Name the diffrence makers Offense QB: nil RB: Howard, likely but lets give him another year or so WR Jeffery TE nil OL Sitton, Long Whitehair, maybe much like Howard lets see
The replaceables QB: Cutler, Hoyer, Barkley RB: Langford Carey(Paulsen) WR: Royal, Meredith, Bellemy, White(not all his fault but what can you do) Thompson TE Miller and everyone behind him OL Leno Massie
Guys I like and think could move up, Leno but it's not likely Meredith
The replaceables DL Unrien, Corny, Bullard, Sitton, ILB Danny T, Nicky K, Timu, Jones OLB Acho CB Fuller Porter McMannis, Bausby, Callahan, Hall, Leblah Safety: HJQ, Amos Bush Prosinksi Hurst, Houston-Carson
Guys that could move up Danny T HJQ Amos Bullard
Def looks better, but notice how many more of those guys are FA's compared to the O guys? The team is very limited and any injury to a starter is allowing bad players on the field, any time a starter needs a breather, it's allowing a bad player on the field. Anytime a DB takes the field, it's allowing a bad player on the field(for the most part). Anytime a QB for the Bears is on the field, a bad player is on the field; same w/the TE position; sorry but Miller is nothing special he's not a difference maker; until I looked at the box score I didn't know he had caught a pass, he did 4 for a whopping 30 yards on 7 targets.
And think about this. 2 years, 4 years ago the roster was worse, it was even thinner. The coaches haven't had much to work with, and what they do have had a bad habit of getting hurt and missing a lot of time.
I think Danny T is a main cog and while I suppose you could get a better MLB, they aren't exactly readily available, and I wouldn't draft one with all the other needs this team has. Other than that I pretty much agree with your assessment. This team needs to look at QB obviously, but we need an upgrade at tackle, an upgrade at TE...anyone watch Bennett last night perform great both blocking and receiving? Man...I sure miss that. We need major secondary help. This team still needs talent. You can knock the coaching, but to ignore the obvious holes in talent is silly.
I think Danny T should be, but unlike Freeman he really hasn't popped consistently each game. I'm taking a hardline w/this, there aren't a lot of guys that pop on the screen when you watch them play on any type of consistent basis.
That's the problem Hawk, until he plays he's easily replaceable.
I think Danny T should be, but unlike Freeman he really hasn't popped consistently each game. I'm taking a hardline w/this, there aren't a lot of guys that pop on the screen when you watch them play on any type of consistent basis.
That's the problem Hawk, until he plays he's easily replaceable.
I think Danny T doing what he does allows Freeman to do what he does...if that makes any sense? I guess I need to know what your rubric is for deciding on who's replaceable and who is not.
I would maybe agree w/that Butkus, but Freeman was doing what he is doing w/out Danny in there.
Just make plays. I haven't really seen him. I don't notice him when he's in there or notice that he's out. Maybe your right, maybe he's doing a better job dropping into coverage then i'm giving him credit for. But the passing def is still a problem, and in that, he's part of it.
If we look at the roster in a "snapshot in time" thing, then most of the roster is replaceable. But it's probably better to look at the roster and see where these players will be a year or more from now, talentwise. It's a young roster with players still learning and improving. One other point. Some of the young players may not be difference makers, yet still be quality depth players. You look at any good team and you see these kind of guys on the rosters too. Obviously we need more playmakers. But we won't ever have a lot of those kind of players. That's how I see it anyway.
We need better talent. We need more playmakers. But I also see some quality young talent on this roster. Guys who should contribute very well for us. Just not this year.
I would maybe agree w/that Butkus, but Freeman was doing what he is doing w/out Danny in there.
Just make plays. I haven't really seen him. I don't notice him when he's in there or notice that he's out. Maybe your right, maybe he's doing a better job dropping into coverage then i'm giving him credit for. But the passing def is still a problem, and in that, he's part of it.
I was one of the few who was not drooling over the Danny T signing. Over at DaBears most acted like we had signed The next Url, and I just didn't see it. While he is an improvement in coverage compared to last years LB's, as far as being a big difference maker I just didn't see it in watching Denver games. What I saw was a player surrounded by many very good players which was giving him opportunities that normally he wouldn't have. It reminds me of the many LB's that played next to Url (Holdman, Colvin, etc.) that when here they were considered rising stars but once they left Chicago they didn't do jack and everyone realized their performance in Chicago was a result of getting to play next to Url. Hell you could even throw Briggs in that group look how much his value declined after he wasn't surrounded by other great players.
Sorry Ric but I don't see it as poorly as you do. You aren't gonna get an entire roster full of difference makers. No team has that. We had a ton of young players back in 2005 who became difference makers during their careers but may not have been there just yet or who may have just gotten there. You can win with a handful of difference makers, some great schemes and coaching, and a lot of leadership coming from high effort guys too.
I agree there are some potential replaceables but there are also players who are on their way up and others who if playing on a better team overall would be making more of an impact. Winning helps adjust a lot of attitudes and abilities because the entire team is playing much better as a unit. The Minny game is a perfect example of that.
And Jeezus Christ let's stop with the Marty Bennett ass kissing. If he'd have been playing like that here instead of pissing and moaning about either his contract or how he was being used he'd still be here. He's happy now because his team is winning. If they were losing he'd still be the same old Marty Bennett just as BMarsh often becomes when he's playing for a loser.
What they may be doing elsewhere has little bearing on what they were doing when last seen in a Bears jersey.
It's not that you expect a roster full of them, but this team is lacking much of anything special. And there isn't a lot of young up and comers backing them up. The team was never much more then a 5-8 win team, 8 if they stayed healthy. The idea that coaches can coach up a talent divide in the NFL is poor. And while the coaches have done a bad job preparing these players, and game planning, the players have done a bad job performing while on the field.
Marty had a bad year while playing injured for most of it; year before he was a stud. So no i'm not getting off it b/c it was stupid personnel decision. This idea that Miller was even close to equal to him was always a laughable joke. Miller is nothing special as a starting TE and is showing it this year. What they are doing elsewhere proves that the problem was on the player but on the scheme/people around him(ie cutler).
Actually you should be all over this one b/c one of the many reasons Trestman was let go was b/c he couldn't handle NFL personalities and the one of the reasons Fox was brought in was b/c he could. And so far all he's done is get rid of any of those "personalities"; and the reality is that Marty wasn't a tenth of the issue Briggs was under Trestman.