[CBFF] Points of View, July 5, 2009
Jason Cetina
jason at cetinas.org
Sun Jul 5 18:49:04 MDT 2009
A few thoughts:
1) With respect to having young QBs, I think the thought is the same one
that led them to cut a bunch of veterans. Basically, that there isn't
any point in putting a so-so veteran on the field in the place of a
promising young player. I'm actually please that the Bears are trying to
develop guys. Green Bay does this exceptionally well, and the guys they
don't keep (because they have a great starter) end up getting traded for
draft picks.
2) I think part of the reason Bennett couldn't get on the field last
year was a combination of the philosophy of playing vets over rookies
plus Bennett having to learn 3 positions instead of 1. I'm not saying if
he had only one position to learn he would have been a stud, but I think
it would certainly got him on the field more, and maybe put him
somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 catches.
3) I call BS on Philip Buchanon's garbage about coaching. Millen drafted
that team into the ground. The Loins had all kinds of talent and
chemistry issues, and virtually no locker room leadership as far as I
can tell. To illustrate this point, look at Mike Brown's "we suck"
moment from '05. That team could have easily gone in the tank, but the
players didn't let it happen. So I'm not buying the notion that it's all
coaching. I think that's something an average player says. Marinelli may
well have been part of the problem, but he wasn't the only problem.
-
Jason
Tom Shannon wrote:
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> Sent to you by Tom Shannon via Google Reader:
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> Points of View, July 5, 2009
> <http://chicagobearsfanforum.com/blog/?p=951>
>
> via The Chicago Bears Fan Forum <http://chicagobearsfanforum.com/blog>
> by Tom Shannon on 7/5/09
>
> *Bears* *
> *
>
> * * Larry Mayer* at /chicagobears.com <http://chicagobears.com/>/
> answers your questions
> <http://www.chicagobears.com/news/ChalkTalkStory.asp?STORY_ID=5937>.
> Here’s a good one along with his answer:
>
> “I’ve read that it’s difficult for 4-3 defensive teams like the
> Bears to have their offenses practice against the 3-4 defense. Is
> this true, and if so, what can the Bears do about it? I’m thinking
> particularly about the Packers and the Bears’ eventual Super Bowl
> opponent.
>
> “C. Boebel
> “Chicago
>
> “I wouldn’t say that it’s difficult for a 4-3 team to prepare for
> a 3-4 defense. Sure, the Bears offense will see a 4-3 alignment
> all through training camp because that’s what their defense plays.
> But once the regular season begins, the structure of practice
> changes dramatically as game-planning is incorporated. The No. 1
> units no longer face each other like they do in training camp.
> Instead, a scout team of reserve players runs plays against the
> starting units in preparation for the game. So the scout team will
> play a 3-4 defense during the week leading up to the Packers game.
> The one thing that could be difficult for the Bears in getting
> ready for this year’s season opener in Green Bay is that the
> Packers switched to the 3-4 during the offseason and there isn’t
> any tape of them playing their new defense.”
>
> I totally disagree. I think the fact that the Bears play 5 games
> against 3-4 teams this year is a major issue. Its not a defense
> that they have seen often. That the scout team will be playing it
> does not comfort me. They’re 4-3 players (and second stringers at
> that) and they won’t provide sufficient practical value to the
> offense. It’s like comparing looking at someone in a mirror to
> interacting with the real thing.
>
> My own thought was that the Bears would have been well advised to
> schedule join training camp practices and scrimmages with a 3-4
> team for a few days. That would provide a great deal of
> preparation for the season in a number of other ways, as well. **
>
> * *Brad Biggs* gives a nice break down of the Bears QB position
> <http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/07/27_days_to_camp_breaking_down.html>
> for /The Chicago Sun-Times/. He emphasizes that *Jay Cutler*
> can make every throw on the field, something that I think
> shouldn’t be undervalued. Offensive coordinator *Ron Turner*
> has taken more than his share of criticism but let’s not ever
> forget that his hands have been tied becasue there were some
> plays that he simply couldn’t call, especially with *Kyle
> Orton*. If Cutler can hit just two more throws, the spot along
> the sideline just behind the cornerback and the TE in the seam,
> with any consistency the offense might dramatically improve.
>
> Biggs also addressed the backups:
>
> “An awful lot has been made of the backup position with two
> unproven players in *[Caleb] Hanie* and *[Brett] Basanez* but
> what’s left out there to pursue? The bet is that Hanie will be
> every bit as good as a player on the discard pile right now.
> Basanez is a dink and dunk passer who will know the system inside
> out but can’t make all the throws. Keep an eye on Hanie. He throws
> a nice deep ball.”
>
> I would very mildly disagree with this. Setting aside the fact
> that the Bears could have targeted a better veteran earlier in the
> offseason, I think at this point I’d be more comfortable with *J.
> P. Losman* than with Hanie behind Cutler. Yeah, I know. He’s not
> that good and I really don’t like him that much, either. But at
> least he’s seen real game action against actual NFL defenses.
> Having said that, my opinion could easily change if Hanie shows
> more accuracy in the preseason than he showed last year.
>
> * *Nick Hut*, writing for the /Dekalb Daily Chronicle/, correctly
> points out
> <http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2009/07/04/13339505/index.xml>
> that the Bears are relying heavily upon their 2008 draft class
> this year, particularly *Craig Steltz* and *Earl Bennett*. I
> have to say that the degree to which they are relying on Bennett
> worries me. It’s a lot to lay on the shoulders of a guy who
> couldn’t break through to start as a rookie on a team with down
> right bad WR play last year.
>
> * *Bob Legere* at /The Daily Herald/ has a nice article
> <http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=304796> on *Jay Cutler*
> which focuses upon Cutler’s restraint so far when it comes to
> cashing in on endorsements in Chicago:“‘With all the excitement
> that’s happened so far, there have been a lot of endorsement
> opportunities,’ the Bears quarterback said. ‘But I’ve kind of
> steered clear of those because I haven’t even stepped on the
> field yet. I’m trying to take care of that before I step into
> that (other) realm.’”
>
> Of course, its possible that Cutler would rather leave the money
> on the table than go through the hassel of schilling and
> schmoozing for every company with a dollar to spend on the shores
> of Lake Michigan. But I prefer to take Cutler at his word. Far
> better that he be seen as concentrating on football right now.
>
> * Elsewhere* **
>
> * *Mike Florio* at /profootballtalk.com/
> <http://profootballtalk.com/> has a league source who thinks
> that Saints head coach *Sean Payton* might not be sufficiently
> focused on his job
> <http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/07/03/is-sean-payton-sufficiently-focused-on-his-job/>.
> Payton has written a screen play and has invested (and lost)
> money in a Louisiana film company. The source (and Florio)
> wonder where Payton has gotten the time to do this in a job that
> most agree generally requires a person to work very long days,
> even in the offseason. This article struck me as something that
> is the result of being in the middle of a very slow time in the
> NFL. If its Septmber and Payton is a winning coach, no one
> cares about this stuff. Still, neither of those conditions hold
> true at the moment and if I’m a Saints fan, I do have to be
> wondering how Payton could have the gall to have a life outside
> of football…
>
> * Florio also comments on the rumors that some Vikings would
> prefer *Tarvaris Jackson* over *Brett Favre* at QB
> <http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/07/04/some-vikings-want-tarvaris-not-favre/>:
>
> “…if/when Favre arrives, he’ll be the starter. And coach Brad
> Childress wouldn’t be sniffing around the guy who smells like
> tractor if Jackson had stepped up last year in the postseason,
> when he had his chance to nail down the job for years to come.”
>
> Absolutely spot on. Perhaps its the distance that not actually
> playing on the field with someone provides but its easy to see
> that a healthy Favre makes the Vikings Super Bowl contenders.
> With Jackson at QB, there’s real doubt about whether they can
> even win the NFC North.**
>
> * *Nick Barnett* says that he’ll be limited in Packer’s training
> camp
> <http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/07/03/nick-barnett-might-be-limited-at-start-of-camp/>
> do to a torn anterior cruciate ligament from last November.
> Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a major problem but the Packers are
> implementing the 3-4 defense and Barnett will likely need to be
> a big part of it in order for it to work.
>
> * *Jason Whitlock* at the /Kansas City Star/ has apparently come
> to the conclusion that most Bear fans did the minute the Chiefs
> signed *Mike Brown*. That Brown’s value to the team as a leader
> will outweigh the potential that he might not be able to stay
> healthy <http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1306232.html>.
>
> *One Last Thought*
>
> Biggs has also broken down the Bears 2009 defensive ends
> <http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/07/26_days_to_camp_breaking_down.html>.
> I think its ironic that, at the same time he emphasizes how much
> the Bears are depending upon the addition of coach *Rod Marinelli
> *to dramatically improve a position with virtually no changes in
> personnel, new Detroit Lions cornerback *Phillip Buchanon* had
> this to say to /Fanhouse/ about his choice to sign with a team
> that went 0-16 last year
> <http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/07/03/phillip-buchanon-tries-to-save-the-lions/>
> :
>
> “Last year is last year. So many elements go into a team going
> 0-16. I don’t want to get into coaching or playing chemistry.
> But it’s about the coaching when teams really go that bad.”
>
> We’ve been led to believe that Marinelli is a great coach who was
> a victim of poor talent. But there’s no getting around Buchanon’s
> point. I prefer to think that Marinelli just wasn’t cut out to be
> a head coach. There are a number of good coaches are like that,
> particularly some otherwise very good coordinators. In any case,
> keep your fingers crossed because the Bear dfense is going nowhere
> if they have to blitz as much as they did last year to get
> pressure on the QB.
>
>
>
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