It's early

[jason]

For the last couple years there has been a split on this board about what the Bears offense needed. One side said big WR, the other side said OL.

 

Well, I know it's early, and this may be a bit premature, but I believe the question appears to have been answered.

 

The Bears have the WR talent that some were alredy saying was potentially one of the best in the league. Most would say the WR talent is top ten. What did top ten WR talent and franchise QB do yesterday with horrible OL play?

 

It doesn't matter how many toys you give Jay Cutler if you can't protect him. This is true for any QB, but it's particularly true with Cutler.

[madlithuanian]

Not sure there's really been a split. I think most folks agreed it was both. And I don't think anyone here was happy that we didn't address OL in the offseason. I think some hoped it would work OK, like myself.

 

Also, let's not forget that the play calling helped no one. It was one of the worst called games in recent memory. Where were the rollouts? Where were the quick passes? Where were the runs? All those things slow down a pass rush.

 

But, with all that said, by all means are you you correct that OL is the big issue. Especially when it comes to beating good teams. I think we can shine the $hit well nough against bad or fair teams. But good teams kill us on the OL.

 

We need OL and we need it now. Hopefully, we draft something next season... It may depend if Smith still has a stanglehold on the organization and demands a LB.

 

 

 

For the last couple years there has been a split on this board about what the Bears offense needed. One side said big WR, the other side said OL.

 

Well, I know it's early, and this may be a bit premature, but I believe the question appears to have been answered.

 

The Bears have the WR talent that some were alredy saying was potentially one of the best in the league. Most would say the WR talent is top ten. What did top ten WR talent and franchise QB do yesterday with horrible OL play?

 

It doesn't matter how many toys you give Jay Cutler if you can't protect him. This is true for any QB, but it's particularly true with Cutler.

 

[ChileBear]

For the last couple years there has been a split on this board about what the Bears offense needed. One side said big WR, the other side said OL.

 

Well, I know it's early, and this may be a bit premature, but I believe the question appears to have been answered.

 

The Bears have the WR talent that some were alredy saying was potentially one of the best in the league. Most would say the WR talent is top ten. What did top ten WR talent and franchise QB do yesterday with horrible OL play?

 

It doesn't matter how many toys you give Jay Cutler if you can't protect him. This is true for any QB, but it's particularly true with Cutler.

Tice now gets to earn his keep, and possibly a head coaching shot. Fix this OL mess.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

For the last couple years there has been a split on this board about what the Bears offense needed. One side said big WR, the other side said OL.

 

Well, I know it's early, and this may be a bit premature, but I believe the question appears to have been answered.

 

The Bears have the WR talent that some were alredy saying was potentially one of the best in the league. Most would say the WR talent is top ten. What did top ten WR talent and franchise QB do yesterday with horrible OL play?

 

It doesn't matter how many toys you give Jay Cutler if you can't protect him. This is true for any QB, but it's particularly true with Cutler.

Personally I think it is far too early to say that. In week 1 the Bears put up the 5th most yardage ever by a Lovie Smith coached team. Week 2 was a disaster, but I'm not ready to make that statement. I think Marshall was the bigger need. That wasn't to say we didn't have a need on the o-line. And I still think this isn't the worse o-line in football. It definitely isn't one of the 10 best either though and the goal should be to get it to that spot.

[Bears4Ever_34]

The thread title is my answer here. It's way too early to be making any kind of declarations. It's week 2 of the season. Week 2 of last year it was a similar story. I can promise you this offense will not be held to 168 yards of total offense in every game the rest of the way. We will get things turned around and be one of the top scoring offenses in the NFL this year.

[Mongo3451]

I think it's been split with the exception of you me and a couple of others.

 

I understand your process and agree with it. I wrote a long post titled "Fix the OL First..." about 5 years ago. The premise was if you solidify the OL, then you will know what you have at skill positions. If you fix the skills positions and NOT the OL, they don't have the ability to perform based on time constraints. That in turn tightens the box and shrinks the field.

 

If you have an OL that can establish the run or pass(it really doesn't really matter which one), then you can get a defense on it's heels and do what you want with them.

[balta1701-A]

It doesn't absolve them...but no offensive line was going to perform well with that game plan.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

It doesn't absolve them...but no offensive line was going to perform well with that game plan.

 

Jason, ive been with you on this for for what seems like almost a decade. When the board was about bashing Grossman and Benson, I defended them pointing out the horrid play of the line. Not that I wanted this team to keep those two, but good teams dont draft high qbs and rbs and not build around them. Angelo bought some time with fa's, but failed to replenish there. Point is, if we were stock piled with great linemen starting then, we would be in position to star drafting replacements for Urlacher/Tillman etc. We are behind the curve by two years it seems and to try and catch up, we have to trade our high draft picks. Lets hope a good gm can get this fixed.

[fudgeripple2000]

I can tell you why Webb laughed after Cutler pushed him. He laughed because he knows that Cutler doesn't get it. You don't call out your linemen. I was an offensive linemen and our quarterback barked at us once. The next play he got sacked again. And that was the last time that happened. Inferring that the linemen don't take it seriously is preposterous. When he yelled at Garza for not getting him the ball did he see what garza was doing? He was setting up assignments for the play. It isn't garza's fault how long it takes to get the play in and get it called. I am not apologizing for the line but there is plenty of guilt to go around. Forte should never turn his body like he did. Tice should be calling plays (screens, short middle crossing routes) to slow that pass rush down. Marshall should catch the ball.

 

As my kids went to bed pissed that the bears looked so bad I gave them one piece of hope. I told them, sometimes a loss can be almost as good as a win. Because hopefully the bears can react to this loss as the packers reacted to theirs. I would love to be facing the lions next instead of the rams.

[madlithuanian]

I generally do agree. However, if I hadn't seen such poor play and mental errors from Webb before, I'd cut him more slack. Given what I heard of his off-season training...I do have questions about his desire. Garza pulled the same thing last week. It's OK once. But again?

 

However, Cutler deserves all the flack he's getting. Sure, it it were Brady, it's just be, "What a competitor!" But given Cutler's history, he should know how his reactions will play.

 

 

 

I can tell you why Webb laughed after Cutler pushed him. He laughed because he knows that Cutler doesn't get it. You don't call out your linemen. I was an offensive linemen and our quarterback barked at us once. The next play he got sacked again. And that was the last time that happened. Inferring that the linemen don't take it seriously is preposterous. When he yelled at Garza for not getting him the ball did he see what garza was doing? He was setting up assignments for the play. It isn't garza's fault how long it takes to get the play in and get it called. I am not apologizing for the line but there is plenty of guilt to go around. Forte should never turn his body like he did. Tice should be calling plays (screens, short middle crossing routes) to slow that pass rush down. Marshall should catch the ball.

 

As my kids went to bed pissed that the bears looked so bad I gave them one piece of hope. I told them, sometimes a loss can be almost as good as a win. Because hopefully the bears can react to this loss as the packers reacted to theirs. I would love to be facing the lions next instead of the rams.

 

[jason]

I think it's been split with the exception of you me and a couple of others.

 

I understand your process and agree with it. I wrote a long post titled "Fix the OL First..." about 5 years ago. The premise was if you solidify the OL, then you will know what you have at skill positions. If you fix the skills positions and NOT the OL, they don't have the ability to perform based on time constraints. That in turn tightens the box and shrinks the field.

 

If you have an OL that can establish the run or pass(it really doesn't really matter which one), then you can get a defense on it's heels and do what you want with them.

 

Precisely.

 

Fix WR before OL, and you never really know what the WRs can do.

Fix OL before WR, and you can properly analyze the abilities of the WRs because they have time to go through their routes.

[madlithuanian]

But let's be honest...our WR's were not good. Adding Marshall and Jeffery were good moves. You can argue that they should have been for OL's. But we were needing both spots. Maybe Emery is simply looking long term. Knowing he has to fix both, and knowing that the WR's can be had now, and the crop of young OL can be had next year. he made his choice. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit...or just rationalizing.

 

But we were lacking both. The needs for the next few years are OL, LB and secondary. I'd like to see all those addressed in the next 2 drafts with OL addressed in both.

 

Precisely.

 

Fix WR before OL, and you never really know what the WRs can do.

Fix OL before WR, and you can properly analyze the abilities of the WRs because they have time to go through their routes.

 

[jason]

But let's be honest...our WR's were not good. Adding Marshall and Jeffery were good moves. You can argue that they should have been for OL's. But we were needing both spots. Maybe Emery is simply looking long term. Knowing he has to fix both, and knowing that the WR's can be had now, and the crop of young OL can be had next year. he made his choice. Maybe I'm giving him too much credit...or just rationalizing.

 

But we were lacking both. The needs for the next few years are OL, LB and secondary. I'd like to see all those addressed in the next 2 drafts with OL addressed in both.

 

That's what we thought for about the last 5 years.

 

There is no doubt Marshall and Jeffery were upgrades, and I'm happy the Bears have them, but the fact remains that as long as the OL sucks, the Bears never really know what they have with their WRs. The WRs could possibly have done much better, developed much more, but we just don't know because they were never given time to actually run a successful, professional, passing offense. They probably weren't great, but we'll never know. Muhsin Muhammed was right, "Chicago is where receivers go do die."

[madlithuanian]

True enough...

 

Actually, given our lack of any championships for 25+ years...it's where any position comes to die.

 

 

 

That's what we thought for about the last 5 years.

 

There is no doubt Marshall and Jeffery were upgrades, and I'm happy the Bears have them, but the fact remains that as long as the OL sucks, the Bears never really know what they have with their WRs. The WRs could possibly have done much better, developed much more, but we just don't know because they were never given time to actually run a successful, professional, passing offense. They probably weren't great, but we'll never know. Muhsin Muhammed was right, "Chicago is where receivers go do die."

 

[Mongo3451]

I can tell you why Webb laughed after Cutler pushed him. He laughed because he knows that Cutler doesn't get it. You don't call out your linemen. I was an offensive linemen and our quarterback barked at us once. The next play he got sacked again. And that was the last time that happened. Inferring that the linemen don't take it seriously is preposterous.

Sorry, but I don't buy this at all. When my QB got in someones ass, no one thought it was funny. Cutler has every right to chew ass whether it be in the huddle or the sideline. QB is the undisputed leader of the offense and gets leeway direct his people. Webb laughing actually showed the opposite of what you say. Webb doesn't get it. Why else do you think Tice would specifically call him out by refuseing to say his name? He's trying to help Webb "get it".

 

I don't get the mentality of ever letting your QB get sacked. I hope it was not in a game.

 

As my kids went to bed pissed that the bears looked so bad I gave them one piece of hope. I told them, sometimes a loss can be almost as good as a win. Because hopefully the bears can react to this loss as the packers reacted to theirs. I would love to be facing the lions next instead of the rams.

This, I completely agree with...

[jason]

Sorry, but I don't buy this at all. When my QB got in someones ass, no one thought it was funny. Cutler has every right to chew ass whether it be in the huddle or the sideline. QB is the undisputed leader of the offense and gets leeway direct his people. Webb laughing actually showed the opposite of what you say. Webb doesn't get it. Why else do you think Tice would specifically call him out by refuseing to say his name? He's trying to help Webb "get it".

 

I don't get the mentality of ever letting your QB get sacked. I hope it was not in a game.

 

This, I completely agree with...

 

Agreed. In terms of who doesn't get it, it's has to be Webb. Defining "it" is where things get difficult. There are multiple things Webb doesn't get, whether they be psychological, mental, or physical.

[Wesson44]

Precisely.

 

Fix WR before OL, and you never really know what the WRs can do.

Fix OL before WR, and you can properly analyze the abilities of the WRs because they have time to go through their routes.

 

I agree that we have had a problem with both the WR spot and Oline spots. From my point of view the Bears lack an attitude on the line. Monsters of the Miday...please. Webb, Spencer,Garza, Louis, Carmimi and Williams are all "Nice "guys and dont play with that it factor.When i played high school and college our coaches made us play nasty not dirty. You block to the end. Many times I watch these guys block...when the guy get around them they quit, when the guy falls down they quit this is one reason why Cutler is getting sacked so much they dont finish or play with and attitude rather they just play soft. Knowing you have a great team should push the lights on for you to be the best and make a statement by saying they are not going to touch our QB.They GM fixed the WR spot now he will work on the Line....thats why we signed Scott...its just the begining