tshanno

A lot of bettors are going to be pounding the under on that line. And it’s a mistake. I’ve always felt that teams with new head coaches sometimes tend to overachieve. The players have no history with them and are not comfortable that they’re going to retain their jobs. Everyone concentrates just a little bit more. The whole team benefits. I think 6 1/2 sounds about right.

I think Poles may have known that he was going to draw criticism for the Jones pick. The reason I say that is because he went out of his way in one of his press conferences to say that other GM’s had told him that he had taken their guy. GM’s usually don’t usually make comments like that in press conferences. So he must have been feeling defensive or at least a little insecure about the pic. As far as competing with 19-year-old kids is concerned, I understand the point. But you could make that same point about every fifth year senior that enters the draft. And although it’s valid, I think it’s just one factor to bear in mind not something that you rule a prospect out over. I don’t discount it. But it doesn’t worry me a whole lot, either.

Yeah, a few things about Jones. 1. I also see the point but there are definite advantages to Jones' age, I think. If you watch the video of Jones' press conference the other day and compare it to, say, Trestan Ebner's, I think you can really see the effect that the extra couple of years can have on a player. Jones was patient, thoughtful, didn't let any of the questions throw him. He was unhurried in his answers and had far less tendency to sort of ramble when a question took him by surprise. That's not a knock on Ebner. In a couple years, especially as a pro, he might look exactly the same. But if Jones plays like he talks, he could make a lot more progress a lot more quickly. 2. I was really wary when the Bears drafted Jones. When I hear the words "gadget" and "versatile" and "utility knife", my antennae go up. In my experience, players like that can be long on media hype and short on production. Tarik Cohen was an exception but otherwise, a lot of the time those words mean "mediocre at a lot of things but very good at none". I really , really hope that the coaching staff is smart enough to let this guy get good at one thing, say playing in the slot, then expand his role gradually from there. 3. I was listening to Dane Brugler cover the draft live as part of The Athletic Football Podcast and his immediate reaction was to acidly comment, "I guess they needed a kick returner". That encapsulates my fears in a nutshell. What give me hope that Jones might be different is reflected in the attached PFF grades on him as a prospect. Jones has a lot of below average grades and I'm sure he needs work on a lot of things. But look at that separation percentage, especially in single coverage. That's the 99th percentile, guys. And the YAC is 91st percentile. That's why the Bears drafted him. I've no idea how that's going to translate to the pro game but the result could be really exciting. Or it could be really disappointing. But either way its going to be interesting.

My guess is that Pace didn't like this signing draft picks as soon as possible stuff. I would guess that he (like most of the NFL) thought it best to wait in case something happened to the prospect before camp. Stein is a former agent and he most likely likes getting them signed so thay don't have to worry about it and can just go to work. Assuming that's right, personally I'm with Stein.

One thing is clear. They are definitely relying more than usual on the coaches to develop talent if they expect to be even a mediocre team this year. You’re right in that this is something that the Colts seemed to specialize in. It always looked to me like they were one of the best in the league and getting the most out of the least amount of apparent talent. I think the last staff thought they were good at developing talent too. And when Fangio was here they actually were pretty good at developing it on defense. But in the end it was one of the many things that led to their downfall. Here’s hoping the current staff does a better job of living up to the reputation. If they don’t it’s going to be a miserable year.

It's kind of funny but I don't get the impression that Lance is a classic "gunslinger" per se. He had 14 TDs and 0 INTs in 2019. I get the impression that the guys who don't like him just think it all came too easily and that its hard to tell how it will all translate to the NFL. With almost all of these guys its really just about what's in their heads. I guess with him it's harder to tell than most.

Well, I can't say I entirely disagree with you. Its seems that he has all of the tools. But how likely is it that Pace will draft a 17 game starter after drafting Trubisky? Most of the more negative reports I've read point to the fact that he was surrounded by superior personnel and he rarely had to get to his second read. On the other hand, he does seem to have some down field accuracy. If you want an over the top positive that explains why he's on this list, try this report from Daniel Jeremiah: "He reminds me of: Andrew Luck. I know Luck is a little bit bigger, but they are similar athletes and they both played with a maturity beyond their age at the collegiate level. I remember watching Luck run over defenders. I also remember being so impressed with his ability to execute on key plays in every game. I see the same things when I study Lance." He'll be interesting to watch. Whoever takes him will be taking a huge risk. He's gong to need development and who knows how far he's capable can getting? Tom S.

I love, love love Wade Phillips. There was a stretch of a half a dozen years or so where I thought he was the best DC in the NFL. But the fact that he will be 74 when the season starts gives me pause. How do you put in coach’s hours at that age?There’s probably a reason the Rams let him go last year... Tom S.

This is just a guess but I'd say they've done more than tweek it. I think they've crippled it. NFL offenses are a game of chess. You do one thing, the defense takes it away. You do something else, they take that away, etc... Eventually you settle at a point where both teams think that there's a competitive match up, or as close to it as they're going to get. I think Nagy likes the KC offense because it has an answer for everything. But in order for you to have an answer for everything, you have to have the personnel. Especially the QB. They've had to put Trubisky on the run, cut the field in half and limit his decisions so much that I don't know how much of that offense is left. What's worse, my fear is that Trubisky is so limited that by the time the offense and the opposingNFL defenses settle in place with their adjustments, the Bears won't have a chance. If the Packers can make the Bears throw, keep Trubisky in the pocket and just "make Mitch play quarterback", they probably win. As will any other decent defense. That's just a guess, though. I guess we're going to eventually find out. Tom S.

What worries me is that Hicks has been around for some lousy defensive performances since that game They've given up somebig chunk plays in the running game. I'm worried. Vildor looks like a rookie a lot more than Johnson. He looks lost. Johnson is also probably better in man coverage. What worries me about Shelly is that he's about 3 feet tall. He's a terrible match up for some of those tall WRs that the Packers have. Tom S.

This is the reason why the Miami Dolphins tanking makes no sense. If you are a good, smart organization, you don't need the number oneoverall pick to find a good QB. If you aren't, having the pick won't help you anyway. Its all about taking advantage of opportunities and picking the right players. Tom S.

http://bearingthenews.com/?p=1565 Does Mike Martz Have Too Much Power? If So He’s Not Alone. The world is full of compromise. And no one apparently hates it any more than Timothy Miller of Endwell, N.Y. Tim is apparently convinced that offensive coordinator Mike Martz is ruining the Bears franchise. How else do you explain the fact that he emailed not one, but two NFL writers asking if Martz has cast a spell over the team that will lead to its ultimate demise. First, let’s see shat ESPN‘s NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert has to say (http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/27117/nfc-north-weekend-mailbag-41): “Tim of Endwell, New York, writes: Do you think the Chicago Bears are giving Mike Martz too much power? With his influence on demanding a veteran quarterback last year, (Todd Collins) the miss-handling of playing time with Devin Aromashodu, and drafting quarterbacks in back to back years. With Martz’s track record with previous teams, it seems like he has a lot of influence even though he might not be here for too long.” “Kevin Seifert: “I tend to look at it from another perspective. Martz’s skill as an offensive mind and quarterback teacher has never really been questioned. His downfalls in St. Louis, Detroit and San Francisco can be attributed more to personality clashes and philosophical differences. If you hire a coach like Martz and plan for him to be with you for more than a year, it’s best to treat him like an asset and hope he can leave a lasting impact on your franchise in a way many other coordinators could not. This discussion would be more difficult if the Bears were using first and/or second-round draft picks to appease Martz. [Dan] LeFevour was drafted in the sixth round and [Nathan] Enderle in the fifth. I’m fine with the Bears using a late-round pick on the chance that Martz could accelerate development for a player at the most important position in the game. Even if [Jay] Cutler‘s presence means that Enderle will never start for the Bears, it’s not unheard of for NFL teams to develop and trade backup quarterbacks for draft picks far exceeding the value of where they were selected.” Dan Pompei at the Chicago Tribune also answers Tim’s question (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-bears-askdan-0524,0,7373664.story): “A team has to put a lot of faith in the person who is running the offense. The alternative is saddling that person with players he doesn’t believe in. You want the offensive coordinator to have ownership in the final product. How can the offensive coordinator buy in if management isn’t buying in to him? It’s especially important with a veteran coach who has had considerable success as Martz has. The Bears can’t concern themselves with how long Martz will or won’t be here. The future isn’t promised with any coach.” Both explanations are true but in general terms I think Pompei gets closer to the heart of it. The life of general manager Jerry Angelo isn’t an easy one. The problem with Martz is no different than the problem with head coach Lovie Smith, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, and to a lesser extent the rest of the coaches. Angelo has the unenviable job of trying to please all of them because he knows full well that you can’t ask a coach to work with a guy he doesn’t believe in. Not if you want to get optimal results. Most fans would really like to see the personnel people have the strongest say about who is drafted. Perhaps they do. But there’s always going to be a question of who wanted which players because Angelo is constantly compromising. In the end, Angelo’s fate relies not just on the ability of these men to coach but on their ability to evaluate talent and extrapolate what they see to what will happen on a professional football field. The bottom line is that Martz does have too much power. So does Smith and so do the rest of the coaches. But that’s the way of the world if you want it to be peaceful and well-run.

Something tells me there are two sides to this one. I'm not saying its impossible but things like this are rarely a straight forward case of, "F' you I"m not payin'". I wonder if people ran out and he got stuck with the bill or something. Tom S.

Points are well taken in that all of this really is of questionable value. A lot depends getting guys to do things properly and a lot of self-coaching though veteran leadership, I'm sure. And the Bears strongest non-free agent leaders are on defense. But having said that, almost every team has missed a mini-camp and a rookie-camp by now. So it isn't like these players wouldn't have been working together on the field by now in a normal year. Tom S.

Bears Defense Needs to Attend Workouts – For the Good of the Offense Sean Jensen at the Chicago Sun-Times recently interviewed Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and asked him about the workouts they were planning (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/5398418-419/jay-cutler-bears-offense-needs-to-get-together-despite-lockout.html). To the surprise of many, only the offensive players were planning to workout together: “Cutler said the workouts would be for offensive players only. “’I mean, those defenders have been in the system for eight years, nine years,’ Cutler said. ‘What are they gonna do? “’What am I going to tell Lach?’ Cutler said, referring to linebacker Brian Urlacher. ‘‘Your drop is a little short. Sorry, buddy.’ Offensively, we have a lot of room to improve.’” The offense actually started last Wednesday without the defense and Cutler’s reasons for not pushing them to be there above are true enough. But what the veteran defensive players either don’t understand or, worse, don’t seem to care about, is that even though they personally don’t need the workouts, the team needs them to be there. I love Brian Urlacher but like many if not most great athletes he’s a little emotionally stunted. Sometimes you can tell that there’s a lack of maturity there that makes him self-centered, not on the field, but in other little ways off it. This is one example of it and I’m sure many of his teammates are no better. Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune sits down with the paper’s NFL expert, former safety Matt Bowen where Bowen elaborates on this issue (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/ct-spt-0522-biggs-bowen-qanda-bears-c20110520,0,2193377.story): “It’s easy to go out there and run routes with your teammates when you’re not held accountable by working against a defensive back and having a coach look over your shoulder. It’s just not the same.” “Working against a defense [is what's missing from the workouts]. Running routes is just like doing warmups before a game when you come out of the locker room. There are some benefits to that. You can work on your timing. Let’s say the depth of the route is 10 yards, you can really fine-tune that. Work on getting your head back. Jay (Cutler) can work on getting to that fifth step, planting the foot and throwing the ball. But without the competition aspect, without having the DB drive underneath that route and make a play on it, without having that DB working against receivers so they can create separation and get down the field, it’s not football.” Bottom line your offense can’t get better without a defense there to play against. Admittedly you might question just how much of a “competition aspect” there would be without coaches present and without the risk of even accidental contact. And I understand that the offseason is a precious time for these guys and I’m sure the defensive players are enjoying the time off. But the Packers, the Lions and the Vikings are getting better and the Bears aren’t going to keep up by sitting stagnant and saying, “We’re veterans. We don’t need to work.” Urlacher needs to get the defense out on the field to workout with the offense.