SB Nation User Blog: joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever

What's Earl Bennett and Brandon Rideau's deal? Could Bears sign Peppers?

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:03:17 -0000

Ok I can already tell the Bears will be drafting a #1 wide receiver in either the first round or second round come April because free agent wise there isn't much there. They need a dude on offense who can step in and make big plays. A #1.

For now I think the Bears need to make Marty Booker their #1 WR. They need to establish a guy they can trust to make a big play in tight games. I like Brandon Lloyd but he's not a number one WR and who knows how long he'll be out with an injury. I would like to see Orton hit Booker and Olsen more often. Maybe on slants and just more dink and dunk plays on first down and then let Forte eat up the rest.

Why don't the Bears play the younger WR's in Bennett and maybe bring up Rideau? I assume it's because the Bears feel their not ready but personally I think Rashied Davis is like a 5th option wide out.....if that. I wonder if the Rookies get action in the near future because this has to improve.

O-line

I said it last week and I'll say it again Olin Kreutz is washed up. How about that play where he pulled on the reverse to Hester? Dude can't run anymore.

FREE AGENTS Offensive Line

Matt Birk, UFA, Minnesota Vikings

Marc Colombo, UFA, Dallas Cowboys

Jordan Gross, UFA, Carolina Panthers

Mark Tauscher, UFA, Green Bay Packers

Stacy Andrews, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals
Jordan Black, UFA, Houston Texans
Vernon Carey, UFA, Miami Dolphins
George Foster, UFA, Detroit Lions
Chris Gray, UFA, Seattle Seahawks
Pete Kendall, UFA, Washington Redskins
Seth McKinney, UFA, Cleveland Browns
Jon Runyan, UFA, Philadelphia Eagles
Tra Thomas, UFA, Philadelphia Eagles
Fred Weary, UFA, Houston Texans
John Welbourn, UFA, Kansas City Chiefs

As much as I think the Bears need to look at offense next season I wouldn't mind seeing them sign another line backer to replace Hunter.

My question is could the Bears sign Julius Peppers in 09? That would be scary!

Move Urlacher to saftey? Find his apprentice?

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:04:27 -0000

Here we go people on ESPN calling the Bears Defense old.

Just an idea.Or if you're from the East coast an idearrrrrr. I know this would never happen but I thought about this during the preseason and kinda liked the idea of just letting Urlacher loose to F'up some wideouts or some running back.

My thing is I don't see the same player from a few years ago. I really think Urlacher has lost his edge. His tackling has looked poor at times.

I remember the Urlacher that would come out of nowhere like a cheetah built like mac truck. I just don't see that superstar effect anymore that made this defense so powerful. Don't get me wrong he's still their best player but I think this move would give him a chance to kill. He's getting older and mucking him up in the middle seems to hinder his talent.

maybe like......

Brown, Urlacher

Peanut, Vasher

Hunter, Briggs, Williams

Adewale, Harris, Dusty, Alex B.

The truth is YES this Defense is getting older BUT look at what one good draft pick could do for a unit i.e. Matt Forte.

So find Urlacher's apprentice and revamp this defense. Or we can have more of the same bend but don't break until your gassed at the end of the game defense.

I want a defense that scares teams again.

Yes the Bears need a QB and WR thats the top of the list but Urlacher is in his twilight as far as an every down game changer.

I think it's time to plan for Urlacher and Mike Brown's replacements. Maybe moving him to safety could give the defense a new look while giving his apprentice reps.

PS Olin Kreutz is washed up!

Beekman/Harrison/Davis looking like NFL players, Orton should start.

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:43:06 -0000

I was part of the small group of optimistic Bear fans who thought the Bears could go 10-6. Then 2 games into the (PRESEASON) I see John Tait and John St. Clair get blown up by Seahawk LB's. To me this season might as well be a wash. 5-11 as the Defense gets steamed rolled seems to be the popular thing to say now. I might as well join in the pessimistic Score heads and ESPN 1000 Bear bashers after watching that game.

Ok the O-line was god awful, it looked like the line was made of paper and even the rookie Forte got some major pops jolting him backwards almost into Rex.

But I did seem some positives. Josh Beekman, who I thought looked pretty good in the 07 preseason was strong at the left guard spot. I recored the game and only watched the O-line on several plays including the Grossman sack and interception. Tait and St. Clair are just too slow to play in the NFL. If I'm scouting the Bears I blitz all day on the tackles. But I digress. Beekman looked solid and I recall him putting a text book move on the Seahawk rush as he started blocking the D-lineman and then quickly shuffled to take on the blitzing backer to his left. He did a great job. Most of the sacks and pressures were due to the slowness of the Tackles. Beekman maybe undersized but I think this kid can start right now and be productive for the Bears. Down the road Beekman next to Williams might turn out to be a solid left side. Clearly it's time to bring in some new blood to this aging line.

Another promising showing was Marcus Harrison who might look nice next to Tommie Harris down the road. The guy is massive and he has a motor. The guy also seems to have deceptive speed and I replayed him closing in fast on many plays during the game. Harrison looked solid once again. This guy could turn out to be the player the Bears thought they were getting with Tank Johnson. Lets just hope the off the field crap doesn't effect his future like Tank's.

Other Positives, one that is obvious and that's Kellen Davis the 6'7 tight end, what more can you say that catch was awesome and he should contribute right away with that size. He will be a nice target.

Special teams. If you were as disappointed as I was when Brendon Avanbadejo left for the Ravens and you might wanna watch this crazy looking dude who destroyed some kick returner on the Seahawks Saturday night. His name is leonard Peters and he might be able to take that gunner spot thats open on kick offs. He maybe a long shot but if you notice anything other than his big Hawaiian fro it's that the dude and fly and has no fear.

Other players that have caught my eye are Joey LaRocque, Darrell Mcclover, PJ Pope, Nick Roach,

It will be nice to see if Kevin Jones can contribute soon but it might not matter until this line gets revamped.

Wondering does anyone know about the rookies the Bears drafted Cody Balogh and Kirk Barton both are tackles. Also how does Chester Adams look? You never know the way this line is playing they may need these guys to step in.

Orton should be the starting QB for the Bears as conservative as he can be you just can't have Rex out there getting cranked out and getting happy feet.

Aldridge/Chandler vs Tyrus/Wallace.

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:31:03 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/apphoto/photo?sportId=46&photoId=1741195

Damn 28 points Bulls missed on that trade. Hey hindsight is 20/20 but wow. Maybe Matt was right. I think I remember him wanting to draft Aldridge all season and right now that looks like what they should have done. Atleast if you needed scoring.

Aldridge's numbers

11/16    @Phi
L 92-88    38    10-16    0-0
5-5    1    1    1    2    3    3    6    2    25
11/17    @Was
L 109-90    39    8-17    0-0
2-3    0    1    2    3    4    6    10    2    18
11/19    @Cha
L 101-92    20    2-6    0-0
3-4    0    0    3    5    0    1    1    1    7
11/21    Njn
L 106-101    31    4-11    0-0
6-6    1    2    4    5    2    6    8    1    14
11/23    Sac
W 87-84    43    12-15    0-0
4-8    0    3    2    4    4    8    12    0    28
Numbers for Last 5 Games    34.2    36-65    0-0    20-26    0.4    1.4    2.4    3.8    2.6    4.8    7.4    1.2    18.4

As for Tyrus

11/10    Tor
L 101-71    12    2-5    0-0
0-0    0    0    1    3    1    0    1    0    4
11/15    @Pho
L 112-102    23    2-5    0-0
1-2    1    0    0    4    3    2    5    0    5
11/17    @Lac
W 92-73    8    2-2    0-0
0-0    0    0    0    2    0    1    1    1    4
11/18    @Lal
L 106-78    14    1-6    0-0
2-3    1    0    1    2    1    1    2    0    4
11/20    @Den
L 112-91    11    0-1    0-0
0-1    0    0    2    4    0    0    0    0    0
Numbers for Last 5 Games    13.6    7-19    0-0    3-6    0.4    0.0    0.8    3.0    1.0    0.8    1.8    0.2    3.4

Tyrus PPG 6.9 | RPG 5 | BPG 1

I know most of that is due to playing time but oh my lord there seems to be a big difference on paper.

Tyrus showed alot of the game changing freakish abilities late last season so maybe thats the case this season. Maybe he starts slow like Wallace. Now I'm just hoping.

Although I loved the pick at the time and still pretty much do I wish he could get more mintues. It would be nice to see him play harder I do think Skiles had a bit of a point he can loaf at times. I hope he they can put that past them and Tyrus can work on not making Paxson look like a fool. Wallace is already doing that.

Wallace

Totals 280 19-52 .365 0-0 .000 8-22 .364 15 14 9 18 32 40 72 15 46
Averages 28.0 1.9-5.2 0.0-0.0 0.8-2.2 1.50 1.4 0.90 1.8 3.2 4.0 7.2 1.5 4.6

Tyson

Season 13 13 31.8 53-97 .546 0-1 .000 35-54 .648 3.5 7.4 10.9 .23 1.31 2.23 2.85 1.5 10.8
Career 426 253 26.4 1187-2213 .536 0-6 .000 854-1415 .604 3.0 5.6 8.6 .54 1.49 1.57 3.13 0.9 7.6

I guess I could have done it like this...

Tyson PPG 10.8 | RPG 10.9 | BPG 1.3
Aldridge PPG 18.8 | RPG 7.8 | BPG 1.1

Wallace PPG 4.6 | RPG 7.2 | BPG 1.4
Tyrus PPG 6.9 | RPG 5 | BPG 1

I know thats a bit flawed based on minutes and the Skiles effect but it is what it is. And the fact that Aldridge and Tyson are on separate teams. But just for fun.

Lets see thats......

Tyson/Aldridge PPG 29.6 | RPG 18.7 | BPG 2.4
Wallace/Tyrus PPG 11.5 | RPG 12.2 | BPG 2.4

More production with a Tyson/Aldridge front court. Once again this is a bit flawed but it still seems that scoring wise there is a huge difference.

Then you have the debate that Tyson fouls out. I think that cancles out based on the fact that Wallace can't shoot free throws.

Not to throw salt in the wound but I was a big Tyson Chandler fan and I think with a Tyson/Aldrige front court it also give you more trading options. With Wallace's age he looks almost untradable. Opps!

Sorry about the formating. I haven't figured out how to do it on this blog.
Aldridge Chandler Deng Gordon Hinrich I would take that! None even need to wear a headband.

(UPDATE) Luol speaks with Daily Dime. (UPDATE)

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 20:12:14 -0000

UPDATE (11/21): KC Johnson was on the Score this morning (MP3 here. Warning: contains Mike North). The interesting bit is KC saying Luol himself was the one driving these negotiations, it wasn't a case of him wanting to sign and his agent convincing him he could make more later. Take that you 'gentle Luol' pre-judgers! -Matt

This caught my eye.

No. We talked about $50 million, that was the talk. I'm happy with my decision, no matter what happens. Now it is my challenge to go out there and prove I am worth what I want. If I'm not worth that, there is no shame in that. If someone thinks I'm worth it, then they will pay it. I don't know he's not off to the greatest start considering how he fades away in games when the going gets tough. Really I think if he wants to be the man on this team he needs to show up when it really counts. Or maybe he doesn't really care to. So far I haven't been impressed with Luol. Yeah the Bulls need him to win but they need more out of him. He's been injured so that always concerns you. I'm sure some team will offer him some insane amount of money and the dude will be happy.

There is other stuff check it out.

Deng out vs Lakers? Bummer dude!

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 10:16:25 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3117011

Saying out one week. Well I guess that gives Sefooooooo some minutes? If that excites you.....or...whatever.

His hair was Ghetto nice by the way! Almost like he was riding on a speed boat off the coast of Switzerland. I take it Wallace, Gardner and Sefo braid each others hair? It's cool, reminded me of the Eddie Robbinson days! I wanted Eddie Robbinson to be good so very badly! Bad brain though. Bad thoughts and ideas.

Anyways nice little win I hope this is a sign that things are looking up. Wonderful D, making open shots. Moving the ball and Ben Wallace played like Big Ben last night! He does so many nice things when the other guys are shooting well. I hope this is more than a one time thing. Rebounding, tipping balls, I like his politicking of the refs. He showed prudence. He didn't really seem to care the first few games. Which I think is odd when your making 60 million. But hey what do I know.

Other Notes Gardner can shoot! Am I the only one who cares? Like when the ball leaves his hands it tends to go in or close to going in. I think thats just something to keep in mind. The man can shoot! Like to see him get worked in.

Nocioni! Wow if there is an MVP so far it's Red Bull! I really think his D has improved. Tonight he was closing out and getting huge rebounds! Wow Noch way to go! He has been special in my life! Love the hair! Love it! Love the hack on Patterson! Thats backbone baby! I remember the Sheed picking on Nocioni days! Way to go Noch! Noch is very clutch. He wears the 5 well. Unlike Ron Mercer getting his ass stuffed by old MJ. Ehhhhhhh!

Like the guard play so far. BG was his old self but still missed some wide open shots which the old BG would kill you on. Got to the Rim and it looks like his giant killer is back.

Kirk has played better. I think his shot is comming around and he's running the offense fairly well. This is the Kirk we need. Smart, gritty , collective. I just wish him to be like the Kirk I watched in the Final Four. It was like he never missed a shot. When Kirk rolls so do the Bulls. Nice to see!

Duhon has played like the Duhon that stuck with the Bulls his rookie season. He hasn't hurt the team. Maybe he's not out late I don't know. Maybe it's the contract.(Yeah) Funny how that works.

Griff sighting was a nice suprise. I felt calm just watching him. Really though I think he can help in the playoffs. Whats wrong with him calling a team meeting? He's the oldest guy. Charles. Barkley always states the self-evident. Chicago has no scores.
Well could it be that maybe they were just not shooting well?

I still would like to see more from Deng. I know he's been hurt. He played fine tonight but who didn't. I really think Loul needs to take leadership classes. If he could develope like 3 post moves and 3 Iso moves he could be deadly. The pump fake for him is so key! He needs to pump fake alot! With that nice mid range he has all he has to do is pump fake lean in and draw the foul. He should be the number one Scoring option. That needs to be developed later on and into the playoffs. You need to say Loul is our guy we run through him and Noch and BG can play off him.
If Loul could develope the face up juper Karl Malone did. Not so much in strength but Malone could be Isoed in the post turn and face a player and knock down the 15 footer consistantly. You never see that anymore. He would pick and roll and then face up and knock it down eveytime. Or he would hold the ball low to the floor then swing up and set shot in peoples faces.

You guys remember offense?http://youtube.com/watch?v=SiAqzftbmCQ

Who will be the Bulls fist option? Deng needs to be that. He needs to be the Man now.

I hope these are the Bulls that can be top 3 in the East. First real win. Lakers will be tough game. They seem to be playing well at 5-3 and the Kobe drama will be in full effect. Wouldn't it be nice to turn things around in LA and move on from Kobe. I don't see it happening and really it doesn't make any sense. I was for a Kobe deal but your just going to get gutted.

My major concern with the team is Luol Deng. Does he wana be the man or just one of the guys? He has to want it. Because in big games when the defense is tight you need to establish your options. 1. Deng on Block 2. Gordon off screen 3. Drive and Kick to Nocioni. 4. Kirk does something......like drives and gets fouled? 5. Ben Wallace shoots it off the top of the back board. Maybe more pick and rolls with BG and Deng. Set the pick for BG and if it's not there the dump it to Deng. Wana see it! More Alley Opps to Tyrus also. Where has that been? I just thought of the sweetest play...........(Reading Optional) Kirk brings it up to BG on the wing (Dribbles in abit) Deng sets a screen for BG and then rolls( BG's shot not there) BG dumps it down to the rolling Deng who has two options 1 shoot, 2 BG sets a back screen on Tyrus's man and Deng lobs the Alley opp to the cutting Thomas.

Skiles vs Noah round one?

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:59:05 -0000

Well guys it's getting kinda old. See what losing will do. Now the coach is bashing his rookies comments. Or the fact that he made an honest assesment of the state of the Bulls. Well well welllllll.
Maybe Noah shouldn't have said anything but what do you expect him to say Skiles? It's Joakim Noah he speaks without filters. It was his Rookie debut of course he'll have a crowd around him asking him questions about the team. If you ask me I feel something is going on inside that maybe we don't know about. Whether or not Noah was frustrated by not knowing the plays and they have been butting heads or vice versa. Is it Skiles can not tollerate the slow progression as far as Noah learning the team plays? Who knows....

There seems to be friction and I spotted it in the last few games of the preseason. I remember Skiles calling Noah up to sub in for Gray when Noah came back to ask a question to the coaches Skiles shook his head in discust and sent him back to the bench. At which point Noah slowly walked back to the bench swearing. Seconds later one of the coaches came over to Noah with a white board and drew plays for him.

Ok Noah is having problems learning the plays I picked up on that during the last few preseason games but now it's starting to look childish that a coach would throw his player under the bus without him even knowing.

Skiles

"If I had just played my first pro game, I'd probably keep my mouth shut, to be honest with you," Skiles told reporters at the Berto Center. "It's obvious we're not playing to our ability. There's no doubt about that. I may have a little problem with the phrasing of that, but the point is probably spot-on. But it probably should be somebody else speaking for the group."

Noah

"I don't want to say anything. There's no ... um, there's not ... I don't have a problem with coach Skiles, OK? If he feels that way, I'll shut up," Noah said.

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON???

Ok now people are not on the same page here. Skiles has to take it this far? I realize both guys are blunt but come on. Your 0-4 do you think it's the best time to jab at a player through the media? No. What Skiles should have said was either No comment or I'll have a talk with Joakim.

For Bulls fans there is a dark cloud hanging over this team. I feel lost with this team. Do they even wana be Bulls?

This team has holes that really didn't get addressed in the offseason.
Their two best players want mega millions and haven't shown to really step up to the plate and play with any urgency. Or show mental toughness. They haven't even made it past the second round of the playoffs.
This team seems to have maxed out.

A. Other teams are playing just as hard.(remember the hardest working team in the NBA?)
B. They know if you stop BG the odds are against the Bulls
C. Ben Wallace is dead. His fro is thinned with strands of gray.

Kobe( Thats all I'll say of the never ending bs)
Now Noah and Skiles seem to be butting heads.

I have no idea whats going on in the inside but what Noah said was nothing but honesty from a person who was just being honest in answering questions.

Why is Skiles mad?

Skiles can't handle the truth! YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!!!!Skiles can't control this team. The 0-4 falls on Skiles and it's time for him to take some blame and stop spiting his rookie's honesty. It's not Noah's fault the truth kills Skiles.

It's time for Skiles to look in the miror and do something now!
Some egos need to fucking be squashed or heads will roll. Trust me this team has grown some egos. Just cause your picked to win the East doesn't mean you relax and jerk off to your own picture.

Get a fucking win! Beat the Pistons!

I hope they rally around their young and maybe take that into consideration and come together. Or they can just lose again and not know why............. until then Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!

Nasty eleven.

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 16:50:41 -0000

Looking at the schedule for November it doesn't appear a win streak for the Bulls is comming anytime soon.

vs LA W?
vs Detroit L?
vs Toronto L?
@ Phoenix L?
@ Clippers L?
@ Lakers L?
@ Denver L
@ NY L?
@ Toronto L?
vs Atl W?

I'm sure they might be able to get a few road wins here and there but damn, talk about not taking care of your business. I didn't expect them to be 0-3 with a huge road swing insight. Maybe they believe everyone on the outside and thought the had a free ticket to the NBA Finals.

If this team doesn't get it together they maybe looking at a huge hole early which doesn't help you getting home court advantage against teams like Boston and Detriot and Toronto who seem to be the top teams in the East so far and should be winning consistantly. With trade rumors and contract distractions taking the spice out of this teams magic sauce it doesn't bode well for a mentally weak team. After watching the Bears I no longer can judge a team based on how good they should be.

How nice would (2-11) sound going into December? Now that wouldn't be the end of the season but it's just not going to be any easier seeing how the East has improved.

Of course a win could solve many a wound. Maybe thats all they need.

Don't make me write a diary about rebuilding this team around a young Tyrus Thomas. JK for now. Amazing how the failed last 20 seconds or so of reg. in the NJ game has turned into this....odd fucky stigma. Just win! The rumors will go. Just win and you'll get your damn money. Please stop losing your heads. It's one thing to be bad but it's another to be good and play like your bad. Thats mental. Get over it you pampered babies. 1. Talk on D 2. Help out 3. play smart 4. Move the fucking ball on offense 5. know the plays(Noah) 6. Take care of the ball(BG) 7. Stop with the stupid fouls(Kirk mostly) 8. Don't dwell on the source of your unhappiness. 9. Be a fucking pro and do your job your in the NBA. 10. Have some damn fun you get paid millions.

Are the Bulls souring on Hinrich?

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 08:45:26 -0000

I hate to beat a dead horse but the play of Kirk Hinrich has declined ever since his USA team stint two summers ago. I don't know the reason why he can't stay in games but it's become a problem that A. he needs to figure out or B. they consider bringing him off the bench. Don't scoff! Or my favorite moving him. Like off the team.
Yes I think he's a fine person but this is beyond old. Why people adore Kirk Hinrich baffles me. Why people call Luol Deng the next great Bull is also a mystery to me but thats another story. The truth is Tyrus Thomas is and I would give up Deng or Kirk before I would trade Thomas. But back to Hinrich. Assuming the Kobe deal is dead I think the Bulls need to pinch out Hinrich and see what his value might be on the market. The Bulls may need to look at other options at the point. If things don't change with Hinrich they must look to move him. He kills the team offensively and it seems he's not the same player he was his rookie season.

November 8, 2006 Skiles on Hinrich

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20061108/ai_n16827106

"It's something he's struggled with throughout his career so far," Skiles said. "One thing we've tried to get him to understand is there's always one foul that is a silly one. [Monday] night, it was his first one. [Michael] Redd was running away from the goal, and Kirk tried to deny him the ball and picked up his first.

Maybe it's the way his body moves in a crowd that makes the refs call fouls on him.......I don't know. I just know it's not working.

How about college?

"Obviously, I'm real happy that we won," he said after the Jayhawks hung on to beat the Illini 73-69.

He wasn't, however, real happy with the way he played. That quick 3-pointer? It was his only basket of the night, a night filled with foul trouble and a lot of time on the bench.

"I was just over there cheering," he said. "Obviously, I was ticked off, I'm not going to lie to you. But I can't sit over there and pout."

That extra adrenaline quickly got Hinrich into foul trouble, however, a nightmarish reminder of last year's game when Illinois won 80-64. This one had a similar script for Hinrich but a happier ending.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4179/is_20020323/ai_n11777152

Hmmmmmm a theme?

last seasons playoffs.

It demonstrated the Bulls could win when not playing their best. Kirk Hinrich had a horrible day, yet the Bulls won with Thabo Sefolosha d-ing up Dwyane Wade.

What are ya going to do? Ignore it like everyone else.

Juwan Howard anyone?

joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 05:48:58 -0000

I know he's getting up there in age but I think it would be a smart move for the Bulls to inquire about Howard as a Bull. If the Bulls decided to move JamesOn Curry down to the DBL or maybe that ''other thing happens,'' I think it would be wise to take alook at the old Chicago product. He can still hit the 15 footer and adds a fairly solid vet to the team.