Camp opens Friday, and while it should be a time for giddy optimism for Bears fans, the feeling here is there are some serious problems with this team.
Where do we start? Lance or Rex or the running game?
My guess is Lance won't sit out the 10 games. He'll report toward the end of camp and act like he doesn't want to let his teammates down, when we all know it will be about the money.
Good Rex/Bad Rex will return. Great some games. Bad in others. Although I'm guessing the lows won't be as low. He'll improve. And Tommie Harris will love him.
Cedric Benson? How motivated will he be knowing he's the man? The Bears will miss Thomas Jones. He was dependable if not spectacular. Benson isn't even dependable at this point. I still question his ability to stay injury-free and his mental toughness. We'll see.
But the defense should be excellent again, even without Lance. Playoffs, yes. But my money is not on returning to the big game.
You heard it hear First, Cedric is going to have a PRO BOWL year!
Rex and Cedric....those are names I call people when they do things like; slip and fall, hit their finger with a hammer, bump their head...and what's funny, the first time I said, "nice job, Rex" to my Wife...was the last time I'll ever do it..Yeah, DaWife watches the games..
On Rex..he's laughably uncoordinated and geriatrically slow....and he makes up for it by being too short to see downfield....So, without open throwing lanes and zero pressure...well, how about that ZERO QB rating? Hopefully, San Diego's defense will end the Rexperiment so we have 15 games to recover..
On Cedric..Hmm, Been Watching UT since Earl...and hearing comparisons to Ricky Williams....Yeah, OK? LOL, he couldn't carry Ricky's bong...or the buds that go in it...a low-rent Ricky Williams, maybe...and a bigger head case (Ricky's teammates liked him)...I'm happy TJ got out of this situation....DaBears insulted him enough
Excited about watching the Defense, though...Dusty Dvorcek better come to play...I hope TH is healthy...and I watched Jamar Williams a lot at ASU...he'll do just fine
But the worst part of Rex and Cedric...
Hester on offense, Olson at TE..Berrian, R. Davis, Moose, Bradley......darn......what a waste
are Rex and Cedric the only two first rounders on the same team who took three years to get ready for their rookie season? Go Bears!!
All ya gotta do is put pressure on our QB....game over
I'd rather ride with Orton...and I miss TJ
9-7 at best
Adrian Peterson(the original) will be able to block.....and run hard...just like last year....teams will know if the bears are running or passing.....then again not too many were able to stop them....I don't know about Hester on offense.......it's tough running routes 100% all the time....lets hope we he is dedicated.I am just so happy to see a Bears Thread. My Guess is good Rex and Awesome Rex...what if he gets hurt again? Because his lifts in his shoes were too big to get proper ankle support. UGH!
Bears will be 10-6, playoffs but out in the first round. Much tougher schedule this year, they had their chance last year and blew it
Grossman will not improve - this is his 5th year, he has had plenty of time to "figure it out" - he will always be what he was last year
Benson will be average - 3.5 per carry, 1,100 rushing yards, if he was a starting-caliber running back he would have beat out Jones two years ago
Bears will give up a lot of rushing yards due to lack of depth at defensive tackle
Overall, the Bears peak was last season. Timid defensive calls in the Superbowl cost them dearly, as well as sticking with Grossman. Most players on the team will be gone after this year. A major opportunity lost due to short-sighted coaching.
You didn't even mention the linebackers. They were completely exposed against the Colts - now they will be operating with a new strong side line backer, and they're still stuck with Hillenmeyer who would be a special teams for most teams.
If Harris doesn't play DT like he did the first part of last year, this D will be bad.
The Bears will once again be saved by the worst division in football. I don't trust Ced Benson carrying the rushing load. I don't trust Rex Grossman receiving every snap. The saving grace will be the defense; like the bogeyman its reputation precedes it and strikes fear.
Because the NFC North is the equivalent of the NL West or NL Central the Bears will make the playoffs, but they'll probably get trounced by the Saints or Seahawks.
I say Lance will report to the last day of training camp and say that he is a "team player" lol...the bears D will be as dominate or even better barring injury....Rex will be good if not great(thats all we really need)...and i like Benson alot better than Thomas Jones even though Jones was consistent he wasnt special...Benson can be that!!!
My Prediction
record: 12-4(division champs)
Benson 1500 rushing yards
Grossman 30 touchdowns 19 interceptions
Super Bowl Shuffle!!!!!
I have little faith in Ced and neither did the Bears one year ago today. Rmember the fumble/phantom injury in the Super Bowl, pre-season walk off. Forget the 100 yd game in the last, meaningless game against GB>
Name one QB within the last 20 years that was under 6'2' and the starting QB of a winning Superbowl team. Exactly, there isn't one. Why go into a season knowing that you have no chance of winning the whole thing? That's why I'm going to be realistic about this. Division winner (in a bad division again), but playoff loser. Rex seems like a nice guy, but his lack of height at such a pivotal position will be a downfall. 10-6 with a first round bounce.
There's alot of buzz gone this year because of what happened last year. Typical fans I guess.
The schedule no doubt is ALOT tougher. There's no doubt about that.
Offense: I think we're a better team. We've got more speed, we drafted Wolfe who I think is going to be a sleeper unless he's injured. We got 3 guys that can just flat out fly in Berrian, Hester and Bradley. I saw flashes of brilliance from Cedric last year and, knock him all you want, he's got skills. If he can't stay healthy, we got Peterson and Wolfe. Our O-Line is also solid. So Offensively we're better I think.
Defense: We took a huge loss in the DT area. We'll see what Dvoracek and Adams do to fill in the gaps. With Urlacher still anchoring the middle, I think we'll be okay in the SAM and WILL slots at LB. Now, if Brown (Mike) can stay healthy and Archuletta as well, we have two SOLID safeties. Don't forget about R. Manning on the nickel packages. Harris and D. Manning will need to shore up their run tackling. Add our two starting CB's in and keep the injuries within reason and we're a tough team to beat.
Having said all that, with this schedule.....I'm prayin' on 11-5 and NFC Championship game.
Oh, and Bearsfan, what SuperBowl did you watch? There was no phantom injury to Benson. Benson was CRUSHED on a play. I'm surprised that he got up. The Colts were simply the better team. They wanted it more and they deserved to be the World Champs. Hats off to the Bears for playing 'em tough, but the right team won.
Rex has a some issues to contend with, and I'm not just talking about his freakish eyebrows. He's short, has small hands, needs Lasik, etc. We all know about his physical shortcomings. But he does show talent at times and that leads me to believe his problems are mostly mental. He needs to learn how to bounce back from mistakes (the Giants game last year showed promise in this area), and deal with the media that's not going to be as kind to him this season. He needs to show us quickly that he's our guy - otherwise we're in trouble. If he can gain confidence early and build on that, he'll be fine. I think Benson will be very good - I don't know about the Pro Bowl, but he should be dependable. And good things happen when Adrian Peterson is on the field. Love the addition of Hester on offense. Defense will be solid as usual, and will likely carry us to a few victories like last year. I don't what to say about Briggs anymore, except how hard is he gonna play knowing he doesn't want to be here anyway? We don't lose much without him. We should at least be in the NFC Championship game.
Hitman, your post made me laugh. Wasn't it Brian Griese a few years back who suffered an injury tripping over his dog?
If the Bears stay healthy, Rex improves his footwork and learns to step-up in the pocket (ala immobile Dan Marino), and either Dusty or Adams turn out to be a pleasant surprise, the Midway Monsters win the Division with no problem. Add a mistake free and full ahead Benson along with a much improved defensive scheme and the Ring is there for the takin'.
I still don't understand when people say that the schedule got tougher. If a team goes 10-6 one year there is absolutely no gaurantee that they will be 14-2 or 3-13. Whoever is on our schedule might have a bunch of injuries or might not. We might have a bunch. Pick any team from the playoffs last year and tell me if they finished where we expected. Who said that the Saints would be good. Someone expected them to be an easy mark when the schedule was introduced last year. Who is expected to be the sleepers and who are expected to go all the way? Nothing ever happens as planned. I just hope that Benson and Rex have prepared to be the centerpieces of this team. We really rize and fall with depth everywhere especially DT and the whole O-line which got older a lot faster than any position on the team. I'm an optimist when it comes to this team succeeding. Always has been even when they stunk.
Sorry....I need to revise my season prediction to match an earler post of mine....Bears will go 9-7 as follows:
1 - at Chargers (L)
2 - Chiefs (W)
3 - Cowboys (W)
4 - at Lions (W)
5 - at Packers (L)
6 - Vikings (W)
7 - at Eagles (L)
8 - Lions (W)
9 - BYE WEEK
10 - at Raiders (W)
11 - at Seahawks (L)
12 - Broncos (L)
13 - Giants (W)
14 - at Redskins (W)
15 - at Vikings (L)
16 - Packers (W)
17 - Saints (L)
With all due respect to William, while there are no guarantees in the NFL regarding records, teams that:
- have tougher schedules than the prior year
- stick with bad quarterbacks like Grossman
- lose their starting running back
- lose a Pro Bowl linebacker
- lose a starting defensive tackle and two good backups
- and have coaches that are unable or unwilling to blitz in the Superbowl during a torrential downpour
...usually have much worse records the following year...
Those are valid points JohnF. But schedules are too often given too much credence. The Seahawks for example didn't lose most of the games they lost because of scheduling. They lost because their starting Rb got hurt which he never did. Their depth was bad. Plus their QB missed games. They weren't even expected to make the playoffs. They did. After Donovan got hurt the Eagles were expected to take a tremendous nosedive. They didn't. Saints weren't expected to get close to .500. Second best record in the NFC. What did everyone expect game in and game out from Dallas? They never mentioned a guy named Romo starting and taking them to the 2nd round of the playoffs. Some of these teams started off being teams you expected to lose and became teams everyone expected to win every game. Who expected the BEARS to win against the Saints at home in the playoffs? No one outside of this city. And sadly plenty of folks here picked the BEARS to lose every time they played in the post season. I'm not a big stat guy so I don't follow that formula. Every season provides a new script to where we end up. I love seeing the BEARS season come around but I dislike the fact that summer isn't much longer.
Paul says, "The Colts were simply the better team. They wanted it more and they deserved to be the World Champs. Hats off to the Bears for playing 'em tough, but the right team won".
Apparently you weren't watching the game Paul, or you don't know much about Peyton Manning.
The reason the Bears lost was because they only blitzed twice in the entire first half, and that was late, and when they did they only brought one extra guy. They continued this trend into the second half until it was too late.
I watched Manning throughout the season (they televised way too many Colts games), and one thing that became obvious as I watched is he is the best QB in the universe when he is not under pressure. He was dominant in every game during the season in which he received breathing room, and lost almost every game when he was consistently blitzed (the exception was the playoff game against Baltimore, where his team was able to eke out five field goals).
When the Bears decided before the game that they weren't going to try to pressure Manning, they had already lost. There was really no reason to go onto the field after that.
The Bears players may have played tough, but the Bears organization simply handed the Colts the Superbowl by pursuing the most idiotic defensive game plan that could possibly be conceived by anyone over the age of twelve.
If the Bears had been more aggressive on defense they probably would have won.
I'm guessing that's the reason why our Defensive Coordinator is now a linebacker coach for some other team.
lol, thank you Julie...making people laugh is quite important to me....I'm sure Greise mowed over many a dog in his drinking days, but it was BSlob, Brian Robinson, who in a stupor...."claims" he fell over his dog and broke his wrists...
Nothing tops the Cub's Glenallen Hill meltdown, though....Dreaming he was covered in spiders and crashing thru his glass coffee table....Shame there weren't ESPY's back then
Let's sing Bear Down Chicago Bears.....
Without...RexandCed...we'll make every play.....clear the way....to victoryyyyy
Without....RexandCed.....we'll be able to fight with a might so fearliouslyyyyy
We'll never forget how we dump those top picks.....22 and 4...We're.. CadeSick
Without....RexandCed....we'll do more than useless praying for a crown....
We want pride and joy, We're from Illinois... and with RexandCed....We frown...."Give Em DaBoot!!"
WOW!! Lots of optimism on here as usual. Listen up guys, If you are all true Bear fans then you've seen every bears game from week 1 through 17. Looking back on last year, I thought Rex play well in about 11 of those games. Of course he struggled and looked like a comeplete goofball in the few games he played poorly in. Bottom line is, Rex wasn't as bad as some of you guys make him out to be. Shoot, I can remember last year around this time, some of you guys was hating on him before the season even started. Some of you never liked him and couldn't wait until he started to struggle. Rex played like an all-pro in 7-8 of those games (including the playoff win against Seattle).rex doesn't need to play like Joe Montana next year. He just can't have the multiple int games. I believe he will be fine. As for Benson, You all seen the the potential. With The Bears O-line, I can run for 1,000 yards. Well maybe not, but the point is I don't think we will miss T Jones THAT much. We really don't know how the season will play out though. My prediction is the Bears will be at least 10-6. I think Rex will improve upon last years performance. And I think Benson will rush for at least 1300 yards. In other words, Im not willing to write them off yet.
"There's alot of buzz gone this year because of what happened last year. Typical fans I guess.
The schedule no doubt is ALOT tougher."
-Paul
Paul, you are getting down on us fans for using last season's Bears.....but then you say the "schedule is ALOT tougher".Based on what?? LAST SEASON!!!.................you think all the teams are gonna stay the same? Except of the Bears of Course?...c'mon man...stop counterdicting yourself. Afterall, you did not say anything bad about Rex....so you must be pretty knowledgeable....
leave that mentality to the "get rid of Rex and bring us Romo" 'factory workers'......................have a good day :0
Koolaid?...YES more please!
Reality check: Rex Grossman is NOT an NFL quarterback. I don't need 2 elaborate on that FACT.
Ced Benson barring injury will run 4 at least 1,400 yars and will not be tackled from behind like Thomas 2 yard Jones was on a regular basis.
The Bears have very good weapons on offense but Grossman won't be able 2 get them the ball. Of all active NFL qb's, Grossman is 4th from the bottom in % completions. That says a LOT.
The defense will be good enough 2 win 11 games but coaching and QB play is going 2 kill this team. We blew our chance with Grossman last year.
can cedric block? can grossman scramble? any team that watches film knows all they have to do is blitz,blitz, blitz. make grossman sweat and the ball just falls from his hands. that being said it will be great to have bears football back, can't wait
Hitman, I seem to remember Griese getting injured in a non-football-related manner too. It was something equally stupid like fall down the stairs, right?
Thomas Jones never fit in with the team. You talk about Rex being undersized, and then you bring up how bad were gonna miss Thomas Jones. Excuse me...but...THOMAS JONES IS UNDERSIZED!
Cedric is like a Larry Johnson style running back...he can get ya 25+ carries a game, 3+ yards per carry, I mean, Cedric falls for 2.5 yards alone. Youll never see Cedric get stacked up by 3 DB's and pushed back 5 yards. I think that was TJ's second favorite play, his first was the spaztic scattered frog in a hot tin can play, where he would do about 15 zig zags before he would ever cross the line of scrimmage and then...maybe squirt out for 6 yards if no one came withing a finger length of whipping him down to the ground like a 4th grader.
Thomas Jones?? Too funny!
So many things can happen to louse up a football team that predictions often prove pointless. Even so, I like the Bears' chances for a Super Bowl win. Rex will only be "good Rex," Briggs will play some time or other, the passing game will set up the running game, Adrian P. will come into his own, and Cedric B. will show why he was a first pick. The Bears will also be undefeated in their division.Super Bowl score: Bears 33, Colts 13.
Jermaine:
When Grossman can receive the snap from center consistently, maybe I'll start to believe again. Champions play their best games in the biggest games - Grossman (and the Bears defensive coaches) choked...
Today, NFL teams go through peaks and valleys (except for New England) and you have to strike while the iron is hot.....the Colts did and the Bears whiffed....
Furbie, you are absolutely right. Daniel Manning blew a coverage in the first half and gave up that long touchdown and the Bears defense went into a shell after that......cowardly.....you could see Urlacher screaming at the sideline to blitz and they wouldn't do it....
Someone mentioned the ageing offensive line as a concern, and the bears haven't done anything to shore it up. Even with a couple more offensive playmakers, protection of the immobile, injury prone, lil fellar will be key to the bears offensive success.
And its not just the o line that will be needed for this. If olsen is going to be a plus to the offense, he's going to have to block too, and that isnt supposed to be his strong suit.
But even the old o line and olsen aren't the main soft spot for protecting the wee one, that would be Benson. Could see a lot of peterson in the backfield if the coaches want to prolong the grossman experience. Otherwise, just a matter of time before Benson misses a block and the lil fellar winds up with his helmet on sideways.
Anyone else ever notice how when grossman gets hit his helmet seems to turn on his head and his chinstrap winds up in his mouth? It almost looks like his helmet doesn't fit him right, like it is too big, or he has some extra padding on the top of his head so he looks taller but also makes his helmet loose around the sides. Maybe instead of lifts in his shoes he's using lifts in his helmet, or maybe both.
Benson may rush for a thousand yards but his biggest impact for the team will be ushering in griese as #1 qb after rex gets clobbered.
No Chicago paper football writer is willing to acknowledge what is potentially the most dire problem facing the Bears:
They have NO EXPERIENCED DEPTH AT LINEBACKER!!!
Although some think that Urlacher is totally responsible for Briggs success, most knowledgeable football people would, I'm sure, describe him as at least better than average.
Urlacher is an almost universally acknowledged superstar.
Most people think that Hillenmeyer is average, at best.
The current roster has 5 other LBs, listed below with the number of years "experience" and total number of career tackles:
Ayanbadejo 5 years 32 tackles
Joe 4 years 17 tackles
McClover 3 years 8 tackles
Wilson 2 years 21 tackles
J Williams 1 year 2 tackles
Okwo ROOKIE
That is 5 guys with an average of 3 years experience and 16 tackles each or, not counting Okwo, 4 guys with an average of 4 years experience and 20 tackles each.
First, IF Briggs got traded or sits out, does anyone really believe that it wouldn't represent a serious dent in the defense's effectiveness?
Second, if Briggs does "see the light" and does not miss any games, who in the world is Urlacher's replacemnt, if he went down?
Third, while I haven't spent the time to validate the following, I would bet a lot of money that no other supposed SuperBowl contender has such a serious lack of experience behind their starting LB unit.
Stop looking at the bad. Good things are happening too.
How many times does it need to be proven that Bad Teamates crush teams. "Me first" guys in team sports just never reach their full potential and once they are paid off it's all down hill.
Briggs could be great in Chicago. However, he wants to be paid very top dollar for a short period rather than be paid almost top dollar for 10 years and have a brilliant career in Chicago. It's Drew's choice. (He better hope he doesn't end up on Washington)
TJ is another story. Mgmt created that problem by drafting a RB when TJ was doing great. I wish him the best in NY.
We have a lot to look forward too. Some new faces, but thats OK. It's not the NFL of 30 years ago. Coaches win Super Bowls and we have a darn good one. We have more talented players the the Patriots defense and a better system. (Except in the super bowl when we forgot to cover the RB's 20 times)
The defense will be great. The offense will still be explosive, and more of those explosions will be positive vs. counter productive.
Quick Picks:
Bears record: 12-4
Divisional Sweep 2 years in a row
Benson: 1250yds and 12 TD's
Grossman: 3000 yds 25TDs 16INT (Many less fumbles lost)
Urlacher: 2nd in Defensive MVP voting to Champ Bailey
I'm glad that training camp starts this Friday. It marks the beginning of the greatest season in the world...da Bear(s) season! Despite the fact that Rex is a tad short, I'm hopeful that an offensive game plan will surface to address it. Cedric should be fine as long as the offensive line does its job. I also believe that the defense will show some improvement. I'm hoping the receivers will have a pro bowl season. There's some real talent at that position. My prediction...11 and 5, loss in first round of playoffs.
Julie, I believe you are correct. Griese did suffer an "injury" after a fall. I remember thinking that the report was NFL code for "he was higher than a kite" when he was injured.
Wrecks will get hurt sometime in the first few weeks but I'm hoping Lance takes his frustration out on Wrecks in training camp and takes him out for the season. Wrecks will get super mad but can't fight Briggs so he goes after Drew Rosenhaus and beats him silly with his crutches.
Julie...I found it...in 2002, with the Broncos...and while he was a drinker...claims his dog clipped him going down the stairs...google "brian griese falling down stairs"
Well, here we go guys/gals...Training camp is upon us...
lol, one thing, tho...how does the following scouting report warrant releasing the man responsible for over 36% of our offensive output (over the last three years) and "rewarding" this guy with the starting job....
Gives minimal attempts blocking. Seemingly goes down rather easily at times or finishes the play running out of bounds. Experienced fumbling problems this season. Made some very selfish comments prior to his junior campaign when asked to share the load at running back. (YEP, that's the guys we drafted alright...except now we can add "has shown durability issues")
We got rid of A-Train so we could draft another one...that fumbles, gets hurt, and points fingers at his teammates and coaches?
Superbowl, Baby!!!!
Can anyone post that picture of Orton in the limo again...I erased it.
My fellow Bears fans, do not worry about the running game. In the third round we got Garrett Wolfe. He is smaller than they like em but he play for real. The guy dominated college football and destroyed Michigan and Ohio State. The best part is that he is a Chicagoan, born and raised. This kid was an early Heisman candidate and will thrive on the big stage. Get ready to watch #25 slip into the secondary and make people miss with ease.
Ask our neighbors in Indiana what they think of Wolfe; he only hung 353 yds. on Ball State, breaking Marcus Allen's record for yards in the first five games.
He may not carry the whole load but he will make an impact and he come from the best college program in the state, NIU!!!
Holy Crap...I can't even read anymore, most of you guys should go watch golf or something....
the team stats guy says we won't win much when clearly every year is different than the last due to free agency...
and the guy saying we won't win because rex is short..moron,
and the guys starting good rex bad rex again, are you kidding, I hope you're 6 six years old and not an adult,
oh and saying he's had 5 years to figure it out, hello, it was his first full season, yeah he got hurt, stuff happens, he played a full year now, first time since kramer and he put up some numbers like kramer and rex played the superbowl, kramer has a bad neck. WE HAVE SOME SORT OF QUARTER BACK FOR A CHANGE AND TWO OR THREE GAMES REMOVED AND HE'S IN THE PRO BOWL INSTEAD OF ROMO. THIS IN HIS FIRST FULL SEASON.
geez, nothing makes you guys happy and you guys are saying we lost the superbowl and we won't go back beacause of rex, no blitzing, (i'm pissed we lost too by the way) but people...we got there!!!
We can get to it again, last year proves that, all kind of crazy things happen and we ended up at the superbowl, seems like our guys wanted to get there one way or another...there are a lot of teams with marquee guys watching chicago go up against indy wishing they were there.
Lets judge them later on and cheer them now you bunch of whiners.
'Frustrated with you Bears Fan', you're right, why hope they can improve? They are perfect as they are. Yeah, the Bears did make it to the Superbowl last year, but I'm not sure they weren't the 5th best team in the league Behind the Colt, Pats, Ravens, and San Diego. And as far as my moronic comment on Rex, did you not see how how he has trouble seeing over his lineman, is forced to throw off his back foot to create an angle, and has small hands leaving him fumble prone? I think Rex was lucky to have a terrific 0-line and very capable receivers. But fine, if you're happy with just above mediocrity then you can have Rex. I want a Superbowl.
BRIGGS AND BEARS CLOSE TO DEAL!!!
WOW!
I think my previous post was my first one on a Bears topic.
I'm amazed at how simple-minded the posters here are compared to those that post here about the Bulls.
Cedric Benson is a far better option this year than Thomas Jones.
1. Cedric is a lot more talented. Stronger and faster.
2. Ced is younger and TJ is at the age when average Running Backs rapidly decline.
3. TJ's numbers were about average as a starter for the Bears.
4. TJ was an awful red zone running back. Something Cedric can excel in with his power and speed.
Bears running game in '07 will be better than it was in '06.
BRIGGS AND BEARS CLOSE TO DEAL!!!
If not Rex, then who?
The Bears are the ONLY NFL team with a 5th year qb working on his fundamentals. Embarrassing.
Briggs will sign. $7.2 mil looks a lot better than 0 for 10 games and looks like Bears may be giving a bulk of upfront money. Big new tight end will add a much needed dimension. Glad to see D coach gone after that sorry excuse for play calling in SB. Also glad Tank is gone-he's too stupid for this team.
Briggs will be in camp, he has 7 million reasons to show up. unfortunately Briggs much like T. jones is simply a luxury that the team cannot afford. he should have a "money year" before he departs into free agency. I am more worried about the defense than the offense. the d-line and safeties are my greatest areas of concern. 2 key players coming off serious season ending injuries backed up by questionable reserves. the offense seems to have improved the most on paper. speed kills. Berrian, Hester, Olsen, Bradley, Wolfe should provide some serious fireworks. T. Jones will be missed but Benson having the ball regularly will be an improvement. the reason the Bears drafted Benson in the first place was because T. J. didn't show them enough. remember T. J. was injured his first 3 years in the league. Benson needs the carries to get into the flow of the game. coming in cold off the bench may have contributed to his getting injured. I look forward to another great year of Bears foootball and to Roman recovering from his "man crush" on Thomas Jones.
With Briggs back, were ready to roll now.
Also, im thinking Payne will snaps some heads this year too!
The Colts lost a lot of people, the Charges have a new coach, so does Dallas, Eli is a crybaby and can be worse than Rex so is Tony Romo, Brees is tough as nails though. But, nobody else even has a QB ive heard of in the NFC.
The Saints do scare me. So does Denver. So do the Pats.
grossman is the real deal. don't jump on the bandwagon when it's too late. it's like dejavu all over again like before last season. everyone wanted griese, and rex snapped off like the first five games, earning him offensive player of the month. teams around the league started to figure him out the rest of the season. all he has to do is adjust, which he will.
Don't like Grossman or Benson, but I am going to cheer the Bears regardless. I also like the addition of Wolfe. Not on top of stats as I probably should be, but you guys are awesome. We have NO BUSINESS losing a conference game this year. And don't make excuses folks. Packers didn't lose to us when they were on top. We have a better team. We are king of the mountain and should play like it! 10-6, Go Baersz!
14-2 (Losses to San Diego and the Broncos)
Question: Why is it that Rex stands on the sidelines pacing back and forth or watching the game while I see other qb's talking to their offensive coordinator or offensive players between series? I've never understood this about this guy. I'd take any other starting qb in the NFL over this guy.
Rogers Park Kris...are you for real, yes perhaps there was teams with better records..and if you think they're better..go root for them, and oh yeah they didn't get to the superbowl!
We didn't lose the superbowl because of rex, i agree he could have played better, but the rest of the team could have too...i'm pissed we lost, but you think we're just above mediocrity, buddy, you get moron award too.
Hey i'd like to have manning too, but our guy can put up some numbers, he had better games then worse and has won more than lose..it's simple math
and the other dude who thinks it's embarrassing to have a fifth year guy working on fundamentals, oh brother..it's embarrassing you guys live in chicago.
One full year in NFL only, judge him at end of this year, as we all will including me.
And as far as jones leaving, tough to lose him, good runner, but despite ced getting hurt, he's shown some power when he runs, I think he'll be a good one...time will tell, he needs the ball 3/4 of a game to really see what he can do.
Last briggs or no briggs...we don't go to an average D to a great D with him and we don't go to a great D to an average D without him...but i'm glad he's here.
Oh yeah, rogers park boy...the pats chargers ravens colts are all AFC teams...which ranks us 1st in NFC...which means we still go to the superbowl...which gives us another chance to win. No go to superbowl zero chance to win...go to superbowl...50/50 chance to win...I like those odds. ( I sound like a six year old when I type this..it's because I think I need to dumb it down for some people)
I am so pumped for this year. Do we have holes? Yes, but what team in the NFC doesn't? The Bears have a definite shot at returning to the Super Bowl because: Rex will not be as bad as he was at times last year; the offense is much faster and has more weapons; Tommie Harris and Mike Brown return. Also, I think adding archuleta is a great move. For me, anything less than 12-4 and a spot in the Super Bowl will be disappointing.
'frustrated with you bears fans' said, "the pats chargers ravens colts are all AFC teams...which ranks us 1st in NFC...which means we still go to the superbowl...which gives us another chance to win. No go to superbowl zero chance to win...go to superbowl...50/50 chance to win..". You sound like a delusional 90s Bronco/Bills fan. Just because you make it to the Superbowl does not automatically make you a 50/50 favorite. Since you are such a fan of name calling, I have to ask, are you that dumb? Tell the 89' Broncos that they had a 50/50 chance of winning the Superbowl as they get steam rolled 55-10 to San Francisco. And I'm sure the 02' Raiders had a 50/50 shot as they get smacked 48-21 to Tampa Bay. Quit being a blind homer and open your eyes.
I want to hope that, now Lovie has his long-term contract, he won't be so determined to stick with the 'company man' at quarterback and actually go with someone who can take them to the promised land.
All you whiners about Rex Groosman remind me of the hysteria regarding the Iraq war. That is most of the highest pitched voices do not even have a grasp of facts. Truth is, Rex is young and gaining experience. Though I will not put him in this category, compare his first 20 starts with those of Favre and Aikman. Rex does OK and blows them away in wins.
If the bears sucked, noone would care about Grossman, he would be what he is, a young quarterback. He is just fortunate enough to be playing on the grand stage on a great team.
Just have a beer or a pill and just relax a bit. He will be fine and the Bears will be fine. Find another obsession. Focus on how the Sox now suck and the Cubs are good.
Dominic, you are my man today!!! Roman, I swear that wasnt me posting under a psuedoname, its actually someone else who compared the rex-haters to current admin-haters!!! YEAH!!!! Im not totally alone!!!!
Darryl M, that is a very good observation. Now that folks have contracts, I wonder what will be their mood and focus and stance. It seems like its just Lovie's way, but it could have been the company line he was towing.
OK, I'm done here...
Hey rogers park boy...you're hopeless...you're missing the point, just go and root for the team of the week in some other city and leave the Bears to the rest of us FANS.
I'm guessing you lost some bets last year and you still haven't got over it...move on. We lost, we had a shot last year but this year is new...we got experience, if we don't make it, you can talk, if we make it and lose, you can talk. But until then, SHUT UP AND CHEER ON THE BEARS.
We got a solid team here and you like many other people want to pick it apart.
They might as well not play, because according to you and many others, it's hopeless, it's wrong, it won't work..blah blah blah, but i'm sure you're gonna jump and scream when they win and tell people "i'm a die hard bears fan" yeah right!
(no name calling, this time, seems you're too sensative)
bye bye.
A qb with more turnovers than touchdowns should not be starting in the NFL. We all know who that is. I wondre if Lovey the house boy will figure that out this year?
Who do yo suggest, Darryl? I agree with you, but I doubt Griese's the answer.
Now that we have Briggs in place (don't worry about his playing attitude, Babich and Co. will take care of that), I feel very comfortable about an N.F.C. repeat. Don't knock Benson until he gets some full time under his belt. Wolfe blocks better than Jones, and Thomas was not capable of breaking away, something a 'year faster, stronger, and seasoned' Cedric may show as the season progresses. With all hands on deck, Bob Babich may be the key to the defense. My main concerns about winning the whole kit-and-kabootle lie with;
1) Can Mike Brown and other irreplaceable standouts remain injury free.
2) Can Rex improve his footwork, forget about his injuries and move forward better, scramble for a five yard gain instead of 'throwing away' a pass into the other jersies hands, and excercising his hands to be able to GRIP a MAN SIZED football.
3) Will we put Peanut Butter Tillman on TOAST, or will he improve?
GO BEARS!!!!
Wow, I'm laughing at all of the posters here predicting doom and gloom.
This is by far the best Bears team I have seen in over 20 years (i.e. the SuperBowl era Bears for those who need help with math.)
I seriously can not wait until this season begins. I haven't been this excited about a sports team in Chicago since the Jordan era Bulls.
Here are some thoughts about this team:
Rex is better than most give him credit for. He threw 23 touchdowns and there is no reason to expect him not to repeat or exceed that number while cutting down on his mistakes.
Cedric will make you say "Thomas who?" This isn't a slight against Jones at all. But Cedric will prove the doubters wrong. Remember that Jones had absolutely no history of success before coming to Chicago either. He was a "never was" and he finally blossomed in his SIXTH year in the NFL (his second year in Chicago.) Ced has the tools and now he has the opportunity and I expect he will run with it (no pun intended.)
Barring injury this defense will be better than last years. The loss of Tank Johnson is minor. Adding Archulteta adds depth and is insurance against another Mike Brown injury. I'm looking forward to what Mike Anderson can do playing full time at end. Having Briggs back is a huge plus.
Hester on offense should prove to be interesting, but I'm more excited about what adding Greg Olsen will do to the passing game. The best games Rex had last year were the ones where Des Clark and Co. were used extensively. Olsen is going to be the X-factor on offense, not Hester.
Special teams took some losses in personnel and I expect Hester to not be as effective while playing more on offense. But that unit has been one of the most consistent units for a long time, and they signed the Special Teams Coach to an extension. I expect them to be one of the top units in the league.
Bottom line is that there is so much to cheer and be excited about with this team that all the naysayers and the doom and gloomers out there need to take a step back, take a deep breath, chill and realize that:
This is the best Bears Team in over 20 years. It is really good to be a Bears fan right now.
Rex EARNED all of the displeasure and criticism!! What the Bears did last year was anticlimactic! Good Rex stood us up and we didn't have a prom!!! So excuuuuuze me if I am not all excited about the big teaze! He didn't even play his average - let alone his best on the big stage.
Mark Twain said it was differences of opinions that make horse races. He would have loved this blog site. I think I'll pass rather than add to the confusion. In any case, we'll have first hand knowledge very soon. Cubs in the World Series and Bears in the Super Bowl!It doesn't get any better than that.
MG According to you The Packers should have given up on Favre after his third season he had 19 TD's and 24 INT's. Or What about Peyton Manning after his first season of 26 TD's and 28 INT's?
Grossman is the best QB on the Bears roster and should be starting. Period.
Anthony Navaro, I'm not sure what makes you think Tillman is not a good corner for the Bears. He has improved steadily over his career and should have made the pro bowl last year. He had some glorious mistakes (specifically the Carolina playoff game a couple years ago...) but that was 2 years ago. He is one of the most solid CB's in the game right now. His INT's have gone down, but that is more of a result of QB's not throwing his direction as oftne now as earlier in his career. There were games last year where he simply shut down his assignment so that the QB never threw in his direction. That kind of thing doesn't show up in official stats and may not make ESPN highlight reels, but I bet you it shows up in game film. Tillman is a great tall corner that you need to neutralize the tall WR's that dominate in the league.
Miroslav, It's O.K. to like his size. That's his strong point. Unfortunately I've watched every game he's played in and most of his INT's are pure luck and not position, he still gets beat long (it just hasn't hurt much because the passes have been off), and he gives WAY TOO MUCH CUSHION, a sign of weakness. I'd throw his way all day long. The passes went the other way last year only when Vasher was out. Got Film?
Im in Miroslavs corner on this one...also great Mark Twain quote, Paul...really makes you realize why we do all this in the first place!
Bears D is looking scary... in a good way.
the trade for Darwin Walker is genius. It fills a big need and a big hole, this guy is one of the better tackles in the game. Him and a healthy Tommy Harris with the return of Mike Brown.
I'm salivating.
I'm a Rex fan and think he'll get better. Addition of Olsen was another great move, I'm a little worried (but hopeful about Cedric) and I think Bradley will show the stuff he was showing before his ACL injury, which one always needs 2 years to fully recover from.
I'm stoked.
Bearrrrrssssss.....
Bears Defense was extremely good last year. And we have improved it and the offense. There is good reason to be excited. Bears defense lacked a pass rush though. Doesnt seem like Management saw that as a need to address. I like "Mr. Anderson", but will he be the only guy we have that will seriously pressure the quarterback?
The quality of education is, is not lower than 15 years ago
I've basically been doing nothing worth mentioning. Today was a total loss. That's how it is. Today was a loss. Basically nothing seems important, but eh. My mind is like an empty room. Basically nothing notable happening these days. My life's been completely boring today.
I haven't been up to much , but I guess it doesn't bother me. Pfft. I just don't have much to say lately, but maybe tomorrow. Basically nothing seems worth doing.
More or less nothing seems important. I've just been letting everything happen without me recently. I can't be bothered with anything recently, but such is life. My life's been generally bland today. Not much on my mind these days, but eh.
Doctors should have, should not have the permission to end the life of a terminally ill patient
More or less nothing seems important. It's not important. Shrug. Whatever. I've just been hanging out doing nothing, but eh. I can't be bothered with anything lately.
People should be allowed to go naked in certain recreational areas only - Or specify those areas and you have another persuasive speech topic
Not much on my mind right now. I haven't been up to anything. Today was a complete loss. That's how it is. Not much exciting going on these days.
Pretty much nothing notable happening. My mind is like a complete blank. I've just been hanging out waiting for something to happen. Not much on my mind to speak of. I just don't have anything to say. That's how it is.
More or less nothing seems important. So it goes. Oh well. It's not important. That's how it is.