Chicago is so f-ing depressing right now. Its amazing how a terrible bears team makes this town sad. I see more hawks jerseys than bears and the hawks don't play their fist game for a week and a half.
Yes a 5th linebacker though. To say he started at linebacker is silly. It's a lot easier to dodge blocks when you're the 8th guy in the box.
Yeah I wouldn't consider him a linebacker no matter where he lined up in the Steelers defense, or when. Technically the first play of the game usually is a run so if you have him in the box for a play doesn't mean he was their starting OLB. We do the same with Pryor essentially. I wouldn't consider Coples a (starting) cornerback just because Rex had him line up out there to jam receivers for a couple of plays per game. In the right scheme I guess Polamalu could play linebacker, like a 4-3 tampa 2 defense. Both of the Panthers starting OLB's are converted safeties (Davis & Thompson).
I was under the impression that he played LB for a year or two from an article I read. I'll try to dig it up when I get a moment. Edit: okay that was easier to find than I thought. Here goes.... http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...olamalu-back-at-natural-position-for-steelers I thought this went on for much longer than a year, but I think I got the steelers using him in the box a lot and moving him to Lb a mixed up.
If you really want to consider him replacing a linebacker on third and long while bringing in another safety over top as him being their starting middle linebacker then by all means go ahead and think that. A team with a 5'8 190 pound player starting at middle linebacker on every down would get tossed out of the league for being so stupid to think they could ever stop the run.
Are you familiar with a strawman argument? It is an argument where one party, yourself in this case, attempts to disprove my argument by changing what is it I argued in the first place by replacing facts no making convenient assertions in an attempt to make the credulous seem incredulous. So, here we go: Troy polamalu, according to Wikipedia, is 5'10" and 206lbs. This is light/small for a LB but not unheard of. No one, least of all myself, is saying he is going to be playing MLB and I wasn't even the person who originally suggested Polamalu, let alone assuming he'd only be used against the run if he were to somehow play for us. I merely followed up a suggestion about him as a LB. I would've assumed that he played OLB personally but when I mentioned him playing LB you replied he NEVER played LB. Fair enoug, so I checked and you were wrong. Now suck it up dude. No one is looking to crucify you and arguing this strawman point is silly.
You just really don't understand the game very well. 5'10" 206 pounds at either linebacker spot in a 3-4 IS unheard of you moron. It's even worse at the outside linebacker spot in that defense. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PolaTr99.htm?mobile=false Check the positions. Just because he rotates into the box as the 8th man in or on obvious passing downs doesn't make him a linebacker. He's a strong safety. By your stupid argument Kam Chancellor, TJ Ward, Reshad Jones and pretty much every strong safety in the league is a "linebacker" for 16 games in cover 3. You don't understand football if you think someone at 206 could ever play as the 7th man in box.
In the NFL you're not going to see a 206 lb LB. In college the spur or rover position is a hybrid LB/SS that plays over the TE or in various blitz positions a lot of the time. The spur is used in addition to 4 defensive backs most of the time.
I'd take Cutler over Fitz in a heartbeat. Better arm... Cutler is a bit of a douchebag, but he can sling it.
Marshall made it pretty clear what he thinks of him as a player, the lack of leadership & professionalism. But he is a good gunslinger who gives you a chance. With a good defense and a running game he could get you over the hump despite what some of the talking heads on ESPN are saying and how much he's being bashed in the media.
I think it would be great to have Bennett but in reality Chan isn't TE focused at all so wonder if it would be a waste. I think either OL or Alshon are the only things that are reasonable/realistic if even a possibility.
If you had a team that was just missing a QB and if you already had the locker room sorted out Cutler would be a real shot at a championship caliber QB. That's a lot of if's. Fitzpatrick isn't in the same conversation as Cutler in terms of talent but he doesn't need the locker room already sorted out. Just listen to the Jets vets over the last month or so. They haven't been this happy since 2011. That's the last time the QB situation was sorted out with somebody they thought they could win with.
Without knowing their salary impacts... Bennett, Slauson and Forte in that order. Bennett and Slauson upgrade our biggest deficiencies. Forte is a beast and great check down option.
Not sure I understand the Cutler love right now, Cutler may have a strong arm but he's severely lack above the shoulders. He's regressed pretty severely pretty quickly IMO. Personally I might rather Captain Checkdown at this point, Cutler is bad and Chicago will not go anywhere until he's out. And that doesn't mean he'll take another team anywhere, either.
