The Bears Offseason Thread

[CubColtPacer]

i DONT SEE WHY WE NEED TO GIVE UP OR 2ND ROUND PICK. jONES STRAIGHT UP FOR THE JETS 2ND RND PICK WOULDA BEEN FINE, BUT I FEEL LIKE ANGELO GOT HOSED.

 

 

 

GOOD LUCK IN NY JONESY. BRING ON BENSON!!

 

Moving up the equivalent number of spots that the Bears moved would essentially cost a late 2nd or early 3rd round pick. The Bears basically traded Benson for a late 2nd or early 3rd, and then traded that pick and their 2nd to move up. I don't think he got hosed. 2nd round draft picks are extremely valuable trade chips.

 

 

I guess this is where I would make a lousy NFL GM, I woulda helpd out and made the Jets pay more, if not, make Jones play angry.

 

Whattya think we can get for Briggs now that he is pissed off?

 

I don't know, but if it's just exchanging a pick? I'd let Briggs sit. All year if necessary. Hell, I'd franchise him over & over and let him sit forever if all I'm going to get for him is an exchange of 15 draft positions.

 

can you actually do that? franchise a player year after year? not a bad option here. I am abit pissed w/Briggs. The offer the Bears gave him last year was a fair offer I think.

 

Maybe the Bears new 2nd rd pick will be one to replace Briggs...

 

I believe there is no limit for non-QBs, but obviously the player's salary will increase exponentially based on the avg of the top 5 salaries at his position.

 

Yeah, if you franchise him again he gets either the average of the top 5 salaries or a 20% increase in pay, whichever is higher. So if you franchised him for the next few years (I'm starting with a base of 7.5-I can't remember the exact number, it was over 7 but I think 7.5 was a little high, but it will be close enough).

 

2007-7.5 million

2008-9 million

2009-10.8 million

2010-12.96 million

2011-15.552 million

 

You can see why teams don't like to franchise their players for multiple years if possible. It gets way too expensive to have all that money going against the cap every season. It's even worse if you have one of the more expensive positions like QB or defensive end as well.

[goonys evil twin]

But for a warrior like Jones, who obviously still has plenty in the tank -- my idea of a good deal was more along the lines of adding a pick, not exchanging.

 

I'm not sure how Jones is a warrior. He was a 1st round draft pick who has been in the league 7 years and has only 5300 yards. He's essentially a 4.0 YPA runner who isn't a threat to break off long runs or rack up any significant TD totals. He was a nice runner, but nothing special. You have a handful of true stud RBs in the NFL and then a few special guys like Brian Westbrook and Fred Taylor who have some very nice YPA numbers, if not the total yards figures. And you have guys drafted in the 2nd round like Jones-Drew who come in and rack up some very impressive numbers as rookies. Then you have a very big least of interchangeable bodies.

 

RB is the one true meat market position. Denver wasn't insane for continually rotating guys in and out of the position. These guys take such a beating, that you just have to keep throwing out fresh bodies whenever possible, and hope you're not left holding the bag when a guy's career starts to fade. The last thing you want at the position is a 30-something RB with 2000+ attempts and a huge cap number barely plugging along at a 3.5-4.0 clip.

[goonys evil twin]

I think I've heard that you can only franchise a guy 2 years in a row for the top 5 at his position, then the 3rd year it's automatically bumped to top 5 salary in the entire league. I believe this was in response to the Seattle situation with that lineman.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I think I've heard that you can only franchise a guy 2 years in a row for the top 5 at his position, then the 3rd year it's automatically bumped to top 5 salary in the entire league. I believe this was in response to the Seattle situation with that lineman.

 

Hutchinson?

[Banedon]

Yeah, I really don't see the Bears trading up and the only guy I'd really like in the 10-20 range is Laron Landry.

 

Trading TJ to go up in the second round is basically the equivalent of getting a third rounder - I think I'd have preferred the extra pick, actually (especially given JA's track record in the third round), but that's cool.

 

If we trade up and get Landry I'll pee myself. He is a sure-fire stud, and based on some of the film I have seen of him he is one mean s.o.b. that enjoys hitting people. I love him.

 

Landry is the only guy I would want to trade up for. Otherwise, keep the picks you have.

[CubColtPacer]

I think I've heard that you can only franchise a guy 2 years in a row for the top 5 at his position, then the 3rd year it's automatically bumped to top 5 salary in the entire league. I believe this was in response to the Seattle situation with that lineman.

 

Hutchinson?

 

Walter Jones actually. I'm not sure about the rule, but he was the one who got franchised 3-4 years in a row and was not happy about it whatsoever.

[goonys evil twin]

I think I've heard that you can only franchise a guy 2 years in a row for the top 5 at his position, then the 3rd year it's automatically bumped to top 5 salary in the entire league. I believe this was in response to the Seattle situation with that lineman.

 

Hutchinson?

 

Walter Jones.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I think I've heard that you can only franchise a guy 2 years in a row for the top 5 at his position, then the 3rd year it's automatically bumped to top 5 salary in the entire league. I believe this was in response to the Seattle situation with that lineman.

 

Hutchinson?

 

Walter Jones.

 

oo..I dont remember hearing about that.

 

Does anyone think we might have an inhouse replacement for Briggs? like Jamar Williams?

 

edit Jamar's name

[Magnetic Curses]

so, they could franchise briggs and he could keep holding out until he's too poor to miss work anymore. i love it, let's do it.

[cubweiser03]

Yeah, I really don't see the Bears trading up and the only guy I'd really like in the 10-20 range is Laron Landry.

 

Trading TJ to go up in the second round is basically the equivalent of getting a third rounder - I think I'd have preferred the extra pick, actually (especially given JA's track record in the third round), but that's cool.

 

If we trade up and get Landry I'll pee myself. He is a sure-fire stud, and based on some of the film I have seen of him he is one mean s.o.b. that enjoys hitting people. I love him.

 

Landry is the only guy I would want to trade up for. Otherwise, keep the picks you have.

 

This draft class appears to be very deep when it comes to LB's. A very good one should be around 31 or 37. I say keep it too. Blalock and Sears are uber quality guards too. If those 2 guys are gone and all the qualitly LB's are gone it would be shocking. The Bears just might get both of those needs with these picks and not have to 'reach'.

 

EDIT: Look at what the FA guards are getting last year and this year. Teams are paying huge somes of money for this position that is not valued in the draft. You can get the 1st or 2nd best guards for a late 1st rounder/early 2nd rounder but have to pay $7M on the open market for non pro bowl guards. More to keeping the picks.

[Soul]

I think I've heard that you can only franchise a guy 2 years in a row for the top 5 at his position, then the 3rd year it's automatically bumped to top 5 salary in the entire league. I believe this was in response to the Seattle situation with that lineman.

 

Hutchinson?

 

Walter Jones.

 

Oh, my bad. Is that a new rule then? I was basing what I said off what I heard about some other players who had been franchised several times.

[Soul]

But for a warrior like Jones, who obviously still has plenty in the tank -- my idea of a good deal was more along the lines of adding a pick, not exchanging.

 

I'm not sure how Jones is a warrior. He was a 1st round draft pick who has been in the league 7 years and has only 5300 yards. He's essentially a 4.0 YPA runner who isn't a threat to break off long runs or rack up any significant TD totals. He was a nice runner, but nothing special. You have a handful of true stud RBs in the NFL and then a few special guys like Brian Westbrook and Fred Taylor who have some very nice YPA numbers, if not the total yards figures. And you have guys drafted in the 2nd round like Jones-Drew who come in and rack up some very impressive numbers as rookies. Then you have a very big least of interchangeable bodies.

 

RB is the one true meat market position. Denver wasn't insane for continually rotating guys in and out of the position. These guys take such a beating, that you just have to keep throwing out fresh bodies whenever possible, and hope you're not left holding the bag when a guy's career starts to fade. The last thing you want at the position is a 30-something RB with 2000+ attempts and a huge cap number barely plugging along at a 3.5-4.0 clip.

 

I'm not arguing, but Jones had a few years in there where he didn't carry much. He's 30, but he hasn't been tapped for 25 rushes a game for his entire career. There's still something left in the tank, which as you point out, can't usually be said of RBs Jones' age.

 

He also was very strong in the playoffs last year. That does count for something in my book, but apparently doesn't carry much weight in the market.

[rawaction]

I think there was a good chance to get Rufus Alexander at the 64th pick, picking him at 37 would probably be an overdraft. If they want to go LB, I would go with Beason at 31 and go OL at 37.

[Banedon]

Well here's a quote from Benson on the TJ deal:

 

“I think [the trade] is a good thing, good just because I can focus just on playing and not have the doubt and not knowing at times how everything was. It was hard because for the most part, the way he felt about our situation was competition, so it was hard to find a relaxed place.”

 

And here's a complete overreaction to the deal by Steve Rosenbloom, and David Haugh.

[goonys evil twin]

I'm not arguing, but Jones had a few years in there where he didn't carry much. He's 30, but he hasn't been tapped for 25 rushes a game for his entire career. There's still something left in the tank, which as you point out, can't usually be said of RBs Jones' age.

 

He also was very strong in the playoffs last year. That does count for something in my book, but apparently doesn't carry much weight in the market.

 

There's something left in the tank, sure, but the biggest issue is he's nothing special. I think he'll be fine in 2007, probably something like a 4.0-4.2 avg with 1200-1300 yards. He'll be 29 this season, the last of his current contract. The problem is he wants a big extension with lots of guaranteed cash, and he's really no better than a whole lot of other RBs. The market values what he got, it's just that they value it to the equivalent of a late 2nd early 3rd round draft pick, something that is very valuable in its own right.

 

I think the problem is you aren't giving justice to the value of what the Bears got in return. They didn't give Jones away. They got something that is very valuable.

[goonys evil twin]

If the Bears do end up trading Briggs, I could see them coming out of this draft with a huge influx of young talent that would allow their current run of success to last well beyond the typical 3-5 year window. A straight up trade of Briggs for a 1st and 3rd would be nice, but probably not realistic. What I could see, however, is packaging Briggs and a 3rd, or even Briggs and the new 2nd for some significant early picks.

 

I wouldn't be upset to see Briggs and Ogunleye both traded for a plethora of picks, if that's even possible.

[CubColtPacer]

Well here's a quote from Benson on the TJ deal:

 

“I think [the trade] is a good thing, good just because I can focus just on playing and not have the doubt and not knowing at times how everything was. It was hard because for the most part, the way he felt about our situation was competition, so it was hard to find a relaxed place.”

 

And here's a complete overreaction to the deal by Steve Rosenbloom, and David Haugh.

 

Wow-those are overreactions. It sounds like what the Chargers papers said last year when Brees was let go, or when the Colts haven't spent anything in free agency the last few years and have been ripped for it each time. Obviously it worked out for both those squads-this is probably the best move for the Bears as well-with the way both of them were unhappy, you really had to trade one of them.

[Banedon]

Well here's a quote from Benson on the TJ deal:

 

“I think [the trade] is a good thing, good just because I can focus just on playing and not have the doubt and not knowing at times how everything was. It was hard because for the most part, the way he felt about our situation was competition, so it was hard to find a relaxed place.”

 

And here's a complete overreaction to the deal by Steve Rosenbloom, and David Haugh.

 

Wow-those are overreactions. It sounds like what the Chargers papers said last year when Brees was let go, or when the Colts haven't spent anything in free agency the last few years and have been ripped for it each time. Obviously it worked out for both those squads-this is probably the best move for the Bears as well-with the way both of them were unhappy, you really had to trade one of them.

 

For Rosenbloom, overreaction is pretty standard fare. Haugh is usually pretty grounded though, so I'm a little disappointed in his column.

[KaiserCesar]

I think a few people are disregarding the value of trading up in the 2nd round. Lets just look at this through draft points

 

http://www.theredzone.org/2006/draft/draftvaluechart.asp

 

63rd pick - 276 pts

37th pick - 530 pts

Gain in pts - 254 pts

 

Rd 3 pick 3, 67 overall - 255 points

 

So, in terms of draft points, its like trading for an early 3rd rounder.

[RynoRules]

Well here's a quote from Benson on the TJ deal:

 

“I think [the trade] is a good thing, good just because I can focus just on playing and not have the doubt and not knowing at times how everything was. It was hard because for the most part, the way he felt about our situation was competition, so it was hard to find a relaxed place.”

 

And here's a complete overreaction to the deal by Steve Rosenbloom, and David Haugh.

 

Wow-those are overreactions. It sounds like what the Chargers papers said last year when Brees was let go, or when the Colts haven't spent anything in free agency the last few years and have been ripped for it each time. Obviously it worked out for both those squads-this is probably the best move for the Bears as well-with the way both of them were unhappy, you really had to trade one of them.

 

For Rosenbloom, overreaction is pretty standard fare. Haugh is usually pretty grounded though, so I'm a little disappointed in his column.

 

You are being too kind to Rosenbloom. he is a flat-out idiot.

[RynoRules]

If the Bears do end up trading Briggs, I could see them coming out of this draft with a huge influx of young talent that would allow their current run of success to last well beyond the typical 3-5 year window. A straight up trade of Briggs for a 1st and 3rd would be nice, but probably not realistic. What I could see, however, is packaging Briggs and a 3rd, or even Briggs and the new 2nd for some significant early picks.

 

I wouldn't be upset to see Briggs and Ogunleye both traded for a plethora of picks, if that's even possible.

 

I agree, particularly re Wally, who has been a major disappointment, IMO.

[YearofDaCubs]

To be honest, I'm ready to see Benson as the starter. I would have been nice to keep Jones as a backup but we all very well know that it isn't possible. Long story short, Jones had to be moved, and to trade up are late 2nd rounder to an early one could pay dividends for us. Jones played good hear, and i have a lot of respect for him but it's time for him and us to move forward and go our separate ways. On the Briggs front, I do not feel bad for the guy. I can't stand Drew as an agent either. He says we are showing him a lack of respect?!? He's going to be paid over 7mil dollars next year! If I don't get a first rounder for him via trade he's would be a bear. Let me cry all he wants.

[Banedon]

Prosecutors want Tank in jail. But they say he'd only be doing 30-90 days.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Prosecutors want Tank in jail. But they say he'd only be doing 30-90 days.

 

UGH.

 

WHO THINKS THE bEARS WILL LET HIM GO IF HE GOES TO JAIL? I HOPE NOT. I THINK THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT HIM A LESSON, AT LEAST I HOPE SO, AND TANK IS A GOOD DT.

[goonys evil twin]

Prosecutors want Tank in jail. But they say he'd only be doing 30-90 days.

 

UGH.

 

WHO THINKS THE bEARS WILL LET HIM GO IF HE GOES TO JAIL? I HOPE NOT. I THINK THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE HAS TAUGHT HIM A LESSON, AT LEAST I HOPE SO, AND TANK IS A GOOD DT.

 

I think they decided to stick with him on a "next strike and you're out" basis. They could use the excuse of jail time to cut him, but I'm guessing they won't.