This Team...

[Mongo3451]

Guys, I gotta say it. I love this team. I've been meaning to post this for a few weeks, but finally have the time.

 

Our Offense continues to do what it needs to do in order to be successful. It is still learning Tice's system, as he is learning to be an offensive coordinator. Cutler is managing games very well and keeping enough drives alive for us to dominate in "Time of Possession". Sky is the limit for this unit if the OL holds up and key players stay off the IR.

 

Special Teams is solid as usual. We have not experienced the spectacular, as we are accustomed to, but this unit rarely lets us down.

 

Defense is the difference maker for this team. This IS the best defense in the NFL. For the first in Lovie's tenure as Bears coach, he has the defense that he's invisioned. Pressure from the front four is the key to his D and we are finally getting it. We have blasted Lovie and management for investing so highly in this with disregard for other areas, but it has paid off. This is the way to beat the Packers!

 

Anyway, this team "barring injury" is a legitimate contender. This IS the best team we've had since about 1987.

[jason]

Guys, I gotta say it. I love this team. I've been meaning to post this for a few weeks, but finally have the time.

 

Our Offense continues to do what it needs to do in order to be successful. It is still learning Tice's system, as he is learning to be an offensive coordinator. Cutler is managing games very well and keeping enough drives alive for us to dominate in "Time of Possession". Sky is the limit for this unit if the OL holds up and key players stay off the IR.

 

Special Teams is solid as usual. We have not experienced the spectacular, as we are accustomed to, but this unit rarely lets us down.

 

Defense is the difference maker for this team. This IS the best defense in the NFL. For the first in Lovie's tenure as Bears coach, he has the defense that he's invisioned. Pressure from the front four is the key to his D and we are finally getting it. We have blasted Lovie and management for investing so highly in this with disregard for other areas, but it has paid off. This is the way to beat the Packers!

 

Anyway, this team "barring injury" is a legitimate contender. This IS the best team we've had since about 1987.

 

Just about everything you said is true, but in terms of like/love, or whatever scale you want to use, I'm not as enthused. I love the wins, and I love the end result, but there is still a lot to be desired. Fortune is shining on the Bears right now, but a game where the Bears don't get those turnovers is very different. It's the entire problem with Lovie's "bend but don't break"-defense. When it works, it produces - for the most part - wins that should be a lot more lopsided than they are. This year has been the anomaly, with multiple blowouts. But when it doesn't work, we get to watch the opposing QB dink-and-dunk his way down the field with impunity. Last night's game felt more like a 30-7 game than what it was, and that's the major problem. Particularly when they go into prevent the majority of the fourth quarter and just let Stafford freely toss the ball down the field. He had somewhere around 150 yards on the final two drives, all because the Lovie Smith defensive philosophy at that point is to give up the field and hope for a turnover. It makes little sense since the previous three quarters yielded nearly nothing for the Lions. Three red-zone turnovers is VERY uncommon. And one of them was an inch or so from being a touchdown.

 

If the history of the NFL is any indication, the Bears will not continue to get crazy turnover numbers like they have been getting. What then? Do they win with their stellar 296 yards of total offense? Or what if they put up those same numbers against a team that actually has a solid, balanced offense? I get uneasy because this is almost exactly how everyone was feeling during the Super Bowl year, despite many of the pessimists continually pointing to the flaws in the Bears' philosophy. And Peyton Manning picked the defense apart for the win. I sure hope it doesn't happen again.

 

But, back to the point of your original post...I was much more pleased with the previous win, a complete dismantling of the Jaguars.

[dawhizz]

I was also underwhelmed. The offense was largely a mess against a pretty poor defense. With all the injuries to the Lions secondary, it's shocking that Cutler didn't have a completion more than 23 yards. I was shocked to see Forte close to 100 yards for the game, because I wasn't real impressed with the run game when I was watching. That's a game you have to put away and it seems like we just waited for the Lions to mess up (which they did) instead of taking charge. That kind of performance won't work against most teams.

[Connorbear]

I was also underwhelmed. The offense was largely a mess against a pretty poor defense. With all the injuries to the Lions secondary, it's shocking that Cutler didn't have a completion more than 23 yards. I was shocked to see Forte close to 100 yards for the game, because I wasn't real impressed with the run game when I was watching. That's a game you have to put away and it seems like we just waited for the Lions to mess up (which they did) instead of taking charge. That kind of performance won't work against most teams.

The ineffectiveness of the offense in the 2nd half was largely do to Cutler's injury. I give him props for going on the field but you could tell he was hurt. Tice should have pulled him for Campbell.

 

Peace

[madlithuanian]

Agreed. But no complaints that Cutty stuck it out. It showed character.

 

A couple points...

 

1. I think the Suh hit was not illegal. Although, that kind of sack coming from a guy with that history makes me give him less benefit of the doubt. The only really bad part I saw was the driving of the helmet into the turf with the forearm.

2. The D was spectacular. We stopped megatron cold. Tillman is a man. Mass kudos! Sure, we gave up a gimme in the prevent crap we all hate. But, that Lions team has it in them to light it up. We barely even let them strike the match.

3. The O was off after Cutler's hit. We never really bounced back. But Tice leaned on the run a lot more. I like that. it wasn't as successful, but it was successful enough.

4. We have to stop the dumb offensive line penalties. Garza? WTF!? You should do better!

5. Carimi is still a rookie. He makes the dumb mistake every now and then. Overall, he seems like he'll be a good player. Not epic, but good. But, he;ll make more mistakes until he really gets the game.

 

I love the team. There is so much to like. I don't think we class up against NYG right now...but we have over a 1/2 a season to better ourselves. Our upside is silly. Keep it up Bears!

 

 

 

 

The ineffectiveness of the offense in the 2nd half was largely do to Cutler's injury. I give him props for going on the field but you could tell he was hurt. Tice should have pulled him for Campbell.

 

Peace

 

[Bears4Ever_34]

Agreed. But no complaints that Cutty stuck it out. It showed character.

 

A couple points...

 

1. I think the Suh hit was not illegal. Although, that kind of sack coming from a guy with that history makes me give him less benefit of the doubt. The only really bad part I saw was the driving of the helmet into the turf with the forearm.

2. The D was spectacular. We stopped megatron cold. Tillman is a man. Mass kudos! Sure, we gave up a gimme in the prevent crap we all hate. But, that Lions team has it in them to light it up. We barely even let them strike the match.

3. The O was off after Cutler's hit. We never really bounced back. But Tice leaned on the run a lot more. I like that. it wasn't as successful, but it was successful enough.

4. We have to stop the dumb offensive line penalties. Garza? WTF!? You should do better!

5. Carimi is still a rookie. He makes the dumb mistake every now and then. Overall, he seems like he'll be a good player. Not epic, but good. But, he;ll make more mistakes until he really gets the game.

 

I love the team. There is so much to like. I don't think we class up against NYG right now...but we have over a 1/2 a season to better ourselves. Our upside is silly. Keep it up Bears!

 

My thoughts on the Suh hit:

 

I would agree that the takedown itself was not dirty. However the leg whip was unnecessary. When a guy like Suh is making these plays, forgive me if I can't look past his already extensive history of dirty/illegal cheap shots he's had over the years on quarterbacks. If that leg whip had landed properly it could have buckled Cutler's knee pretty bad and we'd be having a much different discussion... So I don't have a problem with the amount of force he used to take down the quarterback, that's perfectly within his limits, however I do believe his intentions were to hurt Cutler.

 

- The defense is clearly playing on another level right now. By far the best defense in the NFL. Everybody else belongs in a different stratosphere. I think it's fair though to question whether or not this level of play can hold up, given the age and attrition on that side of the ball.

 

- The offense is a work in progress, but it's progressing slower than I ever anticipated. Earl Bennett just seems off this year, I don't know what it is. He doesn't seem like himself. He's not "going to the football" on Cutler's passes. He had another one last night where he could he come back to the ball for a catch, and didn't, and it almost ended up being picked off at the goal line. The running game is a bit hot/cold to start off the year. We haven't really had that one big game yet on the ground. We started off breaking off big runs on the Lions, but squandered a little bit in the 2nd half. Tice has been so/so as a play caller. It's definitely a work in progress for him, seeing as though he's never done this before.

 

- As for Carimi, I do fear he might suck, but as I do with all rookies, you have to give them at least a full year and a half before you can make any sort of declarative statements about the prospects of his future. Right now he is sucking. That's a fact. I don't know whether or not he will suck in the future, but at this point in time, he definitely kinda sorta sucks. He's a penalty waiting to happen and hasn't been able to hold up very well in pass protection. I know his forte is suppose to be in run blocking, which is why he's not on the left side, but he definitely needs improvement in protecting the quarterback. At best he's been inconsistent.

[Mongo3451]

- As for Carimi, I do fear he might suck, but as I do with all rookies, you have to give them at least a full year and a half before you can make any sort of declarative statements about the prospects of his future. Right now he is sucking. That's a fact. I don't know whether or not he will suck in the future, but at this point in time, he definitely kinda sorta sucks. He's a penalty waiting to happen and hasn't been able to hold up very well in pass protection. I know his forte is suppose to be in run blocking, which is why he's not on the left side, but he definitely needs improvement in protecting the quarterback. At best he's been inconsistent.

Agreed on Carimi. I'm thinking his issue is related to the recovery from knee surgery. He looks like he's about 20 pounds light. With that weight, he's lost a little power and a lot of leverage. That's where you see the inneffectiveness in pass protection. If his knee holds up, I look for him to be vastly improved next season.

[Mongo3451]

I was also underwhelmed. The offense was largely a mess against a pretty poor defense. With all the injuries to the Lions secondary, it's shocking that Cutler didn't have a completion more than 23 yards. I was shocked to see Forte close to 100 yards for the game, because I wasn't real impressed with the run game when I was watching. That's a game you have to put away and it seems like we just waited for the Lions to mess up (which they did) instead of taking charge. That kind of performance won't work against most teams.

I was mainly talking season so far and how I see things rounding out. The offense is still figuring it out, while the D dominates. Since our front four pressure is so good, I don't see that changing.

[Daventry]

I certainly wouldn't say I don't like the team, they are obviously winning and looking good for the most part. However, I share some of the views of other posters regarding some ambivalence in relation to some aspects of the team, such as:

 

1) Defensive Scheme: Maybe I am way too much of an old-timer, but for me the aggressive 46 type defence is the only defence that fits Chicago. I have never liked zone/bend don't break defences, both in terms of watching them play or the results of their use, and can never fully enjoy the D when we are using this type of scheme. That being said, we obviously have some great guys playing on D.

 

2) I am not sold on Cutler at all, no question he has the talent to be a great one but I still question the mind part of the equation. I totally dislike the image that he provides for the Bears.

 

3) The O line does not appear to be solid at all yet and only time will tell if they can be good enough to get us to the big games.

 

 

[adam]

I certainly wouldn't say I don't like the team, they are obviously winning and looking good for the most part. However, I share some of the views of other posters regarding some ambivalence in relation to some aspects of the team, such as:

 

1) Defensive Scheme: Maybe I am way too much of an old-timer, but for me the aggressive 46 type defence is the only defence that fits Chicago. I have never liked zone/bend don't break defences, both in terms of watching them play or the results of their use, and can never fully enjoy the D when we are using this type of scheme. That being said, we obviously have some great guys playing on D.

 

2) I am not sold on Cutler at all, no question he has the talent to be a great one but I still question the mind part of the equation. I totally dislike the image that he provides for the Bears.

 

3) The O line does not appear to be solid at all yet and only time will tell if they can be good enough to get us to the big games.

1. The 46 was moth balled because it became ineffective against the West Coast offense. The Bears scheme is fine, it actually works to the strengths of many players. The only thing I don't like is when we drop the Safeties deeper late in the game into more of a prevent Cover-2. That is when we get soft. Otherwise, we really challenge the offense to play almost perfect to score.

 

2. I am sold on Cutler. Just look at what he has had in terms of WR's since joining the Bears. Marshall is the first elite talent at that position. He also has dealt with numerous OC's and schemes, and a pretty weak offensive line. It is hard to compare him with other QB's unless you put them on the Bears. A great indication of his value was the Bears record (1-5) after he got injured last year. His record alone, especially in the last two years (12-4) speaks volumes about his value to this team. Also, if you notice, he is not taking the same risks as he was previously. This is a good sign.

 

3. They are still a work in progress, but most teams have trouble with the Lions front-4. We just need to cut down on the penalties from the O-Line, that would help a lot.

[GrizzlyBear]

1. The 46 was moth balled because it became ineffective against the West Coast offense. The Bears scheme is fine, it actually works to the strengths of many players. The only thing I don't like is when we drop the Safeties deeper late in the game into more of a prevent Cover-2. That is when we get soft. Otherwise, we really challenge the offense to play almost perfect to score.

 

2. I am sold on Cutler. Just look at what he has had in terms of WR's since joining the Bears. Marshall is the first elite talent at that position. He also has dealt with numerous OC's and schemes, and a pretty weak offensive line. It is hard to compare him with other QB's unless you put them on the Bears. A great indication of his value was the Bears record (1-5) after he got injured last year. His record alone, especially in the last two years (12-4) speaks volumes about his value to this team. Also, if you notice, he is not taking the same risks as he was previously. This is a good sign.

 

3. They are still a work in progress, but most teams have trouble with the Lions front-4. We just need to cut down on the penalties from the O-Line, that would help a lot.

 

Totaly agree with your Cutler assesment. His value is not recognized at all and thats because of demeanor issues. The media loves to put out that bad boy image or better yet sour grapes image. Cutler is a definate elite talent with a attitude to match his talent.

 

As far as Carimi goes Iam of the mindset he still growing into the offensive. I remember Paces first year and it was not a stellar outing with him either. He showed flashes but not really anything outstanding. Carimi by far is no pace, but my point is most OL take at least a year of snaps to get the thinking out of the game. Second nature will come, and I fell his worth will be there for many years.

[lemonej]

!. Bears scored on the first drive. Positive

 

2. Tilllman held Megatron to 3 catches that didn't matter.Positive

 

3. The defense again forced several turnovers.Positive

 

4.The Bears won another Mon Nite game. Positive

 

5. !72 yards rushing.Positive

 

6. Aside from Carimi's struggles the OL played decent. Positive

 

Over the years (Since '66) I have learned to look at the single games as my salvation for the week. To everyone who posted something you didn't like in this thread,it seems like you are trying to find something to complain about. Lets enjoy the wins. Haven't all of you seen some of the injuries that have happened to other teams in the league? The Bears have been enjoying some good health this season and I'm keeping my fingers crossed because my vision is Super Bowl and with the national media and some of their fans the Bears are in a good frame of mind because they can use Lovie's favorite refrain " No one respects us."

 

The only negative I take from the game is when Cutler was slammed to the turf with what I feel was a questionable tackle, Stafford wasn't taken down with a "legal hit".

[selection7]

Over the years (Since '66) I have learned to look at the single games as my salvation for the week. To everyone who posted something you didn't like in this thread,it seems like you are trying to find something to complain about.

 

The only negative I take from the game is when Cutler was slammed to the turf with what I feel was a questionable tackle, Stafford wasn't taken down with a "legal hit".

I think some people are just taking the analyst's perspective, but I ultimately agree that if you can't enjoy the wins you're wasting your time.

 

As for that sack, I was definitely wondering if Suh didn't drive his full body weight into Cutler, which isn't legal, but I thought maybe the refs cut him some slack, thinking that the awkwardness of the tackle caused it to turn out the way it did rather than Suh doing something intentionally.

[lemonej]

I think some people are just taking the analyst's perspective, but I ultimately agree that if you can't enjoy the wins you're wasting your time.

 

As for that sack, I was definitely wondering if Suh didn't drive his full body weight into Cutler, which isn't legal, but I thought maybe the refs cut him some slack, thinking that the awkwardness of the tackle caused it to turn out the way it did rather than Suh doing something intentionally.

I'm going along with Marshall's observation that Suh had to use what looked like a leg sweep to get Cutler down before he drove him into the turf.

[Daventry]

1. The 46 was moth balled because it became ineffective against the West Coast offense. The Bears scheme is fine, it actually works to the strengths of many players. The only thing I don't like is when we drop the Safeties deeper late in the game into more of a prevent Cover-2. That is when we get soft. Otherwise, we really challenge the offense to play almost perfect to score.

 

2. I am sold on Cutler. Just look at what he has had in terms of WR's since joining the Bears. Marshall is the first elite talent at that position. He also has dealt with numerous OC's and schemes, and a pretty weak offensive line. It is hard to compare him with other QB's unless you put them on the Bears. A great indication of his value was the Bears record (1-5) after he got injured last year. His record alone, especially in the last two years (12-4) speaks volumes about his value to this team. Also, if you notice, he is not taking the same risks as he was previously. This is a good sign.

 

3. They are still a work in progress, but most teams have trouble with the Lions front-4. We just need to cut down on the penalties from the O-Line, that would help a lot.

 

 

1) There are still many teams running much more aggressive defences than we do, I would like a more aggressive defence regardless of what you call it. Lovie put his defence in when he came and his emphasis has always seemed to be fitting the players to the system, not vice versa.

 

2. We will see about Cutler, I hope you are right.

 

3. Agreed, hope they continue to jell and improve. Emery seems to be a great addition.

[Mongo3451]

1) There are still many teams running much more aggressive defences than we do, I would like a more aggressive defence regardless of what you call it. Lovie put his defence in when he came and his emphasis has always seemed to be fitting the players to the system, not vice versa.

 

Players have been drafted as "fits" for his system for 10 years now. Not sure what you are saying.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

I can't believe the things I'm reading here about the defense and Cutler.

 

1. Defense: You hate it? It's not really bend-don't-break anymore. It used to be a defense that would give up a lot of yards but would eventually take the ball away. This year, they're 6th in the NFL in terms of yards given up. They're taking the ball away. They're hitting the QB. Their CB's are playing amazing. It's a dominant defense right now.

 

2. Cutler: He's 24-9 in his last 33 starts with the Bears. He's never really had any elite o-line men or WR's (until Marshall this year). His 2nd best WR is hurt at the moment (Jeffery) and his favorite target (Bennett) was out against the Cowboys and Jaguars. As someone else mentioned, he's also had to deal with a lot of offensive coaching turnover and thus scheme turnover. In terms of his attitude, it's getting better. He's doing a weekly radio show. He laughs more in press conferences. He's always done charity work. If anyone here thinks ANY other quarterback could've done what Cutler has since 2010 with what he's had to cope with, you're wrong, and I mean ANY quarterback.

[Daventry]

Players have been drafted as "fits" for his system for 10 years now. Not sure what you are saying.

 

 

Darn, has Lovie been the coach that long? Time flies....

 

You are right, of course, that being the case.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the defence, guess I just cannot forget the excitement of watching some of those eighties defences and seeing some modern teams employ less of a zone type defence and doing well.