Chisoxfn

Padres certainly have been aggressive. NL West race is extremely interesting.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 09:20 AM) I'm saying he has negotiated well and used his assets wisely (e.g., getting Marshall for a 3rd round pick, waiting on the Forte deal and getting a very reasonable deal for the best all around back in football, etc.). He plays the mechanics of the GM game well, which is why giving up so much negotiation leverage just to prove a point to a QB suggests a deal has already been made. It's possible he's making a stupid move, but I don't see the track record for that. Did you not hear his defense of Jay being an elite QB being his record being over .500. That was baffling. He also ignored LB last year after the footage on Greene / Bostic was brutal his rookie year (forced Shea on us another year as well to try and justify his move). Largely ignored safety, which had been a huge fundemental problem. He hired our three worst coaches (Trestman / Decamillis / Tucker). The list goes on and on. He's just as much in this thing as Trestman, imo.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 09:51 AM) Meh, with a solid draft and 29 mill in cap room it's not impossible to fill those holes. In my ideal fantasy world K.J. Wright and Louis Delmas hit the fa market and sign with the Bears. That fills the 2 biggest needs quite nicely. Then in the draft they hit on another corner, an offensive tackle, and a center early. Most importantly a whole new coaching staff (And yes I'm saying all this with Jay as our starting qb) I think as an organization, we need to stop looking at FA as this magical elixir and really win this back in the scouting and draft. The best teams draft well and do it well. That also means you can make timely personell moves via FA, etc, but we can't look at spending significant cap room each year via free agency, imo.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 09:33 AM) Shea has been a disaster. I think Bostic less so. He isn't going to work, but he did show a lot of potential early. Chalk that up to "just didn't develop as we thought." I'd have to look and see what other LB's were picked around him and how they're doing. At least he was drafting the right need. I don't think Bostic ever looked good. He has awful football instincts and really doesn't make plays. Our only young LB that I would bet on is Jones.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 09:27 AM) Hard to pin that on him with the ownership situation that came in and destroyed it all I completely agree with you on that. Meant to put that point in the post but kind of just assumed everyone go, well its the Browns, haha.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 09:26 AM) Let's bring this back to the NFL thread: This is sort of my issue - nearly every move was met with "yeah, I like it!" Some people criticized his out of the box hire with Trestman, but none of the REAL criticism showed up until about week 5 of this year. Last year he was a genius. No one criticized the move to get rid of Peppers and sign Allen. We all knew Allen wasn't going to lead the league in sacks, but his no-show is an abnormality. His pick of a CB over a safety is just preference, it's not some terrible decision. Emery deserves to be fired because he's ultimately responsible for this team, a team that under performed, a team led by a guy that shouldn't be a coach in this league. I think the majority of his decisions were sound and made sense, they just didn't work out as planned. I think I was one of the few people who took a more detailed prove it stance on Emery, largely because I wasn't sold on his draft picks along with how bad we have screwed up the LB position. I have probably been the most anti Bostic / Greene guys out there, than you add Shea to the mix (and really that whole first draft under his watch) and really you have quite a few places where he has some egg on his face. I will say this past draft was his best draft and looks like it can be an impactful one for seasons to come. I really love the young DT's we drafted and Carey looks like a solid pick as well. Punter is growing and Fuller has struggled through the rookie wall but upside is still there.

QUOTE (shipps @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 09:15 AM) Really? This is intriguing. Also Hub Arkish apparently hinted at the idea of Holmgren possibly come into the position if Emery is to be fired. He has had a relationship with the McCaskeys. That could be thing. I know he failed with the Browns but he was successful in Seattle and obviously in Green Bay. I guess the question with Holmgren is, does that mean we go cheaper on a coach, cause my #1 priority is Jim Harbaugh. I presume they could work together as long as their egos could fit into a room and Holmgren would probably hire a young personnel guy who could be groomed and do a lot of the heavy lifting and probably would be groomed into the role of GM. That would obviously be extremely expensive for the Bears though.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 08:53 AM) Yes, but the holes are enormous. I don't think we are as bad of a team as we have looked. We have areas that need to be fixed, no doubt, but I think the right coach could put a lot of makeup on this mess. Part of that is because I do think Trestman is that bad...like one of the worst head coaches ever. I presume the stories that will come out will just be flabbergasting in regards to lack of leadership, tone at the top, etc.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 08:52 AM) And yet they'll have the 10th most cap space next year and can get out of Jays contract for just a 3 mill cap hit the following year. In theory, even if we were going to draft a QB this year, it is highly unlikely that we would be able to get one of the two top QB's, which means we are looking in the 2nd / 3rd round for someone. Those guys aren't going to just get handed the job, so I don't necessarily think we are done with Cutler just yet. I think a lot of this will be determined when the season ends and we see what direction the team heads in. If somehow people stick around, I think Jay will be out, if it is new people, than I think there is less pressure on them to make a move and they could tell McCaskey's, we will find a QB we think is the right fit, but in the meantime build up the rest of this football roster and while doing that we could still potentially be competitive depending on what our new coach can get out of Jay with a plan of walking away in year 3 when it is cheaper. And if I were the Bears, I certainly wouldn't just indicate we were done with Cutler. If you are going to have any hope of moving him and maybe even getting something of value, we'll at least want to put out the act that we still think he can do it. Heck, think of how Alex Smith was done in San Fran, Harbaugh comes in, and bam, Smith takes steps forward.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 08:49 AM) Well, Carroll is Vice President of Football Operations. Pete hired John Schneider, who has the title of GM, but reports to him. So Pete's pretty much the man who runs the Seahawks. It is much different though in the sense that Schneider, by all accounts, is extremely involved and handles the vast majority of the personell moves, with Pete having contractual control but largely he relies on Schneider. Harbaugh has indicated he isn't all that interested in those aspects, would want some say, but mainly wants to be with an organization where he is appreciated, has people who support him and let him do his thing and allow him to get to his goal of winning a superbowl. I actually think for all of those reasons, Chicago is literally the perfect place for him because we tend to have an ownership group who is pretty patient with its people, etc. We just need to let the people our ownership group hands the reigns to be football people. I think we need a good pro consultant though to help with this process (Wolf / Holmgren / Polian).

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 08:46 AM) So you think he evaluates personnel and management well, but in the end he still makes the wrong decision? Yet, he has done a good job? Yeah, I'm not following the logic. I suppose you could say, he realized our oline stunk and our defense stunk and tried to make changes but you and I could have realized that too. Doesn't make us that good. Fact of the matter the moves that have been made, largely haven't panned out. I guess to really make a decision I'd need to know what has been going through Emery's mind during this season and be a fly into what he did, how he's responded, conversations he's had with the coaches, how involved he really was with the coaching staff, etc. And even than I still think the write answer is to start over because this has turned into such a historical failure. This is literally the worse Bears season of my life. And it isn't like they have been dominant for the majority of my life.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 08:39 AM) Barnwell made a good point about this benching - doesn't it sort of suggest a deal is already in place to move him? Otherwise why give up your negotiating position so soon? If no deal is in place, the Bears have let it be known that they now HAVE to get rid of him. They've lost a lot of bargaining power. Not when it is done by the head coach and not the GM. This is not the tandem working in unison. I think to read into this like something is done or agreed to would be irrational.

I hope you are right Y2J. Really hope it is Chicago.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 18, 2014 -> 08:20 PM) Thibs just said thank god for Jimmy Butler. I get the impression he is the type of player coaches love. Thibs loves him and he uses Butler and Noah to kind of take cheap shots at Rose. In the telecast they talked about Butler having the flu the other day and he told Thibbs I don't want a minute restriction I want to sweat it out.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 18, 2014 -> 08:14 PM) I just hope he really wants to be here. I know with his past he may just want the most money however. He keeps saying he does and we can match anything (just a matter of Jerry and Co. being okay to pay the luxury tax). By the way, he is a really personable dude. Haven't heard him interviewed much but this guy looks like he could turn into a face of the franchise guy who you can market as well.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 18, 2014 -> 07:40 PM) What uni will he be wearing next season? Better be a Chicago one. That was just a studly performance.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Dec 19, 2014 -> 08:07 AM) Does Jim Harbaugh have what it takes to be Head Coach and GM? Does it make sense to offer him both positions with the Bears? Is that even the ideal arrangement? IIRC, only Pete Carroll has won a Super Bowl under it. That pretty much never works. And Carroll is not the GM.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 18, 2014 -> 01:45 PM) Related: Excluding his 2005 and 2006 fill-in starts, Aaron Rodgers' worst Passer Rating for a season is better than Jay Cutler's best. Manning hasn't had one lower than Jay's best since 2002. Brees since 2003. Who the hell has ever said that Cutler is as good as those guys? You are talking about some of the best ever there. Jay isn't even close to the best ever. He can be above average but you certainly can't win with him dropping back and chucking it 50 times a game. Its ludicrous how awful our offense is and I blame everyone in Halas Hall for the suckitude that has came out of it. Jay actually walks out of this smelling like Rose's compared to most.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fine-Art-20-Minute...5e#ht_80wt_1106

Meh. Organizational move.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 18, 2014 -> 10:24 AM) I am all for giving talents a lot of chances see me and Beckham, Gordon. That said, this is so toxic it is time Emery, Trestman, every coach, and Cutler hit the road. Start anew. It's pretty apparent Cutty isn't going to lead you to the promised land, and 2015 is already screaming the new offense etc. excuse for a performance that will at times be brilliant, and at times look like he should be a back up in Junior College. Although this is a clown show, it is starting to get pretty entertaining. It really is insane how quickly the dumpster caught on fire and how it continues to spiral to other dumpsters.

QUOTE (kevo880 @ Dec 17, 2014 -> 03:39 PM) I don't know how he could really recover from this. Being benched as the highest paid player in the league this season for Jimmy Clausen...I think I would be more surprised if he is on this team next season than if he wasn't. All depends on how he responds to it. Could be something that helps him wake up. No idea. I still say at the end of the season, we let whomever the new people who are running the organization make the decision of what to do with Jay, not the current bunch of clowns.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/...e-marc-trestman According to this, some Bears players (I'm going to presume Tillman / Briggs) are pointing out how hypocritical punishment has been. In fact, Tillman has publicly stated that the Bears players still support and have faith in Cutler. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000044...faith-in-cutler

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 18, 2014 -> 09:52 AM) The Bears are putting Cutler on the mic for media day today. So that will be fun Kyle, please tell me you were a kidding. In what world does that sound like a sane decision. This is just absurd. Do they just want to encourage a Jay Cutler tirade or something. That is just awful and for everyone saying Cutler stole / robbed the Bears, please. He didn't write the contract.

Wow.