SB Nation User Blog: JohnnyTruant

Larry Johnson: Option or Due Dilligence

JohnnyTruant — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:41:45 -0000

Larry Johnson, what comes to mind when you hear his name? has-been? wasted talent? bigot? or maybe Cedric Benson the Second?

Larry Johnson (LJ) was recently cut from the Kansas City Chiefs and no one claimed him from waivers because of his contract, $2.3 million. Since becoming a FA Larry Johnson has been contacted by four teams.

According to LaCanfora at the NFL Network the Bears have contacted Larry Johnson's agent.

Take a look at the Bears' current running back corps.

Matt Forte-- Has the ability to be a top back in the league, but currently not getting the job done
Garrett Wolfe-- lacerated kidney, but has shown flashes when used in screen passes and has become a ST standout
Adrian Peterson-- injured earlier this season and in the last year of his contract and on the wrong side of 30.
Kevin Jones-- out for the season, and has become very unreliable, even in the preseason he was not showing the brilliance earlier in his career against second string defenses. He has suffered multiple injuries to his lower body and may be an unfortunate career cut short.

The minute that the Chicago Bears traded for Jay Cutler we left the mantra of we are a run first team. Teams over the past decade have proven that you need to be able to be able to move the ball through the air to take advantage of better defenses.

The recent Cincinnati/Arizona debacles and our Comcast Red Zone Efficiency, tied for 25th in the NFL12 for 27 prior to ARI, prove that we still need to be able to run the ball.

The main ways that the run game could help.

Increase time of possession. Simply put the longer we have the ball the less time the opposing team has to score on us. Did you know that since 1920 prior to this year the Bears have allowed opponents to score 31 or more points in the first half 5 times? Now halfway through the 2009 season they have allowed 31 points of more in the first half twice.
Increase red zone efficiency, this is something Bears fans love. When I was at the Bears-Packers game at Soldier Field the fans and I started a chant "stuff it down their throat!" when the Bears got in the red zone right behind the Packers bench.
Third down conversions. Keep this in mind the next time you see the Bears fail to convert on 3rd and less than 3 yards.
Open up passing lanes for the passing game. If safeties have to constantly worry about the run they play closer to the line of scrimmage, you'll notice when announcers say there's "7 or 8 men in the box" they are referring to players coming up to the area behind the defensive line to prevent the run.

Simply put the Bears need to get a run game going in order to compete for a 2010 playoff spot and the Bears need a defense and a run game to compete for a Championship.

Where does Larry Johnson fit into this? 2.7 yard average per carry, 0 TDs, and a bad attitude does not sound like the answer...

Larry Johnson has disappeared since 2007, the same season that the Offensive Line started to fall apart. He has not been producing, but he played on the Kansas City Chiefs his entire career since he was drafted in 2003.

The Kansas City Chiefs are a team on verge of collapse, did you know that since 2007-present they are 7-33. Does this condone Larry Johnson's actions? No but I like the fact that he wants to win more than anything.

Larry Johnson with a decent OL over 2005 and 2006 LJ averaged 1770 yards per season, 4.7 yards per carry, 18.5 TDs rushing per season, 10.2 yards per reception, and 3 receiving TDs.

Do the Bears have a decent OL? No

Do I think Jerry Angelo brings in Larry Johnson? No, but I hope this got you thinking about the running game and about options we can to improve it

Poll

Would you want Larry Johnson on the Bears for close to League Minimum Salary?

yes

47 votes

no

23 votes

70 votes | Poll has closed

Formula For Success: 5 Positions

JohnnyTruant — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:52:42 -0000

The Future- I’ve talked about how this is a growing pain season, and after these past couple of weeks it has become even more obvious to the rest of you. Make no mistake, this is a good ballclub. We need changes at 5 positions in order to become legitimate contenders in the search for the Lombardi Trophy.

Guard—The Guard position on this team is weakest link. We are not allowing Jay Cutler enough time to dissect the teams opposing teams defense, and when given time he does it beautifully. Cutler has been sacked 11 times this season in 6 games and hurried a ton. Cutler’s deep ball was voted #1 in a coaches poll last year, could you imagine the damage he could do if given a few more seconds?

Solution—Jahri Evans, one the games best guards, it may be difficult to get him, especially because of the success the Saints are having. He’s young, he studies, and he’s always prepared (I was really impressed in his game against New York). He’s everything that you would want in a guard and he’s the reason why NO is having so much success running.

Free Safety—We need a ballhawk. Currently I’m very happy with Al Afalava at SS, he’s still making rookie mistakes, but once he’s in his comfort zone he’ll he an anchor for years to come (expect more big hits too!) Free Safeties play a huge role in the Tampa 2 (it’s not going anywhere, if it was the owners wouldn’t have signed Rod Marinelli). If we had a safety that had the ability to intercept the ball it would change the face of this defense. Once Afalava progresses more it would allow the FS to play in the "soft" zones of the cover 2, disrupting timing between the QB and WR allowing more opportunities for turnovers

Solution—OJ Atogwe, he’s the most underrated safety in the NFL right now—reason he’s on the Rams. The Rams run a similar system to Lovie’s Cover 2, which would allow Atogwe to be able to step in and contribute right away. Over the past 39 games (2007-current) he’s recorded 207 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, 20 passes defended, and 14 interceptions! He’s 28 and has only been improving. I can’t even imagine what he would do on a semi decent defense. He is also familiar with Pisa Tinisomoa so maybe they would have instant chemistry (if Pisa can stay healthy!) He is the type of player that is a leader on and off the field.

Running Back—The team is relying on Matt Forte right now, Forte isn’t producing. Some people say oh but it’s all the Oline’s fault! Well while the Oline is not helping Matt Forte is running scared, going down after one hit, and not juking guys out in open space like he did last year. It’s not to say that we should give up on Matt Forte, but it’s unfair to him to have him be a solo back, if you look at the best teams in the league they usually have a prominent 2 backs splitting carries, and some have a three headed monster.

Solution—Some people would say we need a short yardage back, I say we can get that in the draft. The real solution lies in getting a back that can break long runs. That’s why I say Jerome Harrison. His stats aren’t that good, but come on he’s on the Browns! Anyone that has seen this guy play knows he’s a playmaker with speed. He's 27, but he has plenty of production since he's been a backup/complementary back his entire career. Jerry Angelo might actually make this move because he’d be on the cheap.

Defensive Tackle—For the past 5 years we have been playing with the philosophy that small speedy athletic Dlineman are better than Buddha type DT’s like Washington and Traylor. I agree that a speedy Dlineman who creates pressure from the middle is better than a DT that merely becomes a wall in the middle. But the problem is that small speedy DT’s are very very very rare and are more prone to injury. Just take a look at Tommie Harris since his injury he is no longer the dominant DT he once was. Once you have small athletic DT’s that are no longer athletic you allow other teams to run up the middle and get an easy 4 yards. I would much rather have 2 Buddhas in the middle that stops the run through the tackles almost every time. If the run is stopped in the middle it allows the linebackers (a strength on this team, barring injuries next year) to make a play on the RB when they bounce to the outside.

Solution—Draft, it’s the only way, the best DT’s will surely be wrapped up by their respective teams, New England is not going to let Vince Wilfork go. Remember to go real big, I want them so big that even if they fall over they’ll block their respective lanes.

Cornerback—this is the position which needs the least work of these 5 (that’s not to say it’s good). If the Dline can create consistent pressure then the secondary as it is now will look amazing. The reason why this is a position of need is that until Zach Bowman shows me he is the future, I’m going to be a little apprehensive. Charles Tillman is a very good corner, but he’s no longer a shutdown corner (and he’s lost half a step). I’d say that this will be another position where it’s tough to find real talent in Free Agency.

Solution—The real solution is to get pressure from the Dline, and secondly to draft guys with a high ceiling, we have enough average CBs we need to roll the dice on some boom or bust type CBs in the draft.

Most of you may have noticed almost all of my solutions were Free Agents (FA). That’s because Jerry Angelo, the teams GM, knows that we have very little time before we enter full rebuilding on defense. It’s like he’s Indiana Jones and he’s trying to slide this team in before the door closes (all while not losing his hat). Veterans are also more likely to contribute quickly and are a proven commodity that will require less coaching. We also no longer have 1st and 2nd round draft picks because of trades for Jay Cutler and Gaines Adams respectively.

One last note, I don’t think that the Wide Receiver position will be a great need in the offseason, but if the Bears do go looking for a WR I would suggest they get Vincent Jackson. Most people say Brandon Marshall, both have their strengths. Brandon Marshall is the toughest WR to tackle 1 on 1 in the league period. Vincent Jackson makes more plays on the ball and is a serious deep threat. If the Broncos keep winning and are willing to pay BM it won’t even matter, but the Chargers have a ton of FA hitting the market this year Darren Sproles, Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeil (T), and Shawne Merriman. After giving Phillip Rivers that huge contract it will be unlikely that they are able to keep all of their FAs.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

JohnnyTruant

Poll

Chicago Bears 2010 Free Agency

Bears may do "coach speak" but they know what their weaknesses are and will address them

41 votes

Bears know their weaknesses but will probably not do anything about it

91 votes

Bears Management doesn't have a clue as to what the team needs

82 votes

who cares what the Bears do in 2010 it's 2009 and we need to win games!

62 votes

276 votes | Poll has closed

Lions Win, fans can't believe it

JohnnyTruant — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:03:48 -0000

Football is a grueling game, it's unforgiving in many aspects.

A game of Champions for sure, athletes must not only have the physical skill but also the mental fortitude to align themselves for the pursuit of perfection.

Last week after the Lions won their first game in a long time, I wanted to come over and congratulate you guys, you know, since the city of Detriot needed it and all.

Then I saw about 6 fanposts and a google amount of comments claiming how amazing it was.

When you score, act like you've been there before!

-- Walter Payton

Fans shouldn't get this excited about a win, they should expect it from their team each and every single week. The Lions beat the Redskins, who couldn't score a TD agains the Rams and have been held to under 20 points in 10 of their last 11 games.

The Redskins weren't a good team, but you can only beat who you play. You will be playing a good team this Sunday though.

Jay Cutler's Facial Expressions in slow motion are the best

JohnnyTruant — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:20:40 -0000

Hey everyone, I saw this on the internet and I didn't see it on WCG so I decided to post it.

Jay Cutler vs. Ref's Hand

LOL look at the ref smile after he hits him. It gets better and better the longer you watch it!

Bear Tracks and Running Backs

Rod Marinelli is the answer. Alex Brown single handedly swung the momentum of the game when he sacked Big Ben and stopped the run on back to back plays. If you didn't know he's a Florida Gator and pure concrete cyanide. I wish we'd get to see some more of the Rookies on the Dline, I think that'll come later in the season.

Jay Cutler and the offense seemed to get into a rhythm in the 2nd half. Johnny Knox is the real deal and I expect him to be starting from now on and I'd like to see what DA can do too, maybe switch him in for Bennett. Greg Olsen really disappointed me this week, he had 3 drops and he slipped in the endzone which could have cost us a TD. Where's all the Chemistry???

Speaking of things being absent, I was drinking my Milk this morning and I saw this

via lh5.ggpht.com

(Original EditTM)

If we want to be a serious contender we need to have a run game, so far Forte has 84 yards on 38 attempts and zero TDs and 1 fumble, so he's averaging 2.2 yards per attempt.

That's 1/10 of his jersey number, 22.

That's pathetic. I love Forte too, and I think he will turn around. Some people are thinking that his weakness is the 3-4, but if anything he should be getting at least 3 yards per carry. We might have to draft 2 RB's in the upcoming draft.

Just to put that in perspective, Benson, a guy that we cut (I wish we would have held onto him for 2 more weeks so he could have tried flying a plane and getting a FUI? it would have completed his trifecta of land, sea, and air), has 1 TD, 217 yards on 50 attempts behind Cincy's Oline, that's 4.34 yards per carry.

Around the NFC North:

Green Bay Upset at Home

did anyone else see this coming? The Bengals are greatly improved on defense, Odom may be getting the Defensive Player of the Year award if he keeps playing at a high level (5 sacks vs. GB). Carson Palmer healthy is equal to about 1.5 Hasselback's healthy, or 0.25 Tom Bradys.

Lions need a Veternarian, choke in the 2nd half

The Lions were up 10-0 at Halftime, then Kevin Smith fumbled and gave the Vikings an easy TD. That was the momentum shift of the game. After that the Vikings scored 27 unanswered points and the Lions proved to us why they are the Lions. I think the Lions' OC was handcuffing Stafford with the run game, here's how the whole game went, Lions 1st down, run, 2nd down, run, 3rd (and long) Stafford throw. Stafford also had 2 INT's because he tried to force it. The Lions need to have Stafford focus on short intermediate passes which he is good at, if they want their offense to jumpstart, also pass every chance you get to Calvin Johnson.

NFC North Standings

Vikings 2-0

Packers 1-1 (own tie breaker)

Bears 1-1

Lions 0-2

4 interceptions, but I still love Jay Cutler, and you should too.

JohnnyTruant — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:38:44 -0000

Even though the Bears lost, it was not a total loss.

Cutler made a few connections to all three prominent WRs Hester, Bennett, and Knox. Cutler had 3 big interceptions, one of which led to a touchdown for GB, but they were not his fault, whether players gave up on the play, or ran the wrong routes (see Dez Clark for the former and the latter). Hester made a few great plays and I truly believe he will be #1 by the end of the season. My thoughts are that we will make the playoffs this year, but next year is when the Superbowl push will start (think of this year as 2005).

Why next year? Our defense is aging!

Exactly, we are beginning a new era on defense with prominent veterans from the 2006 Superbowl era. We now have a great Dline Coach (are you sick about hearing about this too?!) that will help the Bears Defense become top 5 potentially. The Dline is not there yet, just because Ogunleye got 2 sacks tonight and several pressures doesn’t mean our Dline is there (Ogunleye is in a contract year, he won’t be next year). The new defensive lineman like Gilbert and Harrison will be anchoring this team next year, Tommie Harris is no longer the player he once was.

Chemistry, the Central Science

Cutler needs time to develop chemistry with his WRs. Hester will still be a WR next year, Bennett will hopefully become a Hines Ward type receiver with sure hands. Knox is a rookie, and even with 86 yards tonight he showed it; on the final drive he gave up that ball as he lost his footing. Will Juaquin Iglesias step up? I sure hope so, I still have high hopes for him, but I don’t see him getting much time this year unless there are injuries.

Building for the Future

The 2010 NFL Draft will be stacked with Wide Receivers well into the third round, so you don’t have to worry about the fact that we don’t have a 1st round draft pick. Before Afalava I wished the Bears had a 1st round draft pick so they could go after Taylor Mays, the USC safety, who happens to be my favorite college player of this past decade, but I feel a lot better about the safety situation after this game with Payne and Afalava. We need a Cornerback badly though, I wouldn’t be saying this if Tillman and Bowman (talk about counting my eggs before they hatch!) could stay healthy. The Bears #1 need right now is CB, if we cannot draft CBs well the next two years it may put in jeopardy the playoff and Superbowl push of the upcoming years. DJ Moore did not look good in preseason, McBride isn’t an elite corner, Tillman is injured too often, and don’t get me started on Vasher!

It’s all about getting hot for the Superbowl

Partially yes, but if you have a great team it doesn’t hurt, see New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. Going along with that idea, we have players that have been to the Superbowl, those players are hungry, real hungry, and that’s going to help us in the next couple of years.

Sorry if this entire fanpost seems a little farsighted, I’m always staring Through The Looking Glass.

hey I need some help (Fantasy Football)

JohnnyTruant — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:29:06 -0000

I have never really played Fantasy Football before but after hearing about it and seeing how popular it is on this website I'd like to know if you guys have any tips or pointers (or maybe know of some really good sleepers). After looking into it a bit it looks to me that I should draft some more WR's and RB's because of the uncertainty at the position and because of the high risk high reward aspect.

Also my league is having their draft tomorrow night (Wednesday 09/09/09) at 8:15 P.M. Central Time. I still need about 2-4 guys so feel free to message me if you're interested and just send me your email. We're playing on ESPN.

Thanks,

Johnny Truant

P.S. here is a pic of a Vida Guerra, because WCG can never have too many pictures of attractive women

Poll

Do you play Fantasy Football

yes

22 votes

no

1 votes

Fantasy Football, kids have too much time on their hands!

0 votes

23 votes | Poll has closed

2010 Free Agent Wide Receivers

JohnnyTruant — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:47:43 -0000

While it may be a little soon, but it's the offseason so I've had time to think about this. What if the Bears do well in the 2009 NFL Season but a glaring need is still the Wide Receiver position? I'm hoping this isn't the case and that one of the rookies ends up showing enough promise or that Hester finally breaks out but let's play devil's advocate.

It often takes years for rookie WR's to contribute significantly and Hester is short and dropped some go ahead touchdowns last year. The defense is aging period. The defense will not be as good as the 05-06 defense in 2012 or 2013. Hopefully some players step up and take over some key positions (Marcus Freeman here's to looking at you).

Angelo has shown that he wants to win a championship, and he knows the window is closing. He traded his left arm for Cutler and he made a move for Anquan Boldin. I think that he will go after a FA WR next year if need be and won't be afraid to spend some of that cap space (if there's even a cap in 2010).

Let's take a look at some of the 2010 FA WRs:

Braylon Edwards (CLE, UFA)

This is a move that probably would not be too popular with the fanbase, but it could turn into a genius move. Even though Braylon led the NFL in drops (16) in 2008, he has 228 receptions for 3558 yards in 58 games, that's an average of 15.6 yards per catch. I really think that a change of scenery would do Braylon some good, he has been surrounded by mediocraty in Cleveland minus the one fluke year that Derek Anderson looked good. I can see it now, Cutler throwing a lob pass Braylon uses his 6'3'' 220 lb. frame to shield the ball from the CB, Touchdown Bears!

Roddy White (ATL, UFA)

He is coming off of one of his best seasons in 2008 which earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl. 88 receptions for 1,382 yards last season with Matt Ryan. If he could have the same type of level with the Chicago Bears we'd finally have a #1 WR.

Miles Austin (DAL, UFA)

Never heard of him huh? that's because Jerry Jones is a fool. You might have heard of him as a return man, but make no mistake, this guy runs crisp routes and has deceptive speed.

Steve Breaston (ARI, RFA)

In 2008 he had 77 receptions for 1,006 yards as a backup. He would not be too expensive,but it would cost a 2nd round pick, it's a classic Angelo move. Breaston is also a beast on special teams, could you imagine using him as a gunner or even the posibility of rotating our return men. We'd have the best return trio in the league with D. Manning, Hester, and Breaston.

Brandon Marshall (DEN, UFA)

This makes the most sense, I don't see Brandon Marshall getting a trade but I do see him wanting to get ouf of Denver after having Orton throw to him and another losing season (is this too soon to say?). Will the Broncos be smart and give him a new contract before he tests FA waters? Nnamdi Asomugha (IMO the best CB in the NFL) said Marshall is "the toughest guy to bring down, one-on-one."

Who knows, this is the NFL, anything can happen. This could make our offense rank top 5, at least on paper.

The Oline is really a question mark right now, but I have high hopes. Let's say the Line is good. that'd leave us with...

QB Cutler

RB Forte

TE Olsen

WR Brandon Marshall

WR Devin Hester

I guess we won't know about our current crop until the season starts, but Bear Down and keep cool!

Poll

Which Wide Receiver do you see the Bears most likely getting during the 2010 Free Agency?

Brandon Marshall

84 votes

Braylon Edwards

50 votes

Roddy White

50 votes

Miles Austin

11 votes

Steve Breaston

37 votes

Other

34 votes

266 votes | Poll has closed

sweet vid that shows how horrible ;) Jay Cutler...

JohnnyTruant — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:19:54 -0000

sweet vid that shows how horrible ;) Jay Cutler was.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/JayCutler4MVP/videos/1/

Note music sucks so you should probably mute it and put some rap on.

Oh and it's from 2007 when JC was worse

'I’ve been fortunate to get paid in this league and that was good, but I still had to go home a l...

JohnnyTruant — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:04:24 -0000

'I’ve been fortunate to get paid in this league and that was good, but I still had to go home a loser. I’d give all the money back if I could win again."--Pisa

this is the type of guy that I want on my team.

btw if any of you guys have a Dick's Sporting Goods near you they are blowing out (9.95) Authentic Mike Brown Jerseys this week (normally 79.95). I bought a couple for some friends and myself.

NFC North: Views from Lions Fans

JohnnyTruant — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:38:50 -0000

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to get some input on how Detroit Lions fans will think the NFC North will shake out this year.

I'm a lifelong Bears fan, but I definitely think that the Lions have gotten better this offseason. I was surprised when they took Stafford over Curry though, that guy is going to be a beast.

I think Detroits offense is actually pretty good (man I wish the Bears had Calvin Johnson), but their defense needs some work.

This is how I see the NFC North

Chicago Bears: 11-5

I believe that the acquisition of Cutler will help the Bears win at least 2 more games this year.

Minnesota Vikings: 9-7

The Vikings have a great D and a solid running game, but even the addition of Percy Harvin won't really help when the QB play is so terrible.

Green Bay Packers: 8-8

Growing pains from a new defensive scheme and injuries on offense will hamper the Packers (bur I see them doing much better 2010 Season)

Detriot Lions: 5-11

I think the current roster gets sick of losing and buys into the new coach. It's really embarassing to lose that many games in a row, which I think will motivate the players during OTAs and minicamp. Detroits D ends up losing close games. Calvin Johnson makes another big leap this year though. I think Detroit wins more games with Culpepper than with Stafford. I think Culpepper has something left to prove and he can get you points in the red zone. If the Lions rush Stafford (he is no Matt Ryan) I see Detroit losing more games this year.

Thanks