Hoodey
New member
- Joined:
- Aug 24, 2012
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The Bears offense has two problems I've now become pretty confident in identifying..
1) Cutler's decision making.. it is suspect. If it wasn't, there's no way this guy wouldn't be Tom Brady, because Cutler's arm is probably the best if not one of the best in the NFL. Isn't it odd to anyone that Cutler is closer to Elway on the upside in arm strength than he is to Brees or Brady on the down side?
He's a two read QB. If you make him throw to his 3rd progression there is a massive gaping difference between Cutler and Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Manning on the average Sunday consistently.
2) Where does this decision making show itself? Yes... he makes big plays with superior talent and then when he's at his worst he can make big mistakes.
To me though, what separates Cutler from Montana (who was FAR less physically talented.. Montana was closer to Grossman physically than Cutler), Brees (ALSO FARRRRR less talented physically), Brady etc... isn't the best plays.. the deep passes, or the worst plays..
It's how good they are/how good Cutler is NOT on all the in between plays. The unspectacular plays that Bears fans refuse to even pay attention to so long as Cutler is either throwing picks (those who hate him) or hitting a couple spectacular long bombs (those who love him).
It's Cutler getting pressures on a 3rd and 8.. having to go to his 3rd progression.. and throwing a hurried pass that is just enough off for the WR to miss the ball behind him. Then you have Rodgers, on the same play, throwing a shoelace pass to Jordy Nelson that he brings in.
I hated the 49ers in the 80s and 90s, but make no mistake about what they were. Sure Montana would hit Rice and Taylor and Brent Jones on spectacular plays.. sure there were the plays where Montana threw a deep ball down the sideline v. the Bengals in the Super Bowl and Rice snatched it one handed as he tippy-toed down the sideline.
But that's not what made Montana what he was. That was the icing on the cake. The CAKE was what a threat he was to consistently convert those unspectacular 2nd and 9s or 3rd and 7s over and over and over.
And it didn't matter what you did. If you gave Montana his 2nd progression, great, he'd hit the pass and the 49ers would get 9 yards on 3rd and 7. Make him go to his 5th read? Sure.. he'd get through those progressions lightning fast and hit the 5th receiver on the play.. and sometimes you'd cover everyone, he'd make you stay on them and then he'd run for one more yard than he needed to get the 1st.
Cutler doesn't have that. It doesn't much matter to his supporters because... like with Grossman, there is this Mark McGwire mentality.. hit a few spectacular deep bombs (home runs) and they'll forget your inconsistency on those medium difficulty shorter throws... just like the baseball world forgot that McGwire was hitting .230.
This whole offense is sometimes spectacular, sometimes shitty, but very rarely an offense just making the consistent bread and butter plays.. slowly killing the opposition. And I don't think it's a poorly designed offense. I believe it's in the personnel. The shortcomings of Cutler and the fact that Matt Forte leaves a lot to be desired when running between the tackles.
Let me spare everyone the wait if they overpay Cutler and continue status quo. When you play the really really good teams.. better than Green Bay was this year.. there aren't these oodles of big plays. You might get one or two. But make no mistake. You're going to have to beat them by making them a believer 10 yards at a time at points in the game..
My stance on players moving forward
I'm not getting emotional here.. I'm realizing that every time you sign a player, that amount affects who else you can sign and for how much. Loyalty is great, but I really don't look at who you keep .. but always try to realize that it's about how much you keep them for...
> Cutler - I'd try to keep him for between 8 and 14 annually, 14 absolutely tops on a front-loaded cap hit deal. If you have to go above 14 or have big cap numbers more than 3 years from now, I'd move on. I think even with his decision-making issues and his issues on the intermediate difficulty play, he's an overall GOOD QB. You're just going to need more around a GOOD QB to win a Super Bowl than you will need around a GREAT QB... and the guy is not great.
> Peppers - Vet minimum or close to it.. or see ya.
> Briggs - I'd try to keep him for one more year at a substantial pay cut.
> Tillman - Near the vet minimum and I like Hub's idea of moving him to safety.
> Garza - Has always gotten a free pass in this town. I'd want him gone period. The same people who eat up Joakim Noah's mean faces and get into "grit" and "being solid" .. people who don't know football, don't realize that this guy can't get a push up front at all, isn't fast, gets pushed sideways out of more plays than you can count... man, he must kiss some serious media rear end to get protected as much as he does. He flat out SUCKS and always has.
ONCE AGAIN.. not a mystery.. don't tell me there isn't some center playing for a school like Miami, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, USC, etc. etc. available in the 3rd or 4th round who is better than this guy.
> Melton - Gotta get him on a lowball deal. It should be very friendly for the Bears.
> Hester - Gone. One of the funniest things I've ever heard from typical Chicago meatball morons was "well, when he can focus on returning only and stop also focusing on being a wide receiver, he'll start breaking runs again.. as if single focus makes you young again and gives you a first step. Focus wasn't the issue of a once GREAT return man. Getting old was. We'd have to get him for almost nothing.
Is there someone else major I missed?
Draft?
First round - rough idea of who I'm looking at...
WR Marquise Lee USC - A wide receiver? It may be a situation where big money is spent on defense but the Bears find a player that is too good to pass up on offense. Lee is a flat out BURNER. With two huge WRs in Jeffery and Marshall and then Martellus Bennett.. you'd want a guy like Lee to replace Earl Bennett. Earl Bennett is Lee's size. That's about where the similarities end. Lee is a burner and Bennett by comparison is just slow. Bennett runs more like a 6'4" WR who just... isn't 6'4" lol. I know he's a fan favorite in Chicago.. but usually that means a guy sucks. Bennett is "solid." Lee doesn't need a label like solid because he's just damn fast. The Bears could really contrast Alshon and Brandon's ability to fight for the ball in tight spaces by stretching the field with Marquise Lee. I don't know that he'd be my primary choice, but I wouldn't be made just because the Bears already have a lot invested in Jeffery, Marshall and Martellus.
CB Darqueze Dennard Michigan State - As the NFL shifts away from almost any physicality on defense, the best strategy may be to put your eggs on offense AND in the secondary.. hoping you can make as many plays on opposing passes as possible in shootouts. I think as this trend continues, you'll see corners and defensive linemen have even MORE of a premium placed on them compared to other defenders. Dennard is big, physical, and athletic. He could help make up for the fact that there's no way even if Tillman does come back that he'll be even close to who he was in 2014.
S Haha Clinton-Dix Alabama - It sometimes IS this easy. "Oh, the ultra athletic guy from Alabama... THAT'S TOO EASY.. we have to show the fans that our scouts are working for their money and finding a hidden gem at Wesleyan College of Southern New Zealand. This guy is a special athlete at safety who could eclipse the impact Mike Brown was able to have here if he hits.
CB Justin Gilbert Oklahoma State - Another good athletic prospect at corner. I wouldn't be surprised to see his name called. I've seen less of him than Dennard.
DT Ego Ferguson LSU - Big enough and very fast. An immediate upgrade from what we have now.
A lot of Mocks have Timmy Jernigan from FSU.. a DT going to us. Meh, not huge on this one. But probably an upgrade from what we have now.
I don't think I really need to get into the bad tackling and how you should pick a freaking ball up when there is no whistle.. does anyone need that rehashed because it's mostly taught to 12 year olds..
1) Cutler's decision making.. it is suspect. If it wasn't, there's no way this guy wouldn't be Tom Brady, because Cutler's arm is probably the best if not one of the best in the NFL. Isn't it odd to anyone that Cutler is closer to Elway on the upside in arm strength than he is to Brees or Brady on the down side?
He's a two read QB. If you make him throw to his 3rd progression there is a massive gaping difference between Cutler and Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Manning on the average Sunday consistently.
2) Where does this decision making show itself? Yes... he makes big plays with superior talent and then when he's at his worst he can make big mistakes.
To me though, what separates Cutler from Montana (who was FAR less physically talented.. Montana was closer to Grossman physically than Cutler), Brees (ALSO FARRRRR less talented physically), Brady etc... isn't the best plays.. the deep passes, or the worst plays..
It's how good they are/how good Cutler is NOT on all the in between plays. The unspectacular plays that Bears fans refuse to even pay attention to so long as Cutler is either throwing picks (those who hate him) or hitting a couple spectacular long bombs (those who love him).
It's Cutler getting pressures on a 3rd and 8.. having to go to his 3rd progression.. and throwing a hurried pass that is just enough off for the WR to miss the ball behind him. Then you have Rodgers, on the same play, throwing a shoelace pass to Jordy Nelson that he brings in.
I hated the 49ers in the 80s and 90s, but make no mistake about what they were. Sure Montana would hit Rice and Taylor and Brent Jones on spectacular plays.. sure there were the plays where Montana threw a deep ball down the sideline v. the Bengals in the Super Bowl and Rice snatched it one handed as he tippy-toed down the sideline.
But that's not what made Montana what he was. That was the icing on the cake. The CAKE was what a threat he was to consistently convert those unspectacular 2nd and 9s or 3rd and 7s over and over and over.
And it didn't matter what you did. If you gave Montana his 2nd progression, great, he'd hit the pass and the 49ers would get 9 yards on 3rd and 7. Make him go to his 5th read? Sure.. he'd get through those progressions lightning fast and hit the 5th receiver on the play.. and sometimes you'd cover everyone, he'd make you stay on them and then he'd run for one more yard than he needed to get the 1st.
Cutler doesn't have that. It doesn't much matter to his supporters because... like with Grossman, there is this Mark McGwire mentality.. hit a few spectacular deep bombs (home runs) and they'll forget your inconsistency on those medium difficulty shorter throws... just like the baseball world forgot that McGwire was hitting .230.
This whole offense is sometimes spectacular, sometimes shitty, but very rarely an offense just making the consistent bread and butter plays.. slowly killing the opposition. And I don't think it's a poorly designed offense. I believe it's in the personnel. The shortcomings of Cutler and the fact that Matt Forte leaves a lot to be desired when running between the tackles.
Let me spare everyone the wait if they overpay Cutler and continue status quo. When you play the really really good teams.. better than Green Bay was this year.. there aren't these oodles of big plays. You might get one or two. But make no mistake. You're going to have to beat them by making them a believer 10 yards at a time at points in the game..
My stance on players moving forward
I'm not getting emotional here.. I'm realizing that every time you sign a player, that amount affects who else you can sign and for how much. Loyalty is great, but I really don't look at who you keep .. but always try to realize that it's about how much you keep them for...
> Cutler - I'd try to keep him for between 8 and 14 annually, 14 absolutely tops on a front-loaded cap hit deal. If you have to go above 14 or have big cap numbers more than 3 years from now, I'd move on. I think even with his decision-making issues and his issues on the intermediate difficulty play, he's an overall GOOD QB. You're just going to need more around a GOOD QB to win a Super Bowl than you will need around a GREAT QB... and the guy is not great.
> Peppers - Vet minimum or close to it.. or see ya.
> Briggs - I'd try to keep him for one more year at a substantial pay cut.
> Tillman - Near the vet minimum and I like Hub's idea of moving him to safety.
> Garza - Has always gotten a free pass in this town. I'd want him gone period. The same people who eat up Joakim Noah's mean faces and get into "grit" and "being solid" .. people who don't know football, don't realize that this guy can't get a push up front at all, isn't fast, gets pushed sideways out of more plays than you can count... man, he must kiss some serious media rear end to get protected as much as he does. He flat out SUCKS and always has.
ONCE AGAIN.. not a mystery.. don't tell me there isn't some center playing for a school like Miami, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, USC, etc. etc. available in the 3rd or 4th round who is better than this guy.
> Melton - Gotta get him on a lowball deal. It should be very friendly for the Bears.
> Hester - Gone. One of the funniest things I've ever heard from typical Chicago meatball morons was "well, when he can focus on returning only and stop also focusing on being a wide receiver, he'll start breaking runs again.. as if single focus makes you young again and gives you a first step. Focus wasn't the issue of a once GREAT return man. Getting old was. We'd have to get him for almost nothing.
Is there someone else major I missed?
Draft?
First round - rough idea of who I'm looking at...
WR Marquise Lee USC - A wide receiver? It may be a situation where big money is spent on defense but the Bears find a player that is too good to pass up on offense. Lee is a flat out BURNER. With two huge WRs in Jeffery and Marshall and then Martellus Bennett.. you'd want a guy like Lee to replace Earl Bennett. Earl Bennett is Lee's size. That's about where the similarities end. Lee is a burner and Bennett by comparison is just slow. Bennett runs more like a 6'4" WR who just... isn't 6'4" lol. I know he's a fan favorite in Chicago.. but usually that means a guy sucks. Bennett is "solid." Lee doesn't need a label like solid because he's just damn fast. The Bears could really contrast Alshon and Brandon's ability to fight for the ball in tight spaces by stretching the field with Marquise Lee. I don't know that he'd be my primary choice, but I wouldn't be made just because the Bears already have a lot invested in Jeffery, Marshall and Martellus.
CB Darqueze Dennard Michigan State - As the NFL shifts away from almost any physicality on defense, the best strategy may be to put your eggs on offense AND in the secondary.. hoping you can make as many plays on opposing passes as possible in shootouts. I think as this trend continues, you'll see corners and defensive linemen have even MORE of a premium placed on them compared to other defenders. Dennard is big, physical, and athletic. He could help make up for the fact that there's no way even if Tillman does come back that he'll be even close to who he was in 2014.
S Haha Clinton-Dix Alabama - It sometimes IS this easy. "Oh, the ultra athletic guy from Alabama... THAT'S TOO EASY.. we have to show the fans that our scouts are working for their money and finding a hidden gem at Wesleyan College of Southern New Zealand. This guy is a special athlete at safety who could eclipse the impact Mike Brown was able to have here if he hits.
CB Justin Gilbert Oklahoma State - Another good athletic prospect at corner. I wouldn't be surprised to see his name called. I've seen less of him than Dennard.
DT Ego Ferguson LSU - Big enough and very fast. An immediate upgrade from what we have now.
A lot of Mocks have Timmy Jernigan from FSU.. a DT going to us. Meh, not huge on this one. But probably an upgrade from what we have now.
I don't think I really need to get into the bad tackling and how you should pick a freaking ball up when there is no whistle.. does anyone need that rehashed because it's mostly taught to 12 year olds..
