nfoligno

Agreed. I don't care for Smith, and his comments always seem to be about the same, but his comments here are really no different from what you should expect from any owner at the start of camp.

Memo to Last years Keeper League Owners. Okay, thanks to flea, I went back into last year's FF league site and read through some old comments/posts. Besides locking in our owners, I think we need to make sure we get a number of things truly settled before moving forward. I think we voted on some, or maybe all, of this stuff but did so on this message board, rather than the league site, so I am not sure where to find those old votes. Here are some of the issues from the end of last season. 1. Money. There was talk about raising the entry amount. Someone mentioned upping to buy in to $50. Another mentioned an increase of $5. Considering the economy of today, I personally think the more modest increase is better. So if it has not already been voted on, I would propose the entry amount be $25. 2. Money Part Two. We need to establish UP FRONT what the payouts are. We already knew the winners last year and were debating/discussing how to split it up. I think that needs to be settled up front. 3. Money Part Three. One thing I proposed last year was, in addition to a top 3 team payout, we add in an extra small payout or two. One that I always liked was paying out (usually the buy-in amount) to the team with the one week high score. One thing I always liked about this was, even teams who are out of the hunt for the big money prizes still have a reason to participate. At the end of the year, when you know you are out of it, you can still essentially win your money back with one big week from your team. 4. Keepers. I know this was heavily discussed and debated here on the boards, and ultimately voted on. Drunk has said he would try and look up the results of those votes. What I "think" I remember was 2 keepers, from anywhere in the draft, giving up one round higher than drafted, which by rule would disallow keeping last year's first round picks. Also, to be eligible for keeper status, that player had to be drafted and kept on your roster all year. If he was a waiver pickup, or cut due to injury, he is not eligible. That is what i recall. Let me know if that is wrong. 5. How do we handle the keeper part of the league for new team owners. If one, or more, owners quit, and are replaced by new owners, do those owners get to keep players based on a prior owners drafting, or do they have to start from scratch? Anyone else have any other "issues" to add. As I said, there was a lot of discussion at the end of the season which really should have been dealt with prior to the start of the season. It was the first year for our league, and thus issues were inevitable, but I think we should be able to iron things out this year.

Flea, which was your team?

Surprise: #99 Marcus Harrison--Last year he was out of shape. This year he's said to be a monster. Year #3 will be a breakthrough. This would be flat out huge for the DL, and the defense. Harrison was said to have 1st round talent, but slipped in the draft due to some character concerns. If he does prove to be the player our scouts felt, that would have huge ripple effects along the DL. Disappointment: #90 Julius Peppers--His number indicates the millions we're paying him. Anything less then a pro-bowl will be a disappointment. Wale never lived up to his potential. Seeing what a big contract did for Fat Albert in Washington doesn't make me optimistic. To me, the only way Peppers really proves a disappointment is if none of the other DL step up. Even if he is a stud, if no other DL steps up, Peppers will be double and even triple teamed and taken out of the picture. For Peppers to really shine, others along the DL need to prevent teams from focusing too much on Peppers. It surprised me that you feel Harrison will be the surprise and yet Peppers the disappointment. Personally, I think they are tied together. If Peppers is a bust, no way do I see Harrison having stepped up. If Harrison does step up however, no way do I see Peppers failing. I would not compare Peppers with Wale. Wale was a stud for Miami opposite Jason Taylor. Wale was a good DE, but w/o Taylor, not the player we traded for. This time, we basically got Taylor. On a side note, where the hell is Wale? Teams jumped all over Alex Brown, but Wale's still available. I haven't heard of a team even expressing interest. No clue what is up there. While not a stud, he was a pretty good DE. He is better than many strating DEs out there. I have not heard/read about injury, or ridiculous contract demands, so I am simply not sure why there has been no interent in him.

At the end of the day, I think it is all about your final point. This staff continues to insist the safety positions are interchangable. I mean, Wright was drafted to be our FS, and yet has been practicing at SS. This staff believes he can simply move over whenever, but I think that is crap. Another player not often talked about on this board is Steltz. He actually looked pretty decent at the end of the season, and from all reports, has really stood out in OTAs playing FS. What I wish our staff would do: (a) Steltz and Wright compete at FS. If Wright shows he is close to ready, he wins the job. If not, Steltz gets the nod. Sorry, but I don't think there is a dropoff from Harris to Steltz. ( Harris and Afalava compete at SS. Really, its Harris job to lose, but if he has lost as much as Carolina felt, Afalava could take it over. If Wright wins the FS job, Steltz may get in the mix here too. © We stop trying to make DM something he is not. He has proven a solid nickel and excellent return man. Use him that way and keep his confidence high, rather than forcing him into positions which ultimately just kill his confidence. This also allows our CB depth to focus on practicing/developing on the outside, which could be key with two starting CBs who both have injury pasts.

How has he been doing "full workouts" while recovering from surgury on his achillies? I am sure he has been lifting weights, but I would doubt he was able to do much running or similar cardio, which could mean he has quite a bit of conditioning to do once he gets to camp. With that said, I agree it not as big of a deal when a 13 year vet missing the offseason stuff. It hurts here a bit as we are installing both a new offensive scheme and even blocking system, but Kreutz is not one you usually worry about picking such up. The bigger concerns for me are (a) is the foot truly healed and ( was his poor play over the last couple seasons really just due to the foot, or has he simply lost it?

If there is a lockout in 2011, are the coaches salaries still guaranteed? I know the players salaries are not, but what about the coaches? I agree that CBA negotiations will go a long way toward coaching decisions, not just for us, but likely all teams. The most recent thing I read said there is a belief there will be a lockout and it will last a couple games, but not even half the season, much less the entire season. Still, that would likely mean Lovie for another year. I think it would take a huge tanking for this team to fire Lovie this season.

Okay, even if I give the offense/points, still think about this. How much did that translate to wins for Detroit? They scored more, but that also led to more turnovers, putting further pressure on the D. Our offense could score more, but if our D sucks, the end result can still be a loss, even with an improved O. Further, with our schedule and division, there are not too many easy weeks, so you are not going to get many free wins. The points isn't just about the offense, but about all the factors that come into play where we have questions. Maybe the questions are answered to the positive on offense, but (a) I still say it is not the guarantee you try to make it and ( even if it does happen, that is only one answer among many questions.

One. How did you get that? Two. Did you have to post that for the public? Man, there are some pretty embarassing selections in there. Royal in the 5th? What was I thinking. Three. Thanks.

Does anyone know how to view last years stuff? If we are going to go with the keeper, we need to have the draft info showing who was drafted where.

I also remember that we had a vote, actually, several votes. As I recall, I pushed for, and lost, keeping one player, as I think we voted to keep two. I think I did win my other fight, which was to set it up so that we lose the pick one round before the spot the player was taken. So if someone took Randy Moss in the 2nd round, and wants to keep him, it would cost a 1st round pick.

Honestly, this is maybe the top aspect of our new offense that worries me. Cutler, due to both his arm and the schemes he plays, simply has not had to as often throw to a point, but rather to a player. In Martz' system, he will be throwing to empty air in expectation a player will fill that space. That is a big ? for me. Getting off the LOS clean, which affects timing, route running and knowing what route to run is not what our WRs have always done best. So many times I have seen our QBs (both Cutler and Orton) throw pics when the WR broke the wrong direction. It will only take a couple of these plays for Cutler to begin to loose confidence in the WRs/system, and when that happens, he will start holding the ball longer. As for Bennett, he may be among the more consistent, but he is also likely the least athletic, which is why he is getting the step child treatment. Personally, I too think he falls on the depth chart.

Even the media seems to know he will return. Everyone is saying he is holding off "the decision" simply to skip out on a chunk of training camp.

Hey, I agree 26 is low, but at the same time, I simply see the reasons to doubt. You say the offense is guaranteed to score more. I disagree. I think they will, but guaranteed? Many question whether Cutler can learn and run this system. If he can, not only should we score more, but we should score a lot more. But if he can't, it could turn very ugly. We got Peppers, but also let go our two veteran DEs. Peppers is the only known asset on our DL, and thus many question whether we will truly see an improved pass rush. Pisa returns, but may not even be a starter. Urlacher returns, but he has not been a stud since Rivera left and Lovie took over. Even if he is a stud, if we lack a pass rush, and with our secondary a big ?, there are plenty of reasons to question the D. In the end, even if there is a belief that our team is better, with the division we play in and the schedule we have, there are plenty of reasons to question what our win/loss record will be.

Either they're right or we're wrong. Um, would that not be the same thing? If they are right, we are wrong. I know what you mean though, just having fun. I agree. A big part of our low rating comes from the belief that we are the 3rd best team in a very good division, which means we are not as likely to rack up wins against weak division teams, as many others can.

Also, most people forget the fact that we could've easily been 9-7 with some luck last year. I believe we lost 4 games when we had the lead or were tied entering the 4th quarter. If we won half of those, we would've been 9-7. That was without Urlacher, Pisa, Peppers, Harris, Taylor, etc. Also, we actually have a premier OC compared to what we had last year. Either we are going to improve and win 10 games or this whole thing will implode and we will win 4-5. Many teams can say the same thing. Many teams suffered injury, like us, and can also say they would have won an extra couple games with a bit of luck. The simple reality is, we have not been a good team since the SB, and coaching/personnel moves are not going to change the experts opinions, only play on the field will.

For suprise, I will stick with my boy Iglesias. Like Graham, I read he has looked very good in the OTAs. While there were reports he struggled to grasp the offense as a rookie, I think it may have simply been Turner not knowing what to do with more than 3 WRs. I mean, if DA couldn't make the game day roster, how was Iglesias supposed to. For disappointment, I could easily go with Melton, or like you, Gilbert, but I think to rate disappointment, the player has to come in with expectations. I don't think there are high expectations for either Gilbert, nor Melton. I think I will go with Harris, who is expected to be a starter. I didn't read great reports about his play at FS, where I consider him out of position in the first place, and fear he could struggle there through camp, especially facing our speedy WRs, big arm QB and downfield mentality OC.

I am actually a bit optimistic for this season, yet at the same time, I can see why many would be skeptical. To start with, division and schedule. We are in a division with two teams (GB/Minny) who have done well and most experts are going to expect much of this year too. That doesn't mean they sweep us, but the more solid teams inside a division, the lower the projected wins will be for us. If we were in a division like the NFC West, predictions may be different. Also, strength of schedule I believe is harder this year than last. Take a look at our schedule this year. Looking at it in quarters, as Lovie loves to do... 1st Quarter (Det, @Dallas, GB, @NYG) - That's 3 out of 4 games against very solid teams. 2nd Quarter (@Car, Sea, Wash, @Buf) - Not sure how good any of these teams will be, but this is the quarter we really need a run. 3rd Quarter (Minny, @Mia, Phi, @Det) - Again, 3 our of 4 against solid or better teams. 4th Quarter (NE, @Minny, NYJ, @GB) - This is a tough final stretch with two division games away and two more against very good teams. I am not saying we can't beat the good teams, but we simply don't have a lot of cake walk games, and our 2nd half is damn tough. Cutler/Martz combo. Many like Cutler, despite the picks. Many like Martz. Few know how the two will gell though. Add in the WR and OL being unknown, and it is easy to see why "experts" question our offense. On defense, we may have added Peppers and be getting back Urlacher, but.... I think many still question Lovie Smith and Marinelli has never run a defense himself. Further, while we added Peppers, the rest of our DL is filled with question marks. In the secondary, we are simply loaded down with questions and a lack of depth. There are plenty of reasons I have hope and optimism for this season. At the same time, I can absolutely see why many would not, especially considering how this team has played the last few seasons.

That's all possible (below comments from Trib) but.... One, the team cuts 7th round rookies every year, and in fact cuts rookies taken higher than the 7th. Not sure why a future 7th would be considered more valuabel than a current 7th. Two, not sure I get the comment other teams liked him and had a regular draft 4th round grade. If all this was true, why were we able to get him in the 7th round. Any team that had even a 6th round value on him would have won him in the Supp draft. No one put in more than a 7th, and likely only a couple teams (if any others) even did that. If another teams were to sign him off our practice squad, that would mean he has to be on their 53 man roster. Not sure we have to protect him from this as much as the trib makes it sound.

We simply disagree. I say he adds more because, while Wolfe has skill sets, they overlap too much with what we already have. You say Wolfe is a better blocker than I give credit, but better than Forte/Taylor? Is he a better receiver? He can run outside, but I am not sure he can even due that better? I simply struggle to find a time when I would rather him in there over Forte/Taylor. On the other hand, I think Unga does have a chance to add something. You say we can already pickup short yardage with what we have, but I am not sure I agree. One of the top knocks on Forte, even when he was running strong his first year, was his upright running style that hinders his ability to convert 3rd and short. Yes, the OL is a big factor, but so too is the RB we use. I know you think it is all about the OL, but the RB is a part of this too. Having a power RB may not have a big payoff, but even if the OL doesn't open up big holes, often a power back can push through the tackle enough for a short gain. If Benson, or another power back, was our top runner, I would love to have Wolfe, but with both our 1 and 2 backs being quicker backs, I like the idea of a power back in the fold.

It's a fair comparison. Haynesworth was the biggest FA prize and the team's d-line got worse. Shouldn't we at least contemplate this could happen with the Bears, especially since we let Alex Brown go? Peppers motivation has regularly been questioned. I'm much more skeptical since Cutler didn't provide immediate results. I agree it is a fair comparison, but disagree with you (and Banks) that Wash's DL didn't improve with Fat Albert. Two years ago, the team had 24 sacks. Andre Carter led the team with 4. Their DL was good against the run, but simply put no pressure on opposing QBs. With Albert in the lineup, Carter's sack total rises to 11, and a rookie adds another 11 sacks as the team improves their overall sack total to 40. They dropped some against the run, but were not weak in that area, and were much better attacking the QB. They were a top 10 defense last year, but their offense was just bad. Fat Al may not have put up huge numbers, but he did have a pretty big impact along their DL. The problem was (a) he can't play offense and ( he showed his true colors after only one season. Back to Peppers, I think it very fair to put the question out there. Two years ago our offense was awful, and many felt the addition of a franchise player would be enough, but the offense was so bad that one person simply was not enough of a change. The differense I would say for us is that we are banking on more than simply Peppers, though he is a huge part of the equation. Though on the team, Urlacker missed the entire season, and thus he can be considered an addition. We have also added a good looking rookie and Harris to a dreadful backfield. So while Peppers is still a huge part of the equation, he isn't the ONLY part of it.

Lt2, Depends on what the crime is, which would determine the cost of the bail. If you get nailed for jaywalking, I might get you out In all honesty, it isn't that bad down here. Definitely parts of Texas better to avoid all together rather than deal with the police. In those areas, it isn't that the police are really trying to make an arrest so much as hand out as many tickets as possible as that is the counties key source of income. IMHO, I think it pretty curious that all Benson's issues seem to take place in Austin where, yes, the police don't have the best of reputations. Regardless, to be consistent with what I have said with others, players need to avoid situations that could go south. Benson being in Austin with his history alone is red flag number one, but partying on 6th street is yet another. In reality, Benson will always be hated by Bear fans, but since leaving the Bears, proved he is a very capable RB. Further, he seems to avoid trouble and has good relationship so long as he avoid Austin and the Bears locker room.

Your right that it is far from a lock he makes the team. At the same time, I think there is reason to believe he makes the team. We showed a great amount on interest in him leading up to the Supp draft, far more than you usually see with a typical draft 7th round pick. Further, that we made the move at all may indicate a question about the players currently on the roster. As I have said elsewhere, I am not sure if he is a RB or FB, but what I think he may have been drafted for was the short yardage role, which Forte has struggled with at times due to his upright running style.

More than FB, where I see Unga potentially adding the most is with short yardage running, which we have struggled with in the past. Sure, part of that is due to an OL that didn't get push, but part of that was also on Forte. Everyone has said that Forte runs too upright to consistently pickup that short yardage situation. If Unga can come in and pickup that yard or two on 3rd and 1 or 3rd and 2, he could prove very usefull.

Going to start where you ended. As we made the choice to take him, would you not agree Martz was part of that decision? If that is the case, (a) I question why you say he would not even see much playing time and ( if we are looking to add another RB, might that not question how much Martz was/is planning to use Wolfe in anyway? If Martz is/was not planning to use Wolfe much, I am not sure I see the negative adding a RB he may in fact use. Back to Wolfe specific, He is not built like Sproles. Just because they have the similar height/weight does not mean they are the same. Several of our coaches have specifically said he is NOT built like Sproles. Very different lower body structure. With that said, is it absolute Wolfe can't be a high level of workload. No, it isn't absolute, but come on. Sure, you can go through and pick out a name or two to show it is possible, but you are talking about the exceptions, not the rule. Sure, Wolfe could be another exception, but they are very rare and I just don't understand why you "expect" him to be the exception. Let me ask you this. As it stands now, when does Wolfe play? Lets assume for just a moment that we have the Forte we saw his rookie year, and Taylor basically lives up to expectation. When do you play Wolfe in favor of one of these two? Both are excellent receiving RBs, and far superior blockers to Wolfe, and thus I would not pull them for Wolfe on 3rd downs. Frankly, I can't really think of any down I would want to pull either in favor of Wolfe. Sure, Wolfe may have a bit more speed, but he isn't an all-purpose back, and thus he would either tip the play or be a liability. In Unga, we have added a power runner, which is frankly something we lacked. Forte runs too upright, even as a rookie when he ran well, to be considered a power guy, and while Taylor is an upgrade in that regard, he is not a power runner either. So often we have struggled to pickup those tough yards, and we may now have a runner capable of doing this. So in Unga, I see a player who adds something different to what we currently have, while with Wolfe, I see little that he brings to the table, with the exception of special teams, which is significant, but may not be enough.