8 Weak Thoughts: Week 8

1. Just when I thought no 24-point win could be less impressive than the one the Bears had earlier this season against the Lions, they went out and outdid themselves in a 30-6 euthanization of the Browns.
The more I see the Bears, the more I am certain that they just are not a good team. A good team would've scored 50-plus against the putrid Browns, who -- one win or not -- seriously look worse to me than last year's Lions. Playing against a dismal Cleveland D, the Bears offenselooked pathetic, despite the decent point total. Once again, there was little running room for Rashaan Salaam 2.0, and Jay Cutler absorbed a ton of hits from the Browns usually-anemic pass rush.

Why?


2. The Bears offensive line is so bad, it rivals Green Bay's.
In fact, even if you put the Bears and Packers together, you'd barely be able to cobble together one below-average o-line. And it is the primary reason that neither team is going anywhere.

However, while the Packers can at least in part blame injuries, the Bears are getting exactly what they deserve.

What exactly do I mean by that? They have completely ignored the position group in the draft, choosing instead to sign free-agent stopgaps. In the last seven drafts, the Bears have taken a grand total of three offensive linemen in the first six rounds. (I've ignored seventh-round selections because those guys rarely make the final roster.) Compare that to New England and Denver, two franchises that consistently have very good offensive lines. In the same time period, both teams have drafted 10 offensive linemen in Rounds 1 through 6.

Gee, I wonder which strategy's worked better.


3. Dump the chart
That stupid "Should we go for 2?" chart screws coaches all the time. Miami's decision to try for the deuce after scoring to take a 30-19 lead was horrible. A XP makes it so the Jets would've needed two TDs to win; missing it left them within a touchdown (plus a two of their own) and a field goal. This was a horrible miscalculation and I'm sure it was based on that stupid chart that coaches supposedly carry.

Yes, a conversion there makes it so a TD + two field goals can only tie you. But what were the chances of the Jets getting three scoring drives in the final 8 minutes? And two TD's still beats you, just like it does with a 12 point lead.

And lastly, if the Dolphins had later added a field goal, their lead would've still been 14 points. If they had just kicked the extra point, a subsequent FG gives them a 15-point lead and means the Jets would've needed two TDs plus converted a 2 of their own just to tie.


4. I'm too

5. Lazy to

6. Come up

7. With five

8. More items.