[CBFF] Any untouchables out there?

[Jim Ferolie]

Urlacher won't be ordinary after he loses speed. He's as sure of a tackler 
as there is out there. When you see his hand reach the jersey, you know the 
guy is coming down, no matter who he is.

That's something you don't see in just any linebacker.

That said, it's still a fairly good analysis. And it's those nasty offensive 
lines that really do pay off. Because you can spend money on three or four 
players and train cheap understudies, unlike the defensive line, in which 
you have to keep bringing in fresh guys for peak effectiveness. Note that 
the Pats and Steelers have for a long time used the much less expensive 3-4 
system -- one good nose tackle and two run-stuffing DEs with a superb 
250-pound pass rusher (much cheaper than a 270-pound pass rusher). That 
leaves lots of money for the secondary, offensive line and choice skill 
positions (WRs for the Pats, RBs for the Steelers).


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mactbone" <mactbone0 at yahoo.com>


> You don't build that kind of thing overnight and getting rid of players 
> won't help. Nobody on offense has a very long contract so there's no need 
> to just dump people.
>
> I think Urlacher is good enough that speed won't be an issue for along 
> time. In addition he has a fairly long contract so you can't just get rid 
> of him. If the weakside 'backer is that important and there isn't enough 
> money to pay Briggs (and Okwo, Williams, etc. aren't good enough) why not 
> move Urlacher over?
>
> Really though, a lot of Urlacher's invisibility is scheme. He isn't asked 
> to blitz a lot, he doesn't attack a side - he plays the deep middle. In 
> addition, the D-Line is playing so poorly that offenses can use a blocker 
> to after him while it's much harder to get a good blocker up against the 
> weakside 'backer.
> -Chris
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Jason Cetina <jason at cetinas.org>
> To: post at chicagobearsfanforum.com
> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 11:35:40 PM
> Subject: [CBFF] Any untouchables out there?
>
> With all the tack about URLs invisibility, I was wondering if it might be
> more prudent to invest more in Briggs than Urlacher, and also if there 
> were
> any untouchable players on this team.
>
> Why would I say such a thing? Well first, I read this:
> http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/604826,CST-SPT-mully16.article
>
> And then I figured it might be better to invest the $$$ in Briggs given 
> that
> he's a lot more time left in a more pivotal position for the Cover-2. 
> Don't
> get me wrong. I like Urlacher. I want him back, but he has always been 
> able
> to succeed by running around guys instead of through them. As soon as he 
> is
> half a step slower, he's going to be ordinary. He also doesn't appear to 
> be
> a locker room leader. I also wonder if his off the field parenting issues
> are a distraction.
>
> Briggs on the other hand keeps improving. Granted, he crashed his
> Lamborghini earlier this year, but he has clearly put it out of his mind. 
> He
> also can play through injuries. He also makes big plays (his 
> tackle-for-loss
> of Shaun Alexander in the playoffs is thus far his signature big play for
> me).
>
> As for untouchables on this team, the only two I see are Tommie Harris and
> Devin Hester. They must be locked up long term. Charles Tillman is close 
> to
> being untouchable. Mark Anderson may get there.
>
> If Mike Brown could stay healthy, I'd say he is in the same boat. I hope
> Angelo finds a way to bring him back for backup dollars.
>
> What is really sad is that there are no untouchables on offense. Not even
> Kreutz. Definitely not Benson.
>
> I bring all this up because I'd really like to see a concerted effort for
> the Bears to develop a durable long term offense in the mold of the
> Patriots, the Steelers, or the Broncos. The kind of offense where players
> are developed and good investments are made in the line. And since those
> types of investments cost money, somebody has to go. Who should it be?
> -
> Jason
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