2014-15 NFC North/NFL Thread

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Yeah, I don't understand why Packers fans hate on or care about Jay so much. The guy is 1-10 against the Pack. They should love him.

It's that wisconsin inferiority complex. Always have to see what big brother chicago is up to.

[mu-rara]

It's that wisconsin inferiority complex. Always have to see what big brother chicago is up to.

This comment sounds more like a misplaced Chicago superiority complex.

[GGGG]

He's the Bears Ryan Braun?  Meaning he's another guy that you obsessed with trashing?

He trashes everything he doesn't like.  Braun, Cutler, soccer, college football, etc.

I don't quite understand why Wade's gets off telling everyone why he doesn't like someone or something, but he does it constantly.

[wadesworld]

He trashes everything he doesn't like.  Braun, Cutler, soccer, college football, etc.

I don't quite understand why Wade's gets off telling everyone why he doesn't like someone or something, but he does it constantly.

"Bashes everything he doesn't like."  Something along those lines.

Is the Braun contract a good contract?

Is the Jay Cutler contract a good contract?

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

"Bashes everything he doesn't like."  Something along those lines.

Is the Braun contract a good contract?

Is the Jay Cutler contract a good contract?

Ok, then name a better option for either team.

[wadesworld]

Ok, then name a better option for either team.

Well, I could find you quite a few different right fielders who hit .270 with 19 homers and don't make $20 million/year for the next 6 years.

Bears?  No better QBs available.  Still doesn't make it a good contract.

[GGGG]

Well, I could find you quite a few different right fielders who hit .270 with 19 homers and don't make $20 million/year for the next 6 years.

They didn't sign him to the contract right now.

Bears?  No better QBs available.  Still doesn't make it a good contract.

The contract is fine.  It is hardly dragging on their cap and you are correct...no one better available.

[wadesworld]

They didn't sign him to the contract right now.


The contract is fine.  It is hardly dragging on their cap and you are correct...no one better available.

You are right, they didn't sign Braun this off season so they couldn't have seen this type of downfall this fast.  But it doesn't matter how good Ryan Braun was going to be in the future.  If you aren't going to exceed a roughly $100 million payroll then you should not be paying 1 player $20 million/year.  You can't spend 1/5 of your payroll on a single player in baseball.  In basketball you can afford to give a higher percentage of your cap space to one or two players because there are less players on the court at one time than there are baseball players on the field or football players on the field.  1/5 of your payroll cannot go to 1 guy in baseball.  I don't care if Ryan Braun had continued to put up Hall of Fame numbers through the entire length of that contract, it was a bad contract no matter what.  You cannot pay him that money just like you could not pay CC that money, Greinke that money, or Prince that money.  Go sign 3 a RF, 1B, and 3B who won't be All Stars but won't be awful either for that money.

As far as Cutler goes I guess the question becomes is he worth the money they are giving him?  Compare him to other quarterbacks in the NFL, and is he given what he is earning?  I mean, Jay Cutler has the highest base salary of any QB in the NFL this year.  I would put Jay right in the middle of the NFL in terms of starting quarterbacks, but he's being paid more than any other in base salary for this season.

[wadesworld]

And since this will undoubtedly come up, what QBs are better than Cutler?

Rodgers, Brees, Manning, Brady, Wilson, Luck, Rivers, Foles, Matt Ryan, Kaepernik, Rothlisberger for sure.

Romo, Stafford, Newton, Eli in the same group as him.

Bortles, RG3 when healthy (okay, so never), Hoyer have brighter futures.

[drewm88]

And since this will undoubtedly come up, what QBs are better than Cutler?

Rodgers, Brees, Manning, Brady, Wilson, Luck, Rivers, Foles, Matt Ryan, Kaepernik, Rothlisberger for sure.

Romo, Stafford, Newton, Eli in the same group as him.

Bortles, RG3 when healthy (okay, so never), Hoyer have brighter futures.

I disagree with your first category. I think several of those guys are on the same level as Cutler. Also, Hoyer turns 29 next week. His future isn't much different than Cutler's.

Overall, I think there are only a handful (maybe those first 6 you listed) QBs the Bears would absolutely rather have than Cutler. A couple more like Bortles or Bridgewater have potential going for them. Beyond that, he's more or less equal to (or better than) the rest.

[MU B2002]

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/10/06/peterson-reportedly-used-charity-funds-to-pay-for-sex-party/?intcmp=latestnews

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/10/06/peterson-reportedly-used-charity-funds-to-pay-for-sex-party/?intcmp=latestnews

You cant make this stuff up...

[wadesworld]

I disagree with your first category. I think several of those guys are on the same level as Cutler. Also, Hoyer turns 29 next week. His future isn't much different than Cutler's.

Overall, I think there are only a handful (maybe those first 6 you listed) QBs the Bears would absolutely rather have than Cutler. A couple more like Bortles or Bridgewater have potential going for them. Beyond that, he's more or less equal to (or better than) the rest.

Who in the top group would you move down to the equal list?

[MU B2002]

Who in the top group would you move down to the equal list?

Kaep and Foles to start with.

[drewm88]

Who in the top group would you move down to the equal list?

Rivers, Foles, Matt Ryan, Kaepernick, Roethlisberger. Take those five, Cutler, Newton, Eli, Stafford, Flacco, Dalton, and Romo and randomly switch their teams, and I don't think there's much difference (outside the obvious issues of style/compatibility.) The QB position is incredibly valuable, but I don't think there's much separating a large portion of the starters around the league.

Some have had more success than others, but I don't see much material difference in their abilities.

[wadesworld]

Rivers, Foles, Matt Ryan, Kaepernick, Roethlisberger. Take those five, Cutler, Newton, Eli, Stafford, Flacco, Dalton, and Romo and randomly switch their teams, and I don't think there's much difference (outside the obvious issues of style/compatibility.) The QB position is incredibly valuable, but I don't think there's much separating a large portion of the starters around the league.

Some have had more success than others, but I don't see much material difference in their abilities.

Rivers, Foles, and Ryan in my opinion are a step up from Cutler.  Rothlisburger has won 2 Super Bowls but is on the decline.  I can give you Kaepernick.  I forgot about Dalton and would agree he is on the same level as Cutler, Romo, Eli, Newton, and Stafford.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Kaep is essentially the same as Cutler. Has all the ability but makes some questionable decisions. Foles hasn't showed me enough and I think he is incredibly overrated.

[GGGG]

As far as Cutler goes I guess the question becomes is he worth the money they are giving him?  Compare him to other quarterbacks in the NFL, and is he given what he is earning?  I mean, Jay Cutler has the highest base salary of any QB in the NFL this year.  I would put Jay right in the middle of the NFL in terms of starting quarterbacks, but he's being paid more than any other in base salary for this season.

That's not really how it works though.  Contracts aren't perfectly correlated with performance.  And if someone is getting paid more in any given year, it could be do to the team's cap issues, the other options available, etc.

Cutler's contract is fine.  It isn't excessively burdensome in either the short or long run.  

[brandx]

Kaep is essentially the same as Cutler. Has all the ability but makes some questionable decisions. Foles hasn't showed me enough and I think he is incredibly overrated.

Except Jay has all the experience and keeps doing it.

Only stat that matters with Jay: 8 years in the league - 1 playoff appearance

[wadesworld]

Kaep is essentially the same as Cutler. Has all the ability but makes some questionable decisions. Foles hasn't showed me enough and I think he is incredibly overrated.

So you think a guy who had 27 touchdowns to 2 interceptions with almost 3,000 yards in 13 games last season is incredibly overrated?  Okay, I guess.  He also rushed for 3 touchdowns and fumbled just twice.  Jay Cutler's best career season does not come even close to that difference in touchdowns to turnovers.  In fact, Jay Cutler's career high in touchdowns for an entire season is that same 27 that Foles put up in 13 weeks last year, and Cutler threw TWENTY SIX interceptions that season!  His best season is 25 touchdowns to 18 interceptions.  Foles had 30 touchdowns to 4 turnovers last season in 13 games.  Next time Jay Cutler is within 15 turnovers of having a +26 touchdown to turnover margin let me know and we'll talk overrated.

Foles has 41 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 10 fumbles, and 4 rushing touchdowns in 25 career games played.  Their career completion percentages are almost identical, with Foles being percentage points higher.

[Loose Cannon]

Except Jay has all the experience and keeps doing it.

Only stat that matters with Jay: 8 years in the league - 1 playoff appearance

      +2

[Spotcheck Billy]

I get so sick of the "same old Jay" mantra from Packers fans, and yes I only hear about it from Packers fans. It's so tired. If he smiled and played nice with the media I think the Jay bashing wouldn't exist, but it does, so whatever. I hope you realize how incredibly fortunate you have been to fall into the Favre-Rodgers years.  Not every fan base is so lucky. 

F*%K, this season sucks. Damn cheeseheads.
(winky face)

I get tired of other teams' fans reminding us of the great Favre/Rodgers run - the Bears passed on Rodgers and took Cedric Benson @ #4 and anyone could have had Favre at the time 
(winky face)

[MU B2002]

I get tired of other teams' fans reminding us of the great Favre/Rodgers run - the Bears passed on Rodgers and took Cedric Benson @ #4 and anyone could have had Favre at the time 
(winky face)

We didn't need Rodgers, we had Sexy Rexy.  But hey, we did draft Orton...
(pounds head on wall.)

[JWags85]

This is a good piece...

https://medium.com/the-cauldron/i-love-that-jay-cutler-doesnt-care-that-i-love-him-da88cea5f066

[reinko]

We didn't need Rodgers, we had Sexy Rexy.  But hey, we did draft Orton...
(pounds head on wall.)

Moses Moreno was always my favorite Bears dregs QB of the 1990s.