There were games this year where we thought many thought the refs stole the game... That's how it goes... Usually when you point a finger at the refs there are four more pointed back at you for why you lost... With the exception of course the Fail Mary game in Seattle... That was robbery...
Oh hell yeah, that was a bad miss but it had little to do with the end result. Good teams with good coaching overcome stuff like that. The team itself has some talent and Trubisky looks like with some good coaching and a far better offense he may finally be the guy.
What needs to happen now is a reset of the coaching staff and a very thorough and critical review of this years roster by Pace and his new coaching staff. There are quite a few players in their contract year or those on one year deals they'll need to make decisions on before FA.
Then with yet another sizeable war chest of cap space Pace and his HC need to fill in some key weaknesses in FA. I'd say WR and OL are the biggest needs offensively and a backup NT and OLBs are the biggest needs defensively outside of some decisions to be made with our own UFAs.
Only then can we really predict how to draft and even that will depend largely on where we draft.
After watching the Bears this week I can see why you want a coaching change... Regarding FA, I believe it's less a panacea and more a very scrupulous adventure. Most of the time there is a reason why a team allows someone to leave via FA. For instance, Greg Jennings getting a ton of money from the Vikings, not realizing he was a slightly better than average WR looking all world with Rodgers. Or maybe a player who has a poor work ethic but playing hard his contract year for the money... Bottom line: do it through the draft and augment one or two positions with FA...
I know I've said this before, but some still think it is not on the coaches.
Fox likes a no risk, conservative offense. He likes a ball control offense that takes no risks. Unfortunately, at least the way he runs it, it is very predictable and scores very little. There is no margin for error in his game. If anything goes wrong, he can't overcome it.
That is the first problem and you will always lose to the best teams this way because they will always outscore you. If has happened to him several times in the playoffs, but he can't seems to understand it no matter how many times it happens.
Then when you take that no margin game plan and add the cherry on the cake, being that you don't put your best players in a position to makes plays, well.... what can go wrong?
The stupidity is just one of those things that makes you say "I can't believe I'm actually seeing this. This is an NFL coach?"
It's surely on at least one coach.
When they fight wars if one battle group is getting hammered they don't replace the lieutenants and captains or get new soldiers. The replace the general.
Anyone who can defend Focks by now has to think everything is just peachy in DC too.
Oh hell yeah, that was a bad miss but it had little to do with the end result. Good teams with good coaching overcome stuff like that. The team itself has some talent and Trubisky looks like with some good coaching and a far better offense he may finally be the guy.
What needs to happen now is a reset of the coaching staff and a very thorough and critical review of this years roster by Pace and his new coaching staff. There are quite a few players in their contract year or those on one year deals they'll need to make decisions on before FA.
Then with yet another sizeable war chest of cap space Pace and his HC need to fill in some key weaknesses in FA. I'd say WR and OL are the biggest needs offensively and a backup NT and OLBs are the biggest needs defensively outside of some decisions to be made with our own UFAs.
Only then can we really predict how to draft and even that will depend largely on where we draft.
After watching the Bears this week I can see why you want a coaching change... Regarding FA, I believe it's less a panacea and more a very scrupulous adventure. Most of the time there is a reason why a team allows someone to leave via FA. For instance, Greg Jennings getting a ton of money from the Vikings, not realizing he was a slightly better than average WR looking all world with Rodgers. Or maybe a player who has a poor work ethic but playing hard his contract year for the money... Bottom line: do it through the draft and augment one or two positions with FA...
Yeah, it takes some first hand experience and we've had both hands, our feet, and by now we're up to our necks in it.
Basically it is being done through the draft but there will still be a need to find some impact players via FA. Sometimes you can get lucky and find one on the cheap as we did with Hicks. But that's rare. One or two top shelf guys at key positions is all we need and have needed most offseasons but Pace has whiffed on getting them.
He's spent far too much money and energy on the injured vets and second tier players he felt would ascend here. Most have not. Pace and his staff have been pretty sharp drafting young talent but his forays into FA have been very hit and miss. We need more top tier talent and we need more quality depth almost everywhere.
After watching the Bears this week I can see why you want a coaching change... Regarding FA, I believe it's less a panacea and more a very scrupulous adventure. Most of the time there is a reason why a team allows someone to leave via FA. For instance, Greg Jennings getting a ton of money from the Vikings, not realizing he was a slightly better than average WR looking all world with Rodgers. Or maybe a player who has a poor work ethic but playing hard his contract year for the money... Bottom line: do it through the draft and augment one or two positions with FA...
Yeah, it takes some first hand experience and we've had both hands, our feet, and by now we're up to our necks in it.
Basically it is being done through the draft but there will still be a need to find some impact players via FA. Sometimes you can get lucky and find one on the cheap as we did with Hicks. But that's rare. One or two top shelf guys at key positions is all we need and have needed most offseasons but Pace has whiffed on getting them.
He's spent far too much money and energy on the injured vets and second tier players he felt would ascend here. Most have not. Pace and his staff have been pretty sharp drafting young talent but his forays into FA have been very hit and miss. We need more top tier talent and we need more quality depth almost everywhere.
Free agency is tough.. Ted Thompson finally ventured into it and three of the four he signed this year were busts....
Yeah, it takes some first hand experience and we've had both hands, our feet, and by now we're up to our necks in it.
Basically it is being done through the draft but there will still be a need to find some impact players via FA. Sometimes you can get lucky and find one on the cheap as we did with Hicks. But that's rare. One or two top shelf guys at key positions is all we need and have needed most offseasons but Pace has whiffed on getting them.
He's spent far too much money and energy on the injured vets and second tier players he felt would ascend here. Most have not. Pace and his staff have been pretty sharp drafting young talent but his forays into FA have been very hit and miss. We need more top tier talent and we need more quality depth almost everywhere.
Free agency is tough.. Ted Thompson finally ventured into it and three of the four he signed this year were busts....
And other teams do well in it. There are only a very limited number of ways to better your team. Trades (which don't happen all that often), the draft (least expensive and most inherent risk), and FA, which allows you to look at players past play in the NFL and has the least risk
I no not think you eliminate a third of your chances (closer to half) to better your team. Your team is better with Peppers on it. It works. Just because Thompson picked a few wrong guys, that does not make it a bad thing. It just makes it a bad thing for Thompson. It is a valid way to better your team. You have to look at past history, including team chemistry, injuries, performance and current market price to get the player. It is not easy. There are many players out there that are out there for more reasons than CAP. But then there are CAP casualties and players that were just behind a very strong group of players in front of them. Discounting FA as a poor way to build the team is just silly. You just need to have the expertise to do it right.
Free agency is tough.. Ted Thompson finally ventured into it and three of the four he signed this year were busts....
And other teams do well in it. There are only a very limited number of ways to better your team. Trades (which don't happen all that often), the draft (least expensive and most inherent risk), and FA, which allows you to look at players past play in the NFL and has the least risk
I no not think you eliminate a third of your chances (closer to half) to better your team. Your team is better with Peppers on it. It works. Just because Thompson picked a few wrong guys, that does not make it a bad thing. It just makes it a bad thing for Thompson. It is a valid way to better your team. You have to look at past history, including team chemistry, injuries, performance and current market price to get the player. It is not easy. There are many players out there that are out there for more reasons than CAP. But then there are CAP casualties and players that were just behind a very strong group of players in front of them. Discounting FA as a poor way to build the team is just silly. You just need to have the expertise to do it right.
Agreed... Was just lamenting that it works well to fill a gap or two, not create a team...
And other teams do well in it. There are only a very limited number of ways to better your team. Trades (which don't happen all that often), the draft (least expensive and most inherent risk), and FA, which allows you to look at players past play in the NFL and has the least risk
I no not think you eliminate a third of your chances (closer to half) to better your team. Your team is better with Peppers on it. It works. Just because Thompson picked a few wrong guys, that does not make it a bad thing. It just makes it a bad thing for Thompson. It is a valid way to better your team. You have to look at past history, including team chemistry, injuries, performance and current market price to get the player. It is not easy. There are many players out there that are out there for more reasons than CAP. But then there are CAP casualties and players that were just behind a very strong group of players in front of them. Discounting FA as a poor way to build the team is just silly. You just need to have the expertise to do it right.
Agreed... Was just lamenting that it works well to fill a gap or two, not create a team...
I agree you can't build a team off of FA. I don't think that could ever work, but I do think it can be (and should be) used for more than just filling a gap or two. I think it is a legitimate tool for bettering the team, but it holds lots of pitfalls and you have to do your homework. Most people avoid it and go mostly with the draft. But no one really talks about the misses in the draft unless they are in the first round. There are lots of misses in the draft. Probably more than in FA.
But in FA, you normally pay more money so it hurts more. I just think they should be used in tandem to make the team better.