I am looking forward to next year and if you are out of the playoffs, your fantasy draft will be here before you know it.  The DeCon will again be in the little box on the side of the pews to hear your confessions.  Send an e-mail to beargoggles.decon@gmail.com or leave a comment to this post with your lineup questions and I will answer you with specific feedback on your given situation.

Because I always want to give you something to think about, here are a couple of plays I like for this week that you might not have been considering:  (more…)

As you head into the playoffs, beware of your WRs playing against Revis…I am talking to you owners of Roddy White (week 14) and Reggie Wayne (week 15) as Revis could dampen your playoff spirits.  You always have to roll with your studs and White and Wayne qualify as such, but hopefully the rest of your roster can pick you up if Revis continues to climb to the top of the CB mountain.  This is likely the last week of your regular season and you might be jockeying for playoff position, so hopefully I can be some help to you as you fill out your lineups…

Guys I Like

1. Matt Forte vs St. Louis – Playing against the 28th ranked D against the run that has allowed 16 TDs on the ground this season better be able to cure the Bears running game.  If nothing else, maybe this will be a reason to watch the Beloved as they play out the string.
2. DeAngelo Williams vs Tampa Bay – Thankfully, Jake Delhomme is likely to sit this week and the Panthers running game should be in full effect.  Add to that the fact that D-Will has run for 338 yds and 4 TDs against the Bucs in his last 2 games against them and you should be very happy with his performance.  D-Will does have an ankle, but he is expected to be full go on Sunday.
3. Jeremy Maclin @ Atlanta - With DeSean Jackson concussed, Maclin’s targets should increase significantly.  With the Eagles O 3rd in the league in passing plays of more than 20 yds with 53, you can likely count of Maclin for some big numbers.
4. Brandon Marshall @ Kansas City - Denver seems to have righted the ship with Ole Neckbeard at the helm and B-Marsh should shred the KC secondary struggles with tall wide bodied WRs.  B-Marsh should be no exception.  (more…)

On to week 6…the Bears are back and I hope my GOOD picks are too…

Stone Tablet Locks – chisel these guys in stone as MUST PLAYS this week. (more…)

If you think the arrow is pointing up for the Bears’ offense, the once-heralded defense is another story.  Long gone is the defense that carried the Bears to Super Bowl XLI.   The defense that ranked 5th overall in the NFL in 2006 has been in steady decline in the two seasons since.  The team that ranked 3rd in scoring defense in 2006, slid down to 16th the last two seasons.  In fact, last year the team’s average PPG was 21.8 compared to 21.9 this season.  That’s a far cry from the 15.9 PPG in the Super Bowl season of 2006.  Many will point to schemes and coaching.  I’ll dedicate a separate post just to address those issues.  In the meantime, let’s break it down: (more…)

There hasn’t been a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Chicago since Marty Booker did his first tour here and that was a long time ago.  It’s hard for any receiver to establish themselves in a town with so much quarterback controversy.  Joey Galloway would be probably be more of a household name if not for all the quarterback issues in Tampa Bay. 

But you know what?  The last time I checked, football is a team sport.  Receivers want to pad their stats and look good so they can get endorsement deals and be famous.  Not every receiver has that opportunity and more often than not, every receiver trying to be that guy ends up hurting the team.  Sometimes being a great receiver means making great blocks downfield so your running back can get longer runs.  Sometimes being a great receiver means breaking off your route and getting a four yard catch when your quarterback is in trouble.  Sometimes being a great receiver means catching the ball over the middle and taking the hit from the linebacker so your team can get a first down.

I’ve been talking to people for a while now how the receiver position in dying in the NFL.  The age of Jerry Rice and the unstoppable receivers of his time appears to be in the decline, if not almost dead.  There are only a handful of elite receivers left in the NFL and some of their egos are proving disasterous to their teams.  After Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson, there is a big drop off of talent.  Marvin Harrison used to be the best but he’s starting to look old.  There are a few young guys like Reggie Wayne and Braylon Edwards to carry the torch, but each passing year there are fewer big time receivers in the NFL.  So is it really the Bears fault?  Look around the NFL, there are a lot of good receivers, but the number of great ones is dropping off. 

The modern NFL is leaning towards offenses that feature a two-back system and have at least one huge tight end that can run just as fast as a receiver.  It’s actually the evolution of the tight end that’s killing the receiver.  Every team had that hard ass receiver that would go over the middle for six or eight catches a game, get killed by the linebacker, and the sick bastard loved it.  Now everyone wants to be on the cover of a video game and can’t afford to hurt their pretty face. 

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same.  The game of football demands for someone to take the open space defenses usually create over the middle to catch the ball and move the offense.  Since receivers are no longer willing to do it, coaches have evolved ultra-tight ends that are big as houses but move like receivers.  Their bodies allow them to take on linebackers and their talent allows them to make plays for the end zone.  All over the country, coaches are finding these huge kids that are fast and good with their hands.  Up until a few years ago they were probably put at fullback, defensive end, or linebacker.  If he was drafted today, Mike Alstott probably would have been a tight end for Tampa Bay.  Meanwhile the prima dona receivers sit on the sideline and watch their job dimish to a minimal role. 

The evolution of the game has created faster linebackers and the old end around plays don’t have the effectiveness they used to.  More offenses are using running backs with good hands to slide to the sidelines and give a place for the quarterback to dump the ball.  Quarterbacks used to scramble around looking for receivers to break their route and make an amazing play.  Those highlights are reserved for runnings backs now as they swing along the sidelines making dashing cuts for the endzone. 

The dynamics of the game are changing and big play wide receivers are a dying breed.  There will always be a select few that will collect the big money and get on the magazine covers.  The sad part is their rarity will only drive up their value and force teams to dump money at a position they know will only have minimal impact.  What good does a big contract for Bernard Berrian have for Minnesota if Tarvaris Jackson can’t even get him the ball?  The Bears went with an approach that may become more common in the NFL.  A rotating core of slot receivers that block downfield and make key third down plays to keep the drive going.  The big plays are no reserved for running backs and tight ends, with receivers running a distant third. 

Anyway you look at it, Muhsin Muhammad is right.  Chicago is the place where receivers go to die, and so is every other city in the NFL.