Im sorry but

[nfoligno]

I have no problem with Ted Phillips.

 

Phillips is not a football guy, but so what. He knows he is not a football guy, and doesn't try to meddle in the football affairs. He hired a "football guy" and signs the checks.

 

Everyone knows the new stadium was basically Phillips, but personally, I don't think he gets enough credit even for that. Not only did he get the new stadium, but he was able to negotiate better terms than previous as well. As I understand it, the Bears now get the profits from concessions, which was not previously the case. I think maybe parking too. Those used to go to the City, but now go to us.

 

Further, since Phillips took over, the spending went way up. Even before the new stadium, and even before Angelo, Phillips forced open the McCackey pocket books. Phillips has to get a ton of credit for that.

 

Look, I am not saying he isn't replacable. He is a bean-counter and not a football guy. But (a) I just don't think he has screwed up and ( the reality is, the family loves him, and they are not likely to fire him and replace him w/ a stranger.

 

Be careful. Be very careful what you wish for. If Phillips is fired, I think the chances are better than not his replacement would have McCaskey in their name, whether it be Mikey or another in the family. Frankly, I am thankful to have Ted in there as he creates a sort of buffer between the family.

 

 

 

I think everyone that could be fired should be. That means Teddy on down. If we could fire the owners, I would.

 

JA should be fired. Ted is probably a great finance guy, but should not be president. We need real football minds... Not accountants.

 

Your dismall assessment I fear is spot on.

 

I'd settle for JA firing Smith...it would at least be a start. But JA is equally responsible, if not moreso for this hot mess.

 

[madlithuanian]

Bottom line, we need real football minds. It implies a non-McCaskey...

 

I wouldn't mind Ted staying, but nor do I have issue with his being ousted. He's not smart/savvy enough to hire a GM as he needed to hire a firm to help find JA. I'd rather someone who was smart/savvy enough.

 

[nfoligno]

I guess I just think that is nice in theory, but who is going to hire this great football mind. Oh yea. A non-football mind.

 

For most any team, at some point, it is a non-football mind that hires a top football mind. An owner (non-football mind) hires a new team president who is. Or maybe the owner is also the prez, and hires a GM.

 

Point is, at some point, you are going to have a non-football mind doing the hiring.

 

Does everyone not realize that if we can Ted, Mikey is then doing the hiring? In what world is that what we want?

 

Keep Ted, but fire everyone else.

 

Bottom line, we need real football minds. It implies a non-McCaskey...

 

I wouldn't mind Ted staying, but nor do I have issue with his being ousted. He's not smart/savvy enough to hire a GM as he needed to hire a firm to help find JA. I'd rather someone who was smart/savvy enough.

 

[Lucky Luciano]

I have no problem with Ted Phillips.

 

Phillips is not a football guy, but so what. He knows he is not a football guy, and doesn't try to meddle in the football affairs. He hired a "football guy" and signs the checks.

 

Everyone knows the new stadium was basically Phillips, but personally, I don't think he gets enough credit even for that. Not only did he get the new stadium, but he was able to negotiate better terms than previous as well. As I understand it, the Bears now get the profits from concessions, which was not previously the case. I think maybe parking too. Those used to go to the City, but now go to us.

 

Further, since Phillips took over, the spending went way up. Even before the new stadium, and even before Angelo, Phillips forced open the McCackey pocket books. Phillips has to get a ton of credit for that.

 

Look, I am not saying he isn't replacable. He is a bean-counter and not a football guy. But (a) I just don't think he has screwed up and ( the reality is, the family loves him, and they are not likely to fire him and replace him w/ a stranger.

 

Be careful. Be very careful what you wish for. If Phillips is fired, I think the chances are better than not his replacement would have McCaskey in their name, whether it be Mikey or another in the family. Frankly, I am thankful to have Ted in there as he creates a sort of buffer between the family.

 

i disagree. ted phillips: a go between for the franchise and the city? negotiate stadium deals etc.? isn't this is why corporations hire PR men?although i have no problems with phillips as a senior accountant he has NO BUSINESS being the president of football operations, none what-so-ever. he is the most unqualified person for the job you could ask for to run a professional sporting organization.

 

isn't it the job of the president to oversee how the entire football side of the organization is run and make personnel adjustments and changes when necessary? doesn't this INCLUDE the critical position of GM? doesn't it include input TO his GM in regards to the coaching staff hires and fires and the sizes of their staff, input or oversight of your college and PRO scouting departments?

 

didn't we HIRE a firm to even FIND our GM in the first place? it took months for X's sake for them to find angelo who by that time nearly every qualified candidate was already taken????? THIS IS one portion of the job description of president of football operations. it's what football smart presidents do in good organizations.

 

finally... who is going to decide if angelo is doing a bad job and who is going to steer him in a better direction if he wanders? your freaking accountant?? he has virtually no accountability other than keeping the books in the black and saving the mccaskey's every penny he can.

 

as far as wishing for good management, is mikey the sword of damacles to keep us in mediocrity because if we want what is good for the franchise we are threatened with this troglodyte?

[bowlingtwig]

Yes, absolutley! Culter will make this team better long term once this team gets some talent with coaching included and a new identity.

Very ture, lets also keep in mind that if we don't make the trade we don't get Knox. Cutler is making people realize that our WR's aren't horrible, there young. How many REALLY thought that by Cutler coming here would turn us into SB contenders immediately. If you did, it means you were sucking down the Kool-aid. Cutler put it perfectly last night during the post game that it takes time to build chemistry down good. He mentioned that in Denver it took a good 2 years to get it good. Now if you really think that Orton would be doing better, fine become a Broncos fan, but please tell me what Royal is doing these days. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Lets compare some stats quickly alright.

 

Brandon Marshall 52 rec, 628 yards 6 TD's

Eddie Royal 31 rec, 282 yards

Devin Hester 52 rec, 614 yards 3 TD's

Earl Bennett 40 rec, 511 yards

Greg Olsen 40 rec, 403 yards 6 TD's

Matt Forte 42 rec, 399 yards

Johnny Knox 32 rec, 376 yards 3 TD's

 

I think the question we asked at the beginning of the year has been answered. The QB makes the WR better. Orton isn't exactly lighting things up in Denver, he is in a good system that is asking him to not do a whole lot. The great thing for him is that the team isn't asking him to win games otherwise who knows, the INT's would probably be up. They were asking him to just manage the offense while the Defense wins the game. Now there defense is getting lit up like a christmas tree that just caught fire and of course now they have lost 4 straight. Orton is clearly the best thing they have there by a long shot otherwise they wouldn't have brung him into the middle of the game, but simms was atrocious.

[Pixote]

I have to believe there will be some house cleaning done. Unfortunately, IMHO, Lovie & Jerry will probably, do to contract commitments, are probably safe for another year.

 

I do believe there could be a big shakeup under them. Possibly a new OC for sure. Turner's contract expires. The fact he is on his last year tells me something.

 

There has been talk as to the possibility of Charlie Weis being released from Notre Dame. He was a kick but OC in the NFL. I would love to see him come on board if available.

 

[nfoligno]

One. You ask what the role of the President is. I would answer by saying it is different for each team. Some teams, the President is also the owner. Some teams the president is also the GM. Some teams, the pres is like Ted Phillips, more hands off, allowing the GM to run the operations. And some teams have a structurel more like the one you describe. But the point is, there are different models, and no one model is right, nor wrong.

 

How about the New England Patriots. Who is their Team President? Johathan Kraft, who is also the president of the larger Kraft Group. He is what I believe you would call a bean counter. In fact, if you read his bio, one of the top things he is credited for is negotiating the new Patriots stadium.

 

How about another successful NFL team. The Steelers are owned by Dan Rooney, and the president is Arthur Rooney. Oh yea, and the VP is Arthur Rooney, Jr. I am sure you would be happy if our team followed this successful model and kept all upper management in the family.

 

Again, the point is, there are more than one model. IMHO, the problem is not the structure, but those in the structure. You can point to Ted, but I would argue other NFL teams (successful ones) also have a "bean counter" in the role of president. The greater issue, IMHO, is who is under him. I have no issue w/ a non-football guy being the president, so long as he doesn't try to meddle in the football affairs, which brings me to the 2nd point.

 

Two. How much do you want the prez to be involved over the GM? If you had a prez very involved in the football operations, does that not limit the role of the GM? Would we be able to get an upper tier GM if he felt he would not have full authority, and would have a meddling boss?

 

Finally, you said, "as far as wishing for good management, is mikey the sword of damacles to keep us in mediocrity because if we want what is good for the franchise we are threatened with this troglodyte?"

 

Nice quote, but we live in reality. In reality, yes, it is likely that Mikey, or maybe another family member, would be the prez if Ted were fired. You want to argue, but that is simply reality. No, I am not saying it as fact, but I think it very likely, and logical. The family likes and trusts Ted. In fact, I have read many articles talking about how a key reason the family has allowed as much spending as they have is their trust in Ted. This is an ownership that is simply not likely to fire Ted, and hire a stranger, and give him full authority.

 

In saying I would like to keep Ted and fire everyone below, I (IMHO) am keeping the argument is some level of reality. Sure, I would love for new ownership, and many more changes, but why waste my breath if those options are simply not on the table.

 

i disagree. ted phillips: a go between for the franchise and the city? negotiate stadium deals etc.? isn't this is why corporations hire PR men?although i have no problems with phillips as a senior accountant he has NO BUSINESS being the president of football operations, none what-so-ever. he is the most unqualified person for the job you could ask for to run a professional sporting organization.

 

isn't it the job of the president to oversee how the entire football side of the organization is run and make personnel adjustments and changes when necessary? doesn't this INCLUDE the critical position of GM? doesn't it include input TO his GM in regards to the coaching staff hires and fires and the sizes of their staff, input or oversight of your college and PRO scouting departments?

 

didn't we HIRE a firm to even FIND our GM in the first place? it took months for X's sake for them to find angelo who by that time nearly every qualified candidate was already taken????? THIS IS one portion of the job description of president of football operations. it's what football smart presidents do in good organizations.

 

finally... who is going to decide if angelo is doing a bad job and who is going to steer him in a better direction if he wanders? your freaking accountant?? he has virtually no accountability other than keeping the books in the black and saving the mccaskey's every penny he can.

 

as far as wishing for good management, is mikey the sword of damacles to keep us in mediocrity because if we want what is good for the franchise we are threatened with this troglodyte?

 

[madlithuanian]

I know...that's what makes it so frustrating...

 

More than fine by me...

 

I guess I just think that is nice in theory, but who is going to hire this great football mind. Oh yea. A non-football mind.

 

For most any team, at some point, it is a non-football mind that hires a top football mind. An owner (non-football mind) hires a new team president who is. Or maybe the owner is also the prez, and hires a GM.

 

Point is, at some point, you are going to have a non-football mind doing the hiring.

 

Does everyone not realize that if we can Ted, Mikey is then doing the hiring? In what world is that what we want?

 

Keep Ted, but fire everyone else.

 

[lemonej]

My take on this whole situation is that it is time to pull the plug on Lovie and JA. People arguing in favor of his winning Pct. isw like saying he is the tallest midget. After all these years his system should be fully established but every year since the SB they have had to tinker with his signature Cover 2 defense and its mediocre along with his few games over 500 Pct.This coaching staff is starting to resemble all the previous inept ones since Ditka's staff. Lets face it the likelyhood of them eating Lovie's contract maybe a fantasy but, I didn't see the Cutler trade coming either.

[madlithuanian]

We can only hope....

 

My take on this whole situation is that it is time to pull the plug on Lovie and JA. People arguing in favor of his winning Pct. isw like saying he is the tallest midget. After all these years his system should be fully established but every year since the SB they have had to tinker with his signature Cover 2 defense and its mediocre along with his few games over 500 Pct.This coaching staff is starting to resemble all the previous inept ones since Ditka's staff. Lets face it the likelyhood of them eating Lovie's contract maybe a fantasy but, I didn't see the Cutler trade coming either.

 

[Mongo3451]

In saying I would like to keep Ted and fire everyone below, I (IMHO) am keeping the argument is some level of reality. Sure, I would love for new ownership, and many more changes, but why waste my breath if those options are simply not on the table.

I believe Phillips is our only hope to get rid of Lovie and Co. Phillips is a bean counter and has the family's ear moreso than anyone else. He performed a coup with the stadium, firmly placing loot in the family coffers for years to come. He has turned the Bears into a product, remember the unprecedented licencing agreement he made with Bank One. Every team in the NFL followed suit. The guy is brilliant. If he can somehow convince the family that dumping Lovie and maybe JA will be money well "invested", the family may heed his advice. JA was most all our BFF for the Cutler deal. Phillips would/could be our saviour.

 

 

[nfoligno]

The ideal would be to fire Angelo and everyone down. That ideal is very unlikely though.

 

So, if Lovie and Angelo are safe, can anything be improved?

 

We just fired/changed basically every coaching level on defense. I think the same could happen next year on offense. Turner is gone, and with him, so are the position coaches.

 

Okay, that is something discussed, but what if this happened, while at the same time, Angelo forces Lovie to (a) hire a new DC and ( not simply another cover 2 yes man. I am not saying Rivera, but I am saying something like that. It doesn't mean we could never play cover 2, but at least have a DC that better understands other schemes and could mix things up better. Further, a DC who can better adapt the scheme to the players, rather than forcing players to the scheme.

 

Sure, we all want Angelo and Love gone. That could come at some point, but if we are stuck w/ those two for at least another year, the hope is we could see enough other changes to have an affect.

 

My concerns though is this. What sort of coach are we going to get to run the offense or defense when most around the league are going to view Lovie as being on the hot seat. The upper tier are not coming here. Not even the top thought of assistants. My fear is, if we try to fire everyone under Lovie, we will struggle to find quality coaches willing to take a job under a lame duck coach.

 

 

 

My take on this whole situation is that it is time to pull the plug on Lovie and JA. People arguing in favor of his winning Pct. isw like saying he is the tallest midget. After all these years his system should be fully established but every year since the SB they have had to tinker with his signature Cover 2 defense and its mediocre along with his few games over 500 Pct.This coaching staff is starting to resemble all the previous inept ones since Ditka's staff. Lets face it the likelyhood of them eating Lovie's contract maybe a fantasy but, I didn't see the Cutler trade coming either.

 

[madlithuanian]

Bingo!

 

My concerns though is this. What sort of coach are we going to get to run the offense or defense when most around the league are going to view Lovie as being on the hot seat. The upper tier are not coming here. Not even the top thought of assistants. My fear is, if we try to fire everyone under Lovie, we will struggle to find quality coaches willing to take a job under a lame duck coach.

 

[bowlingtwig]

The ideal would be to fire Angelo and everyone down. That ideal is very unlikely though.

 

So, if Lovie and Angelo are safe, can anything be improved?

 

We just fired/changed basically every coaching level on defense. I think the same could happen next year on offense. Turner is gone, and with him, so are the position coaches.

 

Okay, that is something discussed, but what if this happened, while at the same time, Angelo forces Lovie to (a) hire a new DC and ( not simply another cover 2 yes man. I am not saying Rivera, but I am saying something like that. It doesn't mean we could never play cover 2, but at least have a DC that better understands other schemes and could mix things up better. Further, a DC who can better adapt the scheme to the players, rather than forcing players to the scheme.

 

Sure, we all want Angelo and Love gone. That could come at some point, but if we are stuck w/ those two for at least another year, the hope is we could see enough other changes to have an affect.

 

My concerns though is this. What sort of coach are we going to get to run the offense or defense when most around the league are going to view Lovie as being on the hot seat. The upper tier are not coming here. Not even the top thought of assistants. My fear is, if we try to fire everyone under Lovie, we will struggle to find quality coaches willing to take a job under a lame duck coach.

My problem with Lovie is not with him being a HC. My problem is his play calling is no longer any good although the past 2 weeks the Defense has performed decentely at least enough to provide our offense with the ability to win the game. I have no problem with Love staying. I actually like JA, the one thing I have against him this year is the trading of a 2nd rd pick for Gaines Adams. What I would love to see is a new DCoordinator who knows multiple schemes. I truely believe that Turner will be gone considering that he was given weapons and for whatever reason they are not performing and this always comes back to bite the coordinator/coach. I would love to see Charlie Weis hired as the OCoordinator after ND fires him. I really like Weis but he isn't much of a head coach, he is alot better at being an offensive coordinator.

 

[lemonej]

My problem with Lovie is not with him being a HC. My problem is his play calling is no longer any good although the past 2 weeks the Defense has performed decentely at least enough to provide our offense with the ability to win the game. I have no problem with Love staying. I actually like JA, the one thing I have against him this year is the trading of a 2nd rd pick for Gaines Adams. What I would love to see is a new DCoordinator who knows multiple schemes. I truely believe that Turner will be gone considering that he was given weapons and for whatever reason they are not performing and this always comes back to bite the coordinator/coach. I would love to see Charlie Weis hired as the OCoordinator after ND fires him. I really like Weis but he isn't much of a head coach, he is alot better at being an offensive coordinator.

The thought of Weis coming here as OC would be for him to tutor Cutler and seeing how he has developed Claussen from what he was his first year at ND is proof enough to me that he knows how to work with QBs. I'm not saying Claussen is a world beater but he has improved dramatically and Weis deserves credit for recruiting him and working with him. I saw Claussen play in that HS All Star game sponsored by the ARMY and he was pretty highly touted. Weis has made him better. I personally don't like Weis beacuse he seems a little arrogant but if he were OC here I'd want him to be successful. The various ways he gets the ball to Golden Tate makes me think he could beter utilize Hester and Wolfe.

[AZ54]

Lot's of thoughts here. Can't see anything Philips has done wrong. If you want to blast him for giving new contracts to Lovie and JA after our Superbowl run go ahead but I think that was the right thing to do. At the time so did everyone in the media. How would the Bears organization have looked in the eyes of FA and future coaches if they didn't give Lovie a new contract after taking a team from 4 wins to the Superbowl with Rex Grossman? Philips main job is to manage revenue streams, not to manage the football team. In that aspect I think he's done a great job given how much more money we've allocated to players in signing bonuses under his leadership. That money isn't going out the door if it doesn't come in the other door first. Clearly the first part of making money is to have a successful product on the field. In his tenure we have done that and our record proves it, I can't see how you fault the history. However, now that product is declining so what to do going forward?

 

If you want to argue about if the money went to the right players then that's on JA. Lot's of good arguments on that subject.

 

If you want to argue that talent is on the field but not being developed properly and use past player's success on other teams as proof there's plenty of that to go around too. That's on the coaches.

 

If you want to argue that the players are all working hard but the schemes are bad then that's all on the coaches. Lots of good examples of this too.

 

At this point I'd like to see a new head coach because I feel Lovie has lost this team. However, I don't think he has any blue chip talent anywhere on the roster. Given his salary I fully expect Lovie to be back next year for his do-or-die scenario. Lovie will remain the DC as this represents a cost-savings for the team. I can't recall if Babich took a paycut when he went back to LB coach. Two years of not paying a DC offsets cutting Lovie a year early so that makes the McCaskey's more in line with the potential firing.

 

I expect Turner to be gone. I have no clue who replaces him but it's definitely likely it will be someone who will take a modest contract to get what might be a one year shot to show the league what he can do. Expect the contract to be for 2 years so they are guaranteed some extra cash. Despite that, it's a hell of an opportunity. He'll get to work with some good talent (not to be confused with great) at the skill positions from Cutler, Hester, Olsen, Knox, and Forte. Oline is where we need to rebuild but I think Beekman is going to be a good player and has the quickness to be our next center. Williams should be better as our LT and he only has 9 games on his resume so the arrow is still pointing up for him. Arizona went to the Superbowl with Mike Gandy as their LT so it's proof not every spot on the roster has to be elite talent.

 

I don't view this as a job we couldn't fill with some decent OC talent, either a guy on the upswing or downswing of his career (i.e. past HC who failed there but was a good OC). To save money JA will insist on several existing assistants remaining under contract, I just hope the Oline coach departs with his buddy Ron. There's always some talented young coach who just wants an opportunity to show what he can do. We just have to find him.

 

 

I'm going to throw a new name into the future Head Coach discussion: Jim Harbaugh. I know few watch Pac 10 football but he's done a great job rebuilding the Stanford program on both sides of the ball. He has enough NFL experience to understand the league. He won't be on anyone's radar this offseason but I think by next season he'll be getting more press coverage.

 

 

 

 

 

What I see happening

 

 

[ParkerBear7]

i think one of the things coll was talking about was that previously they showed the sidelines and cutler has the chalkboard writing up plays and talking to offensive players around him. the next series i believe he marched down the field and our offense looked reasonably sharp. during cutler writing this up, one of our coaches is halfway paying attention to what cutler is writing and watching the field with no input.

 

later in a series it showed a coach (hamilton?) doing what cutler was doing on the sideline. that series we bombed. makes ya wonder don't it?

 

i want to again comment on our beloved coaches clock management... just prior to the 2 min warning in the 4th qtr, the eagles got a very generous spot that gave them a first down. this in essence burns up a lot of clock left. lovie at that period decides to call a freaking timeout which i believe was our last and NOT throw a red flag to challenge the spot.

 

it made absolutely NO sense to me at all. lovie should have challenged the spot especially in this instance as he had basically NOTHING to lose doing so since he used the timeout anyway. in fact IF we didn't have any more timeouts we couldn't even USE a flag if we wanted to OR couldn't use one within the last 2 min of the game anyway.

 

these are the small/large things that lovie just doesn't seem to get. it's like his head is not in the game in a general sense and this can and has cost us big time. it's not like a first, this has happened before.

 

I would add I thought we needed to go for it on 4th and short prior to Robbie's filed goal attempt being blocked. Robbie is clutch but I really thought that the offense struggled to stay on the field (no rythm or flow) and the DEF needed a breather. Too many mistakes again this week, coaches are loosing this team. I thought Jay showed good leadership in going to the white board with his young WR's. Jay will be fine and will be the QB that take us back to the SB to win it; just not this year or anytime soon until this team gets a transformation.

[ParkerBear7]

here is something to think about...

 

right now there are an unprecedented amount of very good previous head coaches on the sidelines. bill couher, mike shannahan, and mike holmgren.

 

besides FIRING lovie and staff would anyone like to see angie FIRED, ted phillips (a freaking BEAN COUNTER in charge of football operations) FIRED, and someone like holmgren come in as either our GM or team president of football operations? then hire a shannahan or couher as our head coach? instead...

 

we owe lovie about $10 mil. whether this organization believes lovie is worth salvage or not, if they drag their collective feet they can save his salary AND not have to worry about paying REAL headcoaches top money to come here. by the time lovie is launched they are off the board (hired by other franchises like the freaking buffalo bills) and we do the same thing in the same way as we have done for decades.

 

we hire some nobody and train *him for 2 years to see if he has it or not at some minimal salary like we ALWAYS do. if he even makes it to the playoffs we are so shocked by average success that we up his contract extention and we are stuck for at least 4-6 freaking years to eat up his salary even if he sucks or at best is average. THEN we fire this coach and angelo.

 

it's dejavu all over again.

 

*if anyone thinks hiring toub is the answer to ANYTHING as our head coach they are sadly mistaken. although it's a perfect move for the mccaskey's it is the same thing we always do.

 

 

Don't forget Chucky aka the quarterback collector aka John Gruden is also available. But I am not a big fan of his but atleast appreciate his fire and passion for the game.

[nfoligno]

Honestly, I am not even high on Lovie as simply a HC. Even if we look past the playcalling, do you think our team looks prepared in games? I don't.

 

As for the idea of a new DC, w/ new schemes, that is my hope too. My fear though is whether or not Lovie will allow that. Not the new coach. He was essentially forced to take on Rivera when he didn't want him. No, my concern is that, like w/ Rivera, Lovie will force any new DC to run the same scheme. My hope is Angelo will step in, but my concern is Lovie just will not be willing.

 

 

My problem with Lovie is not with him being a HC. My problem is his play calling is no longer any good although the past 2 weeks the Defense has performed decentely at least enough to provide our offense with the ability to win the game. I have no problem with Love staying. I actually like JA, the one thing I have against him this year is the trading of a 2nd rd pick for Gaines Adams. What I would love to see is a new DCoordinator who knows multiple schemes. I truely believe that Turner will be gone considering that he was given weapons and for whatever reason they are not performing and this always comes back to bite the coordinator/coach. I would love to see Charlie Weis hired as the OCoordinator after ND fires him. I really like Weis but he isn't much of a head coach, he is alot better at being an offensive coordinator.

 

[bowlingtwig]

The thought of Weis coming here as OC would be for him to tutor Cutler and seeing how he has developed Claussen from what he was his first year at ND is proof enough to me that he knows how to work with QBs. I'm not saying Claussen is a world beater but he has improved dramatically and Weis deserves credit for recruiting him and working with him. I saw Claussen play in that HS All Star game sponsored by the ARMY and he was pretty highly touted. Weis has made him better. I personally don't like Weis beacuse he seems a little arrogant but if he were OC here I'd want him to be successful. The various ways he gets the ball to Golden Tate makes me think he could beter utilize Hester and Wolfe.

Exactly my point. I am a huge ND fan as most people know by now. Claussen was TERRIBLE is 1st 2 years pretty much and if you compare him to where he was back then as a Freshman to now its an amazing turn around. Weis is a good O Cord don't care for him though as the head coach. I would mind trying to draft either Tate or Floyd for that matter although neither one of them should fall that far and that if they even come out this year.

[flea]

Exactly my point. I am a huge ND fan as most people know by now. Claussen was TERRIBLE is 1st 2 years pretty much and if you compare him to where he was back then as a Freshman to now its an amazing turn around. Weis is a good O Cord don't care for him though as the head coach. I would mind trying to draft either Tate or Floyd for that matter although neither one of them should fall that far and that if they even come out this year.

 

 

not to hijack the thread but did ya see the report that states if Weisz is sacked Tate & Clausen will declare?

[bowlingtwig]

not to hijack the thread but did ya see the report that states if Weisz is sacked Tate & Clausen will declare?

No I didn't, but it wouldn't surprise me. Both of them have had great years and there stock might not get much higher if you bring in someone new there stock may drop.

[jason]

How many people would do the Cutler trade over again? Show of hands?

 

I would. But I would have fired Lovie and staff before the season began and brought in someone who understands how to run an offense.

 

I honestly don't think the players are as bad as they appear. Further, I think there is considerable talent on this team. This is 75% coaching, IMHO.

[nfoligno]

While I do not want to even appear I am giving Cutler a pass, because I am not, I do agree the majority of our problem is coaching.

 

For a while now I have heard media guys point out how much this team lacks an identity, especially on offense. Are we Lovie's team, which wants to win with defense and the run game, or Cutler's team which airs it out? And before any comment about the "media", the media I am referring to is made up of former players, coaches and GMs.

 

It is painful put Cutler in an offense that doesn't spread it out. I realize the need to keep extra blockers back, but lets be honest, that extra protection really isn't doing that much, and I would argue extra weapons would be a far greater asset.

 

We have no go-to player on offense. We have talent, but just no single stud to rely on. That means we can not just send 2 or maybe 3 options into the field and expect them all to get open. We need to spread it out more and give Cutler greater opportunities.

 

Again, I am not saying Cutler isn't having issues. But I am saying that I believe our coaching staff has pushed Cutler toward many of those issues, and done little to help.

 

I would. But I would have fired Lovie and staff before the season began and brought in someone who understands how to run an offense.

 

I honestly don't think the players are as bad as they appear. Further, I think there is considerable talent on this team. This is 75% coaching, IMHO.

 

[nfoligno]

I'll be honest. While I am in general a ND fan, I am not a big enough fan to really follow the team. I realize that many coaches simply get in over the heads after success at one level, only to see failure at a higher level. My question with regard to Charlie though is this. Is he really that great of an OC, or was he simply part of a great system?

 

The thought of Weis coming here as OC would be for him to tutor Cutler and seeing how he has developed Claussen from what he was his first year at ND is proof enough to me that he knows how to work with QBs. I'm not saying Claussen is a world beater but he has improved dramatically and Weis deserves credit for recruiting him and working with him. I saw Claussen play in that HS All Star game sponsored by the ARMY and he was pretty highly touted. Weis has made him better. I personally don't like Weis beacuse he seems a little arrogant but if he were OC here I'd want him to be successful. The various ways he gets the ball to Golden Tate makes me think he could beter utilize Hester and Wolfe.