I'm not sure if regular people like myself are allowed to post an open thread, but here's my likely futile attempt before a moderator shuts this down. Here's a live feed via NFL.com.

Editor note: This Open Thread has WCGs stamp of approval.

Some of the highlight so far- Stephen Hill running 4.36 40 yard dash, and Floyd running a 4.43. RGIII pictured above ran a blazing 4.41 for a QB. Luck ran a respectable 4.5 something (stupid NFL.com doesn't show it).

I thought I'd start a post where everyone could share some thoughts on setting our lineups for tonight, tomorrow and Monday. It's nice to have a release after the past few weeks of heartbreak. I'm going to list my rosters, so I'd appreciate some sound advice on what everyone thinks would be my best lineup. These are just two of the four teams I have in the playoffs. I'll certainly try to help with anyone else's tough lineup questions.

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Congrats Pack fans on your team's SB victory yesterday.  As a Bears fan, I was trying really hard to root against Rodgers and company, but found that I was secretly admiring their run to the top.

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     Couldn't hold me back from defending Jay Cutler and the Bears performance, but something about these debates from yesterday's debacle are still very concerning to me.  Oh, and an army that size would be the only way to force me to watch the Super Bowl.  No desire to see a stairway to seven or a green and gold championship belt. 

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     First things first, I'd like express my undying gratitude to WGC for being quite possibly the biggest positive distraction for me during the long work week.  The Sean Jenson Q&A was a thing of beauty, and I'd like to applaud Dane and company for bringing it to fruition this afternoon.  Another win for Bear fans everwhere; even if the real team doesn't bring home a victory this Sunday.  Never!

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via 4.bp.blogspot.com       

                                                                                                      

Since new news is at a premium this time of year, I wanted to mix it up with a different type of post.  So, here it goes....

There's nothing better than enjoying a couple of our favorite things together.  Beer and potato chips?  No.  Beer and pretzels?  No.  Beer and women (men, depending on your flavor)?  No, but they're right there!  The Bears and music.  Yes!  Us Bear fans are just as passionate as any other fanbase out there; combine that with some of our favorite tunes and we have a match made in heaven.  This isn't a contest, but feel free to join in the act.  I've been thinking about doing something like this for quite awhile, but time restraints (doesn't everyone blame everything on the clock?) have prevented me from starting and/or finishing.  Please follow me after the jump to see my cool or possibly lame matches. 

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via www.mkrob.com

    

 

    I haven't posted in awhile, but this video caught my eye.  Didn't bother with a Fanshot cause it rarely sees the light of day.  What surprised me is how fast Peppers and Hester were in drills.  JC seemed to be very sharp; he threw with obvious authority and tight-spiraled accuracy.   

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via broncosbanter.com

     Michael David Smith from PFT is reporting that the Bears have interest in dealing for the much-maligned Brandon Marshall.  Follow me after the "jump" in order to see a couple of my trade scenarios, and what actually might work for both teams.....Denver Bears and the Chicago Broncos. 

 

 

 

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via beargoggleson.com

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Geaux- I thought I'd do this post for old times sakes, since I had some time on my hands. 

Jerry Angelo discusses the Bears' resiliency in the past two week's late-heroic victories, the ever developing WR corp, and the surprisingly thin LB crew.  Thank goodness LB was the deepest position on the team! 

It's unbelievable that Mr. Ridiculous, Johnny "Fort" Knox, and Earl Bennett have made just enough plays to help the team win two of its first three games. 

Here's an indication why Jerry decided to pick up McClover for the second time this early in the season. 

JA: We signed Darrell McClover for special teams purposes as what we did with Tim Shaw because Nick Roach and Jamar Williams got promoted as starters. Pisa will be back here shortly—if not this week then after our bye week against Atlanta. In the event that he and Hunter aren’t ready to go this week, then Jamar and Nick will be our starters. That would take them off special teams, so we needed a player to replace them in that area.

     Al Afalava was an afterthought by the time he was drafted in April by the Bears.  Ever since they decided to take a "flyer" on him in the sixth round, I couldn't help but to notice his name and the fact it spurred memories of Troy Polamalu roaming around the Steelers vaunted defense.  It really didn't matter what I thought of him, but there was something about him that wreaked of a true sleeper pick.  Here's what Brad Biggs said about him less than week before training camp started. 

Safety Al Afalava. The Bears went into the draft knowing they needed a free safety but with their draft position, they didn't identify any that would fill their need in what was considered a weak class. They wound up grabbing Afalava in the sixth round, and he's a strong safety although the Bears have said he can play both positions. He's a serious hitter and should provide some exciting moments late in some preseason games that are otherwise not exciting. It could be an uphill battle to make the roster and just being a thumper won't get it done for him. He needs to show instincts first. Missing the bulk of the offseason program because of the rules for schools like Oregon State that are on the quarter system didn't help him. 

 

     Al got a late start to camp because of the Stay in school program prevented him from practicing more than once during the first OTA sessions.  Once he got a chance to settle down in training camp, it was only a matter of time before getting the attention of the coaching staff and surprisingly from his veteran teammates.  His "wild eyes" got people to make crazy comparisons to Mike Singletary's extremely intense playing demeanor.  His instincts, mean-streak, size, and athleticism could be a God send for the Bears underachieving and undertalented secondary.  So far, he's brought an intensity to the defense that really hasn't had a sense of urgency since the '06 season.  In addition to his physical presence, he's shown to be a very quick study with the Bears playbook despite missing all of June's OTA practices.  Here's a Lovie quote from today's article at yahoo.com.

"We're trying to get ready for Green Bay (season opener) and we have to bring him along quickly," Bears coach Lovie Smith said Tuesday. "He missed the bulk of our off-season work related to his school but he has caught up quickly. He is a quick learner."

Hopefully, this bodes well for a Bears defense desperately needing a "shot in the arm."  With Afalava poised to win the starting SS position, Payne shifting to FS, and Bowman (if healthy) at CB, the Bears could have a very physical secondary.  With all that said, what does everyone think about Al's chances this season? Please click for Afalava's pro-day (I get chills watching this) and poll below.  I linked it up cause I couldn't get the video insert down at the bottom of the page. 

Poll

What kind of impact will Al Afalava make in his rookie campaign?

18%

Great (over 100 tackles and 3 Ints)

15 votes

61%

Good (over 75 tackles and 2 Ints)

51 votes

20%

Average (over 50 tackles and 1 Int)

17 votes

83 votes | Poll has closed

via thenastyboys.files.wordpress.com

 

 Mortensen asks Brian a wide range of intriguing questions that consist of Hot Rod Marinelli's influence over the defense, Orton, Cutler's "smarts," golf, last year's defensive failures, and Bears' MLB lore. 

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via www.mouthpiecesports.com

                                                                                                     

     There was a question during Harden's very poor performance against the Brewers this afternoon.  Someone came in late to the game thread and asked what exactly happened to him.  I mentioned he had bad command of the strike-zone with his fastball, and another blogger mentioned it was his control.  I disputed this notion, and he said "those two words mean the same thing."  In any event, Harden was pitching strikes, but had virtually no command on where his pitches were going within the strike-zone.  It really didn't have much to do with his control otherwise he would've walked a bunch of guys; instead he was getting hit very hard all over the field.  There is a nice piece on Pitching Tips Blog if anyone is interested in some clarification on the two terms. 

 

Command- a pitcher's ability to pitch within the strike-zone.

Pitching command means being able to locate any pitch within a certain section of the strike zone instead of just trying to throw the ball over the plate with no purpose.

Control- a pitcher's ability to pitch strikes or not. 

Pitcher's ability to improve control and throw strikes more consistently

via www.celebritymooch.com

     

     In Jerry's very first question he discusses with Larry Mayer about the progress of the Bears rookie receivers during OTAs, and how their plethora of running backs have faired so far.  There are many questions surrounding Garrett Wolfe and "our" AP, the most important being will they show enough to make the final cut at the end of training camp.  JA seems to be pointing to the possibility of keeping four running backs on the roster for the upcoming season. 

Kevin Jones is really back in true form in terms of his quickness and speed, and we’re seeing more cutting ability than we’ve seen in the past. That’s a real good sign for us; to get the tandem of Kevin and Matt Forte going as well as Garrett Wolfe with Adrian Peterson.

 This looks to be good news, because we all know Forte can't handle the burden like last year.  Actually, reading this excerpt gets me real excited to see the Bears regain a formidable tandem in the backfield. 

In addition, Jerry touches on a very hot topic in regards to Plax and the possibility of him becoming a Bear.  The rest of the questions deal with the defense's health entering training camp. 

via assets.chicagobears.com

     In what seems like a never ending series from Mayer on chicagobears.com, our own J. Angelo goes further into depth with his answers than ever before.  He has some very nice words on Jamar Williams, and if all goes well he'll be in neck-in-neck competition between Pisa and Nick('s).  Yeah, it does kind of sound like some pizza joint in suburban Chicago.  You know the kind that serve thin-crust pizza cut up in squares?  Well anyways, enough of being hungry for food from back home.  Here's a Jay Sizzle quote from JA on his attitude and work ethic. 

He’s rolled up his sleeves and he’s gone to work. He’s certainly not resting on any laurels. He’s come in here to prove himself and establish himself.

Hey Dungy- it sure seems like he's maturing before our very eyes.  Get used to being wrong.

My favorite excerpt was on Tommie Harris' all famous knee.  See what JA says about him not participating in OTAs so far, and the importance of him being in there. 

The wear and tear comes during the season, not the offseason.

I thought it was like in baseball, where a pitcher warming up doesn't count as "wear and tear." 

Make sure to vote on the poll and let me know what you guys think of JA's thoughts and comments!

 

 

 

Poll

Has Jerry Angelo become wiser this offseason?

76%

Yay

26 votes

23%

Nay

8 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

JA only answers a handful of questions regarding rookie mini-camp, draftees' possible contribution in the regular season, and puts to rest the idea of signing an aging dinosaur from the scrap-heap.  Smart move professor. 

Here's an excerpt indicating the draftees have taken their first step in their professional football careers. 

All the players looked like they belonged. What was nice was what we saw on their college tape was reflected during our three-day minicamp. That's what it should look like, and it did.

Now if someone can just invent a time machine so we can kick the '09 season off already! 

via d.yimg.com

I love this picture!  He has a look on his face like you better be great, or I'm up the creek without a paddle or a boat.  In this latest sitdown with JA, Larry Mayer covers topics on Earl Bennett and how many draftees will become starters for the Bears.  He has a great explanation on why the former didn't see the field in his rookie year.  Is this a typical backpedal from JA (the Jerry shuffle), or is he really preaching the truth?  Time will tell soon enough on our 4th round pick from a year ago. 

Here's a quote from the excerpt:

Usually the best player on our board should facilitate one of our needs, because you usually have three to four needs going into any given draft.

Hey, at least he recognizes and acknowledges we have weaknesses.  Hopefully he doesn't "miss" by reaching for a need too early.        

via www.giftsandfreeadvice.com

via nbc5streetteam.files.wordpress.com

Larry Mayer's chalk talk breaks down the trade between Chicago and Denver in terms of the numeric point system.  Looking at the values between Cutler (doesn't include the 5th rounder in return) vs. Orton plus draft picks, clearly show the Bears came out ahead of the Broncos based on Cutler's pro-bowl ability, and seemingly #1 pick overall status.  Here's my calculation of the total points for both teams, and quote from Larry showing his seal of approval.   

Plus I’d much rather have a proven commodity who still has upside and can get better like Cutler than rely on unknowns in the draft. The money under the salary cap the Bears will save by not paying two first-round picks is also a huge positive moving forward.

Bears - 3000 points (Cutler as the overall #1 pick in this year's draft)

Broncos - 2,340 points.  900 points for this year's 18th pick, 170 for 84th pick overall, and 850 for next year's #1 pick, which I estimated to be the 20th pick overall (Bears making the playoffs as the worst wild card team).  As far as Orton, it's difficult to determine where he would go in this months draft.  I'd determine he'd be worth at least a middle second round pick.  That would give Denver an additional 420 points for Neckbeard.    

Thus, through my eyes as well as Mayer's, the Bears got the better of this deal.  What does everyone think?   

 

via blogs.suntimes.com

In this latest, third installment of Q&A with very pro-Bear Larry Mayer, Dr. Angelo discusses how the Bears like to conduct business.  He also touches on the recent visits of Pace, Lucas, and of course the topic of the whiny QB Jay Cutler.  Here's an interesting quote from the professor himself. 

We understand the rumors that are out there and we know it is great fodder for the media and our fans to talk about. 

It seems as if he's stopped by WCG and seen us in the flesh.  Nice!

PFT is reporting that T.J. is holding out for more money.  I realize Jones was the leading rusher in the AFC last year, but this game he's playing is a bit rediculous.  In 2007, he recieved a contract with $12 million in guaranteed money.  Two years later he's back at it again, rustling feathers within Jets management.  I was upset when JA complied with his request for a trade two years ago, but now it seems like it might work out in the long run.  Forte is clearly more versatile; provides a better option in the passing game, and is a lot younger. What does everyone think of his attitude and him not attending the Jets first off-season program? 

 

via sportsmaven.files.wordpress.com

   

via www.chicagobears.com

This is the second crappy installment of Larry Mayer's Q&A with our fearful leader.  Personally, I'm growing very impatient at the propaganda being spewed out by il Duce.  In this piece he virtually says nothing at all, only commentating on how he wanted St. Clair back in the mix and that free-agency isn't over yet.  Oh please, let it be over!

"We felt very good about our chances of re-signing John, recognizing his value to our team."

What exactly did he recognize?  What kind of value did he really have Jerry?  It's obvious he wasn't valuable enough, and now has the professor back to the drawing board trying to find an able replacement off the trash heap.  How many rookies can have an impact in one draft?  Well, for everyone's sake he better hit on offense or else this Bears team will be a basement dweller this season.