Bears @ Eagles, 11/7/11

[Bears4Ever_34]

Your original statement sure made it sound like you believed that. Considering this is the first game the Bears' OL put it all together and actually gave Cutler consistent time to throw, I wouldn't say it's time to put the OL on the back burner in favor of a WR just because the Bears' WRs have had some dropsies. No doubt the OL and WR are the tops needs, but I'd like to see the OL have more than one game in a row in which they are consistently good. Until then, the OL, by nearly all accounts, is a greater need.

 

After all, look at how good the team's offense is when the OL actually plays well...like last night. Even with the WR inconsistencies, the offense looked good. The reason why? Consistent OL. One game. We've got a ton of games to use as imperical data on poor offensive performances with a bad OL. Let's have a few games in a row where the OL actually grades out better than Forrest Gump in AP Calculus before we start declaring WR the #1 position of need.

Well.. you're not making the right observations because the line has played well since the Vikings game (Only 3 sacks in the last 3 games), but I'm done arguing over this. I brought up everything I had to say about it a few weeks ago with some clear and concise observations, and until I stand corrected, it's never been more clear than it was last night that a #1 WR could make this offense actually kind of scary, especially if the line continues to play like it has the last 3 weeks. Oh and the Bears as a team are among the leaders in dropped passes, so it's not like this is a new trend. It's been going on the whole season if you haven't noticed.

[jason]

Well.. you're not making the right observations because the line has played well since the Vikings game (Only 3 sacks in the last 3 games), but I'm done arguing over this. I brought up everything I had to say about it a few weeks ago with some clear and concise observations, and until I stand corrected, it's never been more clear than it was last night that a #1 WR could make this offense actually kind of scary, especially if the line continues to play like it has the last 3 weeks. Oh and the Bears as a team are among the leaders in dropped passes, so it's not like this is a new trend. It's been going on the whole season if you haven't noticed.

And we'll just agree to disagree. Just because the sack numbers are down doesn't mean Cutler has been getting a great pocket to sit in, or that Forte has been getting massive holes to run through the entire season. The OL has no doubt gotten better since the beginning of the season, but they still aren't great. And it's going to take more than one game for this to change. They are still top ten in sacks given up, and still in the lower part of the league in QB hits and hurries.

 

As for WR, I've agreed throughout the season that a WR with reliable hands is a mandatory part of this offense, and sorely needed. Especially missing during Bennet's absence.

 

But funny you should mention the OL's improvement over the last few weeks. Consider the following as further proof that as the OL goes the Offense goes:

 

 

 

WEEKS	1-4	5-8
AVG SCORE	23.5	26.5
AVG TOTAL YDS	307.75	375.75
AVG PASS YDS	211.5	230.25
AVG RUSH YDS	96.25	145.5

 

And yet the team is still below league average in nearly every single offensive category and advanced metric. If the OL keeps their improvement going and steadily gets better throughout the season, then a WR in the first round makes complete sense. If, however, they don't continue their improvement, and the Bears are faced with a first round decision between premiere OL talent and premiere WR talent, then they should still lean towards the former.