madlithuanian

Don't get me wrong, I think Smith should be fired regardless of what goes down the rest of this season. I don't think the epiphany will hit and he all of a sudden will get it. We may win, but it'll be becasue of flukes and other teams messing up. This regime has all been about passing the buck. Smith is more teflon than Reagan ever was... I'm personally fed up with this ineptness and have vowed not to line the McCaskey's pockets directly. The games will be on, and they will still get profit from TV revenue. So, I'm going to watch. But I will not go to a game as I've done every year for close to the past 10 years. I will not buy a single Bears product, which I've done repeatedly for decades. I love the team and the sport too much not to watch. But I will not directly line the coffers of the McCaskey's until I feel there is competent management & coaching in place. That may be a while.

On O, I think Kreitz could get a 4th... On D, I think Tillman also has value. Same with T. Harris. Or did you already mention all those?

I love a good argument! Props to you for bringing up a good point of discussion and keeping it lievely! I too have a slew of PIT freinds who thought similarly to your example. Last week, they were ready to put Tomlin in front of a firing squad! But now, they are willing to let it play out! I think most fans can be a bit fickle on game day! but tend to let common sense, etc flow in a day after or so! I think is Smith runs the table and wins out to get us to 9-7...he would deserve to stay. I personally want him gone, but the record would speak for itself. It could be argued then that it took a while for things to gel, etc. Regardless what I personally feel, Smith would definitley get a reprieve is we went 9-7. Thanks for adding the personal reference to your time in the military...it, I think was a good analogy. Change for change sake isn't necessarily good. But a change to something better is always good. The problem is there is not sure fire way to make sure that will be the case. I certianly hope we don't jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. However, I think certain things should be part of the equation when looking for the next regime, assuming Smith does not run the table, etc... Here's my general plan for life w/o Smith...and some may be possible even with the regime still in place. 1. We need a better GM. As good as JA's done with some, he's failed miserably on O. We need a GM with some track record of success on both O and D. 2. We need an offensive minded HC. Hire a good DC and OC, but have the HC be in the mindset of offense. Whether it be QB or OL. Grimm comes to mind as a guy that could be a possibility given the Bears' history of not bringing in tried and true head coaching talent. 3. We need tougher training camps. One where tackling is accentuated moreso than turnover. If you live and die by the turnover, eventually you will die. At sometime, you will not get them (as we didn't with Indy in the SB.) If you tackle well, only good things can happen...and turnovers may ensue. But if you rely on the turnover, you are masking other failings. 4. We need to improve the OL in FA and the draft. Our biggest signing should be OL all else being equal. Out 3rd round pick should be OL. Then we start shooting for the secondary, WR, and DL... 5. Give respect to the fans. We've been talked down to and have been taken fro granted for years now. We deserve better. Give us some straight talk. We know we won't get the full truth, but throw us a bone. That's my rant for the day!

You're right...but also omit some very important details. (...and yes, for a while teams were kicking out of bounds and away) Had this staff left well enough alone, and kept Hester returning kicks and kickoffs and threw him in once in a while, I feel he'd still be one of the top return men today. Instead, they've practically neutered him. And seriously, do you think JA would have used the additional pick correctly? Or would it be one of many in a long line of busts for him? We'll never know. If we had better people running the show, I'd say it was something that probably should have been done. Giving the clowns running the circus, I'm not sure it would have mattered. Agreed, that at his point, he is what he is. A decent #2 WR. Unfortunate that this staff turned platinum into silver... Oddly enough, similar seems to be happening to Cutler. Trends...

I think you're crazy thinking Williams, Roach or Hilly would garnish a 3rd from any NFL GM. That is unless JA is fired, hired by some other team, and then would offer up a 3rd... Why would the Rams want one of our OK guys, when they can spin the wheel and try to get a gem in the rough in the 3rd themselves? Hilly's too old, Roach has only proven to be decent and Williams has looked good in one game where he admitted to most the plays just funnelling to him. I just don't see it. The Rams don't need immediate help at LB, they need an offense other than RB. There are teams that would be interested in those guys, but not for a 3rd...

I fear so. It would seem to me that from about 2 weeks ago on, he's being judged on reality. We should beat the Rams and Detroit, and we shouldn't beat Bal, GB and MIN. If we drop the DET game, it could be the death knell many os us are hoping for. However, I think a wrench in the machine is the BAL game. They appear fare more vulnerable recently. I think 6-10 save's Smith. 5-11 I don't think does... All that being said, is that we lose to GB and MN. If we pull a upset...Smith is safe I htink. In other words, Smith is safe unless some drastic losses occur. And that could mean blowouts.... We could beat DET, and get blown out by Min or GB like 45-3...and that could be a possibility for firing. I just feel in my heart, that this ownership will do nothing but put another band-aid on the problem. I am mentally preparing for 1 or 2 more seasons with this regime that I will boycott financially.

It's another thing to bust on a 2nd when it's your only decently high pick of the drat when you are hurting at OL... It's a reach and looks like a big whiff...

I 3rd that...

What a sad general idictment on the crappiness of this franchise...

Been on that wagon for years....

Bingo! Prepare for at least another year of the same...

Yes.

Agreed!

That's not a real downward trend yet. In statistics, usually, there requires a trend of more than 1 to call things a "trend". Otherwise, it could attributable to happenstance. If Tomlin doesn't make the playoffs, and does so again the following season, that's a trend. If he tanks this, then does well the next, there is no trend. Fair enough... But Smith is on a serious trend, and Tomlin is not. One season does not make a trend. 3 following a loss in the SB does. Fitz did. Warner was out, and they lost a game or 2 if I recall correctly. Does half a curse still make it a curse? I think so... Bottom line, I wouldn't want to be on the cover if I were in the NFL... Bottom line for me, the verdict is still not out for Tomlin, and he has the one huge advantage of bringing yet another trophy to PIT. No one can ever take that away from him.

I think it's a little early to be calling out Tomlin... They've had a very disappointing season so far no doubt. But they can still make a wild card. And, they did contend with the Madden curse!

I watched, barely. I flipped between that game and the Red Zone channel all the while helping my wife with Christmas gifts... She made a comment that why wasn't I excited after the win, like I normally am...? I told her because it didn't feel much like a win.

Unfortunately the dolts on the sideline have a direct impact on what's on or not on the field...

Amen! I think you'd be able to sell the Broolyn Bride is you could get a 1st or 2nd for Olsen! A 3rd if you're lucky, probably a 4th.

Too generous w/ the QB grade. It should be a C. Average. 8 of 17 (less than 50% completion), 143 yards and 1 TD, zero turnovers is at best an average game for an average NFL QB. He didn't lose it, thankfuly. But B is just too high. He is shackled now by Turner and Smith Ortonizing him. It's really annoying. We could have hanie do this. 2 firsts were not needed to give away if this is all we're going to let the guy do.

Nah. Rosenbloom is far more negative of the franchise. Morrissey the same really... They don't appear to be on the Bears' payroll, but they still love stirring it up and generally writing poorly...

Huagh for this past season, and much of the prior, has lost any bite. He does appear to be a Bears apologist.

I still think you're far too generous!

Really? B or C? Wouldn't we have to be at least .500 to garnish that kind of grade?

F

Nah, we'd be getting grunts...