I feel my cynicism melting away

[BreadNCircuses]

We had key long term injuries this year to very expensive players - the most expensive in their position group:

Hicks - 5%
Burton - 4%
Trevathan - 4%
Long - 3%

I can't find anyone who has compiled this particular stat so we can compare to other teams, but I've been thinking about it when thinking about how I evaluate Pace. You can only have so many expensive players in a position group, so if your expensive guys get hurt and you don't hit on the cheap guys, you're in trouble. So in sum, Pace is an idiot for thinking that Coward and Braunaker were adequate depth, but otherwise did a good job.

Our interior DL depth was a bit of a miracle and a credit to Pace's roster building. Cheap young players and castoff Nick Williams held up fairly well. Similarly, ILB. Kwit and some no-names filled in very well at ILB.

The opposite was true at TE and OG. I would say our RG was the worst Bear on the field for the whole season. This has to be improved for sure, and Pace has already hit (in my opinion) on two interior OL guys. I can't say I have any faith in his ability to spot TE talent but I did really like Burton for the first half of the 2018 season so fingers crossed on that I guess?

The 2020 Bears need to solidify TE, OG, ILB, CB, and SS next year along with the existing talent. Those guys might be on the team or might not. I like the coaching hires so I'll be watching these positions through the offseason and training camp but it feels doable. Two second rounders, two FAs, and one guy stepping up from the current roster would do it. Then we just need Trubisky to be average or better...

This is a critically important point. And in fairness to Braunaker, he was viewed as a 3rd or 4th TE and 4 phase special teams guy. With both your expensive free agent TE and your (admittedly underperforming) 2nd round draft pick TE both sitting on the shelf (and then, eventually, Braunaker going on IR), it's not a surprise to see that group under-perform. Upside, I think Holtz probably showed enough to make the team next year.

[wab]

I think Holtz probably showed enough to make the team next year.

I worry that Holtz and Horsted not completely sucking will cause fans to overvalue their worth. Holtz is fine in the h-back kinda role I guess, and I'd like to see Horsted back in camp... but make no mistake, the Bears need to completely overhaul this position behind Burton (and even kinda including Burton).

[BreadNCircuses]

I think Holtz probably showed enough to make the team next year.

I worry that Holtz and Horsted not completely sucking will cause fans to overvalue their worth. Holtz is fine in the h-back kinda role I guess, and I'd like to see Horsted back in camp... but make no mistake, the Bears need to completely overhaul this position behind Burton (and even kinda including Burton).

I agree. But Burton is almost certainly a bear next year for contract reasons alone

[UOK]

Wab, at least appreciate this irony: as cynical as some Bears fans are about the team, you are equally cynical about Bears fans. If anyone is at all critical, you jump their shit. Allow room for thoughtful criticism, it’s healthy.

In mild defense of wab, it gets really, really tiresome poring through threads during these disappointing seasons. I get that forums are a coping mechanism in down years, but the amount of repetition and raising of stakes gets really old.

Trubisky's horrid first half, the losses to Chargers and Rams, and of course being beaten by Green Bay all sapped a lot of people's patience. As there were still tendrils of hope going into the final few games, people still held on, but Bears fans have a deep, deep well of cynicism and defeatism inside of them that only several other fanbases in sports can understand.

There's no easy way to deal with "I root for a shitty franchise." It's the whole 5 steps of grief thing.

1. DENIAL (first few losses): "They may have lost, but it's just one game. Plenty of time to turn things around! Winning cures everything!"

2. ANGER (losses continue): "Are you fucking kidding me? I thought this was supposed to be a conference title contending team?"

3. BARGAINING (season hangs by a thread): "Please lord, I'll sit in a different part of the couch, I'll never use Ranch dressing anymore, I'll cancel my subscription to Hustler, ANYTHING to help the Bears win out!"

4. DEPRESSION (season is fucked): "Fuck this team. Anyone who is positive is wrong. Anyone who believes there's hope is an idiot. I've made so many poor choices of who to root for. I hate these bastards and myself."

5. ACCEPTANCE: "We're just kind of a middle of the road franchise, and our ownership/president are imbeciles who will never relinquish the team, so I guess I'll just keep jerking off every year until by the dumbest of luck these assholes win another championship."

[BreadNCircuses]

In fairness, win or lose, I'll keep jerking off every year.

Love yourself first, after all!

[Moriarty]

In fairness, win or lose, I'll keep jerking off every year.

Love yourself first, after all!

"If you can't be
with the one you love,
love the one you're with"

[dplank]

Wab, at least appreciate this irony: as cynical as some Bears fans are about the team, you are equally cynical about Bears fans. If anyone is at all critical, you jump their shit. Allow room for thoughtful criticism, it’s healthy.

In mild defense of wab, it gets really, really tiresome poring through threads during these disappointing seasons. I get that forums are a coping mechanism in down years, but the amount of repetition and raising of stakes gets really old.

Trubisky's horrid first half, the losses to Chargers and Rams, and of course being beaten by Green Bay all sapped a lot of people's patience. As there were still tendrils of hope going into the final few games, people still held on, but Bears fans have a deep, deep well of cynicism and defeatism inside of them that only several other fanbases in sports can understand.

There's no easy way to deal with "I root for a shitty franchise." It's the whole 5 steps of grief thing.

1. DENIAL (first few losses): "They may have lost, but it's just one game. Plenty of time to turn things around! Winning cures everything!"

2. ANGER (losses continue): "Are you fucking kidding me? I thought this was supposed to be a conference title contending team?"

3. BARGAINING (season hangs by a thread): "Please lord, I'll sit in a different part of the couch, I'll never use Ranch dressing anymore, I'll cancel my subscription to Hustler, ANYTHING to help the Bears win out!"

4. DEPRESSION (season is fucked): "Fuck this team. Anyone who is positive is wrong. Anyone who believes there's hope is an idiot. I've made so many poor choices of who to root for. I hate these bastards and myself."

5. ACCEPTANCE: "We're just kind of a middle of the road franchise, and our ownership/president are imbeciles who will never relinquish the team, so I guess I'll just keep jerking off every year until by the dumbest of luck these assholes win another championship."

[video][/video]

[Drone7]

The Bears have relatively good talent on offense, UOK?

Are UOK?

Whitehair - stud. agreed, best OL on the team and versatile. btw not a project pick and it paid off
Robinson - stud
Daniels - not bad
Miller - good when healthy
Gabriel - good when healthy
Burton - not bad when healthy
Massie - good when healthy
Leno - pretty good.
Trubisky - not bad when he's not having a crisis of confidence. no, he's been a below average QB overall and has certainly not played up to his draft position
Cohen - pretty good
Montgomery - pretty good

Just because you're up your own ass about this being the worst Bears offense since Jonathan Quinn was handing off to Adrian Peterson and throwing to Dustin Lyman doesn't make this current roster comparable. Lighten up.

I agree with some of your takes...Whitehair, ARob...other than Cohen, Burton and Daniels (LG not C where he struggled) you overrate the rest...injuries happen: the depth players aren't good either...the O has been subpar the whole Pace tenure...although they were more efficient scoring last season

[wab]

”We're just kind of a middle of the road franchise, and our ownership/president are imbeciles who will never relinquish the team, so I guess I'll just keep jerking off every year until by the dumbest of luck these assholes win another championship."

ARE YOU IN MY HEAD?

[AZ_Bearfan]

Instructions unclear.

Dick stuck in Lombardi Trophy.

[BreadNCircuses]

Instructions unclear.

Dick stuck in Lombardi Trophy.

Again? We talked about this.

[ramentaschen]

Boy, watching some of these playoff games makes me realize how far we are from being a good team that can at least compete with other clubs. We are pretty far off, for a lot of reasons. It’s not just one area that needs to improve, its at multiple places. Specifically the QB, Oline, and TE play but also the coaching as well as the schemes we run.

Looking at next year I really don’t see how one can be optimistic about our chances. We are kind of locked in and stuck with a few players that are declining. I’m just talking the truth here and being brutally honest. 2019 was a big step backwards. Even with a good draft and some key pickups in 2020 I just can’t see us going toe to toe with legitimate contenders.

[The Cooler King]

Boy, watching some of these playoff games makes me realize how far we are from being a good team that can at least compete with other clubs. We are pretty far off, for a lot of reasons. It’s not just one area that needs to improve, its at multiple places. Specifically the QB, Oline, and TE play but also the coaching as well as the schemes we run.

Looking at next year I really don’t see how one can be optimistic about our chances. We are kind of locked in and stuck with a few players that are declining. I’m just talking the truth here and being brutally honest. 2019 was a big step backwards. Even with a good draft and some key pickups in 2020 I just can’t see us going toe to toe with legitimate contenders.

One of the teams playing next weekend just came off consecutive 2, 6, and 4 win seasons...

[Drone7]

Same team destroyed the Packers twice while the Bears were soundly beaten by their rivals.

We need to stop living in 2018.

Agree with Mr, ramentaschen. This likely isn't a quick fix for a variety of reasons.

[G08]

Same team destroyed the Packers twice while the Bears were soundly beaten by their rivals.

We need to stop living in 2018.

Agree with Mr, ramentaschen. This likely isn't a quick fix for a variety of reasons.

Soundly beaten: 7 point loss week 1, 8 point loss week 15




Lordy.

[docc]

Good grief..
Soundly beaten ??

Oh..Rex beat me to it..

[Drone7]

ok, insert "outplayed"

49s beat the tar out of the Packers twice and the Bears were outplayed twice

feel better?

[wab]

ok, insert "outplayed"

49s beat the tar out of the Packers twice and the Bears were outplayed twice

feel better?

I don’t even know what to do with these posts anymore

[The Marshall Plan]

ok, insert "outplayed"

49s beat the tar out of the Packers twice and the Bears were outplayed twice

feel better?

I don’t even know what to do with these posts anymore

Yep.