jason

Wow, would that ever be a stupid pick. LB isn't in the top 5 positions the Bears need. Hell, it might not be in the top 10 positions of need.

Great find. Completely true. From top to bottom it's one of the best sports "articles" I've ever read.

I think the talent is there. I think the scheme is horrible. If the opponents know that the DEs are just going to rush around edge, then they can be singled out one on one and pushed around edge in a super wide angle. Meanwhile, the inside DTs get help from a RB, and the QB steps up to make the pass. I don't really think a DT or DE is needed in the draft. The only real Defensive switch needed with the front seven is a different coach.

That's exactly what I'm referring to. I figured the "beautiful strike" had to be in refernce to that pass, because a corner lob pass can't really be described as a "strike". I wonder how many points the Bears would have this season if Orton would hit guys in stride.

Sadly, no. The Bears' haven't had a legit head coach or offensive coordinator in eons, a guy who's innovative and really understands the X's and O's of the game...and I doubt they'll start now.

Frankly, I think we just disagree on these things to a degree. On offense, I think Turner did make adjustments, and the O did better in the first half. However, it's more than just the whole "he didn't make three or four right calls" argument. He constantly calls plays that make no sense in a football sense. He has since he's been here. Who the hell calls a shotgun pass on 3rd and short? Who does it with the QB, OL, and WRs we have? That's just moronic, and you'd think someone with years of experience as an offensive coordinator would know that. On defense, Babich didn't blitz that much in the second half in the important spots. I was calling for it on nearly every play during the last two or three drives, and it didn't happen often. People misperceive this because the Bears have a lot of players on the line, but they still end up sending the front 4. If the Bears were actually blitzing effectively, there is no way in hell that Griese throws 60+ times. Turner needs to watch the last 5 years of game tape from the Eagles to figure out how to A] plan, and B] execute, a successful blitz that pounds the opposing QB. Hell, he could start with this week's beatdown the Eagles applied to Ben Rothlisberger. Not to mention the fact that I COMPLETELY agree with your assessment of the DLine. More stunts are needed, and the DE's running around end is laughably predictable. The biggest travesty, however, is the fact that every one of the Bears' opponents knows that the slant route is good for about 15 free receptions a game against the soft corners created by the cover-2 and the 10-yard cushion given by the Bears' DBs. As my thread says, unless this improves drastically, the coaching staff needs to be fired. The only one doing well is Toub on ST. With all that said, the players aren't playing well either...so they deserve a lesser portion of the blame.

21??? You think the Bears will hold the Eagles to 21? It could be a lot worse.

Orton has to be dropped a grade. The "beautiful strike to Lloyd" was just a result of Lloyd making a very good catch on a poorly thrown ball. It's even mentioned briefly in the WR section. The "C" grade for the coaches, however, is ridiculous. This game is squarely on the shoulder of the coaches. The offense was fairly inept considering the field position advantages. The defense made absolutely no adjustments in the second half and allowed a gun-shy QB to sit in the pocket and throw 60+ times while the Bears brought a four-man rush the majority of the time. And Lovie didn't call out either coordinator that we know of. The coaching grade should be a D at best, and probably deserves to be slightly lower with a D- or an F.

Aside from not having the prototypical NT for the 3-4, I don't see why the Bears' personnel isn't a good fit for that scheme anyway. Hunter Hillenmeyer, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Jamar Williams It's not like the DTs are getting pressure anyway. Do the Bears really need all of'em basically standing there and waiting for the run to come to them?

This is very simple. The Bears had EIGHT DRIVES of less than TEN YARDS. That's just not going to cut it.

Agreed. With four takeaways, the Bears offense has to do more. Incidentally, I don't think the Bears' failure on defense in the second half and overtime have very much to do with fatigue. It's all scheme in my opinion. It takes a lot more effort to react than it does to act. Defense is naturally going to get tired more quickly. The problem is, both teams are tired near the end of the game, and the team that made the adjustment to put on the pressure was the Bucs. The Bears made absolutely no adjustments; otherwise, there's no way Greasy throws 60+ times without being on the IR.

I like Cowher, but for once it'd be nice to have a coach with an offensive background.

That one call sucked for the Bears, but it still comes down to the choke-job from the Bears. The offense was timid, ineffective most of the game, and hardly created any threat. The defense basically made no adjustments and allowed Griese to just step up into the pocket and throw 3 million times, playing that weak ass bend but don't break cover 2. There is no way this game should have come down to that play making any sort of impact. It should have been put away long before then.

Simply put, this is yet another game in which the coaches had a severe impact on the outcome of the game. They timid, no-balls strategies cause and allow complacency, not to mention emboldening the opponent with all sorts of energy and momentum. OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR The offense did better this game, but simply put, Turner has not fully learned his lesson. He still doesn't understand how to call a game, and all too often his calls are predictable. A shotgun pass on third and short is a horrible call, and then to go to the same formation on another third and short is basically telling the opponents, "Hey, we know it didn't work last time, so we'll definitely run in this formation." It just seems like he doesn't really understand how to keep an opponent off balance. Sooner or later Turner has to be held accountable for how bad the offense is. DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Simply put, there are no adjustments whatsoever. It looks good early on, but eventually the other team finds out how to adjust, and once again hurts the Bears. First of all, the DL needs to mix it up more. When the opponent's QB knows the Bears' DEs will just rush around the edge, it's easy for the OTs to adjust, and it's easy for the QB to step up. Do you think Griese would have had that many attempts if heat was coming up the middle? With a QB like Griese, prone to throw erratically under pressure, it's ridiculously obvious that you have to put heat on him, hit him, and press the WRs. Griese will make mistakes, and for the most part he did. But the last few drives were pathetic, with four man rushes happening over and over, and Griese sitting back hitting guys in stride. Speaking of hitting receivers in stride, can someone tell the DC to STOP THE DAMN SLANT PATTERN?!?! HEAD COACH I don't even want to mention his name. He's liable for the others, and neither the OC nor the DC makes any adjustments. The Bears constantly seem outmatched, and nearly the only time the Bears seem to be ahead of the other team is when the Bears' special teams are involved. If there are not major improvements, this entire staff needs to get the axe.

When is this cover-2 defense ever going to stop the damn slant route?

TURNOVERS!!! BIG F'ING DEAL LOVIE!!! It doesn't matter if your offense can't capitalize. Especially when they throw the deep wheel route to the damn RB. C'mon.

Dude...that WAS NOT on the offensive line. The Bucs brought the house, four DL and three LBs. The RB picked up his responsibility. Orton dodged one guy. That was on Orton for sitting in there too long and not making quick decisions.

Is Orton retarded? There were three WRs, single-coverage, one on one side, two on the other. One safety. The other seven defenders were all in goal-line formation. If they all come blitzting, and you avoid one guy....YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO AVOID ANOTHER GUY! THROW THE DAMN BALL OR TUCK AND RUN!!!

If the Bears start off with a WR, ANY WR, it will be a horrible beginning to the draft.

You know, the thing is...Griese sucks. But when you see him move in the pocket like that, and then hit the TE on a deep cross, you have to wonder if he's still better than Orton or Grossman.

Good question TJM. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it will be 25%-30%. Orton will have about 2200 yards total, and Forte will have about 400-500yds.

Gould is awesome. It's just too bad the offense is allergic to the endzone.

OH MY GOD!!! Short yardage needed and Forte gets the ball!?!? Isn't that friggin' genius!!!

If everyone is going to quick hit on this thread, why not just go to the chat room?? Let's go! chatroom!

Looked to me like it hit Dez right in the hands...he just dropped it. Maybe heard some footsteps.