2016-2017 Chicago Bears Thread

[10sec]

They have a really good RB set if he's gone though, so it's really up in the air if they offer him enough or not. I personally would like to see him stay, especially sharing his time on the field with others so he can stay healthy. Maybe he'll take 2-3mil just because he knows he can share his time, and preserve his career. However, if someone offers him quite a bit more money than the Bears do, he'd be hard pressed not to take it. He's gotta make as much as he can before he's too old to play.

 

[10sec]

Smart football teams prepare for the future (Green Bay, New England). Dumb football teams wait until the last possible second to find replacement players (Browns, Jaguars, Raiders (up until the past couple years). And by what logic did you gather that I think Green Bay is in the same situation as the Bears? Also, Aaron Rodgers sat behind Favre for 3 years, before getting the start...Favre was in his mid-30's, and was still playing ironman football at the time Rodgers was drafted, and people were in an uproar thinking that Green Bay was trying to oust Favre, and no one ever was thinking replacement before the draft, but Green Bay had/has a good GM that thinks ahead and plans for the future. Green Bay and Chicago's situation couldn't be more different. Yes both have a starter for next year, but one team will move on from their QB in the next 24 months or sooner, and the other will be around for the next 5-6 years (depending on health and/or unforeseeable circumstances). So tell me more how because they are the same age, they are in the same situation...

Cutler is not our future, never will be, he should be playing for the Bears for the next 1-2 seasons, sooner rather than later, the Bears NEED to find a replacement QB, or possibly doom ourselves to 2 more decades of garbage quarterback play.

So you're saying chase after a QB right now and forget about defensive players?

 

[Primalzer]

So you're saying chase after a QB right now and forget about defensive players?

Look around the league, and tell me how many teams are left in the playoffs with mediocre/average QB's.

Chiefs - Probably the lowest rated QB currently still in the playoffs, was a #1 overall pick in 2005, and is extremely efficient

Patriots - Brady, maybe the best QB from the 2000's

Packers - Rodgers is probably the best active QB (albeit a down season)

Cardinals - Carson Palmer another former #1 overall pick, has had an amazing resurgence and is in the MVP conversation

Seahawks - Russell Wilson, IMO, is still fairly overrated, but you can't overlook what he's been able to do in the playoffs and this season...numbers wise, he's up there with the top QB's in the league

Panthers - Cam, MVP candidate, outrageous athlete, no questions there

Steelers - Big Ben, doesn't have the gaudy numbers like the rest of the guys on this list, but consistently one of the top QB's in the league and makes his teams perennial playoff contenders every year

Broncos - Manning, a shadow of his former self, but injuries have plagued him over the last 2 seasons (other than being an old man) but he's still the smartest QB on this list by a mile, and that's saying something.

Gone are the days when you can have a defense like the 2005 Bears riding Kyle Orton to the playoffs, it's a different league...I'm not saying we need to cut off the nose to spite the face, but a startable QB project should be one of the Bears top priorities.

 

[Flyn]

Cutler is signed through 2020. His big deadwood money drops to a minimum after 2016. His salary is reasonable (or will be as they continue to rise).

IF (notice the big IF) Cutler continues to improve and turns into a game manager with above average physical skills and, IF the Bears rebuild their DEF until it is once again upper tier in the NFL, then I could see Cutler staying for the rest of his contract.

That pushes the need for a replacement QB down the road a couple years.

Alternatively, if Cutler has a good year again and once the deadwood cap hits drop, he becomes a much more tradeable (sp?) commodity.

If Cutler has a bad year, then yes, the Bears need to move fast to upgrade. The 2016 draft is going to show us which path the Bears will follow.

 

[Primalzer]

Cutler is signed through 2020. His big deadwood money drops to a minimum after 2016. His salary is reasonable (or will be as they continue to rise).

IF (notice the big IF) Cutler continues to improve and turns into a game manager with above average physical skills and, IF the Bears rebuild their DEF until it is once again upper tier in the NFL, then I could see Cutler staying for the rest of his contract.

That pushes the need for a replacement QB down the road a couple years.

Alternatively, if Cutler has a good year again and once the deadwood cap hits drop, he becomes a much more tradeable (sp?) commodity.

If Cutler has a bad year, then yes, the Bears need to move fast to upgrade. The 2016 draft is going to show us which path the Bears will follow.

I think that Gase and Loggains were great for Cutler...will Cutler regress this year? Anyone's guess, but I think the smart money would be on regression. Remember, it's not just his talent that's the issue it's the contract too...as you alluded to, there's a lot of money tied up in his contract...a lot of money that would be better served bolstering the defense with a few strategic free agent signings, while we build through the draft.

Cutler was much much better this year, very few people are denying that...personally, I thought he was good, not good enough to win you anything significant but good...if anything it was awful for Cutler to be as good as he was, because we're now in NFL pergatory...not good enough for the playoffs, but not bad enough for a top 5 pick. But his contract, more than anything, is what needs to go.

 

[Flyn]

Cutler's salary is currently number 12 in yearly income. As some of the QBs under him come up for contracts, it will drop further. A couple/few years from now, it will be in the bottom half of QB salaries.

I think Cutler is not the biggest problem the Bears have. IMO, ILB, DL and OL are all bigger problem areas that need addressing first unless a QB happens to fall to the Bears in the draft or FA.

Dowell Loggains may get promoted and stay. If not, I hope Fox picks a guy who can keep Cutler where he's at or even improve him more.

 

[Primalzer]

Defense is an issue, that needs to be addressed, all I'm trying to get across is that we should be looking ahead, and actively looking for a replacement QB, unless you think that Cutler will be there longer than 2 years. Which would not be ideal, IMO. If that's the case, the Bears need to be looking this year, and next year at latest for a viable starting QB.

 

[Flyn]

Loggains is now Chicago's Offensive Coordinator.

Good move. There should be some continuity between last year and the upcoming season. Loggains has OC experience and Fox likes to bump QB coaches up to OCs.

Jay Cutler will be happy to hear Loggains is the guy. He won't have to learn a new system... again.

 

[Flyn]

Defense is an issue, that needs to be addressed, all I'm trying to get across is that we should be looking ahead, and actively looking for a replacement QB, unless you think that Cutler will be there longer than 2 years. Which would not be ideal, IMO. If that's the case, the Bears need to be looking this year, and next year at latest for a viable starting QB.

I get you. To even go a step farther, I think teams should always be looking for that next QB either as an improvement to the guy they have or a replacement for when that guy retires. It's an important position that should not be forgotten during drafts, trades and FA pick ups. Any time a promising guy appears, grab him if possible and find out if he's the next Rodgers.

 

[Flyn]

Reports on loggains from Tennessee. Solid but too predictable according to Chris Johnson.

https://www.nashvillepost.com/category/people/dowell_loggains

 

[10sec]

Defense is an issue, that needs to be addressed, all I'm trying to get across is that we should be looking ahead, and actively looking for a replacement QB, unless you think that Cutler will be there longer than 2 years. Which would not be ideal, IMO. If that's the case, the Bears need to be looking this year, and next year at latest for a viable starting QB.

Did you not watch any of the Bears football this season?

 

[Primalzer]

Did you not watch any of the Bears football this season?

Did Venemous take over your account?

 

[Vogz]

Reports on loggains from Tennessee. Solid but too predictable according to Chris Johnson.

https://www.nashvillepost.com/category/people/dowell_loggains

Johnson is just looking for scapegoats to blame his decline in production on. He's an afterthought in the league at this point. Anything that can help him stay relevant.

 

[10sec]

Did Venemous take over your account?

You keep pressing this QB change. Our QB is fine. If a QB pick falls into the Bears lap they're going to take it, but nobody but YOU is worried about the QB right now.

 

[Primalzer]

You keep pressing this QB change. Our QB is fine. If a QB pick falls into the Bears lap they're going to take it, but nobody but YOU is worried about the QB right now.

The focus on this position moving forward, though, will be behind Cutler. The Bears will likely bring in a fourth quarterback, whether it’s through the draft or post-draft (like last year with Shane Carden) to compete with Fales and Blanchard to be Cutler’s No. 2. Would Pace use a high-round draft pick on a quarterback to potentially take over for Cutler one day? That would be the real story, but regardless, it’ll be another summer with a competition to be Cutler’s backup.

.

 

[10sec]

So you're just copying off of someone else?

 

[Primalzer]

So you're just copying off of someone else?

I am citing that I am not the only one that is thinking about a QB....Hub Arkush, probably the best Bears beat reporter, seems to think like me too...

 

[Primalzer]

From @primalzer: Is Jay Cutler going to be the Bears QB in 2016? Even if he is, do the Bears use a high draft pick on a QB?

Based on his performance to date this season, I expect Cutler to be the Bears “Franchise” quarterback for the foreseeable future. He’s taken a major step forward this year and there is no one out there who is going to give the Bears more at the position in the near term than Cutler can.

This is not a good year to be drafting a quarterback, particularly in the higher rounds. If the Bears are thinking about drafting a successor to Cutler and bringing him along slowly, perhaps they take a flier in the fourth, fifth or sixth round on someone like Brandon Doughty of Western Kentucky or Kevin Hogan out of Stanford, but I wouldn’t count on it.

I expect the Bears to go all in on David Fales as a backup for one more year and give him a thorough look in the preseason next year unless they’ve got a much higher ranking on someone coming out that I haven’t seen or heard about yet.

Also, here's Hub directly answering on of my questions a week or 2 back

 

[Flyn]

If Lynch and Goff are gone at 11 (Cleveland/San Fran), there's no question the Bears go a different route, most likely DEF or an OT.

If a project QB grades out higher than the draft pick in the middle/later rounds, grab him as competition to Fales. I surely would not trade up or reach for a QB this year.

 

[Primalzer]

Cardale Jones has the athletic ability, size, and arm strength to be a Cam Newton type...and the recent mock drafts have him going in the 2 to 3 round range

 

[Flyn]

It's such a risk taking someone who couldn't even convince the coaches he should be a college starting QB. No way am I taking Jones in the 2nd. Maybe the 3rd. Definitely the 4th.

 

[Primalzer]

I think that the college game is so different, that you have to take into account that the system he was playing may not have been ideal...what is ideal is his physical skill set...and it would be ideal because he can sit for multiple years behind Cutler, learning from a good coaching staff.

I'm not saying we definitely need to draft Jones, but find a QB that has the physical skill set, and let the coaching come later....he should have years to sit and develop.

 

[Flyn]

I don't mind the Bears taking a project QB no earlier than round 3 or, better yet, 4 or later. They have bigger holes they need to fill in earlier rounds.

In this nfl.com article, the Bears, due to Cutler's improved play, have actually dropped off the list of teams who need to draft a QB in 2016.

Six NFL teams that need to draft a quarterback in 2016 - NFL.com

Due to multiple teams needing QBs, Jones may get taken earlier than I would take a QB if I'm the Bears. At this point in their rebuild, the last thing they want is a QB controversy which drafting a guy high would bring. It's OK to take a guy in the middle or end of the draft and clearly put him in the "project" category but dangerous to take a guy the fans might think could start now. One bad game by Cutler and the controversy erupts.

 

[Primalzer]

Due to multiple teams needing QBs, Jones may get taken earlier than I would take a QB if I'm the Bears. At this point in their rebuild, the last thing they want is a QB controversy which drafting a guy high would bring. It's OK to take a guy in the middle or end of the draft and clearly put him in the "project" category but dangerous to take a guy the fans might think could start now. One bad game by Cutler and the controversy erupts.

That is one thing that is hard to quell, because as soon as Cutler has a down game, you'd have idiot fans calling for Cutler to be benched...you can't rush development...and unfortunately, Fox doesn't have a great track record of letting rookie/young QB's sit and wait their turn....example Jimmy Clausen in Carolina

 

[Flyn]

Faster than ILB Reggie Ragland. Better at sacks, ILB Jaylon Smith just declared for the 2016 NFL draft.

Smith would have been gone top ten, maybe top five except he tore his ACL and MCL in the last game of the season and just had reconstructive surgery.

He will go sometime in the first round. 11 is about the top of where he could go.

If the Bears take Smith, they will have another guy who needs a year off to get healthy. Since White is coming back for 2016 they will have a 1st round pick to parade out for the fans. Is it worth taking what may be a "generational" player like Polamalu or Matthews and having him sit for the better part of his rookie season? What do you guys think?

Smith is the No. 2-ranked prospect on Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board, which was released in mid-December before Smith's injury.

Smith is "one of the most dynamic football players I've coached in 25 years," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said on "SportsCenter" on Monday. "I think he's a generational player at his position. He'll recover fine from (the injury). We saw (former Georgia and current Rams RB) Todd Gurley have an ACL and MCL (injury); obviously, it didn't affect his status. The NFL will be lucky to get a young man like this."