Are we really worse off now than last year?

[ElmhurstMarcus]

I was reading some of the Benson stuff and I started thinking...what did we really lose from last year?

 

Rubin Brown: He played injured for 8 games, then went on IR.

Fred Miller: He played in every game, but not very well. In fact, he caused as many problems as just about anybody on the team IMO.

Moose: 40 receptions and 3 TD's. He had more drops than TD's.

Berrien: 71 receptions and 5 TD's. not bad, bu not really good eaither. Again more Drops than TD's

Griese: While his 10 TD's were OK, his 12 picks cost us at least two games

Benson: 674 yards and 4TD's. not exactly a pro-bowl type year.

While thst list looks like starters all over the place, none were very vital to our team (Berrian is the only possible exception). Remember, our team was 7-9 with these players. Our Offense ranked near the bottom of the pack with these players. Is it possible that these guys were part of the reason we only won 7 games?

 

Now that they are gone, maybe the replacments will be better? Certainly, every one of them is replacable based on thier stat lines. 40 receptions by moose....totally replacable; 5 TD's by BB....easily replaceable.....674 yds by Benson...not a problem. 12 picks by Griese, Rex can do that blindfolded(JK).

 

My point is that we were 7-9 WITH these guys. maybe we are better off WITHOUT these guys.

[Da Bears 88]

I liked every one of those guys mentioned minus Benson.

 

But, i thought it was time to get some younger players in here, IMO.

[ElmhurstMarcus]

I liked every one of those guy mentioned minus Benson.

 

But, i thought it was time to get some younger players in here, IMO.

Ruben Brown was pretty brutal last year.

[madlithuanian]

I don't think we're any worse off as you mention...

 

R Brown: he was awful...and will be replaced (so the new result should be an upgrade)

F Miller: he was a complete turnstile...moving Tait over and the rookie should be a serious upgrade

Moose: I've had issues with him the past few years....he's butterfingers as you mention. I htink BOoker is an upgrade

Berrian: OK, I'll be honest here, this loss hurts. Even though he's not worth the loot Minny paid, I think he will be missed. However, if Hester can step up the play, he probably won't be missed at all. Tha't s apretty big "if" though...

Griese: I admit I wouldn't mind having him around as a back-up, but I don't see it as a major loss.

Benson: I think whoever fills in his role will out-do him easliy. Pure bust.

 

I think we're definitley on the same page...

 

 

I was reading some of the Benson stuff and I started thinking...what did we really lose from last year?

 

Rubin Brown: He played injured for 8 games, then went on IR.

Fred Miller: He played in every game, but not very well. In fact, he caused as many problems as just about anybody on the team IMO.

Moose: 40 receptions and 3 TD's. He had more drops than TD's.

Berrien: 71 receptions and 5 TD's. not bad, bu not really good eaither. Again more Drops than TD's

Griese: While his 10 TD's were OK, his 12 picks cost us at least two games

Benson: 674 yards and 4TD's. not exactly a pro-bowl type year.

While thst list looks like starters all over the place, none were very vital to our team (Berrian is the only possible exception). Remember, our team was 7-9 with these players. Our Offense ranked near the bottom of the pack with these players. Is it possible that these guys were part of the reason we only won 7 games?

 

Now that they are gone, maybe the replacments will be better? Certainly, every one of them is replacable based on thier stat lines. 40 receptions by moose....totally replacable; 5 TD's by BB....easily replaceable.....674 yds by Benson...not a problem. 12 picks by Griese, Rex can do that blindfolded(JK).

 

My point is that we were 7-9 WITH these guys. maybe we are better off WITHOUT these guys.

[balta1701-A]

The answer to the question "Are the Bears better than last year" will be the same as the answer to the question "Is the Bears' offensive line better than it was last year". The disastrous performance from the offense came down, entirely, in my eyes, to the shoddy performance of the O-Line. Spread around what blame you want, playcalling, Benson, Moose, Grossman, Griese...even if they'd wanted to be better, they can't do that when they're lying on the ground.

[madlithuanian]

And your answer is (to: "is the O-line better than last year")?

 

The answer to the question "Are the Bears better than last year" will be the same as the answer to the question "Is the Bears' offensive line better than it was last year". The disastrous performance from the offense came down, entirely, in my eyes, to the shoddy performance of the O-Line. Spread around what blame you want, playcalling, Benson, Moose, Grossman, Griese...even if they'd wanted to be better, they can't do that when they're lying on the ground.

[balta1701-A]

And your answer is (to: "is the O-line better than last year")?

We spent a top 15 pick on the key position there, allowing us to move Tait back to RT. Moving tait to RT makes the whole line better. I can live with average performing guards if the tackles and C do their job.

 

The answer to that question is...therefore..."Chris Williams". He does the job of a #14 pick, and the Bears are a VASTLY better team this year. He struggles, and the Bears struggle.

 

If you asked me to rank the top 5 most important players to the Bears success this year/guys they can least afford to lose or have struggle, my rankings go:

 

Urlacher

Williams

Hester

Brown

Harris

 

I know what the team can do without guys like Brown and Harris. I know they're just bad without Urlacher. Hester is self explanatory. But the offense, especially on a running team with QB's like Grossman and Orton who aren't exactly stellar at making people miss is so dependent on the O-Line...Williams is seriously the key to the season IMO.

[Wesson44]

IMHO to answer the question are we worse off than last year....no. We are actually better than last year or will be. My thinking goes not from drinking the Bears Koolaid but from looking at this team and the players we have on it.

 

I'll start with the defense, and the rash of injuries we had last year. 7-9 with Vasher,Tillman,Brown, Anderson Harris, Adams, Dvoreack,Walker,Archellta, Payne all hurt at some point in the season was not good for a wining defense. This year we have depth everywhere. Our D-line will have Harris with Adams,Harrison,Dvoracek,Toeaina and Idonije. This will be a soild group The next level at LB we have two Pro bowlers with Hillenmeyer, and Williams and a couple others. At DB we have Brown back with McGowan, Payne, Steltz, Vasher,Tillman McBride, the Mannings and some others in the mix. So overall we should be back to Super Bowl form.

 

Now we have the Offense. We have a battle at QB between Grossman & Orton with both players being able to guide the team. If Rex cuts down the turn overs and Orton gets better making the throws we will be a ball control team this year. We have Forte at RB with maybe a vet coming in like Jones(praying here) we will have a 1-2 punch. We have a good group of WR in Davis,Bradley,Booker,Bennett,Monk,Llyod,Hass, Hester and a few other trying to get a spot, TE are going to be the key this year with Clark,Olsen and Davis. The line will be the main point ot work this year. Moving Tait to RT with Williams playing LT. It will get better with battles at LG between Metcalf,Beekmen and maybe St.Clair. Overall we have backups who will be pushing the starters....like Barton,Adams,Oakley.

 

Now hopefully the Bears are smart and go and get Jones(RB) from the FA Lions and Bentley © cut from the Browns who could play all three spots LG,C,RG

[AZ54]

In reading through all this the common theme is how bad we were last year yet still managed to win 7 games.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

It's a tough question to answer, really.

 

I mean, we have McGowan, an undrafted FA, as one of our starting safeties. You know Mike Brown will go down to an injury, so who will be his replacement, Steltz, or Manning, or will Danieal be a CB this year, as it's been talked about? Either way, it's still not good- not even close to Mike Brown.

 

The linebackers are fine, as long as Urlacher's neck/back holds up. We have tons of depth here, with Okwo and Williams.

 

The CB's are fine and we tons of depth after Tillman and Vasher- Manning Jr, Bowman, and McBride.

 

The QB situation is what it is- a mess. It always will be. We should definitley make a push next offseason to sign/trade for a big time QB, or draft one with our first round pick.

 

I'm actually confident about the RB situation. Forte, I think, is going to be good. I think if he can average 4.3 ypc, we'll be fine, as long as Wolfe gets his "trick" plays in and runs them to good will, and AP does his thing. I believe in 2 years, Forte can get his ypc total close to 5.

 

The WR's aren't good, though. We have major depth there, except with a bunch of mediocre players, at best- Lloyd, Bradley, Monk, Bennett, Hester, Rideau, Booker, Rashied, and Hass. There's too many questions with these guys- Lloyd: can he be a team guy, can he not be a cancer, can he catch it consistently, can he fill Berrian's shoes as the deepthreat? Bradley: can he ever not be hurt? Monk/Bennett: can they have some sort of impact? If so, can they do other things a WR needs to do, like block? Hester: can he develop route running skills? Rideau: who are you? Booker: can you be a mentor, but at the same time possibly be the #1? Can you be the go-to guy? Rashied: can you keep up what you've done for us over the years? Can you catch it more consistently? Hass: can you even make the team? If so, can you be a poor man's Wes Welker?

 

The TE's have to be huge for us- Olsen has to contribute more (throw him the damn ball, Turner!!), and Clark has to keep up what he's done throughout his career. If both guys can catch around 40-50 balls, I think we'll be OK.

 

 

All in all, I'm guessing a 5-11/6-10 season, looking at a top 8 selection for next year's draft.

[Mongo3451]

name='ElmhurstMarcus' date='Jun 13 2008, 02:44 PM' post='40576']

...what did we really lose from last year?

The one thing I lost from last year is hope of winning the SuperBowl this year. Last year, we were supposed to be the most bulletproof team in the NFL. The team that was nails even with a mediocre QB. Now we have a mediocre QB(yet to be announced), a new OL(yet to be announced), new RB(yet to be announced) and two new starting wideouts (yet to be announced). For those who have dialoged with me in the past, know I'm a kool-aid totin' SOB. But, not this year. I think we are back to up and coming with a quickly closing SuperBowl window. Rule this year out.

[Pixote]

I am still optimistic.

 

If we can stay healthy on defense, we will be fine. With a healthy defense last year we would have made a run for the playoffs with one of the worse offenses in the league. I know there are a lot of question marks on our offense at this time, but really, how could it not be better than the garbage we had last year?

 

I think we can easily see 10 wins and make the playoffs. How far will we go will depend on how healthy we remain during the season and how much the offense can contribute to a team that (if healthy) will dominate others with defense and special teams.

[Mongo3451]

name='Pixote' date='Jun 15 2008, 09:53 PM' post='40628']

I am still optimistic.

I hope you are right. I also hope my enthusiasm improves as the season approaches. My impending feeling of doom is strong this year. Maybe it is a psychological counterbalance to my overconfidence of last year. Seeing a healthy Mike Brown will help. Seeing Matt Forte successfully run will help. Seeing that we get help at the LG position will help. I'm sure the D and ST will be there. But my fear is that the O will be Jekyl and Hyde, with Hyde killing the defense.

[BigDaddy]

In reading through all this the common theme is how bad we were last year yet still managed to win 7 games.

 

Precisely. This football team was decimated with injuries last year yet won 7 games against a brutal schedule. The reason for that is because the talent level on this team is grossly underrated by a few morons in the media and some of the fans. I think ALOT of the offense 's problem began and ended with Benson. I also think the rest of the team hated his guts and hoped he'd fail so they in turn helped him out a little bit.

 

With the exception of Berrian, and even he might be replaced by a better receiver as only time will tell, but listening to the reports regarding Hester and Lloyd, hey maybe one of them can replace him easily, we'll see. But Berrian being the exception, we are better than we were last year on offense. Couple that with a healthy defense with a chip on it's shoulder and this team is gonna surprise alot of people.

 

Let's not forget, this team was good enough to go to the SB year before last. That wasn't a fluke. THAT team was real and THIS team, if healthy is better.

[nfoligno]

Brutal schedule? I think our schedule was fairly weak.

 

SD was a good team, but not very good when we played them.

KC among the worst in football last year.

Dal was a very good team.

Phi was a .500 team, and not that good of one.

Oak was the worst team in football

Sea was good, not great.

Den was a sub .500 team.

NYJ were SB champs.

Wash was average.

NO was not every good, and sub .500

 

In our division, GB was good. Det was bad. Minny was pretty good, but we made them look great.

 

I would not say this was a brutal schedule.

 

I agree Bensonw as a problem, but far from the key. Even when AP carried the ball, little difference was seen. Our OL was a killer on offense, and I still say that, even w/ all the injuries, our defense played far worse than their talent. Teams w/ less talent than what we had healthy on the field did better.

 

Let's not forget, this team was good enough to go to the SB year before last. That wasn't a fluke. THAT team was real and THIS team, if healthy is better.

 

I don't like to say "fluke" but I am not sure how "real" that team was either. Many breaks went our way, especially on offense. Our DC from that year is gone, and IMHO, Babich was a big part of our being bad last year. On offense, OL got old fast since the SB, and we have done little more than tweak that unit. And while Forte may be good/great, the combo of TJ/Benson proved very good that SB year, and now both are gone.

 

I am not saying the SB year was a fluke, but I am not sure how "real" it was either.