Now the Bears have hired a linebackers coach

[leomaz]

what have you done for me lately.

@NCC. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it's a duck. Ragi will soon be a Bear. If that happens will you start to believe? There have been clear signs from the day Emory arrived. I hate the 3 4 but that does not change the fact we brought in 3 4 players and now 3 4 coaches.

Noon .exactly what have you seen in Raji since the NFC championship game that makes you feel like he can help the Bears at the price he wants which is gonna be high??

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

Noon .exactly what have you seen in Raji since the NFC championship game that makes you feel like he can help the Bears at the price he wants which is gonna be high??

Because you can't play a 3 4 without a true NT and we need a experienced youngish guy. If not Ragi then a simeler type NT. Points more about, ( expect a NT at some point this off-season.)

 

[leomaz]

why do they tackle they nose?

Because you can't play a 3 4 without a true NT and we need a experienced youngish guy. If not Ragi then a simeler type NT. Points more about, ( expect a NT at some point this off-season.)

I understand we may need a nose tackle. Raji has not had a sack since 2011. He averaged 15 tackles since 2001while Ngata has averaged 31 tackles and has had 10 sacks since 2011. And is an older player than Raji. I wonder how much Raji and his agent thinks he is worth

 

[leomaz]

DL B.J. Raji
Raji became the first player to depart his team via free agency smack dab in the middle of the season. Wait, what? You say Raji didn’t leave the Packers in the middle of the season? He was on the active roster the whole time and even on the field while real live games were going on? Hold on a minute, what? Repeat that again, please? You say that not only was Raji still on the team after week seven, but he turned down an $8 million per season contract extension? LMFAO. Quit kidding around. This is a serious football site with serious football analysis. Nobody in their right mind would offer Raji $8 million per season ever again would they? Right?


*****from ALLGREENBAYPACKERS.COM******

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

I'd rather see a NT drafted, rather than a free agent signed, since in the long run you want the best guy available for the money. And at our draft position we could probably get a good one to anchor the defense for ten years. There are many free agents other than Raji who can play the 3-4 NT, but let's see how things develop, if they even do.

 

[anotheridiot]

they are talking about a DT from Pitt that is gonna be drafted too high if he is picked at 14, he is more of a second round win if he is there. Nix is there from Notre dame, thats a guy ready to play pro ball, 340 pound plug the middle guy, but we all see it makes sense to go 3-4, I dont think the bears are convinced.

 

[NCChiFan]

Look at all this debate over 1 position, the NT. We still don't have any signed LBers that have played in a 3-4. Williams is a F/A. Briggs hasn't. Anderson, he's from Carolina they ran a 4-3. Don't count the rookies. Shea and Bass have been DE's in the NFL. And if your for cutting Peppers, who do you have left that can play the D line outside of Paea, who hasn't been all that great in a 4-3 much less alone on an island in a 3-4. Melton, not signed. Wooten isn't signed. Neither has played in a 3-4. And we still need a CB.


Raji? He wants a payday. Cut Peppers you still take a big cap it ($8mil), it would only free up enough money for 1 D lineman. Still need a CB. Still need to sign a host of fill in players. Emery has got to be thinking about resigning Brandon after next year. I don't see this happening. Maybe the Bears can get creative and do a hybrid to throw teams off on occasions, but moving to a full time 3-4, we don't have the personnel nor the cap room to get the right people.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

We still don't have any signed LBers that have played in a 3-4. Williams is a F/A. Briggs hasn't. Anderson, he's from Carolina they ran a 4-3. Don't count the rookies.

So what? We have exactly one guy who matters as 4-3 player, that's Lance Briggs. The other guys haven't exactly torn it up as 4-3 LBs. And whether you, I, or anyone else likes it or not, Shea is getting moved to LB because that's what Emery wants to do. It makes way more sense to move Shea into a 3-4 LB group than a 4-3 group.

Shea and Bass have been DE's in the NFL. And if your for cutting Peppers, who do you have left that can play the D line outside of Paea, who hasn't been all that great in a 4-3 much less alone on an island in a 3-4. Melton, not signed. Wooten isn't signed. Neither has played in a 3-4.

Shea is no longer a DE on this team. At least not regularly. Bass? So what? He's irrelevant. If you cut Peppers, you now have money for two new 3-4 D linemen. Remember, 3-4 D Linemen are much cheaper than the extremely expensive 4-3 DE star ends. You don't need to fork over Peppers money for them. And we have the draft. And Melton (who knows what he will be like after injury) and Wootten aren't signed. Exactly. They aren't signed. That's exactly my point. If we were paying Melton $8 million a year, then yes, it would be kind of foolish to even consider this idea because I don't know what he'd do in a 3-4. He could probably play end but I'm not convinced. But it is theoretical. He isn't under contract. As for Wootten (who I would not base this decision around...he's not important enough), he actually probably could play 3-4 end. He strikes me as a good example of a guy in that front. But again, he's not signed, so as of now it is a moot point.

And we still need a CB.

That's true either way. The 3-4 or 4-3 decision does not change that. And having the cheaper 3-4 front means we would have more money left over for any signings in the secondary, or for restructuring Marshall, or *maybe* both.

Raji? He wants a payday.

Personally, Raji is not my preference.

Cut Peppers you still take a big cap it ($8mil), it would only free up enough money for 1 D lineman.

Incorrect. You can easily sign two starting-caliber (not stars, but solid) 3-4 D linemen for $8 million, and draft for your future.

Still need a CB. Still need to sign a host of fill in players. Emery has got to be thinking about resigning Brandon after next year. I don't see this happening. Maybe the Bears can get creative and do a hybrid to throw teams off on occasions, but moving to a full time 3-4, we don't have the personnel nor the cap room to get the right people.

Keeping the current system, resigning and keeping all these guys we have had, that is MORE expensive. There is less ability to restock the chest that way. The reason we can't deal with Marshall with the current system is that the money isn't there, even if they want to, they can't. Tossing the expensive veterans opens up the cap room to do more. You have this backwards.

I'm not a big fan of a 3-4 defense. Maybe that's because I have spent decades watching the Bears, so I am biased. But if we are going to switch, this is literally the ideal situation to do so. This is a much easier time to switch than many other teams who have switched faced. Much easier, because with so little currently committed, they can basically do what they want. Face it. The current front 7 has ONE GUY we need to keep the 4-3 for (again I am assuming Peppers gets cut). Briggs is aging, but still worth value in trade. It also has one guy we recently spent a #1 pick on that we are moving to linebacker, and who strikes me as a way better fit in a 3-4 than a 4-3, but probably has little trade value. It's pretty much a choice between Lance Briggs and Shea.

 

[NCChiFan]

I erased a big long retort. Fact is we could probably argue this until the cows come home, but inevitably Emery and Trestman will be the deciding factors. We will know which way they're going via F/A moves and the draft.

 

[anotheridiot]

Look at all this debate over 1 position, the NT. We still don't have any signed LBers that have played in a 3-4. Williams is a F/A. Briggs hasn't. Anderson, he's from Carolina they ran a 4-3. Don't count the rookies. Shea and Bass have been DE's in the NFL. And if your for cutting Peppers, who do you have left that can play the D line outside of Paea, who hasn't been all that great in a 4-3 much less alone on an island in a 3-4. Melton, not signed. Wooten isn't signed. Neither has played in a 3-4. And we still need a CB.


Raji? He wants a payday. Cut Peppers you still take a big cap it ($8mil), it would only free up enough money for 1 D lineman. Still need a CB. Still need to sign a host of fill in players. Emery has got to be thinking about resigning Brandon after next year. I don't see this happening. Maybe the Bears can get creative and do a hybrid to throw teams off on occasions, but moving to a full time 3-4, we don't have the personnel nor the cap room to get the right people.

anderson is also a free agent.

the only guys we have signed are Paea, Peppers, Briggs, Bostic, Green, Shea and maybe Bass. Everyone else is a free agent. thats four linebackers and two linemen. Bostic shows he is an inside linebacker, shea on the strong side, I dont know. Right now I would line them up as Shea, Bostic, Briggs, Greene. Thats the basic personnel we have left, more linebackers than linemen and one of them is gonna be on the bench?

Peppers is the only end on the team and he is seriously gonna take a pay cut? His cap hit for next year is 14 million. Cutler 22.5 Marshall around 10, forte 8. Thats almost half for 4 guys, another reason that we argued about resigning cutler. All those guys are gonna have to agree to defer money to make any kind of progress with free agents.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

I erased a big long retort. Fact is we could probably argue this until the cows come home, but inevitably Emery and Trestman will be the deciding factors. We will know which way they're going via F/A moves and the draft.

True enough.

Besides, we should probably let everyone get back to the Gozintite vs. Kreton war.

 

[leomaz]

Peppers is the only end on the team and he is seriously gonna take a pay cut? His cap hit for next year is 14 million. Cutler 22.5 Marshall around 10, forte 8. Thats almost half for 4 guys, another reason that we argued about resigning cutler. All those guys are gonna have to agree to defer money to make any kind of progress

22.5+14+10+8=54.5..........now I'm no Albert Einstein but with cap being around 126 which would leave 71.5....... not really getting the half used up on 4 guys. Plus Cutler's can he turned into a signing bonus which would and the BEARS around 18 million this season.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

So what? We have exactly one guy who matters as 4-3 player, that's Lance Briggs. The other guys haven't exactly torn it up as 4-3 LBs. And whether you, I, or anyone else likes it or not, Shea is getting moved to LB because that's what Emery wants to do. It makes way more sense to move Shea into a 3-4 LB group than a 4-3 group.



Shea is no longer a DE on this team. At least not regularly. Bass? So what? He's irrelevant. If you cut Peppers, you now have money for two new 3-4 D linemen. Remember, 3-4 D Linemen are much cheaper than the extremely expensive 4-3 DE star ends. You don't need to fork over Peppers money for them. And we have the draft. And Melton (who knows what he will be like after injury) and Wootten aren't signed. Exactly. They aren't signed. That's exactly my point. If we were paying Melton $8 million a year, then yes, it would be kind of foolish to even consider this idea because I don't know what he'd do in a 3-4. He could probably play end but I'm not convinced. But it is theoretical. He isn't under contract. As for Wootten (who I would not base this decision around...he's not important enough), he actually probably could play 3-4 end. He strikes me as a good example of a guy in that front. But again, he's not signed, so as of now it is a moot point.



That's true either way. The 3-4 or 4-3 decision does not change that. And having the cheaper 3-4 front means we would have more money left over for any signings in the secondary, or for restructuring Marshall, or *maybe* both.




Personally, Raji is not my preference.



Incorrect. You can easily sign two starting-caliber (not stars, but solid) 3-4 D linemen for $8 million, and draft for your future.



Keeping the current system, resigning and keeping all these guys we have had, that is MORE expensive. There is less ability to restock the chest that way. The reason we can't deal with Marshall with the current system is that the money isn't there, even if they want to, they can't. Tossing the expensive veterans opens up the cap room to do more. You have this backwards.

I'm not a big fan of a 3-4 defense. Maybe that's because I have spent decades watching the Bears, so I am biased. But if we are going to switch, this is literally the ideal situation to do so. This is a much easier time to switch than many other teams who have switched faced. Much easier, because with so little currently committed, they can basically do what they want. Face it. The current front 7 has ONE GUY we need to keep the 4-3 for (again I am assuming Peppers gets cut). Briggs is aging, but still worth value in trade. It also has one guy we recently spent a #1 pick on that we are moving to linebacker, and who strikes me as a way better fit in a 3-4 than a 4-3, but probably has little trade value. It's pretty much a choice between Lance Briggs and Shea.[/Q
THIS. Well put Cali. Financially we need to.