Wesson44 Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 This is who we play this year...i really think we can be in the playoffs again HOME Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers SeattleSeahawks Kansas City Chiefs San Diego Chargers Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings AWAY New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers Oakland Raiders Denver Broncos Philadelphia Eagles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defiantgiant Posted April 10, 2011 Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 I think the Bears could have a pretty straightforward road back to the playoffs, if they can shore up the o-line and find someone to replace Tommie. Here's how I see it breaking down: HOME Atlanta Falcons - W This team just isn't built to come from behind, and they consistently lose their tough road games. They're not coming into Soldier Field and beating the Bears. Carolina Panthers - W The Panthers are a mess. Seattle Seahawks - W Cutler tore them apart in the divisional round, he can do it again. Kansas City Chiefs - L Going out on a limb here, but the Chiefs have a lot of young talent, and very few holes in the roster. I could see them making a big jump from last year to this year. If they draft a pass-rushing OLB across from Hali and another impact receiver to go with Dwayne Bowe, they could be a very, very difficult team to beat in 2011. San Diego Chargers - L That defense will take a step back without Rivera around, but Philip Rivers is just too good for me to ever count on beating the Chargers. This one'll be a shootout. Detroit Lions - W The Lions are improving a TON; this should be a close one. Green Bay Packers - W Lovie always finds a way to beat the Packers at least once. Minnesota Vikings - W The Vikings have nothing at QB; they're going to be in the basement until they get that position filled. AWAY New Orleans Saints - W I don't know why, but I'm just not buying the Saints. I mean, they gave up 41 points to the Seahawks, who got just smashed by Chicago the next week. This one's a shootout, but ultimately I don't think their defense can hang with Cutler. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - L Like the Chiefs, the Bucs have been on a huge upswing lately. Josh Freeman is extremely legit, and all the young players around him are excellent. Draft one of this year's great pass-rushing DEs, and they could win the NFC South. Detroit Lions - L The Lions were an early TD celebration away from beating the Bears at home in 2010...unless Suh and Calvin Johnson retire to start a tomato farm or something, I don't see the Bears sweeping them in 2011. Minnesota Vikings - W I do, however, see the Bears sweeping the Vikings. Hard. Green Bay Packers - L Packers at Lambeau is always a tough game. Unless Rodgers gets hurt, the Packers are going to be a dangerous team. Oakland Raiders - W The Raiders surprised me a lot this year. Second-best pass defense in the league, Darren McFadden finally played to his potential, and Jason Campbell is a solid game manager at QB. But their wide receivers are even rawer than Chicago's, and they're not going to have much of a passing game unless one of those guys learns how to run a route and catch. Denver Broncos - W John Fox has his work cut out for him rebuilding the Broncos' defense. Orton and Brandon Lloyd are playing great (why couldn't you get that out of them in 2008, Ron Turner?) but fixing Denver's defense in one offseason would take a miracle. Philadelphia Eagles - W Cutler torched them this year, he can do it again. As good as Michael Vick is, the Bears forced 5 turnovers from him. ...that's an 11-5 season, and a likely playoff berth. I don't know if it'll be a division title or a wild-card spot, though - the Packers have at least as good a shot to go 11-5 (or better) as the Bears do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ54 Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 I expect our Oline will be better than last year and our offensive unit will be in the second year with Martz so WR and QB will be on the same page far more often early in the season. IMO the year Cutler had with our WR corps and behind that Oline is way underestimated or under-appreciated. Your comment about replacing Tommie last year is interesting in that sense that we had nobody to replace him last year and our defense was pretty good but not great. What we need is someone to get close to replacing the 2006 version of Tommie. Just get some early pressure up the middle to keep the QB from stepping up and I believe Peppers and Izzy will have a field day. So yes, I think the playoffs are likely for the Bears again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
defiantgiant Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 I expect our Oline will be better than last year and our offensive unit will be in the second year with Martz so WR and QB will be on the same page far more often early in the season. IMO the year Cutler had with our WR corps and behind that Oline is way underestimated or under-appreciated. Totally under-appreciated. I don't remember if I posted it on this board or another one, but the only other QBs I can think of who've had that kind of year in terms of YPA/QB rating while taking 50+ sacks are Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger. With better protection and some improvements to the receiving corps, Cutler's going to be on a whole other level this year. Your comment about replacing Tommie last year is interesting in that sense that we had nobody to replace him last year and our defense was pretty good but not great. What we need is someone to get close to replacing the 2006 version of Tommie. Just get some early pressure up the middle to keep the QB from stepping up and I believe Peppers and Izzy will have a field day. Yeah, I'd agree with "pretty good but not great." Pep did enough for the pass rush to make the defense work, but there was nobody else to draw attention away from him. Idonije was solid at getting those clean-up sacks off Peppers' pressure (although I read somewhere that Idonije only had like 8 or 9 pressures of his own on the season.) Anthony Adams is solid against the run in that one-technique spot, but he's nothing spectacular as an interior rusher. Toeaina and Melton did what I'd call a just-average job at 3-tech, put together. They weren't a glaring liability, and Melton occasionally flashed, but that's it. So yeah, Lovie proved this year that his scheme can work OK without a good 3-tech, as long as you have a genuinely elite edge rusher like Peppers. But I don't think we put Pep in the best position to be successful; it was all on him to provide all the pressure up front, which he did well, but he was getting double-teamed all day. Adding Peppers allowed the D to get the job done, but to get the full return on their investment in him in this scheme, they need a replacement for Tommie. I don't even think they need a player on the level of a young Tommie Harris, necessarily. I mean, that'd be nice, but those guys don't come around that often. He was the next best thing to Warren Sapp when he was healthy. But when we had Tommie at his peak, we didn't have a DE anywhere CLOSE to Peppers. Given what Pep did last year with no help, I think we could probably get away with an above-average pass-rushing DT at Tommie's old spot. The new guy doesn't have to be the next Sapp, he just has to be good enough to draw some attention. Guys like Nevis and Austin could do that, as could a free-agent DT like Cullen Jenkins or Barry Cofield (even Brandon Mebane might get the job done.) If Melton can grow into that role, so much the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Being conservative... HOME Atlanta Falcons L Carolina Panthers W SeattleSeahawks W Kansas City Chiefs W San Diego Chargers L Detroit Lions W Green Bay Packers W Minnesota Vikings W AWAY New Orleans Saints L Tampa Bay Buccaneers L Detroit Lions W Minnesota Vikings W Green Bay Packers L Oakland Raiders W Denver Broncos W Philadelphia Eagles L That gets us 9-6. Might be good enough for a playoff spot. This is who we play this year...i really think we can be in the playoffs again HOME Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers SeattleSeahawks Kansas City Chiefs San Diego Chargers Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings AWAY New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers Oakland Raiders Denver Broncos Philadelphia Eagles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemonej Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Totally under-appreciated. I don't remember if I posted it on this board or another one, but the only other QBs I can think of who've had that kind of year in terms of YPA/QB rating while taking 50+ sacks are Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger. With better protection and some improvements to the receiving corps, Cutler's going to be on a whole other level this year. Yeah, I'd agree with "pretty good but not great." Pep did enough for the pass rush to make the defense work, but there was nobody else to draw attention away from him. Idonije was solid at getting those clean-up sacks off Peppers' pressure (although I read somewhere that Idonije only had like 8 or 9 pressures of his own on the season.) Anthony Adams is solid against the run in that one-technique spot, but he's nothing spectacular as an interior rusher. Toeaina and Melton did what I'd call a just-average job at 3-tech, put together. They weren't a glaring liability, and Melton occasionally flashed, but that's it. So yeah, Lovie proved this year that his scheme can work OK without a good 3-tech, as long as you have a genuinely elite edge rusher like Peppers. But I don't think we put Pep in the best position to be successful; it was all on him to provide all the pressure up front, which he did well, but he was getting double-teamed all day. Adding Peppers allowed the D to get the job done, but to get the full return on their investment in him in this scheme, they need a replacement for Tommie. I don't even think they need a player on the level of a young Tommie Harris, necessarily. I mean, that'd be nice, but those guys don't come around that often. He was the next best thing to Warren Sapp when he was healthy. But when we had Tommie at his peak, we didn't have a DE anywhere CLOSE to Peppers. Given what Pep did last year with no help, I think we could probably get away with an above-average pass-rushing DT at Tommie's old spot. The new guy doesn't have to be the next Sapp, he just has to be good enough to draw some attention. Guys like Nevis and Austin could do that, as could a free-agent DT like Cullen Jenkins or Barry Cofield (even Brandon Mebane might get the job done.) If Melton can grow into that role, so much the better. I think a wild card on the D-line is Corey Wooten. This should be his coming out year since he should be fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered his senior season in college. If that happens you could have a 3rd down D-line of Peppers, Melton,Idonije and Wooten in obvious passing situations. As for the won and lost record next season I believe the NFC North is going to possibly put 3 teams in the playoffs. Green Bay, Bears and Detroit( If Stafford can stay healthy). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hochuli 3:16 Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Being conservative... HOME Atlanta Falcons L Carolina Panthers W SeattleSeahawks W Kansas City Chiefs W San Diego Chargers L Detroit Lions W Green Bay Packers W Minnesota Vikings W AWAY New Orleans Saints L Tampa Bay Buccaneers L Detroit Lions W Minnesota Vikings W Green Bay Packers L Oakland Raiders W Denver Broncos W Philadelphia Eagles L That gets us 9-6. Might be good enough for a playoff spot. I don't mean to knit-pick, but that's 10-6. 9+6 doesn't equal 16. I think the Bears could easily win 11 games again, but this time last year, we all talked about how tough it would be to have a good season. It's hard to say; teams improve a lot from year to year. Did anyone think the Bears would lose to Seattle in Chicago, or beat Minnesota twice, or beat the Cowboys in Dallas, or score 38 on the Jets? I highly doubt it. Conservatively, I'd say 10-6/11-5. Possibly better, depending on the improvement of the interior-DL and the whole OL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Thank you for correcting my math! yes, 10-6... Should be a playoff team. Some teams on the schedule will be worse than expected, others will be better. It should even itself out to some degree barring the truly unusual. I don't mean to knit-pick, but that's 10-6. 9+6 doesn't equal 16. I think the Bears could easily win 11 games again, but this time last year, we all talked about how tough it would be to have a good season. It's hard to say; teams improve a lot from year to year. Did anyone think the Bears would lose to Seattle in Chicago, or beat Minnesota twice, or beat the Cowboys in Dallas, or score 38 on the Jets? I highly doubt it. Conservatively, I'd say 10-6/11-5. Possibly better, depending on the improvement of the interior-DL and the whole OL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chwtom Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 HOME Atlanta Falcons L They have a better qb, line, wr, coach and gm than us Carolina Panthers W SeattleSeahawks W Kansas City Chiefs W i think we'll split this game and the next one San Diego Chargers L Detroit Lions L but for the Calbin Johnson call they beat us last year and their young team is a year better. Green Bay Packers L they are just better than us, period. Minnesota Vikings W AWAY New Orleans Saints L Tampa Bay Buccaneers L Detroit Lions W Minnesota Vikings W Green Bay Packers L Oakland Raiders W Denver Broncos W Philadelphia Eagles L Realistically, I see us as 8-8 plus or minus a win, unless they strike gold in free agency and the draft. That's probably about how good we were last year, we were just one of the most fortunate teams in football when it came to our health, our opponents injuries, some crucial calls, and the way the schedule played out. There's no way we win this division again. Green Bay and Detroit keep getting better, and we keep getting older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hochuli 3:16 Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 HOME Atlanta Falcons L They have a better qb, line, wr, coach and gm than us Carolina Panthers W SeattleSeahawks W Kansas City Chiefs W i think we'll split this game and the next one San Diego Chargers L Detroit Lions L but for the Calbin Johnson call they beat us last year and their young team is a year better. Green Bay Packers L they are just better than us, period. Minnesota Vikings W AWAY New Orleans Saints L Tampa Bay Buccaneers L Detroit Lions W Minnesota Vikings W Green Bay Packers L Oakland Raiders W Denver Broncos W Philadelphia Eagles L Realistically, I see us as 8-8 plus or minus a win, unless they strike gold in free agency and the draft. That's probably about how good we were last year, we were just one of the most fortunate teams in football when it came to our health, our opponents injuries, some crucial calls, and the way the schedule played out. There's no way we win this division again. Green Bay and Detroit keep getting better, and we keep getting older. Of course, this is assuming Detroit actually improves again. They have no secondary whatsoever. If I asked you to name me 2 of their DB's, you wouldn't be able to do it. Hell, I can't even do it right now off of the top of my head. Detroit also has no OL, which has been the reason Matthew Stafford (aka- glass doll) gets hurt every year. While the Bears have no OL either, Chicago's QB is either tougher or luckier. The Lions have nothing besides C.Johnson. Brandon Pettigrew might be a good player in a year or 2, but right now, he seems to have no confidence, and when he does catch the ball, he fumbles. I think a lot of people on this board overestimate the Lions. Jahvid Best is a good player, but going all the way back to his college years, he's injury prone. Stafford is hurt A LOT annually, and their secondary is terrible. Until they actually win 9-11 games annually, I won't consider them to be a threat. At the same time, the Bears don't get enough credit on this board. With practically not 1 NFL-starting caliber OL last year and 2 more quarters of their starting QB, they were 8 points away from going to the Super Bowl. Their defense drastically improved last year, also. I'd be shocked if the Bears weren't playing into mid-January or later again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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