Rexy reading daBearsBlog and curling up in the fetal position on the ground?
September 19, 2007
#97 Phil from SATX said . . .Damn, I took a couple days off work and had to spend the last 2 hours reading 200 posts tonight. My wife probably thinks I'm looking at internet porn. I dunno, there's no way I can respond to all that. I know how I feel on a few things.
1. My hatred of Ron Turner has been adequately covered previously. I'll leave it at that.
2. My hatred of Ron Turner does not excuse Rex from playing shitty. It certainly doesn't help but he does need to step up.
3. Benson needs to learn how to block
4. Olsen has some crazy expectations to deal with. He has gone from nice addition to potential savior in 2 weeks.
5. This defense and Devin Hester plus a mediocre offense IS a Superbowl team. I want a great offense, but we can do this with this D.
6. Dallas is dead. They have not seen anything close to our Defense this year. The Giants have given up 80 points in 2 games and Miami's not great either. ON the other hand their Defense is lousy. If our offense is capable of stepping up, this is the game where we will. Please Ron, pull your cheeks apart and remove your head.
In a related note, I'm wondering how much control Lovie has/doesn't have over the offense. Most Defensive head coaches take their hands totally off because it's not their main thing and they don't want to mess with their O coordinator. Is this the situation with Lovie? I can't find anything.
September 19, 2007
#98 Phil from SATX said . . .PO'd, the reason I break down 2 games, which is an admittedly small sample size, was in response to your comment about TJ being gone - you said losing him is why the offense is bad - "That's what's happening to us this year." So far this year means two games. Therefore, it's valid to compare numbers from these two games with TJ's first two games last year. The numbers don't show what you claim. Same reason I compared the receiving numbers to refute Mike's post - he thinks there's going to be a huge dropoff from Ced and AP. And there might be, but the first two games don't show it. Same reason to not blow up the fumbles this year too far out of proportion - neither has a history of lots of fumbling.
Blocking for the QB may be the biggest reason that we will miss TJ, not necessarily his running or his receiving. And that IS a serious problem that needs to get fixed in a hurry. Let's remember though, before I reach for the stats to show Rex has gotten sacked way more in the first 2 games this year, that the defenses we faced at the beginning of last year were not blitzing Rex like they learned to do later, with Cardinals showing the way, Dolphins perfecting it, and so on.
And our receivers may not be in the top tier, but it's ridiculous to say they're not NFL caliber. They did pretty well last year if I recall.
Don't worry so much about the Cowboys game, although their pass rush is excellent, the rest of their defense is just so so, and some of it is downright bad. And it's a big mismatch at special teams. If Rex keeps his wits, and some of his teammates decide to pull their head out of their asses and block for him, I don't think the game is actually going to be that hard. Rex isn't the only one in the league who can do silly things when pressured. (see Romo, Favre (who likes to do silly things just on principle alone)).
September 19, 2007
#99 Nicole is miserable in this blue city said . . .Was posting at the same time as you, Rancid, great minds think alike. It's pretty funny, on talk radio down here people were calling in about McNabb's comments and saying "uh, what about Rex Grossman? He's pretty white!"
Everybody hates Rex! I guess that's as good a reason as any to support him!
Go Rex! Beat that Romo!
September 19, 2007
#100 Max said . . .Dayum kids- lots of chatter here! I laughed out loud when I read Rancid's comment about taking time off from his job and having to catch up on the blog reading. I think most of us would admit the same thing. GO BEARS!!!
September 19, 2007
#101 Pissed OFf said . . .I feel ya Rancid. I wake up at 8 a.m. and by that time it is 1 p.m. central time and it takes me so long to catch up. Im not complaining cause its fun reading all the banter. It just takes forever, plus, i just got a job that i start next week which means I am going to have even less chances to read. oh well, guess I have to man up and bear down, just like a certain team from Chicago needs to do (and im not talking about the cubs)
September 19, 2007
#102 Fifty and Four said . . .Phil, if we had TJ though we'd be 2-0 cuz he aint fumblin stumblin like Ced and AP did in San Diego, 2-0 is good. 1-1 is average. Not to mention TJ would have picked up some blocks that may have given Rex the extra time he needed to complete a couple more passes = 1st downs, etc.
September 19, 2007
Gross... not just Rex, but it's hard to score TD's or even catch a pass that's never thrown because of a fumble - or worse - thrown to your opponent. I don't fault every player, and surely not every offensive coach, but in general the bears offense rates at best a 60 yard fieldgoal attempt and needs stable performance.
Nearly everyone blogging here, has recognized the poor (albeit consistent) play of what should be a Showcase Team. Yet the blame is passing - the passing decades since the money grubbing B_st_rds in the bears head office became concerned less in wins and more in windfall profits. Am I wrong - ask the 49er's or the Cowboys - they knew how to find, hire, build and KEEP a Dynasty of great players.
I've now watched for 50 years as great players took to the shared insane sideline jokes or pranks, I watched and shared heartbreak and laughter over both the crazy antics and sad heart felt losses of some of the finest humans to ever proudly wear Bear's colors.
What has brought me to use this blog is seeing the blatant writing's on the wall of what to expect for the future of the Chicago Bears.
1) Owners shopping for values and continuing to support mediocre ability/developing achievement so the paychecks required will insure profit$ and not targeting performance.
2) Season records of 9-7 being typical
(acceptable level to keep sucker fans interest)3) Ticket prices escalating to evict those who show heartfelt pride and are capable of the VERY Important 12th man activities.
4) Continued hiring of QB's who are near retirement or worse - 3rd string qualified.
5) Even decreasing local involvement of players for charities as pride fades.
6) Perfect Spirals - but only straight down in TV ratings (lost revenue - oh my!)
7) Failed communication and camaraderie between players (Nope- no more SB Shuffles)
While I could extend this negative list to several digits, what I'd like to convey is My true, dyed in the December chilled wool encouragement of other fans in Chicago, to make noise.
If needed and as painful as it might be - BOYCOTT a game and watch the "Lords of the Manor" run to correct those things which have lacked nearly each season. Grow a set and use those tools at your disposal to force these issues - call in radio stations - write a blog or two - speak to friends and encourage their INVOLVEMENT to get "Da Bears" back.
Chicago is a great city that deserves having the BEST this nation can offer, and the fans are twice as deserving for tolerating owners who offer so little back.So it's up to you now - support average or DEMAND the best. It's really hard to cheer for those with no heart.
Thank God for Special Teams and D-fense!
P.S. To Devin Hester - demand a BONU$ and bigger shoulder pads - you're carrying 50% of the fan based faith .
Great work and fantastic work ethics ARE rewarded! Know - you've earned our respect.September 20, 2007
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.