adam

No, that might have been the whole reason, limit Cutler mistakes. However, if we were already going to lose (or losing), what more did we have to lose by throwing the ball? Did Gase have more to lose than the team? Meaning, if he keeps Cutler in check and reduces turnovers, even if we lose, he can point to other factors on why we lost. This would seem to keep his value as a coach higher than if Cutler threw 25 picks and we went 6-10. Just a thought.

I am good on rushing the ball. The article was about the playcallers propensity to run even when losing/in a loss. We ran more than anyone and lost, which correlates to the playcallers reluctance to pass when losing. So in other words, we were playing from behind not to get blown out.

We ran 10% more than any other team in a loss and had one of the lower yards per carry of any team. So it is sort of counter-intuitive. The numbers don't tell the whole story, but does shine the light on some things that are not easily recognizable otherwise.

I found an interesting article about rushing tendencies by offensive playcallers: http://www.4for4.com/fantasy-football/2016...ates?aid=raybon The first chart shows how much the play calling deviates based on the outcome of the game. Interestingly, Gase was 3rd from last (Trestman 2nd from last) for their careers and both were tied for last in 2015. The Bears also had the highest percentage of rushing attempts in losses than any other team and it was not even close. So basically, even though we were losing (or would eventually lose), Gase would still rush the ball (which would most likely end the drive). How many times did you ask yourself, why are they running on 3rd and 6 last year? To me, I often thought about this but never really second guessed it. Just to look at this from a different perspective. Was Gase actually holding back the offense too much (trying to prevent turnovers) that he actually made the team worse (more losses)? Just a thought.

Good catch, I didn't even think about the connection to AJ. I thought Hoyer was already locked in as the #2, and it is hard for me to see us carrying 3 QB's into the regular season, so this just has to be a camp arm.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0701-story.html Saw this yesterday. The most interesting part was the fact that New Orleans was intending to claim him and accidentally sent notification to entire league. The Bears swooped in and grabbed him. I don't know if he will make the roster, but the move was interesting nonetheless.

Definitely interesting, but it wouldn't change my assessment of him that much with that info. Either it is on the tape or it's not. Floyd is a freak, if he can bulk up a little without losing the explosiveness, I think he will be fine.

I am hoping they lock AJ and Long up long term soon.

Why did they screw up? Marshall has yet to even play in a playoff game and has a $9.5 cap hit. Bennett has played sparingly in 2 playoff games (in 2009) and hasn't been back since, and is set to make $5.1. Both are on their 4th NFL team. That is almost $15mil in aging veterans at skill positions with some questionable off the field antics.

Yeah, he gone. Sucks, but he never lived up to his potential. Another Phil Emery pick gone.

Edelman, Hilton, John Brown, and Emmanuel Sanders are all good comps. It would be great if he really pushed Royal and we had 2x decent slot receivers.

Yeah, I saw that article. I hope that translates to success on the field - and if it does, others follow suit.

So maybe we were a little too hasty to let Slauson go after all. It looks like we could've really used his depth inside, especially if Grasu falters.

I know that is the plan and it makes sense but that is not what the article says. That is why he listed players that played for SB teams, regardless of their contributions. The article doesn't make sense but the plan does. Get guys who are going to do whatever it takes to win regardless of individual stats or accomplishments.

I get the point of the concept, but it is sort of misleading. Just because the guy was on a Super Bowl team doesn't really make him a good player or someone you should covet solely based on his SB pedigree. Also, over 100 players are "Super Bowl players" every year, so there is probably a good chance that most teams have guys with Super Bowl experience. There is also a trend in the league to "poach" players from Super Bowl teams (when those players try to cash in), and if you look at the players listed, 5 are ex-Broncos (ties with Fox) and 1 is a Saint (ties with Pace) so there is a strong correlation to guys we are familiar with and that have experience in our system. Lastly, how many players have we signed that didn't have Super Bowl experience? Just for comparison sake. To me, at the end of the day, it is finding the right guy, regardless of his experience. If he has SB experience, great, if not, I don't think it would be a discriminator. Now Jason's plan is sound, look for the 2nd and 3rd Tier guys who are hungry and can produce. Maybe not at a Pro Bowl level, but if we run 11 B+'s out on the field, we will have no weaknesses and will be a hard team to beat.

per Schefter: Former Falcons, Rams and Dolphins OT Jake Long is working out today for the Chicago Bears, per source. Somewhat surprising considering we cut Slauson. I guess we are content with interior line but are still looking for outside help.

There is no way other teams "decided to work on other stuff when they played us from lack of respect". That is crazy talk. We played 11 games decided by 6 pts or less and played one of the toughest schedules in the league. This season we have made significant offseason acquisitions and play one of the easiest schedules in the league.

Depending on how you look at it, both sides can make a case. Are we paying Alshon on what he is fully capable of (top 5 WR) or where he has landed every year (top 15). There is a big difference in money from #4 and #9.

I don't think we are top 10 but have a chance to get really close, I am thinking from 11-15 in terms of defensive rank. If our offense can be in the same range, we have playoff potential, but if one of the units falters and ends up in the 20's then we are a 7-9 team. Our biggest issue was with creating turnovers. 2nd to last in INTs, and 3rd to last in overall turnovers. We need to create more which will get the defense off the field quicker and give the offense more opportunities. I like all the stats here: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teameff According to FBO, we had the 10th most efficient offense and 31st defense.

You are using QB Rating against to evaluate a Safety? Is that the Passer rating when he is on the field, when balls are thrown to his side of the field, to receivers he is defending? That is a pretty subjective stat. I could see if that was a CB, but even then, without a pass rush, DB's can't cover a receiver for more than a few seconds. He made the All-Rookie Team and was mentioned in numerous media season reviews as a top 10 rookie. I would say his relative play would make him a starter on at least half the teams in the league, and as a 2nd year player, and 5th rounder, that is pretty solid.

Shea McClellin would like to have a word with you.

Are you saying Amos is not a starting Safety in the NFL and wouldn't start for another team? He may not be a Pro-Bowl Safety but he definitely is an NFL Starter.

What is crazy is that we had 6 players in the top 100 and those did not include Bush, Hall, or Braverman who figure to be in the mix as well. If White ends up near his potential, our last two drafts could potentially include 11 new starters: White, Goldman, Grasu, Langford, Amos, Floyd, Whitehair, Bullard, Hall/Bush, Houston-Carson, and Braverman. I didn't include Howard or Kwiatkoski but they should figure into the rotation or Kwiat on ST.

If this is true, Houston is all but gone. With McPhee at $7.6, Houston at $6.9, Trevathan at $6.3, Freeman at $4.0, and Willie at $3.16, if Willie is bumped to $5, that would equate to $30mil against the cap for those 5x LBs, not counting Floyd. That seems like a lot. I know we have to spend it somewhere, but comparing the salaries, Houston's is the one that is not equal to the performance/potential. There would be a $4mil cap savings to cut him. It may not happen this season, but I can see it happening after next season with less dead money.

Bears roster moves: Signed: Kenton Adeyemil, DL Kieren Duncan, WR Ben LeCompte, P Donovan Williams, OL Waived: Dan Buchholz, C Bruce Gaston, DT Marcus Lucas, TE Nathan Palmer, WR https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/732297845773045760 Gaston and Palmer were not rookies.