Thread: Clutts making the most of a long look at FB - executed strong blocks

I understand where the Bears are coming from with Clutts, I just am disappointed. I believe the Bears don't put a high priority on blocking. It's just a lower priority.

We're about to roll the dice for the 2012 season, gambling that all these mediocre blockers (Webb, Spencer, and the poor TE blockers that we have) will be "good enough" to let our offense shine. I do believe Cutler and Marshall will be able to put up points this year. I just believe they would be putting up MORE points if the blocking was better.

Clutts did mitigate some of our blocking woes. Certainly he would have been indirectly responsible for a LOT of touchdowns this year - instead of settling for FG's, like we do every year. That Clutts/Bush combo was deadly to goal line defenses. Deadly. Money-in-the-bank deadly.

Then we cut him.

Instead we will keep a 4th TE (an H-back who blocking-wise couldn't carry Clutt's jock). It sure makes no sense to me. I'm one of those old school guys who believe blocking and tackling is vital to winning championships. At any level. Even high school.

I'm pissed.

You know I remember when the best blocker-back on your team was cherished and something you didn't get rid of frequently. Only when you had a good line or a cap problem did you let one of these guys go. So you have a OC who "standed pat" in the draft and FA basically, who has the worst blocking just executing vanilla plays and you dump a guy who could actually give you a GL punch.

Stupid, asinine, and w/o logic move. Good luck punching that bitch in from inside the 3yd line Tice.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

JABF, when have you seen these guys block though? To be fair we haven't gotten to see them do it. Maybe it's not as good as Clutts, but maybe it will be good enough + creating offensive mismatches to boot.

I've watched our TE's block these past few years. They look pretty bad to me. Spaeth is pitiful. KDavis worse. I don't know much about the mighty Adams. Maybe HE'S the missing link - animal blocker that we need. The great white hope, so to speak.

I'm not holding my breath.

I just don't think blocking is highly valued by the Bears. They may be right. This season will tell. Either the Bears go to the playoffs after a strong showing in the NFC-N. Or they won't

I'm waiting and watching.

If we fail this year due to blocking woes, and/or they gurney Cutler off the field with a season ending injury, then I'm watching for that big broom to sweep Smith and Tice out of here. Hope they toss that crappy box of "Tice pixie dust" out into the street too.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,5693859.story

By Brad Biggs Tribune reporter 8:53 a.m. CDT, August 31, 2012


The Chicago Bears have begun the process of trimming the roster to the 53-man limit. Fullback Tyler Clutts, who was added just before Week 1 a year ago, will be placed on waivers, according to Adam Caplan of thesidelineview.com. Clutts played a little more than 30 percent of the time on offense last season when the Bears rushed for 2,000 yards for the first time since 1990.
The move is not a surprise as offensive coordinator Mike Tice prefers to use tight ends because he believes they are more versatile. Clutts’ playing time dropped significantly during the spring and training camp and he barely played in preseason until the exhibition finale Thursday night in Cleveland.
Clutts’ departure is a strong signal the Bears will elect to keep four tight ends on the roster – Kellen Davis, Matt Spaeth, Evan Rodriguez and Kyle Adams.
Check back throughout the day as we track the Bears’ roster moves as they happen.
bmbiggs@tribune.com
Twitter @BradBiggs

Of all of the dumb personnel decisions this team has made this one tops them all. We sign useless players like Manu and Taylor, Roy Williams and Sam Hurd, and overpay for a blocking TE with hands to stone, yet we let one of the best pure football players on this team go and instead keep a 4th TE who simply replicates a guy we drafted to do just what Kyle Adams does but does it better.

There is no way in hell any TE or HBack left on the roster can provide the type of error free blocking Clutts did last night. In addition to that he showed that he has a good pair of hands and can long snap in an emergency. Then you can add to that his speed and ability to get down field in punt coverage. I watched him last night on the punt coverage team and he was consistently one of the first guys set in position to make the tackle if the return man avoided the "gunner". This kid plays the game with the kind of precision that only smart football players who know there jobs can do. He's exactly the type of players the Bears need.

Most of the time I shrug off these cuts because it usually comes down to two guys of virtually equal skills like Booker and Allen and maybe you have a favorite but you could really flip and coin and you couldn't go wrong. But when the team cuts a guy when they have no other player who can do the jobs he does with anywhere near that kind of skill then I have to wonder WTF they're thinking.

Some guys flash a lot of skills as offensive players but those skills wouldn't flash so bright if it weren't for guys like Clutts clearing the way for runs or picking up a blitz so the QB gets those extra few seconds to connect on the long ball. Tyler Clutts is that kind of guy and the reason you win Super Bowls is because you have a guy of two like him on your team. The '85 Bears would have used a guy like him and of course they did win a Super Bowl. Apparently the '12 Bears don't think they needs guys like Clutts in order to win one.

I'll bet their wrong. This was a foolish move made to benefit one more OC who has yet to prove that he can put a set of blockers on the field that his stud QB, RBs and WRs can win behind yet he gets rid of the best blocker he has???? Tyler Clutts could have become Tice's Jim Kleinsasser if he'd looked a little farther than his preconceived notions about the guy. Count me pissed off and fed up with the way Mike Tice is handling his decisions relative to the ability of his offense to block the way they need to to even have a shot at post season let alone the SB.

Cutting Tyler Clutts was a stupid move and if last nights game didn't convince them of that then to me there's little hope we'll see what we've been expecting. Who's next, Sanz?.

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Not talking about SPeath/KDavis, they won't be in the HBack position. I'm talking about Adams/Rod blocking out of the HBack.

Can't wait to see. Hopefully they will be blocking animals like Clutts, and goal line situations will be TD's instead of FG's. We will know soon enough. About 4 games into the season, we should know.