jason

I LOOOOOOOVED that. It's exactly what I called for last week. It makes sense. Better a short kick with minimal/no return than a deep kick with a huge return.

Completely agree. I hate the OL switcheroo stuff. Slauson should be at OG, and a real C should be in there. I can't imagine Grassu being that bad; it's time to put him in.

Maybe, but I liked Amari Cooper more because I said his route running was so superb he'd be shitting on NFL DBs before week 4. And guess what? That's what he's been doing. As for White, there have been plenty of super fast guys who have failed in the NFL. Let's just hope he's not one of them. Once we see him on the field, the whole dilemma of this thread will be answered.

You want to know what a bad recipe for a successful QB is? A questionable OL and questionable WRs. When the WRs don't get open right away, the OL can't hold their blocks. So basically the QB has to scramble every other play, keeping jittery feet behind the pocket until someone gets open, or he gets hit. Add in a reluctance of that QB to run, and you really have to give Cutler a lot of credit for what he's done today. He's throwing absolute rockets today with pin-point accuracy.

Because he's been surgically tearing the Raiders apart with rocket outside passes and comebacks. It just so happens he threw this one with poor mechanics, off his back foot, and didn't have the zip needed to beat the DB. Something he does too much. All in all, however, I'll take the stat line he has today every single game.

1. Why the hell isn't Hronis active? 2. Cutler looks damn good, and the talk about a different QB on this roster can stop. 3a. The OL has looked shaky the entire game, and Cutler seems to have to step up immediately nearly every play. 3b. They also hold a good bit. Sloppy technique. 4. Bennett is nasty. 5. Forte is nastier. Proving he still has a ton in the gas tank. 6. Mariani is a bum, just like I said a week or two ago. 7. The Refs have had a questionable game today. I didn't think the first TD for Oakland was right since the initial foot was barely on the toe when it may not have been fully possessed, didn't like the hands to the face a lot. 8. The Bears ST, aside from Gould, sucks. 9. The defense is showing some life in this game. I like it. 10. Fox has had a few poor decisions in this game. One, I hate the 3rd & goal B-gap run that gets bounced and stuffed. Two, he should have called a TO after the Bears got the big sack at the end of the 2nd qtr. Overall, however, this Bears team looks better than most thought. Tough when you start the schedule with arguably the three toughest teams in the NFL.

And if the ball is caught behind the line of scrimmage, those downfield blocks by WRs are legal. If the pass is caught beyond the LOS, that's when they'll call offensive pass interference.

It's truth. Their ratings are hot garbage and I've been saying it for a while.

Oh, come'on Mad. Peyton likely would have won another if it weren't for Champ Bailey and the rest of his secondary pissing the game away.

Where would GB be? They'd likely be exactly where they are because they drafted for the future and had Rodgers for 2-3 years before Farve left. As for the Colts, who knows? The year Manning got hurt, they essentially dumped him and they sucked. I doubt very seriously their plan was to suck bad enough to get the #1 pick, but they didn't have a QB. They got nervous and it worked out for them because they ended up horrible enough to get the #1 pick. I can't predict alternate futures, so I don't know how it would have all worked out, but suppose they kept Manning for 2-3 more years? They would have had prime Manning for 12-14, still one of the best QBs of all time, kept their HOFer on the roster, could have had the trade down value of the #1 pick in 2012, and if they thought he was finally done after last year, they could have picked a QB in this or next year's draft. I agree about tough choices, and like the way the Patriots do things, but they have a proven track record of winning, which makes their decisions easier to stomach. If Forte wants a 5-year max deal, you thank him for his service and try to trade him before the season. If he wants to work with the team, you reward him for being a great RB (still), and sign him for a few years.

HAHAHAHA! EX-FREAKING-ACTLY. PFF stats are garbage compilation of random information & analysis that do not reach a coherent conclusion. The folks at PFF doesn't understand the following:

Interesting analogies considering what Farve and Manning did in the 2 years after leaving their former teams. Farv had a monster year his first year in Minny, and Manning won an MVP.

Until we know that for sure, I don't know it. Until I see it somewhere, I don't know it. Of course if Forte says he's looking for a max contract 5-year guarantee, then you have to do something with him. But he's DEFINITELY got 2-3 years left in his legs.

That's who I've been thinking about if the Bears can manage to fleece someone with a trade down. I'd MUCH rather see that happen.

You can thank Lovie for that. He basically inherited all those guys and then decided to never provide the team with an offense, instead attempting to win every game 17-13 with forced turnovers. It was cool that one year, but maddening the rest of the time.

Throw the bank at Russell Okung and he's a stud for another 5 years minimum. It solidifies the OL, negates the 2nd move for Kyle Long, and provides a building block for a potential rookie QB.

A defensive player at #1 or #2? If the Bears get the #1, I hope they trade it or pick Goff and get the rebuild started.

It isn't about being emotional. It's about the fact that I don't think you should gut the whole team. Forte is still a stud, one of the top backs in the NFL, and his backups are completely unproven. A rookie QB, which could very well be behind center next year, needs vet studs to lean on, a running game to depend upon, a TE as a security blanket. He doesn't need other rookies littering the field, screwing up alongside him. If the Bears get rid of Forte, much less Forte and either Jeffery or Bennett, they better invest everything else they have in the offensive line. Otherwise that rookie QB will get killed, his will smashed like David Carr, regardless of the weapons. Treating a player with dignity is letting him finish his career where he wants to if that player is a career-player, probable HOFer. It's not dumping him for pennies on the dollar because you want to rebuild. The former is what dignity is; the latter is is potentially a better financial move for a franchise. Financial.

Yes, lemon and I are from the old, old board. Before we moved here, there was Bearstalk, but before that there was something else. Webwaymonster? Anyway, I haven't felt as bad about a team in a long time. At least with Lovie's teams I always felt they'd end up somewhere around .500. Rarely more than that, but his teams were built to grind down games, make them slow and boring, and avoid blowouts. So there was rarely this sort of despair. I think the last time I felt this bad about the Bears was 2002, during the final days of the three stooges: Jauron the moron, Shoop (worst OC in NFL history), and Greg Blache (sharpest crayon, but still a crayon). I think that was the year we lost TOP every game, or something like that. Wanny's last year was rough as well. What makes this year rough is the lack of talent. In the other years it felt like there was still talent on which to build. Having said that, if Cutler is playing, I think the Bears have a shot. If Cutler AND Alshon are playing, I think the Bears should be the favorite. If Cutler AND Alshon are playing, AND Webb were the starting OG for the Raiders, I'd put money on it. If Cutler AND Alshon are playing, AND Webb were the starting OT for the Raiders, I'd put my mortgage on it.

Forte makes some sense, but I'd hate it. He's still a stud. Jeffery makes zero sense. IF the Bears draft a QB next year -- they will -- they he will need solid weapons around him.

Why wouldn't he be resigned? He's still a monster. He's the best player on the team.

One of the rare occasions where we all agree. A 6th for a guy that barely made the roster and was probably going to get released at the end of the season? That's a win.

ABSOLUTELY NOT. Jared Allen? Fine. He wasn't a life-long Bear. But the Bears shouldn't dump their life-long HOFers while they still have tread on the tires.

I agree. Amari Cooper is going to have a field day against the Bears' secondary. And when we pull back to double him, Latavius Murray will probably run wild.

It's because they are trying to launch it deep into the end zone or out of the end zone. Well, the Bears appears to have problems on ST, so it'd probably be safer to go for less yards, and more coverage. A 30 yard punt with a fair catch is better than a 50 yard punt with a 30 yard return. Or worse.