2014-15 NFC North/NFL Thread

[hairy worthen]

Here's the problem though...you do eventually need one.

Packers pass rush is fine. The problem is the middle of the defense, nose tackle and middle linebackers. That's why they can't stop the run. It wasn't the bears passing game that hurt the packers today it was the running game that set up the pass. Both teams will be fine. Both playoff teams, I would give the edge to gb because of QB and better defense overall.

[brandx]

Good original point!

The defense literally did not force a single punt.  But this loss is all on Cutler?  Give me an f-ing break.

Did you watch the 2nd half?

[GGGG]

Yes, but I don't think he is fully to blame for the second interception.  Furthermore if the Bears actually play defense, they could have withstood the interceptions. 

Really the lazy thing to do is to blame Cutler for that loss.  Cutler played OK.  The biggest problem for the Bears was the defense.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Dallas is not good, at all. I think Niners read option the Bears into the ground next Sunday night and slap the Bears around all night.

You may be right.....or.....

[wadesworld]

I guess my point is that at some point the excuses have to stop and it becomes time to put up or shut up. First it was the weapons around him weren't good enough. Then it was too many offensive coordinators to get any consistency. Now the defense sucks. I'm not saying Cutler is the one who has complained about these things or made these excuses. But Cutler has had 1 Playoff win in 8 years as a starter. Is that all on Cutler? Of course not. But at the same time it's not like he's playing for a franchise like the Jaguars or Raiders. The Broncos and Bears have had Playoff success prior to, and in the Broncos case, since Jay took over the starting QB job. If you pay a QB $125 million you better expect some success in the Playoffs. At least that's my opinion. Much like I have long said you cannot win when it matters in baseball if the only way you score is by the long ball (Brewers), I have long said you cannot win in the NFL with a QB who is reckless with the football. Jay has all the physical talent in the world, but he is incredibly reckless with the football and his footwork, especially when he feels like he has to make something happen, has always been horrible.

Maybe Jay is just unlucky and defensive backs only make miraculous reads like Tramon did today against Jay. And maybe for some reason Jay's wideouts can't seem to remember his play call from the time they leave the huddle to the time they run their route more than any other group of wideouts do. But at some point Jay has to be held accountable for turning the ball over inside the 30 yard line down by 7 points. Jay does this seemingly every time he plays the Packers at least. Maybe it's just against the Packers. I don't know.

I guess I'm just happy that my biggest frustration with my team's quarterback is that my team's quarterback is willing to lose yardage taking a sack in order to keep his completion percentage high.

[DegenerateDish]

You may be right.....or.....

Any time you can get beat by a mediocre Niners team at home, and then beat teams with a combined record of 3-8, you have to be proud.

America's Team Baby! Playoff tickets already available (for real!).

[ChicosBailBonds]

Any time you can get beat by a mediocre Niners team at home, and then beat teams with a combined record of 3-8, you have to be proud.

America's Team Baby! Playoff tickets already available (for real!).

No one is saying the Cowboys are great....but to say they are "not good, at all"....equally ridiculous.

[DegenerateDish]

I guess my point is that at some point the excuses have to stop and it becomes time to put up or shut up. First it was the weapons around him weren't good enough. Then it was too many offensive coordinators to get any consistency. Now the defense sucks. I'm not saying Cutler is the one who has complained about these things or made these excuses. But Cutler has had 1 Playoff win in 8 years as a starter. Is that all on Cutler? Of course not. But at the same time it's not like he's playing for a franchise like the Jaguars or Raiders. The Broncos and Bears have had Playoff success prior to, and in the Broncos case, since Jay took over the starting QB job. If you pay a QB $125 million you better expect some success in the Playoffs. At least that's my opinion. Much like I have long said you cannot win when it matters in baseball if the only way you score is by the long ball (Brewers), I have long said you cannot win in the NFL with a QB who is reckless with the football. Jay has all the physical talent in the world, but he is incredibly reckless with the football and his footwork, especially when he feels like he has to make something happen, has always been horrible.

Maybe Jay is just unlucky and defensive backs only make miraculous reads like Tramon did today against Jay. And maybe for some reason Jay's wideouts can't seem to remember his play call from the time they leave the huddle to the time they run their route more than any other group of wideouts do. But at some point Jay has to be held accountable for turning the ball over inside the 30 yard line down by 7 points. Jay does this seemingly every time he plays the Packers at least. Maybe it's just against the Packers. I don't know.

I guess I'm just happy that my biggest frustration with my team's quarterback is that my team's quarterback is willing to lose yardage taking a sack in order to keep his completion percentage high.

No one can or really should argue any of this. I said a few weeks ago...Cutler's not going to be a Super Bowl winning QB, he just isn't. He has a ton of skill, but there's plenty of body of work to suggest that when you look back on his career, it's going to be frustrating to look back on.

Guy makes some absolutely ridiculous throws, and then makes some ridiculous throws. Over the course of four games this season, I've come to realize he hates playing at Soldier Field. I'd have to look up his record/stats, but my eye test shows me he seems much better on the road.

I don't think he's been an All Pro by any means this year, but coming in to today, I believe he led the NFC in TD passes, and hadn't thrown a pick in 2 games. Bears were something like 9 of 11 in the red zone on scoring TD's this season coming into today as well.

He threw 2 picks today, and they were costly, and no matter what happened, the stats show "INTS - 2". They had no hope as a team to recover, they weren't good enough as a team to do so.

[DegenerateDish]

No one is saying the Cowboys are great....but to say they are "not good, at all"....equally ridiculous.

I love you Chicos, you're the best.

After Week 1, please enlighten me, humor me man...what were they good at? That's when the quote was said, court is your's bro.

[🏀]

Jesus Christ, every thread Chicos?

Can you possibly just fight a couple people at a time and leave some Scoop for the rest of us to enjoy?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Jesus Christ, every thread Chicos?

Can you possibly just fight a couple people at a time and leave some Scoop for the rest of us to enjoy?

Fight....come on?  It was a little fun.  Every thread?  Please.  I thought you said I was on ignore with you.  

[ChicosBailBonds]

I love you Chicos, you're the best.

After Week 1, please enlighten me, humor me man...what were they good at? That's when the quote was said, court is your's bro.

My bad Dish, thought you were prognosticating for the season that they weren't good...at all.  Didn't realize you mean just for week one.  My bad.   

[DegenerateDish]

Stepping back and looking long term through (for most teams) a quarter of the NFC and...

...who knows.

I'm pretty confident Seattle is good and far and away the best team in the conference.

No idea who the second best team is. I know AZ is 3-0, so I guess they are (?). Drew Stanton and a beat up defense...remarkable.

The Lions had a pretty impressive win today. They held court with the Bears/Packers by beating the Jets.

Packers/Falcons/Saints/Bears...all are semi similar, but I'd put those four teams in that order right now in my level of confidence.

Eagles/Cowboys...I want to trust the Eagles, but that's not the 2013 Eagles out there. Pokes could be paper lions or win that division and get a 2 seed.

People will rightfully think this is nuts, but don't sleep on the Vikes and Bucs just yet. Only reason I say the Bucs is their division stinks and maybe Mike Glennon provides a spark. I think the AD stuff affected the Vikes for a bit, but like the Bucs (and assuming healthy), maybe Bridgewater provides a spark?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Stepping back and looking long term through (for most teams) a quarter of the NFC and...

...who knows.

I'm pretty confident Seattle is good and far and away the best team in the conference.

No idea who the second best team is. I know AZ is 3-0, so I guess they are (?). Drew Stanton and a beat up defense...remarkable.

The Lions had a pretty impressive win today. They held court with the Bears/Packers by beating the Jets.

Packers/Falcons/Saints/Bears...all are semi similar, but I'd put those four teams in that order right now in my level of confidence.

Eagles/Cowboys...I want to trust the Eagles, but that's not the 2013 Eagles out there. Pokes could be paper lions or win that division and get a 2 seed.

People will rightfully think this is nuts, but don't sleep on the Vikes and Bucs just yet. Only reason I say the Bucs is their division stinks and maybe Mike Glennon provides a spark. I think the AD stuff affected the Vikes for a bit, but like the Bucs (and assuming healthy), maybe Bridgewater provides a spark?

Fair.

I still will go with Seattle and 49ers in the NFC.  Niners get guys back and will get better.  Packers aren't far behind.   Then it's a pile of teams like Bears, Cowboys, Giants, Falcons, etc.  any given week they will look like world beaters and the next week like garbage.  Eagles in that group.  No real great teams right now anywhere, but the season is young.  I would be surprised to see the Bucs do anything, but who knows.

[wadesworld]

No one can or really should argue any of this. I said a few weeks ago...Cutler's not going to be a Super Bowl winning QB, he just isn't. He has a ton of skill, but there's plenty of body of work to suggest that when you look back on his career, it's going to be frustrating to look back on.

Guy makes some absolutely ridiculous throws, and then makes some ridiculous throws. Over the course of four games this season, I've come to realize he hates playing at Soldier Field. I'd have to look up his record/stats, but my eye test shows me he seems much better on the road.

I don't think he's been an All Pro by any means this year, but coming in to today, I believe he led the NFC in TD passes, and hadn't thrown a pick in 2 games. Bears were something like 9 of 11 in the red zone on scoring TD's this season coming into today as well.

He threw 2 picks today, and they were costly, and no matter what happened, the stats show "INTS - 2". They had no hope as a team to recover, they weren't good enough as a team to do so.

All fair points.  I know it's too easy to just simply say "turnovers are the difference," but I guess you look at that and say Jay threw interceptions in weeks 1 and 4 and none in weeks 2 and 3.  The Bears lost in weeks 2 and 3 and won in weeks 1 and 4.  Win the turnover battle in the NFL and you have a very good chance of winning the game, regardless of who you are playing.  That holds true for just about every team in the NFL.

Not to keep piling onto Jay, but I did not realize his struggles against the Packers have been this bad.  1-8 as the Bears starter (0-1 as the Broncos) with 12 TDs and 20 INTs (for the Bears - plus 1 TD and 0 INTs with the Broncos).  Only 1 300 yard game.

As far as what I think I know about the NFC, well, I think I know the Seahawks are the best team and beyond that I think I know nothing.  One week the Pack looks great, the next they look awful.  One week the Bears look great, the next they look awful.  One week the 9ers look great, the next they look awful.  It's that way for about 10 teams in the NFC.  Still a lot of football to be played, but I think the only really good team, and the only team I really fear as a Packers fan, in the NFC is the Seahawks.

[NavinRJohnson]

As a Packer fan, I also fear the Packers. That defense appears to be every bit the joke it was the past couple years.

[wadesworld]

As a Packer fan, I also fear the Packers. That defense appears to be every bit the joke it was the past couple years.

Not as bad, but yes, still a joke.

[mu03eng]

Bears defense is masking some of Pack's problems.

-Non existant run game. Lacy's a step slower this year, not hitting the hole as quick.

-Over reliance on Nelson. Rodgers doesn't trust his other guys, even Cobb hasn't gotten the looks he used to.

I think Lacy is running out of the shotgun a lot more right now so he isn't "started" when he gets the ball.  I'm too lazy to prove it but I think they ran out of the I and pro-set a lot more last year.

[mu03eng]

That's a fair point, and probably why a few weeks ago he said he blew it and changed the NFL policy moving forward on domestic violence.

Though I don't agree with you that it is the best case scenario, because I continue to believe the video changes everything and if they didn't see the video, that matters in my opinion. I also don't support an entity illegally obtaining evidence, but it seems some people here do.  That's a very slippery slope IMO.

Your whole point here is moot if Ray Rice told him even the bare bones of what happened in the elevator.  They had video of the them fighting going into the elevator and of him dragging her out.  Ray Rice also had to explain what happened, and Goodell only said his story was inconsistent with the video.  If Ray Rice lied, he would have said that, and so at least some of what Ray Rice said had to be true.

Based on all of that the video really doesn't mean anything.  Yes it stirs up the emotions and is very stark, however as long as you are don't days of mental gymnastics the evidence at hand says the NFL placed no value on domestic violence, period.

[DegenerateDish]

Goodell's bodyguard "allegedly" assaulted a NY Daily News photog.

You can't even make this stuff up any more.

[DegenerateDish]

Does anyone want to win the AFC East?

7-9 may win it this year.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Jamal Charles is single handedly saving my fantasy team.

[DegenerateDish]

Hate to see people lose their jobs...but...for those of us that had 4:1 odds on Dennis Allen being first coach fired...

[wadesworld]

Make sure your drafting Jarrett Boykin this year.

This move continues to pay dividends for you through the first 5 weeks of the season...

 

2 receptions for 17 yards and a grand total of 1.7 points (non-PPR).

[🏀]

This move continues to pay dividends for you through the first 5 weeks of the season...

 

2 receptions for 17 yards and a grand total of 1.7 points (non-PPR).

Listen, you unnatural carnal knowledgeing fringe, if I throw a dog a bone, I don't want to know if it tastes good or not. You stop me again whilst I'm walking, and I'll cut your unnatural carnal knowledgeing Jacobs off.