There is a new episode of the SKOdcast available for your auditory stimulation, if you are inclined to hear it. We talk a little bit about wider NFL draft news, and some about the success of college athletes in the NFL, and probably some other stuff. Why would I know? I was only there. You listen to it and tell me, Mr. Smartypants.
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Also, let the record show I promised TEC I would come in and upload it Saturday just for him, and then I played Watch_Dogs in my underwear all day instead. WE'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU BUDDY.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
They often say the NFL is a copycat league. Sometimes this is an infuriating development, like when Mike Martz inexplicably tries to run the wildcat with Devin Hester because the Dolphins manage to beat the Patriots with it one time.
Other times, it just makes sense, like the proliferation of the West Coast Offense or the number of teams that have started to use the spread or run most of their offense out of the shotgun because it suits the abilities of their quarterbacks.
In the Bears case, Phil Emery has very clearly had two franchises that he's focused on emulating the last two seasons. The Bears offense, while original any many ways thanks to Trestman's sometimes unorthodox approach, shares many broad similarities and an over-arching philosophy with the vastly successful Saints attack, thanks to Trestman's close relationship with Sean Payton and his hire of Aaron Kromer as offensive coordinator. Obviously this approach has been successful, with the Bears actually out-scoring their de facto mentors this past year. Thanks to the recent moves to lock up Jay Cutler, Matt Slauson, and now Brandon Marshall, they should be able to compete at that level for at least a few more years.
This year Phil Emery has very obviously decided to model the defense after the Seahawks. This only makes sense, since the Seahawks are clearly the best defense in the NFL, but it's not exactly surprising that any number of teams are hoping to emulate what Pete Carroll and John Schneider built in the northwest.
Unlike many failed imitations in NFL history, however, the Bears may be able to make this defensive conversion work. While it's unlikely the defensive makeover will result in the Bears defense outpacing their role models like the Bears offense did, it's worth examining how Emery has attempted to copy the Seahawks approach.
1) Big corners: Charles Tillman, Kyle Fuller, and Tim Jennings are not quite the size of Richard Sherman or Brandon Browner, but Tillman and Fuller are both bigger corners, and all three are sure tacklers capable of squaring up offensive players and securing the edge without help. It's worth remembering that just a year before the disaster of 2013, Tillman and Jennings were the starting corners in the Pro Bowl. While they're undoubtedly unlikely to repeat that performance this year, there's no reason to think a healthy Tillman and Jennings can't give the Bears the flexibility they need to play the Cover 1 and Cover 3 coverages that Seattle likes to use most and allow the defense to be successful.
2)A defensive line of interchangeable parts: last year the Seahawks had one pure edge rusher in Cliff Avril. Avril was a liability against the run and pretty much always has been, but the Seahawks had enough versatile pieces around him to allow him to do what he does best.
Enter Jared Allen for the Bears. Allen was never even close to being as good of a run defender as he was a pass-rusher, and to expect him to improve in that department as a Bear would be fool-hardy, but he can still be a pass-rush specialist for a team that won't ask him to do much more than that.
Outside of Avril, the Seahawks featured twolarger than average defensive ends who often rotated to DT in Michael Bennett, and Red Bryant. The versatility of these three players allowed them to hide the fact that Seattle didn't have the truly dominant 3 technique associated with many great 4-3 defenses.
This year the Bears have a very versatile DE in Lamarr Houston who is very similar physically to Bennett. While Houston lacks the pass-rush ability of Bennett, he's still productive in that department and is as capable of playing the 3 technique as Bennett. While Willie Young probably won't slide inside very often, he proved last year that he can set the edge against the run and will likely be moved around from left and right end, and maybe even to OLB in some packages, much as the Seahawks rotated the similarly-sized Chris Clemons.
The Bears also have two different defensive tackles in Jay Ratliff and Stephen Paea who have experience both in primarily run-stopping roles (Ratliff a 3-4 nose guard, Paea as a 4-3 nose), but have the speed and flexibility to contribute at 3 technique. Behind them are the newly drafted Will Sutton (a natural 3 technique when he's at his peak weight, but who bulked up and got experience playing the nose as well last year) and Ego Ferguson. Ego is clearly the person meant to be the Bears eventual answer to Brandon Mebane, a big, hulking man-monster who controls two gaps and frees up the rest of the line to attack the backfield.
While they have to prove it on the field, I believe there's a enough talent on that Bears defensive line to match the production Seattle got from its front four last year.
3) Move your pass-rush specialist to SLB: Bruce Irvin was a surprise pick at #13 in 2012, and after a fairly successful first season and 8 sacks as a rookie, the Seahawks made the curious decision to move Irvin to SLB in order to create more opportunities for Avril, Bennett and Clemons at DE. The move actually worked pretty well as Irvin's athleticism made him a great fit at OLB, and he was able to utilize his pass rush skills in blitz packages. Avril finished the season with 45 tackles, an INT, 2 sacks, and 15 hurries despite getting off to a slow start thanks to a 4 game suspension. The Bears are hoping Shea McClellin, a similar athlete, can enjoy a similar result.
Unfortunately there's two major pieces missing from this puzzle, one of whom is arguably the single most important player on the Seahawks defense. Ryan Mundy may be a perfectly capable strong safety, but I don't think he's Kam Chancellor, and while there's reason to like the talent of Brock Vereen, I don't know if I could drink enough to make him look like Earl Thomas.
Without that athleticism and talent at safety it's unlikely the Bears can come close to duplicating the defensive success the Seahawks enjoyed last year, but with the comparable talent in the front seven and corner, there's certainly enough pieces in place, combined with that already elite offense, to get this team into the postseason, where they'll maybe have the chance to surpass one or both of their heroes.
Other times, it just makes sense, like the proliferation of the West Coast Offense or the number of teams that have started to use the spread or run most of their offense out of the shotgun because it suits the abilities of their quarterbacks.
In the Bears case, Phil Emery has very clearly had two franchises that he's focused on emulating the last two seasons. The Bears offense, while original any many ways thanks to Trestman's sometimes unorthodox approach, shares many broad similarities and an over-arching philosophy with the vastly successful Saints attack, thanks to Trestman's close relationship with Sean Payton and his hire of Aaron Kromer as offensive coordinator. Obviously this approach has been successful, with the Bears actually out-scoring their de facto mentors this past year. Thanks to the recent moves to lock up Jay Cutler, Matt Slauson, and now Brandon Marshall, they should be able to compete at that level for at least a few more years.
This year Phil Emery has very obviously decided to model the defense after the Seahawks. This only makes sense, since the Seahawks are clearly the best defense in the NFL, but it's not exactly surprising that any number of teams are hoping to emulate what Pete Carroll and John Schneider built in the northwest.
Unlike many failed imitations in NFL history, however, the Bears may be able to make this defensive conversion work. While it's unlikely the defensive makeover will result in the Bears defense outpacing their role models like the Bears offense did, it's worth examining how Emery has attempted to copy the Seahawks approach.
1) Big corners: Charles Tillman, Kyle Fuller, and Tim Jennings are not quite the size of Richard Sherman or Brandon Browner, but Tillman and Fuller are both bigger corners, and all three are sure tacklers capable of squaring up offensive players and securing the edge without help. It's worth remembering that just a year before the disaster of 2013, Tillman and Jennings were the starting corners in the Pro Bowl. While they're undoubtedly unlikely to repeat that performance this year, there's no reason to think a healthy Tillman and Jennings can't give the Bears the flexibility they need to play the Cover 1 and Cover 3 coverages that Seattle likes to use most and allow the defense to be successful.
2)A defensive line of interchangeable parts: last year the Seahawks had one pure edge rusher in Cliff Avril. Avril was a liability against the run and pretty much always has been, but the Seahawks had enough versatile pieces around him to allow him to do what he does best.
Enter Jared Allen for the Bears. Allen was never even close to being as good of a run defender as he was a pass-rusher, and to expect him to improve in that department as a Bear would be fool-hardy, but he can still be a pass-rush specialist for a team that won't ask him to do much more than that.
Outside of Avril, the Seahawks featured twolarger than average defensive ends who often rotated to DT in Michael Bennett, and Red Bryant. The versatility of these three players allowed them to hide the fact that Seattle didn't have the truly dominant 3 technique associated with many great 4-3 defenses.
This year the Bears have a very versatile DE in Lamarr Houston who is very similar physically to Bennett. While Houston lacks the pass-rush ability of Bennett, he's still productive in that department and is as capable of playing the 3 technique as Bennett. While Willie Young probably won't slide inside very often, he proved last year that he can set the edge against the run and will likely be moved around from left and right end, and maybe even to OLB in some packages, much as the Seahawks rotated the similarly-sized Chris Clemons.
The Bears also have two different defensive tackles in Jay Ratliff and Stephen Paea who have experience both in primarily run-stopping roles (Ratliff a 3-4 nose guard, Paea as a 4-3 nose), but have the speed and flexibility to contribute at 3 technique. Behind them are the newly drafted Will Sutton (a natural 3 technique when he's at his peak weight, but who bulked up and got experience playing the nose as well last year) and Ego Ferguson. Ego is clearly the person meant to be the Bears eventual answer to Brandon Mebane, a big, hulking man-monster who controls two gaps and frees up the rest of the line to attack the backfield.
While they have to prove it on the field, I believe there's a enough talent on that Bears defensive line to match the production Seattle got from its front four last year.
3) Move your pass-rush specialist to SLB: Bruce Irvin was a surprise pick at #13 in 2012, and after a fairly successful first season and 8 sacks as a rookie, the Seahawks made the curious decision to move Irvin to SLB in order to create more opportunities for Avril, Bennett and Clemons at DE. The move actually worked pretty well as Irvin's athleticism made him a great fit at OLB, and he was able to utilize his pass rush skills in blitz packages. Avril finished the season with 45 tackles, an INT, 2 sacks, and 15 hurries despite getting off to a slow start thanks to a 4 game suspension. The Bears are hoping Shea McClellin, a similar athlete, can enjoy a similar result.
Unfortunately there's two major pieces missing from this puzzle, one of whom is arguably the single most important player on the Seahawks defense. Ryan Mundy may be a perfectly capable strong safety, but I don't think he's Kam Chancellor, and while there's reason to like the talent of Brock Vereen, I don't know if I could drink enough to make him look like Earl Thomas.
Without that athleticism and talent at safety it's unlikely the Bears can come close to duplicating the defensive success the Seahawks enjoyed last year, but with the comparable talent in the front seven and corner, there's certainly enough pieces in place, combined with that already elite offense, to get this team into the postseason, where they'll maybe have the chance to surpass one or both of their heroes.
Monday, May 19, 2014
The Skodcast! Season Two, Episode Four.
A new Skodcast, in which we discuss the draft! Really, that's pretty much it. It's pretty novel to have a full hour's worth of honest-to-God football stuff to talk about again.
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Thursday, May 8, 2014
The Skodcast Pre-draft Extravaganza
There is a new episode, in which I am not present because these elderly gentlemen can't start an hour-long recording at 7 o'clock. It contains the phrase "Ha Ha Clinton-Dix," so there's that.
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Wednesday, May 7, 2014
As Yoda Would Say, There is Another
Travis isn't in this one either, because Kyle actually murdered him in a drug deal gone sour. We didn't want to tell you like this.
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The Skodcast returns!
FEAST YOUR EARS. On this old episode Travis didn't bother to show up for. Now complete with links to the site as hosted, and a download link for your convenience! Are we not generous masters?
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Thursday, May 1, 2014
We're not dead!
I know the Shoutbox is expired and we haven't posted a podcast or new article that wasn't about a Kevin Costner movie in months, but I assure you we're still alive! I'm currently hoarding podcasts while we figure out a hosting solution that will allow us to deliver better audio quality and not have to talk on cell phones for an hour. I burned them to DVDs and piled them up in my bedroom and I swim through them like Scrooge McDuck. It's like motherfucking Erebor in here, and I am Bandypants Crumplepatch just dragon-slithering all over these bad boys. So that's on me. But once that's figured out you'll all have like four hours of Skodcast to gorge on with your poor SKO-starved ears. Most of it is about Batman, but there is one about free agency.
The draft is a week away, which means we'll have Bears news to talk about and you should start seeing the posts trickle in until the preseason. I don't know where Kyle is with his usual position reviews, or with renewing the shoutbox; but I can only assume he's just loafing around on it while assembling his Star Trek models and snorting spraypaint or whatever because, y'know, kids these days. (Full disclosure: Kyle is the same age as me.)
But those things will all return to you soon, and you can bask in the warm light of our charming voices once again.
The draft is a week away, which means we'll have Bears news to talk about and you should start seeing the posts trickle in until the preseason. I don't know where Kyle is with his usual position reviews, or with renewing the shoutbox; but I can only assume he's just loafing around on it while assembling his Star Trek models and snorting spraypaint or whatever because, y'know, kids these days. (Full disclosure: Kyle is the same age as me.)
But those things will all return to you soon, and you can bask in the warm light of our charming voices once again.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Draft Day is the Single Dumbest Football Movie You Will Ever See (Spoilers)
Generally speaking, I don't like football movies. They tend to over-emphasize exactly the kind of rah-rah cliche laden macho bullshit that is my least favorite aspect of the sport. Sadly no one has yet to make a truly interesting movie focusing on the X's and O's of Bill Walsh's offense or told the story of Mike Leach living in a rat infested trailer park on $3,000 a year as he and Hal Mumme built the Air Raid offense at third rate college programs in Iowa. Those are the movies I'd like to see, but alas, not much interest there.
When I first heard about Draft Day, I had some hope. A behind the scenes look at the NFL draft and the way front offices approach it? Maybe it could be the football equivalent of the movie Moneyball. Once the trailers rolled out and it was obvious that the film revolved around an absolutely implausible (little did I know HOW implausible) draft day trade that Sonny Weaver, Jr. (Kevin Costner) pulls off while also dealing with his romantic and totally not at all creepy and unprofessional relationship with his much younger capologist, Jennifer Garner, I quickly lost any positive feelings I had towards the movie. But, my wife managed to get us free tickets to a pre-release screening and oh my God was this film amazing in all of the wrong ways. I'll just cover a few here:
When I first heard about Draft Day, I had some hope. A behind the scenes look at the NFL draft and the way front offices approach it? Maybe it could be the football equivalent of the movie Moneyball. Once the trailers rolled out and it was obvious that the film revolved around an absolutely implausible (little did I know HOW implausible) draft day trade that Sonny Weaver, Jr. (Kevin Costner) pulls off while also dealing with his romantic and totally not at all creepy and unprofessional relationship with his much younger capologist, Jennifer Garner, I quickly lost any positive feelings I had towards the movie. But, my wife managed to get us free tickets to a pre-release screening and oh my God was this film amazing in all of the wrong ways. I'll just cover a few here:
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Jared Allen is A Bear, I was Wrong
I am, as all of you know, the world's foremost authority on most things Bears related. This is an undisputed fact according to the gremlins in my brain thing that handle such matters. However, Erik pointed out that in my last article I may have shot down the possibility of Phil Emery signing Jared Allen by saying the following:
Is Phil also probably aware that even with the new guys added and the guy's re-signed from last year (Jay Ratliff, Nate Collins, DJ Williams, Charles Tillman) the defense, while undoubtedly better, is still probably far from good? Sure. Are there more bearded, real tree camo loving band-aids out there who could get this defense in better shape for 2014 alone out there? Absolutely. He's not going to go down that road, for several reasons:
Okay. I can see how some people have interpreted me saying the Bears wouldn't sign Jared Allen as me saying the Bears wouldn't sign Jared Allen. This is not unlike the people in December who were happy to point out that me saying "There's no way Aaron Rodgers will start against the Bears in week 17" might possibly be construed as indicating that Aaron Rodgers wouldn't start the last game of the season. I could see where, from a certain point of view, it would appear I have been wrong before.
Here's where I'm not wrong: This signing is a good thing. Four years, $32 million is a scary number for a 31 year old defensive end, but as anyone with a brain has noted, in reality this is a 2 year deal worth $15.5 million. Is that still more than Jared Allen in a perfect world is probably worth? Sure, but Emery has placed himself in a pretty good position that enabled him to spend some extra dough on a player who will actually be asked to do Less in Chicago than he was in Minnesota. The Bears found two starting caliber DEs in Lamarr Houston and Willie Young, and they'd probably be able to field a decent DL with Nate Collins, Jeremiah Ratliff, and Stephen Paea at DT. Allen wasn't a true "need", but Phil scraped together the money to make a push for him without breaking the bank or handicapping their long term future. The cap is set to go up even more next year and Allen's hit will be easily absorbed.
By adding Allen, Phil immediately upgraded this defensive line (and hopefully the entire defense by extension) from capable to downright dangerous. The Bears have talked all offseason long about their desire to be "multiple" on defense, and Allen as the 3rd DE allows them to do just that. In a base 4-3 they can rotate Allen, Houston, and Young at end and Collins, Paea, and Ratliff at either tackle position. In passing situations or 3rd down they can move Houston inside and put Allen, Houston, Ratliff, and Young, all proven pass-rushers, on the line. If they want to give a 3-4 look I can easily picture Allen in a two point stance across from Shea McClellin while Houston is more than big enough to set the edge as a five technique DE and Ratliff has proven himself in a 3-4 in the past. That's the kind of flexibility a defensive coordinator dreams of.
I don't expect Allen to step into Chicago and plow his way to 13 sacks next year. Odds are he has lost a step at 31, but in Chicago he's merely a piece of the puzzle, likely to play far fewer snaps than he did last year, and he can focus even more on being the pass-rush specialist he has always been at heart. Emery knew that Allen was a luxury, and he waited for the price to drop accordingly while he took care of the defense's other needs. Once he had his ducks in a row and could afford to splurge, well, he made his play and gave us all another reason to be excited for 2014. Go Bears.
Also, this:
Suck it, Cutler haters.
Is Phil also probably aware that even with the new guys added and the guy's re-signed from last year (Jay Ratliff, Nate Collins, DJ Williams, Charles Tillman) the defense, while undoubtedly better, is still probably far from good? Sure. Are there more bearded, real tree camo loving band-aids out there who could get this defense in better shape for 2014 alone out there? Absolutely. He's not going to go down that road, for several reasons:
Okay. I can see how some people have interpreted me saying the Bears wouldn't sign Jared Allen as me saying the Bears wouldn't sign Jared Allen. This is not unlike the people in December who were happy to point out that me saying "There's no way Aaron Rodgers will start against the Bears in week 17" might possibly be construed as indicating that Aaron Rodgers wouldn't start the last game of the season. I could see where, from a certain point of view, it would appear I have been wrong before.
Here's where I'm not wrong: This signing is a good thing. Four years, $32 million is a scary number for a 31 year old defensive end, but as anyone with a brain has noted, in reality this is a 2 year deal worth $15.5 million. Is that still more than Jared Allen in a perfect world is probably worth? Sure, but Emery has placed himself in a pretty good position that enabled him to spend some extra dough on a player who will actually be asked to do Less in Chicago than he was in Minnesota. The Bears found two starting caliber DEs in Lamarr Houston and Willie Young, and they'd probably be able to field a decent DL with Nate Collins, Jeremiah Ratliff, and Stephen Paea at DT. Allen wasn't a true "need", but Phil scraped together the money to make a push for him without breaking the bank or handicapping their long term future. The cap is set to go up even more next year and Allen's hit will be easily absorbed.
By adding Allen, Phil immediately upgraded this defensive line (and hopefully the entire defense by extension) from capable to downright dangerous. The Bears have talked all offseason long about their desire to be "multiple" on defense, and Allen as the 3rd DE allows them to do just that. In a base 4-3 they can rotate Allen, Houston, and Young at end and Collins, Paea, and Ratliff at either tackle position. In passing situations or 3rd down they can move Houston inside and put Allen, Houston, Ratliff, and Young, all proven pass-rushers, on the line. If they want to give a 3-4 look I can easily picture Allen in a two point stance across from Shea McClellin while Houston is more than big enough to set the edge as a five technique DE and Ratliff has proven himself in a 3-4 in the past. That's the kind of flexibility a defensive coordinator dreams of.
I don't expect Allen to step into Chicago and plow his way to 13 sacks next year. Odds are he has lost a step at 31, but in Chicago he's merely a piece of the puzzle, likely to play far fewer snaps than he did last year, and he can focus even more on being the pass-rush specialist he has always been at heart. Emery knew that Allen was a luxury, and he waited for the price to drop accordingly while he took care of the defense's other needs. Once he had his ducks in a row and could afford to splurge, well, he made his play and gave us all another reason to be excited for 2014. Go Bears.
Also, this:
Suck it, Cutler haters.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The Long Road Back: Phil Emery and Bears Free Agency So Far
The free agency period is one of my favorite things about football, and it's also one of the worst. I love it, because after the Superbowl a dark period completely absent of any remotely relevant football news kills my soul, and free agency comes along to allow me to play armchair GM and ruthlessly scour twitter for news about player movements. Then comes the dark side. The breathless waiting, the anger over inactivity, the despair over watching players you had pegged as potential franchise-savers move on to other teams, and worst of all, the criticism of pretty much everything but fans and sports-writers.
If your team engages in a spending spree they'll be acclaimed a dream team by fans and some writers while having others tut tut and point out that "offseason champs" rarely win real Superbowls. If your team doesn't spend you'll have plenty of people asking why they are sitting idle.
The fact of the matter is that NFL Free Agency is neither the fool's gold some writers and organizations view it as nor the quick path to success that the Redskins and Cowboys desperately wish to believe it is. Like everything else it's a useful tool that has to be carefully managed and scrutinized. People will praise the Seahawks largely home-built roster till the cows come home and rightfully so, but it's hard to picture them hoisting that trophy without the contributions of Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and Marshawn Lynch, all key cogs acquired from other teams. Likewise, the Broncos got to the game thanks to their free agent QB, guard, DT, and CB, but these things will be forgotten the next time someone wants to make a point as to why free agency is pointless.
In the NFL free agency boils down to the same thing it does in every sport: pay for future performance, not past performance. At the truly elite positions, this is hard to do in the NFL. Most teams aren't going to let those players escape in their primes. If you're seeking a double-digit sack guy, a franchise QB, or an all-Pro wideout, well, you're screwed, and you're going to spend way too much money for their closest passable imitation on the market and end up disappointed anyway.
But if you're content to just add good players, if you look for guys you can build around, even if they aren't the cornerstones, and you pay them accordingly, there's some good stuff to be had. I believe that's what Phil has done so far.
I like Lamarr Houston. He's not likely to suddenly morph into double-digit sack guy, like some fans have tried to project, nor does he need to justify the deal he was given like some sports-writers have suggested. Phil Emery's neither stupid or dishonest. He knows what Lamarr Houston is, he's said what Lamarr Houston is, and he paid Lamarr Houston fair market value for exactly what he offers: downright elite run defense and average pass rush. He's not a player that needs to come off the field in passing situations. He'll make quarterbacks uncomfortable, and he'll open up opportunities for other guys to do more than that. It's a good signing.
Willie Young's also a good signing. Like, Houston (26), and unlike many other free agents, he's still under 30 (28) and is entering the prime years of his career. Last year was his first where he got starter's reps, and he turned in a very solid season as a pass rusher (60 total QB pressures, even if he had just 4 sacks). The deal pays Willie Young like the solid rotational player he is at worst (3 years, 9 million) and could end up being a steal if he, not Houston, develops into the ten sack guy people think he's capable of being.
Ryan Mundy is a guy who probably won't embarrass himself if forced to start. Fortunately for us, that's light years above last year's contributor at the strong safety position, Major Wright, who finished dead f*&king last in PFF's safety rankings. That's really all I've got there.
As for the rest of the back end of the roster guys the Bears have added (MD Jennings, other shitty safeties likely to only be special teamers, Domenik Hixon), well, snooze. If you're panicking and screaming that MD Jennings isn't starter material, well, relax. Emery's not thinking that either, and Jennings' pay check spells that out.
I don't think Emery is done yet. There are bargains still to be had out there, and Phil did a good job last year in scouring the secondary market to bring in guys like Slauson and DJ Williams. I'm sure there's potentially another DB and a DL that he'll add, but only at his price. I, too, would like Chris Clemons at free safety, Bears fan on Twitter, and I'm sure Phil Emery would too, but I doubt he's willing to pay him big money he's probably not worth under any objective evaluation and have the opportunity cost be the chance to draft a potentially elite safety in the first round or possibly even make a run at a top tier safety in free agency Next year.
Is Phil also probably aware that even with the new guys added and the guy's re-signed from last year (Jay Ratliff, Nate Collins, DJ Williams, Charles Tillman) the defense, while undoubtedly better, is still probably far from good? Sure. Are there more bearded, real tree camo loving band-aids out there who could get this defense in better shape for 2014 alone out there? Absolutely. He's not going to go down that road, for several reasons:
1) That approach is a large reason why we're in the mess we're in in the first place, and it only gets worse down the road.
The 2013 Bears defense was based on a hope that the 2012 defense, long in the tooth and overpriced as it was, could handle one more trip around the sun without a total collapse, giving Emery time to pick and choose where he needed to infuse the roster with younger talent. That didn't happen, injuries and age wiped out the costliest and most important players on the roster, and there were no experienced reinforcements ready to step in, largely thanks to the fact that, as many have pointed out with the departure of Henry Melton, there's not a single damn player left on the roster from Jerry Angelo's 2004-2010 drafts other than Matt Forte. That's damn hard to overcome. It actually says a lot about Emery and even Angelo too that the team's managed to be competitive and avoid a Cowboys or Skins like cap hell while still having to rely largely on players developed by other organizations, but the day of reckoning came. The fanbase is going to have to accept, as Emery seemingly has, that the best case scenario for the defense in 2014 may just be "strive for mediocrity" while Phil loads up in the draft and keeps the cap clear to target top young defensive talent in free agency next year.
2) They don't need to be the 2012 Bears Defense to Win
This is important. This team won 8 games last year despite a defense that was historically bad. If the run defense alone had been competent (something that seems the only safe assumption about the 2014 Bears given that Young, Houston, Ratliff, Collins, Briggs, and Tillman are all better run defenders than their predecessors/the people filling in for them while were hurt last year) they probably prevent the upset losses they suffered at the hands of the Rams and Vikings and earn themselves a playoff berth. Next year the offense should be capable of carrying a mediocre defense, and if that's the one year solution the team needs to accept in order to position themselves for a true rebuild of the defense going forward, I can accept that.
In short, I like the moves the Bears have made so far, and I understand the ones they haven't made to this point. I think they'll be better, even if the defense will likely be far from great. The path to greatness isn't paved with whatever is left in free agency anyway. Hopefully Phil can buck recent trends on defense and find that route in the draft. Go Bears.
If your team engages in a spending spree they'll be acclaimed a dream team by fans and some writers while having others tut tut and point out that "offseason champs" rarely win real Superbowls. If your team doesn't spend you'll have plenty of people asking why they are sitting idle.
The fact of the matter is that NFL Free Agency is neither the fool's gold some writers and organizations view it as nor the quick path to success that the Redskins and Cowboys desperately wish to believe it is. Like everything else it's a useful tool that has to be carefully managed and scrutinized. People will praise the Seahawks largely home-built roster till the cows come home and rightfully so, but it's hard to picture them hoisting that trophy without the contributions of Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and Marshawn Lynch, all key cogs acquired from other teams. Likewise, the Broncos got to the game thanks to their free agent QB, guard, DT, and CB, but these things will be forgotten the next time someone wants to make a point as to why free agency is pointless.
In the NFL free agency boils down to the same thing it does in every sport: pay for future performance, not past performance. At the truly elite positions, this is hard to do in the NFL. Most teams aren't going to let those players escape in their primes. If you're seeking a double-digit sack guy, a franchise QB, or an all-Pro wideout, well, you're screwed, and you're going to spend way too much money for their closest passable imitation on the market and end up disappointed anyway.
But if you're content to just add good players, if you look for guys you can build around, even if they aren't the cornerstones, and you pay them accordingly, there's some good stuff to be had. I believe that's what Phil has done so far.
I like Lamarr Houston. He's not likely to suddenly morph into double-digit sack guy, like some fans have tried to project, nor does he need to justify the deal he was given like some sports-writers have suggested. Phil Emery's neither stupid or dishonest. He knows what Lamarr Houston is, he's said what Lamarr Houston is, and he paid Lamarr Houston fair market value for exactly what he offers: downright elite run defense and average pass rush. He's not a player that needs to come off the field in passing situations. He'll make quarterbacks uncomfortable, and he'll open up opportunities for other guys to do more than that. It's a good signing.
Willie Young's also a good signing. Like, Houston (26), and unlike many other free agents, he's still under 30 (28) and is entering the prime years of his career. Last year was his first where he got starter's reps, and he turned in a very solid season as a pass rusher (60 total QB pressures, even if he had just 4 sacks). The deal pays Willie Young like the solid rotational player he is at worst (3 years, 9 million) and could end up being a steal if he, not Houston, develops into the ten sack guy people think he's capable of being.
Ryan Mundy is a guy who probably won't embarrass himself if forced to start. Fortunately for us, that's light years above last year's contributor at the strong safety position, Major Wright, who finished dead f*&king last in PFF's safety rankings. That's really all I've got there.
As for the rest of the back end of the roster guys the Bears have added (MD Jennings, other shitty safeties likely to only be special teamers, Domenik Hixon), well, snooze. If you're panicking and screaming that MD Jennings isn't starter material, well, relax. Emery's not thinking that either, and Jennings' pay check spells that out.
I don't think Emery is done yet. There are bargains still to be had out there, and Phil did a good job last year in scouring the secondary market to bring in guys like Slauson and DJ Williams. I'm sure there's potentially another DB and a DL that he'll add, but only at his price. I, too, would like Chris Clemons at free safety, Bears fan on Twitter, and I'm sure Phil Emery would too, but I doubt he's willing to pay him big money he's probably not worth under any objective evaluation and have the opportunity cost be the chance to draft a potentially elite safety in the first round or possibly even make a run at a top tier safety in free agency Next year.
Is Phil also probably aware that even with the new guys added and the guy's re-signed from last year (Jay Ratliff, Nate Collins, DJ Williams, Charles Tillman) the defense, while undoubtedly better, is still probably far from good? Sure. Are there more bearded, real tree camo loving band-aids out there who could get this defense in better shape for 2014 alone out there? Absolutely. He's not going to go down that road, for several reasons:
1) That approach is a large reason why we're in the mess we're in in the first place, and it only gets worse down the road.
The 2013 Bears defense was based on a hope that the 2012 defense, long in the tooth and overpriced as it was, could handle one more trip around the sun without a total collapse, giving Emery time to pick and choose where he needed to infuse the roster with younger talent. That didn't happen, injuries and age wiped out the costliest and most important players on the roster, and there were no experienced reinforcements ready to step in, largely thanks to the fact that, as many have pointed out with the departure of Henry Melton, there's not a single damn player left on the roster from Jerry Angelo's 2004-2010 drafts other than Matt Forte. That's damn hard to overcome. It actually says a lot about Emery and even Angelo too that the team's managed to be competitive and avoid a Cowboys or Skins like cap hell while still having to rely largely on players developed by other organizations, but the day of reckoning came. The fanbase is going to have to accept, as Emery seemingly has, that the best case scenario for the defense in 2014 may just be "strive for mediocrity" while Phil loads up in the draft and keeps the cap clear to target top young defensive talent in free agency next year.
2) They don't need to be the 2012 Bears Defense to Win
This is important. This team won 8 games last year despite a defense that was historically bad. If the run defense alone had been competent (something that seems the only safe assumption about the 2014 Bears given that Young, Houston, Ratliff, Collins, Briggs, and Tillman are all better run defenders than their predecessors/the people filling in for them while were hurt last year) they probably prevent the upset losses they suffered at the hands of the Rams and Vikings and earn themselves a playoff berth. Next year the offense should be capable of carrying a mediocre defense, and if that's the one year solution the team needs to accept in order to position themselves for a true rebuild of the defense going forward, I can accept that.
In short, I like the moves the Bears have made so far, and I understand the ones they haven't made to this point. I think they'll be better, even if the defense will likely be far from great. The path to greatness isn't paved with whatever is left in free agency anyway. Hopefully Phil can buck recent trends on defense and find that route in the draft. Go Bears.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Seriously, Steve, another one?
I come at these columns pretty hard. I use a lot of words, and most of them are derogatory. But only Steve Rosenbloom has ever actually made me physically angry in a column before. And he's managed to do it twice in one week.
Now there are a lot of dumb things that get said about this football team by a lot of different people. Steve, though, is just an asshole. He's petty and mean, and when he can't find facts that justify that attitude he just plain invents fantasy scenarios to get angry about. Because he is a bad writer, he can't come up with 1,000 uninterrupted words that anyone would willingly read unless he's made them irrationally angry, whether it's at the team or at Steve himself.
I won't feign resignation this time, as soon as I read the headline I wanted to rip this pathetic pail of putrid and possibly plagued poop to pieces.
That alliteration is the last happy thing that will happen in this post. All the other pictures are of heads exploding.
Now there are a lot of dumb things that get said about this football team by a lot of different people. Steve, though, is just an asshole. He's petty and mean, and when he can't find facts that justify that attitude he just plain invents fantasy scenarios to get angry about. Because he is a bad writer, he can't come up with 1,000 uninterrupted words that anyone would willingly read unless he's made them irrationally angry, whether it's at the team or at Steve himself.
I won't feign resignation this time, as soon as I read the headline I wanted to rip this pathetic pail of putrid and possibly plagued poop to pieces.
That alliteration is the last happy thing that will happen in this post. All the other pictures are of heads exploding.
Monday, March 10, 2014
This is just sad, even for the offseason.
Ahh the offseason. What's a football columnist to do without any football happenings? Make a total ass of himself. That's the answer.
This column by the Tribune's Steve Rosenbloom started from a reasonable enough standpoint for the kind of obvious waffle that fills up the time between the Super Bowl and free agency. Shea McClellin was a bust at DE, and now the best he can hope for is to compete to maybe earn snaps at linebacker.
But you can't write 1,000 incensed words about that at this point, so Steve had to try to take it a step further. Clearly, the lack of success on Shea's part is indicative of some horrible failure on Phil Emery's. Let me tell you, the result is not pretty. Usually I just kind of surf the Chicago newspapers until something catches my eye, but we actually got requests that I put this loathsome piece of shit out of its misery. And so, with a heavy heart, I dug out my italics.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The Best to Ever Do It
Devin Hester told the world today what most of us had assumed for a while: he won't be back as a Bear next year. The greatest kick returner in NFL history will wear another uniform next year, and, well, that's OK.
When these things happen people tend to take extreme positions. There will be those who will react to Devin's departure the same way they reacted to Olin Kreutz or maybe even Urlacher's. There'll be some talk about loyalty and disrespect and the rest. Others will completely write off Devin and his contribution, will say he has nothing left to offer, that it was right to move on.
I obviously fall more into the latter group. Devin, despite some pretty impressive returns last year including the TD against Washington, obviously isn't the guy that he used to be. That's not really an insult, because it's kind of hard for anyone to be the greatest goddamn kick returner in the history of the game forever. I'd still take him over just about any kick returner in the league, but I understand and agree with the team realizing they have more important places to spend their money than a specialist.
But damn, he was really something for awhile, wasn't he? Even now, after the touchdowns and the return average started to decline, you never really felt like you could take your eyes off the screen when the ball was in the air and headed towards him, did you? The Bears have been a lot of things in my lifetime, but up until this year's offense, I can't really say they had anyone other than Devin who was truly electrifying.
In a way, Devin was the victim of his own success. A guy that dominant on special teams, with that kind of speed, can't just be left alone. The Bears owed it to Devin and to themselves to see if he could be something more. Of course, we know that experiment was largely a failure. It's pretty sad that after he played the position full-time for five seasons, you can think of far more exciting moments of Devin Hester, Kick Returner, than Devin Hester, receiver. His failures at one led us to sometimes downplay his successes at the other, and that's ludicrous. We owed him more than that. His career shouldn't really be followed with a "yeah, but he couldn't do More." He deserves to be remembered the way he said it himself:
"I am a kick and punt returner, but at the same time, I'm the best to ever do it."
It's a shame we ever thought that wasn't enough. It was, Devin. Good luck. Thanks for the memories.
When these things happen people tend to take extreme positions. There will be those who will react to Devin's departure the same way they reacted to Olin Kreutz or maybe even Urlacher's. There'll be some talk about loyalty and disrespect and the rest. Others will completely write off Devin and his contribution, will say he has nothing left to offer, that it was right to move on.
I obviously fall more into the latter group. Devin, despite some pretty impressive returns last year including the TD against Washington, obviously isn't the guy that he used to be. That's not really an insult, because it's kind of hard for anyone to be the greatest goddamn kick returner in the history of the game forever. I'd still take him over just about any kick returner in the league, but I understand and agree with the team realizing they have more important places to spend their money than a specialist.
But damn, he was really something for awhile, wasn't he? Even now, after the touchdowns and the return average started to decline, you never really felt like you could take your eyes off the screen when the ball was in the air and headed towards him, did you? The Bears have been a lot of things in my lifetime, but up until this year's offense, I can't really say they had anyone other than Devin who was truly electrifying.
In a way, Devin was the victim of his own success. A guy that dominant on special teams, with that kind of speed, can't just be left alone. The Bears owed it to Devin and to themselves to see if he could be something more. Of course, we know that experiment was largely a failure. It's pretty sad that after he played the position full-time for five seasons, you can think of far more exciting moments of Devin Hester, Kick Returner, than Devin Hester, receiver. His failures at one led us to sometimes downplay his successes at the other, and that's ludicrous. We owed him more than that. His career shouldn't really be followed with a "yeah, but he couldn't do More." He deserves to be remembered the way he said it himself:
"I am a kick and punt returner, but at the same time, I'm the best to ever do it."
It's a shame we ever thought that wasn't enough. It was, Devin. Good luck. Thanks for the memories.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Ch-ch-ch-changes
We apologize for there not being a SKOdcast last week. I will note that I was the only one who actually was available to do it, so once again please direct all your complaints to my compatriots. They are bad people, and should be punished for their perfidy.
Anyway, this is as good a time as any to mention an upcoming change. Starting this week, we'll be recording the podcast using Skype; which means you can expect a considerable increase in sound quality and a way smaller chance every given week of our conflicting schedules resulting in no podcast at all. Unfortunately for the three of you who actually do it, this means your ability to listen live will be going away.
We'll work on finding a way to still post the audio on the site, but for now it will probably just be a link to the iTunes page where you can download them all. My goal would be to continue posting on Thursday nights, so for now you can still expect that warm light in the darkness that is this life.
Anyway, this is as good a time as any to mention an upcoming change. Starting this week, we'll be recording the podcast using Skype; which means you can expect a considerable increase in sound quality and a way smaller chance every given week of our conflicting schedules resulting in no podcast at all. Unfortunately for the three of you who actually do it, this means your ability to listen live will be going away.
We'll work on finding a way to still post the audio on the site, but for now it will probably just be a link to the iTunes page where you can download them all. My goal would be to continue posting on Thursday nights, so for now you can still expect that warm light in the darkness that is this life.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
We Missed You, David
There was a certain kind of resignation in the Chicago sports media in the second half of this year. They couldn't in good conscience say anything bad about the offense, and they even fell on the right side of the "quarterback controversy" ESPN kept trying to stir up. They didn't really know what to do when we were presented with pretty solid evidence that everything we'd asked for from this offense in the last five years was suddenly coming true, but we couldn't enjoy it because our defense just... stopped.
I should commend them, honestly. A lot of stupid things were said about this football team, and my usual targets weren't the problem. Sure, they talked about Josh McCown a lot... but if we're being honest, it was at least a subject worth discussing. There was clearly a right and wrong answer, but I won't pretend there was absolutely no cause to say the guy's name.
But they can't be held down forever. When there's football on and league stuff to talk about, they'll go that way. But now it's the offseason, and they still have columns to write. Remember, this is a crew that will invent controversies where none exist to get themselves to training camp.
With that in mind, David Haugh got an early start by writing a lovely column about how the reason the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl was the Jay Cutler trade in 2009. Not getting Peyton Manning in free agency, not acquiring two of the "Four Horsemen" and a good running back from sources that weren't the Chicago Bears, but getting two pretty good draft picks for Jay Cutler.
This article is such naked anti-Cutler drivel that Hub Arkush and Dan Berenstein called Haugh out for it, and I have it on good authority that those guys have wet dreams about Jay Cutler throwing a game-losing pick six in the Super Bowl.
Behold, David Haugh:
I should commend them, honestly. A lot of stupid things were said about this football team, and my usual targets weren't the problem. Sure, they talked about Josh McCown a lot... but if we're being honest, it was at least a subject worth discussing. There was clearly a right and wrong answer, but I won't pretend there was absolutely no cause to say the guy's name.
But they can't be held down forever. When there's football on and league stuff to talk about, they'll go that way. But now it's the offseason, and they still have columns to write. Remember, this is a crew that will invent controversies where none exist to get themselves to training camp.
With that in mind, David Haugh got an early start by writing a lovely column about how the reason the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl was the Jay Cutler trade in 2009. Not getting Peyton Manning in free agency, not acquiring two of the "Four Horsemen" and a good running back from sources that weren't the Chicago Bears, but getting two pretty good draft picks for Jay Cutler.
This article is such naked anti-Cutler drivel that Hub Arkush and Dan Berenstein called Haugh out for it, and I have it on good authority that those guys have wet dreams about Jay Cutler throwing a game-losing pick six in the Super Bowl.
Behold, David Haugh:
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Episode 33 of the SKOdCast
Just in time for the superbowl here's our most recent podcast, where we discuss Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch, Star Wars, Superman, Which Tennessee Titans Are Cancerous, Guess That Raider, and More:
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Episode 33 of the SKOdCast Coming at 6:15....Also Here's Episode 32 Because I forgot
So there was a SKOdCast last week, you may find it here:
As for this week's adventures, you may find them here:
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/127741
See ya then!
As for this week's adventures, you may find them here:
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/127741
See ya then!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
SKOdCast 31: The Reckoning
We render verdicts on Chris Conte, Mel Tucker, the Jay Cutler extension, Lovie's new gig, and more:
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