Bears Defense WILL be a Top 10 unit this year.

[BearbaFett]

Nothing irrational about it. However, stating a team that was "almost" top ten in total yards allowed does not back the idea that they will somehow be a top ten D this year. As you just stated, no team stays static from year to year and I am stating the same thing. Therefore we are on the same page in that regard.

Where our opinions differ is I do not feel that you can be a top 10 D without a good secondary and the Bears have a lot of holes, if's, and maybe's at corner and safety. No matter how good your front 7 are, they cannot realistically get to or hurry the QB every play. Hard to keep the yards against down if the opposing QB is firing the ball all over the field to wide open receivers.

Also, if you are simply looking at how the Bears were "almost" a top 10 team in yards allowed last season, I then wonder where the opposing teams started from? Did they start every drive from their own 20 and the Bears stifling D create a bunch of 3 and outs? Or, perhaps, the Bears had a QB that liked to fumble and throw the ball to the opposing team giving them excellent field position where they did not have to have long scoring drives? I would have to go back and look at the stats on that but I would hazard a guess that it is the latter. Oh and according to the NFL's website, the Bears were ranked as the 18th "overall" D in the league last year.

To top that off, if you are looking at last year as an indicator of how good they will be this year (which is fine for comparison purposes) you also need to look at the strength of their opponents O this year vs last. If they are playing better teams, even if the Bears are better on D, their numbers may still go down.

That said, I hope they do end up as a top 10 D. I just don't see it although I would love to be wrong.

good response.

i think we can all agree that the secondary is the biggest question mark, just because it's the biggest unknown. we may very well have 4 new starters at outside corners and both safeties. but even with these new faces, can you not say that who we're trotting out there this year is better than guys like devante bausby, demontre hurst, and jacoby glenn? callahan and leblanc were ok last year, and the arrow's pointing up for them this year, no? hall, bush, and houston-carson all have a year experience in the system instead of being wide-eyed rookies trying to learn the nfl game. all im saying is that in a bubble, the secondary looks to be much improved from last year. just like how ILB was much improved last year, compared to the year before.

fair point about opponents starting position. i'm sure there were a shit-ton of drives that gave the opponent a short field. i'd like to see those stats as well.

it really sucks that our schedule is pretty brutal for most part of the year. i'm just betting on that we'll be more improved, and maybe just maybe our opponents regress or have to battle the historic amount of injuries that we dealt with last year.

 

[Wintermute]

Fuck it, totally agree. If anyone on this peewee coaching staff can make something out of nothing it's the DC.

In Fangio I trust.

 

[Sid.Luckman]

good response.

i think we can all agree that the secondary is the biggest question mark, just because it's the biggest unknown. we may very well have 4 new starters at outside corners and both safeties. but even with these new faces, can you not say that who we're trotting out there this year is better than guys like devante bausby, demontre hurst, and jacoby glenn? callahan and leblanc were ok last year, and the arrow's pointing up for them this year, no? hall, bush, and houston-carson all have a year experience in the system instead of being wide-eyed rookies trying to learn the nfl game. all im saying is that in a bubble, the secondary looks to be much improved from last year. just like how ILB was much improved last year, compared to the year before.

fair point about opponents starting position. i'm sure there were a shit-ton of drives that gave the opponent a short field. i'd like to see those stats as well.

it really sucks that our schedule is pretty brutal for most part of the year. i'm just betting on that we'll be more improved, and maybe just maybe our opponents regress or have to battle the historic amount of injuries that we dealt with last year.

Oh. Don't get me wrong. I think they will be a better D than last year, I just don't see them cracking the top 10. The front seven look really good and I believe the secondary will be better as I think the depth will be better. Eddie Jackson has looked really good at FS but he seems to be the only true FS on the roster. I think Prince will be an upgrade at CB if he can stay healthy and return to his Giants form. If Fuller's light comes on, stays on, and he stays healthy that would help immensely. i am not sold on Cooper or Demps. However, I do think the depth in the secondary is better this year, if for no other reason than they have more guys with NFL experience.

 

[Chicago Staleys]

To be a top 10 defense you have to cause plenty of turnovers. That is the major weakness of this defense coming into the 2017 season.

 

[Raskolnikov]

I would not cry myself to sleep if we released Acho or Houston and kicked the tires on ahmad brooks who knows our system.

 

[wazzupi]

I would not cry myself to sleep if we released Acho or Houston and kicked the tires on ahmad brooks who knows our system.

someone gets it.

 

[SuperDitkaMan]

Trust me man, Fangio wasn't on the field blowing it....

Trust me...Fangio made that call.

I think Fox wanted to kill him.

I know I did.

It was a shit call.

You dont go single high safety against Hail Mary Rodgers.

Or did you forget the final seconds of the 2013 season?

 

[OliverTwistCone]

2013? You mean the Mel Tucker led, Chis Conte debacle against Randall Cobb which was a Cover 0, all out blitz?