Schedule & DoomsDay Predictions after WK4

[JoeyTourettes]

We have seen this board go from feeling pretty good about the Bears before week ONE... to completely jumping of cliffs and predicting the end of Emery/Coaching staff/FIRE all the players!!

Then Two Road Wins against perceived strong teams... after climbing back up that cliff, GB destroyed them- and many jumped again.

Welcome to the New NFL. This is what the NFL wants- Injuries to key players across the league, have created a more balanced league early in the season that most teams are "still in it" after only 4 games.

Couple things- Did anyone think they would be 4-0? No I don't think so. Did a 2-2 record seem possible? Yep- probably not to the teams we thought... I was predicting Wins against Bills and Jets- and losses to 49ers and GB. 2-2. Exactly were we are.

Knowing what we now know about how some of these other teams have come out of the season, and what players are suspended/injured around the league.

@ Carolina: with Cam not as healthy and Rookie RB's, Dline in shambles- Bears can/should win.
@ Falcons: Have looked much like the Bears- Good in two/BAD in two- Winnable
Dolphins: eh... not special- WIN
@ Patriots: Have looked mortal- But I've always thought this was a loss.
@ Green Bay: I still say we can split with them- Get healthier on D by then.
Vikings: No Peterson/rookie QB- Bears Win
Bucs: PLEASE let McCown start! Please! Lovie's return- to be beatin down by an Offense he couldn't get.
@ Lions: Look really good on D. Loss
Cowboys: Have been better then I thought- But Bears play well on Thursday Night.
Saints- Nothing special anymore. Jury still out- Winnable in CHI late in season. (weather?)
Lions- Who knows what they will be by this week- do they shoot themselves in foot? Tough call
@ Vikings- Win

I can still see 7+ more wins... 9 or 10 total. I'm hopeful we don't have any season ending injuries and get some of our wounded back soon. I can also hope that the offense gels even more throughout the year and get's on a healthy roll against some weaker teams. The D has shown SOME potential- We have two pretty good Rookies on the Dline that have only played 4 career games- How much better will they be after 10?
12? Same with Fuller? Get Wilson back?
I'm also SURE that some of these teams will lose key players- What if Falcons lose 2 CB's? or Brees get's hurt- or the Lions lose Suh? I'm not betting on those things, but it's possible. You never know.

With 12 games left- the look of the league is going to continue to change drastically- even week to week. If The Packers loose Rodgers for 6 weeks again this is wide open.
The Bears need to play better- no question. I'm still as excited to watch games as I was 4 weeks ago.

 

[anotheridiot]

not a big fantasy football guy, I can see this team winning between 7 and 9 games, not enough to make the playoffs. Tiebreakers with two losses each against detroit and greenbay.

Wilson will not be a difference maker on offense. Jay just wont use him enough and you gotta question if Wilson is gonna go diving for throws "WHERE THEY HAD TO BE" and risk breaking the CB again.

Jay out by week 13, Clausen closes out 2-1 with no turnovers and gives us another winter of what kind of quarterback this team needs.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

at the risk of reminding everyone of what we all thought we understood prior to the season...

we suspected the front half of the schedule was the hard part, and just escaping that with 3-4 wins was probably sufficient.

Well, the Bears can still get there. I'm hardly Captain Rah-Rah, but for goodness sake, take a deep breath everyone. It's a league of parity, the Bears are still in the hunt.

 

[antone112]

8-8 looks like a good bet.

 

[richig07]

You people are all nuts if you think you can get a read on a team in September. Don't you pay attention to years past, or have any perspective at all? Or, do you just simply react to the previous game, as if it's the entire season?

For chrissake… two weeks ago, if you people were Giants fans, you would have been hanging yourselves. Things change SO fast in this league. I swear, why do NFL fans do this EVERY SINGLE SEASON!? Every YEAR… there's MULTIPLE teams who start slow, look bad, and then make DEEP runs. Remember when Niners fans were jumping off of rooftops after their 1-2 start last season? I mean… my lord.

The Bears are 2-2 in September, and have some guys getting healthy. The next few games are very winnable. Team's are still figuring out who they are themselves… and you people think you have it all figured out from your couches? Lol… Jesus. Talk to me when we're hitting November.

So reactionary…

 

[anotheridiot]

You people are all nuts if you think you can get a read on a team in September. Don't you pay attention to years past, or have any perspective at all? Or, do you just simply react to the previous game, as if it's the entire season?

For chrissake… two weeks ago, if you people were Giants fans, you would have been hanging yourselves. Things change SO fast in this league. I swear, why do NFL fans do this EVERY SINGLE SEASON!? Every YEAR… there's MULTIPLE teams who start slow, look bad, and then make DEEP runs. Remember when Niners fans were jumping off of rooftops after their 1-2 start last season? I mean… my lord.

The Bears are 2-2 in September, and have some guys getting healthy. The next few games are very winnable. Team's are still figuring out who they are themselves… and you people think you have it all figured out from your couches? Lol… Jesus. Talk to me when we're hitting November.

So reactionary…

Which is why I dont like doing these things.

Bears are going to get better and healthier, everyone they play is gonna level off or get worse.

 

[NCChiFan]

If you look at the issues Miami, Atlanta, New England and Charlotte are having... The Bears can realistically go into the bye at 6-2. Who would have thought that? Can we split with Detroit? Minny? Easy win over the Buc's, that's 9 wins right there. So the post season could come down to the Saints which we could win, Dallas (I'm having serious doubts), Green Bay (face it A/R has our number), Detroit sweet (possible) or Sweeping Minny for a 10 win season.


But man, the injuries have got to stop, and we need to get some guys back asap.

 

[richig07]

Which is why I dont like doing these things.

Bears are going to get better and healthier, everyone they play is gonna level off or get worse.

Oh my god…

Clearly, you misunderstood my entire post.

What I said about the Bears applies to EVERYONE.

Teams don't even know who they are. Teams will get healthier, teams will get better, teams will get worse, teams will implode, teams will go on hot streaks, etc…

My entire point, was that it's September and we know from year's past how misleading the first handful of weeks are.

Fucking Jesus Fuck… fuck fuck… FUCK… I am surrounded by dumbasses who have one week memories.

When I indicated that the Bears had guys coming back, that's only referring to what's happening RIGHT NOW.

"Doing these things"… DOING WHAT FUCKING THINGS? What I'm saying isn't a game, it's a FACT! September is misleading as hell, EVERY SINGLE SEASON! Probably half of the SB winners this century have looked like DOG SHIT at some point, or during a short stretch of their season.

But just keep treating every individual week like it's an ENTIRE season. You HOPELESS… FUCKING… MORONS.

 

[Wounded Bear]

You people are all nuts if you think you can get a read on a team in September. Don't you pay attention to years past, or have any perspective at all? Or, do you just simply react to the previous game, as if it's the entire season?

For chrissake… two weeks ago, if you people were Giants fans, you would have been hanging yourselves. Things change SO fast in this league. I swear, why do NFL fans do this EVERY SINGLE SEASON!? Every YEAR… there's MULTIPLE teams who start slow, look bad, and then make DEEP runs. Remember when Niners fans were jumping off of rooftops after their 1-2 start last season? I mean… my lord.

The Bears are 2-2 in September, and have some guys getting healthy. The next few games are very winnable. Team's are still figuring out who they are themselves… and you people think you have it all figured out from your couches? Lol… Jesus. Talk to me when we're hitting November.

So reactionary…

So is this a promise that you won't participate in any threads until November?

Great!!! Because the rest of us like to analyze the teams and the games on a weekly basis and it will be such a welcome change not to hear the ignorance and condescension of idiots who like to hijack threads....

--------------------------------

Back to the subject at hand....

Of course the health of NFL teams plays one of the biggest parts in the success of their campaign....so let's hope the Bushrod injury isn't too serious because I feel Left Tackle is only second in importance to the QB on the offensive side of the ball. That's my opinion anyway.

Just from watching the Bears so far, I don't get the feeling that we are anything special just yet. Still, at this point, playing at the level of an 8-8 or a 9-7 team.

But if we can get an interior push in our offensive line (I don't know if that's due to the injuries or lack of Fullback) and establish some type of consistent run game, I think offensively we may be able to return to 2013 form, which was pretty damn good. Jay needs to show further progression, but I don't think his progression will be a linear line, it will look more like cardiac monitior......just as long as it ends up on an upward trend at the end of the season will be satisfactory for me.

On defense, I don't know where to start after the Packer game. I think the fact that Jared Allen was out and the lack of pass rush generated may have had an equal part in the collapse of our secondary as the injuries to our DB's have had.

Special teams are a joke and I see no real progression whatsoever. I really don't have much hope for that crew, but I have to admit that it has given me a much greater appreciation of the fair catch rule and the touchback rule.

There is still hope, but at this point, I think both sides of the ball is still trying to find their way. Will they do it in time for us to reach the playoffs? I have no clue.

 

[richig07]

So is this a promise that you won't participate in any threads until November?

Sigh… No. Unfortunately, for you, I shall be here barring some unforeseen circumstances.

Why can't people comprehend something as simple as. IT IS TOO EARLY TO GET A READ ON TEAMS. The vast majority of teams look inconsistent at this point, one way or another.

That's all I am saying. I am not saying this team will get hot, and I am not saying they won't lose their next six games. I have seen plenty to suggest that either could happen. All I am saying is, that every season… it's the same thing. Over-reactionary fans. From every team, and on both ends of the spectrum.

Things change so fast week-to-week in this league, you just can't get too high or too low. You're never as good as you think you are, and you're never as bad either.

EDIT: And there is a big difference between analyzing teams on a weekly basis, and condemning their entire season based on one game. Which is what it seems the majority of fans enjoy doing.

That is all I am against. How much more clear can I make that?

 

[richig07]

Back to the subject at hand....

Of course the health of NFL teams plays one of the biggest parts in the success of their campaign....so let's hope the Bushrod injury isn't too serious because I feel Left Tackle is only second in importance to the QB on the offensive side of the ball. That's my opinion anyway.

Just from watching the Bears so far, I don't get the feeling that we are anything special just yet. Still, at this point, playing at the level of an 8-8 or a 9-7 team.

But if we can get an interior push in our offensive line (I don't know if that's due to the injuries or lack of Fullback) and establish some type of consistent run game, I think offensively we may be able to return to 2013 form, which was pretty damn good. Jay needs to show further progression, but I don't think his progression will be a linear line, it will look more like cardiac monitior......just as long as it ends up on an upward trend at the end of the season will be satisfactory for me.

On defense, I don't know where to start after the Packer game. I think the fact that Jared Allen was out and the lack of pass rush generated may have had an equal part in the collapse of our secondary as the injuries to our DB's have had.

Special teams are a joke and I see no real progression whatsoever. I really don't have much hope for that crew, but I have to admit that it has given me a much greater appreciation of the fair catch rule and the touchback rule.

There is still hope, but at this point, I think both sides of the ball is still trying to find their way. Will they do it in time for us to reach the playoffs? I have no clue.

Aaaand… I agree with everything you said here.

I think you just took poorly to the tone I have been using. My apologies in that case. I have been too aggressive. It just really pisses me off and frustrates me to no end when people have such little perspective on certain things, and want to jump off of bridges because of one performance in September.

 

[Wounded Bear]

Aaaand… I agree with everything you said here.

I think you just took poorly to the tone I have been using. My apologies in that case. I have been too aggressive. It just really pisses me off and frustrates me to no end when people have such little perspective on certain things, and want to jump off of bridges because of one performance in September.

Fair enough.

I agree that teams evolve during the course of the season and that the season is long.....it's a good point. (BTW, I did point out a few weeks back that the Pats got blown out by Buffalo 33-6 in their first game of one of their Super Bowl runs years ago). I think that substantiates your point.

I'll try to keep in mind that you are very passionate about the Bears and that it's fun to be passionate about certain things. I used to share your passion.

 

[cubzzzfanincali]

On defense, I don't know where to start after the Packer game. I think the fact that Jared Allen was out and the lack of pass rush generated may have had an equal part in the collapse of our secondary as the injuries to our DB's have had.

Just my opinion, but I would put the blame for that day on the D line, not the secondary. Rodgers simply was given way too much time all day.

 

[richig07]

Fair enough.

I agree that teams evolve during the course of the season and that the season is long.....it's a good point. (BTW, I did point out a few weeks back that the Pats got blown out by Buffalo 33-6 in their first game of one of their Super Bowl runs years ago). I think that substantiates your point.

I'll try to keep in mind that you are very passionate about the Bears and that it's fun to be passionate about certain things. I used to share your passion.

Yeah, unfortunately passion can at times hinder judgement. I admit. I also admit I've been a dick on this board, and haven't added much to threads lately. Actually, I owe you a thanks for pointing that out. I just went through my recent posts, and saw that all I've been doing is ranting. Oops… I'm usually intense, but not usually into name calling, etc...

Right now, I absolutely share your sentiment that after the first four games, this looks like a team headed for 8-9 wins, with a 10 win ceiling if everything were to fall right. I just do believe that the upside with this offense is high (the Bushrod injury sucks). And this defense is kind of what I thought we'd see. There were a group of people on this board that thought this was a top 10 defense. I more or less thought, it was a group that was very capable of playing in the top half of the league defensively. And that throughout the first half we'd see some good and some bad. Which is what I feel we have seen so far. Then, in the second half, provided that they stay healthy I felt that the unit could play some good ball.

My honest feeling about this team heading into this year, was that it would be a team that would be very competitive and make a playoff appearance (possibly a playoff win). And that they are another good defensive draft away from putting something special together. I still feel that way… just not quite as confident about this year. But then again, like I've said, we'll see how they progress (or regress) throughout this campaign. Along with the competition within the division.

 

[richig07]

Just my opinion, but I would put the blame for that day on the D line, not the secondary. Rodgers simply was given way too much time all day.

Yeah, as the story was for a lot of last season. Most secondary's will look quite poor, if a QB is given all day to throw. Not saying the secondary doesn't have room for improvement, but it's quite difficult to pin much blame on them for last week.

 

[JoeyTourettes]

I think we've seen that when the Dline get's some pressure they can force some bad decisions on QB's- it happened in San Fan, against the Jet's and even slightly to Buffalo. (I think we need to remember that game was lost in OT...it not like we lost by 10)

If Allen can do ANYTHING this week and get back to healthy and forcing some bad decisions- that is going to help the secondary.

Welcome back Wounded! You gruff bastard.. you! (where you been?)

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

I don't see us having 2 bad games in a row. I hate parody. I can't even call us good or bad because were both. And so is every other team.

 

[nomoreshoop]

So reactionary…

Speaking of reactionary...um, nevermind

 

[JoeyTourettes]

So much for my Optimistic approach.

 

[Robotech]

I don't see us having 2 bad games in a row. I hate parody. I can't even call us good or bad because were both. And so is every other team.

What do you have against parody? I think parodies are usually pretty funny.