dasox24

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 10:25 PM) I think Bush gets cut. Ford probably battles a cheap veteran sign for the back-up RB position. Cutting Bush saves about $1.8 million. Agreed. I also think Wilson is the 3rd WR next year. Cutting Earl Bennett would save about $2.45M. He doesn't do enough to warrant that money. $2.45M could get us a solid veteran on the defensive side of the ball.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 4, 2014 -> 01:11 AM) Does anyone else think that last Clemson int was not a catch? I didn't think he ever really controlled it. I would have liked for it to have at least been reviewed. I don't think it would have been overturned, but it's crazy that they didn't even review a game deciding play. Meanwhile, Ohio St still hasn't beaten a Top 15 team under Urban. Time for OSU to start scheduling some better OOC games.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 2, 2014 -> 10:30 PM) I wouldn't say it had very little to do with it. Did you know who Childish Gambino was in 2009, before Community aired? Community definitely helped his popularity. Mind blown. I had no idea Troy was Childish Gambino. Not sure how I'm just now figuring this out.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 04:39 PM) It's funny that Texas is about 0 for 5 right now while Penn State may have two coaches lined up. I think they might have their guy. Interesting that Briles and Mora both pulled out of consideration at the same time. Could be a coincidence, but it could mean that Texas has their guy lined up.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 04:09 PM) Fanspeak's On the Clock NFL Mock Draft Simulator This is a pretty fun tool. Not sure I'd put too much stock into it right now, but hopefully they'll continue to tweak their simulator picks until it becomes a little more realistic. But definitely fun to mess around with. I ended up with: 1. CJ Mosley 2. Timmy Jernigan 3. Dom Easley 4. Aaron Lynch 5. Victor Hampton I tried to get a Safety, but kept finding better value at other positions. And I wanted a developmental QB, but couldn't make it work. I did end up with ridiculous DL talent, though.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 04:27 PM) It's not impossible - Da'quan Bowers was a mortal lock for a top 3 pick, possibly even #1 overall, and then he fell to the middle of the 2nd round due to injury concerns surrounding his knee and I think hip. If they find medical red flags like that, Clowney could see a similar fate, but I strongly doubt that will happen. Sure. Any major red flags regarding a medical condition could certainly drop Clowney. You could say that about any player, though. Other than the nagging injuries he dealt with in college, there is no reason to assume something major is wrong with him. As long as his health checks out okay, there's no question he'll be a top 5 pick.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) If Clowney drops to 14, there are going to be a lot of teams kicking themselves in a year or 2. Which is why this will never happen. Wait until Clowney's Pro Day or the Combine (whatever he participates in), and when a 275 lb DE runs a sub 4.5 and excels in all the other drills, he'll be a consensus Top 3 pick again.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 04:07 PM) Right now, I think the Bears are extremely far away from an average defense. Farther than they were away from an average offense last year when they spent most of their $20 million in cap space on improving the offense. They don't even have the warm bodies there right now, and the ones they do have are guys like Conte and McClellan. Agree to disagree. I don't think the defense can have as big of a fall from 2012 to 2013 as they did, and still not have some capable players. They went from very good to franchise history worst in one year. I don't see why they can't go from franchise worst to average in another year. This happens all the time in the NFL. Teams go from worst to first every year. In the same way, certain sides of the ball can make major improvement. Add depth at DT, re-sign Wootton and get him back at his proper DE position, sign a couple veteran LBs and DBs for depth. Then draft a few defensive guys, whether it's DL, LB, or DB. All of a sudden, you have some talent and depth again. This won't be the 2005 Bears defense, but it can be solid. They'll still have some weaknesses and holes, but most teams do. It's up to the Defensive Coordinator to cover those deficiencies. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but it's doable.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 03:37 PM) The Bears problem might not be that they can't find tolerable players, the Bears problem could be that their defense needs guys to make a real big splash/big impact, and there might not be a whole lot of those guys available. That means the Bears are going to have to put together their defense almost piecemeal in an environment where there aren't a lot of guys to use up cap space of teams that have it. That's a rough situation and it's going to require Emery to have a whole lot of successful hits on the signings he does make to turn that defense into anything better than what it was last year. I view it differently. I don't think the defense needs guys to come in and make a big splash. They just need solid players who can be dependable. With an average defense, this team is a playoff team. With an above average defense, they're a contender. I think that's very doable. Like I said, we need to wait until cuts are made before free agency (and then again after June 1) to really understand what will be available, but I expect there to be guys who get cut who could be good signings and not break the bank - i.e. DJ Williams last year. Add in a few drafted players, and this defense could certainly be above average again. I don't think they're that far away.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 3, 2014 -> 01:28 PM) This was a depressing list. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1908126...nt-crop/page/13 It's not great, but it's about like it is every year at this time. They're will inevitably be plenty of players cut for cap reasons who could still be solid contributors. Even now, there are some decent players that could help out. I wonder if the Bears would consider De La Puente from the Saints. They're in a tough spot with the cap, and still need to find room to re-sign Jimmy Graham. I could see him re-uniting with Kromer and he'd be an upgrade over Garza.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 2, 2014 -> 10:55 PM) Derrick Henry has another gear Looks to be another great Alabama running back... Shouldn't be too surprising, though. He was a 5-star recruit. That game was fun. Glad to see Bama lose again. Their fans are the worst and deserve losing.

I'm really happy with my Chase Freedom card. Good cash-back rewards and no annual fee. I'm considering getting a Delta SkyMiles Gold card too. I travel a lot for work and we fly exclusively Delta b/c of being in Atlanta, so it would make sense.

Now I really wish MSU hadn't lost to ND this year. I would have really enjoyed seeing what their defense could do vs FSU's offense.

I'm just glad Lovie isn't in the division. Detroit's defense would have been scary with him. And they have enough offensive playmakers for him not to mess it up.

This Wisconsin-SC game has been a lot of fun in the 2nd half. Some great plays by both teams.

Just for fun, this is who Matt Miller has the Bears taking in his way too early mock draft. Miller is a pretty respected dude in the NFL Draft community and another example of Bleacher Report legitimizing their presence. You can follow him on Twitter - @nfldraftscout 1 - CJ Mosley - LB - Alabama 2 - Bradley Roby - CB - Ohio St 3 - Brett Smith - QB - Wyoming 4 - Trevor Reilly - DE - Utah 5 - Anthony Johnson - DT - LSU 6 - Marqueston Huff - FS - Wyoming I must admit: if things played out this way, I'd be ecstatic. I love Mosley. Roby is great value in R2. If the Bears re-sign Cutler and McCown, a 3rd rounder might be a little high for a QB. Still, this would excite me a lot. Smith is a project, but he has serious talent. Adding quality DL depth in R4 and R5 is solid. I don't think Johnson will last 'til the 5th round, but we'll see. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1906095...ections/page/34

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 09:24 PM) Other interesting notes: Forte dead last out of 55 eligible RB in pass blocking. This really surprises me. I know he struggled a lot the last two games, but I didn't feel that Forte was the worst pass blocking RB in football this year. He's generally known for being solid in pass pro.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 05:52 PM) With how Vacarro helped that Saints defense this year, you'd think a good early pick at safety can do wonders for this defense. Earl Thomas made a similar difference for the Seahawks when he was drafted. Great safety play can do wonders for a defense. I know that the same can be said for great d-line play, but I feel that the Bears are a lot further away at Safety than DL which is why I'd love getting Clinton-Dix at #14. But really, BPA on defense should be the way to go. I'm good with upgrading anywhere on defense, but Safety must be addressed through free agency and/or the draft.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 04:51 PM) Its the NFL people. Guys in the 2nd round are drafted to start early. This isn't some league where you can sit and develop in the minors. James Anderson was a vet and he played in a few games with Briggs and struggled mightily. Did you even notice him on Sunday. I'm not saying he's done and won't be good but through year one, he is a big fat F. The guy got a ton of minutes in the preason and training camp too due to DJ's injuries so it isn't like he had limited activity and then got forced into the gig. He was acting as the training camp / preseason starter for pete sakes. I didn't like the Bostic pick at the time since he never stood out to me in college. Thought he was just another guy, and I was concerned that Emery put too much emphasis on his physical attributes instead of focusing on if the guy could play. So far, he's proved to be exactly that - physically impressive but struggles with the mental side of the game. That said, it's too early to call him a bust. Definitely needs to take a huge step this off-season.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 02:15 PM) Stephon Tuitt and Kony Ealy are two DEs I'm sure the Bears will look at. Maybe Ha Ha Clinton-Dix if they really want a safety. If the Bears elect to stay a cover two team then it is unlikely they go CB in the first round. All of this is too early to speculate though because of the combine, interviews, and the senior bowl. This is very true, so it's important to keep in mind while speculating. Plenty of "3rd round guys" right now will end up going in the 1st, and vice-versa. With that said, these are some 1st round names I'd keep on the Bears radar: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix - S - Alabama Khalil Mack - OLB - Buffalo Louis Nix III - DT - Notre Dame CJ Mosley - ILB/OLB - Alabama

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 30, 2013 -> 12:26 PM) The worst was the blown call of the downed punt. It might have been tough to get in real time, but f***ing impossible to miss in slo-mo replay. This. I still don't know how it wasn't overturned. I'd appreciate an explanation from the league, but there's no way that will ever happen.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 29, 2013 -> 10:05 PM) The Bears led the NFL is games missed by players who started on defense in week one. That also did NOT include the games missed by guys like Henry Melton who missed the entire season on IR. Not enough people realize what this means. I know "next man up" is a favorite phrase in football, but eventually, it doesn't matter who the next man is when you're down to guys who have no business playing major minutes on a NFL defense. It might not be an excuse to have a record-setting worst defense in Bears' history, but it goes a long way in explaining what happened. Between getting healthy, free agent signings, and the draft, I think the defense can be much improved next year.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 29, 2013 -> 08:34 PM) http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/12/29/201...bears-schedule/ The Bears are also scheduled to play all the teams in the AFC East and NFC South. Here are the Bears’ 2014 opponents (dates and times TBD): Home New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers Buffalo Bills Miami Dolphins Philadelphia Eagles OR Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings Away Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers New England Patriots New York Jets San Francisco 49ers Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings Excited about this game. I'll be there.

It wasn't a huge sample size, but I like what I saw from Marquess Wilson today. He made a nice, clutch catch in traffic (on 3rd down, IIRC). But more importantly, I thought he blocked pretty well. He's another tall receiver (albeit different than Marshall/Jeffery) and could be a really nice piece as a 3rd WR if he continues to grow.

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 29, 2013 -> 07:29 PM) Jim Miller said it best - "Jay Cutler didn't play badly. But was it great? No it wasn't." There is a matter of expectations here. Jenks and I are expecting greatness. We traded two first round draft picks for greatness. We've been paying him 10 million dollars per year for greatness. We are apparently considering giving him a 50% raise for greatness. It isn't what we're getting. We're getting the same old inconsistency. Too many possessions just given away by poor throws and decisions. In the game and drive where it mattered most, we came up empty. On non-QB matters, this is something to think about: it wouldn't be difficult to flip into a 3-4 scheme in this offseason. Think about the players under contract/we would want to bring back: all 3 corners (not that all three will come back, but that we would want them all), Briggs under contract, and then you have McClellin and Bostic as key cogs on rookie contracts, and then Ratliff/Wootton as some DL we'd probably like to bring back. All of these guys fit in 3-4. I would love Bostic-Briggs as the ILB. You have McClellin as rushing OLB. Corners are good to go. You need new safeties regardless. Ratliff made his name in the middle of a 3-4 line and Wootton is that perfect mixture of DT/DE to fit as a down lineman in a 3-4. Heck, even our 6th round pick Cornelius Washington would look a lot better as a rushing OLB (look at that guy's combine stats, good gracious). Also, Mel Tucker is a rare breed that has coordinated both 4-3 and 3-4 in the NFL. Our scheme today featured McClellin standing up almost the entire time BTW. With the amount of turnover we expect on D and the personnel that are going to stay, this would be the time to change if Emery and/or Trestman really want to do it. Personally, I hope they don't switch to the 3-4. I've always been a 4-3 guy and much prefer it. But, you are correct there are current pieces that could make the switch less difficult if they wanted to. The biggest thing would be to get a true NT. I still don't see this happening. I'm almost positive they'll revamp and continue to build on the 4-3.