NFL 2016

[Tequila Cowboy]

Cutler already has 5 options to pass to (Forte, Marshall, Jeffrey, Bennett and Nixon) so adding a 6th seems like a huge waste of a pick.

Well, you pick the best available and I don't think the Bears are in a position to trade down from 14 as they've addressed depth in free agency and now need impact players. I agree that defense is the overriding need but if that impact guy isn't there getting an impact target wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I'm not of the belief that they have enough targets for Cutler and they definitely need a burner to go deep. Now that guy might be Marquess Wilson, who was a value pick in the 7th round last year, so that could be solved but having 5 pass targets is not nearly enough. Peyton Manning threw to 10 guys and looking within the division Matt Stafford threw to 11. You need at least 8 viable targets to keep defenses guessing. I was pretty excited when it was reported the the Bears were targeting Darren Sproles who looked about ready to be cut before Philly swooped in and grabbed him in a trade. Since that didn't happen though, another pass catching tight end could do wonders. Frankly I still think the the Bears are going to have to score 35 a game to be competitive.

[Zip City]

I think you're underestimating just how much they've ready improved the defense over last year

[Tequila Cowboy]

I think you're underestimating just how much they've already improved the defense over last year

They've gotten a lot of depth. No stars. I like the Lamarr Houston signing but he actually had fewer sacks than Peppers did. He can hold an edge, he spends a lot of time in the backfield but I don't see where that guy with 10-14 sacks a year is coming from. Is it a DT? Could be but that guy isn't on the roster yet. So then they signed Willie Young:

Young made 15 starts last season in Detroit, totaling 47 tackles and three sacks. Like Houston, his sack totals are far from impressive. But the Bears are gambling that they can tap into Young’s potential. And in the early parts of last season, Young showed an ability to be disruptive off the edge.

Again, disruptive isn't good enough and on most teams Young wouldn't be a starter, he might be for the Bears though. Then you have MD Jennings and Ryan Mundy who, if they're your starting safeties you're in trouble. The departed Major Wright might actually be better than Jennings. That's scary. I'm not sure where you see the improvement so far. Houston is younger than an aging Peppers without the huge cap hit, and he probably holds an edge better than Peppers but that's an incremental improvement. Young is a project with talent but he was a 7th round draft pick, his ceiling is only so high. That all being said the moves have been absolutely what they needed to do and the re-signing of DJ Williams might be the best move of all because Jon Bostic looked like a bust and who the hell knows what Shea McClellin is going to look like at linebacker. Now it's said that Bostic is really a weak side linebacker but he will compete with McLellin at strong side and maybe move over to the weak side next year replacing Briggs. Again, if healthy, Williams could be the saving grace. I haven't even mentioned Briggs who when he came back was fat and bad. I'm assuming he'll be in shape for camp but he's hardly a given at his age.

So again, they do have more depth but they need stars. Honestly they need a impact safety immediately, probably a corner who can spell Tillman when his inevitable injuries happen, and as of right now they have no natural 3 technique DE. I do think they can get some of those positions filled in the draft but Emery has yet to show he can draft defense so who can say they will? Are they better than last year? They're going in with the same two CB's, basically the same linebackers, two new DE's one of whom probably won't start (Young) and don't forget they probably won't re-sign Corey Wooten who actually played well at end before he was moved inside and pretty much sucked, although the effort was there. Are they better? I don't think so but the draft will the tell the tale.

[Zip City]

I'd say the Bears have upgraded the D-Line:

I'll repost this. Huge improvement.

And the bad defense gave up 29 ppg last year. That should definitely go down this year. This isn't added depth, this is replacing bad starters with better starters. Conte and Wright were statistically 2 of the worst defenders in football last year. The additions to the D-Line are huge upgrades

[Tequila Cowboy]

Conte is still on the team unless they can draft someone to beat him out he's probably still the starter. Again with Emery's draft record on defense you can't predict with certainty that will happen. I hope so but there is no basis in fact. Wooten was playing tackle last year because McClellin couldn't and injuries forced him to play there, he played very well at DE in 2012. What killed them last year was lack of depth. I think they've improved that depth. If you can get a beast at DT and a DE to push Young than I think the D will be better. There will be injuries, there are always are, I think with a decent draft class they can better withstand those injuries. Yes, they are better, it would have been nearly impossible to get worse. This is going to be a hybrid D with shifting fronts and Jeremiah Ratlif can play both the 0 and 3 techniques which is going to help. Given their salary cap situation they did the best they could in free agency but I haven't heard a single NFL expert, based on many of the facts I've listed here, say they have even come close to doing enough. Again it's all up to the draft but this whole thing came up because I said that if you have a sure fire All Pro Tight End prospect sitting there for you at 14 you have to take him, primarily because it's unlikely you can fix this defense and contend in 2014 and I disagree with you that Cutler has enough targets. Again no matter where they play you need stars.

[Zip City]

I think the offense is full of stars. I'd be disappointed to see an offensive pick in the first round

[Tequila Cowboy]

I think the offense is full of stars. I'd be disappointed to see an offensive pick in the first round

Ok, the bottom line is how close are they to being as good as Seattle? How about San Francisco or New Orleans or hell how about as good as Green Bay with a healthy Rodgers? Is it possible to get as good or better as any of those teams in one offseason? I would posit no so why does it matter what side of the ball you draft for in 2014? Again I hope for the best but I always try to be realistic and expect the worst when it comes to Chicago sports teams.

[Zip City]

You don't have to be as good as those teams for a whole season. You just have to make the playoffs. We've seen 6 seeds win the Super Bowl.

[Tequila Cowboy]

You don't have to be as good as those teams for a whole season. You just have to make the playoffs. We've seen 6 seeds win the Super Bowl.

So, what. you hope and pray you scratch and claw enough to hope you make the playoffs? Is that what New England does? Does that look like what Elway is doing with the Broncos? I think that's what bothers me most about Chicago sports and the Bears in particular. Why aim to be just good enough and hope for the best? Why not try to be like New England, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Green Bay and other teams that strive for the championship every year aren't content to just get there and hope for the best? The NFL has a few really good teams, a few really bad teams and a gigantic blob in the middle. Sometimes those blob teams suck, sometimes they make the playoffs and every so often they win a Super Bowl. It's fucking Chicago, a world class city and we have to be a blob team? Makes me crazy. That's why the Blackhawks are so exciting because they elected not to be that, to build a winning organization. That's why the promise of what the Cubs are doing is so alluring. Hell if the Bears luck in to a playoff run I'll root for them as hard or harder than anyone but I would like to feel like fans of those organizations that just plain expect to be one of the best year after year after year. I'm just tired of the apparent satisfaction with mediocrity.

[Zip City]

I'm not saying you aim for "good enough", I'm just saying that "not being as good as New England" isn't a death sentence in today's NFL

[Tequila Cowboy]

We have some Carolina Panthers fans here don't we? Curious how you're feeling about your team after losing 4 receivers, 4 offensive lineman and now a very sketchy sounding surgery for Cam Newton. All this from an offense that wasn't very good. I really think this changes how we look at the NFC South now.

[Zip City]

Texans to trade Schaub to Raiders after signing Ryan Fitzpatrick

[Tequila Cowboy]

Texans to trade Schaub to Raiders after signing Ryan Fitzpatrick

That's just not a nice thing to do to anyone.

It sure is looking like they're going to be smart, draft Clowney #1 and draft someone like Garoppolo in the second round. Fitzpatrick can start if he needs to and doesn't have the local baggage Schaub does. If they were going to draft a QB in the first they wouldn't worry about a backup who could start. What puzzles me is what the Raiders want with Schaub. They're going to probably end up with Manziel, Bridgewater or Bortles who will start from jump street, who cares who the backup is? Oh wait, it's the Raiders.

[Tequila Cowboy]

So the Bears had absolutely zero interest in bringing back Josh McCown to back up Jay Cutler for several reasons. One was that they thought, while he was a great team player and a solid backup, that his success was mainly due to Marc Trestman's system. Another was that they knew someone would offer him a great deal of money and they respected him too much to make him an insulting low ball offer. The third reason was that the organization was quite angry with the fandom for stirring up a non existent (in their minds) quarterback controversy and wanted no part of year two of that circus especially after giving Cutler big money in the offseason. So their possible solution? They apparently are seriously considering signing Rex Grossman to backup Cutler in 2014. If Meatball Bears fans ever hated a QB more than Jay it would be Rex "Rex is our quarterback" Grossman. This move would, IMHO, be both a very good football move to bring in a savvy eleven year veteran and highly ironic at the same time proving that the usually stolid Bears management does indeed have a sense of humor. Bring on sexy Rexy!

[Zip City]

Jared Allen to the Bears, 4 year deal. ME LIKEY

[Tequila Cowboy]

Jared Allen to the Bears, 4 year deal. ME LIKEY

Nice move depending on the guaranteed money. My guess it's very front loaded meaning it's actually a two year deal. It also explains the sudden withdrawal of cap space from "the bank of Cutler" the other day. What we do know is that he turned down a 2 year $12 million deal from the Seahawks to take this one and the rumor there was that $8 mil was guaranteed which would have been almost identical to the deal Julius Peppers got in Green Bay. Considering the Seahawks are almost certainly more of a contender than the Bears I'm guessing the guarantee has to be about $12-$14 mil. That's not bad. There's no doubt that the line is immediately improved.

[Zip City]

$15.5 mil guaranteed.

[Tequila Cowboy]

$15.5 mil guaranteed.

A little steep for a 32 year old player, but when you screw up on guys like Shay McClellin that's the price you pay. This certainly opens up the possibilities in the draft with the D line very much addressed it looks like safety is probably where they're going to go in the 1st round (although I still wouldn't mind an offensive playmaker if that's the best available). Ha Ha Clinton-Dix would look awfully nice in that defensive backfield. Could be that elusive safety they've been searching for since the decline and departure of Mike Brown.

[Tequila Cowboy]

I'll say this Phil Emery has busted his ass to improve this team. There wasn't a single Chicago media person I heard that thought the Bears could turn the defense around in one offseason and while nothing is guaranteed, he has certainly put them in position to do that. I worry a little about the offense because I still think they're a target or two short of being truly elite, but they look awfully good right now.

[Zip City]

I'll say this Phil Emery has busted his ass to improve this team. There wasn't a single Chicago media person I heard that thought the Bears could turn the defense around in one offseason and while nothing is guaranteed, he has certainly put them in position to do that. I worry a little about the offense because I still think they're a target or two short of being truly elite, but they look awfully good right now.

After Angelo punted on the O-Line for years and years, Emery fixed it in one off-season. Now he's done the same with the D-Line. It allows the draft to be more about depth, developmental players rather than immediate starters (outside of a DT and DB)

[Tequila Cowboy]

I'll say this Phil Emery has busted his ass to improve this team. There wasn't a single Chicago media person I heard that thought the Bears could turn the defense around in one offseason and while nothing is guaranteed, he has certainly put them in position to do that. I worry a little about the offense because I still think they're a target or two short of being truly elite, but they look awfully good right now.

After Angelo punted on the O-Line for years and years, Emery fixed it in one off-season. Now he's done the same with the D-Line. It allows the draft to be more about depth, developmental players rather than immediate starters (outside of a DT and DB)

I agree with most of that. I still think with a pick that high that he has start, or at least be a major contributor, in year one. Either Clinton-Dix or Justin Gilbert at CB could be that guy. I know that Emery hasn't been very well regarded by the fans and media, particularly because of McClellin and some of his later round picks who aren't even on the roster, but he's drafted two stars in Alshon Jeffery and Kyle Long and he's been very aggressive in free agency. If people really don't think, especially after this signing, that he hasn't been a major upgrade from Jerry Angelo then they aren't very bright.

[Given to Fly]

Mike Smith on Devin Hester

"Devin can play outside, he can play inside. When you try to defend him, that was one of the things you were always very concerned about—- where is he going to line up. He wasn't a guy who was going to play 50 plays on offense but you were always going to have a package for him. You want to have a guy like him be able to touch the football."

Good luck with that.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... 7950.story
(scroll down to bottom)

[Tequila Cowboy]

Mike Smith on Devin Hester

"Devin can play outside, he can play inside. When you try to defend him, that was one of the things you were always very concerned about—- where is he going to line up. He wasn't a guy who was going to play 50 plays on offense but you were always going to have a package for him. You want to have a guy like him be able to touch the football."

Good luck with that.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... 7950.story
(scroll down to bottom)

Ummm he's seen Hester play offense right? There was reason why some of his teammates called him Forrest Gump.

[Markalanbishop]

I thought DeSean Jackson was starting to look a lot like Omar!

[Clams]

I thought DeSean Jackson was starting to look a lot like Omar!

I don't understand your comment MAB. I also don't understand why the Eagles just released him. Hard to believe they couldn't get anything in return. There's got to be something more to the story.

[Markalanbishop]

I thought DeSean Jackson was starting to look a lot like Omar!

I don't understand your comment MAB. I also don't understand why the Eagles just released him. Hard to believe they couldn't get anything in return. There's got to be something more to the story.

Yea, this is very fishy. The whole gang-related thing is strange. The Eagles clearly intend to void his contract and not pay him. I wonder who will sign him? How bout the Falcons!?! On the off chance you were serious, Omar was a gangster character in The Wire, which I finally binge-watched so I'm obsessed at the moment. Weird times in Philly on the sports scene.

[cortez the killer]

I'm typically not a fan of Steven A., but this is pretty good. Sounds like a bizarre situation.

[Tequila Cowboy]

It seems to me that the odds are that DeSean Jackson signing with Washington is going come back and bite Philadelphia in the ass. Strange story.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Anyone notice that Brian Billick has been let go by Fox as an analyst? Too bad, I enjoyed his broadcast with Brenneman. Possible replacement? Brian Urlacher. Please no, just no.

[beantownbubba]

Another moron w/free access to the airwaves. Another player compares being a professional athlete to slavery. Is it a serious lack of brain cells or that much self-absorption? In any case, I bet Spikes is not a Led Zep fan.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/dcQP1?utm_ ... d-patriots