Thread: What we learned

Originally Posted by Butka

Watching this offense reminds me of watching some rich douche trying to drive their new Ferrari. It darts quickly for a moment, growling like it's going to take off on all cylinders, only to stall because the transmission isn't properly shifted. I think Tice needs to approach this offense as if it runs through Forte, like it has in years past. I'd like to see Forte involved in the passing game more and not just on some shitty screen plays. I can't believe I'm typing this, but maybe they need to look at how Turner and Martz used Forte in the passing game. Think of using him more as installing an automatic transmission for the Ferrari. Right now, defenses know we're going to Marshall and it's feast or famine. We're too one dimensional. Get the offense moving in shorter chunks with high percentage plays, get a little rhythm going, then start making smart plays down the field. Once it starts to stall you can go ahead and start over again.

This defense is doing everything it can to win. It would be a shame if the offense prevented us from winning it all. They need to get it together. The pieces are there to do it.

Specifically: " I think Tice needs to approach this offense as if it runs through Forte, like it has in years past. I'd like to see Forte involved in the passing game more and not just on some shitty screen plays. I can't believe I'm typing this, but maybe they need to look at how Turner and Martz used Forte in the passing game."

Wow things are really coming full circle now. I must have sounded like an asshole earlier this season but now everyone understands what I was getting at I think. Sigh

Cut davis and sign Burris and Winslow please

oh and bring back mike martz

Originally Posted by XxMidwayMonstersxX

I wonder why Martz didn't throw to the TE's more?

Because Martz likes specialized personnel, not hybrids. If you're going to pass, put a 3rd WR out there. If you're going to protect, put a 3rd OT out there (i.e. the mamamula guy or whatever his name was). Not because our TEs are bad players, which they really weren't when we had Olsen.

Jason Campbell's decision making is just not up to par.

I agree.

Coach Ditka on backup players: "If the guy can't play, get rid of him. Your backups should be able to play when you need them to play."

Brian Urlacher was getting blocked on plays he wouldn't have last year. The decline in his play showed up some today.

I saw that too.

Absolutely no excuse for Kellen Davis or any of the other tight ends, period.

They sucked bad tonight.

Absolutely no excuse for Mike Tice, AGAIN.

Mike Tice wasn't terrible this game, but he also wasn't very good either. What do you want him to do when the RBs are either gaining 2 YPC or fumbling? The Texans dared him to pass and the players just didn't execute.

Absolutely no excuse for our offense as a whole. We should have won that game.

I too think that we should have won, but the offense was about as effective as the Texans' offense was... the only real difference was the Texans finishing with a TD when they got inside the 5 and the Bears coming away with only a FG. Each team had three scoring opportunities.

Guys, I hate to say "I told you so" but I have been saying all fucking season that lack of offense is going to kill us against quality opponents. Guess what, here we are, and it killed us. I'm sorry but that was inexcusable.

The offense came up short tonight, but they were a missed FG and two drops from putting up an additional 13-17 points. The Marshall drop in the endzone should have been a TD and the Forte drop would have probably been at least a FG. I wouldn't say that the offense "killed" the Bears tonight, it could have been better for sure, but sometimes shit happens... if Foster drops that TD pass and Marshall doesn't drop his TD (both difficult catches)... that's an 11 point swing and the Bears win. The Texans executed slightly better tonight and deserved the win, ultimately though both offenses played poorly (in-fact, almost equally as bad). The Bears' offense came up a couple plays short (a drop here, a drop there and a missed FG), when you factor in the 4 turnovers and how the Texans' offense performed, I just don't see the sky falling.

Jay Cutler needs to protect himself, terrible to see him get hurt.

He's a competitor and that's what competitors do... they play without regard for their physical well-being.

That we are not nearly as Good as we thought we were.

Originally Posted by Butka

Watching this offense reminds me of watching some rich douche trying to drive their new Ferrari. It darts quickly for a moment, growling like it's going to take off on all cylinders, only to stall because the transmission isn't properly shifted. I think Tice needs to approach this offense as if it runs through Forte, like it has in years past. I'd like to see Forte involved in the passing game more and not just on some shitty screen plays. I can't believe I'm typing this, but maybe they need to look at how Turner and Martz used Forte in the passing game. Think of using him more as installing an automatic transmission for the Ferrari. Right now, defenses know we're going to Marshall and it's feast or famine. We're too one dimensional. Get the offense moving in shorter chunks with high percentage plays, get a little rhythm going, then start making smart plays down the field. Once it starts to stall you can go ahead and start over again.

This defense is doing everything it can to win. It would be a shame if the offense prevented us from winning it all. They need to get it together. The pieces are there to do it.

Said this all off season during the contract negotiations, that this guy was more imporant then people were giving him credit for. The signing of Bush and Marshal did not change the dynamic of this O still needing to run through Forte; partly b/c of the OL the other b/c the rest of the WR's are nothing special. And when teams(the last handfull have done so) sell out to stop Forte you have to make them pay, and so far Cutler/Campbell and all the WR's have fallen short and I just cannot understand why.

Regardless of how you WANT to run an O, you have to do what the team can do, this was what doomed Martz, until Tice/Lovie took control of the O from him, he refused to call what was best for the team. I said in the chat room that for the past decade the Bears have wasted a great D w/a non existant O.

some other thoughts:

Again anyone wanting Martz, what you are also saying is you didn't want Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshal or a TE to be part of the weapons on O; just remember that.

Hester taking a lot of heat, I thought he did okay, He got stopped short of a 1st down w/a great block by a defender, but he also tried to juke instead of just lunging forward. His big drop on 3rd down was an obvious no call PI, the one time Tice used him properly he had a great gain w/yac, but Cutler was over the LoS He was only targeted 4 times, that is about right, 4-6 times a game that's it. And he needs to be in the middle of the field behind the LB's and in front of the DB's. You saw it last night, it was his best play.
Marshal is also not getting any heat, I know he's great, and he was what kept us in the game at times, but he also dropped his fair share of balls, including a dropped TD. 13 targets that's almost as many targets as the rest of the O combined.

Why the hell did we target the TE's 9 times, ecspecially Stonehands Davis? The TE's, as much as everyone wants them envolved are not that good to be the focal point.

Why did Bennett only get targetted 2 times, he like Hester, needs at least 4-6 targets a game, and unlike Hester his should be in the 6 range. TE's/Marshal need a few less targets and Bennett needs a few more; he was constantly open and ignored by both Cutler/Campbell.

Alshon Jeffery is more imporant then I think anyone wants to admit. Not that the O was purring w/him in there, but it wasn't flat bad either. He was that legit #2 threat teams had to worry about or get burned, Cutler trusted him and would use him as a dump off guy regardless if he was coverred; it was like he saw him as Marshal Jr. And it helped keep teams honest and w/out 10 men in the box to shut down the run.

Originally Posted by Warlock

He's a competitor and that's what competitors do... they play without regard for their physical well-being.

He needs to protect himself. He is in weird territory where once you have so many concussions, its easy to get another one.

He takes too many hits.

I was joking about the TE thing, Martz was too smart to throw to guys like Davis. His system spoke to that as he all but ruled TE's out.