jason

WK1 vs Buffalo: 1 of 2 mixup as Cutler throws short and Bennett goes long WK4 vs Packers: 1 of 2 mixup as Marshall runs the stop and go, while Cutler throws the comeback. WK6 vs Dolphins: 1 of 1 (starts at 0:22) as the WR runs deep and Cutler throws the comeback. WK7 vs Patriots: 1 of 1, as it was a nonsense, end of half hail mary. WK10 vs Packers: 1 of 2, a completely ridiculously unfortunate situation where the ball hits Long in the helmet, bounces right over Forte's hands, and to a streaking defender. WK11 vs Vikings: 2 of 2. Cutler threw a stop or curl route to Bennett, and Bennett, who didn't read the blitz, continued on the post. And the other INT was with time dwindling in the first half, where, realistically, the next pass would have had to be a Hail Mary anyway. WK13 vs Lions: 1 of 2, as the last one was a meaningless INT in the back of the endzone on the final play of the game. WK14 vs Cowboys: 1 of 1, what do you know, another end of game INT. Granted, this one would have kept hope of a dying man alive, but I guess it was possible to get the onside kick afterwards (even though the Cowboys would have been expecting it since it would have been the third of the game), and then drive the field for another TD with about a minute left. WK15 vs Saints: 2 of 3, as one INT hits Bennett right in the hands and gets tipped, and another is, big shocker, a late half heave, where there is also miscommunication So that's 4 on pure miscommunication, 4 on late half/game heaves, 2 tipped passes (only one of which could really be put on Jay), and 1 that is both miscommunication and late heave. If the receivers and Jay were on the same sheet of music, let's say half of those miscommunications are not INTs. And let's say Jay plays it safe and decides not to risk stats at the end of the half/game. That's 6 or 7 less INTs. I'm guessing 28TDs and 11INTs would be acceptable to most. Jay Cutler is not the problem, he is only a drop in a bucket of problems. He's just not good enough to overcome all the problems. Who is? Maybe 3 or 4 guys in the NFL? Again, Jay Cutler is not the problem.

Are you sure that Jay Cutler is the person who has proven not to be the answer? I'm certainly not convinced. He was tenth in TDs this year, and would have had more if he weren't benched for a game - during his best year for the Bears, BTW - and essentially shut down the final game of the year. Essentially he played 14 games this year, and was 10th in TDs. 28 TDs, which is nearly 2 per game no matter how you slice it, and then add a few for the last two games (you decide how many). That would have put him at 6th or 7th in the league. And this is all while: 1) The OL sucked at blocking, for the 5th time in his 6 years with the Bears. 2) An OL that had more false starts than I care to remember. 3) A historically bad defense and special teams causes the offense to press, and requires a score every time (something the opponents know). Jay can win with a decent defense. 4) The offensive system had issues with communication, where a WR would turn left and Jay would throw right.

Absolutely not. Unless he's there in the 4th, I don't want the Bears even thinking about it.

I was thinking nearly the exact same thing. If we ran the 3-4 the draft falls into place quite well. As is, however, I don't like the value of the defensive players at our pick. The only one I thought fit was Landon Collins, and he was quite unimpressive in the bowl game, and showed questionable character in my mind. I'd love a draft that started: 1. Vic Beasley 2. Derron Smith 3. Hroniss Grasu The only possibility left is maaaaaybe Randy Gregory if we're still in a 4-3? But a DE in the first is a bad move in my opinion.

I wish I had thought of this in my first reply, but Art Briles is essentially a bizarro world Lovie Smith. They are the polar opposite in so many ways, but mostly their aversion to one side of the ball. Lovie completely ignores offense, and Briles completely ignores defense. Chicago would be sick to their stomach watching an Art Briles led Bears team giving up 35 points a game just because they have the potential to score 40 every game.

More than the lack of plays, something else bugged me. Biggest time of the year, crunch time in the semi-final game, and he makes a hard hit. Does he stay in the game and shake it off? No. He goes down hurt. He's not injured...just hurt. After the trainers come out, suddenly he's up and bouncing off the field. Next play? OSU puts the nail in the coffin with that long TD run. I still think the Bears desperately need help at both S positions. At least at LB there is raw talent. Between Bostic, Greene, SMC, and Jones, they should be able to step up and improve over last year. There is almost no chance the guys at either S position, other than Vereen, improve. And at that, Vereen is a low-ceiling kind of guy, more of a nickel-back than anything else. It's kind of weird to say, but I don't really like the first round talent this year. No shocker. The Bears finally get a high pick, and it's a down year where I don't like several players.

I don't know. I think he and Briles are system guys. I'm not sure it would work in the pros where everyone is fast.

Yeah...it was an autocomplete issue. Borland. As for the draft and no OL, I don't like this class a lot. Add that to the Oregon C, and I think the OL would be one of the strongest parts of the team. And since most of this team is bad, an average OL is probably a minimal need. This team desperately needs Safety help, just like last year. Now we know the LBs are not good, but they are young and athletic. They just need discipline. And I've already stated that DL isn't a position I think the Bears will draft much, if at all.

1. Landon Collins, SS, Bama - Immediate starter and difference maker. 2. Derron Smith, FS, Fresno St. - Best FS in the draft. Great instincts. Good angles. Awesome hands. Predicts passes and jumps routes. . 3. Hroniss Grasu, OC, Oregon - Get Garza's replacement the day before yesterday. Dude has a great motor and mobility. I think he slips to the 3rd. 4. Deshazor Everett, CB, TX A&M - He already has a history of crushing Green Bay players. 5. Jake Ryan, MLB, Michigan - Tackling machine, stud, reminds me of Chris Borland (I was a big fan, but not for the Bears' cover-2). Move Bostic outside. 6. Henry Anderson, DE, Stanford - Big boy. Brings a load. Versatile. Good motor.

My early vote is in for Collins. He's a play-maker and a difference-maker. He's a stud.

I say that based on... -Allen may be all you said, but he can't be cut based on what I've read. Too much $$. So he plays one more year. -Houston and/or Young will be back, which is another DE. I don't like'em a lot either (liked Young before the injury), but getting a DE would be a luxury the Bears can't afford.

Really?! With Allen, Houston, Paea, Ratliff, Sutton, and Young all likely back, you want a speed rush DE? Who do you sit? Allen or Young? Or Houston? Are you proposing a four DE rotation? Or cutting one of the aforementioned? I just don't see a DE in the first. I truly hope it doesn't happen, either, because the guys at the Bears' spot are McClellin-esque.

I said the same thing when JA got tossed. http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/...all-bill-polian

Yeah...no. Pass. All he has to do is roll out the ball for Manning. Besides, Manning probably changes over half of the calls made. "50 Omaha set hut."

Can someone pin this up top for a few years so we can easily find it again when someone triws to bring up JA as anything but poor?

I view Vereen as the successor at FS. Gotta see what we have in him. Collins is perfect for the Bears at that spot. He will line up for the Bears for years. Too bad they didnt go FS last year when ther were players available...the Bears could have had two Alabama players side by side in HHCD and Collins.

Do we really have to go over the tons of examples (check box, etc.) that have been given on this board over and over again that display Angelo's failures? Bad drafts, and we discussed it quite a bit. Here's one example. We discussed some of Angelo's mistakes here. Here is one guy's take. If JA hadn't inherited Urlacher, I doubt the team he "built" would have had the same success.

Nailed it. The right history, pedigree, abilities, demeanor, philosophy. I'd love to see Shanny here. And as mentioned before, his zone blocking scheme is legit. Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis...just plug in a RB and it works.

I suspect the teams would have had a slightly better record overall the past two years with Lovie, but not by much. Mostly because he believes in such a conservative approach. It would have made the games grind down. Which would have gotten the Bears nearly nothing but about the 16th pick. Treading water as usual until something special happens. We have already seen in TB what happens when Lovie's amazing defensive coaching abilities don't have a HOFer at MLB - or DT / S for that matter - to use.

That's kind of how I feel. Hoping to catch some magic. I love the way the Ravens have been run. Their draft last year was epic.

End it now. Vince Newsome (BAL).

I think that's part right. I think Jay is capable, but he realizes it's probably not going to work when there is inferior OL talent, horrible D play, and atrocious ST play. I think he's an "all or nothing" kind of guy, who would rather try to go for it than lose a game 17-10 every other week while putting up 200 passing yards on 40 passes.

I know you're a Lovie supporter, but I honestly don't think Lovie is all that smart. I think he saw Brandon Marshall + Alshon Jeffrey and thought he should repeat it because it worked in Chicago. I don't think it was an original idea of his. He probably didn't do much talent evaluation other than "TALL WR+TALL WR=GOOD WRS!!" I just think he is a non-innovator, vanilla kind of guy with very minimal risk taking or ingenuity. He's a personnel manager more than a coach. He gets guys to play hard for him because they like him. Logan Mankins? My best speculation is that Lovie probably wanted another defensive FA, and the Bucs management told him to choose between McCown and that FA. They probably told him he could have McCown, but they were going to use the FA money on Mankins...especially since that TE (Dwight) they had was a good trade piece after drafting Austin-Sef-Jenkins.

Based on all of the above, that leaves the defense with SERIOUS question marks. Assuming a 4-3, Peanut's release, Briggs's release, DE: Allen / Houston DT: Paea DT: Ratliff? Sutton? DE: Young WLB: ?? MLB: Bostic? SLB: Jones? CB: ?? FS: Vereen? SS: ?? CB: Jennings Looks to me like the team needs to draft LB, CB, and SS. Maybe even FS if Vereen isn't the answer.

Yes. I saw that. And was curious as to why the offense seemed more in tune, but it's not like they blew up. He threw 39 times for 181 yards.