If this defense can improve into the upper half of the league...

[NCChiFan]

so you disagree with me, but also agree with me?

Have you been talking to my wife?

 

[NCChiFan]

Where is it Mel shined at before coming here? How did he deserve this job???

Oh, hang on now... I'm only saying it was hard to judge Mel by last season. I'm no Mel fan. I have no clue how he got the job or why he got the job. Hopefully this season we will begin to figure it out.

 

[richig07]

If Det is done making stupid mistakes 3 to 5 times per game, then they have improved 25.291647% to 36.225673% right there. Plus we got Mel.

What is it about Tucker you don't like exactly?

Jay has said numerous times that he thinks Mel is the brightest football mind in the organization. That's saying a lot… Cutler doesn't bull shit, and he also plays quarterback for Marc Trestman and said his team's defensive coordinator has a higher football IQ.

What was it about Mel that made you so against him? I mean, he didn't do anything great, but what do you want from the guy? He can't go out there and rush the passer or play defensive back. He was working with scrubs and cast-offs.

What defensive coordinator wins with that unit last year? None.

 

[richig07]

If Det is done making stupid mistakes 3 to 5 times per game, then they have improved 25.291647% to 36.225673% right there. Plus we got Mel.

The reason they make mistakes is uh… because they're not good. lol, and they didn't do anything to change that as far as I can see.

Caldwell is an upgrade over Schwartz, but so is Brian McLaren (speaking of which, where is that drunk bastard?)

 

[leomaz]

He still made no adjustments or clearly defined what kind of D he was trying to be. You could run the same play 5 times a game against us and get away with it. Where is it Mel shined at before coming here? How did he deserve this job???

Really? Lovie Smith wasn't the best at adjustments either but you are head over heels in love with him. Im sure you Lovie would have done just as bad with all the injuries suffered. You can't have it both ways Noon. last year he clearly was running the tampa 2 with some adjustments because of injuries. but last year is over and done. If you want to base your hatred for Mel after his first season here you should at least give Mel the same consideration you gave Lovie after his horrible first season

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

Really? Lovie Smith wasn't the best at adjustments either but you are head over heels in love with him. Im sure you Lovie would have done just as bad with all the injuries suffered. You can't have it both ways Noon. last year he clearly was running the tampa 2 with some adjustments because of injuries. but last year is over and done. If you want to base your hatred for Mel after his first season here you should at least give Mel the same consideration you gave Lovie after his horrible first season

I never loved Lovie, I respected him and put the blame on bad drafting and not bad coaching. And my hate for Mel started before we ever played a single down, he did not deserve this job and has stunk everywhere he has been.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

What is it about Tucker you don't like exactly?

Jay has said numerous times that he thinks Mel is the brightest football mind in the organization. That's saying a lot… Cutler doesn't bull shit, and he also plays quarterback for Marc Trestman and said his team's defensive coordinator has a higher football IQ.

What was it about Mel that made you so against him? I mean, he didn't do anything great, but what do you want from the guy? He can't go out there and rush the passer or play defensive back. He was working with scrubs and cast-offs.

What defensive coordinator wins with that unit last year? None.

Last year means little as we just had so many key guys missing. But where is the reason for bringing in a guy that has stunk at every stop? How does he deserve this job? answer that and I'll quit bitching.

 

[richig07]

Really? Lovie Smith wasn't the best at adjustments either but you are head over heels in love with him. Im sure you Lovie would have done just as bad with all the injuries suffered. You can't have it both ways Noon. last year he clearly was running the tampa 2 with some adjustments because of injuries. but last year is over and done. If you want to base your hatred for Mel after his first season here you should at least give Mel the same consideration you gave Lovie after his horrible first season

Lovie actually had a respectable first year as a head coach. The whole team was broken down, and we started over. He did a very good job with the D (go figure). The offense had Jonathan Quinn, Chad Hutchison, and Craig Krenzel leading the pack… so there was really never any hope.

However, he managed to beat a couple respectable teams, and play others tough. He put the building blocks in place for 2005. Believe it or not, at 5-9 they were actually still in the playoff hunt entering the final two weeks of the season. lol, that was they year that three 8-8 teams made it in the NFC.

 

[richig07]

Last year means little as we just had so many key guys missing. But where is the reason for bringing in a guy that has stunk at every stop? How does he deserve this job? answer that and I'll quit bitching.

His 2012 D was bad, but we all know Jacksonville is a nightmare. In 2011 in his first year as the defensive play-caller, despite being 5-11, the Jags were the 6th in total defense in the NFL. 11th in points. He was named the interim head coach when Del Rio was fired, and was actually a main candidate for the permanent head coaching job. I don't think they'd give that to a guy who they thought was garbage. He HAS had success.

Look… I don't love Tucker at all, I would have been fine if we let him go after 2013. I just think it's literally impossible to judge the guy after last year. It's just a wash for me. I look at this as his first real season. There's literally nothing a defensive coach could have done to make that unit function at a serviceable level.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

Judging coaches is a lot harder for me than judging players. A lot harder. Unlike players, we don't see most of what they do. We don't really know what it is they are telling guys, and we don't know what happens behind the scenes, which is mostly where they matter. I don't think bill Belichick is a great coach because he is masterful at frowning on the sideline.

I don't mean to say that we can't draw any judgments, simply that it is much harder. But if you see several years of good teams and players not bitching about the coaching staffs, those are some hints. Yes some in game decisions can be full blown gaffes, and some coaches definitely make those...I'm just trying to say its a smaller piece of the puzzle than with players.

I don't have a strong opinion either way about tucker. I think almost any d coordinator in football would have had a rough year with this team. That being said, he certainly didn't earn any special credit either.

 

[leomaz]

Lovie actually had a respectable first year as a head coach. The whole team was broken down, and we started over. He did a very good job with the D (go figure). The offense had Jonathan Quinn, Chad Hutchison, and Craig Krenzel leading the pack… so there was really never any hope.

However, he managed to beat a couple respectable teams, and play others tough. He put the building blocks in place for 2005. Believe it or not, at 5-9 they were actually still in the playoff hunt entering the final two weeks of the season. lol, that was they year that three 8-8 teams made it in the NFC.

5-11 is still 5-11. The team he took over was 7-9 the previous year. Lovies last season he had Marshall, Forte, Cutler and Jeffery to use on offense and choose Mike Tice who was never a coordinator as his o-coordinator.......that is more baffling than picking Mel Tucker as d-coordinator

 

[richig07]

Judging coaches is a lot harder for me than judging players. A lot harder. Unlike players, we don't see most of what they do. We don't really know what it is they are telling guys, and we don't know what happens behind the scenes, which is mostly where they matter. I don't think bill Belichick is a great coach because he is masterful at frowning on the sideline.

I don't mean to say that we can't draw any judgments, simply that it is much harder. But if you see several years of good teams and players not bitching about the coaching staffs, those are some hints. Yes some in game decisions can be full blown gaffes, and some coaches definitely make those...I'm just trying to say its a smaller piece of the puzzle than with players.

I don't have a strong opinion either way about tucker. I think almost any d coordinator in football would have had a rough year with this team. That being said, he certainly didn't earn any special credit either.

THIS x10

I can't stand when fans judge a coach based on W/L record or the results on the field alone. The guy could be a damn genius, but if his players are incompetent, there's really not much he can do.

Really what rubbed me the wrong way about how people tried to run Lovie out of town for years. When literally every player just praised him, it seemed. I trust the players opinion far more than some brat eating beer drinking fat ass on a bar stool.

 

[richig07]

5-11 is still 5-11. The team he took over was 7-9 the previous year.

Prime example of what I'm talking about with how fans judge coaches.

When Lovie went 13-3 and to the SB in 06 did you think he was a top coach in the NFL? I doubt it. So why the other way around? Plenty of times, good coaches have had transitional years in their first season. Most of the time, actually. W/L record far from dictates a head coaches evaluation after one season.

 

[63bears40]

THIS x10

I can't stand when fans judge a coach based on W/L record or the results on the field alone. The guy could be a damn genius, but if his players are incompetent, there's really not much he can do.

Really what rubbed me the wrong way about how people tried to run Lovie out of town for years. When literally every player just praised him, it seemed. I trust the players opinion far more than some brat eating beer drinking fat ass on a bar stool.

Just think if you're HC, you have to care about the whole team.
The only players that loved him were on D or STs.
I doubt any O players loved him. No player (in his right mind ) is going to call his HC out.
But what did Lovie do to make the O players happy?

As far as good coach , bad coach goes. I think it's a catch 22. Good players make a coaches scheme look good. While good coaching can make a player look good. I've seen supposedly great players fail under a different coach . And a mediocre player become a pro bowler under another coach.
I have also seen supposedly great coaches ( AH, Dom Capers comes to mind ) get ridiculed because he just doesn't have the horses.

 

[leomaz]

Prime example of what I'm talking about with how fans judge coaches.

When Lovie went 13-3 and to the SB in 06 did you think he was a top coach in the NFL? I doubt it. So why the other way around? Plenty of times, good coaches have had transitional years in their first season. Most of the time, actually. W/L record far from dictates a head coaches evaluation after one season.

Sorry....ultimately coaches are paid to win championships. wins and losses come into play. Lovie wasnt a head coach more than he was a defensive coordinator and that was not good for the team. Of course wins and losses after 1season is hard to tell about a first year coach. some fans don't give a shit about that though, like noon. So you give a little perspective and move on.

 

[nebearsfan70]

How many games do you see this team winning?

I'm not talking about being a top defense. Just upper/middle of the pack. 13th or 14th overall in yardage/points.

Our schedule is tough starting out, but I could see us winning 11 games if the D could do that. Provided the offense stays healthy.

Why do I just have a bad feeling that Marshall is due for an injury? Guy plays so physical, and I don't think he has ever missed a game. He limps off of the field and misses a play or two every game… but is never anything more than banged up. I just have a weird feeling the injury bug may bite on offense this year, just when the defense is coming around. Eh… probably just my pessimistic nature. On top of the fact that the last three seasons, so much has gone wrong at pivotal points in the season.

Okay... Getting back on track here.

If the Bears D improves to a middle-of-the-road unit (let me qualify that statement by saying not based upon yardage but based upon preventing scores, making key stops, etc.), then I could see the Bears winning 10 or more. Last season they could have won 12 or 13 with an average D, so I don't see that as unlikely either.

 

[blh7068]

Okay... Getting back on track here.

If the Bears D improves to a middle-of-the-road unit (let me qualify that statement by saying not based upon yardage but based upon preventing scores, making key stops, etc.), then I could see the Bears winning 10 or more. Last season they could have won 12 or 13 with an average D, so I don't see that as unlikely either.

Considering they gave up a distant last 161 rush yards a game, and didnt hold one opponent to under 20 points, what youre suggesting is very reasonable.

 

[nebearsfan70]

Considering they gave up a distant last 161 rush yards a game, and didnt hold one opponent to under 20 points, what youre suggesting is very reasonable.

I just hope the defense improves that much; even a slight improvement will generate a few more wins.

 

[63bears40]

His 2012 D was bad, but we all know Jacksonville is a nightmare. In 2011 in his first year as the defensive play-caller, despite being 5-11, the Jags were the 6th in total defense in the NFL. 11th in points. He was named the interim head coach when Del Rio was fired, and was actually a main candidate for the permanent head coaching job. I don't think they'd give that to a guy who they thought was garbage. He HAS had success.

Look… I don't love Tucker at all, I would have been fine if we let him go after 2013. I just think it's literally impossible to judge the guy after last year. It's just a wash for me. I look at this as his first real season. There's literally nothing a defensive coach could have done to make that unit function at a serviceable level.

I tend to agree w/ya Rich. But he hasn't had success anywhere. 6th in total D . Gives him some breathing room.
Not really a Mel fan . For how he has game planned so far.
Given some new horses this Yr. Just think he has to prove management right .
Let's hope he's successful .

 

[JoeyTourettes]

Do you really think Josh McCown is that monumentally better than Jordan Palmer? Personally, I think Palmer can step in and do exactly what McCown did.

100% agree! Thumbs Up (hopefully we won't need to find out)