Chisoxfn

As much as I hate to say it, If I were the Bears, I'd think long and hard about Winston. Runs a pro-style offense and can really fling it. Plus supposedly very intelligent from a football perspective. Under normal circumstances, this guy would never make it past the 1st pick. The fact that he is a dufus has allowed for that potential.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Dec 1, 2014 -> 11:24 AM) Assuming you credit the entire 7 points for those to the defensive scores (6 points for the TD and the 1 XP), that's almost 4 points a game the defense added. You also have to consider that the Bears have the ball fewer times now than they did then because their current defense is so much worse than the previous defense. Some of that is off-set by how quickly our defense can give up touchdowns. Also, Re: Defensive scores, those would have resulted in fewer positions for the Bears offense in those years as well.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 1, 2014 -> 10:35 AM) I feel like that may be due to the amount of defensive touchdowns that unit scored. It was like 11 right? You are correct. They had 9 defensive TD's that year. So that definitely had an impact. So did the upgraded special teams, etc.

One other interesting stat: This years Bears team is scoring less per game (21.4) then the Bears did with Mike Tice as the OC (23.4 PPG). That was with Alshon having not emerged / being hurt most of his rookie season. We also had no one who could play TE that year (remember Kellen Davis, LOL).

QUOTE (Jake @ Dec 1, 2014 -> 07:39 AM) He's exactly what they've been looking for. It's a longer term than they probably wanted, but total $$ isn't insane. Good deal. Yeah, I was pretty intrigued at that signing. If you could have gotten him for 3 years with a little more AAV, it would have been preferred. The dude has raked the past few years and a power bat like that is hard to come by. Obviously you have the steroid issue looming over him and he isn't a high OBP guy but it still isn't a pathetic OBP by any stretch of the imagination. Presume he won't be hitting 40 hr's in Seattle though.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 1, 2014 -> 08:12 AM) Deron Williams would probably still be fun on a fast paced team. But sticking him on a slow plodding half court team is just miserable. Hard to know how his ankle would hold up going fast paced. Jimmy Butler is so stinking good right now. It is awesome to see. I hope it continues and obviously hope we give him his money, haha.

Bears will likely finish season at 6-10 and pick in the top 10 (Projection based on us losing to Lions / Saints / Cowboys and beating Vikings). We started last year 3-0 and finished at 5-8. If we do end up finishing at 6-10, that means in the last 29 games, we would be 11-18, which would be good for a .379 winning percentage. If you look at his overall projected record (14-18) with a .437 winning percentage and a negative trend. I have a hard time thinking, given how things went, that there will be a significant argument to keeping Trestman around. This is a unit that ranks as follows: Offensive: Points = 22nd Yards = 20th Defensive: Points = 30th Yards = 26th Special Teams Ranking (Per ProFootball Outsiders): 31st (w/Detroit ranking 32nd and Detroit's negative ranking is due to their field goal kicking, which was historically bad for much of the season) Our offensive trends are negative, defense is still bad (but is a unit showing improvement), special teams is horrendous but again, the big thing is our offense is bad and this is with our so-called Guru. You could point to injuries on the line and I would argue those are legitimate excuses, but to rank where we rank and to have not scored 30 at least once with this unit, unacceptable. To continue to be fooled by zone coverage and unable to adjust to it, to not take advantage of Cutler on the move (even though they talked about doing it more after the Vikings game, we still haven't seen it), it is just very perplexing. I really don't know an argument that could be made about keeping Trestman, except for the standard, you give coaches 3 years.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Nov 26, 2014 -> 07:21 PM) Where do you get your favorite fast food burger? What do you get on your burger? How do you grill your burger? Fast Food Burgers are awful, unless it is the Habit or Five Guys and Five Guys is too expensive for a fast food setting. Best burger is made at home, imo. Grilled with some cheese and topped with grilled onions and mushrooms if not lazy. Plus some ketchup. Perfect. If I was going to pick a chain place, I enjoy Red Robin of all places.

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Nov 30, 2014 -> 08:59 PM) Mirotic has been playing really well as of late. It's going to tough to get everyone enough playing time when Taj comes back. But it's a good problem to have. Let Taj get healthy. Take your time and make sure you really limit guys minutes to keep Gasol / Noah fresh and maximize Nik's growing opportunities. Nik is going to be a star, imo.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Nov 28, 2014 -> 04:55 AM) I have no one person to blame, I blame them all. And it starts at the top, Trestman and Co have been nothing short of terrible for pretty much the whole year. They have been coaching and playing afraid, they never try and set the tone. We are on the same page Kyle.

QUOTE (nitetrain8601 @ Nov 26, 2014 -> 09:23 AM) That's the troubling thing along with this. Usually, you should be working to increase your workload. Derrick has decreased his workload and in fact, played less basketball so far than he did for the US team and it's leaning towards less and less. And when he does play, he's not playing like he's trying. Before he would start the break and blur through the defense, now, he gets the ball on the fastbreak and he looks to skip it ahead to someone else which I've never seen him do prior to this year unless someone was a half court ahead of him with no one around. In the halfcourt, he literally brings the ball up the court, then dumps it off to someone else. Usually doesn't sell himself in the play either. Just goes through the motions. He gets the ball back, if there's no clear lane, he'll not even look to pump fake or shoot, he'll just pass it off to someone else while not even looking at the rim. And that's when he decides to play. He'll have a 5-8 minute spurt where he tries to score, and that's that. Rest of the game is coasting. Even while playing for team USA, there were often times where Rose was on the court, but it looked like mentally he wasn't there. He'd just jog out of the way, stand around. It was really sorry. You just have to hope that with time, the instincts and overall comfort come back.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 26, 2014 -> 09:03 AM) Seager isn't, but Pederson definitely needs his meddle tested in the majors at this point. If they could get Pederson, this move would have been done already. I think the point is we continue to play hardball and see if the Dodgers ultimately end up biting. Hahn can continue to be out in the media talking through our plans to make big moves, etc. The reality is trading Alexei for Pederson or Seager would be a good deal for the Sox and given the Dodgers situation, you could justify the move on their end. If we move Alexei, it should be for a potential difference maker. Pederson is ready to play in the majors. Is he ready to be a star in year one, no, but you can't have that expectation out of any rookie.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 26, 2014 -> 08:24 AM) Matt Spiegel ‏@MattSpiegel670 1h1 hour ago Thibs thinks Rose has to play through it; couldn't be more clear in words & actions. Derrick looks like a man playing both injured & scared. Thibs is probably right. I think the key is we push him so that he can build stamina, etc, but in a smart manner. On the 2nd of a back to back, given the limited minutes he played, I don't have a problem pulling him, but Rose needs to play and practice relatively consistently. Minute limits and ocassional day offs will still be critical though. I think some of these issues are matters he has to work through, but it has to be in conjunction with the trainers, etc. The key is whether this is good soreness related to coming back and building stamina, etc, or if this is him actually continually reinjuring himself. It should also be noted that Wilbon indicated most good doctors would have expected him to have some ankle / hamstring / lower leg injuries during his return as you adjust your stride, etc, and potentially overcompensate from the previous injuries (due to mental concern). Typically, you eventually adjust back and slowly feel more comfortable. As fans, it is important to be patient.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 26, 2014 -> 08:38 AM) Eh, Watkins has yet to miss a game despite dealing with a few maladies throughout the year whereas Beckham has already dealt with some injuries and Cooks is done for the year. Also, Cooks is a completely different player than both of those. Evans was the guy I initially wanted and I would have been happy with him, but that was still going to cost a 2nd next year or a 3rd this previous year at the very least, and then they'd be without Preston Brown who's turning into an absolute stud of a linebacker. Put in the same situation, I'd still trade up for Sammy but would try and include the 2nd rounder from this year opposed to the 1st from next. You don't win in the NFL because of skill position players. There are plenty of other areas that are far more key to upgrading, imo, so to give up an extra first rounder for a wideout is just not smart.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Nov 26, 2014 -> 08:17 AM) I criticized that trade immediately. Too high of a price to add a WR on a team with multiple holes to fill. Watkins looks like he'll be a really good WR, but the same can be said of Evans, Benjamin, Cooks and Beckham, who were all taken later. I said it was an awful move on here but boy did a lot of people defend the Bills, specifically some punk named Wite.

QUOTE (GreenSox @ Nov 25, 2014 -> 02:35 PM) I agree with you that ideally isn't going to happen, which (along with the continued lackluster team defense and rotation holes) is why I don't see the Sox as serious contenders next year and, thus, want to trade Alexei for young players. In the meantime, I wouldn't mind seeing a little more platooning of the guys won can't hit lefties. And Laroche doesn't really frame as a cleanup hitter to me. I don't get it. Do people forget that LaRoche hit in the middle of the order for a playoff team last season? I very much think we can make the playoffs with LaRoche in the middle of our lineup. I think we have to fix other things and Hahn seems to know that and be aggressively working on making other moves to bolster our squad.

I'm surprised he was DFA'd. Saw some potential value in him as a swingmen in the pen. I presume someone will pick him up and give him a shot to compete during spring training. Might even be back with the Sox. Best of luck Scott!!!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 24, 2014 -> 05:57 PM) Of course, we could have predicted that about DeAza and Beckham before the 2014 season...we could have given Sanchez/Semien more of an opportunity to "prove" what they could do. Right now, one has to draw the conclusion they're closer to utility players than everyday starters on the middle infield. Obviously there are a variety of opinions on the board about all three of those guys (including Micah Johnson, who perhaps is better suited as a trade chip than future starter because of his arm/injuries/inability to translate basestealing technique to MLB level). Because of the Garcia injury, DeAza and Viciedo both received significant at-bats, but it didn't create any value for the White Sox in the end. Both went from being assets in 2011-12 to being virtually worthless. Why does DeAza belong in a sentence with Beckham? Beckham stinks and DeAza doesn't. DeAza is a good player. I also don't know what point you are trying to make. I think the major difference a year ago was we weren't in a position to contend yet and we didn't have near the financial flexibility we do today. Sox think they can contend now and Viciedo is worse then Beckham (mainly driven by his horrendous defense).

QUOTE (chw42 @ Nov 24, 2014 -> 05:09 PM) Looking at Viciedo's numbers, he's only one year removed from .318 and two from .325. So It's not like he's never done it. What value is he? In a platoon where he could rake LHP, maybe, but you can't state that it is necessarily a strength and his defensive value is so negative and I see no reason to grade out significant improvements going forward. Given that we have DH filled, I see no place for Dayan on this roster, unless of course our baseball people think a light will go off and allow him to take a few steps forward and become an above average offensive player whose bat more then makes up for his defense. Right now we are talking about an at best league average and more realistically, slightly below league average bat who also provides atrocious defense. His value is extremely negative in the grand scheme of things so again unless we think going forward that will significantly change, no point in having him around.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 24, 2014 -> 11:33 AM) last year they set damn near every record there is to set for this franchise offensively. Yeah and this year they have had similar talent and been very mediocre and have actually been getting worse as the season progresses. We can't protect the football or consistently produce points and have invested significant resources in that side of the football. One could argue based upon NFL commentary that the NFL got video on our offense and made significant adjustments that we can't counter successfully. Think of year two of Gary Crowton and how quickly he was out of the league once people adapted to our scheme. Right now it would appear that Trestman's offense is way too vanilla and NFL defenses are all over what we are doing, far too often.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 24, 2014 -> 08:56 AM) Looking back you are right about that, but again, 224 yards, 3 turnovers, & 14 points from the high powered offense. I don't care how good Miami's D is, that's unacceptable. My biggest issue with Trestman and why I think he should be gone, outside of his overall leadership qualities that I tend to question, is the fact that he is supposed to be an offensive guru and we are not seeing that sort of productivity or anything even close to that.

QUOTE (Jake @ Nov 24, 2014 -> 05:15 AM) To summarize PFF's findings for yesterday, the defense played fabulously well and the offense was dreadful - in case your eyes didn't tell you that. Overall, PFF's grades indicate that we have a league average offense and a league average defense. Maybe more excitingly, the Bucs took our crown as league's worst special teams And we have an offensive head coach. There in lies the problem.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 23, 2014 -> 07:13 PM) The Bears D played well enough to beat Miami and Buffalo. It didn't' play well enough to beat Miami. Tannehill didn't throw his first incomplete pass until the 3rd quarter or the very end of the 2nd quarter. Offense didn't help either but the defense was atrocious in that game. Miami could do whatever they wanted.

I expect from here, Sox will add at least three more starters (quality outfielder, closer, and a starting pitcher) at a minimum. I also still think a Dodgers / Sox deal makes too much sense.

QUOTE (Alexeihyeess @ Nov 21, 2014 -> 05:21 PM) Sox get Jay Bruce Reds get Jordan Zimmermann, Dayan Viciedo Nats get 2 of these three: Danish, Montas, Adams Nats get the salary relief they so desperately crave to sign Scherzer. Reds get their good SP. Sox get their LF. I don't think the Nats are looking to move Zimmerman for a bunch of guys who won't help them this year. I also don't think they would trade Zimmerman for all three of those guys you mentioned, let alone 2 of the three. I think the Sox would strong consider trading 2 of the 3 + Viciedo for Bruce though.