jason

A thought about message boards, and discourse in general: Passionate responses rarely come from those who are completely satisfied. This naturally lends itself to a message board being more negative than positive. The fact that the Bears are 1-2 and have gaping holes - something Forte hasn't seen in a while - that have been ignored or unaddressed for multiple years is obviously going to bring out more negativity. If the Bears win, this board is less negative. Simple. All that said, to leave because you don't like someone else's point of view is weak. Don't take it personal, even if you happen to be remotely connected to the source of frustration. In this case, the media. Perhaps there wouldn't be an obsession with the media if the media wasn't on a constant witch-hunt to paint people in negative lights once they are no longer able to defend themselves. There is a difference between "reporting the news" and what most "journalists" (term used loosely) do nowadays.

Exaggeration is a talent. What can I say? With that said, even with three HOFers at WR, their production would drop off drastically if the offense they were on had this OL.

WHAT?! The bolded part is insanity. The two parts are symbiotic. I don't care if you pick up Calvin Johson, he doesn't do a damn thing in the New Orleans game. Period. Cutler would have thrown the same balls because the pressure would have been the exact same. You don't think the opposing defenses worry about Knox and Hester going deep? They have to at least roll some safety support. But when they know they can get to the QB in 1.3 seconds, that is how they will attack. Put it this way: Cutler + Forte + Bears WRs + Best OL in history (90s Cowboys) = Prolific offense Cutler + Forte + Jerry Rice,Calvin Johson,Steve Largent + Bears OL = Average offense, at best (because of everything NFO said).

To add fuel to the Randy Moss fire, is there even a question that he's better than anyone on the Bears' roster?! Seriously? Compare him to the "big" #1 signing of Roy Williams, for instance. Roy Williams 08 - 36, 440, 2TDs (multiple teams) 09 - 38, 591, 7TDs 10 - 37, 530, 5TDs Randy Moss 08 - 69, 1008, 11TDs 09 - 83, 1264, 13TDs 10 - 28, 393, 5TDs (multiple teams) I'm sorry, I just don't buy the "Randy Moss is old" argument. Dude got completely ignored while with the Titans for the second half of the 2010 season; that is undebatable. And I didn't both to include 2007, because that would have been a ridiculous comparison since Moss put up 23 TDs. And if he did get old, then his old is better than Roy Williams is currently. Did he get shorter since? No. Did he get incredibly slower? No. Did he forget how to get open? No. Did he misplace his jumping ability? No Did he suddenly lose the ability to catch? No. Hence, he's better than any WR the Bears have right now. And he should be approached, at the very least. (something I've wanted for several years)

Completely disagree. OL still has to outweigh WR. Imagine if this team had Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker, and Hines Ward, a perfect combo of #1, slot, and chain-mover. It wouldn't freaking matter that much because 2 of the first 3 games have seen Cutler get his ass pounded like a 112lb fresh prison fish. Would he have torched the Packers? Yes. So have other teams. Hell, I'm not sure he would have had much more than the 300+ he already had. Maybe 350-400? That would have been cool and all, but he still would have taken a beating and the WRs would have not lived up to the potential they currently have. Getting a #1 like Calvin Johson would be great, but with this OL the talent would be severely undercut.

Wow. Really? I'd LOVE it if Mark Cuban bought the Bears. That dude spends money, hires smart people with long pedigrees/proven success/industry respect, and adamantly supports and understands his team yet gets the F out of the way. So he cheers on the sideline. Big deal.

Bingo. Except I think he's nowhere near getting to the third read on 99% of the plays. If he's lucky he gets to the second read.

Previous to this season I really thought the Bears could make do with the WRs they have. Do I love them? No. But I honestly felt/feel that if the OL was even close to a good college line (they're not), then the WRs would have enough time to get open and make plays. Well, as it stands now, they do neither. The last game showed us that when Cutler gets time - which is infrequent - the WRs are simply not open. And when they are, they're not as good as they should be. The Knox experiment has been given enough chances; he doesn't have the mental makeup or the skills to be a starting slot. Realistically the Bears should have a #1 (presumably Roy Williams), a slot (Knox or Hester), a possession guy (Bennett or Sanz). What they do have is no #1 (because Roy is hurt and questionable as the #1), no real slot (because neither Hester nor Knox can get open like a slot should be able to), and 1.5 possession guys (because Bennett is hurt). WTF is Cutler supposed to do with that? That is, when he actually has time to do something. Next year's draft should be three positions: OT, OG, WR. That's it.

Agreed. Everything. Especially the college scouts. Those guys are horrible. Fire every one of those blind morons.

Good strong first post.

Yes, several years ago. Yes, in this offseason. Yes, now.

The OL did have an improved performance yesterday, pass blocking. But it was obviously at the expense of any sort of run blocking. It's just too bad the improvement was from "potentially the worst in NFL history" to "probably the worst in the NFL this year." Agreed on pretty much everything else.

No offense taken. I was just pointing out that in officiating circles, that is even a bad call. I guarantee he gets downgraded for that call. It's like calling a holding call on the WR on the short side of the field when a sweep is going to the wide-side. It's of absolutely no consequence to the play, and you let it go with a warning to the player. But, agree, that call was horseshit.

OFFENSE Looks like everyone on this board was right. The Bears need OL and WR. I'm done with the Johnny Knox experiment. The guy just quits on routes and doesn't seem to be in the game at all times. It severely hurts the offense. There was more than one play yesterday in which Cutler had multiple seconds to find an open WR, but either didn't have one or didn't trust the one who had a defender nearby. The underscores the need for WR. Also, I hated seeing the drops hit the players when Cutler threw some great balls. It sure doesn't help confidence when the good balls get dropped. As for the OL, well, they can't run block or pass block. So if the O goes to the ground, it's three and out. If the O goes to the air, Cutler donates a liver to science. Not much choice. But when there is a choice, Cutler has to make smarter decisions. He could easily have had 4 INTs yesterday. Martz has some blame in this, but it's minimal. The players are failing in big ways. If it's not a missed blocking assignment, it's a dropped pass. And before either of those start, there is the once-per-game drive killing False Start on False Start Frank. DEFENSE Through three games this defense has allowed the opposing QB to average 28/41 (68%) for 295 passing yards. That equates to 25th overall on D, 26th in passing (and 18th in rushing for what it's worth). That is worse than the offense. Yeah, yeah, I know the two are linked and offensive failures give the defense less time to rest, but the defense is staying on the field for a long time mostly because of their own failures. The cover-2 may tighten up in the red zone, but it allows for brutally slow and time-consuming drives through perpetual short passes. SPECIAL TEAMS Great play to end the game. They got screwed. I'd like to see Hester and Knox return a few more for larger gains, but it's hit or miss.

Guys, I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'm an official. I've personally talked to multiple NFL guys. Guys who have officiated Super Bowls. And one of the philosophies often spoke of is specifically related to this kind of call. More often than not it's referred to a "56 MPH Penalty." You don't pull over the speeder going 56 in a 55. You get the big ones. If your grandma can't see it from the stands, then it probably shouldn't be called. In other words, be absolutely certain that either A] The foul is safety related, or B] The foul provides one team with an advantage. In this case, the foul was neither. It was a horrible call.

So basically what you're saying is that the system isn't outdated or anything like that, the Bears just don't have the personnel to make the system work. The "living in the past" part, however, doesn't make a lot of sense. Give Martz an OL that can block for more than 1 second, and guys like Hester, Knox, and Bennett will be open on a consistent basis.

I don't really have a problem with 90% of what you said, but I am curious where you get the "his scheme is severely outdated" thing from? Gets QBs killed? There is data to support that. But I don't see how one of the most complex schemes in the NFL could be considered outdated. Maybe difficult to implement and execute successfully, but definitely not outdated. It's not like the opponents have completely figured it out...they've just figured it out when the Martz offense is severely hamstrung.

Good post overall. I wonder if Martz and Tice often butt heads and they have non-complimentary styles (i.e. the possibility that Lovie calls out Martz but doesn't ask Tice to change to a style that may actually compliment the play calling). Regarding the shotgun, at least then Cutler gets a head start.

Agreed. Martz may have screwed up the last game, and his scheme may be wrong for the personnel, but the atrocious OL put out by the Bears is enough to cause any OC to pull out his own hair due to player failure.

I know what you're saying, but if Angelo actually thinks that, then he's mentally incapable of doing his job and he has a horrendous understanding of how football is actually played. Angelo may know the cap and the check-book, but he's not good at evaluation or drafting.

Agreed. The notion that we'd be upset at a mid-round guy starting is absurd since nearly everyone was clamoring for more than simply Carimi in the draft as well as in free agency. Also, considering that Marcus Gilbert is starting at RT for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Rodney Hudson is the primary backup for three positions (LG,C,RG) in KC, I'm thinking that one of those guys would be helping the team a bit more than Stephen Paea is right now. The options and scenarios are endless. To say that the Bears did "all they could do" to address the most glaring team need for the past three years is absolutely ludicrous.

Instead of resigning Forte, JA will probably trade him in the offseason for a 4th round pick and a DT with potential who has struggled to break into the starting lineup on another team.

That's a very good point lemon. Why do all the presnap garbage if the QB is not allowed to adjust accordingly? Is the presnap garbage just to set up plays later in the game? If so, there are three problems. 1. Why didn't we see them? 2. Was it even possible for the advantage to be gained when Cutler was running like non-credited fodder in a horror film? 3. Doesn't Martz realize the opponents could be disguising their defense?

Wow. Either this guy is war-crimes level stupid or just saying what he has to say without throwing the team/coaches/players under the bus. If it's the former, I hate him more than I already dislike him. Did all he could do?! I seem to recall the Bears having more than one draft pick this year.

1-3: Same concept: run more. Maybe a few counters, a couple dive plays, and a few sweeps could have worked. Who knows? But I do know that all but two runs got stuffed. 4a: Agreed. I want to see the old-school Redskins max-protect. Send out 2 WRs (Knox & Hester), and keep the TEs as well as the RB in. 4b: What happened to the quick routes? Ask Bennett's ribs and Sanzenbacher's chest. 4c: Agreed. I'd like to see a few roll outs. Keep in mind, however, that most of the pressure is from the outside DEs blasting around the statues the Bears call OTs. That could easily lead to Cutler rolling into someone coming full speed. If roll outs are implemented, it's a good thing they'll most likely be away from Webb. 4d: Agreed, somewhat. This was tried once if I recall correctly, and it got destroyed because the middle of the OL got collapsed. Seeing a couple more would probably yield results. 4e: Disagreed. I'm not saying the TE should be on an island, but when you put a TE out there, surely the intention is not for a 1-on-1. It's up to the TE to establish, with his quicker feet, an outside leverage position so that he can take advantage of the potential double team. In this regard, the players simply have to do better. Martz has to have some players out in passing routes. You're right in one regard though...this entire coaching staff appears to think telling the players "do better" is the same as coaching. Which is crazy since the majority of us have played, watched, and/or been involved with enough football to know that you don't keep banging your head into a 9-man front, and you don't consistently throw into a dime package. What bugs me about the Martz offense is all the motion that appears to give the Bears no discernable advantage. I'd like to see less presnap motion if it's not gaining advantage and potentially causing confusion. I'd prefer they line-up with an identified purpose for execution.