Bears' big question: Is Tait too old?

Tuesday's two-minute drill ... Naming Kyle Orton the starter at quarterback Monday temporarily answered the most-asked question at Halas Hall, but a bigger one potentially looms larger over the Bears' season.

[Userious]

Dave, John Tait is not to old to play. Yes, the coaches need therapy; they brought it upon themselves. Letting Griese go was what everyone in chicago wanted. Media and fans wanted him out of there. Not just you dave, huge media outlets were literally forcing chicago management to get rid of him. Releasing O'Sullivan was another genius move from the mind trust evaluating squad in chicago. Now, he gets to start opposite his old team and show Bears management what they tossed out the door, because they worried about rex and kyle. Who cares if miller goes to baltimore. They need a new dumpster anyways. He left gaps so wide open a 737 could navigate that passage. Rex had to endure a line last week that didn't exist and everyone wanted him benched for "Orton who cant pass a touchdown". I do not want to see any articles about how kyle didn't get a chance to show his potential because he was knocked to ground by the defense. You didn't give rex that benefit and I cannot wait to see JT out perform Kyle and laugh at the fact that there was talent thrown away by the geniuses again. What will our #1 pick be next year; another RB!

[mike]

I've seen toilet seat covers that worked harder than the bears talent scouts. Still trying to keep F.M. around,huh dave. Give up on him already and enjoy watching Orton run for his life, thanking his coaches as he gets gang tackled on his sideline

[Alex]

Miller & Brown were too old last year. The back ups on the bench have not progressed. Tait may be too old & slow. Lovie doesn't have a clue.

The clueless trainee Angelo can't evaluate talent or coaching.

Do you think that the Bears will win 4 games, if they are lucky. Angelo & Lovie have ruined the Bears.

[Userious]

Alex wrote:

Miller & Brown were too old last year. The back ups on the bench have not progressed. Tait may be too old & slow. Lovie doesn't have a clue.
The clueless trainee Angelo can't evaluate talent or coaching.
Do you think that the Bears will win 4 games, if they are lucky. Angelo & Lovie have ruined the Bears.

Your being generous. I only spotted one possible win. CHI6-ATL3!!!! LOL

[Blago]

The entire line is too old, too poruous, too pitiful. You could put scramblin' Randall Cunningham back there and he'd still get killed. Not to mention he'd have no one to throw it to or hand it off to (okay maybe a could 8 yard ins to the TEs). It's going to be a loooooonnnnggg slow march to a 13 loss season, mark my words.

[Blago]

Userious wrote:

<quoted text>
Your being generous. I only spotted one possible win. CHI6-ATL3!!!! LOL

and even that one is on the road!

[Billy Bob]

Yep....

[Neez]

This Bears offensive line is simply appalling. How can Angelo keep his job after putting this mess on the field? Anyone who thinks this team is capable of winning more than 4 games with this offensive line is kidding themselves. It's sad to say, but this team has no chance. What an embarrassment.

[liquid1]

to answer your question, Tait was too old last year. the only reason a lot of people didn't realize how bad a season he had was because he was overshadowed by the false starts of Fred miller and the short comings of ruben, on-the-ground, brown. I realize he only got burned once, and nobody is perfect, but anybody with a brain could tell last year that he had lost a step. now it's one year later and he is one year older and we are moving him around the line...recipe for disaster. As far as orton is concerned, i don't think he won any sort of competition. Lovie admitted himself that he is going with his gut...he obviously can't be basing anything on their numbers because the difference is negligible. Personally, i'd rather lose with a gunslinger, ala Rex, than lose with a rag arm, ala Orton, that can only complete three yard passes. either way, with out an offensive line, we are going to be just slightly better than we were last year...assuming our Defense stays healthy, and teams actually kick the ball to hester.

[Walter Butch Brzeski]

Forget Griese and O'Sullivan. Griese is the Qb every team wnats until you have him, give him time to start his act again in TB.

And, O'Sullivan is the answer to an offensive coordinators' question when they need a qb for their roster,:"Who is out there?"

The Bears castoff question should focus on which offensive lineman could they use now that they got rid of in the past:

Castoffs include:

Tackle Mark Levoir (St.Louis)
Guards Travis Leffew (KC) and Lennie Friedman (Cleveland).

And, I suggest the Bears keep an eye on the waiver wires or make a trade for a veteran or two like:

Guards: Steve McKinney (Miami), G Jason Whittle (Buffalo) and Dylan Gandy (Denver) or

Tackles Doug Free (Dallas) and Cory Lekkerkeker (Dallas).

[Rico]

You know, see if the St. Louis Lambs will give up Trent Green for Rex Grossman ... we'll be better off!!!

[Anne]

I'd like to see Jerry Angelo make a big trade for a big OL. The bears are deep at LB & DE and if he gives up a draft pick or two he should be able to pull off a trade.

If we continue to try and develop with what we have then I have a feeling that all 3 QB's will see signifigant playing time this year.

[Tait is done]

He has been a turnstile since the latter part of '06. He was only overshadowed by their other offensive inadequacies. They're stuck with him, but i wouldn't expect much. He is (and has been) the most overrated Bear.

[and also]

who really thinks Griese makes a difference? He's shown for 11 years he's a backup QB. He lost to Detroit - TWICE.

[Bear Down Comforter]

Griese? Please!! The guy doesn't have the requistite arm strength to be an NFL quarterback.
If JT O'Sullivan was answer, would he be on his 5th team? Only Mike Martz system can take advantage of his strengths? What a crock.
Kyle Orton is the right answer, particularly over Grossman because of his height. With the line play more suspect than last year, you could expect a huge number of passes tipped at the line and picked (as happened Saturday night) or batted down with Grossman under center.
Nothing against Grossman, but Orton is the right answer.

[Walter Butch Brzeski]

BTW: The 'Throw-Turner-Under-The-Bus' meter stands at 4..........Rex did it after the Seattle game and Lovie did it after the first half of Seattle game, at the end of the game, and twice yesterday

[Chad]

I was not sold on Tait being good although it was hard to tell with the rest of the line being complete garbage. Only one worth keeping is Olin and even he didn't do that well last season.

Personally I don't know why they did so little to fix the line this offseason... None of the many solid Guards were brought in but we brought back Briggs for big money and he isn't even a difference maker...

This season will cost a lot of people their jobs and the sad part is that is the only thing we got to look forward to.

I think the great debate should not be whos the bears QB but rather who is the bigger idiot Turner or Lovie?

[Petaluma Dave]

The Bears' failures on the line are no so much about the draft but about their inability to find free-agent help.

I looked it up, and in the 2007 draft, only one of the 10 offensive lineman taken between the time the Bears took Olsen (which most would concede was a good pick) and Beekman (Angelo's first OL pick in the draft) is first on his team's depth chart.

Buffalo added two free-agent lineman through free agency before the 2007 season in Langston Walker and Derrick Dockery (both are 27, so should have few more good years left). Think those made a difference in making Trent Edwards look good at QB or had an impact on the running game?

The Bears have to be willing to spend on proven offensive linemen instead of focusing solely on their defense.

[Dave D]

Anne wrote:

I'd like to see Jerry Angelo make a big trade for a big OL. The bears are deep at LB & DE and if he gives up a draft pick or two he should be able to pull off a trade.
If we continue to try and develop with what we have then I have a feeling that all 3 QB's will see signifigant playing time this year.

That has been EXACTLY my argument from the beginning. I have been laughing at everyone pining for Rex, Kyle, or Hanie to start because they will indeed probably all start at one point throughout this season. If this o-line doesn't start blocking it's almost a freakin given.

[Walter Butch Brzeski]

Lovie Smith has said he brought in young coaches to be teachers. What have they been teaching, coaching, and correcting?

A lot of the offensive problems has been blamed on Grossman, his ;nervous feet', bad fundamentals and decision making, and lack of poise. But, there's enough blame to go around on offense. What's offensive line coach, Harry Hiestand (Ron Turner assistant coach at Illinois) doing with his veterans?

John Tait has problems picking up blitzes and stunts, pull, get out on screens, or get movement on defenders off the line.

Josh Beekman got the blame for holding 'around the neck' and a false start in the Seattle game. But, Roberto Garza was the one holding and it wasn't called on him and he could have easily been whistled for the false start when Beekman did, Garza just didn't caught again.

Garza has been called 'solid', but, I would like to see him handle a pass rusher by himself for once; instead of Olin Kreutz turning his shoulder (instead of keeping them square in pass blocking) to help Garza. Kreutz helps create a seam in the pass protection as the left guard has to block two guys, one in his inside gap and one in the oustide because John St. Clair is turned out blocking the outside rusher. Also, since Garza has been with the Bears, I haven't seen him hit anyone on a screen.

John St. Clair is defintely suited for the inside at this stage in his career. Rushing ends and backers are flying by him and are going to cripple a Bears QB soon if he doesn't get the back's help in chipping the rusher and pushing him square into St. Clair. St. Clair seems to have difficulty on keping low to pull on traps and doesn't seem to be mobile enough to get out on screens at guard, but, he has shown he can drive guys off the line on inside runs.

And, Kreutz needs to step and snap at the same time and keep low with his feet moving. Once he does this, it sets the base for the line and the bloaking scheme. Also, Kreutz needs to stay square on pass blocking and use one side of his body to help the guard and keep the other part of his body to free to pickup blitzes and stunts.