Haugh on Target
I've been quite critical of him in the past but David Haugh is terrific in today's Chicago Tribune. His article points out nine faulty assumptions about the Chicago Bears, including an all-too-rare defense of Ron Turner and a plea to move Brian Urlacher out of the middle linebacker spot. Turner has done a masterful job of constructing the offense around limited talent while, yes, struggling with play-calling on occasion. Urlacher not only struggled covering the middle of the field but he's not the same player when he has to get off a block. Basically he just gets blocked. If the Bears aren't getting brilliant tackle play, 54's a non-factor. Move him to the outside and utilize his speed as a edge rusher.
Lovie Smith Calls Out Tommie Harris
I like the new Lovie Smith that has developed over these last couple weeks. The Lovie Smith that lit a fire under a team at halftime against Green Bay. The Lovie Smith that was downright cantankerous in the post-game press conference in Houston. The Lovie Smith that is now calling out players to the press. Lovie has to know that a losing season in 2009 can cost him his job...and it should.
Kyle Orton Named 2009 Starter
Kyle Orton had a weak second half of the season but this offense was not the problem in 2008. Naming Kyle the starter means there will be an entire off-season for this obscenely young nucleus of talent (Orton, Forte, Hester, Olsen) to continue to develop in Ron Turner's system. And Orton has proven - if nothing else - that he's a winning player. Yes they need a veteran presence behind him but who? Brad Johnson? How'd that work out for the Cowboys? What's the point with these veteran back-ups? Wouldn't you rather just see a kid come in and suck for the sake of development?
#2 Phillip from NYC said . . .irstfay!
December 30, 2008
#3 Albert In Tucson said . . .Totally off-topic, but has anybody else seen those "Are you smarter than X? Take a Real IQ Quiz now!" ads at the bottom of posts?
The one on here just now says that Tommie Harris has an IQ of 122.
I'm assuming that test was taken off the field, right?
December 30, 2008
#4 Rancid said . . .To paraphrase David Letterman, I don't have to watch the ball drop in Times Square Wednesday. The Bears dropped enough balls this season to last me a long time.
December 30, 2008
#5 Phil from SATX said . . .Overall I liked a lot of that Haugh piece but I am pissed at the RT portion. Obviously. In the entire column, the only change Haugh advocates making offensively is the addition of a #1 WR. Other than that he suggests no changes other than adjusting the OL which also says did a fine job this year. Then he makes what in my opinion is one of the most ludicrous statements I have heard so far this season "Given the scarcity of talent on offense, Turner might be more deserving of a raise than a pink slip." Think about it, He says we should keep KO, he obviously likes Forte, He states that the line is adequate, just in need of tweaking, he doesn't mention it, but we're set at TE. It seems to me that Haugh actually likes this offense that has a "scarcity of talent". If you make Haugh defend his position he either believes that 1) one WR addition makes this offense go from a scarcity of talent to good, 2)our offense will still have a scarcity of talent next year as well, or 3) all our offensive players that have a scarcity of talent will suddenly become good next year. He says little negative about the offense in the whole piece except when he needs a scapegoat for RT, which is something he'll only do because as a Chicago sportswriter he must represent an unpopular polarizing opinion so that people will get riled up about it and read his stuff. Classic sportswriter double-talk, which is why I come here to read Bears info, there's not nearly as much bullshit and what bullshit we do have is fairly recognizable. Sorry, I'm not buying that one, David.
December 30, 2008
#6 DoucheBaggalo said . . .David Haugh has mostly been an RT apologist over the last two seasons.
Listen, I have no problem with praising RT for game plan and scheme and getting players prepared. Those are all critical elements to being a successful OT, and he gets mostly good marks in those areas.
But what good is all that if you then colossally suck at play calling during the game? Answer: it depends on how many points you put up while RT is still on script and how few the defense allows. You'll win some, lose some. In other words, you'll get the Chicago Bears in 2007 and 2008 - win some, lose some. Essentially .500 ball.
So I have a proposal - if we must keep RT for the "continuity of developing young players" (which, if dissected, can really mean continuity of being bad) - can we get him some help on play calling? Can he shove his ego aside, admit that he sucks at improvisational play calling and get an assistant in who's really good at it? A two-headed tandem?
If we could get that, I'd support keeping RT. Otherwise, NOOOOOOO!!!!!
Agreed like Rancid and Jeff with most of the rest of that piece.
Jeff, I got excited from your post about reading that Lovie called out Tommie. After reading his quote, not so much. Pretty much vintage "support the players no matter how much they sucked" Lovie.
Glad that they preemptively named Kyle the starter. It's the right thing to do. Sign a veteran, continue to develop Hanie if they think he has something (and I think he might).
December 30, 2008
#7 Spanish Bear said . . .Does anybody else think that we are wasting our time with Orton? I know that he didn't lose us the Houston game but somebody tell me that he wasn't trying to blow the Green Bay game. Neck beard doesn't have to go, I'd like to keep him in Chicago but maybe in a backup roll?
December 30, 2008
#8 AK said . . .Forte received only 1 vote for the ROY award. And Ryan Clady 2. Unbelievable!
I thought Ryan will win, but not by such a huge margin
As regards to our ball team, I´m still deeply dissapointed.
December 30, 2008
#9 Anonymous said . . .I wonder if Haugh loves running the fullback in on 3rd and 1?
December 30, 2008
#10 Bill said . . .Here are 9 not so unrealistic assumptions:
1. Kyle has proved to be a winning player, is like saying, the San Diego Chargers are the best team in football ON PAPER.
2. Lovie Smith gets outcoached in the fourth quarter routinely.
3. Ron Turner can not exploit his opponents.
4. When the opposing team uses thier best cover corner to defend your Tight End - you need a wide receiver.
5. The offensive line does not control the line of scrimmage.
6. The defensive line is routinely controlled at the line of scrimage.
7. We get off the bus running.....AND THE OTHER TEAMS KNOW IT.
8. Devin Hester will be a very good # 2.
9. Our coaching staff does not get the most from our players.
December 30, 2008
#11 Al In WI said . . .Angelo today said in essence they have to get better at QB. Said they coudl write a book on it and it would be mostly how NOT to do it. Said KO gets a chance next year but did NOT rule out an upgrade.
No word on assistants yet. I think the RT point from the previous threads is the one Angelo / Lovie has to consider hard - why do they do well in the scripted portion of the game (first quarter) and then fall apart offensively after that - that is, until it's desparation time.
Poor play call and/or going into the tank woudl be the obvious reasons.
December 30, 2008
#12 Nick said . . .Bill, you are right on. Here is the link: http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/huddleup/2008/12/angelo-wont-com.html
I'm relieved to learn that at least Jerry is a realist.December 30, 2008
#13 Willie from Chicago said . . .I am sick of hearing all the Orton bashing or as people say "being a realist." I think for people to say we need an upgrade at QB is unrealistic, you are expecting who, Manning? Brady? Brees? Guys like that come along so sparingly what are we going to do draft a quarterback in the first or second round every year until we come up with an elite player. What then? Neglect our other needs? Orton will be a productive play if he has weapons. Olsen and Forte are not enough. Like post #9 said Hester will be a great #2 receiver, but we need a proven wide receiver grab a vet in free agentcy and draft a shut down, lights our corner. 2nd round bolster your o-line. 3rd round add depth to DL, S, or WR. Final rounds again add depth to the o-line. Until Kyle gets what he needs to be productive we should not outcast him, I mean the guys was playing with a WR core that might not even start at Texas Tech or Oklahoma State.
Kyle needs to improve little things, but all coachable things. He is a smart player he knows where he is on the field and knows clock management. But one thing he has that is difficult to replace is leadership. Just because he isn't wowing "the fans" with 400+ yards a game doesn't mean lacks leadership. His teammates trust him and listen to him. A former Bear that plays RB for the Bengals, had all kinds of talent but lacked respect from his team making his production in Chicago abysmal. The team needs a stable QB so our receivers can develop not only physically but also develop a chemistry between the QB and WR. Kyle is the guy to get it done and we should all have faith that he can.
December 30, 2008
#14 Murph said . . .Alot of people are talking about changing coaches, but how about getting new leadership? Having someone come in and change the culture of the Bears (much like Bill Parcells did with Miami) can create a winning team.
But if we are going to scrap a coach it has to be Babich, not Turner.
December 30, 2008
#15 jdawg said . . .Douche......I agree with you about Orton, he is no better than Grossman and he cant make the deep throw. Rex cant play here because the fans and coaching staff forced him into a shell, he has case of the yips in Chicago, but I believe he will be successful somewhere else. Hey Shanahan just got fired by Denver, he would be a hell of an upgrade from Turner, and he has no personality so he would fit in for sure. Jerry Angelo had better get his 1 2 and 3 picks on the field this time, if he fails agin he has to go. I still cant believe our 2 and 3 picks making it are so rare and we dont have many number ones on the field either.
How many of our number ones started this year 2 or 3? Look at our 2 and 3 picks from last few years gone, Bradley, Bauzin, Okwo....to name a few. They fired the DB coach.....guess that means a few sacrificial lambs will be offered up to save Babich.....ahhhh long winter ahead.
Have a Happy New Year fellow bears fans !!!December 31, 2008
#16 Z said . . .deep thoughts, by me:
move Tillman to WS and bring back Brown at SS backed up by Payne. Have Vasher and Graham at CBs but replace Vasher with Bowman if needed.
Flop 54 and Briggs
Fire Babich and bring in Marinelli
Get Boldin and free up dollars by axing Wale, Dusty, HH, Booker.
The DBs coach has already been fired. Shit, if Lovie had to personally coach Manning at nickel that guy should be gone.
The house cleaning has begun.
Did I mention getting Boldin?
How much cap space do we have? Can we afford Haynesworth and Boldin?
Put Crank in 54's powerade.
What about replacing Garza with St. Clair? Everybody seems to think he should automatically replace Beekman.
Oh yeah, make Beekman bigger (almost forgot).
December 31, 2008
#17 Murph said . . .Shanahan for O-Coordinator? That guy can get 1000 yards out of a mule and 5 stools (even the ones that swivel).
Good to see JA seems to see that everything is not fine. (And if you don't get some more picks and FA's out there playing well, your time is almost up too).
Trade or cut half the team to get Boldin. While we are hoping for 1 miracle, why not 2, Haynseworth too, sure. Tweak or whatever the hell they want to do to the O-line and maybe it won't matter if the D sucks so much.
Secondary coach gone. Good start. Don't get shy now. Keep em coming.
December 31, 2008
#18 Oaktown34 said . . .Dont like Shanahan? Martz just got fired by the 49ers, hell that guy can coach a QB, if lovei could keep him from wanting to pass every down he would be a good choice to replace Turner......hell hire them both you can never have enough good minds....get rid of the Pep guy and Turner and hire those two. Would be money better spent than on Tommie Harris. I did read a good idea ......move T Harris to end, he is quick and could handle one on one blocking.....get rid of Wale....sign Haynesworth.....HOLY SHIT a bad ass line is born!!!!!!!!!!!
December 31, 2008
#19 jeremy said . . .I almost had a stroke on Sunday watching our beloved Bears D play like punks with a playoff spot on the line. Thankfully I was watching at a sports bar because if it weren't for a massive influx of 20 oz. Bud-lites on tap I would be in the ICU right now. As it is I am still in recovery therapy which consists of reading this site to calm my nerves, (thanks everyone for the insightful posts) and reflecting on this horribly frustrating season to try and figure out WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE DEFENSE!!!
We used to dominate folks with our D. 2 years ago I couldn't wait for the O to get off the field so the D could come out, kick some ass and stun the other team into submission with front 4 domination!!This past year we had zero pass rush early in the season because Tommie was hurt/ineffective but Lovie still played Tommie over the always disruptive Marcus Harrison. Maybe I missed something but is seemed Harrison was so much more effective than Tommie this year.
Dusty over Adams same thing. Maybe that was ok ,Dusty was good with the initial push. But he was too slow to chase anybody. Lovie still played him over Adams until Dusty got hurt didn't even give Adams a shot. Given a chance Adams turned out to be way better at collapsing the pocket and chasing the QB.
No pass rush led to average QB's having 'career games' against us and putting us in the spot where we needed to win the last 4 games to make post-season.
Then with Zack Bowman and Brandon McGowan out, (both good finds but on IR early in the year), we had no one to step in at SS when THE GREAT Mike Brown finally went down before the final game. Lovie starts Manning, season over. I admit I thought Manning would do good too, but I was not surpised when he blew that coverage on the 1st qtr TD. Lovie gets paid LARGE to know that in advance.
An aside...you know, Brown is the REAL KEY to all this, if he was healthy he would have won the Houston game and the wildcard spot.
The central theme to all this is Lovie's arrogance and stubbornness. He makes the wrong decisions, (coaches, players and strategy), and never admits or corrects his mistakes. His arrogance and stubbornness combined with losing rubs the players the wrong way, just like it rubs us fans the wrong way. Eventually causing him to lose the players just like he lost us fans.
Oh well, the season is suddenly all over now and we have to wait 8 long months til next year. According to Lovie "we are close" and we just need to "evaluate things and go from there", his standard deflect the blame answer. Maybe with 2 straight missed post seasons, he will be forced to change and win the players back.
Hopefully Tommie will be healthy next year and his pro-bowl level play will return. We have a ton of talented players on the D-line and maybe Tommie will will light a spark and the D will be on fire next year, (didn't Anderson get 12 sacks when Tommie was healthy?).I say we will make the playoffs next year or Lovie will be shown the door. I can live with that.
And I am not sorry for the long post. Lovie makes me have to vent!
Bear Down!
December 31, 2008
#20 CA BEAR FAN said . . .I am sorry but, Jerry Angelo is putting blame on everybody but himself. Angelo is the architect of this mess.
Angelo is responsible for hires and personnel. I have seen no improvements since the 2005 season with exception to the RB position. (the only reason that happened is because his golden boy Benson finally ran himself out of town) If Benson doens't get arrested twice in a month, Forte doesn't get a sniff.
Angelo allowed Lovie to wreck the defense by getting rid Rivera for his buddy Babich (sp) And can they dump the cover 2 now please? It's clear that if there is no pressure from the D-line, the cover 2 is worthless. Adapt to talent! That is the job of coaches.
Has Angelo even watched a game this year? Anybody with a pulse would realize that Ron Turner has no imagination when it comes to play-calling. Turner officially ended the Bears season with his predictable runs up the middle from the 1 yard line in MN. With the talent at TE you'd think maybe a play-action pass would be in order after trying to run to no avail???? Turner has to go, you can use lack of talent as an excuse, but I don't buy it. A decent O.C. would construct an offense around his talent. Or else jump and scream until the talent was upgraded.
And lastly, Lovie. I have tried to support this guy through the years, but I'm done. To state that the Bears are "a piece or two away" is complete bullshit. This team is no where near being competitive for a SB. He is the boss of the coaching staff and he has a bunch of jack-asses running the offense and defense. To lose as many games in the 4th quarter this year falls squarely on his shoulders. He never makes any decent half-time adjustments,and the team never plays with emotion. He is out coached in every game.
To make it simple FIRE Angelo and Lovie and start over.
Go get Shanahan right now! He loves to run the ball and is great with QB's. He'll turn around the offense for sure.
December 31, 2008
#21 Sdwat51 said . . .i think that bob babich is gonna get fired....jerry angelo addressed the defensive concerned and he also said he would love to have rod marinelli as our defensive coach....go to http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=5498
December 31, 2008
#22 Sausage said . . .I do admire loyalty, and not throwing people under the bus simply because they didn't perform up to expectations in a season.
That said, I'd love to have heard Angelo state that he was comitting to absolutely no one just yet.
December 31, 2008
#23 Urlacher FTW said . . .Jeremy, that was perfect. I'm not sure I'd fire Angelo simply because he's had some pretty competent picks [benson aside]. but really, if it takes firing angelo to get lovie out of chicago, then so be it. hester was, in my view, an unbelievably good pick. it may have been skill, maybe have been luck, in either case hester's gone. and you're completely right about forte not getting a sniff if benson's in town still. i think i've seen the light, get them both out of chicago. you're totally right.
December 31, 2008
#24 Urlacher FTW said . . .I thought the Haugh article was spot on. I really think with a the exact tweak he is referring to on the O-line paired with a true #1 WR, this offense hanges dramatically.
Orton is fine at QB, he is nothing like Grossman, he is a good decision maker and has a stronger arm. Orton has 2 major flaws,
1. He stares down his receiver
2. He is not very mobile
Both of these flaws got worse after the injury and he wasn't planting on his bad foot either so his play went way down. I also think after a couple of sacks and dropped passes he gets frustrated and tries to force things a lot more. I think Orton is at his best when given a few plays to pick from, running no huddle, and making adjustments at the line. I do believe with a little more time, better protection and run production from the O-line, and a reliable go to receiver Orton will be the guy. Only guy I could support right now would be Cassell depending on what they could grab him for.On coaching, Babich should be gone period. Hire Marinelli whatever, the production fallout of the defense is evident; and even for the idiots that still think it's coincidence... so how about the dramatic positive turnaround of SDs Defense since Rivera took over mid-season, WTF do you say about that? W
December 31, 2008
#25 jdawg said . . .I thought the Haugh article was spot on. I really think with a the exact tweak he is referring to on the O-line paired with a true #1 WR, this offense hanges dramatically.
Orton is fine at QB, he is nothing like Grossman, he is a good decision maker and has a stronger arm. Orton has 2 major flaws,
1. He stares down his receiver
2. He is not very mobile
Both of these flaws got worse after the injury and he wasn't planting on his bad foot either so his play went way down. I also think after a couple of sacks and dropped passes he gets frustrated and tries to force things a lot more. I think Orton is at his best when given a few plays to pick from, running no huddle, and making adjustments at the line. I do believe with a little more time, better protection and run production from the O-line, and a reliable go to receiver Orton will be the guy. Only UFA guy I could support right now would be Cassell depending on what they could grab him for.On coaching, Babich should be gone period. Hire Marinelli whatever, the production fallout of the defense is evident; and even for the idiots that still think it's coincidence... so how about the dramatic positive turnaround of SDs Defense since Rivera took over mid-season, WTF do you say about that? We need a big shot in the arm at DC. As far as moving Urlacher, I dunno, falloff of play at DT combined with some weird scheme stuff Babich did probably accounts for a lot of his lack of production. Moving him strong side would mean more likelyhood of him having to deal with a blocker and not being freed up to make plays, how about just... DON'T START YOUR MLB ON THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE EVERY OTHER PLAY. That might work out too.
The moving Peanut to FS is kind of interesting, he does know this defense, I just don't know that I've seen a lot of successful CB to FS moves past the college level but who knows. Honestly with a pass rushing DE, if we can give every QB less than 4 seconds to throw the ball, we'd make all our secondary look better.Moving Manning to Safety for 1 game was phenominally stupid. I mean really, whomever made that call should be fired on the spot. My wife knows squat about football and even she asked why they had that guy play there if he hadn't all year... I was left with answering.. I have no fing clue.
December 31, 2008
#26 Reality Check said . . .I think the Orton staring problem is fixable. He wasn't doing that early on. In fact he was doing the opposite.
I predict Marrinelli will be d-line/asst. head coach and will have A LOT of input in scheming and game-time adjustments.
December 31, 2008
#27 JWilson said . . .Check this out, Kyle Orton was not named the 2009 starting QB yet. This was said by our favorite GM Jerry Angelo:
"''I know there is going to be a lot of talk about a No. 1 receiver. Guys, it starts with the quarterback. It's all about the quarterback. You don't win because of wide receivers. You don't win because of running backs. You win because of the quarterback.
''We've got to get the quarterback position stabilized. We're fixated on that, and I don't want us to lose sight of that. The rest of that is [peripheral] stuff. It starts with the quarterback, and that's the bottom line.''
''I don't know that yet until I know who is out there, but if we feel that is our best option, then we have to look at it very seriously because that's what I just said,'' Angelo said. ''I can't say one thing and come back and do another. That position has to get righted. The offense starts with the quarterback, and we know it's the most valuable position on a football team and we have always been mindful of it.
''We've gone through so many different scenarios at that position, we can write a book, more so of what not to do than what to do. But I do have confidence in Kyle. I don't want anybody coming out of this thinking that we don't believe in Kyle. We do believe in Kyle. But Kyle has got to take another step, and that's the bottom line. It's a very difficult position to play, it consumes an inordinate amount of money on your cap, it's a very big decision and we're going to measure twice to cut once on this one.''
December 31, 2008
#28 Phil from SATX said . . .If Jerry is thinking about chasing Matt Cassel, he might want to also chase Josh McDaniels the offensive coordinator that made Cassel look good. I think if we cut some players that aren't performing we should be able to acquire the player that seems to be on everyone's wish list, Boldin. We should cut at least: Dusty D, Hunter H, Booker, Lloyd, A. Peterson, and M. Brown. Hate to see Mike go, but I think it's time for him to retire. Maybe we can get him on our coaching staff somewhere.
December 31, 2008
#29 Urlacher FTW said . . .This is the time of year that makes me like Jerry Angelo again. It's probably just due to the fact that I am starving for reality from the people making the decisions, and like last year, Angelo started the offseason by giving us some reality, and some real and heartfelt words. As much as Lovie's words don't mean shit, you can take Angelo's words to the bank. And as a Bear fan, I really appreciate that.
Adding a former head coach (even a bad one) as a defensive coordinator would be the kind of experience upgrade we desperately need in our coaching ranks. I just wish we could get Turner some help too, especially as it appears that the Eye of Sauron is not swinging his way, for yet another season (dang and double dang).
You don't really need to parse Angelo's words, but if you do, I'm reading something between the lines. He says that we will be adding players, but even if we didn't, we could be a winning team next year. I believe he's talking about the fact that neither the right players nor scheme for the players was being used this year. I assume he looks at both sides of the ball for that. I think bad personnel deployment has hampered the Bears for two years now, on both sides of the ball. People are sitting who shouldn't be sitting, people are playing who shouldn't be playing.
Just glad that the man with the ax is talking now. And since he has to interpret Lovie's words for the world, he ought to tell Lovie what he SHOULD be saying - something that gives us at least the hope that Lovie requires accountability - THAT'S the hope we want, not mindless hope for the future that Angelo suggests Lovie meant, that no one's buying.
STRAIGHT TALK, BOYS, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT!
AND ACCOUNTABILITY!
December 31, 2008
#30 NittyGritty34 said . . .I like Boldin and heard early on that he would be available but in browsing 2009 FA lists I can't find him. Top threats on all the WR FA sites I see are Housmanzadah and Bryant. Anyone know if these sites aren't current enough, or did Boldin resign.
December 31, 2008
#31 JWilson said . . .To all who are hoping for Shanahan: Dream on. The guy will be a head coach for somebody else, I promise you. Our only chance of grabbing him is to fire Lovie, and that aint happening. Seriously, can you see Shanahan answering to Lovie Smith? NO WAY!
And Mike Martz? Are you kidding me? Can you imagine a team with Lovie, Marinelli, and Martz? Didn't Marinelli fire Martz last year? I pray that won't happen. He can develop quarterbacks? Who besides Kurt Warner? Kitna? O'Sullivan? Please. No more Lovie Lackies. I don't even want Marinelli. I want Mike Singletary, Mike Brown, or fuck I don't know. Just don't give me these losers.December 31, 2008
I don't think Anquan Boldin is a FA this year. He might be a restricted FA. But, after Larry got his big extension this year, he wanted his too. If I remember right, he said he would not resign with the Cardinals. I guess we'll see as soon as they get beat out of the play offs.
If we wait a year or two we can draft Anquan's brother Demir who plays at Wake Forrest.
December 31, 2008
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