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Outlandish Ideas That Could HelpThe Bears Out Of Their Freefall.


Where do we start with this Post?  This post needs to start in the Red Zone.  The following suggestions will be scoffed at, poked fun of and laughed at.  I'm okay with that as I have a thick skin.  I will however make a sincere effort to keep the Spell Police at bay.

1. Red Zone Package:

Out: Devin Hester and his 5 foot 11 inch frame.  Replacement:  The biggest TE on the Bears line up Kellen Davis lines up at Wide out.  6 Foot 7' and 262 pounds.

 

Out: FB Jason Mckie, he has not opened a hole inside the Five Yard line all Year.  Replacement:  Marcus Harrison at Fullback.  6 Foot 3' - 310 pounds to open up a hole for Matt Forte.  Need I remind anyone of one William ' The Fridge' Perry?

Out: WR Earl Bennett, has he even been in the Endzone this Year?  Replacement:  Devin Aromashodu, Jay's favorite receiver.  At 6 foot 2' he is our tallest Receiver.  A team needs their tallest Receiver to be in the game in that situation.

 

Calling all TIght Ends!  Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, 6 Foot 5' , 262# round out the Red Zone Package.  So we have our biggest Receivers and add a monster in the backfield to get the job done. 

 

2.  A Ball Hawk:  When is the last time we seen the Bears jump a route?  I seen in in 2006 and have not seen a lot of it since.  We have been mired in the bend but don't break Defense for some time now.  We need to take a chance sometimes is obvious passing situations.  Receivers run slants, outs, ins, post, how about a Bears Defender takes a chance and jumps in front of the stop point?  All I ever see is a zone of Defenders in front of and behind Receivers.  I nominate Nathan Vasher.  Set him free Lovie!  set him free.

 

3.  Max Protect Package:  What is a Max Protect?  In my mind it's when you have your usual 5 linemen and a Tight End on each end for 7 on the line.  This Leaves 2 Receivers and a Back.  In this formation you could leak out a TE if you desire.  Other NFL teams use this formation but it must be a concept that does not exist in Ron Turners brain.  I stop to wonder what Jay Cutler could do if he had an extra 1 or 2 seconds to throw the ball.  We have had what appeared to be a Max Protect formation at times but Ronny always runs out of it.  Yes, the Bears are predictable again on Offense. 

 

4.  I saved the best for last:  Devin Hester out as starting Receiver.  Devin needs to remain a third Receiver because that is all the former Defensive back out of college is going to be.  He goes back to where he was a success and is full time Kick Returner.  By making him the third Receiver he has gas in the tank to pull off the big runs just like the good old days.  His replacement, Devin Aromashodu, a player actually drafted as a Wide Receiver out of college.

 

Conclussion:  There is an old saying, ' if it isn't broke don't fix it'.  Well it's broken and they need to fix it now.  What they have implemented thus far is a FAILURE.  I welcome any other suggestions that help this team get better.  Thank you.

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Jason McKie

has looked pretty darn good this season. The old “FB Dive” has taken a back seat, and he has shown why the Bears like him as a lead blocker.

Hester out as a WR? No way dude. In an ideal world, he shifts to a slot back… most of his production has come in underneath routes versus zone coverage, but has shown the ability to stretch the field in 1-on-1 coverage. We have to increase his touches, not reduce them.

As for Aromashodu, like has been stated before, he is dressing in place of Wolfe on STs. This obviously gives the Bears an opportunity to work him in a few plays per game as a WR… his one catch so far this year was awesome.

But we can’t discredit Bennett… he has shown great hands in making some very tough catches so far. Jay can make the throws to the WRs, he just needs more time to set his feet and let routes develop.

Be careful not to look too terribly much into stats with this group of WRs. They can be solid if the protection up front is there.

You are all gentlemen (and ladies) and good judges of cheap whiskey.

by Dane Noble on Nov 18, 2009 11:59 PM CST reply actions  

I Don't Mean Out Dane.

What I am trying to say is a reduced role for Hester. Where as of now he is out for all 3 plays between the sticks on Offense we take it back to 1 or 2. I just want to see him rested a little more for the return game. His replacement could be Aromashodu to grind it out with the Offense. Can any of us ask the question what happened to the days of Teams kicking it out of bounds for us to get the ball at the 40 every kick off? That threat is gone and so is the field position we used to enjoy having to win games. How do we get that back?

by Gesiakob on Nov 19, 2009 12:44 PM CST up reply actions  

big backfield

i agree and nominate davis to come on as fullback in short yardage situations to open a hole for the running backs. i also want aromashodu to see more action on game day.

by stepeo on Nov 19, 2009 12:27 AM CST reply actions  

the first point you make about hester

ive been saying the last month, he is too undersized to be a threat. Put in K davis, what do we have to lose…..I like you gesiakob, you think outside the box, and that is what this organization has been lacking for decades, 2 of em to be precise ( since the fridge busted thru for that TD in 85)

Eat. Sleep. Pray. Watch chicago play.

P.S.

You've obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a shit about what you think.

by chi_till_eye_die on Nov 19, 2009 2:28 AM CST reply actions  

Dude. Respect. Dig all that.

Completely with you on those, especially #1 the red zone package – KD is our TE !

Amendment to #4 – just for discussion, and seeing as he’s not going back to ST full time – #23 as a halfback/wildcat ….

by Irish Bears Fan on Nov 19, 2009 3:05 AM CST reply actions  

Also loved the orginal post...

Not all that sure Hester could make a great halfback… not a real “lower your shoulder” runner. He’d make Reggie Bush look like Micheal Turner if you tried to get him to run b/w the tackles. Wildcat… sure. Hester should be used like Percy Harvin. If you can work him into the passing game – sweet… if not he’s there as a spot player & a great slot receiver.

by sirus19x on Nov 22, 2009 11:11 PM CST up reply actions  

OK, I have to rant now

I am sick of people saying Hester can’t be a #1 wide receiver, because it is just a flat-out lie.

Here are three stat lines from this season:

WR1 – 49 catches, 602 yards, 12.3 ypc
WR2 – 48 catches, 596 yards, 12.4 ypc
WR3 – 50 catches, 582 yards, 11.6 ypc

Without looking it up, can you guess which one is Hester or who the other two are?

WR1 is Brandon Marshall, who lots of people wanted us to trade for this summer, after hearing about his disgruntledness.
WR2 is our very own Devin Hester, who is only in his second year (ever) playing wide receiver.
WR3 is TJ Houshmandzadeh, who everyone wanted us to sign this offseason.

So, if Hester is playing just as well as two guys guys everyone seemed to want to be our “#1” wide receiver, shouldn’t we want Devin Hester?

by torch on Nov 19, 2009 8:11 AM CST reply actions  

I hear you

but i think that Devin will really never be looked at as a #1 in Bears fans eyes.
defend it to the death to everyone else, but to us, probably not.

as long as we are winning games i’m happy with wherever he plays… but we aren’t

"Hey, the offensive linemen are the biggest guys on the field, they're bigger than everybody else, and that's what make them the biggest guys on the field." -Madden

by BearNecessities on Nov 19, 2009 8:47 AM CST up reply actions  

And, with empirical evidence,

that would be a wrong opinion. Clearly, Hester still has to work on a lot of things, which shows to me that he could be even better in future years.

I'M A MAN! I'M 23!

by ChiFan13 on Nov 19, 2009 9:09 AM CST up reply actions  

Last time I checked, there are 32 teams in the NFL

So being a #1 WR ought to mean you are roughly in the top 32 of WRs in various stats, no?

Here are Devin’s WR rankings:

Yards – 18th (596)
Receptions – 10th (48)
Touchdowns – T-26th (3)
20+ Yard Recptions – T-14th (9)
YAC – 12th (247)
1st Down Receptions – T-17th (28)
Catches/Targets % – 10th (65.75%)

Even if you think only half of the teams in the league have a #1 WR, Devin averages out to ~16th overall the stats.

Just because Rick Morrisey or Mark Schlereth say Devin isn’t a #1 WR doesn’t mean its true.

by torch on Nov 19, 2009 12:25 PM CST up reply actions  

Just To Add To Your Numbers.

WR1 has 6 TD’s This Year.
WR2 has 3 TD"s
WR3 has 3 TD’s

by Gesiakob on Nov 19, 2009 12:13 PM CST up reply actions  

Dallas Clark

only has 3 TDs this year as well, but no one would use that stat to suggest he isn’t one of the top TEs in the game right now.

by torch on Nov 19, 2009 12:26 PM CST up reply actions  

I Get It Torch

I like the stats you provided and appreciate the enthusiasm geared towards Hester. With Hester I see flashes. Flashes of his speed and game breaking ability. What I do not see is consistancy and mistake free football for him at that position. I think the Bears owe it to Jay Cutler to bring in consistant NFL ready Receivers to help eliminate some of those Interceptions.

by Gesiakob on Nov 19, 2009 12:37 PM CST up reply actions  

some one with some sense

Dude you are right on the money. Every 6-8 games he has played at wr he has gotten noticably better. If we had the threat of a running game he would have a few more deep TDs and more people would agree with us

by jay42 on Nov 19, 2009 3:11 PM CST up reply actions  

I have to say DH as returner = YES

Only the Bears would take the most electrifying return man and remove him from that position.

by TheMan1 on Nov 19, 2009 8:12 AM CST reply actions  

The Bears Were Greedy

I understand what they were trying to do. What they now have is an average Receiver at best and they lost a precious jewel in the Return game in the process. So what do they need to do to get it back? We need to win 6 out of the next 7 games just to get a Wild Card into the playoffs. We will not win 6 out of 7 games unless we make some drastic changes in personal.

by Gesiakob on Nov 19, 2009 12:57 PM CST up reply actions  

observations

Can Marcus Harrison catch the ball? The fullback is required to be a decent receiver out of the backfield .

I agree that McKie has not been impressive as a fullback, and it needs to be looked at.

I agree that Hester should not have been moved to WR, and the coaches should have resisted the temptation to do so. I remember hearing all the screaming going on by those who wanted what the Bears eventually did – moving him to WR and the results have been mostly disappointing on both the return and receiving.

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Pasteur

by Maelvampyre on Nov 19, 2009 8:24 AM CST reply actions  

I Could Care Less If Marcus Harrison Could Catch A Ball

.His only job as a specialist in the Red Zone Package would be to flatten Linebackers. There would be Tight Ends and Wideouts to throw the ball to in that package.

by Gesiakob on Nov 19, 2009 12:16 PM CST up reply actions  

you may not care

But it matters, cause he would take a roster spot and if the dude has wooden hands then every other team in the NFL will know it too and they will know that for sure there is no pass coming. Even the Fridge caught a pass once or twice from the fullback position I believe. How many roster spots does ANY pro football team allocate to a fullback? That is why despite your not being able to care less, it matters. (It’s “couldn’t care less” by the way)(

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Pasteur

by Maelvampyre on Nov 19, 2009 10:09 PM CST up reply actions  

the fridge had hands...

how did u know???? because someone tried it. have u ever seen harrison try and catch the ball?

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan, the one and only...

by LPLancer23 on Nov 20, 2009 8:40 PM CST up reply actions  

I'm Just Giving Suggestions

I don’t understand how Marcus Harrison takes somebodies roster spot when he’s already on the roster. We are talking about a RED ZONE Offense in this scenerio. He does not replace any Fullbacks on the roster either.

by Gesiakob on Nov 20, 2009 8:53 PM CST up reply actions  

let me explain

Harrison takes up a roster spot precisely because he already has one, and if he can’t catch and is unproven as a short yardage runner then he should be shown the door and someone else who can do both should take his spot. The Bears are sub-.500 and dead weight needs to be gotten rid of. I know you are talking about a red zone offense, but no red zone offense based on a power back will work if the defense knows without a doubt that the the fullback is NEVER a threat to catch a pass, even in the red zone. You suggested replacing McKie with Harrison and all I asked is can the dude catch a ball as good as McKie can. If he is replacing McKie then he would be taking a roster spot cause the Bears are not going to keep more than one fullback on the roster normally.

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Pasteur

by Maelvampyre on Nov 20, 2009 11:05 PM CST up reply actions  

wanted to add

If you are talking only about strictly using Harrison as a blocker for someone carrying the ball and have no thought to him ever catching a pass out of the backfield then it might work, and is worth a try, but I’m not sure that McKie is really a liability here.

"Chance favors the prepared mind." - Pasteur

by Maelvampyre on Nov 20, 2009 11:08 PM CST up reply actions  

I like sum o it

I think that #1 wouldn’t be needed if we had a better line but seeing as we have what we do, i really like it. With guys at 6’ 7" and 6’ 2" on the outside and 6’5" on the inside would be formidable. Jay really only has enough time for a quick fade anyway, 6’7" would get that done.
i don’t know what to say about ur mckie out harrison in. my prob with mckie has always been the fb dive (not his call tho)

  1. i dunno.. i think i’m not gonna think about it. our D has fallen so far its just depressing…
  1. whats the use of max protect? You know how bad the oline is. Of the 2 TE’s only clark is an ok blocker. so what? in max protect we have 4 ppl that can block as opposed to 3?
  1. we get the line fixed devin’s numbers should explode. Yes he needs to work on his routes, but he still is new to it, so thats expected. Every other receiver spent most of their lives doing it. Devin hasn’t. And with the line not protecting enough for the deep ball, it just magnifies his average route running. Honestly, this season is prolly great for his learning curvem bc of those deficiencies on the line.

by GtM on Nov 19, 2009 2:22 PM CST reply actions  

Wait,

what was #1 again?

You are all gentlemen (and ladies) and good judges of cheap whiskey.

by Dane Noble on Nov 19, 2009 3:04 PM CST up reply actions  

lol

didn’t know there was a numbered list function.. its in numerical order, in a descending form

by GtM on Nov 19, 2009 3:30 PM CST up reply actions  

hey wait just one minute

I thought Izzy was supposed to be fullback
and we should probably have Wolfe as our goal line rb since he has shown to be effective at the position

by DaHamsta on Nov 19, 2009 3:44 PM CST reply actions  

forget harrison

and put lance louis in as lead blocker for forte or AP. louis would be the ideal guy based on size and having at least some run-block ability. unless the team has a tractor traylor or ted washington back on the roster keep all DL’s far, far away from the offense. they have enough to worry about trying to generate a consistent pass rush.

so yea, erase harrison and pencil in louis in this idea. i also agree that #23 may not be a true #1 WR by conventional standars but he is putting up good numbers and he is becoming noticably better by the month. the magic of KR/PR 06-07 hester is gone and isn’t gonna come back dude. less dominant blocking + new ST rules = no hester domination. never again. at least on ST anyway. keep him out there as a WR as much as possible (but no more wildcats for the love of god please).

however, like you i would love to see some route jumping for a change. at least it would make the 3rd and longs a little more exciting than “oh super, the bears are about to give up the 1st down agai…whoa yea, 15 yard pass way to go ^#%@$!~heads”

by reefermadness3 on Nov 19, 2009 5:06 PM CST reply actions  

yeah

I think someone bounced around the idea of using louis at fb/ short yarage back since le’ron mclain is slower than louis and had some success at rb
louis:
40: 4.73
Bench Reps: 30

Le’ron Mclain
6’’ 256 lbs
4.88 40
bench reps:14

Marcus harrison
6’3’’ 310 lbs
5.0 40
405 lbs max

Izzy (maybe we should try him
6’7’’ 265 (tallest)
4.65 40 (fastest)
I couldn’t find his bench press
and it’s Izzy so he can be any weight you want, (he was 307 lbs last year, we need to incorperate hem more, somewhere, and he has hop as shown by his ability to block field goals

by DaHamsta on Nov 19, 2009 7:00 PM CST up reply actions  

Izzy can bench press

four thousand pounds.

You are all gentlemen (and ladies) and good judges of cheap whiskey.

by Dane Noble on Nov 19, 2009 7:09 PM CST up reply actions  

izzy would also be a fine choice

he’s kind of tall for that role but hey the guy has done everything he’s been asked too and has stayed healthy for the bears so why not?

since he can bench 2 tons perhaps he can take his long arms and catapult/heave little garrett wolfe 3 ft over the line into the endzone every time they are at the 1-3 yard line. lol this is a very funny image to me.

by reefermadness3 on Nov 19, 2009 7:20 PM CST up reply actions  

brilliant plan

we could just throw player into the endzone, in fact they don’t need to be anywhere near the goal line, they can just throw Wolfe from 50 yrds away right into the endzone
problems fixed

by DaHamsta on Nov 19, 2009 9:04 PM CST up reply actions  

throw players*

damn firefox can’t correct grammar

by DaHamsta on Nov 19, 2009 9:08 PM CST up reply actions  

haha

they better get some stiffnecked stuntmen then cause the first time izzy launches little #25 into the endzone from 30 yards out chances are likely garrett will be talking out of his chest. being thrown not unlike a javelin, he will be made even smaller from such an awesome impact w/the endzone.

his td dance could then look like something from a peanuts holiday cartoon. the one where the one random kid dips his head into his chest and then swings it back and forth while randomly tapping his feet.

by reefermadness3 on Nov 19, 2009 9:15 PM CST up reply actions  

i cant agree with hester out of a starting role

i mean hes slipped, and broke off some routes but i mean you can throw him out of the starting line up. hes been surprisingly productive hes made ALOT of tough catches this year.
hester is 11th in the league in catches at 48 these like 6 people tied at 10 with 49.
one catch and six yards behind brandon marshall. nothing against aromashadu but i mean alot of us including me want to see him play but he cant act like hes going to be a top 5 wide out i mean i would love for him to be one but you dont know. bennet i think should be used in the redzone because he has the most reliable hands on the team and is the most polished reciever.
everything else i agree with

by Bear Lovin 21 on Nov 19, 2009 8:51 PM CST reply actions  

Yeah Okay

We should just stay with what we went into the Year with.

by Gesiakob on Nov 19, 2009 8:58 PM CST up reply actions  

i never said that

the wide outs have done well.
im all for giving aromashadu a chance because he really only help and hes the reciever that can go and get a ball. so im down for giving him some more plays but if that means taking it away from bennett or hester or knox guys who have made plays im not to giddy about that.

by Bear Lovin 21 on Nov 19, 2009 9:13 PM CST up reply actions  

QB Draw

If we could execute well enough I would like to see one. I saw the replay of Cutler’s last interception (I was mercifully on my way out of town, and listened to the game on the radio) and it seemed like there was an open lane, but no time if he failed to run it in, of course. JC’s had some nice yardage on scrambles, so lets put those happy feet to good use.

I would like to see more of DA and K Davis also just for variety. Size isn’t a necessity, but it might help create some more favorable matchups esp. in the redzone. Also, can we run some 3 TE sets?

P.S.Does anyone have a link so I could see his one catch is SF?

by TrialsBass on Nov 20, 2009 6:26 PM CST reply actions  

yeah

maybe some pass run option rollouts on the goal line

by DaHamsta on Nov 20, 2009 7:13 PM CST up reply actions  

Or Maybe

We are undersized on both sides of the ball. And when we have lines built for speed and not size we get out muscled in Goaline situations.

by Gesiakob on Nov 20, 2009 7:51 PM CST up reply actions  

Game Highlights – LINK’ers
DA’s catch is at 4:00.

-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox

by David Taylor on Nov 20, 2009 7:54 PM CST up reply actions  

no problem.

-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox

by David Taylor on Nov 20, 2009 8:28 PM CST up reply actions  

Nice link..............thanks smudgers

It was tough to watch. I don’t think Cutler would have made it if he tried to run it in at the end. He did have the option of throwing it out of the back of the endzone however. I do recall we ended that game with a time out in our pocket. We could have used it instead of spiking it earlier in the drive.

by Gesiakob on Nov 20, 2009 8:28 PM CST up reply actions  

Yup.

Also… Check out the video I posted earlier… LINK’ers

And I agree with you. Cutler threw the ball with 0.04 remaining on the clock. And while he had daylight (somewhat) directly in front of him, he had Manny Lawson closing in on his left and another D-Lineman directly to his right. I don’t think he would have made it. But you’re right, we did have a time out in hand.

-------
"Newbie, if the next two words out of your mouth aren't 'See ya' then the third word will be 'Oh my god. My crotch. You've punched me in my crotch." - Dr. Percival Ulysses Cox

by David Taylor on Nov 20, 2009 8:38 PM CST up reply actions  

Those INTs really hurt

That first one was all on Jay, bad, bad decision. 3 were bad luck/bad route running/blown PI call, and the last one was just a last ditch effort that failed. That just sucks. What awful luck. It makes you think, man what if Forte was just a hair faster (that screen could have gone for a TD) and Cutler had time to step up in the pocket. If we had a good line and an elite receiver this offense could be really good.

by TrialsBass on Nov 20, 2009 8:46 PM CST up reply actions  

One of my favorite things

about the Bears season this year is watching Devin Hester develop.Last year he looks lost every time he hit the field.This year he’s making catches that have made me drop my jaw. If we were to add depth to wide reciever in the off season,then Hester could be most productive as a slot guy,with enough time off to be fresh for the return game. So basically,I think moving him to WR was a good move.

You're being very Un-Dude right now.

by IslandBoodler87 on Nov 22, 2009 9:31 AM CST reply actions  

One of my favorite things about the Bears season this year is watching Devin Hester develop

Needless to say, there haven’t been too many other highlights for us to savour, by way of competition.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell
"F*** everybody outside of Halas Hall. BEARDOWN" - WavyGravy

by Spongie on Nov 22, 2009 12:20 PM CST up reply actions  

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