Fire Ryan Poles | Fire Ben Johnson

I am going to try to not sound like a complete asshole in this article. There will be plenty of “Fro Dog is ANGRY” for the next 17 weeks. But, I am going to say my peace and will do my best to move on.

This caught me by surprise Sunday evening and I am certain others were caught off-guard as well. Robbie Gould has been mercifully released by the Bears. Now, I feel that this was three years too late. Gould was not himself since the 2013 season. I can remember the game in Minnesota that year that he missed a game-winning field goal. The Vikings marched down the field and won in overtime. That pretty much set the tone for what had occurred yesterday.

Robbie Gould was signed in 2005 after free agent Doug Brien, who had played with Jets before that, was released for being shitty. Gould took over and was good. In fact, he was damn good. As the next few years went on, he came up big. I can’t forget the NFC Divisional Playoffs in 2007 where he nailed not only the game-tying field goal late, but the game-winner in overtime. That was a very stressful game and he kicked ass. As years went on, he was the only consistent player on the team. He was still nailing field goals and even though the Bears sucked, he was a guy they could count on to do his job.

Then, the 2013 season commenced with training camp. Marc Trestman has taken over for what looked to be a promising next few years for the Bears. I know, that sounds stupid now. At the time, though, it appeared to be very exciting. Robbie Gould was looking for a new contract. The dreaded “I’m playing to feed my family” line hit a nerve with just not me, but many other fans. I am sure people in the media were even saying: “Is this guy serious?”

Yes, he was serious. And that’s when my strong dislike for Robbie Gould began. So, not only does Phil Emery and the Bears give this guy what he wants (more money than any other kicker), this guy begins to tail off. Lack of clutch-kicking, asinine comments and just not looking the same after that. I think it’s absolutely bullshit that any major sports athlete says something stupid as needing to feed their families. I know some idiots may call me an idiot for that. These athletes make millions of dollars, even after taxes and most of us don’t make that much money in 15 years. I call that a load of bullshit. I don’t think any of these players should be asking for more on the Bears. Win the Super Bowl first and then, bitch about new money. At least that way, it shows it was earned.

So there he was, missing big field goals over the course of the last three years. In the preseason, he just didn’t look like he had improved. Is it age? Or was it him just turning into an asshole because of all the money he was making? It seems like some athletes (many being in Chicago) just turn into different people once they get paid. That’s the pathetic part of sports. Players get big time contracts for moderate success. I look at the Blackhawks and I see that Towes and Kane are the highest paid players in the entire league. Do they deserve it? Well, winning three Cups since they started playing together in 2007 is enough for me to be okay with that. I am sure others feel the same.

But Robbie Gould or any other player on the Bears? No, thanks.

It’s time to move on. The Bears have signed Connor Barth to replace Gould. I can already see it now: Connor BARF. Do I want to call him that? No. But, if he sucks, that’s what will happen. In other moves, the Bears signed Pro Bowler Josh Sitton after the Packers released him.

Ooops, so sorry!

Buckle up, fitness frendts…and the rest of you.

REMOVE THIS PAIN FROM THIS MAN’S BODY. OH, LORD, I DEMAND YOU MAKE THIS MAN HEALTHY AND GREAT. YOU WILL BE CURED, NOW. AMEN!

15 – This is the number of the amount of players that are on the injury report for the Bears.

This is what it is, folks. This is getting very tiring. It’s so bad, I don’t even know who’s playing where and who is even on the team. This is probably one of the main reasons why this team is already making me tired. Earlier in the week, I might have thought it was just me working too much and needing time off. Maybe that has something to do with it, too, but this franchise is such a joke.

Now, Kyle Long has a “labrum issue”. I am not a doctor, but I would assume that type of issue means something along the lines of “it’s torn and he will miss the whole season”. The Bears should stop insulting the fans and media by just telling us that’s the case rather than praying for a miracle from God to heel Kyle Long faster than those preachers on TV who make people get up from their wheelchairs and start walking. Fuck.

Oh, and first-round pick Leonard Floyd has a hamstring injury. Fucking fantastic. That’s two draft picks in a row that are hurt without playing a regular-season game.

Can all of this be overcome? If it’s the Patriots or the Packers, yes. Those franchises know how to build a team from within and obviously, have better scouts. But for our beloved Chicago Bears? No. The Bears will probably trot out CFL talent on Week 1 and Cutler will have his head buried into the ground.

And before I forget, Brian Hoyer isn’t an NFL player. Are Ryan Pace and John Fox that fucking stupid? It’s like this dude can bang John Fox’s wife and the next week, Fox replaces Cutler with Hoyer as the starter. Cut this fuck tard and have Connor Shaw and David Fales be the backups.

Son. Of. A. Bitch.

We have the Bears vs. Patriots to watch tonight. Let’s see if Cutler doesn’t end up face-first in the dirt after the first time he drops back to pass. I know. I know. It’s Preseason. But, it’s not like that’s a Jay Cutler clone out there.

I am going to try to watch the whole game tonight. Your thoughts in the thread.

What’s on YOUR mind?

If anybody is watching the game, feel free to add thoughts in this thread. I will be doing my best to watch from start to finish to see what some of the new guys can do. As always, the first preseason game only has the starters playing a series or two, but it will just be nice to see some football.

This is not what I wanted to write on a Saturday afternoon. Coming home today, I heard on WBBM that Hroniss Grasu, the man who was going to be the starting center this season, is out with a “serious non-contact injury”. That pretty much means he tore his ACL. FUCK.

And all of the Bears wide receivers and tight ends seem to be on the injury report already. And preseason games haven’t even started yet. Alshon Jeffery has a shitty hamstring injury again. As much as I love the guy, this may be his last year in Chicago because of the inability to stay healthy. He’s not going to get the money he is asking for.

This is what the NFL is these days. It just sucks because this is happening to the Bears and all too often, the Bears have a ton of injuries every year in training camp. It seems to be even worse now.

Grasu was someone I was very excited about this year and this really pisses me off. The good news is, the Bears have signed and drafted a ton of lineman this offseason. The only issue is, most of these guys’ natural position isn’t center and they may not be that great if they switched to it. The Bears may need to go look for help on the waiver wire as the preseason goes on.

The Bears start the preseason Thursday against the Broncos at Soldier Field.

Mark Prior doesn’t blame Dusty Baker for destroying his arm

I was preparing to start this thread,  when I saw our good friend Dave’s comment (in the previous thread):

http://www.si.com/thecauldron/2016/08/03/mark-prior-chicago-cubs-no-regrets

A good Mark Prior interview. No longer plays, but is a good pitching coach for a SD Padres farm team. His praise of Dustdick and Towel drill Rothschild, I could have done without, however.

Happy Anniversary, FDB.com!! And GO CUBS! – Dave

Thoughts? Drivel?

August 1st, 2008

Wow. That was a long time ago. I do tend to repeat myself, but this place is really fantastic.

We’ve pissed people off, some of them, famous folks in Chicago sports (Hi, Sarah Spain). We’ve also pissed off some of the lesser-known folks on the internet.

We’ve seen a lot of friends come and go on this site over the years. If I try to list everyone, I know I will forget some of them. But I have to thank my good frendt, Genrebuster, for helping out on the site. I had the pleasure of meeting him back in March. He’s a good dude.

Our friend Ernie mentioned this a while back, but I’ll reiterate it: This is a place where all of us can just forget about the bullshit in the real world and just talk sports. It’s really the only escape. Oh, and bar skanks. That can always be discussed as well. I love them and I am sure most of you love them too.

I seriously didn’t even imagine this site going this long. I started it three months or so after college while entering adulthood. I lived in four different apartments and one house in that span. Needless to say, I am done moving.

You guys all rule and I mean that sincerely. Even you, Yeti, whom I’ve met up with several times over the years. Just please, shave that beard. You look like you are going to scope out the high school near you when school starts again.

Thank you everybody.