State of Da Bears

[Pope Flick]

Why did we let Bradley go? I liked that guy's potential.

 

 

Not sure. He never caught on, and is now a solid sleeper for KC IMO. If it's true about Dwayne Bowe hitting 30 pounds over weight this off-season he's got very nice upside.

[Ursa Majoris]

Not sure. He never caught on, and is now a solid sleeper for KC IMO. If it's true about Dwayne Bowe hitting 30 pounds over weight this off-season he's got very nice upside.

Exactly.

[BeeR]

hester reminds me of willie gault without the hands

He reminds me of Bob Marley w/o the musical talent.

 

If Cutler is your starter, you better have some really strong RBs and WRs. He is going about where he should, if that.

[Bronco Billy]

If Cutler is your starter, you better have some really strong RBs and WRs.

 

One would think, if you're getting Cutler in the 6th round...

Edited July 23, 2009 by Bronco Billy

[kingfish247]

It may not be popular but I'm down a bit on Forte this year. The retooled OL, sub-4 ypc in 10 of 16 games, sub-3.5 in 7 of 16 games, and never seems to be a real threat to break big runs.

 

He clearly has the opportunity. He clearly benefits from Cutler's arrival. He is a guy that must be in the top 5 RBs taken. There just aren't many RBs I'd want over him... but I can definitely see a sophmore slump here.

[The Wolf]

Well, Hester still has to catch the damn thing...

 

Try Stick 'um...it worked when Gene Hackman smeared it all over Franklin Clifford's hands...

[Goopster24]

Cutler almost has to do less than last year by definition. Last year he put up the 17th most prolific passing season by any QB in NFL history. He joined an elite club of 13 QBs who have thrown for more than 4500 yds in a season. If you're looking for similar production out of him this year, you need to check out some mental health clinics..

 

That said, if CHI only throws as much as last year - and that isn't any stretch given that they will be a better team but also that they will use a weapon like Cutler, given Cutler's ability over Grossman's, it is very reasonable to expect a 3600 yd/25 TD season out of him. He'll make the WRs better even though they are limited, and he'll find someone - probably two guys, one of them an unexpected source - on the WR corps who can hang onto the ball in all sorts of situations who he'll give a lot of love to.

 

Throw in his ability to credibly run and you're probably looking at a QB who would've finished right around QB6-QB8 in most leagues if he had played for CHI instead of DEN. That's a drop off for him, but certainly starting material and you can get him fairly cheaply (ADP = 66 right now) - and he'll have some room for a little upside.

 

I agree with most of this. The weather won't be the reason Cutler does "less." Some of you guys are funnnny.

 

And Cutler made Royal and Marshall into good fantasy players. Bears offense moved the ball last year and Hester has another year under his belt, now working with Cutler in the off season.

 

Forte's use is my main concern as a Bears fan. They used him so so much last year and hopefully with Cutler being added they can back off on Forte's use.

 

Bears have more depth on the offensive line than they've had in a long time. That'll be a big key.

[piratesownninjas]

It may not be popular but I'm down a bit on Forte this year. The retooled OL, sub-4 ypc in 10 of 16 games, sub-3.5 in 7 of 16 games, and never seems to be a real threat to break big runs.

 

He clearly has the opportunity. He clearly benefits from Cutler's arrival. He is a guy that must be in the top 5 RBs taken. There just aren't many RBs I'd want over him... but I can definitely see a sophmore slump here.

I think that retooled OL is better than what they were running out last year, and that with the addition of Cutler and a year more experiance, I see Forte being a beast once again.

[Randall]

I think that retooled OL is better than what they were running out last year, and that with the addition of Cutler and a year more experiance, I see Forte being a beast once again.

 

 

Maybe but Kevin Jones will factor in more. Forte didn't last the season so his carries should go down. This may be a year to go WR earlier than usual.

[kingfish247]

I think that retooled OL is better than what they were running out last year, and that with the addition of Cutler and a year more experiance, I see Forte being a beast once again.

Yeah, I'm not completely tuned in to what the Bears are doing at OL but the presence of Chris Williams and Orlando Pace bothers me.

 

One is a rookie that's already underwent surgery for a herniated disc. A guy who was dropped from many draft boards for this reason.

The other is a 12 year pro who has missed 25 games in 3 seasons and cites an issue with run-blocking.

 

And THOSE two guys are being relied on to bookend both sides of the line. Again, you have to take Forte in the first 5 RBs but it doesn't give me warm fuzzies...

 

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...-bear21.article

Final thought: When the Bears were last good -- in 2006 -- the line was a real strength. Line coach Harry Hiestand got about everything he could out of the unit last season, but the Bears struggled at times in short-yardage situations. You can't hang all of that on the line. Kyle Orton didn't command the kind of respect that Cutler will, and Forte tends to be an upright runner. The unit remains a work in progress.

Edited July 27, 2009 by kingfish247

[Azazello1313]

cutler will be a serviceable fantasy QB, but not what he was last year. I'd expect something like 3500 yards, 20 TDs. possibly more on the TDs, but it's hard to imagine big yardage numbers like he had last year.

 

forte will be awesome. fantasy goldmine, IMO.

 

greg olsen will be hugh, and hester will be worth owning. probably one other bears WR will really be worth watching, keep an eye on training camp to see who that might end up being.

 

as far as this discussion on weather....cutler is one of those QBs who does comparatively well with a wet/slick ball, it doesn't pose a big problem for him. and in the wind, the stronger a QB's arm the better, so....I'm thinking he'll be just fine as far as all that goes.