Bears of early october

[cubzzzfanincali]

haven't watched the coaches film yet, but was surprised to see no game thread...so...

Defensive line really looks good. I've seen all the Raider games so far, this was a great effort. Raiders capitalized on a few scheme screwups (what idiots out there think coaching doesn't matter?), but on the whole our D guys played well.'

Outside of starting and finishing drive (did someone say scheme screwups?...that award goes to Raider defense on last Bear drive...and some of you think coaching means nothing! how cute!)...Bear offense mostly didn't look very good, outside of Matt Forte. Right side offensive line was pretty good on sealing lanes, but WTF was up with left side? Jesus. Three offensive turnovers...we are lucky to have escaped with a win. Main reason we won was the luck of the McPhee interception bounce. Not earned, but let's take it. Without that, we are 0-4.

Cutler, another very mixed bag of amazing throws coupled with super risky, low-technique passing. This guy is great to cheer for when he succeeds, but he sure does suck at NFL quarterbacking basics.

 

[JoeyTourettes]

What a twat... "no game thread" bullshit.

 

[nebearsfan70]

Joey, did I miss something?

 

[JoeyTourettes]

I started the game thread Bears Vs Raiders | SportsHoopla Sports Forums
Cali has blocked me, so he "can't see it". That's why he's a twat... that and I just like saying Twat....ha.

 

[nebearsfan70]

I started the game thread Bears Vs Raiders | SportsHoopla Sports Forums
Cali has blocked me, so he "can't see it". That's why he's a twat... that and I just like saying Twat....ha.

Oh.

Yes, I saw the thread but I didn't read it until after the game. Thanks for doing that BTW.

 

[JoeyTourettes]

Cutler, another very mixed bag of amazing throws coupled with super risky, low-technique passing. This guy is great to cheer for when he succeeds, but he sure does suck at NFL quarterbacking basics.

I know he's not going to see this...but I want to participate.
The D played inspired. McPhee is becoming a steal- imagine what he's going to be a year or two into this defense with some more pieces.
How often does Forte fumble? What like 2x's a year? He can't do that, but I ain't mad at him. Everybody get's one.

The Pick Sucked... it was a bad play on 3rd and 1. When you're already in FG range... The decision to throw it to Bennett wasn't terrible, he had one-on-one...BUT the throw was. Jay had a guy in his face and should have thrown it away... if that ball is up and outside Bennett scores. Bad throw, bad Jay.

Now... For a guy who just came off a hamstring injury, threw 2 TD's, lead his team to the first victory of the season... and:
Lead an offense with over 7 minutes more of TOP. (and a huge lead in the first half)
Went 10/17 on 3rd down.
Had 65% comp.
And scored 22 points to WIN the game... (a week after they couldn't score a single point)
WITHOUT his starting Left Tackle, Center and WR...and some really crappy phantom calls on the Bears.
to mention he "sucks at NFL quarterbacking basics" is just dumb.

Bears can get KC next week too. Hopefully we continue to build.

 

[nebearsfan70]

I know he's not going to see this...but I want to participate.
The D played inspired. McPhee is becoming a steal- imagine what he's going to be a year or two into this defense with some more pieces.
How often does Forte fumble? What like 2x's a year? He can't do that, but I ain't mad at him. Everybody get's one.

The Pick Sucked... it was a bad play on 3rd and 1. When you're already in FG range... The decision to throw it to Bennett wasn't terrible, he had one-on-one...BUT the throw was. Jay had a guy in his face and should have thrown it away... if that ball is up and outside Bennett scores. Bad throw, bad Jay.

Now... For a guy who just came off a hamstring injury, threw 2 TD's, lead his team to the first victory of the season... and:
Lead an offense with over 7 minutes more of TOP. (and a huge lead in the first half)
Went 10/17 on 3rd down.
Had 65% comp.
And scored 22 points to WIN the game... (a week after they couldn't score a single point)
WITHOUT his starting Left Tackle, Center and WR...and some really crappy phantom calls on the Bears.
to mention he "sucks at NFL quarterbacking basics" is just dumb.

Bears can get KC next week too. Hopefully we continue to build.

I was thinking the same thing about KC. I have a strange feeling that the Bears will have a chance in this one.

 

[anotheridiot]

I was thinking the same thing about KC. I have a strange feeling that the Bears will have a chance in this one.

There is always a chance playing Andy Reid and Alex Smith. He is not much different than Jay, and if this defensive line can get him jumpy he should keep the bears in it.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

There is always a chance playing Andy Reid and Alex Smith. He is not much different than Jay, and if this defensive line can get him jumpy he should keep the bears in it.

I can't think of two less similar QBs than Smith and Cutler. Smith is a notorious game manager, never throws long or recklessly. His arm isn't particularly great, especially downfield. Cutler did his very best Alex Smith impression in game 1 this year, but other than that has a long career of decidedly un-Smith like games, with a lot of high-risk/high-reward passing.

 

[anotheridiot]

I can't think of two less similar QBs than Smith and Cutler. Smith is a notorious game manager, never throws long or recklessly. His arm isn't particularly great, especially downfield. Cutler did his very best Alex Smith impression in game 1 this year, but other than that has a long career of decidedly un-Smith like games, with a lot of high-risk/high-reward passing.

There is just as good a chance Alex smith is gonna shit the bed as Jay shitting the bed with an interception. There was no comparison to any style points, but nice to see you are all set and ready to pick fights today.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

I'm not just trying to pick a fight, I'm pointing out that your observation was totally absurd. Of all the QBs, you picked two totally different guys, and yes that includes interception rate. Alex Smith is 5th best for current active QBs with an interception rate of 2.4%. Jay Cutler is 25th (out of 30 with enough attempts to qualify) at 3.4% (he's tied with Josh McCown, incidentally). These stats are tallied by Pro Football Reference. So they are pretty much at opposite ends. Of course, for all of Cutler's faults, at least he can throw downfield and into the end zone, neither of which Alex Smith is particularly proficient at.

 

[richig07]

There is always a chance playing Andy Reid and Alex Smith. He is not much different than Jay, and if this defensive line can get him jumpy he should keep the bears in it.

I cannot think of a QB that is more polar opposite of Jay Cutler, than Alex Smith.

 

[richig07]

There is just as good a chance Alex smith is gonna shit the bed as Jay shitting the bed with an interception. There was no comparison to any style points, but nice to see you are all set and ready to pick fights today.

No one is picking fights. You can't say stuff that far off base, and not expect people to respond to it. You could not have picked a more polar opposite QB, to call "similar to Jay".

 

[richig07]

haven't watched the coaches film yet, but was surprised to see no game thread...so...

Defensive line really looks good. I've seen all the Raider games so far, this was a great effort. Raiders capitalized on a few scheme screwups (what idiots out there think coaching doesn't matter?), but on the whole our D guys played well.'

Outside of starting and finishing drive (did someone say scheme screwups?...that award goes to Raider defense on last Bear drive...and some of you think coaching means nothing! how cute!)...Bear offense mostly didn't look very good, outside of Matt Forte. Right side offensive line was pretty good on sealing lanes, but WTF was up with left side? Jesus. Three offensive turnovers...we are lucky to have escaped with a win. Main reason we won was the luck of the McPhee interception bounce. Not earned, but let's take it. Without that, we are 0-4.

Cutler, another very mixed bag of amazing throws coupled with super risky, low-technique passing. This guy is great to cheer for when he succeeds, but he sure does suck at NFL quarterbacking basics.

Agreed on the D-line. They have really impressed me a couple games in a row now. And was it just me? Or did Shea McClellin actually have a somewhat decent game? I might be crazy, but I thought he actually filled some run lanes and played downhill for once. McPhee and Jenkins look like good signings. Goldman is making an impact. It was nice to have Tracy Porter healthy, and I thought he really helped the cause in the secondary. Fuller was quiet, but I don't remember him getting beat much. I am about to rewatch the game now, and one of the things I'm forgetting is how Cooper got open for that TD. I can't remember who blew their assignment.

I disagree slightly, that we were lucky to escape with a win. Outside of a couple of possessions in the first half, the Bears honestly dominated that football game for the most part. Yardage, TOP, etc... Don't forget, that they basically handed Oakland a free touchdown with that fumbled snap deep in their own territory. Which was a result of nothing more than Slauson having never played a game at center before. Once he settled in, things went smoother. If the Bears would have lost that football game, it would have been a damn shame. IMO. The McPhee bounce was lucky, but good things happen when you play hard to the ball. Helu heard footsteps on that one.

Offensively, Leno struggled in his first game at LT. Got beat for a sack, got called for a hold. Didn't run block well. The WR's were fine. It's tough without Alshon, a lot of inexperienced guys out there. Good to see Marquess come back after a drop that could have cost us the game, and make the play to get us in FG range. Forte with a rare fumble, hurt us at the time. Shit happens, I suppose.

Special teams were good aside from the blocked PAT, I thought. Coverage teams were way better from the previous two weeks. Mariani is just a solid return man, a bit better with punts than with kicks. He's not Devin Hester, but I'll take him over Chris Williams or Eric Weems ANY day. The fill-in punter was solid, I thought. And Robbie... what else can you say about the guy?

As for Jay... it was a typical Cutler day. He played well, especially considering he was hobbled. He made some risky throws, one got picked. It was a bad throw. Totally flat footed and off of his heels. I guess, the bright side. Is that it wasn't a terrible read like the Matthews INT. Marty was open. I thought he showed some balls going back down the field to win it.

I think they can beat KC next week. Their secondary is pretty bad. If Alshon is back, we'll put up some points. Smith is far from a scary QB. If the D-line performs again, they should contain Charles. Then, they have the likely soon to be 0-4 Lions. Who knows... maybe they can ride the momentum here and string a few together going into the bye? Let's not get ahead of ourselves though...

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

Agreed on the D-line. They have really impressed me a couple games in a row now. And was it just me? Or did Shea McClellin actually have a somewhat decent game? I might be crazy, but I thought he actually filled some run lanes and played downhill for once. McPhee and Jenkins look like good signings. Goldman is making an impact. It was nice to have Tracy Porter healthy, and I thought he really helped the cause in the secondary. Fuller was quiet, but I don't remember him getting beat much. I am about to rewatch the game now, and one of the things I'm forgetting is how Cooper got open for that TD. I can't remember who blew their assignment.

I disagree slightly, that we were lucky to escape with a win. Outside of a couple of possessions in the first half, the Bears honestly dominated that football game for the most part. Yardage, TOP, etc... Don't forget, that they basically handed Oakland a free touchdown with that fumbled snap deep in their own territory. Which was a result of nothing more than Slauson having never played a game at center before. Once he settled in, things went smoother. If the Bears would have lost that football game, it would have been a damn shame. IMO. The McPhee bounce was lucky, but good things happen when you play hard to the ball. Helu heard footsteps on that one.

Offensively, Leno struggled in his first game at LT. Got beat for a sack, got called for a hold. Didn't run block well. The WR's were fine. It's tough without Alshon, a lot of inexperienced guys out there. Good to see Marquess come back after a drop that could have cost us the game, and make the play to get us in FG range. Forte with a rare fumble, hurt us at the time. Shit happens, I suppose.

Special teams were good aside from the blocked PAT, I thought. Coverage teams were way better from the previous two weeks. Mariani is just a solid return man, a bit better with punts than with kicks. He's not Devin Hester, but I'll take him over Chris Williams or Eric Weems ANY day. The fill-in punter was solid, I thought. And Robbie... what else can you say about the guy?

As for Jay... it was a typical Cutler day. He played well, especially considering he was hobbled. He made some risky throws, one got picked. It was a bad throw. Totally flat footed and off of his heels. I guess, the bright side. Is that it wasn't a terrible read like the Matthews INT. Marty was open. I thought he showed some balls going back down the field to win it.

I think they can beat KC next week. Their secondary is pretty bad. If Alshon is back, we'll put up some points. Smith is far from a scary QB. If the D-line performs again, they should contain Charles. Then, they have the likely soon to be 0-4 Lions. Who knows... maybe they can ride the momentum here and string a few together going into the bye? Let's not get ahead of ourselves though...

Shea actually looks pretty good this year, it is not just you. I don't think he is doing anything super remarkably, but he is tackling solidly, moving to the run well, and actually doesn't look half bad in coverage.

The reason I think we were slightly lucky to escape with a win is not because we didn't on balance have a better basic game and gain more yards, but because we committed three turnovers (and very nearly a couple of others). Usually three turnovers loses you a game. We were lucky in that the McPhee interception was basically an unforced error (as with the Murray fumble). Hey, let's take it, good stuff, but a sign of domination it was not.

I don't know whether that was Slauson's fault or not. It was very hard to see anything wrong at the snap on the replay, but you know center exchanges are very nuanced. Hardly the first time that's happened to this team in recent years, draw your own conclusions. Maybe he did something wrong that you can't see clearly on the replay. But from a blocking perspective, I actually thought he looked pretty good. On pass blocking, the left side of the line didn't look too bad, except for once or twice where Leno got beat. But the run blocking on the left side of the line was really bad, especially the pulling guards. If you notice (and this is from memory, so maybe I am wrong on this), but we increasingly ran right as they game went on.

All in all I think the O line pass blocked adequately. The receivers again had a hard time getting open, though nowhere near as badly as in Seattle, and obviously the TD to Bennett was a pure gift screwup by Oakland. Hey...we'll take it!

Cutler didn't play terribly, but he didn't play great either. He definitely made a few "oh my God, what are you doing?" throws, but he made some nice plays as well, and hung in there and avoided the rush pretty well. He played well enough to win, and he played badly enough to lose. As you put it, a typical Cutler day.

I don't really like the way we matchup against KC. They are certainly beatable, but I would not count on a win. Be a good win if we can pull it off.

 

[anotheridiot]

I'm not just trying to pick a fight, I'm pointing out that your observation was totally absurd. Of all the QBs, you picked two totally different guys, and yes that includes interception rate. Alex Smith is 5th best for current active QBs with an interception rate of 2.4%. Jay Cutler is 25th (out of 30 with enough attempts to qualify) at 3.4% (he's tied with Josh McCown, incidentally). These stats are tallied by Pro Football Reference. So they are pretty much at opposite ends. Of course, for all of Cutler's faults, at least he can throw downfield and into the end zone, neither of which Alex Smith is particularly proficient at.

Alex Smith, Chiefs can't handle the pressure - Kansas City Chiefs Blog - ESPN
ESPN.com‎ - 1 day ago

two interceptions against Denver, one against Green Bay.

Are you comparing Alex Smith as an underachiever?

As a quarterback that should have more to offer? not make stupid mistakes?

Thats all I wrote, again, that is all I wrote. Get your slide rule and abacus out with all your stats and its a simple fact that these are two quarterbacks that generally underachieve. That is all. We will see who makes the stupid mistake sunday.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

The 0-16 monkey is off our back. I could see us going 500 from here on out. Or a little less. Who cares really. The future is bright and the coaching is solid, yet conservative. I would like to see us throw downfield more. And why did Slauson move over to C? We have a rookie C that should have gotten some playing time. Slauson never played C before. Is that a sign that our rookie C is really really bad? All I asked for this year is to see this team play with heart and it has been. I am enjoying this season.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

Alex Smith, Chiefs can't handle the pressure - Kansas City Chiefs Blog - ESPN
ESPN.com‎ - 1 day ago

two interceptions against Denver, one against Green Bay.

Are you comparing Alex Smith as an underachiever?

As a quarterback that should have more to offer? not make stupid mistakes?

Thats all I wrote, again, that is all I wrote. Get your slide rule and abacus out with all your stats and its a simple fact that these are two quarterbacks that generally underachieve. That is all. We will see who makes the stupid mistake sunday.

as a general rule, when making comparisons, people usually try to pick something distinctive in selecting what to compare what to what in order to drive a point home and make it clear. The description of "underachiever" includes a really broad category of NFL players. That's like comparing Johnny Carson to Jim Lahey Trailer park supervisor and saying they are both funny. I suppose that's true, but it's also so broadly definable that the comparison is essentially meaningless. Or saying it is sunny one day and then rainy the next and saying they are both the same because they are both weather. OK, Cutler and Alex Smith are both underachievers. Yawn. You win. Thanks for making such an incisive, bold point. You're right, they are like two peas in a pod, in a land where English has no meaning.

 

[Peter Gozintite]

I think Jay had Bennett, who was having a monster game, but he was jumping in the air and under threw it. If he had let it go with a little more force that was a touchdown. I hate the pick, but I understand what he saw. He should have taken the sack or threw it away. Not the kind of throw you make when you are off balance and under duress. One yard further though....

 

[Peter Gozintite]

as a general rule, when making comparisons, people usually try to pick something distinctive in selecting what to compare what to what in order to drive a point home and make it clear. The description of "underachiever" includes a really broad category of NFL players. That's like comparing Johnny Carson to Jim Lahey Trailer park supervisor and saying they are both funny. I suppose that's true, but it's also so broadly definable that the comparison is essentially meaningless. Or saying it is sunny one day and then rainy the next and saying they are both the same because they are both weather. OK, Cutler and Alex Smith are both underachievers. Yawn. You win. Thanks for making such an incisive, bold point. You're right, they are like two peas in a pod, in a land where English has no meaning.

I love it when you get all playfully snarky.