jason

No, read the article again. He's listing a percentage based SOS next to each team, based on current standings. He has the Bears at .514 and the Niners at .517. I don't know how he's getting those numbers. I get the wins. That obvious. If the Niners beat the Bears, however, he insinuates the Bears could slip ahead of the Niners. I'd like to look at the formula to predict if it would hold true, and if it would continue with the rest of the schedule.

Does anyone know how he's getting the SOS in his article? The Bears opponents are 65-55 for a 54.2% win percentage. The Niners opponents are 66-52 for a 55.9% win percentage. I would have figured the Bears would already be drafting ahead of the Niners with that in mind.

Damn! I didn't know that. That screws up everything. No way Myles Garrett drops past #2.

Two assumptions: 1) If the Bears lose to SF (I expect they will), they will have lost H2H vs Jacksonville and SF. That puts the Bears squarely in the #2 spot if I'm not mistaken. 2) The Browns have to take a QB. They've started 5 guys there, and even their version of Slash (Pryor) has a handful of passes. It's a mess and they need a QB. RD 1 - Myles Garrett, DE, TXA&M - Solidifies the only weak spot in the front 7. Elevates this D one more huge notch. With no injuries, that's a top 5 D in 2017. RD 2 - Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson - By all accounts he has slipped out of the first round. I'm sure it's a mixed bag here. I think he'd be a great catch in the 2nd. RD 3 - Julie'n Davenport, OT, Bucknell - This may be a reach, but dude is a monster. I'd like to add him as a LT, and RT as a fall-back plan. RD 4 - Budda Baker, FS, Washington - Elite speed, range, athleticism. He will likely drop because his height (5'10"). RD 4 - Ryan Switzer, WR, UNC - He's almost the exact same size as Eddie Royal, and he's Royal's replacement. I love Switzer. RD 5 - Kevin King, CB, Washington - Everyone loves the harmonious approach on the OL, I say it applies in the secondary. RD 7 - Jake Elliot, K, Memphis - Wasted pick? Maybe. I don't care. Grab him before he decides he'd rather go to another team and doesn't accept the UDFA call. Give Barth cab fare home.

No matter what, this worked out perfectly for the Bears. Barkley proved to be a guy who has some talent. At least enough talent to take a flyer on. And the Bears lost, thus preserving the high draft pick.

I'm fine with the idea, but let's be real here. You'd be butchering Cutler for the exact same performance. If not for the stupid, desperation interceptions, the Bears win this game.

I'd rather not, but if they do, I'd love it if they also got Switzer to give him a favorite target/excellent return guy.

I can understand anyone's order for the QBs, but none of them are so talented that they distance themselves from the others. And that scares me. Trubisky scares me because I think he's overrated and a trendy pick. His one year of NCAA starts also scares me. As does his weak competition. Watson has the highest ceiling and the lowest floor, so that's terrifying for a top 5 pick. Kaaya has no business in the first round. And that leaves Kizer, who is inconsistent despite having all the measurables. I actually like Chad Kelly the best. I hope the Bears load up on D, and grab Kelly late.

Thought you guys would find this interesting considering we've been calling for more of it over the years... According to some stats in ESPN magazine, teams have great successes when using play action, and should use it more. When using play action, teams threw for 9.23ypa, compared to only 6.9 for all other passes. Further, they result in more first downs by percentage (44.3%) than other passes (33.3%). There is also a slight advantage in terms of sacks given up, despite holding the ball longer on play action (5.6% vs 5%). They even went on to display how much better some teams and QBs are when using play action. Phillip Rivers, Tyrod Taylor, and Russell Wilson are all better when using play action. This appears to be yet another instance where the team seems to do something none of us agree with (i.e. not using play action more with Cutler, along with rolling him out), and there may actually be stats to prove our point this time. I'm not all that shocked. This team has had trouble seeing the obvious on far too many instances in the recent past for any die-hard fan's liking.

You know me well, but the top two guys this year are not top 5 talent IMO. McGlinchey has potential, but needs polish. And Robinson may actually be better suited as a Guard.

You're right. Hate it. Dude has thrown 5 TDs in his career. You're essentially trading an unknown (our pick) for an older unknown who comes from a team that has a history of making bad players look good.

I don't think so. There is every indication this team will have a top-5 pick.

Agreed. Which is why I like the idea of potentially pairing him with Alshon to land someone huge, or a draft pick. Cleveland would be a great spot, for either their #1 overall or Joe Thomas.

Unless a trade happens, I see the draft sucking. In my opinion, the Bears need serious upgrades at QB, OT, CB, S, DE in no specific order. QB - Cutler is done. The only one I want at #4 is Kizer, and that's even questionable for me. The others, particularly Trubinsky, would be a huge reach that early. OT - No top 4 guys there. The best guy is either Cam Robinson or Mike McGlinchey, and they're more mid-1st kind of guys. Around #10 at the highest. CB - The Bears have a bunch of maybes at CB right now. But I don't think Marlon Humphrey or Marshaun Lattimore are worth of #4. S - No doubt the Bears need a Safety, maybe both. But is Jamal Adams or Jabrill Peppers that good? They're more late-1st in my opinion. DE - Unrein is not the answer. I like his motor, but he's a backup. Bullard is unknown. Unfortunately, Myles Garrett will be gone, and Jonathan Allen is more 4-3 interior guy. Let's hope for a trade down.

Agree, agree, disagree (sort of). I like what Fangio is doing a lot. Top ten in sacks, and the Bears have had a ridiculous number of defensive injuries. Fuller, Goldman, and Houston out pretty much the entire year. Bush and McPhee out half the year. Sutton late IR. Just about everyone else has missed one or two games. It's part of what makes me think the Bears should hope for the best in terms of health next year, and double-down on defense (FA & draft) in the hopes it can carry the team next year. I am not sure what to make of Loggains. It's hard to evaluate when they have possibly the worst tackle combo in the NFL and complete disarray at QB. The Bears absolutely do NOT need to spend any time looking at RB in the 2017 draft of free agency. If they don't like Langford or Carey that much, they should just give more touches to Howard. Period. Enough of the rotation. Howard can handle the load, and should only come out when he needs a breather. I happen to think Langford and Carey are just fine in their current positions.

I don't pay attention to the salary cap stuff. Never cared to fully understand it. What's the breakdown of how Cutler affects the Bears? If he's traded, how does that affect the team's salary cap? What if he's released? I'm just wondering if his salary will be a reason teams decide not to talk to the Bears.

I hope you're right. I hope those teams think he's the missing veteran piece they need.

I'm not sure any team, other than perhaps Cleveland, would trade a 3rd for him. That would be nice though. Keeping him around at this point would be a mistake.

:headbang

I don't think that's a very big question at all. Regardless of who they decide to go with next year, the Bears would be criminally stupid if they didn't draft a QB in the first four rounds next year.

Valid question. And it's why I don't really think Fox should be blamed. The Bears were already hurting on talent. But missing that many guys basically means he's coaching a team full of guys who are close to being out of the NFL. Sure, there are a few bright spots here and there, but that's pretty difficult to overcome. The only people in Chicago who should be in the spotlight are those who have been drafting. For years. And years. And years.

Tell me about it.

Agreed. The draft bothers me the most.

Ro-no.

Draft chart values at the very least.