iamshack

QUOTE (WHarris1 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 04:02 PM) I dunno about you but I'd be perfectly happy with Johnny Knox as a part of the WR corps so long as it's down a few rungs. Certainly we all hate having him in the role the Bears have had him, trying to pass him off as a 1/2 guy, but as a 3/4 sign me up That's how I feel.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 03:31 PM) I think Vjax is done in San Diego. I cant see them franchising him again and there is no way he will resign there. Welker clearly isnt going anywhere. I dont think Philly is gonna franchise Djax but I think they have a shot to resign him, but either way he isnt what the Bears need. Bowe would be the guy I really want but I think hes gonna be the hardest to get. If not Bowe then I think you have to go after Vjax and then Stevie, in that order. I wouldnt mind Colston but I dont think hes going anywhere either and then the last guy I think you could settle on would be Wayne if you strike out everywhere else. I think I have a mental block on Lloyd because of his last stint here but he has been really good the past few years, but hes also very injury prone. If they were to get someone like him or maybe Manningham Id want it to be in conjunction with one of the other guys I already listed. Imo the Bears current roster only has 2 usable wr's. Bennett as the 2 or 3 and Hester as the 4 (I normally wouldnt even count him but his retrun game, when he is healthy, and his speed make him worth keeping) The other option I wouldnt mind would be signing one of the first few guys I listed and then using their first rounder on a WR, which from the little I know about this WR class and considering where the Bears pick would probably be someone like Michael Floyd. I dunno about Welker...yes, it would be best for HIM to stay in NE, but that doesn't mean NE wants to pay him $10 million to stay there. It could be a situation where NE gets cocky and thinks they can just plug in Edelman and they tell Welker to take a hike unless he wants to play for less than market.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 01:52 PM) How is letting your GM pick a coach/staff a "mad scientist" approach? That seems more like a "common sense" approach. I'm not saying there is all that much wrong with Lovie...but I don't like the situation being basically "you can't make any changes to the coaching staff" to attract a good GM. But I guess anything is better than JA's stubborn ass I was more referring to the Parcells/Holmgren/Shanahan model with the mad scientist comment. I understand it might be a more lucrative position if our HC was let go as well, but I don't see Lovie as being much of a deterrent when it comes to hiring the GM. And the new GM will be able to choose his OC with input from Lovie, I would think, which will be something like, "Is he Mike Martz"? "No." "Ok, he's fine by me."

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 02:23 PM) Forget this. Knox is garbage. He doesnt run routes correctly, he never finishes routes, he doesnt fight for the ball. I am done with the Knox experiment. I wish him well in his health. I wish him away from the Bears. Bobby Wade part 2 Do you think that maybe Knox's weak points would be less exposed in a system that does not require such precise deep crossing routes? I know Johnny has his faults, but as a receiver, I still think he is somewhat valuable.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 02:05 PM) Come on down, step right up, the Bears have an opening at GM!.....you just can't make any coaching decisions and have to make sure Lovie likes you first, but other than that, its all yours!!!! So if we don't land a decent GM, we're looking at what maybe 2 more years of mediocre football until Lovie then gets fired. Then another 2-3 years until the GM and his new coaching staff get fired. THEN we can blow the whole thing up and look for another franchise QB. Woooo Oh give me a break. The let the mad scientist take control of the entire organization model has proven to not have much merit to it. There has to be manageable divisions of labor, and a clear hierarchy within any organization. The Bears are the charter franchise of the NFL, with a huge fanbase, reasonably solid stadium, in a major market with a franchise quarterback and a solid (yet aging) defense in place. It is an attractive job. Lovie has shown an ability to work with many different personalities and even many different styles of offense. He's a low-key, intelligent, winning coach who has never thrown his boss or anyone else under the bus publicly. If anything, he is loyal to a fault. Lovie is not going to stop us from attracting both a great GM and a great OC.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 12:29 PM) The Bills have a mess on their hands, because Fred Jackson is also an unrestricted FA this offseason, and they can't tag both of them. VJax could well be tagged again this season, but this would be a 2nd year tag for him. He made $11.4 million on the tag this year, so next year's tag should be something like $13.7 million/1 year for him if they use it on him again. My guess is that since the same regime is staying there, they'll stick with VJax one more year. I don't really want Welker. I want Bowe...I just can't see the Chiefs letting him get away.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 01:06 PM) If you think my stance is "BS" as you label it my response to you is it takes a BS'er to know one. Stats can mean anything you want them to mean and can be used in anyway you want them to be used in an exchange when wanting to justify your position. I personally think that some of the problems we have seen develop with this team over the years has a lot to do with the failure to consider the intangibles that certain players have brought to this team. Team chemistry-leadership-experience, but I bet there aren't any C.L.E. WAR's and BAR's for those. Let me ask you what the advanced metrics said about Dunn? Peavy, et al? You are obviously a stat man when making decisions. Me not so much. This kind of stuff kind of reminds me some of Robert Mcnamara and his youthful group of brains back in the 60's. In 5 to 10 years from now what wil be the flavor of the month? Thing is, I'm not really an advanced metrics devotee. I disagree with Kalapse, chw42, J4L, and others all the time. What I am is an information guy. I want all possible data and information I can possibly collect, and that includes statistics, intangibles, attitude, etc. My question to you was more about the fact that you make statements that belie reality on a consistent basis. Your analysis is corrupted by emotion and loyalty rather than by what is best for the team. I very much appreciate your passion for the game and for the team, but that alone does not make you a "better" fan. While I do not wish to get into what makes one a "good" fan, one would think that the ability to accurately ascertain what decisions produce the most optimal or near-optimal outcomes would be valued highly. All I ask is for you to devote a few hours to actually exploring some of the advanced metrics. Use google and find some websites which explain advanced statistics. Explore websites such as Fangraphs and Baseball-reference.com. Check out a payroll website like Cot's. I'm not saying you have to master anything or waste an entire weekend doing this...I myself am guilty of not knowing the new data and valuation systems well enough; but at least familiarize yourself with them a bit so you might understand where some of us are coming from?

Great article. Thanks for posting.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 12:18 PM) What receivers become FA's and what ones become franchise-tagged? I would think Bowe, Vincent Jackson and DeSean Jackson get franchised. What do you think your Bills do with Stevie Johnson? Colston, Lloyd, Manningham and Welker become FA's.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 01:07 PM) Here's an idea, Bears. How about a legit #1 WR? I posted something to this effect a few hours ago...who would you suggest?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 11:26 AM) At the same time though, everytime the offense made strides with Martz the past 2 years, it was after catastrophic games where Cutler was absolutely murdered and Martz was forced to scale back the offense and ditch his 7 and 5 step drops. Martz is a great offensive mind that gets in his own way sometimes. Agreed..but this is where we all learn...from our mistakes. Granted they tended to relapse in the case of Martz, but I thought the improvement was more consistent this year than last.

Imagine your address being: Brien Taylor 1 Brien Taylor Lane

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 10:03 AM) yep, he needed time to survey the defense. And since he wasnt on the field, he had to relay it to SHane Day who relayed it to Cutler. And of course, if it was a disguised defense and Cutler saw through it and knew it was going to be a busted play, there was very very little he could do about it. I understand you guys pointing out some of the inefficiencies in our offense under Martz, however, IMHO, we were making some major strides this year before the injury. I don't know for instance, that while someone else might have made better use of Cutler, that Martz didn't make the best use of the entire offensive personnel he had available to him. I'd love to have Olsen back, but other than that, I think he got the best use out of Forte and Knox and possibly even Roy Williams than might have otherwise been the case under another coordinator.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 09:24 AM) I think some of us do have an idea of the value of a baseball players and it isn't two so-so minor league pitchers for a player like CQ. The trade happened because the GM made some bad decisions and now needs to shed payroll by trading off the better players we have that will and were coring some salary money. We keep the mistakes, who are paid way to much, and continue to suffer. I understand you aren't crazy with the trade and I am certainly not. Reality though is it was done and it's over. This is BS. Let me ask you this: Do you try to at least READ any of the advanced statistics or advanced metrics and the monetary values they suggest for players? Because there is a large body of data that suggests that trading Quentin was the right thing to do, regardless of what our payroll would have been otherwise. Have you made an effort to learn any of these new performance valuation systems? These are not rhetorical questions, either. I honestly am asking this of you and Greg, or anyone else that would like to reply.

I don't think it is a package deal as much as it was a refusal to fire his own son. Doesn't mean that they are going to insist on working for the same employer now.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 09:24 AM) Oh yea, the benefits are supposed to be out of this world, not to mention the work atmosphere they have. I should've been a CS major instead of an IT major, because apparently if you're a CS major with an outgoing personality you can get a job anywhere. I think they allow you to bring your dog to work if you so choose...

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jan 3, 2012 -> 11:53 PM) She used to date one of my roommates, then they started hooking up again (conveniently around the time of the job offer). Then he hooked up with one of her sorority sisters and she called him a whore, it was all very entertaining for me. Her name is Kay, so I started calling her 100K, that was fun too. Hah, funny...I'm dating a girl named Kay too...that's a good nickname... Now the next question....is she hot?

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 12:01 AM) My first choice for GM would be Eric DeCosta from Baltimore and Reggie McKenzie from GB. DeCosta doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave Baltimore though, and the ravens have him tapped as Ozzie Newsome's successor whenever that is. I'm really banking on Cutler making us a more attractive destination for a guy like McKenzie than in the past, when the person stepping in always had to be concerned about finding a qb.

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Jan 4, 2012 -> 12:16 AM) I can't say I disagree with you. I think the Bears have some options and flexibility with the line. It all starts with finding a bonafide LT. Then you can maybe bring in a true starting C and move Garza back to RG. The line would improve further if you move your best RG back at RG and upgrade the C position as well. Still, I wouldn't be upset if Garza is our starting C going into next year. He was pretty solid there too. The real question is how do you improve the WR position? Other than Earl Bennett (a solid possession WR), what do we have? I'm not in favor of blowing a mid-to-late 1st round pick on a WR. I think that leaves spending money on Bowe or Jackson or other FA WR that I can't recall right now. Looks like the top WR FA's are Bowe, Wayne, Colston, Vincent and DeSean Jackson, Welker, Stevie Johnson, Brandon Lloyd, Robert Meachem, and Mario Manningham. Mike Wallace is also available but he is restricted. I would say Bowe should be our single largest offseason concern once we get the GM and OC situation sorted out. Wayne could be available should Manning get dealt, but I can't see him leaving Indy (or Peyton allowing him to) unless Peyton is out too. I would think Welker is smart enough to know to stay in New England, question is whether or not they are willing to pay him what he might get offered on the open market. I would think Colston might get out of NO, since Brees already has so many other weapons, and Vincent Jackson might be swayed by a big offer, but we certainly don't want DeSean, Stevie, or Brandon Lloyd again. So my feeling is we better targe Bowe. At least there are a lot of options for this area of need.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jan 3, 2012 -> 07:01 PM) I have yet to see an offer that big for an undergrad student, and that was for their Chicago office, it would've been $130k for a California location. She also got $40k in stock options. Is she single?

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jan 3, 2012 -> 07:46 PM) I agree. The most important positions in football, in my opinion, are QB, OL and DL (in order with the latter two being interchangeable). And the only way to acquire talent at these spots is through hitting on your first- and second-round picks or through free agency. The latter is not the most efficient way to build, but might have to be done with the Bears this year. I don't think our line play is as bad as it seems...especially if we run an offense that no longer requires 7 step drops every other passing attempt.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Jan 3, 2012 -> 06:44 PM) I'm wondering who Cowley is referring to who was in a "6-month slump" that we rewarded. I'm assuming he's talking about any one of Rios/Peavy/Dunn, regardless of the situations being entirely different.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jan 3, 2012 -> 07:42 PM) A friend of mine got an offer from Google a few weeks ago, 100k out of college $100k isn't what it used to be, especially living in Palo Alto...but it has to be awesome to get to work in that kind of corporate culture. That's an awesome opportunity.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jan 3, 2012 -> 07:06 PM) Yeah, for the team that signs him. In 3-4 years, I think we're going to look at Fielder very differently. Because of his weight?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 3, 2012 -> 06:08 PM) He really said that? Forte will be happy to hear that, but you know it can't be true. How can money not be a factor in personnel decisions, especially in a league with a salary cap? Yeah, I was wondering if he meant coaching personnel...