Disappointments/Surprises

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

What are your top 5 surprises and disappointments?

 

Top 5 surprises:

1. John St Clair- the guy is handling some of the best DE's in football.

2. Kevin Payne- who knew this guy would be our leading tackler?

3. Matt Forte- I knew he was a stud, but I didn't know he'd be the favorite to win OROY.

4. Devin Hester (WR)- I was one of those guys who said he'd never be a good WR. Well, he's proving he can catch bombs and slants.

5. Kyle Orton- I had no idea he'd be this f***ing good.

(honorable mention- Dvoracek, Harrison, Lloyd, Idonije, Beekman, Wolfe on ST)

 

Top 5 disappointments:

1. Tommie Harris- the highest paid and "best" DT in football and he has 1 sack and not even double digit tackles. Uncalled for.

2. Roberto Garza- in my mind, he was our most consistent OL last year. This year, he's getting toasted.

3. Mike Brown- I understand he's coming off tons of ACL surgeries, but he's lost a good 1.5 steps.

4. Adewale Ogunleye- he hasn't done anything all year.

5. Devin Hester (KR/PR)- he seems disinterested there and he seems to be doing more dancing rather then hitting a hole in a heartbeat like he used to.

(honorable mention- Anderson, Tait, Vasher, Bob Babich)

[madlithuanian]

Surprises

 

1. Orton! Whoodathunkit?

2. Forte! I did not think he'd have this much of a positive impact as a rookie! Makes me forget about my wishes to draft Mendy!

3. O Line - overall, I thought it't be a seive, but they are doing a better job than I would have thought.

4. Davis - the WR has contributed, barring a couple big drops...and a heady play following Clark to the end zone last week!

5. Payne - agreed...

 

Disappointments

 

1. The D Line - WHile M. Harrison has surprised pleasantly, all the other players have disappointed unpleasantly.

2. Urlacher - He still plays for us right? I've not seen him have a real impact play in 7 games.

3. McKie - Not sure I really expected much, but he's just not getting it done other than cheap gimme's at the GL

4. Defensive Coaching - Babich has continually not done much different game after game other than generate little pressure thus causing big plays to occur downfield

5. Mike Brown - agreed

 

What are your top 5 surprises and disappointments?

 

Top 5 surprises:

1. John St Clair- the guy is handling some of the best DE's in football.

2. Kevin Payne- who knew this guy would be our leading tackler?

3. Matt Forte- I knew he was a stud, but I didn't know he'd be the favorite to win OROY.

4. Devin Hester (WR)- I was one of those guys who said he'd never be a good WR. Well, he's proving he can catch bombs and slants.

5. Kyle Orton- I had no idea he'd be this f***ing good.

(honorable mention- Dvoracek, Harrison, Lloyd, Idonije, Beekman, Wolfe on ST)

 

Top 5 disappointments:

1. Tommie Harris- the highest paid and "best" DT in football and he has 1 sack and not even double digit tackles. Uncalled for.

2. Roberto Garza- in my mind, he was our most consistent OL last year. This year, he's getting toasted.

3. Mike Brown- I understand he's coming off tons of ACL surgeries, but he's lost a good 1.5 steps.

4. Adewale Ogunleye- he hasn't done anything all year.

5. Devin Hester (KR/PR)- he seems disinterested there and he seems to be doing more dancing rather then hitting a hole in a heartbeat like he used to.

(honorable mention- Anderson, Tait, Vasher, Bob Babich)

[BearSox]

not to be buzz kill or anything, but Chris Johnson probably has the advantage in the OROY category right now.

[AZ54]

No worries; Chris Johnson is a little guy and sooner or later someone is going to snap him in half.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I'd also like to point out that Mike Brown is playing out of the box, I think this is a scheme to keep him healthy. Before, he was playing the SS (in the box) safety. So I can't hate on him as he is not playing his natural position which he was very sucessful in.

 

As for Urlacher, I think the way we are scheming him is also hurting his stats. This is the first year I've seen him consistantly playing right on the line over the center. This IMO has helped shut down the opposing teams run, but it's hurt his coverage in the middle of the field since he has further to cover. Also, it's much harder to blitz when it's not disquised. Has it improved our team playing him on the line like that, possibly b/c we have shut down all RB's except purple jesus. But it has gave the opposing QB's the middle of the field. Once our Dline can get on track and pressure QB's, we may see this pay some dividends.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Forte leads rookies in total yards, and leads the Bears in receptions. In my mind, that puts him as the leading candidate.

[nfoligno]

Forte leads rookies in total yards, and leads the Bears in receptions. In my mind, that puts him as the leading candidate.

 

With all do respect, maybe in your mind, but I seriously doubt in the mind of most voters.

 

Forte has a 515 rush yards and a 3.5 ypc average, compared to Johnson, who has 549 and a whopping 5.3 average. Add in that Forte is going into his bye, while Johnson has already had his, and w/ Indy this week, Johnson is likely to pad the lead.

 

Hey, we all like much of what we have seen from Forte, but he ranks high due to his high number of carries. Voters will look at averages, and Forte's average is very Benson like.

 

One other who I think will get a lot of support is Matt Ryan, who we made look like an MVP, much less OROY.

[fenom283]

With all do respect, maybe in your mind, but I seriously doubt in the mind of most voters.

 

Forte has a 515 rush yards and a 3.5 ypc average, compared to Johnson, who has 549 and a whopping 5.3 average. Add in that Forte is going into his bye, while Johnson has already had his, and w/ Indy this week, Johnson is likely to pad the lead.

 

Hey, we all like much of what we have seen from Forte, but he ranks high due to his high number of carries. Voters will look at averages, and Forte's average is very Benson like.

 

One other who I think will get a lot of support is Matt Ryan, who we made look like an MVP, much less OROY.

 

I think Matt Ryan wins it when ever a Rookie Qb is doing well they usually take it.

[madlithuanian]

I think we just need to play KC!

 

With all do respect, maybe in your mind, but I seriously doubt in the mind of most voters.

 

Forte has a 515 rush yards and a 3.5 ypc average, compared to Johnson, who has 549 and a whopping 5.3 average. Add in that Forte is going into his bye, while Johnson has already had his, and w/ Indy this week, Johnson is likely to pad the lead.

 

Hey, we all like much of what we have seen from Forte, but he ranks high due to his high number of carries. Voters will look at averages, and Forte's average is very Benson like.

 

One other who I think will get a lot of support is Matt Ryan, who we made look like an MVP, much less OROY.

[kyyle23]

Forte leads rookies in total yards, and leads the Bears in receptions. In my mind, that puts him as the leading candidate.

 

 

Mully and Hanley said this morning that Forte leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage

[nfoligno]

I think we just need to play KC!

 

Or Indy. Forte tore them up as if he were still in college.

[nfoligno]

And they would be wrong. Forte has 515 rushing/ 223 receiving, for 738 total yards from scrimmage.

 

Portis has 818 yards rushing.

 

So w/o looking any further, all you have to do is see the leading rusher, who has more rushing yards than Forte has combined, to know Mully and Hanley are wrong.

 

Mully and Hanley said this morning that Forte leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage

[nfoligno]

Some others w/ more total yards than Forte, who has 515/223 for 738:

 

AP - 684/65 for 749

Barber - 540/247 for 787

Gore - 535/246 for 781

S. Jackson - 508/259 for 767

 

There may be others, but those are the ones I expected to see a solid amount of receiving (though APs were lower than I expected).

 

Mully and Hanley said this morning that Forte leads the NFL in total yards from scrimmage

[kyyle23]

Some others w/ more total yards than Forte, who has 515/223 for 738:

 

AP - 684/65 for 749

Barber - 540/247 for 787

Gore - 535/246 for 781

S. Jackson - 508/259 for 767

 

There may be others, but those are the ones I expected to see a solid amount of receiving (though APs were lower than I expected).

 

Thats pretty good company, whether mully and hanley are right or not

[nfoligno]

Thats pretty good company, whether mully and hanley are right or not

 

Agreed, but all in that company have much better ypc averages.

 

There is a lot I like about what I have seen from Forte. I like how quickly he seems to have picked up blocking. I like how he looks as a receiver. I like some of the cuts he makes and the burst. W/ that said, I still think we need to see more out of him as a runner. I fully realize our OL is weak. I fully realize opponents have been stacking the box. Still, these were never valid arguments to excuse TJ, Benson or AP when they struggled to run the ball, so I question why they are legit today for Forte.

 

Like I said. I do like Forte, but he needs to start averaging better than 3 or 3.5 ypc.

[Guest TerraTor]

not to be buzz kill or anything, but Chris Johnson probably has the advantage in the OROY category right now.

 

chris johnson isnt a starer, he has a few long runs in spot duty. Not to say Forte has been super, but i think the ROY looks like this right now

 

1. Matt Ryan

2. Matt Forte

3. who cares.................

[nfoligno]

chris johnson isnt a starer, he has a few long runs in spot duty. Not to say Forte has been super, but i think the ROY looks like this right now

 

Dude, come on. One, CJ is the starter. Take a look at the gamebook,

 

http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/2...KC_Gamebook.pdf

 

Two, "a few long runs in spot duty"? He has 103 carries, which ranks 13th in the league. Not as many as Forte, but FAR more than "spot duty". And he has about 40 more yards than Forte w/ about 40 fewer carries.

 

Add in Forte on a bye and CJ facing the Colts, and the gap will only continue to rise.

 

Sorry, but while Forte has a bright future w/ the bears, he is not a ROY.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

What are your top 5 surprises and disappointments?

 

Top 5 surprises:

1. John St Clair- the guy is handling some of the best DE's in football.

2. Kevin Payne- who knew this guy would be our leading tackler?

3. Matt Forte- I knew he was a stud, but I didn't know he'd be the favorite to win OROY.

4. Devin Hester (WR)- I was one of those guys who said he'd never be a good WR. Well, he's proving he can catch bombs and slants.

5. Kyle Orton- I had no idea he'd be this f***ing good.

(honorable mention- Dvoracek, Harrison, Lloyd, Idonije, Beekman, Wolfe on ST)

 

Top 5 disappointments:

1. Tommie Harris- the highest paid and "best" DT in football and he has 1 sack and not even double digit tackles. Uncalled for.

2. Roberto Garza- in my mind, he was our most consistent OL last year. This year, he's getting toasted.

3. Mike Brown- I understand he's coming off tons of ACL surgeries, but he's lost a good 1.5 steps.

4. Adewale Ogunleye- he hasn't done anything all year.

5. Devin Hester (KR/PR)- he seems disinterested there and he seems to be doing more dancing rather then hitting a hole in a heartbeat like he used to.

(honorable mention- Anderson, Tait, Vasher, Bob Babich)

Kyle Orton - Nuff Said

Matt Forte - Pretty Impressive

John St. Clair - Never expected him to play the way he has at the tackle spot

Josh Beekman - Been pretty damn solid, who would have thunk it

Devin Hester - Looks like he's developing into a pretty nice WR

 

Honorable Mention: Kevin Payne/Greg Olsen/Dusty Dvoraceck (BEAST)

 

Dissapointments:

Tommie Harris - He's shown up for one game....one game and even that wasn't a great game. And he entered the season as arguably the best at his position in the game

Brian Urlacher - He's been at best league average, potentially below league average. You don't even notice him on the field. Like Harris he's regarded as the best in the league.

Mike Brown - Horrible play; He has excuses though, unlike Urlacher/Harris

Nathan Vasher - Injuries were there but this guy was one of the best CB's in the league up until injuries slowed him last year. He looked a step or two slower this season and just wasn't his normal self. Hopefully he'll rebound when he gets back out there and gets back to game speed (cause he was a special player on the Bears, much like Brown)

Adewale Ogunleye - Non existent defensive ends, Ogunleye beats out Brown in this category.

 

Honorable Mention: Brad Maynard

[Butkus]

Surprises:

 

Kyle Orton-I thought he would likely be solid, but I did not think he would emerge as a top QB. He has been excellent this year, I think it is safe to say that without his huge contribution we would likely have lost at least 2 more games.

 

Matt Forte-Rookie came in and is playing like a veteran. Hopefully he will show some more of that running style we saw early in the year.

 

Corey Graham-Has come in and played better than Vasher basically. Big surprise and addition to the team.

 

Kevin Payne-The most solid safety in our backfield, great hitter and showing ability to play the pass and be smart.

 

Brandon Lloyd-Before his injury he was the go to WR.

 

Disappointments:

 

Mike Brown-Nuff said

 

Urlacher-Aren't the Bears glad they paid him that extra money? Should have traded him IMO....we could have gotten something good for him probably.

 

Harris-Nearly non-existent...

 

Devin Hester-Not a single TD runback this year and no big runs that I can remember, although that is not entirely his fault as everyone seems to kick away from him. However, he does seem to be developing as a good WR.

 

Hunter Hillemeyer-Seems to have slowed a step, less consistent and reliable this year. Should we try one of the young guys?

[Da Bears 88]

Urlacher-Aren't the Bears glad they paid him that extra money? Should have traded him IMO....we could have gotten something good for him probably.

So glad you're not an NFL GM.

[GrizzlyBear]

I agree that he is not Playing to potential, But trade him, ? Man your insane.

[Butkus]

I do not believe that Urlacher is a dominant LB this year, nor was he last year for the majority of the year. If we had traded him, we could hopefully have received at least a first round draft pick or two and hopefully had a young player who could contribute for years rather than a tired old MLB who has maybe only a couple years left. I hope I am wrong, but I think Urlachers best days are behind him, and I have no feelings of loyalty or nostalgia for a guy who has behaved like he has the last year or two....

[madlithuanian]

Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater... Urlacher was hurt a bit last year...and the whole team virtually played like turds all year.

 

This season, I really blame the scheme. Our vaunted D is predicated on line pressure and we are getting cirtually none. All positions from LB to SC to S suffer then. While his best days may be behing him, I still think he has some great days still ahead if given the correct scheme to play in. I really fault coaching...

 

 

 

 

I do not believe that Urlacher is a dominant LB this year, nor was he last year for the majority of the year. If we had traded him, we could hopefully have received at least a first round draft pick or two and hopefully had a young player who could contribute for years rather than a tired old MLB who has maybe only a couple years left. I hope I am wrong, but I think Urlachers best days are behind him, and I have no feelings of loyalty or nostalgia for a guy who has behaved like he has the last year or two....

[Butkus]

Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater... Urlacher was hurt a bit last year...and the whole team virtually played like turds all year.

 

This season, I really blame the scheme. Our vaunted D is predicated on line pressure and we are getting cirtually none. All positions from LB to SC to S suffer then. While his best days may be behing him, I still think he has some great days still ahead if given the correct scheme to play in. I really fault coaching...

 

That may well be true, I am still undecided about Babich. However, it is hard for me to imagine that all of the problems with our defense are scheme related. However, I hold my hands up...I am not enough of an expert to really say definitively what is really the problem. But I sure do not see the production from some of the big money big star guys, starting with Urlacher and Harris.... These two are taking up alot of cap space and have little to no production to prove they are worth the money. I don't think that the team would fall apart if Urlacher was injured and could not play for the rest of the year, and Adams and Harrison seem to be have performed better than Harris so far.

 

For me, a vital part of assessing a players worth is their behaviour and character. I can much more readily put up with a character guy like Mike Brown not looking good than I can with a player who behaves in an immature and abrasive manner. As such, Urlacher I have no use for, nor his friend Briggs no matter how good he has looked so far this year. I was happy to see that Briggs was going elsewhere, and not surprised when it ended up that noone else wanted him that much. I wish we would have let him go...I would rather root for a Bears team full of character and hard workers than jerks who sound off about the Bears and say they will never play for them again etc... and then have multiple babies out of wedlock and wreck their Lambo on the highway, call the car in as stolen, and then gets off with basically no consequences. JMO....

[madlithuanian]

I think to a large extent, all of us are throwing our hands in the air wondering what has happened to this D. It seems the one common denominator is the coordinator. When Rivera was here, we were close to the top, ever since, we've been closer to the cellar. I just look at the talent pool and think that pound for pound, or players are more than solid. Yet the results aren't. Sure you can blame players, but when you have what the Bears have, and are not getting results...I think the buck stops at the coach. I just have to imagine, if Bill Belichick had our personnell, we'd be ranked in the top 5.

 

I like character guys too...but moreso on the field. I've know plenty of guys that would die for me in a scrap, but could keep their (explitive) out of any girl that moved and gave them the time of day. I don't get the feeling Urlacher is a jackass at practice and on the field. I feel generally the same about Briggs. I think both deserve the crap they get for their mistakes, but until I see another mess up, I'll give them some wiggle room. Neither got nailed for DUI's, neither got nabbed for roids or drugs, neither beat their spouses...one is just having a private custody battle go public and the other smashed his ride and bailed the scene (which you could contend logically that he may have been bombed). And I do admit, that I have greater issue with Briggs because of that. I have virtually no issue with Urlacher. I really was hoping we could trade Briggs a few years back and get something good. But, as long as he keeps his nose clean from here on out...I'm OK.

 

I want character guys too... And if I ran the circus, like yourself, I would strive for that. However, I would not trade Urlacher as I don't see him as a character issue. Briggs, I could understand...but I'd still hold on him unless the deal was great for us.

 

That may well be true, I am still undecided about Babich. However, it is hard for me to imagine that all of the problems with our defense are scheme related. However, I hold my hands up...I am not enough of an expert to really say definitively what is really the problem. But I sure do not see the production from some of the big money big star guys, starting with Urlacher and Harris.... These two are taking up alot of cap space and have little to no production to prove they are worth the money. I don't think that the team would fall apart if Urlacher was injured and could not play for the rest of the year, and Adams and Harrison seem to be have performed better than Harris so far.

 

For me, a vital part of assessing a players worth is their behaviour and character. I can much more readily put up with a character guy like Mike Brown not looking good than I can with a player who behaves in an immature and abrasive manner. As such, Urlacher I have no use for, nor his friend Briggs no matter how good he has looked so far this year. I was happy to see that Briggs was going elsewhere, and not surprised when it ended up that noone else wanted him that much. I wish we would have let him go...I would rather root for a Bears team full of character and hard workers than jerks who sound off about the Bears and say they will never play for them again etc... and then have multiple babies out of wedlock and wreck their Lambo on the highway, call the car in as stolen, and then gets off with basically no consequences. JMO....