SHOUTOUT TO A FUTURE STAR - AL AFALAVA
by Rick2334 on Dec 27, 2009 2:57 AM CST
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PrintHe Just Has The Right Intensity:
Just watching this guy play gives me hope for our Bears. I see him and I am reminded of Mike Brown, but not for the wrong reason. (Injuries) No, Afalava has shown me glimmers of a potentially good career. I say potentially because anything can happen, including becoming the next Troy Polamalu or Adrian Wilson. I remember watching a Troy Polamalu interception, where he reaches out with one hand while falling and brings it in ( Titans vs Steelers Week 1) and saying to myself, "there aren't many Safeties in the NFL who can do that. Then Al Afalava almost pulls off that same play vs the Seahawks Week 3. He was so close!!!
I also love the intensity he brings with every tackle. Every hit he lands is a big one with the possibility of a loose ball. He also just recently showed us that he can play both Safety positions at the same level. He is better against the run than he is in coverage but being his rookie season, I believe he has done a good job. Here's hoping we have found ourselves a great future Safety in Al Afalava.
Hopefully it isn't enough to save that bum Angelo from losing his job. LOL
COME ON NOW, THAT ISN'T HOW WE TAKE CARE OF THE ENEMY
via d.yimg.com
NOW THAT'S BETTER!!!
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Meh
I’d be all about anything positive, but I haven’t seen it yet with this guy. Consider my enthusiasm curbed for just about every young Bear… along the line of just cause he makes plays on the Bears doesnt necessarily mean he is a good NFL player. Khalil Bell, Afalava, Knox… still haven’t proven to be so good that the Bears need not look at improving their positions on the depth chart.
Basically these guys are decent, but we still need a better #2 RB, Safety, and WR
DJ Moore would make a good safety.
I’ve said this all along: a 5’9" DJ Moore matching up against a 6’5" Calvin Johnson is a scary thought. He would be better at safety. Just look at Bob Sanders. He is only 5’8" and he is one of the best safeties in the game when healthy.
Sketchy logic
Sure it would be better if Moore was a six footer as that would help him battle the tall WRs so common in the NFL these days, but there are sort CBs who can play effectively. Also, just because Sanders was successful at safety does not mean Moore would be. I’ll admit I have not seen enough of Moore to pass judgment on him, but your “logic” makes little sense to me. What kind of tackler is Moore, I am guessing he does not pack the same kind of wallop as Sanders does (ask Benson about Sanders hitting power). Run support is a peripheral part of a CB’s responsibilities, but it is an essential part of a safety’s.
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Dec 28, 2009 8:20 AM CST up reply actions
He also just recently showed us that he can play both Safety positions at the same level
I doubt anyone would think him free safety material, except in the minds of the brains trust that is the Bears coaching staff. Mike Brown’s value was as a quarterback to the defense, playmaker and emotional leader. Alfalava’s better than we might have reasonably expected from a rookie drafted in the 5th round (if memory serves) but he’s got a long way to go before he’s deserving of being acclaimed as the Next Big Thing.
"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
I really love Afalava.
I can’t believe he slipped all the way to the 6th round. He was even voted the hardest hitting safety in the Pac-10, which is also the conference Taylor Mays plays in.
Hopefully, we will move DJ Moore to free safety. That would give us a nice secondary for the next couple years.
What's crazy talk?
The part about him being the hardest-hitting safety in the Pac 10, or the part about him and Moore making a good secondary?
Them making a good secondary
If management were to pass on signing, drafting or trading for a safety because they are confident with Moore and Afalava as the secondary of the future I would seriously lose it.
have you seen moore play before?
in college he had crazy vertical leap as well as having a nose for the ball. i would love to see him at free saftey. Many said had his height been about 6’0 he would have been top 10 player with the talent he has.
Good point GouldisGold the idea of moore at safety is defnitly interesting
by Bear Lovin 21 on Dec 27, 2009 5:03 PM CST up reply actions
Watched every game start to finish and the answer is NO
Haven’t seen Moore play…. either at CB or FS… but lets pencil him in as our FS of the future anyway. sounds like you work in Bears management actually.
you watched all his college games start to end?
so in 18 minutes you watched all his games from his days at vanderbilt? wow
i wish i did work in their front office. because instead of throwing draft picks away id like to see what is on my team to address more pressing needs with draft picks and money in free agency. Maybe they decide to keep manning at fs because instead of making him play every postion in the secondary so he can get comftorable with one thing and see how he does. You need to assess what you have before you sign players or trade picks. Especially with the lack of picks the bears have.
The bears thought they had someone i guess before trading chris hammer harris one of the worst moves by angelo.
By the way…..What safety would you trade for? with what draft pick?
by Bear Lovin 21 on Dec 27, 2009 5:41 PM CST up reply actions
Some people had him as a late 1st round pick.
His talent is undeniable, but I think his height scared some teams away. He didn’t really perform well at the combine, so that didn’t really help his cause, either. He should be a 4th round steal.
I also think Moore would become an elite CB if he were about 3 inches taller.
Honestly if he can't crack the lineup on this team at CB or Safety
he just is not very good. Shoulda been coulda been a 1st rounder, guess other teams were right about his height being a problem. Come see when he grows 3 inches. maybe pour some Extenze on the guy.
Honestly if he can’t crack the lineup on this team at CB or Safety he just is not very good
Maybe so, but then again the coaches aren’t exactly too hot on who our best lineup is. Omiyale, for example, broke into the starting OL. At least we’re not seeing much of Rasheid Davis on the offense.
"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
I agree
we cant find out until he recieves a shot
by Bear Lovin 21 on Dec 27, 2009 10:28 PM CST up reply actions
WHAT????
Moore apparently is a horrible tackler :( but i also would love him at FS.
Afalava is basically being benched though. He was way out of position alot vs. the Ravens. I love the kid too, but we need to keep him at SS and teach him how to play coverage. He sucks at pass coverage. He is having last year Kevin Payne problems. Bad Angles, Running into teammates, etc
Afalava stinks.
He can’t even secure a starting job among a group that includes Kevin Payne, Danieal Manning, Craig Steltz, and Josh Bullocks.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
I mean he had it secured until this week i guess
he was a 6th rounder but needs to improve his play
by Bear Lovin 21 on Dec 27, 2009 10:31 PM CST up reply actions
I can’t even begin to describe how annoyed I am that we ignored Rashad Johnson (who killed off the Detroit revival against the Cardinals by intercepting a pass on the final drive) in the 3rd round in favour of two players who haven’t even made the bench most games.
"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
I'm with ya
Who woulda thunk players from solid college programs are more likely to succeed in the NFL than lets say guys from Abilene Christian.
This team needs Justin Woodall SS from Alabama(152 overall, projected 5-6 round [cbs]]) and/or Kam Chancellor FS from Virginia Tech (61st overall, projected 3rd round). Woodall should be available and Chancellor may be, if he isn’t i strongly suggest trading up to get him. Getiing one would greatly improve this team, getting both would be a major coup
it's not where, it's when
I don’t have a problem with JA drafting from schools like Abilene Christian or Vanderbilt (though I’ll be the first to admit that our ABC/Vandy team sucks right now), but I take issue with spending day 1 draft picks for players (except C. Williams) who may not be able to adjust well to NFL level play.
"Why does Jay Cutler look so bad running these awful plays behind an incompetent offensive line?" - VeryFakeAlDavis
They showed you lol
Cutler 4 TDs, Bennett 1 TD, C. Williams shutdown J. Allen, and Hillenmeyer got the game winning FF lol.
happy to be wrong
for one game
"Why does Jay Cutler look so bad running these awful plays behind an incompetent offensive line?" - VeryFakeAlDavis
oh yeah
Manning’s returns helped too. He’s an ABC guy, right?
"Why does Jay Cutler look so bad running these awful plays behind an incompetent offensive line?" - VeryFakeAlDavis
Rashaad Johnson
Rashaad was taken i think 5 spots before Iglesias. I remember watching the draft hoping he would fall to 99 where the Bears picked but he didn’t.
We didn’t really have a chance to get him anywhere else. The spot where we picked Gilbert would have been a reach. So we had to wait. Do you want to trade more picks?? NO. It wasn’t our fault. We couldn’t get Rashaad.
Was getting Gilbert where we did not a reach?
I’ve actually seen Johnson make plays……er, wait…. at least ONE play. I’ve yet to see Gilbert even get on the field.
"The phone's for you, I think it's the Devil."
Luckily that youtube vid
Has translated to on-the-field performance. I was all for drafting RJ this year. Hopefully Gilbert pans out. Isn’t it pathetic that we have to hope and pray that a drafted player succeeds here b/c we have that little confidence in our GM? LOL, thanks Angeblow.
"The phone's for you, I think it's the Devil."
I think I should have written an article on DA instead
He was a BEAST against the Viqueens!!! I really wanted him to start since week one, but no way are management was gonna put him ahead of KR. Hester is better fitted as a slot WR and Knox stays where he is at. DA could become a Numba 1.( He is only 25). Bennett could rotate with anyone since he learned all the positions his rookie season lol. The O-Line wasn’t amazing but it has shown improvement and Dum Turner finally let Cutler throw outside of the pocket.
Better yet
Chris Williams. DA was great tonight, but he wasn’t facing any elite DBs like, say Ed Reed, Troy Polomalu, etc. Williams was facing the best DE in the game in Jared Allen, and he kept Cutler’s jersey nice and clean.
by GouldisGold on Dec 28, 2009 11:59 PM CST up reply actions
I agree CW was awsome
I bet he is our LT next year and Pace is gonna have to compete at RT. Im sorry but DA was making some awsome catches the whole game. HE’S A KEEPER
I'm not fully sold on DA yet
I don’t think he’ll ever be a #1 reciever, but I could be wrong. TJ Houshmenzadeh and Marques Colston were both 7th round picks, so you never know.
by GouldisGold on Dec 29, 2009 12:16 AM CST up reply actions
DA has way more speed then both of them
Maybe not as physical as Colston, but in his short amount of playing time he’s shown he can make the big play when it counts. Not sold yet either, but the potential is definitely there.
"The phone's for you, I think it's the Devil."
That time spent with Peyton and Harrison probably didn't hurt.
by GouldisGold on Dec 29, 2009 12:22 AM CST up reply actions
That's what they said during the game
He told reporters that the time he spent on the practice squad in Indy w/ Manning, Harrison, and Wayne was irreplacable.
"The phone's for you, I think it's the Devil."
that settles it
Well just take receivers that the Colts cut from now on.
"Why does Jay Cutler look so bad running these awful plays behind an incompetent offensive line?" - VeryFakeAlDavis
Jarron Gilbert
Alot of draftniks say he has THE MOST POTENTIAL OUT OF THIS DRAFT CLASS
It’s kind of hard to go in the game for a few plays and make an impact right away. You need to get used to the flow and pace of the game.
Our Saftey's
Alright so we have a maybe a keeper in Al Afalava at STRONG SAFTEY.
Now we need to draft a FREE SAFTEY. In the 4th round? That’s what i think the Bears should dude.
A Free Saftey not a SS in the 4th.
But then he will be a rookie and we will have some growing pains in the Secondary for two straight years.
I would say get that O.J Atogwe FS from the Rams. He is good.
O.J. Atogwe would be an excellent addition, but....
There is no way the Rams are letting their only good defensive player go. The tagged him this year and they probably will again next year.
Afalava has not show the flash...
I was driving the Alfalfa bandwagong when we picked him and called him out as “future starter at safety” before he even reported to camp.
But, he did not show any flash this season. He made maybe one impressive play all year. He did not show any signs of improvement. He showed no signs of being a play-maker which this team dreadfully needs.
He is really in the same class as Payne, Steltz, Bullocks and the rest of our safeties.
There is a slim chance that a light will go on in his second year but one would think that we would have at least seen a flash in all the games he played this season, and we didn’t. I’m disappointed.
Frankly, your Alfalfa love is a day late and a dollar short. Sorry.
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