DBB Previews Training Camp & NFC North on 1490 the Jock [AUDIO]
I made the editorial / business decision a year ago to be sponsored by not-profit companies. I’ve never done this site for cash and I’m not going to start now. But if a few solid organizations could make this site profitable whilst allowing me to do something good, I’m all for it.
Several years ago I began working with an organization called Art of Men. I so loved the founder, Art Gurwitz, and the mission of the organization that I have taken on a leadership role with them. I would spend time here summarizing what the organization does but AoM’s mission statement takes care of that.
THE WORLD IS FALLING APART.
NOTHING WORKS.
Everybody’s complaining, but no one is doing anything about it.SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.
We’re doing it.WHAT IS ART OF MEN?
We’re guys across the world taking matters into our own hands.
According to Paddy Power, Ireland’s premier gambling site, the Chicago Bears are 30-1 to win the NFC in 2015. Only two teams have worse odds: the Redskins and Bucs. (Those two teams are sub-professional.) Only four teams in the whole of the NFL have worse odds to win the Super Bowl. But one does not need the citizens of County Clare to state what is clear to anyone objectively examining the Bears 2015 roster: this team just isn’t all that good.
Does that mean they can’t win some games? Of course not. It’s the NFL. But they have flawed quarterback, unhappy running back, rookie at wide receiver, disgruntled tight end and serious deficiencies on the offensive line. The defense? The Bears have as many men on one-year deals as T-Mobile. The unit will be improved as a result of the coaching change alone but will any of that improvement mean anything if a majority of the group will be elsewhere in 2016?
I was mesmerized by this video over the weekend and I’m not quite sure why. Since there are only 826 views on YouTube, I figured I would share it here. This wasn’t a great Bears team or anything and the video is incomplete but it’s still a joy to watch.
As most of you know, this site does not produce content for content’s sake or for clicks. And as you’ll see with our upcoming sponsor announcements, money doesn’t drive the DBB omnibus. From Labor Day to New Year’s there is new stuff here every single day. This time of year? Not so much.
But I have a few thoughts…
#1 Jared Allen may be the key to the 2015 Bears defense. The more I think about this group heading into the season, the more I wonder just what Vic Fangio and John Fox and going to do with Allen. Is he going to have his hand on the ground? Is he going to be a stand-up outside linebacker? If I were the defensive brain trust I would never stop moving Allen around the defensive front and install a singleminded: get the quarterback.
They named the prize Lombardi.
A seemingly unreachable reminder of treasure not discovered and glory achieved so often in a nearby kingdom.
Oh, to win it all.
To see Soldier Field’s anguished sod coated with confetti not earned on a different highway in another part of town.
To hear echoes of Hallelujah dance off frozen slabs of concrete.
To see the memory of former fame politely shuffled further back in the stacks.
I remember being trapped in a New York City elevator, caught between the first and second floors because I was too lazy to take the stairs.
Six hours before the Super Bowl.
I’ll never get out of here.
I’m going to miss it.
Panic.
Sweat.
Oh, to feel that way again.
The complete misery of everything on the line.
2014 never happened. It never took place. It was a kind of perfect shit storm that rarely strikes an organization in professional sports. Last year’s Chicago Bears were not just a horrendous football team. They were a public disgrace; an alarming amalgam of overmatched and out-witted coaches, underperforming and over-chatty divas and straight up rats.
It never happened. Any of it. And understanding that concept allows one to draw an optimistic conclusion: the Bears 2015 offense has the talent and vision to carry the club through a successful campaign.
Does this mean they will be a playoff team? Perhaps not. A winning record? Possible if not likely. What this means is they will be competitive week to week. They will line up and play sixteen professional games whilst delivering sixteen professional performances. They will be an enjoyable experience for their loyal fans.
…so they went out and signed Tracy Porter, a guy who did.
Two questions.
1. Does this move being made reflect upon the current state of the position in Chicago? (It’s not all that good but does this mean the coaches saw something worse than we expected?)
2. Wouldn’t Charles Tillman have been a better option than Tracy Porter?
Jared Allen showed in 2014 he is still more than capable of being an every down 4-3 defensive end (when not battling the effects of a debilitating illness). Willie Young was arguably the entire team’s MVP – providing the pass rush that was sorely lacking the year previous. David Bass continued to display his penchant for making the big play. Christian Jones showed he’s a professional linebacker. Jay Ratliff played a few of the best games a Bears tackle has played in twenty-years. Lamarr Houston was the best run defender and most idiotic celebrater for half the season.
The Bears defense has guys who can do some things. But how those things are utilized by John Fox and Vic Fangio will make or break the Bears defense in 2015.
The key word: aggression.
