Jake

QUOTE (floridafan @ Jan 1, 2013 -> 09:43 AM) Those stats are interesting. Whenever I have seen line ups I was always under the assumption that the 3 and 4 hole hitters were considered the best hitters on the team. Is this new analytical work that is not yet widely accepted? I have never seen it put to use that I am aware of. It is certainly against traditional logic. Very interesting stuff.

Passes through the Senate. Expected to reach House tomorrow morning.

Fixing the debt is not about budgets, it's about jobs It's not a spending problem, it's a low taxes and high spending problem --- Likewise, taxes are not at historic highs And...once again...Medicare costs aren't going up as expected?

Rivera reportedly out

QUOTE (SOXOBAMA @ Dec 31, 2012 -> 12:19 PM) The Bears are also talking to McCoy Yeah, not as bad, though I really would like a more established guy.

I could certainly deal with Gruden. I think he would command a king's ransom. Jim Miller claims we're eying Brian Kelly and Nick Saban. Dear God, no.

Cutler on qualities he hopes for in new coach: "ability to hire good assistants"

Last night, while I was being a Packers fan, I was shocked to see Rodgers screaming at McCarthy over that challenge flag. We see a guy like Cutler yell at his teammates, sure. We even saw him do the unthinkable -- walk away from Mike Tice while he was talking to him. Have you ever seen any player get in Lovie Smith's face? Can you even imagine it? This isn't a Lovie > McCarthy thing, we know McCarthy is a great coach in his own right. I do think there is something to be said for the way Lovie earned respect from his players, though.

Lovie was a very good coach for the Bears. He was always a competent OC/QB away, which is far away. To some extent, he needs to be held accountable for the issues in getting an offensive coach here. There have always been murmurs that the good OCs didn't want to coach with him. Likewise, though I feel he is a really great defensive mind, he may not get players with the pedigree of Urlacher, Briggs, Tillman wherever he goes. Urlacher was the key to the defense for years because he could do things that others at his position simply could not.

We can probably bank on Cabrera not having as good of a season. Likewise with Hunter, and he may regress big time. They also stayed miraculously healthy with Cabrera, Fielder, Verlander, Scherzer, etc. On our end, we had nagging injuries and general ineffectiveness from our big boppers as well as our big arms. Lots of ground can be made up just from some regression to the mean.

Totally disagree about the way Briggs played this year. Roach did seem capable of taking Urlacher's role.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 31, 2012 -> 11:00 AM) Agreed about the defense, but I don't know that I would call it an overhaul...and I tend to think if you keep running this system, and gradually replacing guys instead of "overhauling" the whole thing, you'd find it easier to replace Urlacher, Tilman, Briggs, etc., than it seems. Agreed. No firesale necessary.

We don't need an overhaul, that's what people are missing. There is a ton of top end talent on the Bears today. We need a coach that can get these guys to win right away, this is why most of us don't want a guy who has never coached before. We can't piss away games because a guy is getting his legs under him.

Might lure the mythical OC by a promise that he will become head coach if Lovie's canned. See Jason Garrett for more details. They could also give Jeremy Bates a trial run.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 30, 2012 -> 09:48 PM) Personally, I don't have that much against Lovie. His specialty is defense and the defense has been good the past few years. The problem(s) I do have with him are the stupid and useless challenges and the inability to get an OC who can call a play in time. There is absolutely no reason you should be wasting most of your timeouts before the end of a half. It's inexcusable. The entire offense needs to be rethought and remade. I can definitely be sold on a team in which Lovie remains head coach and we hand someone else the reins on offense. However, I've been sold on this before and I won't be offended if the Bears decide that Lovie has had too many chances. If we do can Lovie, though, I will be very insecure about the future of the defense. He's presided over awesome defenses and I find it all too likely that we don't fix our offensive issues and we create a new batch of defensive ones with a new coach. It is also worth mentioning that we've been a rather controversy free team with Lovie because he has a pretty damn good grasp on what comes out of that locker room.

If only the free market could take care of mental hospitals and what will often be lifetime mental care for people who have never earned a cent.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 30, 2012 -> 07:46 PM) I'm having trouble visualizing a 10-6 head coach getting axed...usually they wait for you to have a s***tier year than that and then axe you. Anyone remember the last 10-6 head coach to get fired? I honestly wouldn't mind keeping him, if you hired a very, very strong-willed OC, but I just can't see that happening. I think Schottenheimer was canned after a pretty damn good season. QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 30, 2012 -> 08:11 PM) Yeah, was waiting for that... Honestly, I feel like Martz would have worked out here if it weren't for the OLine being so goddamned awful. Jake had a point though...outside of Andy Reid, who could they bring in that you'd really feel much better about? Everyone has heard me begging for Chip Kelly, but I think most people would have more questions about him than Lovie. What if we just replaced Tice with Norv Turner? I would like to see Norv Turner play with these pieces.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 30, 2012 -> 07:26 PM) The Bears have never hired a head coach with previous NFL head coaching experience. If Lovie goes, there is a decent chance Wanne II is hired. At least Bears fans will be happy until September. This. Lovie's recent performance makes a firing logical. However, it could be a colossal mistake if we don't bring in an established guy. This is an aging, talented roster. We need to start winning yesterday.

Lovie paying for the sins of his OC's and Jerry Angelo. We better not axe him without getting a legit replacement. Somebody with a track record.

10-6. Not a bad season. Playing in the wrong league to be the 7th team via tie

I can't like a team with a defense this bad

10-6 seems playoff worthy, I've gotta say.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Dec 30, 2012 -> 05:28 PM) My point was that with 6 guys covering 5 positions there's a lot of playing time for everybody. PK did not play in 18 games last year and even with that time off his second half was not strong. Kubel gives time off not just to Viciedo, but Konerko and Rios as well. And he's better than a AAAA guy when/if someone hits the DL. I understood your point better than those that came in afterward wanting a LF platoon.

Train Williams may have just cost the Bears a playoff berth.

Packers are freaking stupid, Jesus Christ