Restructure Hester's deal. Bennett is a bargain for what he can be (Bobby Engram). The rest of the contracts don't mean much. You can even redo Crabtree's deal. Martz is somewhere pissed at all of these WR's they're bringing in.

It's a lot tied up at one position but they have the cap space and can use it. Everything else is sunk costs at this point.

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Fire Phil Emery

I guess we'll have to see the remaining "plan" is. Obviously between tomorrow and the preseason there's going to be a lot of cuts and trades, so here's hoping the Bears continue to be aggressive.

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This is why I was hoping the Bears focused solely on defense in this draft.

So what do you think overall, then?

Who?

you.

Phil Emery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNXUwqwXcn8&feature=related

I think we'll have our best receiving corps since Eric Kramer was throwing around the football. When it comes to running backs I believe this will be the best we've seen since Walter and Neal Anderson. Cutler is obviously the best QB the Bears have ever had. I'm satisfied with the O-line and believe they will continue to improve. IMO the offense will be great this season and going forward. I'm really concerned about the age of the defense and the lack of depth. A couple of injuries could really change things. I wanted the Bears to get another LB and another DT. I was happy to see them get a safety. Hopefully they'll get this one right. Defense is a bigger concern for me right now. The depth on offense is solid.

Always good to have speed.

Matt Bowen ‏ @MattBowen41

One thing that stands out with #Bears draft: speed. Every pick at 4.6 or under.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Don't be a dick, you're the guy making statements that Brandon Marshall isn't that good of a receiver. Maybe everyone else that thinks he is a top flight receiver and stat geeks like you and Bernstein are off on this one?

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I understand the anger over the first pick. It's pretty simple - HE was the target of Emery (which is damned dangerous).

He's ideally suited as an OLB in a 3-4 defense - and more than likely Houston, Green Bay or New England would have drafted him. New England NEVER trades up, and they did to get DE Jones - because the Bears drafted McPotatoHead.

There were some shocked by Tennessee's pick, as they went right after the Bears and most thought they'd go DE also.

The jury is out on the pick for me - I don't think he'll survive as a 4-3 DE - however, who's to say that was Phil's sole role for the guy. He's keeping his options open in case Lovie is gone after this year or the next - despite whatever lip service he gave the fans.

Offensive linemen? Keep it - Cutler was sacked a total of 5 times in his last 5 games. The removal of Martz, the return of Carimi and Williams and the arrival of Chilo - all are positive moves.

I love the second round pick, and I'm glad he had the nads to trade up. WTF is a 5th round pick anyways?

The 3rd round pick and on are all head scratchers to me also.

You gotta trust Emery - this is supposedly his core competency.

Give it three years to judge it. With that said, how did Jarron Gilbert and Juaquin Inglesias pan out from 2009? Jerry Angelo put this team behind the 8 ball. Thankfully he traded for Cutler. ....and some of the other guys in that draft class FINALLY did come around. Knox immediately. DJ Moore two years ago. Finally last year Lance Louis and Henry Melton - took 'em long enough.

Can anyone state some specific picks Emery has made in the past that make all of you "trust" him?

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Grid, good thoughts. I pretty much agree, although I would have liked to see at least one OL taken.

I keep forgetting to ask, but who is the young lady in your avatar with da coach?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Why do you care? Don't you have some Packers board to pollute?

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Yeah, that's it. Me and IB and the other geeks love math only because math proves Marshall is bad. Great call.

Before I go any further: this is just going to be a series of strawmen crossed with ad hominem attacks, right?

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The Bulls haven't done anything wrong, and they're not going to do anything wrong.

Don't explain yourself really. I hate arguing with douchebags like you anyways.

Have fun being in the minority thinking that Marshall is bad for the Bears. Reality will show otherwise.

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No one seems willing to answer this.

Fun with small sample sizes. Almost a quarter of the Bears rushes last season were stopped for no gain or a loss, 30th in the NFL. Bears QBs were sacked 9.8% of the time they went back for a pass, tied for worst in the league.

Or if you want to be cute about things: one week before the line supposedly turned it around, the Lions sacked Cutler three times in 41 attempts and everyone freaked out about the crappy line. When they played again during the offensive line renaissance, Cutler was sacked two times in 21 attempts.

Being a beat reporter means never having to watch a game twice. How about Brad Biggs go back and check out those games one more time and get back to me about how this line has things turned around.

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Fire Phil Emery

I explained myself as simply as I could. That you choose to ignore objective fact because you hate math really isn't my problem.



I never said this and I don't believe it.

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The Bulls haven't done anything wrong, and they're not going to do anything wrong.

I don't like this analysis of the FA situation. I believe Jackson signed for 5 years at 12 million per while Marshall has 3 years at 9 million per. That is a 25% savings per year irrespective of the Bucs having to pay a WR for 3 years after his 30th birthday. I also think the Bears sensed (and I agree) that the Bucs would have upped every offer because they had unlimited wealth this off season. So Jackson was, in effect, unavailable. The next best WR on the block was Garcon, who I believe your stats will show to have many more spots than Marshall, yet signed for Marshall money. Manningham...yuck.

I was aware of all of these numbers regarding Marshall through fantasy football. My eyeball test would say ranking him 16th is fair.

It does not change my opinion that he was the best and correct move to make this offseason.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Congratulations on you're stats. It shows that Jordy Nelson was the 2nd best receiver in the league.

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I don't know which picks were "Emery Picks" but here's some notable players taken by the teams he was hired by previously (Bears, Falcons, Chiefs):

Tony Parrish
Olin Kreutz
Patrick Mannelly
Marty Booker
Warrick Holdman
Rosevelt Colvin
Jerry Azumah
Brian Urlacher
Mike Brown
Alex Brown
Charles Tillman
Lance Briggs
Ian Scott
Justin Gage
Tommie Harris
Bernard Berrian
Nathan Vasher
Roddy White
Kroy Biermann
Eric Berry
Dexter McCluster
Tony Moeaki

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You explained yourself without really giving any stats to back up your claim. Irish Boy at least gave stats(even though they made his arguement look worse). I don't hate math, but if your point is that Marshall isn't that good of a receiver as we think and Jordy Nelson and quite a few number two WR on that list are better and more productive than Marshall than your arguement is just football retarded. Nice try.

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Congratulations on your illiteracy.



That list gets awfully short after the Bears years, when he moved from just "scout" to "director of scouting."

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Fire Phil Emery

Either way, it answers the question. Unless someone has evidence of which players were Emery's primary targets, it's hard to say. Plus I don't watch Falcons or Chiefs games, so some of the guys I didn't include may have been serviceable depth or starters whose names didn't pop off the page.

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That one's kinda on me. If you can't grasp that he and I are making the same point, I don't know why I assumed you could comprehend the concept of dividing one number by another. Suffice it to say that I'm working from the same data set as IB.



I have no idea what you think. My point is that various metrics indicate that Marshall's actual production falls well short of public perceptions of it. IB has explained the Nelson thing twice.

Usually this is the part where I ask you to provide evidence contra beyond more counting-stats derpage, but I've got some bad news: this argument lasts exactly as long as I care whether or not you stay stupid. I've been charitable to this point, but there's only so much a man can take.

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The Bulls haven't done anything wrong, and they're not going to do anything wrong.

My memory is a little fuzzy with regard to the middle of last season, but didn't the resurgence of the O-line coincide with the decision to keep in extra protection?

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

I believe that is true, yes.

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Fire Phil Emery

Hey guys, Kansas City really really sucks.

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Fire Phil Emery

Excluding Emery's acquisition of Marshall the success of the Bears this year has Jerry Angelo's fingerprints.

The next 2-3 weeks will determine whether Emery adequately prepared this team to tread water without Cutler.