Bear's Future...ugh

[doug shank's crossover]

Watching the Bear's eek by a woeful Rams team today was painful. Even more painful is contemplating the Bear's future which does not include a 1st or 2nd round draft pick in next spring's draft. By my count, here are the Bear's biggest needs (that will have to be addressed in free agency):

1. Defensive End (edge rusher)
2. Wide Receiver
3. Safety
4. Offensive Lineman

[lightsout]

Although those are all big needs for DA Bears I would have to say O-Line help is the #1 need for this team. Cant run the ball when Forte is getting hit in the backfield and Cutler cant do anything when he is running for his life or on his back all day long.

[Big Mike]

I'd like to start with a new general manager and a head coach myself!

[BU freak]

I would love to see them clean house and bring in Cowher, who Bear fans would love. More than likely, though, Turner will be the scapegoat. Hello Mike Martz. As for needs- DE, WR, OL, both safeties, DT, RB. I really think Lovie is much closer than anyone thinks to getting the axe. I believe the edict was to win this year from the higher ups, given all the major moves they made (Lovie as DC, Cutler, Marinelli, Pace). I think a consensus can be made that the Bears need a new Defensive Coordinator. Bad coaching all year should get you fired!

[Murph]

I would love to see them clean house and bring in Cowher, who Bear fans would love.

Lovie definitely needs to go, Cowher would be nice but he's is going to need about 7 or 8 million a year, I can't see the cheap a$$ Bears spending that much money on a coach.

[Braves4Life]

Lovie definitely needs to go, Cowher would be nice but he's is going to need about 7 or 8 million a year, I can't see the cheap a$$ Bears spending that much money on a coach.

Cowher will be head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Book it!

[BuBraves55]

o-line? please. It's an UPGRADED line from last year (the big orlando pace signing, remeber) that kyle orton used. you guys need a new quarterback, rb and a few receivers. Hey, that's what the drafts for....oh wait bears are without their 1st and 2nd picks. Great work Angelo!! Single handily the most humorous team in football to watch.

[Beninator]

I'd like to start with a new general manager and a head coach myself!

Not a Bears fan, but they need to get new ownership first!

[Murph]

Cowher will be head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Book it!

I love these "book its", you must be an insider.


Charlie Weis interested in taking over Chicago Bears' offense


Weis supposedly has six teams that want to talk to him about being offensive coordinator next season.
Weis apparently really wants to be in Chicago so he can be near his family. His son is in high school and his wife runs a nonprofit foundation that helps children and young adults with autism and other special needs called Hannah and Friends in honor of their daughter.


There had been some talk that the Bears might can head coach Lovie Smith this off-season but he has two years and $10 million to go on his deal. The team supposedly doesn't want to pay two head coaches simultaneously so the thought is that Smith will stay on board but folks like Turner, whose contract ends after next year, are goners.

[doug shank's crossover]

o-line? please. It's an UPGRADED line from last year (the big orlando pace signing, remeber)

So, you like the Bear's "upgraded" O-line? You must be remembering the Orlando Pace from the mid-90s not the Orlando Pace who'll probably be retired next year. Maybe it's the awesome Frank Omiyale that you like...or fearsome Roberto Garza. Cutler doesn't typically have time to throw to his bad wide receivers because the line has struggled this year. Plus, he hasn't had a running game at all. When he (Cutler) was a Bronco he made the pro bowl. When Orton was a Bear, he was bad, bad bad. Now as a Bronco he's mediocre.

[SFP]

Not a Bears fan, but they need to get new ownership first!

Could not agree more!

[BUconnorD]

There is no upgrade in an o-line who's ages range from
24 (lance louis?) to 34 (Mr. Pace...ANCIENT for o-line)

They...ARE...OLD!!!!

O-line is the core of the problems. System is the core of the defensive woes.

Typically, the [Tampa 2] players don't have the prototypical size of other NFL defenders. Instead, stress is put on speed, smarts and flawless tackling. [??¦] A quick defensive line is a must, but the middle linebacker position is the straw that stirs the drink. (yea its from wikipedia...but it describes the bears)

1. MIDDLE linebacker - Urlacher, out for season. Yea he's old...but you lose your absolute core of defense. Not to mention a defense that lives on the middle linebacker spot. And replace him with Hunter, who is capable, but inexperienced. not to mention the rest of the LB's getting hurt and going to the bottom of the barrel for them.
2. Speed. Our D-line is getting slow and old and thin. Few years back, they were conditioned for the tampa 2 and we went to the superbowl. And yet, now we're screwed because of the contracts we're locked into.
3. Flawless tackling. When was the last time you saw any member of the secondary wrap up? not often. They are hitting not tackling. Yea that sends a message, but 1/3 times the guy is still running.

things we need:
-O-line (core problem)
-New defense strategy (unfortunately that means bye-bye lovie)
-New offensive coordinator (turner can't pull the trigger w/ Cutler and we need someone who will.......charlie weis???)
-Start thinking long term (Urlacher is showing signs of slowing down...we need to start thinking depth)
-Big WR who will take the double team off of Greg Olsen (that's why his numbers are down)
-Capable #2 RB to take pressure off of Forte

doable in one season? no
Soon though? sure

[Fetz86]

. . .
things we need:
-O-line (core problem)
-New defense strategy (unfortunately that means bye-bye lovie)
-New offensive coordinator (turner can't pull the trigger w/ Cutler and we need someone who will.......charlie weis???)
-Start thinking long term (Urlacher is showing signs of slowing down...we need to start thinking depth)
-Big WR who will take the double team off of Greg Olsen (that's why his numbers are down)
-Capable #2 RB to take pressure off of Forte

doable in one season? no
Soon though? sure

This is the best post you have ever made. I agree

[BuBraves55]

So, you like the Bear's "upgraded" O-line? You must be remembering the Orlando Pace from the mid-90s not the Orlando Pace who'll probably be retired next year. Maybe it's the awesome Frank Omiyale that you like...or fearsome Roberto Garza. Cutler doesn't typically have time to throw to his bad wide receivers because the line has struggled this year. Plus, he hasn't had a running game at all. When he (Cutler) was a Bronco he made the pro bowl. When Orton was a Bear, he was bad, bad bad. Now as a Bronco he's mediocre.

Cutler made the pro bowl in Denver with a HALL OF FAME coach, a system he was in for 3 years and a pro bowl cast. He still threw 18 picks and countless more dropped ones. He snubbed numerous other qbs for the pro bowl as well. btw- check out his pro bowl stats, not good.
Everyone makes excuses for "Jay-Cut" for him being in a new system. Fine. Kyle Orton is in a new system. Only difference is he has a better team and he is putting up much better numbers.

And how do you go from being a playoff contender for the last 5 years to COMPLETELY rebuilding?? Main change is Cutler, but it's not is fault, right? It's all of a sudden everyone else's now. So last five years the staff is fine, everythings fine.....now who was portrayed as the second coming of Christ comes in (Cutler) and it's everybody else's fault that they are in total rebuild mode.

[Da Coach]

Thanks for your opinions, but, though I am no expert, when I watch the Bears I see Cutler barely get time to raise his arm before the other team's D-line is on him, I see receivers who never get separation and appear to have D-backs surgically attached to them, I see an O-line that can't open any holes for the running backs, the receivers who can't gain any yards after catches, an offensive coordinator who seems to always call the play that the opponent is expecting them to call, receivers who never seem to know what adjustments to make when the quarterback does call an audible- they just run the same route the play called for and they don't adjust to the audible, and of course, a porous defense. Most of the interceptions aren't all his fault.
To me, Cutler clearly has skills that previous Bears quarterbacks never had. It was not an accident that he was a Pro Bowl quarterback. If the geniuses who run the Bears would have surrounded him with players who could actually play at the level of the NFL, he would be playing at a Pro-Bowl level again.