Except against TB. More Ints (1 TD Return) than TDS and < 50% completion seems to be a implosion.
Thanksgiving Day-Lions 56 Packers 3.
Oughtta package that stuff and sell it, gonzomax. It’s sure to be a big hit with them as love fantasies. 
*Note: I started composing this message yesterday before the news story Hamlet posted. *
I was wondering to myself today (after hearing some of the talk about Charlie Weis potentially being fired and Pod Vader hoping to see his act over in Buffalo coaching the Bills) which candidate I’d ideally like to see working as the Offensive Coordinator in Chicago next season. If the Bears season continues the way it is now and the offense continues struggling the way it has there will almost have to be a change. If the popular consensus is correct that Lovie’s contract makes him essentially safe Ron Turner’s head will be on the chopping block. And frankly, it should be.
Now, operating from the assumption that Angelo and Lovie are still going to be in their respective positions and the organization grows a set of balls and brings in an OC who’s not necessarily one of “Lovie’s Guys” who’d be the best fit? Of course part of the process is speculating on who’s available, and I’m hoping you guys have some ideas.
Charlie Weis - Assuming he is indeed fired, would he be a coveted candidate for a OC job in the NFL? There’s little chance he becomes a HC in my opinion following the failure at Notre Dame, but ND did have a pretty consistently solid offense. Obviously his past association with the Pats looks good on his resume even if he was gone before the really huge offensive seasons and considering the flop that the bulk of the Belichick tree has been. I wouldn’t be too thrilled with him at Halas Hall but it’s a name that might be kicked around.
Mike Martz - No idea what he and Lovie’s relationship is but the Rams connection certainly merits notice. I’m not sure how the Martz pass happy scheme could work on the Bears and after his struggles in San Fran and Detroit his genius cred has slipped some, but I have to think he’d be an asset for Cutler. We need a guy who’ll excel at crafting a system to suit our talent instead of vice versa, and I’m not sure how Martz fits that mold. My gut tells me that he’d try and shoehorn our guys into his system, but the Bears small-fast WRs and pass catching RB resemble the types of guys he liked in St Louis and Detroit. It’s worth noting that Martz criticized Cutler earlier this year so that might be an issue depending on how pissy Cutler feels like being.
Chan Gailey - Fired by Todd Haley earlier this year it’s likely that he’ll be looking for work in the offseason and will be attainable. I’m not that familiar with the ins and outs of his abilities as an OC but he’s certainly been involved with some successful teams and has plenty of experience. I’m not sure how things would work between him and Cutler or if he’s inventive enough to work with the talent we have. He’s been a bit of a nomad over the years which is a little worrisome but long tenured guys don’t tend to be available. My biggest concern would be that he’d be more of the same.
Mike Heimerdinger - He’d probably be the ideal guy to get, but he’s currently employed by the Titans. He’s a local guy from DeKalb and it’s unclear what the chances of luring him from the Titans is considering his contract status and the upswing in Tennessee with Vince Young at the helm. However he was the primary person associated with Cutler’s quick development when he was hired to work with him in Denver. Shanahan probably isn’t an option for Chicago, and frankly I might prefer a Lovie-Heimerdinger tandem to Shanny acting as coach/GM. Heimerdinger actually expressed interest in coming to the Bears back in 2004 when Lovie got the job, but that was presumably an expectation of being a HC candidate.
There are a handful of other guys out there in current OC jobs that could be candidates if their HC gets fired at the end of the season. Kyle Shanahan in Houston, **Joe Philbin **in Green Bay, Jeff Davidson in Carolina, **Dirk Koetter **in Jacksonville to name a few that would probably not be obvious HC candidates. None are likely to be worth poaching for big money except perhaps Shanahan and considering that their bosses might be getting fired it’s uncertain how valuable they’d actually be.
Other places to look might be QB coaches across the league, certainly Cutler could use a mentor and someone he can work closely with but I’m not sure who’s out there that would merit a move to the OC role.
Ditto college coaches. As always there will be many guys looking for work in the NCAA both from the Head Coach ranks and the Coordinators. Can any of them be trusted to lead an NFL offense right now, especially one as uncertain as the Bears and with a leader as potentially difficult as Cutler? I’m skeptical but I’d love to hear suggestions.
The biggest thing is that the new candidate is going to need to be: 1) a strong personality who can challenge Lovie and own the offense, 2) a person with a solid reputation to command the respect of Cutler and the rest of the veterans, 3) a good teacher who can develop the young skill position players, 4) a good talent evaluator who can make sure the Bears are able to find cheap talent to fill holes.
Tall order all around and all those assets do little to address the need for Xs and Os. Anyone have names to add?
It would come as little surprise if either claim were true. Pretty much every football person in Chicago and every media member with access to the Bears has been explaining that there’s zero chance that Lovie is fired. And if Lovie isn’t fired it’s equally unlikely that Angelo would be. They owe far too much money to both guys and above all else the Bears hate to waste money. Loyalty plays a big role too, it’s easy to argue that a recent Super Bowl appearance earned these guys more time.
Then again, everything has been turned on it’s ear with the Cutler trade. That was wildly out of character for the franchise but truth be told that was probably a Angelo/Lovie change moreso than a McCaskey/Phillips change. You could make a pretty strong case that pressure from the top is what forced Angelo to take that gamble but that’d be pure speculation. Nonetheless, it’s only prudent to inquire about the big name coaches available even if you aren’t likely to make a move. They might just be doing their due diligence.
I’m no Lovie fan but at this point it’s Angelo and Turner who are the biggest problems. I’m not sure how to apply blame for the poor scouting and drafting or for the inconsistent and sloppy offense. No one really knows how hands-on Lovie is in both those arenas, if he’s totally hands-off then maybe, just maybe, keeping Lovie and replacing either of those guys could go a long way to fixing things.
To be fair, I loved Mike Martz with Detroit. Sure, he was pass-happy, but with his offense, you at LEAST had a punchers’ chance to win a game in a shootout.
Notre Dame ranked dead last in total offense in Division 1 in 2007 - 119th out of 119. I’m pretty sure that disqualifies Weis from the “consistently good offenses” discussion.
Martz and Cutler go together like chalk and cheese. Sure, they’ll both be happy to air it out a bunch, but Martz’ offense is about accuracy first and everything else second. I know we disagree about Cutler’s accuracy but I’m sure you’ll admit that lofting touch passes onto postage stamps is not his forte.
Gailey is done in the NFL. He’ll take a cushy college head man job and never be heard from again.
Heimerdinger would cost an awful lot of money, but he’s the sort of guy you want. Fundamental, no fancy shit. Actually, ideally you want Norv Turner - his run, run, run, throw deep offense fits Cutler perfectly. If the Chargers don’t advance past the first round of the playoffs this year I bet he’ll be available.
I’m pretty sure the odds of Norv taking the job his brother was fired from is a long shot to say the least.
Huh. Never occurred to me that they might be related.
I don’t know how bad the Lion secondary is. The Lions allow the QB to stand untouched for about a week. Nobody can watch a pro end for a long time. The Lions need a offensive and defensive line rebuilding. Even blitzing doesn’t get through.
Charles Woodson for MVP!
If the Giants win tonight, the Lions, Rams, and Buccaneers are eliminated from the playoffs.
If anything, the pass rush is the strength of the Lions defense. They’ve got 19 sacks, which puts them in the bottom half of the league (T-22nd)… but they’re a lot closer to the top half in that category than any other defensive statistic.
Well, they’re also tied for fifth in fumbles forced.
The Lions, Rams, and Buccaneers are still mathematically in this thing! Good for them.
You have not been watching them have you?
throws confetti, weeps quietly
Brady Quinn had a career day against the Lions. He and every other QB they faced, sit back and sip wine and drink coffee while they wait for the Lions rush. The opposing Qb ratings have been huge . Even Quinn had a 133.1 against the Lions. He threw more TDs in the 1st quarter than he did in his career.
Adrian Peterson.
The Vikings moved to 10-1 after steamrolling the hapless Bears today. I’ll be rooting for the Patriots tomorrow night.
Bears offense in the second half netted -3 yards and earned zero first downs.