DeeSpencer

Yeah but that was round 1 and a Bengals special effort with brainless penalties and dumb coaching that got us to that win. Don't get me wrong I like the Bengals and watched Hard Knocks, really like some thing Marvin Lewis does but also doubt whether he's quite championship quality. The bears can beat good defensive teams with the offense at its best. But any team with a good offense will beat us. Hence the giants got close even with their O crawling along and Wash, Saints and Lions beat us. 4-3 seems to hold up really well when you get a pass rush from the front 4. I'm thinking Giants superbowl runs and when the bears have been good. Seattle at the moment are the same. But when you don't get anything from consistently rushing 4 I like the flexibility a 3-4 provides. The league is heading that way as well. Time for Trestman to make a statement on his defense after this season. I know he wanted to keep a good thing going but now that's over he has to show he can get a coordinator to shape a defense. Otherwise he's just the inverse of Lovie.

Yep heads up football is what they are preaching in high schools now and it should slowly follow through to the Pros. The idea is you tackle with your head up. That way your arms and shoulders make the contact not the helmet. They will react to the targeting of the knees as well. It's come about from players not being allowed to go high so they now go low. The other thing that the NFL needs desperately is a MRP. I know our one is a joke but they hand our indiscriminant fines that don't touch the surface on what these guys earn. They then rarely hand out suspensions but the most recent guy got his 2 game downgraded to 1. The two 1 game suspensions before that got let off on appeal. NFL is a lot of ways would be much easier to get clear definitions of illegal hits considering all the camera angles in HD and the helmets and so forth. If they are serious about preventing concussion then a simple MRP and demerit system will do wonders for weeding out dirty players. A proper fines and carry over point system will allow players to actually understand what they've done wrong.

Schiano is out Neelding the great man himself. Just replace Freeman with Moloney and a few other names and you get Mark Neeld at Melbourne. A power hungry fool is Schiano. And that cannon might just be Tampa's version of Melbourne's bugle. Anyway my frustrating sports fan life continues with the Bears. We finally get a coach in who has a clue about offense, O line play and protecting and utilising your above average QB in Cutler and our successful defense goes over the hill age wise and then has injury after injury. 3 DT injured, 2 starting line backers injured, gun CB Tillman playing on a dodgy knee and most of the rest of the defense is average as well. Bears are 4-3 and we've been in the games in the losses but the combined win total of our opponents isn't pretty (Minn, Cinn, NYG, Wash). Anyway it might be a slow decline for the bears this year with Cutler out injured. Wouldn't be surprised that despite being 4-3 now we finish 6-10 or 7-9. Major off season remodeling of the defense coming up. The offense got retooled nicely last year and this year we should re contracted Cutler and have contracts and talent in place on the O line, at TE and receiver. Defense need the past rush and front 7 completely remodeled and fresh talent in to the secondary. Change of plans to get back to good special teams would be nice as well. Losing our special teams coach to KC was a big loss. Seeing what Rob Ryan has done with the saints and watching Rex get the Jets back and going this year I think it might be time that the Lovie Smith 4-3 Tampa 2/cover 2 is out and we go for a 3-4 defense.

Rumor he's a dees fan. I'm voting him in for president. Bowled a handy over before. He's going to have some ups and downs but lets stick by him

The receivers in motion at the snap is interesting. As is the goal posts in the middle of the giant end zone. Nice new stadium though. It certainly looks like pro sport but not quite the NFL. I'm surprised they don't let NFL teams loan players to the CFL teams like in soccer.

Openers Watson Cowan Batsmen Rogers Clarke Hughes Smith or Khawaja depending on form before first test Keeper Haddin - this one is all but confirmed but I don't like him but oh well. Let's hope Wade and Paine get back on track Bowlers Starc Siddle Pattinson Harris That's presuming the pitch isn't overly spin friendly. If so bring Lyon in rest Harris for a test where it's pace friendly. Also keep Faulkner open as an option for 6 or 8 but we need battling depth more than extra all rounder. The other quick who I expect will get a test is Jackson Bird. I can't have Warner in the side, no because of his behaviour (which wasn't ideal but he smacked a pom not a team mate move on) but because without any practice games at all how can he be ready for test cricket in English conditions? In fact I believe Warner should be realised from the squad and play county cricket until the first test finishes then bring him back in the fold. At least he'll have a warm up that way. If he's been scoring runs at county cricket then bring him back in for an underperforming batsman. Besides Clarke the other 5 can easily be dropped! Of course if (and I think they should) they go for Rogers or Khawaja they need some time in the team to see them play. In fact I'd like selectors to come out before the first test and say Rogers is in and he's on a two game trial at least so that the pressure is off for the first test.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1207435/5/index.htm This article about the Raiders - which in turn reportedly cause the son of the legend Mark Davis to sack his own PR guy - highlights the dysfunctional nature of the team and you can see a lot of similarities to our problems. I'm not sure though if Reggie McKenze is the Mark Neeld coming in and making things worse or the Peter Jackson who has come in to make things better. And maybe Hue Jackson was the Mark Neeld and Carson Palmer can star as David Rodan,

What? I'm saying good luck to her. I just don't imagine her career at the MFC will be a long one.

Well as bright and prosperous as a career can be in a one off game for the MFC..... Although if you mean for her local and state footy then sure good luck to her.

it helps game one then costs them as the series drag on. Heat would love to rest Wade and Bosh right now but cant

Betts can put on forward pressure but I haven't seen him do it for a full season, he seems more of a lead and goal type player. He'd be handy but I can't see him leaving Carlton and still being a good price. I'd look to the draft more than anything for a small forward. They can come in and play quickly if fit. I agree its an area of need for our list.

Terrible turnover, terrible player. He might find some more ball in the middle but he plays without pride for himself or for the jumper.

I'm underwhelmed as well. It looks like we generally have 3 positions for full time staff in recruiting. A head recruiter whose job will be essentially left blank this year and merged under Viney's role until the Collingwood chap comes out of contract, and 2 full time recruiting officers. It seems those positions will be filled by Burleigh who seems to me to be part of the team who have recruited poorly in the last decade and now a guy who hasn't ever done the job before. Sure he's got a good background with community and football experience but couldn't we lure a part time guy from Geelong or Hawthorn into this full time role in football? I don't think the magnitude of this years draft can be underestimated. We've got 3 first round picks, one of which will be Viney but we need to nail the other 2 and all our other picks. It's the best opportunity for us to get talented, tough footballer players in so that with the talent we've already added we can craft a proper side. If we stuff up this year then I'm not sure we'll ever get it right.

My thoughts. Bollinger out: fair enough Hilf + Johnson in: Hilf had one bad test, deserves to be in squad and only missing out if the wickets aren't meant to swing. I don't like the re inclusion of Johnson - but he is a test performer so I won't go all high horse on it. There's too much to complain about to worry about what they are doing with MJ. Doherty Out/ Beer In: We don't seem to have a spinner in the country who is up to it. We need a plan going forward on how to address this. All I want from the selectors is some kind of plan. Ie. were going to go horses for courses for a while, or where going to give everyone a try, or were including this guy and that's how its going to be. I hope this Beer dude can field. North out: had to happen Smith in: BAD! if he's going to be an all rounder or spinner the pressure of walking in now to bat at number 6 will ruin his bowling development. They've pushed the trigger too early in searching for a replacement. Both Hussey and Khawaja have first class averages of 50+. Hussey has an average of 55 with over 10,000 first class runs. Khawaja is technically organised, 24 and not in hopeless form this summer. Blooding youngsters is fine, but you have to give them a chance. Now Smith is in he needs a big chance, even though I think at 6 he is destined to fail. Man it sucks that McDonald got injured. Hughes In: He's had some success at test level and a good first class average. I'm willing to give him a shot as his only competition is Marsh, who despite some good scores of late is not up to it.

well played!