madlithuanian

C'mon Terra... That talk's not necessary. We all know Cracker has a loud bark...you just need to put earplugs in and drown it out.

I read he fumbled twice agasint whoever they played, but also ran for 79 yeards with not a lot of carries. There seems to be up and down... He is a rookie...

I've heard similar from some freinds that follow the Steelers. But something tells me when the season and games are on, he's going to get it after a few games. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love what I've seen of Forte, and am glad he's here! It just stems from Mendy's who I wanted and until I see otherwise, I'm going to think he's what we should have got. No basis of reality...just and odd feeling of regret. When we drafted Williams, I just thought ho-hum. I was glad we got an OL, but I was not thrilled or excited in the least about him in particular. I just hoped he'd be OK. I was a bit concerned about the rumors of injury and that he went to a small school. But, I figured I'd get behind the pick and hope for the best. The rest of the draft after Forte had my head spinning...especially with no QB's drafted as we've all discussed before. It was just an odd draft to me. The jury is still out... I eagerly await the verdict.

More accurately, he was our QB the year we lost the Super Bowl.

You'll get no argument from me (on this topic at least). I honestly feel like he's in a different world. Maybe he's been coddled too much...I really don't know. Maybe it's like actors finding their first role. Regardless that everyone tells them they cannot be the next DeNiro, they still think they can. Normally, I think that's a good mentality to have. In his case, it still might be, and maybe he can bring the confidence elsewhere and find some success. But at the rate we go, odds are he'll be under center some time this year again...

Yeah. He's got the background to garnish respect immediately. The guy had his teams in the playoffs virtually every year. And even went deep with real garbage at QB! Can the McCaskey's just sell to Cuban as well? Just think what that guy would do?

This is all pre-season speculation....but given your statment of "what if"... I'd say you're probably right about Singletary. He's a rising star in coaching and would be a media darling pick. It's just warm fuzzies for fans and buys managment some goodwill. He's done a good job with the LB corps in SF, but overall the SF D isn't so good. I'd like to see how they do this season. Also, I think Singletary can be had fairly cheaply compared to other big name splashes. I personally want Cowher, but fear the Bears wouldn't want to pay for him. I could also see Les Frazier as well for many of the same reasons... I think filling out the coordinators would be harder to determine as many may be vying for HC spots.

I swear I'm going to regret the Bears not taking Mendenhall...I just have a feeling.

I think you meant to attach the column from the Trib... But, I generally agree. He does seem like a nice guy.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...,3500978.column Past time for some tough Lovie Rick Morrissey | In the wake of the news August 25, 2008 Is this how Lovie Smith wants to go out? As friend to the players? As the Great Enabler? Does he want his professional tombstone to read: He got off the bus refusing to throw anybody under the bus? If Smith doesn't do something about it soon, a combination of bad football and a culture of unaccountability is going to be his undoing as the Bears' coach. Forget the bad apples he used to support at every turn and at every pretrial hearing. This isn't about that. This is about the most unpardonable sin in pro football: Smith's players aren't playing hard for him. And he's to blame. When the head coach acts at all times as if everything is cool, even when it's not, it's not surprising that his players follow suit. And so Bears starters approach exhibition games with a shrug and a roll of the eyeballs. Linebackers can't or won't get off blocks. Defensive linemen and defensive backs miss tackles. No big deal. The Bears will show up when the games really matter. Just like last season. The defensive starters whom Smith protects like a mother Bear respond by playing as if their next meal doesn't depend on it. Why should they put everything on the line when they know their coach will shield them in his public comments? Smith has misread the modern professional athlete in a very fundamental way. They know how to take, but they don't like to give. It's why a head coach has to demand a lot. If it's not demanded, it won't be received. Last week a radio guy solemnly declared that Smith's anger was clear the day after the Bears' lazy starting defense got abused by the 49ers, who had the worst offense in the league last season. Do you know what Smith said? He said the defense was bad. It's the kind of penetrating analysis we've come to expect from the Lovester. "But we won't point fingers," he said. "We'll make the corrections, and we'll play better defense." Just like last season. After three years of getting patted on the back by Smith, the players have an outsized sense of their worth. They also have dents in their backs. Mike Brown gets it. You can always count on the safety to say what the head coach should have said. Problem is, you can't count on Brown's body to hold up. But attributing the San Francisco debacle to the meaninglessness of an exhibition game is a bad excuse, Brown insisted. If you have a leader who concocts alibis for you, who tells you how good you are at every turn, who ignores the facts ... well, bad things tend to happen. Sometimes you get the feeling Smith spends his spare time checking up on his Facebook friends, Tommie and Peanut and Lach. He has to change. He still thinks it's 2006, when the Bears made it to the Super Bowl and his defense was trying to tell the world why it was as good as the '85 Bears. It wasn't. And now his team is looking down the barrel of a sub-.500 season, which is a nice way of saying the Bears likely are going to be bad. It's a given that Jerry Angelo, despite his personnel gaffes, isn't going anywhere. General managers generally are the last to go. So that leaves Lovie. In response to the 49ers game, Smith said he's going to run "training-camp-style practices" this week. The man is a taskmaster, isn't he? Bear in mind that this still is the preseason and therefore the team technically still is in training camp, just not in Bourbonnais. But will there be real, live tackling in the training-camp-style practices this week? God forbid, no. Everything is good at Halas Hall, other than, you know, the bad football. The defensive coordinator Smith inherited, Ron Rivera, the one the players respected so much? Ousted 18 months ago in favor of Smith's old buddy, Bob Babich. No more distractions because of Rivera, who was popular with the media and who was a perennial head-coaching candidate. So he's gone, along with that great defense the Bears used to have. Remember what Smith said with a knowing look when he decided not to bring back Rivera? Trust him, he said. We'll give Babich a little more time. We'll go along with Smith's excuse that injuries decimated the defense last season, even though people get hurt every year on every team in the NFL. If the defense doesn't turn around, it's on Babich. And thus on Smith. If things don't change, he'll soon be able to look at his scrapbook, point to a player, any player, and say, "That guy really liked me. He helped cost me my job by not playing up to his abilities, but he really liked me!" That will be Smith's legacy. Trust me. rmorrissey@tribune.com

I hear ya.

I think it does. It's a lose-lose situation for Angela no matter how you slice it. There is not looking good in the least about this. It is embarassing for him and the organization. This is simply not good no matter how you slice it.

Oh man, don't go there!

Lighten up Francis... I actually have a herniated disc and know a lot about it. And you are right, for the most part, excercise and stretching are the best general cures. Actually pilates and reducing and strengthening one's gut is the best. I unfortunatley like beer too much, and have a problem getting a TO-like 6 -pack compared to a Dan Fouts-like 12 pack... But anyway, generally the excercise is a good thing. However, as it was explained to me by my doctor (and I realize we could have different herniated disc issues), shock is not good. I was told to stop skiing, avoid roller coasters and bumper cars, be weary playing intense basketball, sparring, etc... Anything that could result in a "shock" to your back. I have to imagine, playing pro football is on the list as well, but since I'm about as in shape as Drew Carey, he didn't bother warning me of that. Let's rattle off the issues... 1. Williams has a herniated disc, and has known of it for a while. If it's anything like mine, playing pro ball probably isn't the best thing in the world for it. Regardless of how in shape you are. 2. If the Bears knew of this and went forward, I think it was a dumb risk. Otah, Albert and other OL were available without that potential baggage. It's not like Williams was Jake Long. He was a really good guy out of a small school. No home run hitter by any means. 3. If the Bears didn't know this, then their offensive scouts are truly offensive. I don't proclaim to know everything...never did. But I do know a little about hernated discs. And I also know Jerry screwed up on this draft choice. We can all argue the semantics over it, but right now, it looks bad for the franchise. And perception is a lot, especially for one that's had such issues as cutting our #1 RB pick for being a jackass. The Bears didn't need this kind of press, and I'll bet that the owners aren't too happy about it either. What they'll do, we can only guess. Heck, Williams could come back and be a great player. Modern medicine is pretty amazing as is the human body and spirit. But I'm a bettin' man, and the odds don't look great.

From the PFT rumor mill... RAMS KICK BENTLEY’S TIRES Posted by Michael David Smith on August 25, 2008, 1:34 p.m. Free agent offensive lineman offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley didn’t play a down in 2006 or 2007, his two seasons with the Browns. If he plays in 2008, it may be with the Rams. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Bentley is on the way to St. Louis to have a visit and a physical today. Bentley was considered one of the best young offensive linemen in the league after his first four seasons, all with the Saints. But he never got on the field after signing a six-year, $36 million contract with the Browns during the 2006 off-season. His injuries started with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during the first practice of training camp in 2006, things got worse when he developed a staph infection, and he was eventually released in June. Bentley has experience at guard and center, and the Rams have needs at both positions. Rams center Brett Romberg is out with a broken hand, and guard Mark Setterstrom suffered a season-ending knee injury in a preseason game last week.

I feel like this years' D is a real crap shoot. I think it could go anywhere top or bottom. 1. Brown I think can get it done and make us very competitive despite any bad coaching. However, I feel like if the coaching is bad, Brown won't make it known until about week 4 when he's "had enough"...like he did when we lost to CLE all those years ago. It'll have to get bad before it gets good... 2. the DL is darn good... Maybe Tommie And DUsty can get enough pressure that allow the ends to go outside... 3. I do like Anderson coming in for pass situations much better! 4. I just don't get the bad tackling. Is there an on/off switch? 5. Vets should make a difference...but are they jaded? 6. I'm just hoping for the best from Urlacher. He brings it when he plays, and that's all I expect. He may have lost a step, but a step-shy Urlacher is still better than a vast majority of other MLB's. 7. We need to see a lot of big plays on D, no doubt!

too early... But if we could get James Laurinaitis, it's be a happy camper. We need to plan for Urlacher's departure...

In Moss's case it wasa a huge risk reward. His upside was crazy. But Williams was ranked no better than Otah. Would you have skipped a heart-beat if we took Otah over Williams? I know many were hoping for such. I could see if you were talking a caliber player of Jake Long over Otah, but risking on inury guy like WIlliams over Otah now seems foolish in hindsight...if not in foresight.

Please tell me you don't see the sinking of the Titanic as a "riddance to extra metal and wood". It's reads CMA about as clear as it could possible be. I've heard better lying from amateur politicians.

This news is truly disheartening. Follishness....

One certain positive of JA is he does manage the cap well...

Leinart does look like a bust at this point... I don't think JA has the market cornered on bad offensive picks...many other GM's are worse. Bengals come to mind...at least for a while a few years back.

True...Belichick doesn't seem much more than an animatron on the sidelines, bit I've got to imagine it's different in the locker room. But I just don't get even a remote vibe of that from Lovie... I'm going to be real curious how this season plays out. I'm hoping for the best...

I think a lot of us do...

He seems to walk the walk...so I won't begrudge him that. I've heard only good about his coaching. ...and we all know his playing!