Systems of Football: The All-Purpose Bears Game Thread

[Saul Goodman]

Since we don't care enough anymore to have individual game threads, let's complain, commiserate, and celebrate what happens from week to week here.  (or not, do what you want.)

Time for the Bears to start gashing Wolfman Rob's hyped-up defense.

[CubFaninHydePark]

Between  Bennett's drops and now Briggs' dumbassery, today's performance went from bad to gutless.

[CT III]

Between  Bennett's drops and now Briggs' dumbassery, today's performance went from bad to gutless.

A shiny new donkey to whomever can explain this to me before the end of the rainy season.

[Internet Apex]

Between  Bennett's drops and now Briggs' dumbassery, today's performance went from bad to gutless.

A shiny new donkey to whomever can explain this to me before the end of the rainy season.

I was in agony when Earl dropped that ball, mostly because of my longstanding mancrush on him. And for most of the day, it seemed that if Briggs didn't do it on defense, it just wasn't going to get done. So to see him blunder so egregiously, well, I know irony when I see it. I need no ruling on the matter.

But I'm not going to be asshurt about this loss. Anybody with half a brain could see it coming. In two weeks, they'll be 5-2 headed into their bye week. And we'll know that they're not really all that great. If you get your hopes up with this bunch you'll end up getting hurt. That is unless they show tons of improvement despite an injury-ravaged defensive line. Football is fun though.

[Internet Apex]

Not good:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bears-dt-collins-miss-rest-181306139--nfl.html

It may be entertaining to read the list of names of players who have suited up at DT for the Bears at season's end. People were joking about Matt Toeina being available last week, but would anyone be shocked if we saw him again?

[Quality Start Machine]

Not good:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bears-dt-collins-miss-rest-181306139--nfl.html

It may be entertaining to read the list of names of players who have suited up at DT for the Bears at season's end. People were joking about Matt Toeina being available last week, but would anyone be shocked if we saw him again?

Spice Adams!

[Internet Apex]

Not good:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bears-dt-collins-miss-rest-181306139--nfl.html

It may be entertaining to read the list of names of players who have suited up at DT for the Bears at season's end. People were joking about Matt Toeina being available last week, but would anyone be shocked if we saw him again?

Spice Adams!

http://instagram.com/p/fLUhy4weca/#

[Saul Goodman]

Not good:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bears-dt-collins-miss-rest-181306139--nfl.html

It may be entertaining to read the list of names of players who have suited up at DT for the Bears at season's end. People were joking about Matt Toeina being available last week, but would anyone be shocked if we saw him again?

Is Tommie Harris available?  Maybe Howie Long would like to suit up for the same team as his kid.  That'll sell some tickets!  Maybe Michael Strahan is sick of morning inanity and ready to return to football!

[Saul Goodman]

JOSHUM COWN SHOULDA BEEN DA STARTER ALL ALONG CUZ JAKE UTLER IS A BUM!  INTERCEPTIONS!  MOODY!  NOT ELITE!

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Unless I missed something, the most points the Bears have scored in a loss in franchise history.

Previous best: 38 versus the Rams in '54 and the Colts in '58.

[Internet Apex]

Unless I missed something, the most points the Bears have scored in a loss in franchise history.

Previous best: 38 versus the Rams in '54 and the Colts in '58.

This one hurt my heart. I can't watch that defense anymore.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

I'm too lazy to look this shit up or scour SKO's site to see it's been hashed out, but I thought I had heard that Mel Tucker had previously worked more extensively with a 3-4 defensive alignment prior to coming to Chicago.  And if that's the case, why on earth would he come in here and not attempt to implement it?  To appease the members of this defense?  If that's the case, then I wonder why anybody'd have felt the need to have done so in the first place--ever since last year's Seattle game I'd say the defense doesn't hold such currency--in spite of all the turnovers, pick-sixes etc.

But in any event, and in all seriousness would the 3-4 fuck up veteran players  like Briggs and Tillman?  Because from my persepctive, I think it'd be one way to perhaps get some worth out of that goddamn McLellin (which you think would've been another incentive for Emery to have pushed for it).  That boy cannot play end in the NFL.  And though Bostic didn't look to bad out there yesterday, I think he'd be better off in that same system of football.  

I'm just a football idjit, so SKO, I'll sit down and listen for my answer(s).

[J. Walter Weatherman]

I'm too lazy to look this shit up or scour SKO's site to see it's been hashed out, but I thought I had heard that Mel Tucker had previously worked more extensively with a 3-4 defensive alignment prior to coming to Chicago.  And if that's the case, why on earth would he come in here and not attempt to implement it?  To appease the members of this defense?  If that's the case, then I wonder why anybody'd have felt the need to have done so in the first place--ever since last year's Seattle game I'd say the defense doesn't hold such currency--in spite of all the turnovers, pick-sixes etc.

But in any event, and in all seriousness would the 3-4 fuck up veteran players  like Briggs and Tillman?  Because from my persepctive, I think it'd be one way to perhaps get some worth out of that goddamn McLellin (which you think would've been another incentive for Emery to have pushed for it).  That boy cannot play end in the NFL.  And though Bostic didn't look to bad out there yesterday, I think he'd be better off in that same system of football.  

I'm just a football idjit, so SKO, I'll sit down and listen for my answer(s).

Wouldn't a 3-4 require totally different personnel on the line? Who do the Bears have that could line up at nose tackle?

[SKO]

I'm too lazy to look this shit up or scour SKO's site to see it's been hashed out, but I thought I had heard that Mel Tucker had previously worked more extensively with a 3-4 defensive alignment prior to coming to Chicago.  And if that's the case, why on earth would he come in here and not attempt to implement it?  To appease the members of this defense?  If that's the case, then I wonder why anybody'd have felt the need to have done so in the first place--ever since last year's Seattle game I'd say the defense doesn't hold such currency--in spite of all the turnovers, pick-sixes etc.

But in any event, and in all seriousness would the 3-4 fuck up veteran players  like Briggs and Tillman?  Because from my persepctive, I think it'd be one way to perhaps get some worth out of that goddamn McLellin (which you think would've been another incentive for Emery to have pushed for it).  That boy cannot play end in the NFL.  And though Bostic didn't look to bad out there yesterday, I think he'd be better off in that same system of football.  

I'm just a football idjit, so SKO, I'll sit down and listen for my answer(s).

Wouldn't a 3-4 require totally different personnel on the line? Who do the Bears have that could line up at nose tackle?

Tucker coached a 4-3 in Jacksonville, but he had worked with 3-4s earlier in his career. They kept the 4-3 because at the time it seemed all of their best players (Briggs, who is a prototypical 4-3 Will and wouldn't be a great fit in a 3-4 IMO, Tillman, Melton) were fits for the defense they were drafted to play, and their front four was presumed to be the strength of the team. If this defense had Henry Melton playing like he did last year and Corey Wootton keeping Shea off the field at the other end I would assume things would be at least somewhat better, but Melton never seemed the same after he got concussed and then he was struck down by Angry Bears Hating God.

Emery keeps saying a 3-4 in the future isn't likely, but we'll see. If Tillman, Melton, and the others are leaving it makes sense to try something else. Right now it would only make things worse because, as Thrill said, they have no one big enough to play the nose in a 3-4 and would require the already overmatched shity safeties to play even more man.

[SKO]

I mean there's nothing inherently broken with the scheme, there's just no pass rush. You get no pass rush with your front four and the team's mediocre safeties get exposed by actually having to do something other than sit back in a two deep zone, and the deep plays rain in bunches. I'd like to firebarn Wright and Conte right now but odds are if the defensive line was playing anywhere close to what it did last year they wouldn't be having this problem.