adam

He has been off the charts good these last few weeks, but so has the entire team (Elliott, etc), so I would need to see more than a few games to take him in the first or second. I think he is intriguing enough to take in the 3rd, but I would be concerned with the transition from college to the pros. JaMarcus Russell was also dominant in college. He also said this:

Looks like we are getting an interview: http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/...o-bears-vacancy

lol yeah, Ohio State dominated and with a young team and 3rd string QB. They are going to be in it for a long time.

I don't think I would want him as a HC, but he was pretty good as a DC in BUF. What do you think of Schwartz as DC? https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/554799192447934464

Yeah he had aortic heart valve replacement in late 2013. Also, it is interesting that they decided to part ways with him 9 months after giving him a new 3-yr deal.

Here are some connections being made: @JeffDuncan @RapSheet

It is funny how they link people together, so Bowles > Atlanta > Pioli > Belichick/Parcells > Bowles.

Yeah it is 32%, but either way that is a surprising stat that Lovie only won 1/3 of his games without Urlacher. If you count his 2-14 in TB without Urlacher, he is only 9-29 (23.6%).

Enjoy Hawaii, but no way would we ever want him, and I doubt he wants another job and to uproot his family again.

To me I would rank order the hot Coordinator candidates: 1. Bowles (proven track record on several teams) 2. Quinn (defense got even better with him vs Bradley) 3. Austin (only one year, hard to tell if it was his influence or partially Caldwell's) 4. Gase (Peyton effect, who knows how good this guy is, could be another McDaniels) 5. All others

When Pace said anyone, was he referring to John Hufnagel? Worked for Belichick and Coughlin (Parcells Tree), OC experience and was the CFL Coach of the Year in 2008, an All-American in 1972, and was on the last NE Super Bowl winning team. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hufnagel

He said this before so no real surprise. Just glad we are making an effort to bring in as many candidates as possible to find the right guy.

They got the call correct based on the rule, but the rule in general is garbage. Once they have two feet in, it should count as a catch. He clearly caught the ball, made 3 steps, and then lunged for the end zone. He should've just protected the ball from the ground instead. Also, with the defender making contact, isn't he technically down once something from the knee to elbow hits the ground? Also, I don't know how the the FJ who is literally 5 feet from the play (and in perfect position to make the correct call), called it a catch. About GB, it is hard to see them winning in Seattle with Rodgers hobbled. Seattle's defense is ridiculous. I am figuring a SEA vs NE Super Bowl with Seattle winning back to back (before they sign Wilson to long term deal and never get back due to cap casualties).

Marinelli going to TB: https://twitter.com/ProFootballTalk/status/...400152962998272

We have the 10th most cap space this offseason without any other moves that could free up even more. Only 18 players have a cap hit over $1 million, so a lot of the moves occur on the bottom 2/3 of the roster (the other 35) making less than $1 million. An example would be that we sign 2x high profile FA's, draft 5-6 players that make the roster, and acquire another 5-6 mid-lower level free agents that improve the backend of our roster.

Actually it would be a good thing, because Kubiak would have first hand knowledge on Cutler and his QB/leadership traits. I don't think he would be biased one way or the other. He might come in and tell Pace that there is no way we can win with Cutler and he is gone, or he might say I know how to get the most out of him. As Pace said, we just want the best guy for the job, regardless of previous ties.

Eric Mangini and Josh McDaniels are from the Parcells tree. McDaniels obviously would not want to have anything to do with Cutler.

That is a pretty good coup for Buffalo.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/554307516868595712 I heard early reports that he was not interested, but that was before the Ravens were eliminated. I would not be opposed to him, and like it was mentioned in another thread, he does have ties to Cutler/Marshall from Denver.

Stinger, The biggest holes to me are the need at Safety, LB (specifically MLB), CB, and OLine. If we can get starter caliber players (via Free Agency and the draft) in those areas this off season, I think that will be a great start. I think Pace is going to be aggressive and you will see a ton of transactions this offseason similar to what Seattle did a few years ago. I figure we will see about 15 new players on the 53 man in 2015, and could have essentially a completely new roster/team going into 2017 besides the players you mentioned to build around. About 1/3 a year, with us better in year one, competitive in year two, and thinking deep playoff run in year three.

What is Urlacher doing now? Hell bring him back in some capacity, QA/QC, etc.

Stinger I am with you in regards to optimism coming into this season because on paper we shouldve been better. However since we underperformed, a turnaround is not as hard because just having the same players play up to their potential will lead to a better season. Then if you can add a couple of impact players with a great scheme, we are back in the playoffs. I have zero expectations coming into this season, I just want to see improvement across the entire organization and a shift in the culture. This will eventually translate to the field. So maybe 7-9 in 2015 playing a tough schedule then in the playoff hunt in 2016. There is no way Pace touches this job if he didn't see potential to turn it around quickly. Also as bad as it was in 2014, there really is only one way to go from there.

You never know, he may unretire again.

I think it is pretty hard to get an honest assessment of a player's performance when he is in a bad scheme or has bad coaching. Regardless of how good the player is, the scheme can literally neuter a player's performance and hinder his growth. That is why some players explode on the scene when there is a change in coaching or when they go to a different team. The same can be said negatively, and I think we may have witnessed some of that here this year. Mel Tucker and the defensive scheme were historically bad. The players were never in sync and were always out of position. With real coaching, first, this wouldn't happen, and if it did, it would be corrected immediately. I almost think that is why Fuller actually regressed during the year. He came in early in the season without being tainted yet, so he played well just by running out there and acting on his previous experiences and instinct, then once he was "forced" into the scheme, he struggled. There was constant miscommunication, and the entire unit went down the drain. So even when they grade missed tackles, how many of them occurred because our guys were so far out of position that the tackle they were making was much more difficult to make than the one they would've had if they were in the right scheme or call? I really feel like with a legit HC and DC, who can coach and put players in a position to make plays that we will at least be back to an average squad. Then if you add 2-3 more legit starters we can get back to being a reputable defense again. The D-Line has enough on it going into next year. The LB's with Jones and Bostic will get better, especially with a legit MLB. If we can add another Corner and starting Safety to go with Mundy, we won't have any major holes to fill. On offense, if we can get a Center and possibly another Tackle, we will be pretty solid across the board. Regardless of the QB situation, I feel like we have the skill players to be a top 10 squad as long as the scheme is not from the mid-1980's.

The dysfunction was pretty rampant, but Briggs didn't really help the cause either. What is crazy is Emery and Trestman are probably still with the Bears if Urlacher/Peppers/Hester were not let go. I say this because Urlacher was the team leader and Peppers and Hester were at least team players. The team lost a lot of leadership and identity when Urlacher left. In the end, it actually works out for us because Pace+new HC are already better than Emery+Trestman. Especially for long term success.