Chicago Bears 2007 Official Thread

[Case Closed]

Football season is coming up and I know the Bears fans on this board are really excited. Any thoughts on the off season moves, the upcoming dominance.

[slothinator]

I didn't like trading Thomas Jones and handing the job to Benson. Especially since Benson hasn't really shown anything yet. I understand letting Tank go, and I'm really happy they convinced Briggs to comeback. If Grossman keeps his head on the field and out of his ass, there's no reason this team can't do what it did last year with that defense.

Predictions:
1. Division Title (LDO)
2. 12-4 Record (road games against SD, Phi, and Sea are tough; figure to lose one home against either KC, Den, or NO)
3. A HEALTHY Benson goes for 1200 yards and 10 TDs (Peterson is too good not to steal carries, especially on 3rd down and in blow outs, plus I think the passing game steps up a little this year)
4. Grossman: 3500 yds, 24-16 TD-INT

[Case Closed]

I was skeptical of letting Tank go but when you look into the Bear's d-line you quickly realize that we have enough depth to let someone with Tank's talent go without worrying about it too much.

[slothinator]

That depth is what has kept the D so amazing the last two years. They rotate and keep guys fresh, and they have ready replacements when injuries strike. And not just on the line as you mentioned, but at LB and DB also. Depth is an amazing luxury to have in this sport.

[Jack Bando]

QB-I think/hope Grossman fixes his occasional soiling the bed this year.

RB-I think Benson will be okay (Although last August a guy at a Madden tourney gave me the following advice-"Don't trust a Texas RB with dreads."). I think his peak will be better than Jones.

WR's-Moose is pretty good still, Berrian might become a good/great #2, and I'm hoping the Hester experement works.

OL-Unless someone quit/got hurt, we're good here.

DL-Okay, preferred if Tank would have not got in trouble cause he might have been good, but we've got depth.

LB-Hope Briggs stays after this yea, but the LB's are good.

DB's-I think we need some work on the corners, but solid due to the other parts of the D helping out with pressure,

K-Gould.

[illini43]

I'm really not worried at all about the RB position. If Benson goes down, I'm very confident in Adrian Peterson. I think he is one of the most underrated runners in the NFL. I mean, come on...what 3rd string RB(last year)has their own endorsement deal (Russel Athletic).

[Case Closed]

I think on the outside the Hester experiment will be a failure. He may make a couple of sweet grab and runs but won't make any statistical difference. Although I think with his speed on the field it will change the way other teams defend us. Which will be a huge help that most people won't see.

Olsen, well this guy looks sick as hell. Possible offensive rookie of the year candidate anyone?

As many of you who read last years thread may remember I am a member of the Grossman bandwagon. I hung from that guy's nuts through thick and thin and I really believe this will be a payoff year for him.

[Sluss]

I was going to PM you this week to get this thread started.

Things I like about the Bears right now:

Darwin Walker. Very excited about him getting single blocked again. He was a beast when singled not so good when doubled.

The defensive depth. Three DE that would be the #1 DE on most teams. The tackle rotation as well as being four deep at S and CB.

Rex Grossman's new clothes. He has spent the offseason working on his footwork. If he has broken his old habits and doesn't fall back into them when adversity arrives things will be good. Real Good.

Hestor & Olsen added to the offense. Neither will be or should be out there on every snap, but they are going to add more and more wrinkles and fears to opposing teams. If Benson stays healthy the offense can only improve.

My big fears.

The depth of the o-line. They were great last year and the year before, but how long can a line with that old of an average age last?

Brian Griese looking like he doesn't care anymore. The reports are he has been having an awful camp and that he doesn't seem to be "into it." He was very dissapointed he never got a shot last year when Rex struggled and seems to be pouting.

All and all I see alot of good things. The Super Bowl loser curse does not scare me too much. The Bears depth allows them to survive most injuries. They ended up in the Super Bowl last year without Harris or Brown. Their schedule has a few tough teams on it, but they still play in the NFC North, they are still in the NFC where they are head and shoulders above every other team. I'm pretty sure 11-13 wins are easily in their future.

Sep 9 @San Diego 4:15pm
Sep 16 Kansas City 4:15pm
Sep 23 Dallas 8:15pm
Sep 30 @Detroit 1:00pm
Oct 7 @Green Bay 8:15pm
Oct 14 Minnesota 1:00pm
Oct 21 @Philadelphia 4:15pm
Oct 28 Detroit 12:00pm
Week 9 BYE
Nov 11 @Oakland 4:15pm
Nov 18 @Seattle 8:15pm
Nov 25 Denver 1:00pm
Dec 2 N.Y. Giants 4:15pm
Dec 6 @Washington 8:15pm
Dec 17 @Minnesota 8:30pm
Dec 23 Green Bay 1:00pm
Dec 30 New Orleans 1:00pm

Pretty good shot I'll be drunk for all of these.

[ QUOTE ]
I didn't like trading Thomas Jones and handing the job to Benson. Especially since Benson hasn't really shown anything yet.

Predictions:

3. A HEALTHY Benson goes for 1200 yards and 10 TDs (Peterson is too good not to steal carries, especially on 3rd down and in blow outs, plus I think the passing game steps up a little this year)


[/ QUOTE ]

Angelo promised Jones last year that he would trade him in the offseason if they could not work out a long term deal. There was no way in the Bears budget, or any team for that matter, there was enough room for two high paid running backs. This really was one of the main reasons Briggs ended up back in camp this year. Rosendick realized that Angelo kept his promise on Jones, will keep his promise on Briggs and he still has to work out Harris's deal. Keeping that relationship good is really important.

I am also a bit scred about Benson's health, but I like the idea of a Peterson/Wolfe combo holding down the fort.

[slothinator]

Sluss,

Good points about the Jones situation. It definitely makes the front office look good for current and future players when they keep up their end of deals. If Benson steps up and becomes the back everyone thinks he is supposed to be, then Jones becomes an afterthought. And like everyone in this thread has said, Peterson is no slouch. This team would still move the ball with him taking the carries.

[RedBean]

[ QUOTE ]
Football season is coming up and I know the Bears fans on this board are really excited.


[/ QUOTE ]

Tell me about it.

And yes, I'm a huge Bears fan.

[ QUOTE ]

Any thoughts on the off season moves, the upcoming dominance.


[/ QUOTE ]

The Darwin Walker move was big. It made losing Tank, Alfonso, and Ian absolutely irrelevent. All through the offseason I was worried about who was going to fill this spot. Dusty/Isreal are great options as a 3rd tackle in rotation, but this addition of Darwin is going to make offenses make some tough choices on who and how to block Tommie and the two bookends. The front four is going to absolutely filthy and deep.

From the draft, I'm excited about Olsen obviously, his prescence and the effect on opening the running game and putting pressure on opposing safeties that he will create.

I am intrigued by Wolfe, I get a "Robert Green-role" feel about this guy, if you remember him.

Not excited about Bauzin, breaking in at DE for the Bears right now is an uphill battle, and his injury problems so far in camp are already starting a pattern.

The rest of the draft...meh...we'll see.

Mark Bradley...excited about his return. Ditto Mike Brown. If they both stay healthy, they are huge additions. If they play par for the course, however, we'll get about 6 weeks combined out of them.

Lance Briggs....sigh....two words for him "Warrick Holdman". Seriously Lance, it isn't a coincidence that every 3 years the weakside backer thinks he is worth alot more and leaves, only to be replaced by a non-descript 3rd round pick who ends up making pro bowls courtesy the system.

The Will spot in this system is designed to amass tackles, and be around the action unblocked. If you can run and put on a helmet, I think you can make the pro bowl playing the Will in the Bears system. Keep this in mind when Okwo is asking for a monster contract in 4 years.

Archuleta...almost as excited about this move as I am with Walker. Despite the two recent trades out of the secondary, they're still deep here with Brown, Manning, Adam, etc....if everyone stays healthy. Of course, Adam couldn't cover a girl scout running a corner route, but he knows how to play within his responsibilities within this system....and if you remember the Steve Smith game from 2005, and the complete lapse in coverage a few times in last year's playoffs....you won't see that with him here....plus he allows Brown to move back to FS, and he's going to make running on the defense that much tougher.

At corner, Pnut and Nate are locked up for years, which I like a lot. Let's hope they don't turn into Walt Harris after he signed his deal.

And no sense in wasting time talking about Urlacher, Rex, or Ced...obviously the best in the league at their respective positions, so no worries with those spots.

And yes, I'm dead serious.