jason

As a person who was not completely on board with the McClellin pick, it should come as a surprise that I completely disagree with your thoughts about him. He's not behind the curve at all. Unless you want Rex Ryan say great things about him. McClellin looked pretty damn good in the one preseason game he has played. While he had a play or two in run defense where he didn't play well, he more than made up for it in other plays/ways. I counted 8 different plays where he had significant impact, and just about each of them were impressive in one way or another. And since he certainly wasn't drafted for run defense, I'd say his production in one game was great.

1. Didn't see it. Stupid mistake that has no bearing on the game. 2. Holding fouls are "eye of the beholder," and we've been complaining about Peppers being held since he got here. Probably not much of a change. 3. I saw that, and I think the ref made a decent call. After the sack Nick Perry stepped over the QB and flexed his muscles. That could easily be construed as taunting. The players know when they are doing stuff like that. 4. I don't know what the hell the Back Judge was doing in the Buffalo v. Washington game, but he was in the wrong position, AND made the wrong call. Hell, he even dropped his beanbag to signify the end of the kick! Bonehead. I'm far from in the corner of the replacement officials, but I don't think the issues you're bringing up are the really bad ones (aside from #4). I saw several instances where the deep 3 officials (SJ, FJ, BJ) were out of position and made incorrect rulings. That's the worst part because eventually it will lead to a big problem. Last night I saw a TD that was called out at the 1 incorrectly, 2 BJs almost get runover on long passes, and another guy get a spot incorrectly. The real NFL officials need to be paid the extra couple-hundred they're asking for (which is no more than a couple hundred more per game).

Been a while since we've agreed on anything, but you're spot on about the running game. I've mentioned this a lot in the past, and shown supporting links that cover how the Bears have been one of, if not the worst, teams in the league when it comes to runs stopped behind the LOS.

Haven't seen the game yet, but sadly it sounds like it could be a game report from last year. In regards to the OL anyway. The Webb experiment needs to stop before he ends Cutler's season. The fact that they continue to play people out of position and give out starting nods based upon how someone looks on a scale is maddening. Webb has not shown the ability to play competently at LT over the past two years. And since Spencer was horrible at OG, it is crazy that the Bears continue to play him at OG when his natural position is C, and the Bears C is naturally an OG.

For those who got to see it, count yourselves lucky. The rest of us have to watch it on DVR, or some other method, already knowing how horribly the Bears played. All I know is I saw the first series on defense, and it wasn't pretty. Manning carved the Bears up. And I got to see the first series on offense, and it was equally ugly.

Cutler not in on the first drive. Campbell time.

Bad news already?! I didn't see that video, and it doesn't surprise me.

Defense didn't look great the first drive. Manning just walked down the field, and there was very little pressure. Thankfully DJ Moore is still a ball-hawk and got his hand on a pass right before the goal-line. Credit that INT to Moore just as much as Wright.

Agreed. If he sucks, then the Tice love-crush needs to be called out.

Some would say the same about Marshall's chances in Chicago.

Moss: I'd take the under on yards and over on TDs. TO: I'd take the over on both.

Care to have a friendly "I told you so" wager? If so, what's the over/under on receptions, yards, TDs?

The debate was never about either Marshall OR one of TO/Moss. The debate was about having TO/Moss in addition to Marshall.

I saw. Pretty damn fast for an "old" guy. Just like I said, he has the physical tools. Anyone pretending otherwise is just fooling themselves. Now we'll see the season play out to determine if the distraction, the TO persona, the baggage, outweighs the production. I'm willing to bet the production outweighs the drama, and he puts in a very good year for the Seahawks.

Man, when did Tice file the adoption papers for Webb? How long does this guy have to suck for him to get replaced?

Kiper posted an article about the Bears offense.

I'm just saying that he was taller than two or three other WRs who will make the roster, and, yet, he was not in line for anything close to a starting gig. Which means his height wasn't an advantage over some shorter WRs. Therefore, he retired early. Oh, I mean, his medical problems made him retire.

I'm sure the fact that he was at best the fifth WR had nothing to do with it at all. Some things outweigh simply being taller after all.

Is there a way to link to Trib articles so that the popup doesn't come up, and then lead a viewer to the main page? It's infuriating to see the popup and then not get redirected to the page I want.

I don't think that's true, and I don't think it's one or the other. I think that a lot of time we get in such heated debates on this forum - I imagine it's the same on most forums - that we want to tell another users "I told you so" while high-fiving the same user for a Bears win. Personally, I'd rather see every single draft pick and free agency signing work out, while the Bears go on to a decade of Super Bowl dominance. But since that's not reality, and we ultimately have nothing to do with the players' success or failure, it comes down to our previous prognostications and evaluations. It's supporting evidence for our claims, our evaluations, and our desires for the Bears' future moves. For instance, I would LOVE if Webb turned into a dominant probowler on the left side. We could finally end the LT discussions. But all indications say that's not going to happen. And as long as the Bears stick to him, and people defend him, it's worth noting his failures. It's also worth noting how long the failures have existed, not to mention the subsequent hindrance to the team's success. So in future years, if I want the Bears to draft a LT I'll have a sound reason for it, and when others disagree I can't point to Webb's failings. The desire to see the Bears win supersedes the "I told you so." All things being equal, Terra and just about everyone else (I assume) would love if there were nothing to complain about. It'd be great to just watch Super Bowl after Super Bowl.

It's a good point you bring up. And I think it truly speaks to how bad Webb was that they're not even considering Williams at OG. They know they NEED Williams at the LT spot instead of Webb. Therefore, the OG spot is absolutely open. As for preferring Webb-Williams-Whatever, there is no way I agree with that. Webb just sucks, and shouldn't be starting on an NFL team at LT. I prefer any of the following: Williams - Rachal - Garza - Louis - Carimi Williams - Spencer - Garza - Louis - Carimi An equally interesting question is why they don't use this as an opportunity to put Garza back and his more familiar position (OG), and put Spencer in at his more familiar position ©. Afterall, Spencer was signed to replace Kreutz at Center, why not use him there? Ideally the line would be: Williams - Garza - Spencer - Louis - Carimi

These guys (Marvez and Kaufman) must not have watched a single game before Cutler and Forte went down. How in the world they got their jobs as sports analysts is beyond me. Dumbasses.

The Bears' immediate plans are to use rookie defensive end Shea McClellin as a situational pass- rusher. Wasn't that one of the initial problems that most people had with the McClellin selection?

He takes the step from "pretty good but under the radar DE" to "Warren Sapp creating chaos for QBs". In other words, he goes from being an appreciated but under-recognized DT in the NFL to one of the top handful of guys considered to be the best.

Again. The original post was filled of "what ifs" about the Bears. It was not a collection of "what ifs" about the Packers. If it were the latter, I likely wouldn't have spent much time in the thread unless people were posting photoshopped images of Farv, Rodgers, and Madden in a polygamous marriage ceremony. Because then the humor would have made the thread worth it.