adam

Gameday, Cobb is limited. We might not have a better opportunity to knock the Pack off than today. Nelson out and Cobb injured. If Jay can limit turnovers, we are going to have us a game. Go Bears!

Definitely a challenging league, every sleeper I tried to wait on but still pick earlier than ADP was always scooped up before I could pick them. Hopefully I will have some better luck this year, I went from back to back titles to last place lol. Good Luck unless you are playing me!

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago-bears/post...of-olb-sam-acho I knew he was sick, but to the point where his contract was terminated? This is odd. [uPDATE] Looks like they expect him to be out a couple of weeks, so as to not have portions of his salary count against the cap (the weeks he is out), they terminated him before Week 1. If they bring him back, he will be paid on a week to week basis. So in the end seems to be a smart fiscal move on the Bears part.

Nice find, video is hilarious. NSFW version:

I'm cautiously optimistic, but I think you are giving Green Bay too much credit. I still think the loss of Nelson and Cobb (one good shot to the shoulder from being out) are going to limit them offensively. Green Bay averages about 10 drives a game, and they score on about 5 of them. If we can limit them on 2 of those to take less points or not score at all, we can make it a game. We were brutal last year in areas that basically compounded on themselves. First our Special Teams sucked and spent most of the year near the bottom in terms of average starting LoS. We also gave the opponents great starting position which put our defense at a disadvantage. With improved Special Teams play, those negative factors are negated. So now we can at least start at on an even playing field and possibly slightly better one. That allows the offense to control the clock better and play a field position/time of possession game. So it may not be enough to win or finish above .500, but I think we will be competitive and in almost every game all year which bodes well for the future.

No love right now: http://www.chicagofootball.com/2015/09/11/...ackers/af0i4bd/ I don't see GB putting up 30+ against us, and I don't see us scoring less than 20. GB getting way too much credit without Nelson.

What is interesting about Cutler's stats is that there is an indication (especially against GB) that the scheme/coaches have had an impact on him. Against GB from 2009-2012: 205 yds/game, 121-223, 54.6%, 8 TD, 16 INT Against GB from 2013-2014: 251 yds/game, 59-95, 62.1%, 5 TD, 5 INT That to me is a pretty significant difference. Completion % is way up, TD's are up, and INTs are way down, and there is still room for improvement. So to me, with Gase, I think Cutler can put up even better numbers, even if it is only a few percentage pts on the completion percentage and a couple of less picks.

Wow, that is exactly what all of us were saying all year. Every game was soooo predictable, every play, every series. Crazy. Have fun with that Baltimore, lol. I don't think we have the talent to be playoff material this year, but I think we are going to exceed most expectation of 5 or 6 wins. I am figuring in the 7 to 9 range with improvements in all phases of the game.

To me it comes down to turnovers and sacks. If we can get pressure on Rodgers and keep it off of Cutler while winning the turnover battle, we will win. Fangio is 4-0 against GB, and GB is 0-3 in Week 1 games over the past 3 seasons, and now without Nelson. Bears 27 - Packers 20. Go Bears!

Yeah here is the Sun Times article: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/9503...qb-honor-leader Hopefully this will translate to tangible performance on the field.

Can someone start the Game Thread, I did it a few times last year and it didn't work out too well, lol.

I think some of this is Fox gaming the Packers. They have zero tape on Alshon or Royal in this offense, which really makes them play more of a vanilla coverage. Also, if any injuries linger, it is better to sign a vet after Week 1 so you can pay them week to week. Before Week 1, it is for the year (or something along those lines).

Yeah, Rodgers is 2-5 outside of their Super Bowl run year in 2010. That year was crazy too, they got in as the 2nd Wild Card after beating us 10-3 in Week 17. Then they went on and won 4 straight. An interesting note, they had a Pick-6 in each of their last 3 playoff games where 2 of them were decided by a TD or less. Cobb has an AC joint sprain and one hard tackle landing on that shoulder will easily re-injure that joint. So I don't know how often he is going to go over the middle. If we can control Lacy, then I think we have a fighting chance.

I am actually surprised at all the love Green Bay is getting in the media this year (even after the Nelson injury). They just lost potentially their best skill position player (W/R/T) in Nelson and they are still Super Bowl contenders? I don't think people realize just how important Nelson has been to that offense and Rodgers. Rodgers has an astronomical QB Rating when passing to Nelson: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-s...-wr-duo-in-nfl/ The link only shows pre-2014 numbers, so when you add in 2014, they would be even better. Nelson accounted for 34% of Rodgers Passing Yards, TD's and 3rd Down passes last year, and was targeted 28% of the time overall. Nelson averaged 95 yards per game and has torched us: Nelson's last 4 seasons against Bears: 10-108, 2 TD 6-152, 2 TD 4-67, 0 TD 10-161, 0 TD 6-84, 0 TD 3-40, 0 TD 6-115, 2 TD I am sorry but Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery, or James Jones are not going to put up those type of numbers.

Are Cutler, Forte, and Gould the longest tenured Bears?

I am sure the Jets are just loving having Marshall on Inside the NFL. I can't wait until they start 0-4.

Biggs published this article a few hours after my post (I think he is trolling me): http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/a...e/p2p-84372323/ The average age last year was 27.08 (according to Biggs). There are slight variations based on when they sampled the 53-man roster (due to injury, suspension, and last minute cuts). Check this link out: http://www.phillyvoice.com/ranking-nfl-teams-age/ They have compiled a list of every team's age at cut down day (which is a pretty fair way to do it). The Bears were 30th last year, 29th in 2013, 28th in 2012, and are currently 19th this year. Only the Titans, 49ers, and Raiders got (more) younger between 2014 and 2015 than the Bears. Colts are the oldest team in the league, and the Rams are the youngest.

Did not practice today and was not made available to the media: https://twitter.com/DickersonESPN/status/640935867557769217 I really hope he and Royal are 100% come Sunday.

Absolutely, but I wouldn't say we have a ton of needs, just on the O-Line, D-Line, LBs, Secondary, and potentially QB, WR, and RB.

Some decent names, I really liked Anderson and Williams. Umodu is raw but has some potential. Lasike is an interesting signing (former Rugby player).

If we are drafting in the top 10 again, I wouldn't be surprised if we target a QB with our first pick, then go OT in the 2nd. I guess it will all come down to performance this year. Secondary needs an upgrade as well.

Mills was one of the worst starters in the league last year (at any position). He along with a few others is addition by subtraction. Like CrackerDog, the coaching staff/front office are not messing around.

I agree, nice to see some accountability.

So based on the latest 53-man roster, we have only added 4 players 30 yrs or older this offseason, yet we have removed 14 players from the 2014 53-man roster that would be 30+ this year. With one of our gains being Gafford (Long Snapper), we really only have 3 new positional players added over 30 (or 10 less compared to last year). That is a pretty big turnover coupled with the 25 new players on the 53-man roster. We will basically see a complete roster turnover in 2 offseasons, which is pretty remarkable. Looking to next year, we will also have some money to spend (and lock up Long/Alshon) with Allen/Forte coming off the books. 2015 53-man gains (30+ age) Gafford - 32 Montgomery - 32 Rolle - 32 Ball - 30 2014 53-man losses (29+ age last year) Garza - 35 Briggs - 34 Cain - 34 Tillman - 33 Williams - 32 Jennings - 31 Spurlock - 31 Scott - 30 Holmes - 30 Marshall - 30 Rosario - 30 Morgan - 29 Mulligan - 29 De la puente - 29