It doesn’t look to me as though they pushed him aside, per se. Toub interviewed for the HC position; when they decided to not make him a finalist, it sounds like they told him that he was then free to pursue other options. He might’ve had the option to interview with the new HC, but it doesn’t sound like Emery was going to mandate that Toub be kept.
Andy Reid had given Toub his first NFL gig, and he’s re-joining Reid in KC…so, it sounds like it’s a case of returning to a boss whom he knows fairly well.
The Trib article I linked to above pretty accurately nails it. Sounds like Toub to the Chiefs was the safe play and he’s excited for a new challenge. Toub clearly feels the Bears handled the situation as fairly and graciously as they could have.
I hear that every year, and every year Cutler disappoints the people saying it. Whether it was the jump he was going to make once he felt appreciated by the Bears and away from toxic Denver, or whether it was the arrival of Mike Martz, who was going to help his mechanics and give him so many options, or last year when he got his #1 WR, his QB coach, and a solid RB, there is always someone who makes excuses for his lack of development. If he doesn’t make that step this year, I’m sure it will be the new offense needs time to click, or Brandon Marshall wasn’t as good after throwing a fit (Trestman really kinda pissed off Jerry Rice and Tim Brown), or the O line, or any of a dozen other excuses for his consistently poor ranking as a QB.
I guess I don’t see the “ton” he’s done when I look at him play or when I check his stats. He’s very good when he has a stud WR, has great protection, and faces average defenses, but so are most mediocre QB’s. But, as always, we will see.
The Bears and every team in the NFL not named the 49ers.
It’s seems to be mostly you that is disappointed. Everyone in Chicago who watches the games is mostly on board. They want more, but you’re the only one I see calling him “poor”.
The stat that you always conveniently ignore that most people universally accept as the gold standard for QB is wins/losses.
Cutler is 7-9, 10-5, 7-3 and 10-5 in his starts with the Bears. Considering he was practically a one-man show, I see that as pretty respectable.
I don’t recall calling him poor. No better than average? Sure. Mediocre? Maybe. Overrated? Most definitely. Not worth 2 first round picks, third rounder, and a QB? Oh Yeah. But poor? Nah, I don’t think he’s poor.
Wait. Wasn’t it you who discounted the win/loss records of Orton and Cutler when the trade was first made? I vaguely remember pointing to that very measure, and you scoffing. My, how things change.
Of course you do. But only if the QB’s name is Jay Cutler. If your name is Rex Grossman, you take your team to the Super Bowl, and you’re 13-3 in 2006, it’s not. Or if your name is Kyle Orton and you’re 21-12 with the Bears, it’s not.
My point was always that Orton was fine, but he was maxed out and had no upside. Cutler has been somewhat better than Orton thus far and it’s universally agreed that there’s a ton of extra potential there. Orton’s never winning you a Super Bowl, Jay still might. And that’s the point.
You keep making the case that Grossman, Orton and Cutler are somehow equivalent, or at least in the same ballpark. You did it when the trade happened and you are still doing it. I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is an absurd statement.
Let’s just put this to rest and spare everyone else’s time.
Cutler >> Orton
Cutler >> Grossman
Orton over-achieved. Grossman vacillated between over and under achieving every 15 minutes or so. Jay has under-achieved. They all won to varying degrees but Cutler has been far more consistent than any of them.
But, because Cutler >> Orton it’s still a smart trade.
In the last decade it’s pretty safe to say that Cutler is the most successful QB traded for in the last decade unless I’m forgetting someone. He’s the most expensive as well, but this is why. We see what the Redskins gave up for RG3. You can piss and moan about the Cutler deal until you’re blue in the face but that’s the market, everyone but you seems to have made peace with it.
When was the last time you read a article questioning the wisdom of the Cutler trade? Pretty much universal acceptance that it was at the very least a fair deal if not a steal.
And my point is that he’s not come close to reaching that “upside”. Each passing year we argue about him, he continues to not develop, and each year I hear “next year will be different”.
It would be easier to put to rest if you understood what I was saying. I’m not saying Cutler is a worse QB than Orton or Grossman, I’m pointing out that your ever-changing rationale for determining he’s better aren’t always true. This latest was that won/loss record was the most important measure, and I simply pointed out two QB’s that I know you think suck who show that your measure isn’t very good. A point which you agreed back when the trade was made.
Right now in only one season, RGIII is a better QB and a bigger addition to his team than Cutler has ever been, and likely will ever be. Or do you think Cutler >>> RG3?
I am ecstatic that you’re happy with the trade. I’m happy that all the people you listen to are happy with the trade. I’m hoping he does slightly better than he has in the past few years, gets a long term contract with the Bears, and continues to be the average QB who never lives up to his potential, he has been since his career started. I like that Cutler is on the Bears, and I look forward to every game he plays against the Packers. Your thoughts on Cutler and his value, while wrong, make me happy. And my happiness is all that really matters anyway.
When Chip Kelly was actually being seriously considered as the Eagles next coach (you know, before he fell off the radar), the biggest question was always how he would handle the defense. Now that Kelly is in town, the name being tossed about most for DC is Georgia’s Todd Grantham.
SenorBeef, he was the Browns DC for a few seasons, what do you remember about him?
Ah, sorry. I missed this thread before. I wonder what Ron Jaworski is saying about Chip Kelly, given that Kelly told the Oregon AD that he was staying at OR, and that Jaworski “doesn’t like liars.”
Oh, and I’m hearing reports that Kelly’s Oregon assistants learned about his move via Twitter.
I’ve been pretty accepting of Kelly’s waffling. Its a big decision and he has a lot of competing priorities. I don’t ding the guy too much for it. But, when I saw a quick parking lot interview with him he came across as a complete doofus and his explanation for why the process went the way it did was barely coherent. It amounted to “I wanted to go back and tell my players and coaches in person I was leaving”…um, okay. That doesn’t even kinda hold water.
I’m convinced the Chip Kelly era is going to go comically bad for the Eagles and once the Philly fans turn on him he will Petrino on them.
Last post got cut off somehow, sorry if it came off unnecessarily harsh. Here’s a link to the video I saw. I thought Kelly came off as nuanced and likable, and his answers seemed sincere. I don’t understand your comments in the slightest.
“How tough of a decision was this?”
“I left a special, special place. And that’s probably what took me so long to make a decision. The challenge is what I was excited about, and that’s why I came. It’s a great city, it’s an iconic franchise, they’ve got an unbelievable owner. But I left some great people back at Oregon and that was the tough part.”
Even considering he literally just got off a flight from Oregon to Pennsylvania on what has to be one of the weirder days in his life, that’s coherent.
His line about Santa Claus was awesome and his answer about this being his dream job is nothing but sincere (it can’t be taken any other way, because that’s not the answer 999 guys give out of 1000).
I think the interview I saw, which was a really short snippet, was done shortly before or after that one and filmed by someone else. It was a woman asking a question and him mumbling through the answer.
These comments in full context make more sense, but I still don’t think his actions and his comments really line up. If it was his dream job what the hell happened after the first interview?
He’s one of those rah rah fired up guys. The players like him. It’s hard to say if he ran the defense he wanted to run, because Crennel would reel him in. He seems to want to be aggressive, but I was never terribly impressed with his schemes. He didn’t have anything personel wise to work with.
Rumors are that he tried to help stage a coup of sorts against Crennel, but it’s hard to hold it against him because just about everyone with any sense probably wanted to do that.
The only year under Crennel the defense was interesting to watch was 2008, after Grantham was gone, but that was almost entirely due to the incredible one man performance of Shaun Rogers.
That was my favorite part about his answer (I think I mis-characterized his response in my post). It isn’t his dream job, he basically said so. 99.9% of PC media-huggers would have said it was.
I’m worried he’ll pull a Saban/Petrino, especially after he has basically walked away from the NFL twice now, and then even changed his mind back this time. But I can absolutely understand that part–the anxiety and worry about such a huge decision. I don’t think anything had to have happened after the first interview. He probably got cold feet standing on that precipice and backed down and then realized that if he didn’t jump he might never get to. If you haven’t experienced that, you probably aren’t human.
His results certainly weren’t terrific. The Browns got better every season in points allowed, but in yardage allowed they got significantly worse. The rumors say Kelly wants someone to be aggressive, so maybe Grantham will get to be more of that. My very limited understanding is that Georgia’s D is much more aggressive and much more successful since Grantham came aboard, so that piece fits a little bit.
Crennel doesn’t strike me as the type who has a pulse, let alone would allow his team to have one. But, understandable or not, after going through the last season’s soap opera drama, I’m not thrilled with the idea of bringing in a guy who could promote mutiny (Fuck you Washburn).
So, who are the established defensive guys who are out there that could come in? Lovie said he’ll sit out instead of be a DC, so he’s out. Jauron is rumored to be out in Cleveland, Marinelli out in Chicago, and Capers out in Green Bay (Capers being the only one not likely to be out). Anyone else? Who would you choose if given the chance?
I predict that Gregg Easterbrook’s column next week will have Kelly as the latest example of a weasel coach. Honestly, considering the amount of money there is in college football these days, I don’t know why any successful college coach would go to the NFL unless they see it as a challenge.
Because they dislike the recruiting process and don’t want to have to worry about being sanctioned because some 19-year-old accepts gifts from a booster?
Apparently (according to Adam Schefter at least) the Chargers have landed Ken Whisenhunt to be the new OC. If they can hold on to John Pagano as the DC, I will be pretty darn thrilled with their new staff.