The Bears Offseason Thread

[Soriano12]

Steinbech is a New Lenox native if I'm not mistaken. Come home Eric and win a SB.

[goonys evil twin]

I think we desperately need an OT prospect. Miller and Tait were matadors when asked to pass block towards the end of last year.

 

We need prospects across the board on the line. I'd even like to see them go after a young center. I think this line would disintigrate without Kreutz right now. And going into his 10th year, with an already declining performance (I'm not saying he's bad by any stretch, just not the stud he once was), they should find an heir apparant ASAP.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

Steinbach would be perfect. I still like the idea of drafting a guy like Sears, Staley, or Blalock who can play either G or OT. Plus, you can trade down and still likely get one of those gusy. And I still like Tony Ugoh as a tackle in the 2nd, if he's there. Has a lot of issues which could make him available there.

 

Im a PFT disciple so.... About Steinbach

 

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that free-agent offensive lineman will fly from Chicago to Cleveland on Friday, weather permitting. We heard on Thursday night that Steinbach already has a verbal deal with the Browns.

[Guest]

Steinbach would be perfect. I still like the idea of drafting a guy like Sears, Staley, or Blalock who can play either G or OT. Plus, you can trade down and still likely get one of those gusy. And I still like Tony Ugoh as a tackle in the 2nd, if he's there. Has a lot of issues which could make him available there.

 

Im a PFT disciple so.... About Steinbach

 

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that free-agent offensive lineman will fly from Chicago to Cleveland on Friday, weather permitting. We heard on Thursday night that Steinbach already has a verbal deal with the Browns.

 

Then there goes Steinbach's chances at winning the Super Bowl.

[RynoRules]

I think we desperately need an OT prospect. Miller and Tait were matadors when asked to pass block towards the end of last year.

 

We need prospects across the board on the line. I'd even like to see them go after a young center. I think this line would disintigrate without Kreutz right now. And going into his 10th year, with an already declining performance (I'm not saying he's bad by any stretch, just not the stud he once was), they should find an heir apparant ASAP.

 

I agree. Kruetz, I think, gets by far more on effort and guts that an in the past, and I think he began to show signs of age at the end last season. Remember, he had never played any where near that long before in his career.

[Banedon]

I'm seeing a lot of speculation that Briggs could be trade fodder...I hope that's wrong.

[Chocolate Milk]

I'm seeing a lot of speculation that Briggs could be trade fodder...I hope that's wrong.

 

I would trade him for a first and a third.

[goonys evil twin]

I'm seeing a lot of speculation that Briggs could be trade fodder...I hope that's wrong.

 

I would trade him for a first and a third.

 

As long as they got someting very substantial, I wouldn't be that upset.

[RynoRules]

I'm seeing a lot of speculation that Briggs could be trade fodder...I hope that's wrong.

 

I would trade him for a first and a third.

 

As long as they got someting very substantial, I wouldn't be that upset.

 

Ditto. Don't forget that he was 3rd rounder himself, IIRC.

[rawaction]

Yeah, if the Bears can get a 1st and 3rd for Briggs, I'd probably do it. Get a LB like Beason from FL with a very similar skill set, and you get a downgrade, but save a ton of money.

[CubColtPacer]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

[rawaction]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I'll agree that Briggs isn't elite, but he's by far the closest thing to it that could be available this offseason. He's young unlike London Fletcher and Joey Porter and is a multi-year probowler coming off a Superbowl appearance. A team w/ money and without a ton of holes will likely be willing to give up that for Briggs.

[Chocolate Milk]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I don't think the Bears would take less than a first for Briggs. I could be wrong though.

[CubColtPacer]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I don't think the Bears would take less than a first for Briggs. I could be wrong though.

 

I doubt they will either unless Briggs wants to play hardball with them-the only other way that I could see it is if the Bears think they have to let him go after the season (franchising him again is possible, but with the 20% increase every year it gets too costly very quickly).

[Soul]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I don't think the Bears would take less than a first for Briggs. I could be wrong though.

 

I can't see the Bears taking less than a 1st + another pick for Briggs. That's why they franchised him.

[cubweiser03]

From ESPN.com

Bengals guard Eric Steinbach is heading to Cleveland for a visit, with secondary trips set up with Tampa Bay and Seattle.

[CubColtPacer]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I'll agree that Briggs isn't elite, but he's by far the closest thing to it that could be available this offseason. He's young unlike London Fletcher and Joey Porter and is a multi-year probowler coming off a Superbowl appearance. A team w/ money and without a ton of holes will likely be willing to give up that for Briggs.

 

True, and the Colts are going through the same thing with Cato June right now (who had 1 pr bowl appearance, young, and is coming off a Super Bowl appearance)-I'd put Cato at a notch below Briggs (even more so because Cato is too small to play in some systems) but the Colts fans are realizing now that some team is going to make him a crazy offer that the Colts will not match.

 

I think a 1st is very possible for Briggs, and looking at some of the other trades for people already in the league, that's usually about as high as it goes-there has been really no player in the league already who's been traded for more than that in years that I can think of.

[TB_11]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I don't think the Bears would take less than a first for Briggs. I could be wrong though.

 

I can't see the Bears taking less than a 1st + another pick for Briggs. That's why they franchised him.

 

The franchise player rules state that if the Bears don't match another team's offer, they'll get two 1st round picks as compensation.

[CubColtPacer]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I don't think the Bears would take less than a first for Briggs. I could be wrong though.

 

I can't see the Bears taking less than a 1st + another pick for Briggs. That's why they franchised him.

 

The franchise player rules state that if the Bears don't match another team's offer, they'll get two 1st round picks as compensation.

 

True-but what is being discussed here is a straight trade and what the Bears would accept for him. Nobody is going to sign Briggs as a franchise player and give up 2 1st rounders. That's only happened 1 time in the history of the league, and it worked out terribly for the team that did it-I don't see it being repeated anytime soon.

[TruffleShuffle]

I think a 1st is very possible for Briggs, and looking at some of the other trades for people already in the league, that's usually about as high as it goes-there has been really no player in the league already who's been traded for more than that in years that I can think of.

 

yeah, i mean marshall faulk and edgerrin james were dealt for second round picks, and they're pretty good. Bears would at best get a first round pick from a team with a low first rounder. First and third I definitely don't see happening. Most teams aren't as dumb as the Raiders were (in the Randy Moss trade).

[CubColtPacer]

I think a 1st is very possible for Briggs, and looking at some of the other trades for people already in the league, that's usually about as high as it goes-there has been really no player in the league already who's been traded for more than that in years that I can think of.

 

yeah, i mean marshall faulk and edgerrin james were dealt for second round picks, and they're pretty good. Bears would at best get a first round pick from a team with a low first rounder. First and third I definitely don't see happening. Most teams aren't as dumb as the Raiders were (in the Randy Moss trade).

 

Technically, James was never traded-but the trade market for him was at best a low second or early 3rd (that was reported), and yup, Faulk got traded for a 2nd and a 5th after putting up a year where he had 1319 yards rushing and 86 catches for 908 yards receiving-so your point remains solid that it just wasn't possible to trade these great players for good draft picks.

[TruffleShuffle]

True-but what is being discussed here is a straight trade and what the Bears would accept for him. Nobody is going to sign Briggs as a franchise player and give up 2 1st rounders. That's only happened 1 time in the history of the league, and it worked out terribly for the team that did it-I don't see it being repeated anytime soon.

 

Who was the one guy that was signed as a franchise player?

 

The thing I never understood is why players get so pissed off at being franchised. The only people it hurts are those who are clearly the best in the league at their position. For a guy like, say, Asante Samuel, he'll be guaranteed almost $8M this year. Generally it's a good thing to be paid the average of the top 5 salaries at any given position.

[Soul]

To throw my 2 cents in (not sure my thoughts are worth that much-so make me an offer, and I'll negotiate :D) I can't see the Bears getting more than a 1st for Briggs (or something equivalent, like a 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th). Teams value draft picks so highly because they are cheap talent-giving up a 1st for a guy like Briggs, a very good to great linebacker but not elite and then giving him a huge contract would be about as far as a team would go, IMO. If you look at trades for established players, they just never get as high of a draft pick as you might think they would in return.

 

I don't think the Bears would take less than a first for Briggs. I could be wrong though.

 

I can't see the Bears taking less than a 1st + another pick for Briggs. That's why they franchised him.

 

The franchise player rules state that if the Bears don't match another team's offer, they'll get two 1st round picks as compensation.

 

As CCP pointed out, my point was that the Bears franchised Briggs because they think he's worth a ton. Therefore they don't intend to let him go unless the offer is very, very good.

 

My strong suspicion is that Angelo is willing to let Briggs sit for the entire season if necessary *IF* Briggs holds out and there's not a very solid offer from another team. After following Angelo for a few years, he doesn't back down often.

 

The other thing is, Rosenhaus' list of teams with whom he has good relations with is getting shorter every year. The Bears are still on that list. Is Drew willing to brew bad blood with yet another NFL team? Something to think about.

Edited March 2, 2007 by Soul

[CubColtPacer]

True-but what is being discussed here is a straight trade and what the Bears would accept for him. Nobody is going to sign Briggs as a franchise player and give up 2 1st rounders. That's only happened 1 time in the history of the league, and it worked out terribly for the team that did it-I don't see it being repeated anytime soon.

 

Who was the one guy that was signed as a franchise player?

 

The thing I never understood is why players get so pissed off at being franchised. The only people it hurts are those who are clearly the best in the league at their position. For a guy like, say, Asante Samuel, he'll be guaranteed almost $8M this year. Generally it's a good thing to be paid the average of the top 5 salaries at any given position.

 

Carolina signed Sean Gilbert as a franchise player from the Redskins about 10 years back-it was called "the worst move in franchise history."

[TruffleShuffle]

True-but what is being discussed here is a straight trade and what the Bears would accept for him. Nobody is going to sign Briggs as a franchise player and give up 2 1st rounders. That's only happened 1 time in the history of the league, and it worked out terribly for the team that did it-I don't see it being repeated anytime soon.

 

Who was the one guy that was signed as a franchise player?

 

The thing I never understood is why players get so pissed off at being franchised. The only people it hurts are those who are clearly the best in the league at their position. For a guy like, say, Asante Samuel, he'll be guaranteed almost $8M this year. Generally it's a good thing to be paid the average of the top 5 salaries at any given position.

 

Carolina signed Sean Gilbert as a franchise player from the Redskins about 10 years back-it was called "the worst move in franchise history."

 

Ouch... yeah, that was an awful move; Sean Gilbert was not the best at his position and Carolina was not a good team. They really shouldn't have been in the business of giving up two first round picks. Especially when those picks turned out to be top 5 picks - the first of which was traded for every single pick that New Orleans had in the '99 draft, plus their first and third rounders the next year. If I'm looking at this correctly, they used the Sean Gilbert trade to draft Champ Bailey, Lavar Arrington and Chris Samuels. Way to go Carolina.