The Bears Offseason Thread

[dew1679666265]

Did anyone hear something about McNabb and/or Garcia? A somewhat friend is saying to me online that he saw on PTI that there are rumors of a McNabb trade to the Bears or if the Eagles don't resign Garcia, him coming here. I don't see it happening, but I'm just curious if anyone saw what that part was about. It was probably just Wilbon dreaming.

 

Dan Patrick mentioned the rumor on his radio show today.... something along the lines of McNabb (a Chicago native) being traded to the Bears (for who knows what) and the Eagles going with Garcia as their QB next year.

 

I doubt the rumor is much more than random speculation, but I can't say I wouldn't be very excited if the Bears opened 2007 with McNabb as their #1 QB.

 

Honestly, that would be an absolutely horrendously illogical and flat out dumb trade by the Eagles. I don't care what they get in return, McNabb is easily one of the best QBs in the game and is a great leader.

That said, the Bears absolutely have to make this trade if it's a valid rumor.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

What are the cap ramifications of cutting Wale? What could you attract if you traded him? The one thing in letting him go (and letting him go makes a lot of sense - he's paid a lot and his production has dipped) is that it depletes the depth at DE.

 

Warning: do not hold me to this. Wale signed a 6 year contact with a $15M bonus. He's played 3 years so half of the bonus would be a cap hit. Roughly $7.5M. I think if they cut him after June 1st it would count towards 2008. Either way its a huge hit. He is going to get $3.9M in salary next year (not a cap hit). So its better to pay him than cut him (roughly $2.5M bonus + $3.9 salary= $6.4 cap).

 

Wow, much better to keep him.

[dew1679666265]

What are the cap ramifications of cutting Wale? What could you attract if you traded him? The one thing in letting him go (and letting him go makes a lot of sense - he's paid a lot and his production has dipped) is that it depletes the depth at DE.

 

Warning: do not hold me to this. Wale signed a 6 year contact with a $15M bonus. He's played 3 years so half of the bonus would be a cap hit. Roughly $7.5M. I think if they cut him after June 1st it would count towards 2008. Either way its a huge hit. He is going to get $3.9M in salary next year (not a cap hit). So its better to pay him than cut him (roughly $2.5M bonus + $3.9 salary= $6.4 cap).

 

Wow, much better to keep him.

 

That's a lot of what happened to the Titans the last few years. During our championship run years (99-03) we backloaded many guys like McNair, George, Hopkins, Miller, Wycheck, Rolle, etc. and then had to cut them in the final couple to three years of their contracts and took ridicoulously high cap hits because of it.

In 05 I think we had far more money tied up in players no longer on the team (even some who were retired) than we had in players actually on the team. It was a very bad situation, but would have been worth it had we won a Super Bowl.

[jaydee]

Eli has a MUCH superior offense around him. GMAFB. He also has more experience. He has one of the best tightends, one of the best RBs, and a great WR. The bears have at best an average collection of skill players on offense.

Really, I think that might have more influence than how good his D is

:roll:

[dew1679666265]

Eli has a MUCH superior offense around him. GMAFB. He also has more experience. He has one of the best tightends, one of the best RBs, and a great WR. The bears have at best an average collection of skill players on offense.

Really, I think that might have more influence than how good his D is

:roll:

 

Burress is extremely talented but may take more plays off than Moss. I watched the play where Pacman intercepted the ball in the Titans' comeback and Burress quit, he should have been embarassed. I would take Berrian and Muhammed over Burress in a heartbeat.

Barber is without a doubt a great running back but the duo of Jones/Benson is not significantly worse (they gained 195 more yards this year).

Finally, there's no question Shockey is better than Clark but Clark gained 3 more yards than Shockey with 21 fewer questions.

Which offense is better is debatable, saying the Giants are significantly better is not because they are not significantly better.

[OleMissCub]

 

Burress is extremely talented but may take more plays off than Moss. I watched the play where Pacman intercepted the ball in the Titans' comeback and Burress quit, he should have been embarassed. I would take Berrian and Muhammed over Burress in a heartbeat.

Barber is without a doubt a great running back but the duo of Jones/Benson is not significantly worse (they gained 195 more yards this year).

Finally, there's no question Shockey is better than Clark but Clark gained 3 more yards than Shockey with 21 fewer questions.

Which offense is better is debatable, saying the Giants are significantly better is not because they are not significantly better.

 

Yes, in Oxford, Miss., we have two FOX channels and every weekend they show the Saints game on one and the Giants game on the other (Since Eli is a hometown boy basically). So I get to see the Giants every Sunday, and I can tell ya that Burress is a punk and I would much rather have Berrian than that punk. He quits on nearly every route, and he's one of the worst WR blockers I've ever seen. Plus their defense is so bad that Eli hardly ever gets a shot to do anything, so when he does get his chance, he's usually trying to force things.

[dew1679666265]

 

Burress is extremely talented but may take more plays off than Moss. I watched the play where Pacman intercepted the ball in the Titans' comeback and Burress quit, he should have been embarassed. I would take Berrian and Muhammed over Burress in a heartbeat.

Barber is without a doubt a great running back but the duo of Jones/Benson is not significantly worse (they gained 195 more yards this year).

Finally, there's no question Shockey is better than Clark but Clark gained 3 more yards than Shockey with 21 fewer questions.

Which offense is better is debatable, saying the Giants are significantly better is not because they are not significantly better.

 

Yes, in Oxford, Miss., we have two FOX channels and every weekend they show the Saints game on one and the Giants game on the other (Since Eli is a hometown boy basically). So I get to see the Giants every Sunday, and I can tell ya that Burress is a punk and I would much rather have Berrian than that punk. He quits on nearly every route, and he's one of the worst WR blockers I've ever seen. Plus their defense is so bad that Eli hardly ever gets a shot to do anything, so when he does get his chance, he's usually trying to force things.

 

Plus the injuries on that team have been incredible the past couple of years. They lost Arrington, Petigout (easily their best o-lineman), Toomer, and Strahan for significant periods of time last year. The year before, Petigout, all three starting linebackers and one backup (I think), plus numerous other starters.

I don't know what it is, but that team gets the injury bug more than the Cubs (if that's possible).

[da bears]

This sucks. 216 more days (I think) until the Bears play another regular season game. Way too long.

[NCCubFan]

This sucks. 216 more days (I think) until the Bears play another regular season game. Way too long.

Fortunately, there's this other sport called baseball starting soon to tide you over. :D

[BigSlick]

Don't misunderstand me, I want Rex starting next year, but lets talk about these rumors:

 

McNabb to the Bears would either be a really [expletive] trade by the Giants, or so cost effective on the Bears side that we wouldn't have half the team we had this year.

 

What about someone like Byron Leftwich? Well, again, cost effective, and how much of an improvement is he over Grossman?

 

If Grossman is going to replaced theres someone on the roster already.

 

I would like to see us pick a mid-range QB though, its alawys smart to stockpile those guys.

[imb]

Don't misunderstand me, I want Rex starting next year, but lets talk about these rumors:

 

McNabb to the Bears would either be a really [expletive] trade by the Giants, or so cost effective on the Bears side that we wouldn't have half the team we had this year.

 

On the contrary, I believe it would be a fantastic trade by the giants, they would be getting return on a player that they not only dont own, but one that is the best player on one of their chief rivals.

[BigSlick]

Don't misunderstand me, I want Rex starting next year, but lets talk about these rumors:

 

McNabb to the Bears would either be a really [expletive] trade by the Giants, or so cost effective on the Bears side that we wouldn't have half the team we had this year.

 

On the contrary, I believe it would be a fantastic trade by the giants, they would be getting return on a player that they not only dont own, but one that is the best player on one of their chief rivals.

 

Wow

 

that was a brain fart, all that talk about Eli manning screwed with my brain.

[Guest]

Couple of notes on the NcNabb rumor:

 

1: Wouldn't there be a HUGE cap hit for Philly if McNabb is traded?

and

 

2: The Bears would have to make sure Griese gets plenty of reps a weeks, because of all the accalades that get thrown McNabb's way, Donovan has finished something like 3 of the last 4 yrs in the IR. So, McNabb is definately INJURY PRONE.

 

With that said, I would still entertain the thought of trading for McNabb. Because despite the "respect" he has of Reid, you know, McNabb is tired of the phill bs, that he has to listen to every yr.

[BigSlick]

Couple of notes on the NcNabb rumor:

 

1: Wouldn't there be a HUGE cap hit for Philly if McNabb is traded?

and

 

2: The Bears would have to make sure Griese gets plenty of reps a weeks, because of all the accalades that get thrown McNabb's way, Donovan has finished something like 3 of the last 4 yrs in the IR. So, McNabb is definately INJURY PRONE.

 

With that said, I would still entertain the thought of trading for McNabb. Because despite the "respect" he has of Reid, you know, McNabb is tired of the phill bs, that he has to listen to every yr.

 

As much as I like Grossman, if we had McNabb on our team and every other position was the same (say we only gave up draft picks for him) we'd be LOCKS for the Superbowl.

[gflore34]

I'd like to see Rex get another chance, I believe he'll improve, one cannot ignore some of the good things he did this season. Sure, he needs to work on a plethora of flaws but, there's talent, perhaps, more than any other Bears QB I've seen.

 

As for Ron Rivera, I hope he moves on to Dallas and takes Ron Turner with him (I know the Cowboys recently hired an OC doesn't mean Rivera can't take Turner with him). Rivera' conservative game plan really hurt the Bears , its the Super Bowl, why hold back anything?

[TB_11]

Nothing is going to happen with the QB spot this offseason. Nor should it.

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

 

Two reasons this is true.

 

1) Lovie and Ron showed an unwavering faith in Rex, and that will carry over to next year.

2) The possibilities for bringing in a better QB through FA or the draft are basically zero. The McNabb rumors are nothing more than that, rumors.

 

There was a previous question about whether the Bears should give up their #1 pick for a QB. Given who's available, and given how strongly the Bears have drafted over the past few years, the answer is no.

[goonys evil twin]

Plus their defense is so bad that Eli hardly ever gets a shot to do anything, so when he does get his chance, he's usually trying to force things.

 

He hardly ever gets a chance to do anything? That's blatant homeristic nonsense. Eli has had plenty of chances, and he's blown nearly all of them.

[DivineBovine]

I think they should stick with Grossman. I do agree with the Fire Ron Turner comment. There is no way they can possibly find a suitable replacement for Rex this offseason. The only guy I can really think of is Jeff Garcia, but isn't he like 40 already?

 

Grossman has a some glaring weaknesses.

 

He is absolutely horrific at avoiding pressure. Personally, I think this is his biggest problem. People can blame it on the O-line, but no O-line will ever keep pressure off the QB 100%. Most QB's, when they feel it, can step out of the pocket, or step up and hit recievers. When Rex feels pressure, he panics and it's over- even if he has more time than he thinks he has. Decision making- we all know about it. But this has a lot to do with the fact he panics under pressure.

 

That said, I'm hoping that we can chalk this up to immaturity and the fact he has a bad injury history. These problems aren't uncorrectable. He does have a few things you can't teach- he can make some really great throws when he steps into the pass and doesn't panic.

 

The offense should change. It's too conservative. They should let him scramble if he has room. Rather than shuffling backwards, he should occasionally step up. And at the end of the year, they kept trying to keep Rex from making mistakes, when in fact, his big play ability is actually his biggest asset.

 

Also, they should use the shotgun next year. It's just plain stupid to have an immobile 6 foot tall QB who panics under pressure and has a tendency to fumble snaps and not play the shotgun.

[RynoRules]

Nothing is going to happen with the QB spot this offseason. Nor should it.

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

 

co-sign

[CuseCubFan69]

Nothing is going to happen with the QB spot this offseason. Nor should it.

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

 

co-sign

 

If Grossman is the choice for 2007 you bet they have to upgrade the O-Line.

 

Just curious on a couple of deals for the Bears and the fans thoughts. Lovie to the Cowboys for a few draft picks and then swing them over to the Eagles plus some extra ones/Grossman for McNabb?

[Banedon]

Nothing is going to happen with the QB spot this offseason. Nor should it.

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

 

Two reasons this is true.

 

1) Lovie and Ron showed an unwavering faith in Rex, and that will carry over to next year.

2) The possibilities for bringing in a better QB through FA or the draft are basically zero. The McNabb rumors are nothing more than that, rumors.

 

There was a previous question about whether the Bears should give up their #1 pick for a QB. Given who's available, and given how strongly the Bears have drafted over the past few years, the answer is no.

 

While I agree that the QB spot will probably remain the same, I disagree with the assertion that the unwavering faith will carry over to next year. The Bears were willing to live through Rex's growing pains in his first full season, but if he's having the same troubles in his second season, I could see them easily making a change. In fact I don't think he's guaranteed the starter position. If Orton or Griese has a better camp, I think you could see a change.

[TB_11]

Nothing is going to happen with the QB spot this offseason. Nor should it.

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

 

Two reasons this is true.

 

1) Lovie and Ron showed an unwavering faith in Rex, and that will carry over to next year.

2) The possibilities for bringing in a better QB through FA or the draft are basically zero. The McNabb rumors are nothing more than that, rumors.

 

There was a previous question about whether the Bears should give up their #1 pick for a QB. Given who's available, and given how strongly the Bears have drafted over the past few years, the answer is no.

 

While I agree that the QB spot will probably remain the same, I disagree with the assertion that the unwavering faith will carry over to next year. The Bears were willing to live through Rex's growing pains in his first full season, but if he's having the same troubles in his second season, I could see them easily making a change. In fact I don't think he's guaranteed the starter position. If Orton or Griese has a better camp, I think you could see a change.

 

Griese clearly had the better preseason in 2006 and Lovie and Turner went with Grossman. I can't see another pre-season struggle by Rex causing Lovie to give Griese the starting QB job.

 

Orton's upside is capped, he just doesn't have the talent to be anything more than a backup who can come in and avoid mistakes.

[goonys evil twin]

Griese clearly had the better preseason in 2006 and Lovie and Turner went with Grossman. I can't see another pre-season struggle by Rex causing Lovie to give Griese the starting QB job.

 

That was because they were willing to live through Rex's first full season. It really didn't make any sense to go with Griese this summer. But if Grossman fails to show improvement this offseason, then I think they would be much more willing to make the change.

[Banedon]

Griese clearly had the better preseason in 2006 and Lovie and Turner went with Grossman. I can't see another pre-season struggle by Rex causing Lovie to give Griese the starting QB job.

 

Orton's upside is capped, he just doesn't have the talent to be anything more than a backup who can come in and avoid mistakes.

 

Well we'll have to agree to disagree then. I don't think Orton's upside is capped...there's no way for us to know how he's developed this year.

 

Grossman was going to get the benefit of the doubt this year because the Bears had to find out what they have in Grossman. As soon as they think they know what they have, they'll decide whether he's the right guy to lead this team. Again, I just think the leash will be shorter after a "freebie" season.

[CuseCubFan69]

Nothing is going to happen with the QB spot this offseason. Nor should it.

 

OL is probably my biggest concern. There's no depth, they're inconsistent, and rather old.

 

Two reasons this is true.

 

1) Lovie and Ron showed an unwavering faith in Rex, and that will carry over to next year.

2) The possibilities for bringing in a better QB through FA or the draft are basically zero. The McNabb rumors are nothing more than that, rumors.

 

There was a previous question about whether the Bears should give up their #1 pick for a QB. Given who's available, and given how strongly the Bears have drafted over the past few years, the answer is no.

 

While I agree that the QB spot will probably remain the same, I disagree with the assertion that the unwavering faith will carry over to next year. The Bears were willing to live through Rex's growing pains in his first full season, but if he's having the same troubles in his second season, I could see them easily making a change. In fact I don't think he's guaranteed the starter position. If Orton or Griese has a better camp, I think you could see a change.

 

Griese clearly had the better preseason in 2006 and Lovie and Turner went with Grossman. I can't see another pre-season struggle by Rex causing Lovie to give Griese the starting QB job.

 

Orton's upside is capped, he just doesn't have the talent to be anything more than a backup who can come in and avoid mistakes.

 

You Bear fans know this better than I do but with Turners throw the ball downfield theory isn't the better option Grossman? If they were more West Coast I could see Griese as being the choice but not with this offensive scheme. Plus I heard that Greise had shoulder problems and his arm looked weak.