Football is a soap opera for men (as evidenced by the ridiculous Dr. Pepper 10 ads). Tebow's magic meets Belichik's discipline, Orton and Jones put one on the Packers, and Johhny Knox gets folded in half on his first catch of the last meaningful game of the season.
For the Bears, they're basically out of contention for post-season play, but with Hanie at the helm, it wouldn't have mattered if they made it. I'm not sure if it's that he's that bad or if he's just never gotten any practice time with the first team, but he's not capable of running that offense. Seems like a nice enough guy, but he's yet another indictment against Jerry Angelo.
Winding the clock back, Lovie fires Ron Turner, looks for a new offensive coordinator, and after all of the quality options get snapped up by other teams, he gets down to one guy - his former boss in St. Louis - Mike Martz. Martz is known for being a great coordinator, but that's based on the seasons he had in St. Louis, with top-tier talent at nearly every position. In Detroit, he put up tons of yards with a mid-grade QB and overrated WR (now on the Bears) but didn't win many games.
Since he's the last man standing, Lovie hires him to be the OC, likely knowing the team doesn't have the components to fill out Martz's system. The second year in, the Bears get rid of their prized draft pick in Greg Olsen and pick up the aforementioned Roy Williams as a veteran receiver. The idea was to replace Olsen with a blocking TE (Spaeth) and add a real WR (Williams), but they only got part of that deal done, and the cost was losing a sure thing for pass plays. The Bears would have been much better off moving Olsen to WR and NOT HIRING WILLIAMS.
They also got Sam Hurd, but you may have seen something about him in the news this past week.
It's time for the Bears to abandon their old philosophy (all we need is defense and a running game) and to adopt an offensive mentality. Yes, it means they'll have harder choices to make at draft time, but it also means that they'll finally have depth at key offensive spots for a change.
December 20, 2011
December 12, 2011
It's Just a Game...
I don't blame Marion Barber for losing the game. He carved out tough yards through the whole game and put the only touchdown on the board. He's a third-down back that's been asked to play the feature role, and up until the very end of the game, he did a great job. Yes, those two plays gave the Broncos the chance to do what they did - and kudos to the Broncos for playing those fortunes perfectly - but if we had even one more field goal in 60 minutes of play, they wouldn't have mattered.
To put the blame solely on Barber is unfair. One of the subtle things you lose when a Jay Cutler is out is that veteran clock awareness. My guess is that Cutler tells his crew to stay in bounds in the huddle and Hanie doesn't. How many times have we seen Jay call a timeout to avoid a penalty when he sees his own guys lined up incorrectly?
In fairness, I don't blame Hanie alone. The head football coach allowed a change in the defense for the last, and most important, drive of the game. They went to a prevent, which actually prevents nothing. More importantly, forget about the connection between Tebow and the Lord - it's his connection with his team that makes him the focus of all this attention. It might also be the catalyst to better play from his team. The fact that he's a rookie and throws as poorly as he does, but yet the Broncos refer to him as their leader, that says something.
Here's the sour grapes: I saw multiple, egregious instances of holding on Broncos offensive plays. I had an inclination that Tebow had run over the line of scrimmage when he threw that touchdown pass, but I assumed it must not have been the case since Lovie didn't challenge it. In retrospect, it might have been worth it to contest that, but the Bears might also have been out of timeouts by then. (I don't remember.)
Regardless, I wrote off the Bears earlier in the season and they came back to surprise me with a long stretch of wins. There are not many games left, so I think it's fair to write them off for good at this point. Hanie is not good at all (more indictment of Jerry Angelo) and it's too late in the season to pick up someone who can both learn the system and be safe or even effective. What I said then is that the Bears are not a quality team based on their lack of depth. Still true.
To put the blame solely on Barber is unfair. One of the subtle things you lose when a Jay Cutler is out is that veteran clock awareness. My guess is that Cutler tells his crew to stay in bounds in the huddle and Hanie doesn't. How many times have we seen Jay call a timeout to avoid a penalty when he sees his own guys lined up incorrectly?
In fairness, I don't blame Hanie alone. The head football coach allowed a change in the defense for the last, and most important, drive of the game. They went to a prevent, which actually prevents nothing. More importantly, forget about the connection between Tebow and the Lord - it's his connection with his team that makes him the focus of all this attention. It might also be the catalyst to better play from his team. The fact that he's a rookie and throws as poorly as he does, but yet the Broncos refer to him as their leader, that says something.
Here's the sour grapes: I saw multiple, egregious instances of holding on Broncos offensive plays. I had an inclination that Tebow had run over the line of scrimmage when he threw that touchdown pass, but I assumed it must not have been the case since Lovie didn't challenge it. In retrospect, it might have been worth it to contest that, but the Bears might also have been out of timeouts by then. (I don't remember.)
Regardless, I wrote off the Bears earlier in the season and they came back to surprise me with a long stretch of wins. There are not many games left, so I think it's fair to write them off for good at this point. Hanie is not good at all (more indictment of Jerry Angelo) and it's too late in the season to pick up someone who can both learn the system and be safe or even effective. What I said then is that the Bears are not a quality team based on their lack of depth. Still true.
November 13, 2011
Holy Crap - I'm a Dad!
Not really a surprise, but today I saw some clear connections to the youth I can remember. My son was checking every room upstairs looking for his mom (at work) with great anticipation, until the room came up empty, then despair took over. He seemed utterly lost, even though I was there to comfort him. Tonight, for the first time, I think his object permanence took another step.
I am still able to distract and redirect him, so this didn't last forever. He was tired, and he was saying "night night" which is code for "go to sleep with mom". When she was nowhere to be found after multiple checks, he was crying and saying "ma ma... ma ma". That was heartbreaking.
Luckily, after a few laps, he let me bring him back downstairs. We put on the Lawrence Welk show (we're recording that to DVR now - it's amazing for inducing sleepy time) and he started to drift. With daylight savings, he was out by 6:30 pm.
I have recently realized that he's no longer a baby. We made it through the scary stuff and the sleepless nights with relatively little difficulty. We got a good one. He's a smart, sensitive, hilarious boy already, and even though we bought a new camera so we wouldn't miss it, I feel like the first part of his life went by too quickly. The photos we got - even the good ones - don't do justice.
Considering how many photos we've taken, I should probably post more of them. I'll get on that in the Flickr account one of these days. Until then...
I am still able to distract and redirect him, so this didn't last forever. He was tired, and he was saying "night night" which is code for "go to sleep with mom". When she was nowhere to be found after multiple checks, he was crying and saying "ma ma... ma ma". That was heartbreaking.
Luckily, after a few laps, he let me bring him back downstairs. We put on the Lawrence Welk show (we're recording that to DVR now - it's amazing for inducing sleepy time) and he started to drift. With daylight savings, he was out by 6:30 pm.
I have recently realized that he's no longer a baby. We made it through the scary stuff and the sleepless nights with relatively little difficulty. We got a good one. He's a smart, sensitive, hilarious boy already, and even though we bought a new camera so we wouldn't miss it, I feel like the first part of his life went by too quickly. The photos we got - even the good ones - don't do justice.
Considering how many photos we've taken, I should probably post more of them. I'll get on that in the Flickr account one of these days. Until then...
October 22, 2011
I Like the Cutler of His Jib
I heard a caller on the Mully and Hanley show recently saying that he was tired of the Jay Cutler love fest. He said that Cutler's mechanics are to blame for some or most of the problems the offense is having. I completely disagree, and I offer the following suggestions about Jay Cutler:
1. He worked on mechanics over the summer. All accounts were that his footwear was quicker, release was crisper, and he even lost a little weight. Mike Martz commented on this without prompt, in fact, just before the season started.
2. Mechanics are only part of the equation. Judgement is a bigger part. In Jay's first year, he trusted the line and the receivers and threw a ridiculous number of interceptions. He appeared to be throwing to the spots, but the receivers weren't there. Second year, he didn't trust the receivers as much and got sacked as much or more than any QB in the league. Importantly, the interceptions weren't nearly as bad. This year, when he's protected, he makes good throws and his mechanics look good. Those moments are somewhat rare, and the receivers are still not always where they need to be, and they sometimes drop the ball.
3. Jay has never thrown anyone, regardless of futility (I'm talking about Frank Omiyale in particular), under the bus. I would not be nearly as diplomatic for all the crap being sent his way day in and day out - including guys on radio call-in shows talking about how his mechanics suck.
4. I have now heard people suggest that the Bears should trade Cutler. There are some major flaws with that idea. First, it ignores the history of mediocre QBs that the Bears have cultivated. Second, to trade Cutler would mean to bring in someone new, and that responsibility lies with the same management team that brought us Henry Burris. Third, there aren't any available quarterbacks in the league that would be better than Jay Cutler with the other offensive components as they stand.
5. On top of everything else, Cutler is dealing with a serious disease every single day. Diabetes makes it harder for him to recover from injuries and to stay alert at various times of the day. In the past, it seemed like he was delirious in evening games. It really looks like he has figured out whatever was making him lag at night and has been totally crisp. Regardless, he should be getting extra credit for overcoming and playing through his disease but gets picked apart instead.
Honestly, I would have cracked by now. Too much speculation on heart, toughness, and skill from seemingly everyone - and I'd call him an elite QB. We just don't have anything to compare him to, and he's working with a mediocre squad. Instead of cracking, he comes back with improved play every week. I hope the Bears eventually put the tools in place to show off how good Cutler really is.
1. He worked on mechanics over the summer. All accounts were that his footwear was quicker, release was crisper, and he even lost a little weight. Mike Martz commented on this without prompt, in fact, just before the season started.
2. Mechanics are only part of the equation. Judgement is a bigger part. In Jay's first year, he trusted the line and the receivers and threw a ridiculous number of interceptions. He appeared to be throwing to the spots, but the receivers weren't there. Second year, he didn't trust the receivers as much and got sacked as much or more than any QB in the league. Importantly, the interceptions weren't nearly as bad. This year, when he's protected, he makes good throws and his mechanics look good. Those moments are somewhat rare, and the receivers are still not always where they need to be, and they sometimes drop the ball.
3. Jay has never thrown anyone, regardless of futility (I'm talking about Frank Omiyale in particular), under the bus. I would not be nearly as diplomatic for all the crap being sent his way day in and day out - including guys on radio call-in shows talking about how his mechanics suck.
4. I have now heard people suggest that the Bears should trade Cutler. There are some major flaws with that idea. First, it ignores the history of mediocre QBs that the Bears have cultivated. Second, to trade Cutler would mean to bring in someone new, and that responsibility lies with the same management team that brought us Henry Burris. Third, there aren't any available quarterbacks in the league that would be better than Jay Cutler with the other offensive components as they stand.
5. On top of everything else, Cutler is dealing with a serious disease every single day. Diabetes makes it harder for him to recover from injuries and to stay alert at various times of the day. In the past, it seemed like he was delirious in evening games. It really looks like he has figured out whatever was making him lag at night and has been totally crisp. Regardless, he should be getting extra credit for overcoming and playing through his disease but gets picked apart instead.
Honestly, I would have cracked by now. Too much speculation on heart, toughness, and skill from seemingly everyone - and I'd call him an elite QB. We just don't have anything to compare him to, and he's working with a mediocre squad. Instead of cracking, he comes back with improved play every week. I hope the Bears eventually put the tools in place to show off how good Cutler really is.
October 12, 2011
Bears Down
It's getting crazy now. We've seen the Detroit Lions go from 0-16 to seemingly unbeatable. That took a complete reboot from the general manager on down the line. There are only a few players from that tragic team that are still in the program, and they were kept because they were top-notch players.
The Bears keep the mediocrity alive by performing just well enough to give us a little hope. Since 1985, this has always ended with disappointment. This year, with a 2 and 3 start, I don't expect anything different. Even if, like last year, they win the majority of their upcoming games, I will not be convinced that they are a solid, elite team.
They won the first game of the season with a fairly balanced attack. Unfortunately, they lost some key players to injury, and if that's all it takes to throw the team into disarray, then we might have a good starting team, but not a solid, elite team in general.
We don't have backup offensive or defensive line guys. We don't have solid backups for the secondary. We don't have #1 receivers and I'm not sure any of the current receivers are even solid backup guys. Even worse, Angelo has hired guys like Roy Williams, Mushin Muhammad, and an old Marty Booker (not to mention Adam Archuleta and Orlando Pace well past their useful years).
So, Angelo lucks into a premier quarterback. First move after that should have been to protect him. That means keeping the two veterans worth anything on the O-line (Garza and Kreutz) and back-filling with new, young talent. Hire guys that won't need to start this year so you can develop them.
I heard this reiterated almost exactly this morning on the Mully and Hanley show (670 AM) by Michael Lombardi. In fact, he pointed out all of the flaws in the system as it stands (bad safety play, no pass rush, no receivers, no QB protection, old schemes) but made the most sense talking about the organization. He started out by talking about the humble beginning of Jim Schwartz, new Lions coach. He mentioned that the way the Lions built up from scratch is similar to how the Patriots and Steelers were built. No one person is bigger than the organization and everyone is pulling in the same direction.
This is very far from the case in Chicago. Matt Forte wants a new contract and very much deserves it. He might be the most important offensive player in the entire NFL when you consider how bad the Bears offense would be without him. Doesn't seem to matter that he had a great year last year and his rookie year, or that he tried to play through an injury in the interim year. The Bears won't pay him, even though they apparently have cap money left.
Lance Briggs is getting older but, despite having gone head to head with Angelo over contract issues in the past, wants to re-work his deal as well. Just like last time, he let it be known that he's not happy here. I can't imagine Jay Cutler is super excited to be in a system that does very little to support his strengths or protect his spine, although we haven't really heard any griping from him at all. He's more than just physically tough, it seems.
Basically, the list of players I'd keep in a complete overhaul has shrunk since last year. Jay Cutler stays for sure. Robbie Gould, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman, and Dave Toub stay, but mostly for sentimental reasons. Beyond that - from the GM on down - I'm ready for the new regime. I'm tired of good one year, bad the next, mediocre the year after that. I would like some consistency one way or the other.
Like the Lions.
The Bears keep the mediocrity alive by performing just well enough to give us a little hope. Since 1985, this has always ended with disappointment. This year, with a 2 and 3 start, I don't expect anything different. Even if, like last year, they win the majority of their upcoming games, I will not be convinced that they are a solid, elite team.
They won the first game of the season with a fairly balanced attack. Unfortunately, they lost some key players to injury, and if that's all it takes to throw the team into disarray, then we might have a good starting team, but not a solid, elite team in general.
We don't have backup offensive or defensive line guys. We don't have solid backups for the secondary. We don't have #1 receivers and I'm not sure any of the current receivers are even solid backup guys. Even worse, Angelo has hired guys like Roy Williams, Mushin Muhammad, and an old Marty Booker (not to mention Adam Archuleta and Orlando Pace well past their useful years).
So, Angelo lucks into a premier quarterback. First move after that should have been to protect him. That means keeping the two veterans worth anything on the O-line (Garza and Kreutz) and back-filling with new, young talent. Hire guys that won't need to start this year so you can develop them.
I heard this reiterated almost exactly this morning on the Mully and Hanley show (670 AM) by Michael Lombardi. In fact, he pointed out all of the flaws in the system as it stands (bad safety play, no pass rush, no receivers, no QB protection, old schemes) but made the most sense talking about the organization. He started out by talking about the humble beginning of Jim Schwartz, new Lions coach. He mentioned that the way the Lions built up from scratch is similar to how the Patriots and Steelers were built. No one person is bigger than the organization and everyone is pulling in the same direction.
This is very far from the case in Chicago. Matt Forte wants a new contract and very much deserves it. He might be the most important offensive player in the entire NFL when you consider how bad the Bears offense would be without him. Doesn't seem to matter that he had a great year last year and his rookie year, or that he tried to play through an injury in the interim year. The Bears won't pay him, even though they apparently have cap money left.
Lance Briggs is getting older but, despite having gone head to head with Angelo over contract issues in the past, wants to re-work his deal as well. Just like last time, he let it be known that he's not happy here. I can't imagine Jay Cutler is super excited to be in a system that does very little to support his strengths or protect his spine, although we haven't really heard any griping from him at all. He's more than just physically tough, it seems.
Basically, the list of players I'd keep in a complete overhaul has shrunk since last year. Jay Cutler stays for sure. Robbie Gould, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman, and Dave Toub stay, but mostly for sentimental reasons. Beyond that - from the GM on down - I'm ready for the new regime. I'm tired of good one year, bad the next, mediocre the year after that. I would like some consistency one way or the other.
Like the Lions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)