jason

There is no way of knowing if that would have happened had Chicago drafted him. ACL tears are freak things. There are millions of factors that go into the possibility of something like this happening. For all we know, if the Bears drafted him he would have thrown 40 TDs and 0 INTs by now. Or maybe he would have torn his groin in preseason. We just don't know.

I don't think that's true. The Bengals had control and may have just wanted to keep him as a backup. And Dalton has been an all-pro several times. AJ wasn't starting in Cincy.

I think they gave up too quickly on Roberto Aguayo. His depth on kickoffs alone is something a defensive-minded team like this needs. Aguayo compares favorably to Barth. The Bears are still a few pieces away from real contention this year, and should be looking towards the future. Someone with potential. Barth has none. Aguayo has tons if his mechanics can be corrected.

I take back what I said. I know who I'd hire. Toub. Period. Dude is an excellent coach and thinks outside the box. I'm sure he'd surround himself with people who are similarly minded and he'd succeed. To be a ST coach means convincing guys to run full speed into brick walls. If he can do that and succeed (he's more than succeeded), then he can be a head coach.

I think he is. He's one of those smart game manager types who has just enough intangibles to make up for the less than superstar skills. Make no mistake, he also has skills, but just not top 5 arm or anything like that.

I think you're forgetting his first year where he drastically improved an offense from the year before, had a top 5 scoring offense, created the "Josh McCown is a starting QB"-myth, and got McCown paid. So he's not a good leader. Accepted. And his team quit on him. Given. But how was he to know Cutler would completely ignore everything he said and do whatever the hell he felt like on the field? I don't blame Trestman on that one. I'm just saying I want an offensive minded coach.

I knew what you meant and agreed. If Singletary knew Freeman would disgrace the 50, he would not have permitted the use of it.

Admittedly, I'm not someone who pays attention to who is considered the best offensive guru in the making or the best QB whisperer. But when the Bears pick up a new coach, and it's continuously a defensive coach, I often think it's time to change that philosophy. It would be nice to hire an offense-first guy for a change.

I completely agree with this as well. I love the direction the defense is taking, but that's pretty much what I expected with Fox. This front office and coaching staff, however, have to do more. To do everything they did to get Trubisky means they can't just let him turn into a journeyman game-manager. They need to invest fully and wholeheartedly into giving him all the tools and weapons he can use to become a great QB.

The injury gutted me. I felt like I did when I saw Theisman and when I saw Knox. Just a brutal injury. He's one of those guys who could be so much more if he could just stay healthy. It's very unfortunate, and I hope there are no lasting problems for him.

The idea of the playoffs is simultaneously exciting and scary. Exciting because playoff football is great. Scary because this team is still several pieces away and too much success right now sacrifices draft position.

Oh no. Not even close. Welker is far beyond Matthews as a slot, but Matthews is a poor-man's Brandon Marshall, a guy who can ago across the middle and snag passes in heavy traffic. You can never have enough guys like that.

I'm not researching it, or even know where you could, but I bet the great majority of Sproles' receptions were from out of the backfield. I doubt they lined him up wide nearly as much as the receptions from the backfield. There is a great difference between coming out of the backfield where it's your normal position and learning how to run routes as a WR. Foot placement, hand placement, tempo, direction, and a litany of other concepts dictate whether or not there is separation from the defender, and whether or not the receiver is on the same sheet of music as the QB. Furthermore, if you ask him to do something extremely outside his skillset and comfort zone, you risk injury from not only an unorthodox move, but also from the lack of instincts in relation to when/where the hits may be coming. On top of that there is a rookie QB who is likely seeing things like he's sitting in an X-Wing Starfighter, so he's more likely to leave a WR open up to getting destroyed by a strong safety missile.

Honestly, I don't know what they're planning on WRs. So many options of a lot of C+ guys with potential. What I do know, however, is that it would be a horrible move to put Cohen out as a slot WR a lot. That's not his position, and it reeks of previous years and previous staffs playing people out of position. Cohen is a RB, and should be used as such. 2-3 times out wide during a game should be enough.

Bingo. When the Bears upgrade the OL and the WR, Trubisky will start flinging the ball everywhere. They didn't move up to #2 in the draft and then pick up a QB just to have him throw 7 times a game for his career. They did it to move the team closer to what most of the NFL is today: passing.

I wouldn't even come close to talking to Jeffrey at this point. He wanted out of Chicago. Period.

Needless to say we don't agree on all the WRs. I'd take Matthews as a #2 before Enunwa, and maybe Adams because we don't know if he's just a product of getting passes from Rodgers. Also, I don't consider some of those guys real #1s (Watkins?) I don't really think Meredith is the lynchpin to any sort of maneuvering. He's still an uncertainty to me. He's got one year under his belt of pretty good production when teams didn't even realize who he was. You're right about Leno, but there is no reason he can't be bumped to the right side. He's obviously not starting LT material. I still stand by WR or LT. Nothing else makes sense to me (other than trading down), particularly since the D appears to be doing pretty well right now.

His decline is confusing, for sure, but I attribute it mostly Buffalo's odd offense. T-Mobile, as his nickname indicates, is a run/pass QB, not the other way around. And their #1 offensive option is McCoy on the ground. After that it's McCoy through the air. After that it's a combo of Taylor and Tolbert on the ground. After that they are trying to figure out why Zay Jones, perhaps the most prolific catching threat in NCAA history, can't catch the ball. There just isn't a lot to go around. I think that will drive the price down for Matthews some. Daddy like.

It was, with a veteran QB. This is a rookie QB. There's a difference. The wetter his feet get, the more I expect them to start passing, and eventually turn the ratio around. The Bears didn't move up to #2 and draft a QB only to have him throw 10-15 times a game. Trubisky was drafted to lead a franchise into the 21st century, one where passing rules. If they don't adjust the ratio eventually - I'm expecting a big shift in year 2 - then the draft pick was even worse than I thought.

Howard is a rookie, meaning, of course, that his adjustment to the NFL is an unknown. Key word: Unknown Meanwhile, Forte went to the Jets and had a comparable year to his 2015 one with the Bears, even though they gave Bilal Powell far too many carries and they were easily one of the worst offensive teams in the entire NFL. They were a dumpster fire. Forte could have easily had a much better season if they didn't suck overall so much. He definitely scored more rushing TDs than his previous year with the Bears, despite the aforementioned. It made sense to at least attempt to lure Forte back to Chicago, even if it was just for one year. Unceremoniously dumping him without any offer was not the right way to go. Did it work out in the end? Yes. But as the article noted, it was unknown. Leonard Floyd has the potential to be a beast. Key word: Potential. He has not realized that full potential yet. But he does appear to be improving. Two other rookies have stood out at camp: third-round defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, and seventh-round wideout Daniel Braverman. Jerrell Freeman is an overachieving linebacker Agree. Too bad about the injuries I am worried about the Bears’ offensive line No shit. Too bad the front office isn't. I believe the Bears made the right call in promoting quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains to offensive coordinator. I doubt that's the same opinion now. I like the run/pass split, but he's about as unimaginative as possible. Again, there is a reason they called him "Low Gains" in TN.

Meredith had 66 catches in one year. Matthews did better than that three straight years. They're the same size, but like Matthews a lot more.

I didn't watch the Baltimore game, but when I saw the stats I thought, "Excellent. Run it a lot." Honestly, this is how the team should be playing. Run, Defense, and minimal passing.

I like a lot of names on the FA WR list, but the one I like the most is Jordan Matthews. I really believe he has the size, hands, and skill to be a go to guy. He was a stud for Philly, and everything has gone to hell in Buffalo.

I've been saying as much for about 5-6 years now. And it wouldn't be a reach.

If the Bears don't trade down, the only options are OT or WR. Period.