jason

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.

I'm not seeing this list as anything other than completely accurate. 1. The OL has sucked for multiple years. Cutler has been pounded more than a girl on the bang bus. ---To be fair, Rodgers hasn't exactly been standing up straight for most of the past 2 years. Yes, his OL is better than the Bears' is, but it's not like it's better by light years. The packers OL was not mentioned in the original post. Hence, I did not address a comparison. The fact remains, the Bears OL has probably been the worst OL in the NFL over the past few years. 2. Marshall has a personality disorder, a DUI, suspicions of domestic abuse, more than one battery charge, and was stabbed by his wife. Not to mention other random run-ins with the law. ---Obviously, you're correct, but I guarantee no Bears player who will at a strip club on the South Side of the city after a loss. I have no proof, but I truly believe Marshall's violent days are by him. He has his best friend as his QB and he's already done more interviews than his whole career. On top of it, he's been very forthcoming on his negative image. Exactly. And I share the hope that he has put it all behind him. 3. Cutler is a sour-puss. I don't know if this really matters on the field, and I think it's been played up, but some on this board have even said his demeanor affects the team. ---I don't even know what this means anymore. A "sour puss." He wasn't a sour puss when they were a top 5 offense from weeks 4-8 last year. Watch the mic'd Cutler game vs Carolina. He and Urlacher are joking all game together. He hangs out with Moore and Bennett off the field. Does he make a mean face when he throws a pick? Yeah, and that's good. I'd much rather that than him throwing his teammates under the bus like Peyton Manning does every week. Does he call his OC out at times (Martz)? Yeah, and we all loved it because Martz was a dips***. Cutler is an intelligent guy. His moves are calculated. I don't think he's a sour puss. I think he's an ultra competitive guy who wants to lead a boring life off the field (which got 10x more difficult when he got Cavallari pregnant). Just because he doesn't open Jimmy John's all across North America like Brees or model Uggs and Under Armour like Brady doesn't make him a sour puss. The original post made no reference to the affect Cutler's pouty face has on his playing. I think it's been completely blown out of proportion. However, it has been a major media issue, and only someone who has missed all the Bears games would say Cutler is affable on the sideline. Quite often he looks like he's pouting. It could just be his facial structure. Ultimately, it means nothing, but it doesn't change the fact that he often looks sullen. 4. The defense is getting old. The window is closing. ---The defense is getting old? All 32 team's defenses got old this past year. They all added a year to their lives. Yes, their window is closing, as are many team's. If they hit on McClellin, Jeffery, and Hardin, it's not closing. Obviously everyone is getting chronologically older. The post was in reference to the "NFL-age" of the Bears defense. If you sort their roster by age, it's readily apparent the majority of the defensive stars are the oldest people on the team. 5. Until I see otherwise, I don't know for sure if the safeties can play. The Bears have been looking for a safety since Mike Brown left. ---Conte was pretty good last year. I believe SportingNews had him on their All-Rookie team. Don't forget, Green Bay might have the worst safeties in football outside of Minnesota. Yes, Conte was pretty good. But we've been relatively pleased with a rookie safety one or two times in the past. I want to see continued success before I go all-in. For now I'm cautiously optimistic. 6. I don't know if intelligence is the issue - and I certainly don't think the Randy Ratio is a bad idea (giving the ball to the most talented player in the league as much as possible is bad?) - but we have yet to see him call an offensive gameplan. And judging from his personnel decisions on the OL, I can't say I'm very confident he will be able to produce a product much better than before. ---Tice will still be the OL coach for the most part. He has the "OC" title, but he'll be primarily with the OL while Bates is the OC. Book it If you're right, then the OC hire/promotion/sham was a bad move by the Bears organization.