Monday Night Musings: Are the Bears still 3rd best?
by Kev H on Mar 8, 2010 7:00 PM CST
in Notes
60 comments
Hey all--I think I'm currently dying of the flu, but I wanted to tell you/ask you guys about an article I read earlier today.
It's no secret at this point that the Bears did what no one expected, nailing their free agent signings in rapid succession on Friday.
But after all that, are they still only 3rd best in the division? Gene Wojciechowski from espn.com seems to thinks so(warning--there's a giant auto-play video):
OK, so they're better, but are they the best in their own division? And the answer to that question wasn't buying pricey champagne Saturday night in Chicago. Instead, the answer was happily doing nothing in Hattiesburg, Miss.
OH MY! They tied it all to Favre! So weird of ESPN to do that...
That said, he make a legitimate point. The Vikings tend to have youth and skill at many of the positions that the Bears do, but it all seems to be better developed.
So are the Bears still not better than their two biggest rivals (Sorry, Lions!) Can you even tell it this early? No, you really can't, but let's talk about it anyways.
Stack up our guys against the other teams, and we'll make cases for everyone (yes, some of will have to defend Jared Allen. *shudder*) Either way, let's keep it a civil, fun, and engaging system where we step back from the euphoria of Fantastic Friday and begin to be the best analysis fan base in the game.
0 recs |
60 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
No idea
The Bears, Packers, and Vikings [if Favre comes back] should be very close this year.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan.
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad.
It depends.
Are we injured? If so, then we are back to #3. If not, then we are contending for the division. By injured, I mean having any combination of the following key players out for a good chunk of the season:
JayCut
Peppers
Briggs
Urlacher
Starting RB
Harris
Agree
The health of key people. No two teams have key players in the same position.
For example, the loss of Urlacher in the first game of the season pressed the “going down” button on the express elevator to hell for us this past season. Not the only reason, but an example of a key player.
"I am not an animal!" - Merrick
I have a feeling Urlacher will be back this year with something to prove...
hopefully the defense returns to 2006 form.
I'd remove "starting RB"
The Bears actually have a decent backup now who can take over the lion’s share of posessions if the starter gets hurt.
Vinny: "[Thrust] means pace, it means getting the ball out, it means getting your back to the sidelines, it means extending your outlets, it means getting the ball up the court into our early offense with plenty of time."
My guess is not first...
but flirting with a playoff spot at 8-8 or 9-7. Actually, I hope that the Bears acquire enough talent to improve just enough to have the arrow pointing upward for 2011, but still get Lovie fired.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO FIRE LOVIE!
Unless they make a huge run in the playoffs
Lovie, Jerry, and (wishful thinking) Phillips, all need to go… I think 9-7 or maybe 10-6 is realistic if everyone stays relatively healthy. There’s obviously so many unknowns – like how will Cutler and the rest of the offense adapt to Martz’ new system…
"Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking." - Jim McMahon
If favre is gone
Vikes are in third
It depends on how the GB o line holds up as for us
I believe it depends on Cutler Urlacher Peppers and the o line.
I see us at 10-6/11-5
I'd argue that Favre coming back
spells at least one Viking loss to Chicago. Lovie Smith seems to have his number. Greenbay had a hard enough time blocking for Rogers before we got Peppers and they barely faced Urlacher. Call it “parity” and leave it at that. We’ll post a winning record and let the chips fall where they may.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
Could the bears have spent $120 million and gotten the fountain of youth?
So much of this team’s success, given their current schemes, rests on the shoulders of Urlacher, Peppers, Kreutz, Garza, Harris, Cutler, Brown, Forte/Taylor, and the two question marks at safety. Only Forte, Cutler, and Harris are less than 30.
I tihnk
the division is up for grabs, especially if Favre comes back.
I will say I think people are overstating the impact of the Bears moves. Julius Peppers is one of the best DEs in the game, so that move is huge. But Chester Taylor doesn’t make that much impact, and there is only so much impact a blocking TE can have,
Taylor had a 3.6 ypc last year behind one of the better O-lines in football while taking most of his carries on third down, which usually inflates the ypc. He also is at the age where RB production falls off a cliff.
Don’t get me wrong, the Bears took a step in the right direction. But this is still a team that was lucky to get 7 wins last year and doesn’t have a pick until the 3rd round.
DEJESUS!!!
Chester Taylor
Only has 1028 career carries in 8 years which is significantly less than average. Adrian Peterson has 915 in 3 years in comparison. I think Taylor still has at least a couple years left in the tank.
"Are you not entertained, Funk?!?"
Chester Taylor still has a lot left in the tank
I’ve been watching Chester Taylor since his days at University of Toledo and he was always a beast. He’s really never had a chance at #1 – Jamal Lewis, Adrian Peterson were always ahead of him on the depth chart. When he plays, he does everything right. Best RB in FA.
by South Jersey Wedding Photographer on Mar 8, 2010 10:50 PM CST up reply actions
Record
We are playing some very good teams next year. I remember seeing the teams we play a bit ago and alot of them were +.500 teams. We should improve greatly with the new acquisitions and return of Urlacher. The games will be close and good for sure next year, I’d think we have between 7 and 12 Wins next year and winning the NFC North Very Closely or just missing it and getting the Wild Card to the Play offs. Your Ideas?
Hate to rain on the optimism but the Bears still
have holes on the o line and FS (heck some even say SS even though the roster is pretty much all SS)….Add in the fact that martz scheme is complex….can the offensive roster pick it up the offense fast enough? I mean the packers D took them half way through the season before they were clicking and defenses do not have 450+ plays to learn….
Guess it comes down to how fast the Offense can pick up the scheme, the offensive line and injuries (course I had that worry last year as well)….
"In an infinite universe where reality is interpreted through our continuously fluctuating perception, providing absolute definitive proof of anything becomes a little more than speculation based on random data....."
- Jerry Angelo on how he prepares for the NFL draft
What team doesn't have holes?
Having weaknesses doesn’t make you a bad team, it’s what you can do to cover those weaknesses. For example, the better your pass rush, the less it matters how good your secondary is.
Vinny: "[Thrust] means pace, it means getting the ball out, it means getting your back to the sidelines, it means extending your outlets, it means getting the ball up the court into our early offense with plenty of time."
We are taking the NFC North!!!
I think we are #1 in our division next year and that is being realistic. The Viqueens and Fud-e Packers better watch out, cause here we come beeaatch’s!!! I don’t know how civil that is, but at least I am not replying to a comment : )
11-5 Baby!!!
Walter Payton lives on!!!
Since when is fudge a dirty word requiring editing?
And I’d have hyphenated the “d” personally. It’s more silent. :)
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
I agree, I should have hyphenated the d.
I did spell beeaatch’s correctly. I should have known you’d catch me hyphenating words again, cold busted. I did see you make a mistake on one of your comments one time, I had to let it go : )
Walter Payton lives on!!!
by monsterman34 on Mar 10, 2010 12:48 AM CST up reply actions
No doubt?
With Greenbay’s offensive line struggles, the fact that we were missing KEY members of our defense off and on all season, Favre was the best thing to EVER happen to the Vikes and may not return, we just added an ok defensive end and may have improved at TE and running back. And you have NO DOUBT it’s Pack, Vikings, Bears? I love pragmatists but whaaa? You are a Bears fan, right? Really? Really really??
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
I take it you were replying to someone else?
Couldn’t agree more with you really : )
Walter Payton lives on!!!
by monsterman34 on Mar 10, 2010 12:33 AM CST up reply actions
Couldn't agree with you more, really.
See, now I am just walking on eggshells
Walter Payton lives on!!!
by monsterman34 on Mar 10, 2010 12:50 AM CST up reply actions
For some reason this posted twice. It was in response below. :)
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
I agree with Gene Wojciechowski, the Packers and Vikings are more complete teams than the Bears.
I do think the defense will be much improve next season with the addition of Peppers, Urlacher coming back, and Harris most likely being able to work out injury free this summer for the first time since 06.
Honestly its all hinges ....
…… the health factor for all three teams . Whomever stays healthy will be alive in the division . In my opinion its a three team race now that we have infused some talent to our team . If I have to say our place and record now I’d say 10-6 , second in the division ( maybe first depending on a certain QB’s decision to play or retire ) with a wild card birth . And NiqueBears I disagree that the Vikes and Pack have more complete teams . Look at the Packers o-line , its as disfunctional as ours . If Favre retires the Vikes have a huge hole at QB and are now thin at RB thanks to us . Also the Vikes interior line is aging , mainely Pat Williams whom almost retired , and their LB’s are suspect at best . So yes we have our issues but so do the two teams that finished ahead of us .
Vikes don't worry me
I think the team to beat in the division is probably the Pack. Their O-line needs help but I gotta believe that is where they are going with (at least) their 1st round pick and possibly more. They could also use a little more in their running game. Other than that, they are a very solid team and one that is relatively young.
I think last year was the big hurrah for the Vikings. Even if Favre comes back, the odds on him having the same sort of year next year as he had this year is pretty slim. And that’s presuming he’s healthy, and with every year that goes by the odds on him lasting a full season healthy shrink even more. And should he retire (or get hurt early in the season), then the Minn QB situation is an abject mess.
So I see the Packers and Bears as 1a and 1b. The reason the edge goes to the Pack is because (unlike the Bears) they have draft picks in the first 2 rounds (lol) and their biggest needs are at positions where rookies can typically come in and be impact players right away.
So my predictions are Packers 1a, Bears 1b. Vikings at 3. Lions much improved but still 4. Wouldn’t shock me if the Lions even edge out the Vikings for 3rd, or maybe tie them for 3rd. Depends a lot on what they get with their draft.
Going forward and before the draft....
The Vikings loss of Chester Taylor and the possible suspension of the two drug users are a potential problem, but they are set up nicely with Rice, Harvin and Berrian for receivers.
The Packers lost a DE and have not done anything major to bolster their team yet.
Lions will be better, but still have a ways to go.
Bears picked up a few pieces, but need more.
At this point, I rate them for 2010 as follows:
Vikings 11-5
Bears 10-6
Packers 8-8
Lions 6-10
“the possible suspension of the two drug users are a potential problem” LOVE IT….You forgot about Cheech (its only a matter of time) Harvin
luv the name by the way...
" We get off the bus running! What do you mean we are a passing team? you don't agree with how I do things? You're fired!"
- Lovie Smith-
by tfrabotta on Mar 9, 2010 12:34 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
i chose 2nd
i don’t think we are to the vikings level yet, but i do believe we are better than the Packers.
I think the only positions the Packers have us beat on are WR, QB, CB, and TE, (maybe safety)
Do or do not there is not try-Master Yoda
Bears are 3rd
Look, the seasons over and theyve finished 3rd. Everyone, including espn, have been running their mouths about how great this teams going to be and how bad that teams going to be. Lets face it , you ll never know how good or bad a teams going to be until the season starts! All these loud mouth ex-jocks out there getting payed to blow hot air up your tail and yet they only know as much as you and I do. Yes Im excited about what the Bears have done with the free agencies, but let things be until after the draft.
it's called having fun
we try predicting the outcomce of next season simply because we like to have fun.
It;s fun to put your football knowledge up against your friends knowledge.
It’s all in good fun
Ofcourse we won’t know how the season will end up until it starts, but why not have some fun trying to predict it while we sit around twittling our thumbs waiting for the draft?
Do or do not there is not try-Master Yoda
and not even the first day of the draft!
"If I were a food critic being asked to write about the meal and experience at Waffle House, I would provide a drawing of two happy fat people giving each other a high five."
by BearNecessities on Mar 9, 2010 8:04 AM CST up reply actions
Wait...
…I have to call you friend?
I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule. -Randal Graves
Writer at windycitygridiron.com -/-I http://www.twitter.com/kdoggers
bears have an out in Peppers deal
Only the first year is guaranteed for “skill” while years 2 and 3 are guaranteed for injury. If peppers doesn’t perform the bears can cut him before february 11, 2011 and owe him zilch, zip, nada. Now I’m excited about this deal.
by lopey986 on Mar 8, 2010 10:51 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Peppers will post .....
……. spectacular numbers his first three or four season with us thus eliminating this whole out scenario . But at least JA did something good here , he gave himself an out .
by MidWayMonster54 on Mar 8, 2010 10:56 PM CST up reply actions
im not sold
defensive end is a lot like running back, guys with a lot of wear on them drop off pretty quickly around 30+ years old. but we can basically walk away and any time and it wont hinder our cap/budget going forward. very very shrewd move by JA (though if peppers bombs i doubt JA will be around to declare it a mistake and cut him, it will be the next GM)
wow
That’s huge. It means either one season and cut our losses, or (bare minimum) two seasons of production from him.
Its going to be tight
but if I had to pick right now, it would be Vikes, Bears, Pack, and that other team. If Favre is gone, Bears would be preseason #1.
The Lions scored 47 points on us last year (24 & 23)...
and averaged 33.5 yards per game…
"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)
.
Yo, I can't keep this civil...
The act of tying all of that to Favray makes me want to shank that writer in the kidney. Seriously. Right in the kidney.
GB would be something if they weren’t allowing their QB to get battered around constantly, something that is going to get even worse with the upgrades made/being made by us and the Lions.
Also, people are forgetting a lot of things when it comes to the Vikings, Favray is really getting up there in years and is only a few good hits away from calling it a career. Sage isn’t a bad QB, but he’s going to have some learning curve when he takes over. Also, losing Chester Taylor hurts the Vikings almost as much, if not more than it helps us. Chester Taylor wasn’t a huge need for us IMO, but he’s a really good player and I’ll love seeing him split carries with Forte.
Who are the Vikings going to give the ball to when they need to spell AP, or when AP starts fumbling. I hate to break it to to them, but if they give AP even more carries than he has been getting he’s going to burn out extremely quickly with his running style. Fantastic to watch, fantastic on the field, but it takes it’s toll on the player.
Bears 1
Vikings 2, as long as their defense stays unsuspended
GB 3
Lions 4.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Lions leapfrog both Vikings and GB in the year after this one.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Seemed civil enough to me.
We’re all Bears fans here. And nice point about CT although I think the Vikings have a pretty good back ups already on their roster in Albert Young and Ian Johnson.
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
Minnesota HIGHLY depends on Brett Favre coming back to be n.1
If he doesn’t come back, Then they drop straight to third.
Tarvaris Jackson isn’t a franchise QB by any means.
So bears can be first. Cause we do have one. (troubled but a WIP in my opinion)
And packers could take away that spot.
But since i’m a bears fan and a believer…Bears go first. I think Peppers/Brown/Harris/Urlacher/Briggs/Ogunleye/Tinoisamoa/Idonije will be a magical group to see. They will harass, strip the ball, sack, hit, tackle like few others can do.
Here’s to hoping Peppers was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Same goes for Forté/Taylor/Cutler/Aromashodu/Knox/Olsen.
On paper the team is excellent, now we gotta see what we get in the Draft and what they’ll play like.
2010 Chicago Bears, on the road to the Super Bowl!
AMEN!!!
BEAR DOWN!!
the thoughts i'd like to jot down
are probably too explicit for this thread…so, hope you feel better Kev H!
"If I were a food critic being asked to write about the meal and experience at Waffle House, I would provide a drawing of two happy fat people giving each other a high five."
If Favre doesn't come back..
1 Bears
2 Pack
3 Lions
4 Vikings
I can actually see Detroit make a leap next year and do better than the Vikings.
We are third until we prove we are not
It all looks good on paper but we have to prove we are better than them. If we can’t run the ball with some success and stop the pass occaisionally, we will remain third.
" We get off the bus running! What do you mean we are a passing team? you don't agree with how I do things? You're fired!"
- Lovie Smith-
by tfrabotta on Mar 9, 2010 10:19 AM CST via mobile reply actions
its pretty funny
that a team with a top 5 O and D is somehow getting ranked 3rd in the division. no doubt its pack, vikings, bears if the season started right now.
No doubt?
That IS pretty funny. The Bears went (for all purposes) without a pro-bowl caliber player on defense for the entire season. They had several other key injuries during the year on that side of the ball. The Vikings may or may not get back the arguably biggest playmaker on their team plus the Williams wall is showing cracks. Greenbay has to shore up its offensive line. Oh and the Bears may have improved at running back and tight end. Maybe a little. Also we got a absolute beast better than average defensive end to go up against GB’s mediocre O-line. NO DOUBT it’s Pack, Vikings, Bears? I love pragmatism as much as the next realist but dude, are you a Bears fan? Really? Really really?
If you can't laugh at yourself you must not be very funny.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
