jason

FYI - Tait and Brown were both first round draft picks. First round draft talent. Spending money on a FA 1st round OT talent is expensive, and most teams don't let those guys go. I still don't think you can blame Cutler since the OL has sucked for so long. For the record, I've said numerous times that QB is a position that requires a multi-year, consistent effort. Like the Packers do it. Having a guy in waiting who is qualified is a great security blanket. But that requires an effort from the front office to draft QB semi-regularly. Something they don't do. Same as the OL.

If you set up your own strawman to destroy (something you've done), it's easy to make your point. Nobody said, "OMG! The only time a LT should EVER be drafted is the first round!!" We're all just saying that the OL should have been addressed multiple years ago, multiple years in a row, all until the shit gets fixed. Why is that so difficult for you to understand? Are you blind? Do you watch the games? Have you read anything regarding how the Bears' QBs have been absolutely brutalized the last several years? As for what you "proved," you've only really proved that you don't have a clue about statistics and percentages (hint: divide the little number by the big number). Please read all the people above you who have pointed this out to you. Drafting OTs early statistically strengthens the odds of drafting one who succeeds. And, for the second time, it's completely ignorant to try and equate a single player's ability with a team's success. No LT in the NFL will make an offense work if the LG, C, RG, and RT all take turns completely sucking. Again, divide the little number (one) by the big number (five) and you'll see how much individual impact a LT has on an entire OL.

HAHA! Yeah, because THAT'S the dude who should have been starting and protecting the team's blue-chip player.

Even I do prescribe to that train of thought. But if the stars did align, and the Bears thought BPA in the first three rounds was the way to go, it wouldn't upset me if it played out like this: 1. Barrett Jones, Alabama, OT/OG/C 2. DJ Fluker, Alabama, OT 3. Travis Frederick, Wisconsin, OG/C Barrett Jones would be the best possible pick for the Bears because he excels at multiple positions, and combined with Frederick the Bears could do virtually anything on the OL.

This made me snort. Bravo.

Of the top 11, six were drafted in the first round. To include the aforementioned Bulaga and Albert. The top three (Stewart, Clabo and Peters) were all picked in the 4th round - Stewart or (in the case of the other two) not even drafted to begin with. So with odds outside of 50/50 I can't say with certainty that Offensive Tackle position is the one to take each and every time for the first round. At least not as much as you or Jason would like to convince me. So, 50% of the best offensive linemen in the NFL were taken in round 1, and your argument is that taking one in round 1 is a bad idea? Yeah, maybe you should attend these slumber parties. Classic.

Nobody is saying you have to draft OT in the first round for him to be successful. But it sure improves the odds. Nobody is saying you have to draft OT in the first two rounds for him to be successful. But it tremendously improves the odds. Nobody is saying you have to draft OT in the first three rounds for him to be successful. But it nearly guarantees the odds. What those in favor of drafting OT are saying is, the Bears may have crapped out with Williams. Maybe even with Carimi (I think it's too early to tell). But just because you rolled the dice twice doesn't mean snake-eyes will continue to appear. In terms of OT, the more you roll the dice early, the more likely you are to have success. It's actually kind of stupid this has to be pointed out to you since it pretty much applies to all positions. Higher drafted players have a statistically significant higher success rate than those in the lower rounds and those undrafted. It's the type of inattention that typifies why the Bears' OL has failed so often, and why the DL has succeeded.

Um, yeah, but there is a major flaw to the stupid response: Kapernick played against the Bears defense and Campbell played against the Niners defense. Another obvious flaw to the response would be the fact that the Bears OL is the worst in the NFL, and the Niners OL is one of the best. Aside from that, please tell me you're not making the ignorant "they're the same poster"-argument. Brian and I have vehemently disagreed on this board before. It's not our fault you made a stupid post about drafting a QB fairly high when it's plain to see to anyone with any sort of football sense that the QB is not the issue on the Bears team.

The highlighted part has been said by the Bears players and coaches multiple times, and broken down on film multiple times. This is not new news. And that's the problem. The NFL is no longer a league of "we'll just run the play better," like the old Packer sweep. This is a league of mismatches, disguises, tricks, confusion, and advantage/disadvantage. The Bears defense does virtually none of this; instead, it says, "I dare you to beat the style we run." It's either ballsy or stupid, maybe a little of both, but it's certainly nothing new.

Interesting read. I've heard of the concept before, but it's interesting nonetheless.

That's true, there has been a switch of sorts. But it doesn't change the philosophy of the defense, and regardless of where the safeties are, Lovie's M.O. is to have the LBs bail out into coverage, rely almost exclusively on a 4-man rush, and hope for turnovers. It's a great strategy when the opposing QB gets an itchy trigger finger or when the turnovers come, but it's horrible to watch when the opponent just sits back and picks apart the zone all day.

This reminds me of the Jauron situation with that idiot OC he loved (Shoop). Provided they don't make the NFC Championship game (that's the cutoff in my mind), if Tice is not gone at the end of the year, then both Lovie and Tice should be fired.

Wait a few weeks, they will be. It happens every freaking year. It's as if many Bears' fans, the majority of sports media, and certainly all mock draft sites don't have long-term memory and just look at the end of year stats.

Tice just called a delayed handoff on 4th and 1?

HOLY SHIT! Davis not only caught the ball, but he caught it in traffic and actually held on to the ball. Whoa. Good thing he was one yard short of the sticks on third down. Wouldn't want him to do everything right on one, single play in any single game this year.

HAHAHAAHA!!! Gruden just listed off something I've said numerous times on this board. Carimi is a LT playing RT. Garza is a OG playing C. Rachal is a RG playing LG. Webb is a bum playing LT. [my correction]

And it sickens me that all I can really think of is, "I told you so." I'm not directing it at anyone, but this is something many on this board have said over and over again. 1. The OL sucks. 2. No matter who gets in there at QB, it won't matter much. 3. No matter who gets in there at WR, it won't matter much. 4. The D is the only reason the Bears are as good as they are. 5. The D has been good because they have had a near-miraculous number of turnovers. 6. The Lovie Smith D is extremely exploitable when the turnovers aren't coming. Let's go ahead and add these to the truths... 7. Mike Tice is not a good OL coach. 8. Mike Tice is in way over his head as OC.

Precisely.

Wow. Carimi is on roller skates. Webb is on broken roller skates. Rachal apparently doesn't realize a ball in the end zone is a TD for the Niners if they recover it. And Tice is calling minimal protection passing plays from inside his 1 yard line.

The only real positive I've seen in this game so far: Urlacher looks suddenly fast again. He's all over the place. Is he finally over the injury?

You want to say that, but it's simply not true. I've stated numerous times on this board for numerous years that it wouldn't be all OL, but I certainly would fix the OL problem instead of ignoring it or disregarding it. In regards to the "you'd be coaching"-nonsense, that's simply not true. There are countless reasons why one person goes into coaching and one does not. Lovie was involved with football at a higher level, and had connections that piqued his interest. I did not. And if you think you have disproved the "draft OL early"-concept you're sorely mistaken. First, look at all the 1st round talent trucking over the Bears' vaunted D right now. Second, go look at the last time the Bears had a Super Bowl team and tell me what rounds the OL that year were drafted. Third, please learn something about LTs in the NFL, and realize that the prize possessions go early. Most starting LT studs don't come from the 7th round. You'll then begin to see a correlation. Someone in the other thread did mention, however, that it's odd that Williams and Carimi have degraded since arriving in Chicago. I've never been a fan of Tice, and I agree that coaching has a part in all this.

Serious question: Is Hester mentally handicapped in some way?

Very good points. And, yet, people continue to say Tice is some offensive line genius. That lie has got to die at some point, right? I mean, how many other teams have you seen give up career games to DEs on a consistent basis? It seems there are four games a year where a DE absolutely has a career-changing game, and the talking heads never catch on to the fact they almost always seem to have them against the Bears. Coaching or talent? Chicken or egg?

Have you noticed Hester seems to ALWAYS go to the short side of the field? This reminds me of two or three eyars ago when he couldn't figure out how to go north-south, and kept going sideways.

I'm wondering if Webb will be credited with a sack for that one. After all, he's the one that hit Campbell.