Lack of a leader

[noonthirtyjoe]

We have none. None on offense. None on Defense. None on the coaching staff. This ship has no rudder. We used to have a team full of leaders. No leaders = no pride = no passion. The one guy that tried to be a leader was accused of being nuts again (BM). The one guy that has the teams respect is just too nice (Forte). None of the young guys are ready to lead. I miss BU. We need that type of guy again. I know I'm just venting but having that leader is key to any team in any sport.

 

[NCChiFan]

This is what happens when you draft poorly for years.

 

[nebearsfan70]

This is what happens when you draft poorly for years.

Yes, yes, yes. The Bears have problems but the root cause, I think, lies with the front office.

 

[nomoreshoop]

coaching is the deciding factor.
Who wouldn't have drafted the players we drafted, eventually?


it's like marriage, someone else would've married your wife if you didn't.
Would they have made it work?

 

[anotheridiot]

Trestman wants a team of leaders, not one leader. That is why he chooses new captains each game. When a team of players votes on a captain, they are pledging to follow that leader. Trestman hands out C's on jerseys right after he equally splits up the bag of M&M's and hands out the juice boxes.

 

[Wounded Bear]

coaching is the deciding factor.
Who wouldn't have drafted the players we drafted, eventually?


it's like marriage, someone else would've married your wife if you didn't.
Would they have made it work?

This is kind of where I'm at. I look at our defense and I see good young talent playing in a bad system. Do we need more talented players to make the defense an elite defense? Hell yeah. But I think if a competent DC was at the helm, he would be getting a sh*t load more out of them.

Again, just to be a broken record, but Rob Ryan was available when Emery gave Tucker the job. A failure on many levels.

 

[beardown07]

The Bears' upper brass fucked this whole thing in a major way. The way it went down was goofy as hell. Fire Angelo, but keep HIS coach for another year. A year that everyone knew would be his last, but then in some weird twist of confusion, hire Angelo's protege to replace him, almost like Lovie was still in the future plans, or like they didn't want to ruffle TOO many feathers in the staff and players. But then let most those players go anyway??

Then fire Lovie, and bring in an alleged QB guru, and hire the worst fucking DC in the NFL 3 years running.

The only hire I liked was Kromer, and he's not even calling the fucking plays!?

You don't fire the GM, but keep his coach for another wasted year. Then, after everyone is clamoring for a fresh change, turn around and hire Angelo Jr.

If it were me, Kromer would be the interim, starting tomorrow. Everyone else, pack yer fucking shit and GTFO.

 

[NCChiFan]

The Bears' upper brass fucked this whole thing in a major way. The way it went down was goofy as hell. Then fire Lovie, and bring in an alleged QB guru, and hire the worst fucking DC in the NFL 3 years running.

The only hire I liked was Kromer, and he's not even calling the fucking plays!?

You don't fire the GM, but keep his coach for another wasted year. Then, after everyone is clamoring for a fresh change, turn around and hire Angelo Jr.

If it were me, Kromer would be the interim, starting tomorrow. Everyone else, pack yer fucking shit and GTFO.

Well, at least Emery drafts well and finds talent abroad. Yes he has made some mistakes, but he at least has had success, something Angelo had waaaay more infrequently. IF you can find a decent coach, at least he will have some talent to work with. Lovie never had talent on O.

 

[richig07]

This is what happens when you draft poorly for years.

I really cannot be all that pissed off with our drafts under Emery. Other than Shea, he's hit more than he's missed. IMO. I can forgive any GM for on bad first round pick, it happens.

As mentioned earlier in the season, the Bears are a systemic failure from top to bottom. There is not one thing, person, or group of people you can blame it on. But again… after watching the Detroit game. The coaching staff is so UTTERLY and clearly in over their heads.

 

[anotheridiot]

I really cannot be all that pissed off with our drafts under Emery. Other than Shea, he's hit more than he's missed. IMO. I can forgive any GM for on bad first round pick, it happens.

As mentioned earlier in the season, the Bears are a systemic failure from top to bottom. There is not one thing, person, or group of people you can blame it on. But again… after watching the Detroit game. The coaching staff is so UTTERLY and clearly in over their heads.

What is hurting this year is losing out with Hardin and Rodrigues as third and fourth rounders. Khaseem Greene had a decent fill in rookie year, but this year he was passed on the depth chart with an undrafted linebacker Christian Jones. You gotta win on third and fourth rounders, not just first rounders.

Right now the best middle linebacker we have is Sharpton and they wont take DJ off the field. Sharpton just fills gaps and hits people.

Its too much wanting to change history and having the offense be the priority. That change in philosophy needs to be owned by Emery as well.

Playoff teams have run the ball and stopped everybody. This team should be able to keep up with anyone, but its bubble screen after bubble screen.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

Well, at least Emery drafts well and finds talent abroad. Yes he has made some mistakes, but he at least has had success, something Angelo had waaaay more infrequently. IF you can find a decent coach, at least he will have some talent to work with. Lovie never had talent on O.

Emery's draft record is hardly one could definitely call successful. The only real draft we can sort of fully evaluate, he drafted one guy. Jeffery was a very good pick, but one good pick in a draft is a bad draft. The draft two years ago, the jury is still a little more out on. Long seems like a solid long term starter, but otherwise, pretty mixed and flawed. Bostic would probably not be playing on most teams, Mills is a seriously flawed tackle (although with a 7th we shouldn't expect much), and otherwise that draft is looking pretty barren. If Bostic doesn't take a couple more leaps, it will be another 1 player draft. Again, crappy.

This year's draft might turn out decent. Sure hope so. Kyle Fuller plays hard but he has been lacerated on defense. He's a rook, he has time to learn, giving him benefit of doubt and let's see him progress, but he hasn't proven anything all that great yet. I like the DT picks, it is good that they are getting experience, but they haven't yet shown us anything all that remarkable. Again, let's come back to this in time, but not something Emery can hang his hat on yet.

So I think he's done a good job managing the cap. Whether he made the right long term big money veteran bets remains to be seen, especially with the huge commitment to Cutler, which looks like total shit at the moment. But his drafts do not yet do anything to pull Cutler out of the fire. Even Angelo pulled a couple of solids out of most of his drafts (not all, but most). One or two draft hits a year does not cut it, so that's a defense of neither Jerry nor Phil.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

I really cannot be all that pissed off with our drafts under Emery. Other than Shea, he's hit more than he's missed. IMO. I can forgive any GM for on bad first round pick, it happens.

Huh? Like what? He was 1 out of 7 in 2012. He is either 1 or 2 out of 6 in 2013 (sorry, Mills looks like shit to me...he should not be starting....people wanting to figure out what's wrong with the Bears offense should start watching replays of the play of both of our tackles a lot more closely), and that's a 2 if Bostic somehow gets a lot better. This year is too soon to say...hopefully a learning experience.

Phil Emery has done a pretty bad job in drafts. To say nothing of the ATROCIOUS decision he has made on draft day itself regarding trade downs (all supposedly in the name of not wanting to appear to be too easy of a future draft day trading partner). I keep remembering the totally wasted opportunity of an extra third in 2013 that he flushed down the toilet...thanks a lot Phil.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

Khaseem Greene had a decent fill in rookie year

I have to totally disagree with you here. Greene was incredibly horrible last year. He was a huge reason why the Bears run defense sucked so badly. Certainly a lot more than Chris Conte, who Bear fans were lynching in the streets.

 

[richig07]

Huh? Like what? He was 1 out of 7 in 2012. He is either 1 or 2 out of 6 in 2013 (sorry, Mills looks like shit to me...he should not be starting....people wanting to figure out what's wrong with the Bears offense should start watching replays of the play of both of our tackles a lot more closely), and that's a 2 if Bostic somehow gets a lot better. This year is too soon to say...hopefully a learning experience.

Phil Emery has done a pretty bad job in drafts. To say nothing of the ATROCIOUS decision he has made on draft day itself regarding trade downs (all supposedly in the name of not wanting to appear to be too easy of a future draft day trading partner). I keep remembering the totally wasted opportunity of an extra third in 2013 that he flushed down the toilet...thanks a lot Phil.

Jordan Mills was a 5th round pick, that has now started 27 games at right tackle in his first two seasons.

He's already a "hit".

 

[anotheridiot]

So I think he's done a good job managing the cap. Whether he made the right long term big money veteran bets remains to be seen, especially with the huge commitment to Cutler, which looks like total shit at the moment. But his drafts do not yet do anything to pull Cutler out of the fire. Even Angelo pulled a couple of solids out of most of his drafts (not all, but most). One or two draft hits a year does not cut it, so that's a defense of neither Jerry nor Phil.

I gotta disagree with this. We watched him "manage" the cap with Peppers, eventually pushing so much money out we could not afford to keep him. He is doing the same types of deals with Cutler, Slausen, Jennings, Gould, Marshall, and now Allen. He does not even need to ask them to defer dollars with their current deals. He just mortgages the future until he cuts the players and then the cap dollars are not even being spent on them. 16 million dollars of this years cap is dead money, for guys that are not here. I see the same thing happening over the next 4 seasons with these deals. That is why we cannot get quality depth here. That is why the draft misses are so bad here, instead of having a third or fourth rounder, we end up needing to get free agents instead and end up scraping the bottom of the barrel instead of game changers.

This year looks good, with Ego and Sutton as second and third picks.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

Jordan Mills was a 5th round pick, that has now started 27 games at right tackle in his first two seasons.

He's already a "hit".

Not for my money he isn't. Basically, he isn't very good. Last year you could give him a pass because he a rookie. This year, he is a liability. Emery could have signed someone else, for minimum money, or started some other mediocre draft pick, and the result would have been about the same. That isn't a "hit." A hit is when you get a decent player or better. Starting on a team where there are no other options makes you a body, not a hit. J'Marcus Webb was a late rounder who started a lot of games too, and he wasn't a hit either.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

I gotta disagree with this. We watched him "manage" the cap with Peppers, eventually pushing so much money out we could not afford to keep him. He is doing the same types of deals with Cutler, Slausen, Jennings, Gould, Marshall, and now Allen. He does not even need to ask them to defer dollars with their current deals. He just mortgages the future until he cuts the players and then the cap dollars are not even being spent on them. 16 million dollars of this years cap is dead money, for guys that are not here. I see the same thing happening over the next 4 seasons with these deals. That is why we cannot get quality depth here. That is why the draft misses are so bad here, instead of having a third or fourth rounder, we end up needing to get free agents instead and end up scraping the bottom of the barrel instead of game changers.

This year looks good, with Ego and Sutton as second and third picks.

The reason I would say he did a pretty good job managing the cap last offseason is because - all things considered - he did a pretty good job at least putting together a potentially workable defensive roster together with a handicapped cap situation (thanks to the Peppers deal, which wasn't his doing). I thought that was pretty good work by Emery. I don't think Allen, Slauson, Houston, Willie Young are bottom of the barrel, and I thought it was more than I expected given the cap space they had going into the offseason. I'm obviously not very happy with the Cutler extension, and obviously some of the other signinigs haven't worked, but given the other options out there, I don't think that's been where Emery has failed.

The $16 million, come on man. $8.4 of that was for Peppers, and you can hardly blame him for that. Of the remaining $7.6, did you really want to blame Emery for Carimi, Michael Bush, Eric Weems, etc? I don't see how that's Emery's fault. I thin Emery has his problems, but the one thing I think he has done a reasonably decent job of is managing the cap. Of course, that's if you ignore the huge hits Cutler and to a lesser extent Bushrod and Allen will be causing.

 

[anotheridiot]

The reason I would say he did a pretty good job managing the cap last offseason is because - all things considered - he did a pretty good job at least putting together a potentially workable defensive roster together with a handicapped cap situation (thanks to the Peppers deal, which wasn't his doing). I thought that was pretty good work by Emery. I don't think Allen, Slauson, Houston, Willie Young are bottom of the barrel, and I thought it was more than I expected given the cap space they had going into the offseason. I'm obviously not very happy with the Cutler extension, and obviously some of the other signinigs haven't worked, but given the other options out there, I don't think that's been where Emery has failed.

The $16 million, come on man. $8.4 of that was for Peppers, and you can hardly blame him for that. Of the remaining $7.6, did you really want to blame Emery for Carimi, Michael Bush, Eric Weems, etc? I don't see how that's Emery's fault. I thin Emery has his problems, but the one thing I think he has done a reasonably decent job of is managing the cap. Of course, that's if you ignore the huge hits Cutler and to a lesser extent Bushrod and Allen will be causing.

Its easy to blame Emery for alot of things. Next biggest dead money hit to our cap is Michael Bush at 2 million dollars. I know its tough to understand the dead money systems, but when you cannot use the players you are paying, and you clearly do not have a #2 running back to get tough yards, you can figure a way to blame the decision to pay him to not play. We have had tackle issues all season and decided against sticking with Carimi. I am just suggesting its only a wash if you get a cheaper option thru the draft that is executing. Then you can pay for these guys to not play, but with the bad history of picks that are not playing and no longer in the nfl, you dont have that luxury.

You can get an accountant to move dollars around, this guy is supposed to be building a team.

 

[NCChiFan]

Not for my money he isn't. Basically, he isn't very good. Last year you could give him a pass because he a rookie. This year, he is a liability. Emery could have signed someone else, for minimum money, or started some other mediocre draft pick, and the result would have been about the same. That isn't a "hit." A hit is when you get a decent player or better. Starting on a team where there are no other options makes you a body, not a hit. J'Marcus Webb was a late rounder who started a lot of games too, and he wasn't a hit either.

In fairness, I think Mills is still dealing with his foot since injury last year, last game and surgery this off season. It just isn't healing and may end his career prematurely. He sure isn't the same player he was last year. Time will tell, but he isn't healthy right now.

 

[Dougie McBuckets]

I keep hearing how the Bears are searching for locker room leadership. Isn't Cutler a veteran? How can this be acceptable?