BearFan2000

things got off the rails early in our draft and it became hard to predict rather quickly I made some choices that I'd have done differently in hindsight. I do agree that below Forte and Lynch my backs are a little eh... Mathews has potential IF he can stay healthy, DeAngelo is esentially a rental due to Steward's injury he will have larger role though Cam will steal some of his thunder. Woodhead is somewhat of a crutch for Mathews. My hope is that both Mathews and DeAngelo play very well early and I can then sell high on them to get more dependable guys. I took Lynch in round 1, Forte in round 2, Cobb in round 3, Kapernick in round 4 (he was the best available at that point I was hoping Mat Ryan would drop to 4 or 5 but the run on QB's was earlier and more severe than I'd expected.), round 5 is where I made my first mistake taking Colston when Gore, Murrey, Wilson, Miller, and McFadden were still on the board. I was hoping one of them would drop to 6... and so on. I probably focused too much on WR's after Forte. I'll see how the first game or two goes, I should win my week one matchup handily. but I may look to trade to upgrade areas of weakness.

I think it will be a good test of how good our Bears really are. Bengals have a good offense and a good defense. I do like that it is the first game of the season and we have them in our house. There is very little on tape on the Trestman Bears offense which I feel gives us an advantage because we'll be doing things no one's seen us do even in preseason. To me the x factor is Cutler. If he plays sharp and under control as he did in the 3rd Preseason game where his footwork, accuracy, and ability to get the ball out quickly will be key to our offense against a stout D. This will be a good test for the Rookies Long and Mills, Cincy is a team that does a good job of creating pressure, if our Line can hold their own and Give Jay time I think we can hurt that D in the secondary especially in the middle of the field. A good quick start will be imperative. We need to dictate the tempo of the game on both sides of the ball. If we're able to move the ball well early they will have to pick their poison, stack the box to stop the run and get beat with the pass or cover the pass and we'll grind it out on the ground. Defense will have it's hands full with their weapons in the passing game, BGE doesn't scare me and Bernard is untested yet. I think we can force them to become one dimensional. We must get pressure on Dalton and there should be opportunities for turnovers. This will be a tough matchup but one I believe we can win.

We had our fantasy league draft yesterday, 10 team PPR 16 round draft. I drafted 4th Start - 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), 1 Def/st, 1 Kicker, 7 bench spots. Below is my full draft, current starters for week 1 are in bold. What do you think? I like my backs, I think I'm a little weak on WR and TE. QBs went early so I ended up taking Kapernick, but the early rush on QB allowed me to nab Forte in the second. I'm considering trading James Jones, DeSean Jackson or maybe even Cobb and or a RB to upgrade either WR or TE. All in all I feel like it's a solid team. Far better than last years draft. QB1 - Colin Kaepernick vs GB QB2 - Cutler vs Cincy RB1 - Lynch @ Car RB2 - Forte vs Cincy RB3 - Daryl Richardson vs AZ RB4 - Ryan Mathews vs Texans RB5 - DeAngelo Williams vs Sea RB6 - Danny Woodhead vs Texans WR1 - Randall Cobb @ SF WR2 - Marques Colston vs ATL WR2 - Piere Garcon vs Philly WR3 - DeSean Jackson @wash WR4 -James Jones @ SF TE - Fred Davis vs Philly Def/st - Bears vs Cincy K - Josh Brown @ Dalas

but now we'll never again hear that trademark phrase "False start, #73 of the offense, 5 yard penalty, repeat down"

QB's seem to go a bit too high in my league too it's not like our scoring makes them too overpowered but I think people get caught up in having their QB that they reach when they wouldn't really have to. Between those two I'd have picked Cam too. The injury/recovery for RG3 is one thing and the other is I have to think they will reign him in in the running department which was a big part of his game last year. I just don't think RG3's body is built to take that kind of punishment.

Looks good, I like your RB's the best Cam would worry me a little at QB not sure how well he'll do this year. WRs are solid, and I like your bench players there's some sleepers in there Kendrell Thompkins could be really good this year. I also like Alshon I think he's taken a big step this offeseason. Bernard I think will take over the starting spot from BGE, I think it's just a matter of time. My league drafts Sept 3rd it's a 10 team PPR been spending a lot of my evenings doing mocks can't wait for the draft. It's our leagues 3rd season, my second as League Manager. I wonder if it would be possible to add a Fantasy Football forum here.

looks good to me I do agree on the QB's but that's how it shakes out sometimes. Eli and the Giants in general are inconsistent. But if he has a good year your set, and even if he doesn't I think the rest of your team is pretty strong.

I agree, and I think that also helps Jay feel more comfortable when things aren't so rushed and yes it is nice to have those timeouts rather than having to burn them cause the play isn't getting in to jay in time. Gives him more time to look over the defense pre-snap, and more time to make adjustments or audible.

Yep the Raiders are garbage but, at the same time a good team should clobber them, we've seen the Bears play down to the level of an opponent. I don't see this team doing that which is good. Also like the variety of plays, personnel packages, etc. we aren't seeing the boring predictable crap we've seen in the past.

I'm impressed with both the pass blocking and the run blocking thus far. Good job by the rookies picking up that blitz on the 3rd and long conversion!

another benefit of big receivers they are good blockers.

already looking heaps better than last couple weeks. poor coverage on the ford kick return though

Maybe Bostic should pull a McMahon and wear a Goodell headband LOL

Soo true lol

When you consider where they were taken in the draft Forte's comments make perfect sense, He has been impressed with both Long and Mills, and understandably more impressed by Mills considering he was a 6th round pick vs Long who was a first round pick and thus shouldn't be as surprising that he's doing well. I do like we see guys like Forte and Cutler publicly giving them props. If these guys both pan out, how crazy is it that Emery would have hit on two rookie OL showing they belong in the starting lineup. Compare that to Angelo's failure to hit on an OL. It is preseason yet but the arrow is pointing up on these guys.

I think his personality is good for our locker room. Adds a good element to the mix and it is much more entertaining listening to him answer questions than just the usual cliche answers. Look back at the 85 team there was tons of personality there.

The part in bold here is the heart of the issue here. Every moment broken down and taken out of context under a microscope. They take a moment, a hit, a tackle, a play, whatever and use that footage how ever it suits them in the moment. One moment they are glorifying it and the next they use it to punish the player. Badell wants to have it both ways, make money off the hits, then fine the players who make the hit in the name of "player safety" Taking something that in reality happens in a split second and analyzing it to death from a distance.

Exactly, we're all aware that this is preseason and the true test comes in the regular season and post season. If Long and Mills are the day 1 starters on the right side they will be tested, we know DC's around the league will for sure test and attack that side of the line. The rooks will for sure make mistakes and fail at times but the hope here is that they overall hold their own. The points I was making in my post isn't to assume these guys are all pro based on preseason action. But look at the guy's we've drafted in recent years on the OL and I don't recall much praise being thrown their way even in preseason. Many of our highly drafted OL under Angelo had sucked even in preseason and it was always about hoping they would eventually get better. Comparing that to Long and Mills this preseason thus far and there is a stark difference. Which does give us hope that we may in fact have starting quality lineman on the right side, it's a long season and they will be tested, but at this point in time I'm more optimistic than I have been in past years. If they do pan out that definitely bodes well for the future and gives confidence that this staff can fix what the previous staff couldn't. Isn't that what all of us want?

As high as they are on Blanchard like many others here I think it's a warm body and and an arm in the mix till Blanchard is back. Don't think there's intent to keep him on long term as a #3

I find this encouraging beyond just how well Long and Mills are doing but in future drafting of OL. How many colossal misses did JA have picking offensive linemen in the draft and how many much higher picks than Long or Mills that never panned out no matter how many chances they were given. It seems to me that Emery/Trestman seem to have a better system of evaluating OL in the draft than their predecessor. That bodes well for us. Let's just say for the sake of argument here that Long and Mills solidify the right side, Bushrod works out at LT and we get serviceable play out of Garza and who ever ends up as our LG. The next offseason of FA/Draft could provide us with the next two pieces to solidify the OL for the next several years. If that all happens it would have taken Emery 3 seasons to do what angelo failed to do in the years following the 2006 super bowl season when the line really began to go down hill. Angelo waited till it was a dire situation and then repeatedly failed to correct it either thru the draft or free agency. Now this is early and Long and Mills have looked good thus far especially Long and a lot can happen in an NFL season, but, when was the last time we were excited about the play of our rookie offensive linemen at any point. It's always been "well he's a failure at that spot, maybe he can fit here" or wondering what kind of compromising photos the guy had to keep being given chances well after it was clear he didn't belong in the NFL. This start at least helps me feel more confident that this staff can finally fix what the previous one couldn't. And IMHO till that's fixed it won't matter who you put back behind center.

what a difference it makes having big targets with good hands. Many of us were begging for us to start getting bigger at the WR position and now we are seeing why that was a good move. I like that the Bears are targeting big WR's rather than the short lanky one's we've tried in past years. If the offense can put it all together and get on the same page with the timing, and execution this could be a tough passing game to defend. Want to double/tripple Marshall? Fine you leave M. Bennet, Jeffery in single or roaming free, throw in Forte out of the backfield and it could be a pick your poison. Perhaps this year the Offense puts it's grown up pants on! I am concerned though with the rash of injuries specifically to the OL. That will be the key to our success or the root of our failure.

my team's name this year is Cutler's Last Stand

I know this isn't Bears related but I'm hoping to get some feedback. It's my second year as League Manager for an NFL.com league. It's a 12 team PPR. The question is about roster structure. Currently roster is 15 players (9 starters + 6 bench). Starters are 1QB, 2RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), 1 Def/ST, and 1 Kicker. Should I make any adjustments to the roster size, # of starters, or # of bench players, or just leave it as is. I realize adding to the roster size would shrink the talent level of the FA pool.

I'd be on board too. Not so sure Rex would want to come back here though.

You lost me at... LOL