jason

Sorry, but, once again, you are wrong. There have been numerous posts linking to statistical analysis proving this concept.

I knew getting rid of BM was a bad idea. Not only did he have another great year in NY, but he also precipitated the Kevin White pick - which is currently very negative - and may end up costing us Alshon as well. The Bears need good football players who produce on the field. They do not need to dump people who a semi-problematic elsewhere.

Seriously??? That makes plenty of sense for the Jets because Alshon is easily better than Decker.

I, too, cheered for the win. But I wasn't nearly as pissed as normal about the loss. Silver linings.

Surprisingly, I agree. Royal isn't worth the headache of his health issues, and Mariani, despite how atrocious he is at punt returning, is a decent slot receiver. He's one of those pesky guys with just enough speed, dexterity, and intelligence to zig when the opponent zags. He gets open and has relatively good hands.

With who was available, and the situation with impending draft position, the game couldn't have ended any better for the Bears. The fought hard, showed grit, a few guys got to shine, and Gase showed he could take a really bad hand and put together a decent scheme. Two tipped balls for INTs, that's the difference. Just poor luck is all. Those kind of breaks don't go your way when you're starting three UDFA at WR and one 7th rounder.

One quick thought: You do NOT want OJ Howard on the Bears. Everyone in Alabama hates him for the most part. His hands are not great. His route running is questionable. His work ethic is also up for debate. Absolutely not.

OH HELL NO. Was that draft done with a dart board?! The link I have - updated draft this AM - has the Bears going: 1. Jaylon Smith, ILB, Notre Dame (Robert Nkemdiche still available) 2. Austin Johnson, DT, Penn State 3. Anthony Zettel, DE/DT, Penn State 4. Devontae Booker, RB, Utah I like that a little better because it's a full commitment to defense, and Jaylon Smith would be a great pick for us. I even like the idea of college-to-pro continuity, because it's one of the reasons I like Oregon linemen for the Bears' future. What I do not like, however, is back to back Penn State defensive linemen, especially when they are currently getting thumped up front by Georgia in their bowl game. Given the Walter football picks, there are several more palatable combinations. Here is the first one I tried: 1. Jaylon Smith, ILB, Notre Dame 2. Jayron Kearse, S, Clemson 3. Sebastian Tretola, G, Arkansas (Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson also available) 4. Tyler Johnstone, OT, Oregon (Oregon bookends for the future) Way better than the original Walter draft, in my opinion.

YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH! Fangio is the main coach I don't want to see leave. Without Fangio the Bears team would likely be picking top-5 in my opinion. He turned chicken shit into edible chicken salad. If he gets a year with some defensive pickups and draft picks to fit his needs/system, I think he could easily make this defense top-10 without having to spend top-10 money.

I think it's unpredictable. I think he has a shot of going elsewhere, but it's just as possible he stays in my opinion. It'd be different if the Bears were top ten in offense. I think it'd be a guarantee that he would leave.

Dead on. If, unfortunately, Gase leaves, I think you've nailed it.

Yeah, I agree. Acho was a guy that looked great in the preseason, and did well at times, but he's nearly non-existent rushing the QB. That's something you absolutely can't have at OLB in the 3-4. McPhee is a given. Young and Houston have done enough, and the trio leads the team in sacks.

I think Gase stays. I don't think he blew the doors off in Chicago. He's highly respected; we all know that, but if he were that incredible the Bears offense would have done better than 22nd in offense. In fact, most of us found several questionable tendencies in his offense, namely the WR screen that was used so often it reminded me of Crowton at times.

Exactly. I haaaaaaaaaaaaate the move if it's true. It makes no sense to take someone from a position where they are one of the best OGs in the NFL unless it's an injury situation. I hope it's a smoke-screen. That being said, there appears to be a decent amount of OG talent in the 3-4 round in the 2016 draft.

No way in hell the Bears should pick Fuller. Those dice have been rolled, and they are not worthy of a first round pick.

Agreed with all of the above. Don't go top 5, but put in lots of incentives. And players looking for loyalty from a club, whether that's something that should be given in today's NFL or not, are probably not pleased with how the Bears handle things.

This is something specifically studied before. It's been quantitatively analyzed, and posted on this website more than one time. I'm sure the difference is minimized, but there is still a difference.

Yeah, I figured that, but I was more asking about the roster limits, sizes, IR numbers, etc. That kind of front office, puzzle piece moving. Or if there are any salary implications at all to late-season IR moves.

Is the only purpose to this move to pull in a few bodies and see what they have? Any other advantages to it?

And you're ignoring two things: 1. Higher picks have better odds of being successful. It's been proven. This is not debatable. And even if it were, pure gambling odds favor a higher pick because more players are available. 2. The Patriots are a horrible comparison. They have succeeded for a ton of reasons, and, sure, they did well the year with Cassell, but it is just a bad comparison. Brady is one of the best QBs ever, and the one year he was out they just happened to have a top-5 WR of all time, one of the best possession WRs of all time, and a top ten defense.

Patriots. LOL. Revisit this a few years post-Brady. Easy to win with one of the best QBs in NFL history. Alternate speech: "Fight to win today! You are all playing for jobs." Fox knows he is coming back next year and will be coaching the same regardless. I am sure he would rather have a higher draft pick so he can pick his guys rather than playing with the previous regime's guys. The winning mentality thing carrying over to the next year thing is just BS in today's NFL. The team personnel changes far too much, the team parity is far too even, the player preparation far too similar, the schedules alternate yearly, and the coaching changes far too much for the carry-over to be that signicant. If it is that significant, prove it.

So much truth in this post.

The problem for Cutler haters is that each year there is an excuse. Now, in my eyes, the excuses are almost entirely legitimate. Changing coaches, atrocious OLs, iffy WRs, etc., and he was just never really set up for sustained success. The Bears have been a failed franchise, and haven't been able to put it all together in one year since Cutler has been in Chicago. Cutler has not disappointed this year by any means.

And even then, the defense lost that game more than Robbie. Sure, he screwed up that last second kick, but the defense let the Niners drive 64 yards in 1:35 with a culminating 44 yard TD run by a first round bust, backup QB, who is actually the second best running QB on the opposing team. Robbie didn't lose that game. Robbie just screwed up in that opportunity. The defense lost that game on the Niners' final, ridiculous drive.

That's interesting information. It shows this team has overachieved for sure. The likely source is much better coaching and a great rookie infusion. If White pans out, that's a pretty great draft class. Back to your post, I think it points to the Bears being a "surprise" team next year, especially when paired with next year's lighter schedule. And we'll be able to look on at the prognosticators and say, "How did you not see it?"