AZ54

On drafting LBs...even though it might have been unintentional that's one of the best backhanded slaps against JA's drafts I've ever seen. How many times did he fail to find decent mid-round talent at LB?

Thanks. I agree on Conte...I was very impressed with how well our deep coverage improved with him out there. When he went out with an injury it was night and day on the defense. Not saying he was playing at a Pro Bowl level, he didn't and he made his share of mistakes but it's the first time in a years I've seen a player back there that looked like he belonged. His speed was nice change compared to all the slower players we've had back there in the last decade. Consider that he had only played FS for one year in college and then the fact he had no offseason with the Bears and a shortened preseason to learn his new job and I think he did well. I have more concern with Major Wright, can he stay healthy and can he stop missing so many tackles but I do think we can win with both of these guys. We really need some speed off the edge at DE. Izzy isn't the answer although he's a solid player. If Wooten had his speed back then he's definitely not the answer. I have no idea how much his knee injury set him back but he was never known for his quickness. DTs should improve with Paea back of his knee injury and Melton in year 2 of being fulltime DT and having a full year to settle into that new playing weight. Unlike most LB is very high on my priority list. We made it through the season but we need to get some good young talent on board to get ready for the future without Briggs and Urlacher. Among JA's failure list was the fact he can't draft LBs.

We already know that Tice wants more chip blocking to assist the tackles: http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=8550 "You can’t pass the ball in this league unless the quarterback is protected, and you can’t protect unless you help the guys up front with chips, keeping tight ends in, play action, move the launch point, and move the quarterback. We’re going to do all of those things moving forward. We’ve done some of those things, but we’re going to make sure that our quarterback is protected so he can set his feet and throw the ball comfortably." What is interesting is the in the same interview (actually the same response) he makes it very clear we need a #1 target at WR: "With that said, if we’re going to be like that, we do need a [wide receiver] that when he gets one-on-one coverage he has to win way more than he loses." So there you have it: Within the same statement he makes no concession about needing to bring in new talent on the Oline but makes it clear he wants help at WR. I'm not saying this is definitive but it does indicate that perhaps he does have far more confidence in Webb than the members of this board, myself included. FWIW watching the Saints play the Lions it appeared they did a lot of what Tice wants to do and that was despite the fact they had 3 Pro Bowl players on their Oline.

Aside from a few star players Indy never had a really good defense, at best league average. That was never Polian's intent either. He always said with Peyton it was going to be about the offense. He screwed up by not having a decent #2 QB otherwise this wouldn't be a discussion. OTOH Peyton and his massive contract don't leave much room for signing a good backup unless you take the cash away from another position. He put all the dollars into one basket so to speak but it has worked for over a decade so overall pretty successful strategy.

As it worked in AZ (and got them to a Superbowl)....run game coordinator helps put together the package of running plays that will work against a given defense, make recommendations about what will work best. Passing game coordinator does the same for pass plays. OC meets with his staff early in the week to build the package of plays they plan to use during the upcoming game. OC calls plays during the game based off that week's cheat sheet. The OC isn't going to hire a guy who doesn't agree with him philosophically, or at least he shouldn't. I see nothing wrong with this and in fact Tice more or less played the run game coordinator for Martz and it worked out well. If a coordinator has a guy on his staff who has expertise in a particular area like the passing game, why shouldn't that OC leverage that knowledge and use it to build his game plan?

I prefer VJack over Bowe...more speed to stretch the field.

I don't think forcing Lovie for a year on the new GM is all that bad. For one it gives him time to come in and evaluate the coaches and if he makes a decision next year to move on then he's got another year to get his players (from first offseason) and his new coach successful. I understand the point about drafting for scheme but regardless the first year of the new GMs tenure the vast majority of talent on the roster will remain setup for Lovie's scheme. The offense, as long as you find a GM who likes to have a power running game then we're built for that now up front. Forte fits in regardless, as does Cutler. It all comes back to the D which is going to get a major overhaul in 2-3 years.

As much as I want help at WR I'd rather fix that position via FA. Our D is getting old we are in a very short window to win the Superbowl with that group. A vet WR is more likely to make a significant contribution than any rookie. OTOH recent history shows 1st Rd LT often come in and play well from the beginning. Even with our current WR group, Cutler has shown he can get a lot of yards out of them so adding a solid vet FA should be enough. What's most important is keeping Cutler healthy.

I like how Bell runs but he had two fumbles, one at a very critical scoring opportunity. If the rest of the team hadn't played so poorly that would be a major topic of discussion. He carries the ball away from his body while running through traffic. Once teams get tape on that the ball will be on the ground all the time. If he hasn't figured out how to stop doing that by now I'm not sure he will ever get it and there's no way I'd count on him to be a steady contributor until he fixes it. I'm sure the coaches will be all over it so we'll see what happens in the next game.

So did everyone else. Now his reality sets in.

I think this was the plan all along when they refused to let him interview for a promotion this past offseason. Lovie has always welcomed his assistant coaches pursuing promotions (as long as they don't stop game planning for a Superbowl) but Tice was quickly locked down with a raise and another year added to his contract while Martz was not.

The fact he's beginning any kind of therapy in just a few days is a great sign. Throwing in three weeks? Even better.

Welcome back to Josh Moore. Hope he spent his time off in the weight room.

Orton doesn't love Chicago enough to give up $3million over 5 games.

Tillman is a good #1 CB. He's not an elite player but when you consider all aspects of the game and not just coverage skills, his run support is solid, and generating turnovers, he's pretty good.

It was nice to see Knox make great adjustments to the ball on two receptions today. Seems like he's going after ball more aggressively than in years past.

Really?

Yes, it was. I didn't notice him much but I wasn't keying on him. I recorded the game so later I'll review to see how he did.

The Bears must have a lot of confidence in Conte because they leave him up top solo quite a bit now. He definitely has more closing speed than any Bears safety I can recall in recent years. In doing all this we have not given up as many big plays as we did before.

Like I said, he didn't have to jump, just make a slight speed adjustment to shield the defender more than he did but that's not Roy's M.O. I've said many times, we don't need your smart-ass mythical WR and I'm not on board with trading the farm for someone like Fitzgerald. It's not worth the opportunity cost. We just need a good WR with bigger stature who knows how to go get the ball like Bennett does. Give Cutler a different option over the top of defenders to compliment what we have on the roster.

Glad to see the resident Oline expert's approval. I'm being serious on that because it means we have made real progress.

On Sunday I watched the Cards game....QB throws 20 yd pass to Fitzgerald a little behind him and defender is in perfect underneath coverage. Fitz goes up, reaches back over the defenders head and scores a TD. Monday night our 6'3" Roy Williams doesn't even adjust his speed to shield the defender and keeps his arms at waist level on that deep pass instead of using his height advantage. We don't need an All-Pro Fitzgerald (it would be nice though) but do need a bigger WR who can go up and catch a deep ball over a defender, or get a quick release on inside slants. Hester and Knox cannot fill that role they need time to run into space to be effective and any contact as the ball arrives means a dropped pass.

Garza gets his guaranteed money early and in exchange the Bears get a little discount on market value. Fair for both sides.

Bears are still looking to add depth long term to the Oline. No problem with them kicking the tires of the occasional practice squad Oline now and then. I also think this indicates more confidence in our safety tandem of Wright and Conte, leaving Steltz and Meriweather as backups along with the other kid they just picked up: Anthony Walters.

Toe's knee had healed and Adams hasn't done anything, at least nothing that I know of. Plus there's a rookie named Paea that is starting to make plays. Do you go with old guy on the downside of his career or get your rookie on the upside of his career going? I'm glad Paea was out there and I liked his diving attempt to get Vick, forced a bad pass. Melton is playing well at times but it will take him another offseason to get fully adjusted to playing at this weight, as well as learning how to play DT. Still, I like the upside with him. This game it was clear the Dline has strict orders to keep Vick in the pocket. I constantly saw our guys the edge on a blocker but then pull back and keep pushing the pocket. Next week Stafford won't get the same treatment.