AZ54

Luck under pressure looks a lot like Cutler under pressure. Same with Peyton Manning. Anyone remember the Superbowl against the Seahawks? If that was Cutler he'd be ripped apart on this board for that performance. For Manning, he gets credit for getting his team to the Superbowl. Jay gets the Bears to the NFC Championship and people say he gets no credit. Eli? No need to go over his INTs. He's won it all, and played well in those games, but has he done it without a great defense which was the excuse people gave Cutler when we got to the NFC Championship game? I'm not saying Cutler is a great QB. But he's a good one. He'll always have his issues but he's the 12th highest paid QB now so last year's "he's the highest paid player in the league" is out the door. It's all about what is best for the team moving forward. Reality is people, especially the media, don't like the guy and that shapes every opinion of him, every comment about his negative plays. Luck throws an INT under pressure and people say I wonder why he did that?" Cutler does it and we hear "he's stupid". Saying Bears should cut ties just because he isn't "it" doesn't mean a thing to me if you won't state who you would have drafted or traded for to be in his place. At the end of the day we have to field a competitive football team and I damn sure don't want to go back to the Henry Burris days. Regarding those average QBs in the 13-17 range in salaries, you can't even trade for one of them (just behind Cutler are Romo, Stafford, Alex Smith, P. Manning, Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton) until you get to Sam Bradford. Can't recall anyone stating we should go after him. Next on the list is Nick Foles (he was available and he earns $12mil/yr), Brady, and Luck. After that it's all journeymen and backups. How many QBs get drafted each year? Maybe 6? Good starting QBs, talking about those top 15 guys, career lasts about 10-15 years. So we have 60-90 QBs drafted during Brady's and Manning's careers. Of that 13 have become top 15 QBs. Many of them have warts in their game as Cutler does. Newton, Rivers, Ryan, Flacco, Tannehill, Kap, Romo (Dallas fans have burned him alive many times), Palmer, Dalton, Bradford, and Foles. Just saying we have to figure out how to win with Cutler now because replacing him is a) far from a guarantee and comes with a long learning curve even if the guy has the potential to be better long term ( see Andrew Luck). This is the most pivotal position in all of sports, the most difficult to play as well. This doesn't mean I'm against drafting a potential future QB but I am against going all in and dumping Cutler just to say we have someone else when odds are that someone else is worse. Life in the NFL: I know a few Denver fans who will gladly trade Peyton Manning.

Yea I was wondering why "players at fault" was not an option on that list. We're in the red zone with guys like Josh Bellamy running routes. Call the same play for him and/or Alshon Jeffrey and odds are one is a TD and one isn't even with the same QB. One play caller is good and one isn't good.

I agree there but it's impossible to project that Bosa will go forward like Watt did at DE. We'll let the season play out and keep an eye on him.

Great to see the news about Long. On the flip side it's bothersome that the Cards LT is also on that list which means we didn't get any pressure against him at all.

Nobody wants to hear it but the reality is when guys like Manning or Brady or Rodger play in the same system for a decade or more they don't have to go through this except with new WRs. It's partly why it takes a couple years for players to come up to speed in Green Bay because Rodgers throws guys open based on where the coverage is but that location can be anywhere from back shoulder to over the top outside/inside. A WR has to have a sense for where the ball will be placed, and he's really accurate in locating the ball. Watch Peyton now learning a new system for the first time and he's done nothing but look average, or worse, for the first couple games. Everyone in Denver has been calling for Osweiller since the preseason games and you would never think of hearing that. We don't know who was wrong on Bennett's route other than the fact the two guys involved were not on the same page. It's frustrating for every fan in Chicago. Take Gronk and his massive catch radius away from Brady and he looks a little more human. Plenty of games going back the last few years to see the difference. Take Jeffrey and White away from the field and we go from at best being average to an offense nobody is worried about. (Please I hope every one can read and understand: I'm not putting Cutler in the same category of either of those three QBs. I'm simply comparing the challenges of an entire team learning a new offense, especially one where the WR and QB must make the same coverage reads, versus an offense that has a few new pieces and the key player (QB) and everyone else knows what is going on. ) Tim Tebow cannot throw accurately which is why he is no longer in the NFL (again). With this defense Fox is not going to win any games scoring 1 or 2 TDs like he and Tebow did in Denver. Why are you criticizing SMC on coverage? (Curious what you are seeing since i haven't focused on him) Is it because of the play where Fitzgerald scored a TD? Or other plays? On Fitz's TD it was Fuller's man and SMC realized the blown coverage and ran back late to get in the play. Can't fault him on that one. He's still a step late getting into coverage and is reading things but with experience he should become more instinctive. To be honest I think SMC (our leading tackler) is far from the biggest issue on our defense these days. Surprisingly, I've noticed a complete lack of threads dedicated to SMC these past two weeks which has not been the case the last few seasons.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0922-story.html “So with Kyle, I just need him to -- he has to be a true professional, and he has to be a true studier of film. And more importantly, he has to play with his strengths. If you’re going to press a guy, you have to make sure you put your hands on a guy. You can’t line up in front of a guy and then not disrupt him whatsoever.” --------------------------------------------------- Rare to hear such straightforward talk. Perhaps a little too much success early last year before he tailed off later in the season, then perhaps too much confidence in those positive things the new coaches said shortly after they arrived, and it sounds like Fuller has taken things for granted. Let's hope Rolle's words sink in and he turns it around.

I've been waiting for this move. If you didn't catch it on replays Callahan #37 was the player who jumped out of his lane on the opening kickoff allowing the TD. He pretty much looked like he didn't want to tackle Johnson and preferred to hide behind someone else who could make first contact. As far as I know we only kept Callahan around for special teams and he covers plays like that there was no need to keep him. Plus he was late getting down there, why were the big guys all in place before him? Good call by the coaches and GM. Good message to the team. Let's go find guys who want to do it.

A lot of it is correctable but the pass rush can only be corrected with new players.

I don't think Bosa is nearly as agile or quick as JJ Watt. He's definitely not a speed rusher off the edge.

http://draftbreakdown.com/video/jared-goff...ego-state-2015/

I saw Nkemdiche play a week ago. He makes some very explosive plays in the backfield and then he seems to disappear. I wasn't isolated on him so don't know if he was double teamed or not. I will say that for a big man he occasionally displays some rare athleticism and quickness. I don't know if he's big enough to be DE in our scheme or if he's more like McPhee in body type.

We don't have time to fix someone else's trash. We have enough of our own.

Jefferson didn't jump any route, he was stepping up to the spot where Bennett stopped/hesitated and was still a yard or two behind Bennett. He was actually coming from the right side of the offenses formation. Fox said it's a sight-adjustment play so one guy read it one way, and the other read it differently. I don't expect they'll tell us exactly what the keys are here and what should have happened but the QB and any receiver have to be on the same page on how the route should be run. If your first read is open, as Bennett was, why should you go to your second read? From snap to start of throw is about 1.5 seconds. If the pass were completed and he cleared Jefferson, Bennett had plenty of room to run likely for a first down. If Bennett stops and makes the catch it was at least a 5yd gain if completed. If Bennett never hesitated and just hit the cut and ran (assuming Cutler threw it that way) he'd have had a big gain. I don't know the sequence of the other reads on that play. I'm pretty sure the CB who fell down was Patrick Peterson and I don't advocate ever looking his way knowing the WR is running an out route to the far sideline that can be easily undercut by a guy like Peterson. Jimmy Clausen didn't get that memo. Both WRs on the right side ran out routes pulling defenders with them. On the left side the other WR does a quick come back about 8 yards upfield. Why do you want a QB to bail on the first read when the defense is moving in ways that will leave him open?

Apparently it started with the benching of Kyle Fuller. That explains why Terrance Mitchell was out there giving up an 8 yard cushion to Larry Fitzgerald at the goal line. There is no more sugar coating it. No more "we had a good week in practice". No more "guys are working hard". No more "I prefer veterans". And apparently no more 1st Rd draft pick status meaning anything regarding having a starting job. http://www.csnchicago.com/bears/john-fox-m...-who-want-do-it I do like what I've seen scheme wise from these coaches, not to mention they've all proven they can be successful at other stops in their careers. I'm willing to sit back and wait for their message to sink-in around the locker room. IMO this is the culture change we need first. Hopefully we'll be adding talent to the mix over the next couple years.

I disagree there: I like Kyle Long and I believe he will become very good at RT before this season is over but we have to give him time to get that cast off his right hand. I really like what Eddie Goldman does on rushing downs. He's young, entered the draft early and still has a lot to learn. I like Kevin White and I'm not sure why people would be down on a 6'3" WR with 4.4 speed who can make tough contested catches. Granted the guy is injured but to write him off before he ever sees the field? Surprisingly I even like Alshon Jeffrey. I also like Amos but realize he's learning a totally new position and there are going to be a lot of mistakes. I can't say he's one to be excited about though. I think Langford will be a very good player for us. We desperately need a pass rusher or two on the Dline. That has to be a priority. Behind that we need to keep throwing darts at the DB position. Surprisingly (and depressingly) the CBs are there on almost every play, even SMC was right there on Fitzgerald, we need these guys to turn around and knock the ball down. That's coachable but reality is some guys have a knack for it and some never get it. Regardless, with this lousy pass rush we will hang these guys out to dry every game. Assuming Long settles in at RT we need a LT. Or does Long learn RT this season and slide to LT next year? I'm sure I'm alone on this but on Cutler's INT: Martellus Bennett cannot stop and sit down in front of a player and then run out of that spot when Cutler starts to throw. I have no idea if that is how the route is supposed to be executed (sit down) or if it should be a straight drag route across the face of the LB. QB needs to know where he's going and how he's going there. It's especially critical on quick timing routes in traffic.

I hope the "Prescott" mentioned in this thread is not Dak Prescott of Mississippi State. He's horrible throwing the ball, very inaccurate on anything longer than 10 yards. I'll be amazed if anyone drafts him but then again this is the NFL and someone will think "he can run" let's take him. I haven't seen Goff play this year but he's shown some promise in years past. Definitely worth keeping an eye on him.

Looking ahead to this week's matchup against Arizona I think we have a shot to win. It's always hard to say what you have on a team (theirs or ours) after week 1 but I think we matchup better here for one simple reason: Carson Palmer is more Jay Cutler than he is Aaron Rodgers. Despite all the media hype and love of Palmer I've seen him have equally bad games as Cutler, often worse. He can make equally nice throws into coverage too so you just don't know what you'll get. He is a stationary target and that will help our pass rushers quite a bit, especially if we can get some pressure up the middle. Larry Fitzgerald: He's not as quick or as fast as he used to be so he is typically very well covered and often doesn't get passes thrown his way. Somehow he had 6 receptions last week. He still has great hands and can make tough catches in traffic. I'm not worried about him coming into the game. More often than not I see him making plays on crossing routes underneath the coverage. Michael Floyd: Another big body WR who can go up and get the ball. He can disappear at times and then show up and hurt you. Not sure how well he looks this year but he's more of a concern than Fitzgerald at this point. John Brown: Small, fast WR. He is the threat that can really take the top off the defense. Cards Oline: They have questions just like we do. Hard to say if we'll be able to take advantage of their weaknesses but I expect guys like McPhee are going to win some battles on the edge and get pressure. They have a backup filling in for Iupati again this week. They played the Saints (weak defense) in week 1 so there isn't much to gain from how they performed. Can we take advantage? RB: Ellington is the guy who worried me the most but he injured his knee last week and won't be playing. That leaves Chris Johnson who was signed late in preseason and then injured his hamstring. Johnson played last week but his conditioning and experience in the offense is questionable. The Cards 3rd string RB is a rookie from Northern Iowa. Big man with some speed but not a lot of shiftiness. I assume he wasn't picking things up very well in preseason because the Cards made the late decision to bring in C.J. but his one reception last week went for 55 yards and a TD. Defense: One thing that will help as we prepare for this week is the Cards use a similar scheme as Green Bay. This should help guys like Kyle Long settle in. One big difference is their Mr. Everywhere is FS Tyrann Mathieu who closes on plays aggressively and takes some liberties to drop off his coverage n attempts to make plays undercutting routes. Cutler needs to know where he is at all times. Dline: This has been the strength of the defense in years past with guys like Calais Campbell often getting into the backfield. Fortunately he should be lined up opposite Slausson and not Ducasse. Their starting NT is out for the season so it'll be a backup at NT. LB: Their ILB don't have the range our guys have but I don't know how well this group of ILB/OLB are playing this season. CB: Patrick Peterson will stay with anyone on our roster. In years past he's been soft on his technique giving up some plays but this year he's improved. We should look the other way first. Looking at what Brees did against the Cards he used Ingram out of the backfield for almost 100 receiving yards. They didn't gain much rushing but if we can get the running game going a bit then we should be able to take advantage of Forte out of the backfield. I look for Martellus to have a big game. This is a well coached team and they aren't going to quit without a fight but they have more weaknesses than Green Bay. Hopefully we can take advantage of the home field and grab a big win. forgot to include this link http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000051...ggles-on-palmer

That makes sense given the loss of Washington. Of the two I'd say Dunn gets the call.

I assume he'll end up on the practice squad. Who will take his spot on the 53?

Bridgewater looked horrible on any pass longer than 10-15 yards. If that continues you will only have to cover anything deep against this team.

It's good but it will also take time for our players to learn how to make all this schemes work. 3 of 4 Dline are 2nd year or rookie.

I'm glad to have Acho back as his speed at OLB will help. I didn't think Washington's injury was that serious. I think this is a way to keep Washington around for another year and give him time to adjust to the weight gain, maybe even add another 5-10lbs, for his new position at DE. He showed some potential at times. The bigger question is how are we going to fare with just 4 Dlinemen: Ego, Sutton, Goldman, Jenkins. Ratliff won't be back for 2 more games.

Far from the biggest issue we need to fix. Any draft pick dedicated to finding a return guy should go toward another shot at fixing any of a number of issues on this roster from Oline, Dline, safety, OLB to improve the pass rush, even QB.

Tough game and surprisingly competitive, far more competitive than I thought it was going to be. IMO the defense was actually ok considering all the new pieces and scheme. Ok is not good, but it was not the disaster I've been watching the last two seasons. It's impossible to go from 31st to top 10 in week 1 so I'll accept that as progress and see if we move forward next week. The achilles heel though is the lack of pressure on passing downs. Jared Allen does not have the burst to get to the edge like he used to nor can he bend back in against an OT when he does get a little leverage. Maybe Willie Young can provide some of this edge pressure for us once he gets healthy. Goldman looked very good at times in the 2nd half and I think his presence really helped the run defense later in the game. CBs were in position on majority of plays there were just some great passes and some great catches by the Packers. There had to be a reason Rodgers tucked the ball down and ran so often (aside from the open lanes the Dline gave him) and it seemed he usually had to go to his 2nd or 3rd read. Next week agains the Cards will tell us a lot about which direction the D is headed. Offense ran the ball early and often, and effectively. Clearly Forte is going to be the man inside the redone. Jeffrey looked like a man who hasn't run much in the past month. If he comes out the game healthy he should be getting after it in practice this week and I think we'll see a bit more burst against the Cards. I thought Cutler did a great job at the LOS reading the defense and getting into the right plays, protection. We consistently got the LOS with plenty of time to survey the field. Cards lost Ellignton today with a PCL injury to his knee. OTOH we seem to be getting healthier as long as our WRs can practice this week.

For some reason I can't recall any defense Tucker called in the last 2 years.