The Bears Offseason Thread

[BigbadB]

Could have been directed towards Briggs, as well.

[Soul]

Good to see the Bears working well with Roshenhaus, outside of the Briggs situation. We need to get a deal done for Tommie too.

 

I definitely agree with that. There are so many Rosenhaus guys on this team. We really need to isolate the Briggs thing and hope it doesn't affect any other negotiations. This looks like a step in that direction.

 

I know everyone's a professional, so hopefully that's how this whole thing will be handled.

[Soul]

Are they still projecting Hillenmeyer as a starting outside linebacker? I think he's the weakest link.

 

As far as I know, they are. And while I agree to an extent, I think they believe he's a stable presence there, and don't want to surround Urlacher with two unknowns, assuming Briggs doesn't play.

 

Hillenmeyer is the weakest link, but he does his job for the most part and will almost certainly never stress the salary cap.

 

I agree it's better to keep a known presence besides Urlacher and just try to develop Briggs' replacement.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

Here is Clark Judge's Top D-Tackles in the League, for a 1/1000 cent, make a guess at who he is missing.

 

1. Kevin Williams, Minnesota: In talking to GMs and personnel directors, Williams was a consensus choice. Nobody plays the position better. He's quick, solid against the run and an inside force in the pass rush. When you wonder why the Vikings are so effective against the run, you start here.

 

2. Richard Seymour, New England: He can play inside or out and is always a force. That is, when he's healthy. He wasn't last year, and his play suffered. When he's right, there's no better defensive lineman. He's big, strong and versatile, with the ability to run over blockers or beat them on the edge.

 

3. Jamal Williams, San Diego: He plugs the middle of the Chargers 3-4, and he does it effectively. He's big. He's strong. He sheds blockers, and he makes stops. For years he was the best-kept secret in San Diego. Then the league caught on. Now he has made the Pro Bowl the past two seasons.

 

4. John Henderson, Jacksonville: I'll take Pete's word on this: He tells me Jags coach Jack Del Rio thinks Henderson is the best three-gap tackle out there. So why isn't he rated higher? He can be inconsistent.

 

5. Marcus Stroud, Jacksonville: He's big and powerful, and he's a problem for opposing teams -- especially with him paired with Henderson. One scout called him "a poor man's Richard Seymour," and that's not bad, folks. He's quick off the ball and can penetrate.

 

Next best: Trevor Pryce, Baltimore –- Another guy who can play inside or out. He's coming off an outstanding season where he led the Ravens in sacks and forced two fumbles. He was supposed to have back issues, but he didn't miss a game. When he's right, he's tough to defend.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Here is Clark Judge's Top D-Tackles in the League, for a 1/1000 cent, make a guess at who he is missing.

 

1. Kevin Williams, Minnesota: In talking to GMs and personnel directors, Williams was a consensus choice. Nobody plays the position better. He's quick, solid against the run and an inside force in the pass rush. When you wonder why the Vikings are so effective against the run, you start here.

 

2. Richard Seymour, New England: He can play inside or out and is always a force. That is, when he's healthy. He wasn't last year, and his play suffered. When he's right, there's no better defensive lineman. He's big, strong and versatile, with the ability to run over blockers or beat them on the edge.

 

3. Jamal Williams, San Diego: He plugs the middle of the Chargers 3-4, and he does it effectively. He's big. He's strong. He sheds blockers, and he makes stops. For years he was the best-kept secret in San Diego. Then the league caught on. Now he has made the Pro Bowl the past two seasons.

 

4. John Henderson, Jacksonville: I'll take Pete's word on this: He tells me Jags coach Jack Del Rio thinks Henderson is the best three-gap tackle out there. So why isn't he rated higher? He can be inconsistent.

 

5. Marcus Stroud, Jacksonville: He's big and powerful, and he's a problem for opposing teams -- especially with him paired with Henderson. One scout called him "a poor man's Richard Seymour," and that's not bad, folks. He's quick off the ball and can penetrate.

 

Next best: Trevor Pryce, Baltimore –- Another guy who can play inside or out. He's coming off an outstanding season where he led the Ravens in sacks and forced two fumbles. He was supposed to have back issues, but he didn't miss a game. When he's right, he's tough to defend.

 

Keith Traylor.

[Guest]

Don't think the teams on the field have forgotten how good Harris is even after the injury.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Don't think the teams on the field have forgotten how good Harris is even after the injury.

 

Let's hope they have so we can watch him tally up 12 sacks by the time they figure it out in week 6

[CubColtPacer]

Harris is right up with most of those guys. I can't say it's a big problem that they are listed-everybody listed is an absolutely fantastic lineman. Harris could have easily made the list though and there would have been no problem because he is just as good. I definitely would have put him over Pryce at this point though-the others are debatable (I think he's about equal to most of the people on the list, although it is really hard to compare tackles in different types of defenses).

[Handlebar McSkullet]

Harris is right up with most of those guys. I can't say it's a big problem that they are listed-everybody listed is an absolutely fantastic lineman. Harris could have easily made the list though and there would have been no problem because he is just as good. I definitely would have put him over Pryce at this point though-the others are debatable (I think he's about equal to most of the people on the list, although it is really hard to compare tackles in different types of defenses).

 

He is better than Williams. (please note this is based solely on opinion and has not a shred of tangible fact to back it up)

[Banedon]

Some quotes from CNNsi.com:

 

The NFC North is vulnerable this season and with just a little more help, Favre might have had a shot to lead the Packers to a division title. The Bears have had an abysmal offseason and face the Super Bowl loser jinx, the Lions have many of the same flaws that riddled them last season, and the Vikings' starting QB is Tarvaris Jackson.

 

Six of the past seven Super Bowl losers have failed to get back into the playoffs the following year. The Bears' somewhat troubled offseason doesn't exactly give one confidence that they'll make a return visit.

 

I think this "abysmal offseason" is getting overplayed. Tank hurts some...but Briggs may play. We've added strength at safety with Archuleta and a healthy Mike Brown...we got a TE upgrade...we've got Hester on offense...there's an awful lot of positives that are being overlooked by the national media just because Tank and Briggs were so ever-present in the spotlight.

 

While Briggs' situation may be resolved, the loss of Johnson greatly reduces the effectiveness of the Bears' Cover Two scheme.

 

Greatly?

[jersey cubs fan]

Some quotes from CNNsi.com:

 

The NFC North is vulnerable this season and with just a little more help, Favre might have had a shot to lead the Packers to a division title. The Bears have had an abysmal offseason and face the Super Bowl loser jinx, the Lions have many of the same flaws that riddled them last season, and the Vikings' starting QB is Tarvaris Jackson.

 

Six of the past seven Super Bowl losers have failed to get back into the playoffs the following year. The Bears' somewhat troubled offseason doesn't exactly give one confidence that they'll make a return visit.

 

I think this "abysmal offseason" is getting overplayed. Tank hurts some...but Briggs may play. We've added strength at safety with Archuleta and a healthy Mike Brown...we got a TE upgrade...we've got Hester on offense...there's an awful lot of positives that are being overlooked by the national media just because Tank and Briggs were so ever-present in the spotlight.

 

While Briggs' situation may be resolved, the loss of Johnson greatly reduces the effectiveness of the Bears' Cover Two scheme.

 

Greatly?

 

I was disappointed in Tank long before any of his legal issues. I think all this "the Bears will greatly miss Tank" talk is revisionist history. Nobody thought of him as a cog until after he was suspended. I'm pretty certain the drafting of Dusty was a direct response to Tank disappointing.

 

The media focuses so heavily on the Lovie extension talks, that they put it in their minds right away that this was going to be a tumultuous offseason. They've created a Rex controversy themselves, so it all just builds.

 

The national media takes a general stance on a team and just sticks with it for as long as possible. Manning and the Colts can't win when it matters (or in any kind of bad weather). Brady and the Patriots can't lose in the postseason. Parcells has Dallas on the verge of a championship. Detroit is up and coming. The Bears are mismanaged and don't have a QB. All of these have been the story for several years now.

[MPC]

let's just start the season already.

[woodchip2153]

Some quotes from CNNsi.com:

 

The NFC North is vulnerable this season and with just a little more help, Favre might have had a shot to lead the Packers to a division title. The Bears have had an abysmal offseason and face the Super Bowl loser jinx, the Lions have many of the same flaws that riddled them last season, and the Vikings' starting QB is Tarvaris Jackson.

 

Six of the past seven Super Bowl losers have failed to get back into the playoffs the following year. The Bears' somewhat troubled offseason doesn't exactly give one confidence that they'll make a return visit.

 

I think this "abysmal offseason" is getting overplayed. Tank hurts some...but Briggs may play. We've added strength at safety with Archuleta and a healthy Mike Brown...we got a TE upgrade...we've got Hester on offense...there's an awful lot of positives that are being overlooked by the national media just because Tank and Briggs were so ever-present in the spotlight.

 

While Briggs' situation may be resolved, the loss of Johnson greatly reduces the effectiveness of the Bears' Cover Two scheme.

 

Greatly?

 

I was disappointed in Tank long before any of his legal issues. I think all this "the Bears will greatly miss Tank" talk is revisionist history. Nobody thought of him as a cog until after he was suspended. I'm pretty certain the drafting of Dusty was a direct response to Tank disappointing.

 

The media focuses so heavily on the Lovie extension talks, that they put it in their minds right away that this was going to be a tumultuous offseason. They've created a Rex controversy themselves, so it all just builds.

 

The national media takes a general stance on a team and just sticks with it for as long as possible. Manning and the Colts can't win when it matters (or in any kind of bad weather). Brady and the Patriots can't lose in the postseason. Parcells has Dallas on the verge of a championship. Detroit is up and coming. The Bears are mismanaged and don't have a QB. All of these have been the story for several years now.

 

John Clayton has been pretty fair this offseason regarding the Bears. He has even praised them, especially for there improvements on offense.

 

Yea, but other than him the national media, especially SI has gone a little overboard and seem to be hoping the Bears fall apart.

[Soul]

Wait. So first it's an 'abysmal offseason' and then a couple paragraphs later it's 'somewhat disappointing' ??

 

Which is it then?

 

The media said we had a terrible offseason last year too. We didn't add any offense, and the Lions & Vikings were therefore going to catch us. Did that happen? Nope. We'll see about this year, but I wouldn't be too keen on taking to heart comments from CNNsi, who apparently can't even decide what kind of offseason we even had.

[Banedon]

Wait. So first it's an 'abysmal offseason' and then a couple paragraphs later it's 'somewhat disappointing' ??

 

Which is it then?

 

The media said we had a terrible offseason last year too. We didn't add any offense, and the Lions & Vikings were therefore going to catch us. Did that happen? Nope. We'll see about this year, but I wouldn't be too keen on taking to heart comments from CNNsi, who apparently can't even decide what kind of offseason we even had.

 

Actually that was a little bit of poor editing on my part. Those two quotes are from two different CNNsi writers...sorry for the confusion.

[Jon]

John Mullin[/url]"]The 3 p.m. deadline today came and went for Lance Briggs and the Bears, meaning that the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker will have to wait until at least next season to land the long-term contract he has been seeking for more than a year.

....................................

The passing of the deadline renders Briggs' threat to sit out the first 10 games of the season shaky at best. It cannot pressure the Bears toward a long-term deal, since one cannot be signed now, and simply costs Briggs a weekly check of more than $400,000.

....................................

The Bears still could deal Briggs before the trade deadline later this season. But his new team could not give him a long-term deal this season either, and there was little trade interest in Briggs during the off-season, including around the time of the draft.

 

According to the Bears message board, Rosenhaus said that they will get a 1-year deal done by training camp. It certainly sounds like Briggs knows he lost this battle and won't sit out any part of the season.

[Soul]

John Mullin[/url]"]The 3 p.m. deadline today came and went for Lance Briggs and the Bears, meaning that the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker will have to wait until at least next season to land the long-term contract he has been seeking for more than a year.

....................................

The passing of the deadline renders Briggs' threat to sit out the first 10 games of the season shaky at best. It cannot pressure the Bears toward a long-term deal, since one cannot be signed now, and simply costs Briggs a weekly check of more than $400,000.

....................................

The Bears still could deal Briggs before the trade deadline later this season. But his new team could not give him a long-term deal this season either, and there was little trade interest in Briggs during the off-season, including around the time of the draft.

 

According to the Bears message board, Rosenhaus said that they will get a 1-year deal done by training camp. It certainly sounds like Briggs knows he lost this battle and won't sit out any part of the season.

 

I hope so. Having Briggs for the entire season would be a big boost.

 

Well OK, it's not really a 'boost' -- it would be a nice, uh, recapture of what we already had? :?

[cubweiser03]

John Mullin[/url]"]The 3 p.m. deadline today came and went for Lance Briggs and the Bears, meaning that the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker will have to wait until at least next season to land the long-term contract he has been seeking for more than a year.

....................................

The passing of the deadline renders Briggs' threat to sit out the first 10 games of the season shaky at best. It cannot pressure the Bears toward a long-term deal, since one cannot be signed now, and simply costs Briggs a weekly check of more than $400,000.

....................................

The Bears still could deal Briggs before the trade deadline later this season. But his new team could not give him a long-term deal this season either, and there was little trade interest in Briggs during the off-season, including around the time of the draft.

 

According to the Bears message board, Rosenhaus said that they will get a 1-year deal done by training camp. It certainly sounds like Briggs knows he lost this battle and won't sit out any part of the season.

 

Clayton was on ESPN saying for that to happen the Bears need to give up the franchise tag in 2008. So it aint over yet.

[gflore34]

Was checking out The Sporting News training camp issue, there's a small Thomas Jones piece in which he fires some shots at the Bears. Including this humorus note - "...they (the Jets) have so many great (offensive) players here..." - really? Who are they?

I believe the addition of Olsen is going to enable Benson to dwarf whatever Jones and those plethora of great players give the Jets.

[Keener98]

Was checking out The Sporting News training camp issue, there's a small Thomas Jones piece in which he fires some shots at the Bears. Including this humorus note - "...they (the Jets) have so many great (offensive) players here..." - really? Who are they?

I believe the addition of Olsen is going to enable Benson to dwarf whatever Jones and those plethora of great players give the Jets.

 

I guess I really dont see where thats a shot at the Bears. Do you expect him to say, " this offense sucks, thats why they got me"?

[Soul]

Was checking out The Sporting News training camp issue, there's a small Thomas Jones piece in which he fires some shots at the Bears. Including this humorus note - "...they (the Jets) have so many great (offensive) players here..." - really? Who are they?

I believe the addition of Olsen is going to enable Benson to dwarf whatever Jones and those plethora of great players give the Jets.

 

I guess I really dont see where thats a shot at the Bears. Do you expect him to say, " this offense sucks, thats why they got me"?

 

I don't see that as a shot, either. I have heard some people suggesting Benson won't be able to handle the entire load, which will lead to a loss of running yardage this year. I'm not so sure about that, but I guess we'll have to see. I always thought APete would thrive as a secondary back to a primary like Benson. But again, I don't really know, we'll just have to see if that comes to fruition. Obviously a Benson injury is the biggest fear.

[Jon]

I know it's been mentioned before, but here's more about Maynard's offseason:

 

Dave Toub[/url]"]Brad really had a great offseason. I think Brad realized that he can extend his career through weight training. He never lifted before this year. It’s unbelievable that he’s gone this far in his career without lifting. He’s got this far because of his technique. He’s getting a little up there in years now and he’s realizing that he needs to get stronger, so he spent a lot of time in the weight room and he’s kicked more over five-second hang-times than I’ve ever seen for him. He had a really good offseason. He attributes it a lot to Rusty Jones’ program and his leg strength that he improved. He’s gained about 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. He came up to my office the other day and put a sheet on my desk that showed his body fat percentage. Rusty’s got him believing in what he’s doing and it’s certainly showing on the field.

 

 

And for those with the NFL Network, they are replaying a condensed version of the Bears/Seahawks playoff game from 4:30-6:00 today.

[jersey cubs fan]

I know it's been mentioned before, but here's more about Maynard's offseason:

 

Dave Toub[/url]"]Brad really had a great offseason. I think Brad realized that he can extend his career through weight training. He never lifted before this year. It’s unbelievable that he’s gone this far in his career without lifting. He’s got this far because of his technique. He’s getting a little up there in years now and he’s realizing that he needs to get stronger, so he spent a lot of time in the weight room and he’s kicked more over five-second hang-times than I’ve ever seen for him. He had a really good offseason. He attributes it a lot to Rusty Jones’ program and his leg strength that he improved. He’s gained about 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. He came up to my office the other day and put a sheet on my desk that showed his body fat percentage. Rusty’s got him believing in what he’s doing and it’s certainly showing on the field.

 

 

And for those with the NFL Network, they are replaying a condensed version of the Bears/Seahawks playoff game from 4:30-6:00 today.

 

Anybody else slightly amused by the thought of a punter going up to the ST coach's office with a sheet of paper highlighting the results of his discovery of the benefits of exercise?

[Keener98]

I know it's been mentioned before, but here's more about Maynard's offseason:

 

Dave Toub[/url]"]Brad really had a great offseason. I think Brad realized that he can extend his career through weight training. He never lifted before this year. It’s unbelievable that he’s gone this far in his career without lifting. He’s got this far because of his technique. He’s getting a little up there in years now and he’s realizing that he needs to get stronger, so he spent a lot of time in the weight room and he’s kicked more over five-second hang-times than I’ve ever seen for him. He had a really good offseason. He attributes it a lot to Rusty Jones’ program and his leg strength that he improved. He’s gained about 10 or 15 pounds of muscle. He came up to my office the other day and put a sheet on my desk that showed his body fat percentage. Rusty’s got him believing in what he’s doing and it’s certainly showing on the field.

 

 

And for those with the NFL Network, they are replaying a condensed version of the Bears/Seahawks playoff game from 4:30-6:00 today.

 

Anybody else slightly amused by the thought of a punter going up to the ST coach's office with a sheet of paper highlighting the results of his discovery of the benefits of exercise?

 

Lol yea if I had been that coach I would have went to Lovie, and told him to tell Maynard hes gotten to big to be a punter, hes trying out at safety, and Urlacher is your first tackling partner.

[Banedon]

It's that time of year folks!!! It's time for the media to drool over the Lions!

 

From this week'sPeter King article:

 

The Lions. If they're not a top-five offense this year, I'll be stunned. We're all forgetting Tatum Bell, you know. The man's averaged 4.9 yards per rush in three Denver seasons, and now he moves to the artificial turf, where his cuts will be truer and he'll be running behind a pretty good line.

 

A Grossman dig for good measure:

 

Rex Grossman battling the boobirds and the doubters. They're out there, and my guess is he'll hear some of them when he bounces a few throws three yards shy of Bernard Berrian in camp.

 

King acknowledged last weekthat he has an almost annual love for the Lions...

13. Detroit: Some year I'll pick the Lions to do something good and actually be right about the prediction. This is the year they make a quantum leap, I believe, because the defense will adjust to Rod Marinelli and new coordinator Joe Barry and play well. I like a second year in the Mike Martz offense. If you let Jon Kitna slide past the fourth round in your fantasy draft, you're absolutely crazy. Keep one name in mind on defense: Ikaika Alama-Francis, who, at 6-5 and 280 pounds, will get the chance to be the kind of interior pass-rush presence Marinelli needs to make his defense work.