2013-2014 NFL Thread

[2nd_city_saint787]

I tend to agree.

 

Also, I think we need to realize how much of a ripple effect there is in the nfl. It's sort of like a bullpen...you take one guy out and everyone's role changes, not just one guy's.

 

I think we were awful, but I'm not writing off some of these kids yet because they weren't put in a position to succeed; they were pretty much thrown to the wolves and I'd like to see a bit more. We've got so many holes, you're not going to be able to address them all anyways.

 

Yes indeedy. The injuries at DT effected DE because Wootton was forced inside, which also forced SMC to be more of an every down DE, and all that culminated into getting no pressure on the QB which then made the secondaries job harder. SMC is also horrific against the run, and Wootton isn't a DT, thus making it much easier to run on the team.

 

It all really rippled down from the DT position.

[2nd_city_saint787]

Look, aside from Wilson and the OL I don't see anyone getting much better on offense. Jeffrey could (wouldn't that be ridiculous?) but I'm not counting on it. The defense will not be healed in one off season, so it makes sense to make a move for a guy like Thomas who could propel the offense up another level which would in turn make things a little easier on what will be a below-average if not outright bad defense.

 

If you can give Trestman more weapons on the cheap you do it. Aside from Forte we don't have any really dynamic players, I mean the receivers are great don't get me wrong, but they arent dynamic. Thomas can be, you add a guy with his speed and skill set and use him right we've got another guy with enormous big play potential.

 

They scored the 2nd most points in the league, how much better do they need to get? Wilson alone could make them that much more dangerous if he starts working with Marshall and Jeffery.

 

Forte and Thomas would virtually have the same role. Dynamic catching the ball out of the backfield, and good running outside the tackles. I see no need to burn a 3rd round pick on a guy who is as similar to Forte as Thomas is. If you wanna cut Bush for cap purposes and draft a RB, I'd rather get a guy like Tyler Gaffney a little later in the draft. Someone who is gonna be a change of pace, short yardage back.

[Kyyle23]

@RapSheet: Agree. RT @fishsports I don't think Norv Turner has been fired in Cleve yet. New Browns coach might like him. #cowboys will like him more.

 

Norv turner is the cockroach that will never die

[BigSqwert]

The best team in the NFL doesn't relinquish a 17 point lead. The original post was about how SF has been playing like the best team in the NFL since the return of Crabtree.

Dude, they were playing on the road against a very good team and still won. You're grasping at straws because they are the hottest team in football right now, winning 6 straight.

[BigSqwert]

@Percy_Harvin

12's see u in 2 weeks ... It's go time once again

 

And to all the haters who tried to kick when I was down ... Can't express how much fuel u added to my fire ....

 

Edited December 31, 2013 by BigSqwert

[chw42]

Dude, they were playing on the road against a very good team and still won. You're grasping at straws because they are the hottest team in football right now, winning 6 straight.

 

Oh how quickly we forget that the same 49er team nearly lost to Atlanta at home.

 

SF's a really good team, but I don't think they're the best team in the NFL, even with Crabtree.

[BigSqwert]

Oh how quickly we forget that the same 49er team nearly lost to Atlanta at home.

 

SF's a really good team, but I don't think they're the best team in the NFL, even with Crabtree.

 

They are one of about 4 teams I'd put money on to win it all.

[chw42]

They are one of about 4 teams I'd put money on to win it all.

 

That's absolutely fair to say. I still think Seattle (especially since they're gonna play home games) and Denver are much better bets to win it.

[pettie4sox]

Falling asleep on Belichick again?

[BigSqwert]

Falling asleep on Belichick again?

Only way they get in is if Denver loses their first game somehow.

[iamshack]

The Bears didn't just lose 1 guy back there. They lost 8-9 at points of the season.

That's kind of what I meant to say, but never got that far

[iamshack]

@RapSheet: Agree. RT @fishsports I don't think Norv Turner has been fired in Cleve yet. New Browns coach might like him. #cowboys will like him more.

 

Norv turner is the cockroach that will never die

I still think Norv is a really bright offensive mind.

 

 

[witesoxfan]

Only way they get in is if Denver loses their first game somehow.

 

Even though they beat Denver this year?

[BigSqwert]

Even though they beat Denver this year?

Unlikely they'd do that in Denver.

[Rowand44]

The Patriots offense kind of sucks with out Gronk.

[chw42]

The Patriots offense kind of sucks with out Gronk.

 

And their defense is nothing to write home about.

[Kyyle23]

I still think Norv is a really bright offensive mind.

 

He is, the problem is he keeps getting head coach gigs

[Jake]

 

 

The unnecessary roughness call was fine. If you think that you can just pile on a QB after the play is over, in this modern NFL, you haven't been paying attention.

 

The NFL protects QB's to the max and I am fine with that. No one wants to watch a league full of Jason Campbell and Matt Flynn.

 

Mike Pereira tweeted out immediately that it was a bad call.

[Jake]

One of the things about Bostic -- he rated fine in pass coverage on PFF and generally looked quite capable there, which is what I thought he might struggle with. Our defense asks a ton from the MLB in terms of pass coverage, so the fact that he has done a very good job in that regard is very encouraging in that regard. Experience, a better line and linebacking corps, and perhaps coaching can take care of his lack of discipline in the run game. I'm fairly optimistic about him and it's insane to call him a bust or a miss at this point, especially considering the entire cast around him...at some point, it's hard to tell which guys really, really suck and which are the products of a bad supporting cast.

[Jake]

Fun fact as I browsed PFF: no OL missed a single snap until Mills left yesterday's game early. Remarkable.

 

Our best cumulative overall PFF grades over the season:

Brandon Marshall, by a large margin

Alshon Jeffery/Matt Slauson (tie)

Josh McCown

 

Our worst players, from worst to less bad:

Jordan Mills

Shea McClellin

Major Wright

 

The next tier of bad players is quite far from that trio, who are all fairly close in terms of their grade. FWIW, Mills's negative is almost entirely clustered in his pass blocking, though his run blocking is negative as well. The one thing Mills did well was avoid penalties, taking just two all year. Compare that to Bushrod's 7, which is still better than average.

 

Marshall finishes with the team's best run blocking grade, but it should be emphasized that WRs have many more opportunities to get positive grades than negative grades, which is not true of linemen who are always in prime position to f*** up a play.

 

Other interesting notes:

McCown finishes with 5th best cumulative grade among QBs despite low amount of snaps. Cutler 10th, also fewer snaps than most.

 

Forte dead last out of 55 eligible RB in pass blocking.

 

McClellin 51/52 among 4-3 DE, dead last in run defense and 46/52 in pass rushing.

 

Jon Bostic and AJ Hawk are essentially the same gradewise, both overall and in terms of doing well against pass and poorly against run.

 

Major is dead last out 86 safeties, Conte is 83/86. Major's negative grade was almost twice that of Conte's however, with Wright f***ing up pass coverage much more than Conte while both did terribly in run defense.

 

Podlesh had a late rally to become last-ranked punter.

 

Hester ranks 6th among all returners, in a virtual tie for third after Cordarelle Patterson and Golden Tate, each of whom were in a league of their own at the top.

[DukeNukeEm]

Fun fact as I browsed PFF: no OL missed a single snap until Mills left yesterday's game early. Remarkable.

 

Our best cumulative overall PFF grades over the season:

Brandon Marshall, by a large margin

Alshon Jeffery/Matt Slauson (tie)

Josh McCown

 

Our worst players, from worst to less bad:

Jordan Mills

Shea McClellin

Major Wright

 

The next tier of bad players is quite far from that trio, who are all fairly close in terms of their grade. FWIW, Mills's negative is almost entirely clustered in his pass blocking, though his run blocking is negative as well. The one thing Mills did well was avoid penalties, taking just two all year. Compare that to Bushrod's 7, which is still better than average.

 

Marshall finishes with the team's best run blocking grade, but it should be emphasized that WRs have many more opportunities to get positive grades than negative grades, which is not true of linemen who are always in prime position to f*** up a play.

 

Other interesting notes:

McCown finishes with 5th best cumulative grade among QBs despite low amount of snaps. Cutler 10th, also fewer snaps than most.

 

Forte dead last out of 55 eligible RB in pass blocking.

 

McClellin 51/52 among 4-3 DE, dead last in run defense and 46/52 in pass rushing.

 

Jon Bostic and AJ Hawk are essentially the same gradewise, both overall and in terms of doing well against pass and poorly against run.

 

Major is dead last out 86 safeties, Conte is 83/86. Major's negative grade was almost twice that of Conte's however, with Wright f***ing up pass coverage much more than Conte while both did terribly in run defense.

 

Podlesh had a late rally to become last-ranked punter.

 

Hester ranks 6th among all returners, in a virtual tie for third after Cordarelle Patterson and Golden Tate, each of whom were in a league of their own at the top.

What's fantastic about that OL continuity statistic is not that we were just healthy, that's dumb luck, but that there was no impetus to bench anyone. We have 3 (4 when Slauson re-ups) starting offensive linemen, isn't that awesome? We can weather ups and downs and those are still our 5 guys.

 

That's why you believe in Phil Emery. I thought it would've taken years to build the OL into what it is today and the dude did it in one off season.

[dasox24]

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.

[dasox24]

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.

[dasox24]

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

[GoSox05]

I think the Packers have a shot at beating the 49ers on Sunday. They played them much the last time they played.

 

I would lean toward the 49ers winning, but would not be shocked if the Packers won.