SoxFan1

Offensive line actually looked pretty good in that 1st half. A couple mistakes here and there, but there's 2 weeks to get those fixed. Run game looked alright, Cutler looked good with all the time he had. Defense was alright, a little vulnerable to the run, which should be expected with Briggs out. Wright had a pretty bad game, but if that's the only bad thing on the defense, they'll be just fine. Peppers was a monster.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Aug 14, 2011 -> 07:53 AM) The weakest links were louis, Williams and garza at center. The f***ing rook looked better. Spencer lOoked good and he should move in so garza can be a guard. Kudos to Wisconsin, ridiculous line prospects. What game were you watching? Williams played very well. Didn't make a single mistake. I watched each offensive play in the first half multiple times. QUOTE (lostfan @ Aug 14, 2011 -> 02:47 PM) Explain how Williams looked like a weak link, exactly... he was probably the most consistent out there. He's really good at run blocking. I think a lot of people are really stuck on the past when it comes to Williams... he wasn't even bad at LG last year but people rip him nonstop. The first-team OL had a bad first couple of series but eventually they got it together, for the most part. This is why I hate preseason... people have meltdowns, almost on cue, about glorified practice. Not a game, not a game. Not a game. We talkin' about practice. If it's the 3rd game of the preaseason and they still look a hot ass mess, or if they get their s*** pushed in against ATL (who has a weak secondary) then I will start having a hissy-fit. Also people keep talking about "9 sacks." Half of those sacks came in the 2nd half against other third stringers who probably won't even play, so I don't give a s***. Either way, I refuse to start flipping out about the first game of the preseason. You and I are on the same page. Give it some time. Though I'm still hoping Spencer gets 1st team reps at C and Garza at RG.

Last thought: Idonije/Okoye/Adams/Peppers could be an elite d-line with Melton, Paea, Toeaina, and hopefully Wootton cycling through. I really, REALLY like Okoye. And Melton was great pressuring down the middle. Those two have some kind of burst.

Alexei. That was absolutely AWFUL. You cannot go up there EXPECTING to be walked. 3-0 and 3-1 were both strikes 100 out of 100 times and you're walking to 1st. Unbelievable.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Aug 13, 2011 -> 10:45 PM) Spencer has to learn the playbook first... that's expecting a bit much of him. That's what practices are for. Have him practice with the 1st team and if he isn't entirely ready, play games with the 2nd team until he's comfortable. He's got a month.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Aug 13, 2011 -> 10:36 PM) I don't wanna sound like I'm a homer or that I actually agree with Angelo's refusal to bring in any more veteran lineman or his overall bulls*** approach to building OL, but the team didn't get to have any OTAs during the lockout, and 4 out of 5 guys are playing in a new position. It's going to take time for them to start playing cohesively. Last year's group played noticeably better towards the end of the year but before that it was a mess with the musical chairs and s*** they had going on. That was the first real taste of anything this unit had. I actually agree with you here. Which is why you put Spencer at C and move Garza to RG and let them go. I actually think this line will out-perform everyone's expectations as long as they stay healthy and Martz isn't consistently calling 7 step drops. I'm a big fan of Webb, though he looked bad tonight. Williams and Carimi both looked good. Garza was ok, didn't botch any snaps, which is good. And Louis only had like 3 good plays.

Things I'm noticing: - Carimi is actually really quick when on the run. Surprising speed, good footwork. Didn't look as good on the 2nd drive. Susceptible to speed rushers on the outside. - Williams wasn't noticed, which is a good thing. He played great on the 1st drive. 2nd drive too. - Garza was a mixed bag. - Webb did fine against anyone not named Merriman. He was mostly bad though. - Louis was beat or missed an assignment on almost every play. Darreus made him look really bad. Better on the 2nd drive. The draw play they ran in the 2nd quarter that got Barber 11 yards was absolute perfection. Williams made a nice block on the DT then moved to the 2nd level, Webb and Carimi both got their guys on the correct side and sealed them off, Garza/Louis held their men, and Williams made a GREAT block on a LB coming in. Beautiful execution. Barber was untouched until he ran 8 or 9 yards.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 13, 2011 -> 10:14 PM) Jigs and Waddel bashing L. Louis Yeah, I heard. I've said all along that Spencer will be starting by week 1 for Louis. Well...at least he should.

I've got the game recorded, going to go back and pay attention a little more to the 1st half. One thing I noticed off the top of my head, the Bears are going to use nickel packages a lot.

Good: Melton, Barber, Carimi, Wright, Okoye, Toeaina, Spencer, Bell, Knox, LB Bad: Louis, Garza, all the CB except Joshua Moore Awful: Webb Obviously, it's WAY early, but the Bears pretty much look exactly the same. They'll be able to run the ball efficiently. They won't be able to keep Cutler off his back when they pass. Defense will bend a lot, but not break. D-Line looked good overall. Really liked what I saw from Melton and Okoye.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 04:40 PM) Trainwreck of an interview by the IU football coach and some local show. link QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 04:56 PM) You know, I listened in, I don't blame him much at all. He was a bit mean, but I'd call out the hosts there. Does anyone who isn't an IU fan agree with me? QUOTE (farmteam @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 05:22 PM) This is what I've been wondering since I heard this earlier today. Obviously as an IU fan I'm going to be biased, so I'm curious how others viewed it. I mean, the hosts were berating (and not in a "this team is bad and here's why" way but in a "they suck. seriously, we pounded them in college" way) his team while he waiting on the line for the interview. Frankly, I'm happy we have a guy that shows that sort of passion and belief in this team. Lynch was a class act, but a passionless and terrible coach. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 05:25 PM) It's not just that, but the hosts didn't seem to realize that, you know, they were harsh on him and just expecting him to take it. I mean, he was clearly annoyed, but it didn't strike me as excessive in his remarks, nothing worse than they dished out to him, then they cut him off and wouldn't stop bashing him. I'm with you guys, awful, awful, awful job by the radio hosts. What the hell were they thinking? What bothered me most was that they immediately got offended when the coach struck back. Then they kept whining about his attitude and continued to cut him off. Then hanging up on the guy and continuing to blast him and the program? Those guys are first class idiots. I am, and will be moreso in the future, a part of the media, and it's jackasses like these two clowns who give everyone a bad reputation. Get your head out of your ass and quit feeling so entitled. Your job is to entertain and inform, sure. But it's also not about you, it's about the topics you're discussing. Good for the IU coach.

My mom cried her eyes out when they dropped me off my freshman year. Totally expected it though, she cries about everything, good or bad.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 09:55 PM) Come on man spill it! QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 10:41 PM) Mega-douche from what I've heard. A few friends (in high school at the time) ran into him and Jake Long at a local burrito joint, and they both were just really arrogant asses even to the workers at the restaurant. But then again, I haven't met an athlete that went to UMich that wasn't a horse's ass, including a few past teammates of mine. Yeah, let's just say he isn't very shy.

QUOTE (zenryan @ Aug 11, 2011 -> 08:51 PM) Ryan Mallet has looked really good tonight for New England. You wanna talk about the perfect situation for that guy? Belicheck don't take no s*** and he's got years to learn from Brady. IMO, he's in a better situation than Rodgers was in GB. And I fully expect him to be a damn good NFL QB one day if he gets his head on straight. I've heard some very interesting stories from people that knew him in Ann Arbor.

Centipedes are really the only bug that bothers me. I'm not scared, I have to kill them all the time in my house, but they creep me the f*** out. As far as everything else, sting rays and jellyfish. Those are probably my 2 worst fears in life.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 04:46 PM) Most would get applauded for saying something like... "I was in Denver, not a huge market, came to Chicago and haven't really [sought out] a lot of marketing opportunities because we haven't accomplished what I want to on the field yet. Until we get to the Super Bowl, win Super Bowls and are successful there, then I don't think it's right for me to go out there and venture into those other markets." Yet Cutler's a bad, bad boy. God I hope he dominates this year. And by that I mean, God I hope the O-Line resembles an O-Line more than Swiss cheese this year. That's one hell of a read. I, like you, hope he dominates as well. It's promising to hear that he's actually been working hard in the offseason, lost some weight, toned up, and apparently improved his footwork a ton. As long as the o-line keeps him off his back, the offense should be fine.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 10, 2011 -> 11:46 AM) What do you mean? I dont remember him ever saying no to anything but Robin I could have swore he said no to Catwoman and Robin both. I remember reading about it, but all the articles are way back and hard to find now.

QUOTE (MHizzle85 @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 05:12 PM) So good. So damn good. It's not revolutionary and it doesn't have that 1 huge hit single, but top to bottom, and incredible album. So much depth. And anytime you sample dubstep and make it a boss rap song, I'm down. Kanye, as big of an ass as he is, is a genius.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Aug 5, 2011 -> 08:28 AM) That just looks downright disappointing. What the s*** is that? Effin a, Nolan. You said no Catwoman. QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Aug 5, 2011 -> 09:18 AM) More The Sitter Videos NSFW That looks hilarious. Love the end with the bouncer. QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Aug 9, 2011 -> 09:28 AM) Sorry Chisoxsonic. Sorry, will now go back to Death Race, Tarantino, Machete, Sin City, The Watchmen, Tombstone and Easy Rider to make myself more macho again. Hey, when you're an English Lit major and you have to study all those authors, it's kind of interesting to see all those writers enacted/portrayed in a movie. The Hemingway character is hilarious...must have had a lot of fun with that role. And, FWIW, I liked Daniel Craig in Defiance a lot. He was very good. Golden Compass, that was a disaster for all involved, from Pullman on down. I just hope the next Bond movie (whenever it gets ironed out) is more like Casino Royale....the last one was super-disappointing. Defiance was a really underrated movie. I'm also a Daniel Craig fan.

Wow. Black Swan was incredible. f***ed up and creepy as all s***. But a phenomenal movie. Pretty rare for me to be blown away. This did it. And yes, I know I'm late to the party.

Chappelle's Show /thread

At this point, Dunn has the 2nd worst season in MLB history for a DH all-time at a -1.9 WAR. Worst was a -2.9 in 1984, but I can't remember the name of the guy. Looked it up yesterday.

Don't know if I posted this, but I spent nearly my entire vacation in Naples, FL drinking Yuengling.

QUOTE (Brian @ Aug 8, 2011 -> 08:21 PM) I probably would of needed closed captioning for it. You probably wouldn't HAVE since he's an incredibly well-spoken man. It was a fantastic speech. Perhaps give it a listen? Incredibly moving.

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