Re: The Chicago Bears Offseason Thread

[WrigleyField 22]

Actually maybe a good alternative to BPA is BPAAPON...

 

Best Player Available at Postion of Need, I know not as catchy.

 

Bears need: WR, OT, QB, RB, S

 

So if your top 3 at your pick is LB, DE, WR, I think you should take the WR, even if he's third best.

 

Then going more complicated, it might be LB, OT, DB, DE, WR. And while the OT is better perhaps you think the WR, even though only 5th best is your only option at a good WR, you go for it. And so on and so forth.

[rawaction]

Best player available isn't the worst idea for this Bears team. The only positions the Bears won't take (at least early) are probably LB, DE, and CB. Everyone knows the Bears need OL in the worst way. A legit LT would be the way to go.

 

However, if Otah is gone....do you take Williams at OT, who may be a bit of a reach (probably not in considering the players that project in the teens with him are WR or CBs) or Otah, who's stock is falling by the day just for the sake of taking a lineman? What if Kenny Phillips is on the board? What is Mendenhall is still on the board?

 

If I had to guess the Bears draft board, right now, if they stay at #14.

 

1. Clady

2. Phillips

3. Mendenhall

4. Williams

5. Balmer

 

Kentwan Balmer is my sleeper. Bears love their DTs, and really struggled there in 07. He seems to fit the Lovie mold of quick, athletic and strong DT. Seems similar to what they lost in Tank Johnson.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

Best player available isn't the worst idea for this Bears team. The only positions the Bears won't take (at least early) are probably LB, DE, and CB. Everyone knows the Bears need OL in the worst way. A legit LT would be the way to go.

 

However, if Otah is gone....do you take Williams at OT, who may be a bit of a reach (probably not in considering the players that project in the teens with him are WR or CBs) or Otah, who's stock is falling by the day just for the sake of taking a lineman? What if Kenny Phillips is on the board? What is Mendenhall is still on the board?

 

If I had to guess the Bears draft board, right now, if they stay at #14.

 

1. Clady

2. Phillips

3. Mendenhall

4. Williams

5. Balmer

 

Kentwan Balmer is my sleeper. Bears love their DTs, and really struggled there in 07. He seems to fit the Lovie mold of quick, athletic and strong DT. Seems similar to what they lost in Tank Johnson.

 

Am I wrong for staying on the Matt Toeina bandwagon?

[Balsa]

Well as long as the Bears stay away from Woodson and Colt Brennan(pukes), that's all I care about.

Please let them stay away from these two. At least for the first two rounds. They reek of failure.

[YearofDaCubs]

Ayanbedejo to the Ravens 4/4.925

[Soul]

Ayanbedejo to the Ravens 4/4.925

 

Christ he could have gotten that from us. He asked for 2mil/yr, IIRC. Have fun in BAL -- that's a franchise that won't be good again for a long time IMO.

[YearofDaCubs]

Ayanbedejo to the Ravens 4/4.925

 

Christ he could have gotten that from us. He asked for 2mil/yr, IIRC. Have fun in BAL -- that's a franchise that won't be good again for a long time IMO.

We probably could have matched but chose not to. I don't blame the Bears, I'm sure they've had enough dealing with Rosenhaus as it was.

[Jon]

Ayanbedejo to the Ravens 4/4.925

 

Christ he could have gotten that from us. He asked for 2mil/yr, IIRC. Have fun in BAL -- that's a franchise that won't be good again for a long time IMO.

We probably could have matched but chose not to. I don't blame the Bears, I'm sure they've had enough dealing with Rosenhaus as it was.

I assume/hope that the Bears would have loved to match that, but I have to believe the difference was Baltimore's indication to him that he'd be in the mix for defense.

 

Once Briggs signed, I'm guessing that Ayanbadejo and the Bears just agreed to part ways.

 

By the way, what's with Ayanbadejo talking to reporters via text messages? This is the second time I've read on the Trib blog that he contacted them via TM.

[GoCubsGo1679625768]

Well, we all know how some athletes just hate the media, but I'm sure some are just the opposite, they love it and seek them out for any type of pub.

[Jon]

The deal includes a $1.9 million signing bonus.

[YearofDaCubs]

Maurice Williams re-signed with the Jaguars. Only two guards left and it looks as though the Bears aren't interested. Is Angelo really expecting to fix all these issues via draft? OT, OG, Safety, RB, WR, QB

[UMFan83]

Maurice Williams re-signed with the Jaguars. Only two guards left and it looks as though the Bears aren't interested. Is Angelo really expecting to fix all these issues via draft? OT, OG, Safety, RB, WR, QB

 

QB and likely RB they won't address. I think they believe that with a good offensive line, the QB and RB will be better. The problem is, they aren't doing crap about the offensive line and that worries me. I'm starting to be worried that they are gonig to rely on Josh Beekman to win the OG spot. I heard he was terrible in camp last year.

 

WR I'm pretty sure they are expecting to get a WR in the 2nd or 3rd round and make their receiving corps Booker, Bradley, Hester, Davis, Rookie, Haas.

 

So my guess for the draft is

 

1st: OT

2nd: WR

3rd: QB/RB

4th: OG

5th: NT

6th: Some pet defensive player that Angelo loves

 

And their depth chart will be

 

QB: Grossman, Orton, Rookie

RB: Benson, (possibly a player like Dunn but probably not), Peterson, Wolfe

FB: McKie

WR: Booker, Bradley, Hester, Davis, Rookie, Haas

TE: Olsen, Clark

LT: Tait, St. Clair

LG: Beekman, Metcalf

C: Kreutz, Oakley

RG: Garza, Rookie

RT: Rookie

 

DE: Ogunleye, Idonije

DT: Harris, Toeania

DT: Dvorchek, Rookie

DE: Brown, Anderson

MLB: Urlacher, Wilson

OLB: Briggs, Williams

OLB: Hillenmeyer, Okwo?

CB: Tillman, Vasher, McBride, Manning Jr, Payne, Graham

SS: Manning, Archuletta (but will probably get cut)

FS: Brown, McGowin

 

K: Gould

P: Maynard

 

Thats 50 of the 55 roster spots

Edited March 6, 2008 by UMFan83

[cubweiser03]

Maurice Williams re-signed with the Jaguars. Only two guards left and it looks as though the Bears aren't interested. Is Angelo really expecting to fix all these issues via draft? OT, OG, Safety, RB, WR, QB

 

Yeah and 4 years $16M wasnt hard to beat, he can play guard or tackle. The Bears have something like $12M in cap space left for FA's. Ill be disappointed if they dont come close to maximizing the cap amount.

[RedFlash]

Maurice Williams re-signed with the Jaguars. Only two guards left and it looks as though the Bears aren't interested. Is Angelo really expecting to fix all these issues via draft? OT, OG, Safety, RB, WR, QB

 

Does Angelo ever have a clue?

[RynoRules]

I've heard a few scouts say they think Henne could be the best QB to come from Michigan since Brady.

 

I would agree with that. Then again, that only means that Henne is better than Navarre or Henson. I would say Henne and Henson would have been comparable if Henson hadn't went and played baseball.

 

I think Henne could become a pretty good backup or a fringe starter, but that's about it. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, we'll see.

 

As for being a poor decision maker, I can't really quantify it without going through the tape. Henne became rather infamous for it throughout his 4 years at Michigan though. He never had much of a sense for game situation when he went back to pass, and he threw some horrible passes that let teams back in ballgames. And yes, every college QB did that, but Henne did it consistently and got quite the reputation for it. I'm not saying Henne is a poor decision maker all game (in fact I think he's pretty good for most of the game), but I believe those unnecessary turnovers will kill him at the next level.

 

Henne's decision making looked a bit like Rex's has. That said, he was probably hamstrung by the fact that the play calling in Ann Arbor was pathetic for most of his 4 yrs. On the other hand, that is another reason for the Bears not to take him - Turner is equally inept.

 

I still like the kid from Sam Diego as a project with all the tools who likely can be had in the 3rd rnd or later.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

I hope the bears take a look at Chris Naole. He is very good when healthy, and we can move garza to left guard to compete with beekman. jake scott would also be a good look. we need to sign a lineman or another receiver.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

So my guess for the draft is

 

1st: OT

2nd: WR

3rd: QB/RB

4th: OG

5th: NT

6th: Some pet defensive player that Angelo loves

 

And their depth chart will be

 

QB: Grossman, Orton, Rookie

RB: Benson, (possibly a player like Dunn but probably not), Peterson, Wolfe

FB: McKie

WR: Booker, Bradley, Hester, Davis, Rookie, Haas

TE: Olsen, Clark

LT: Tait, St. Clair

LG: Beekman, Metcalf

C: Kreutz, Oakley

RG: Garza, Rookie

RT: Rookie

 

DE: Ogunleye, Idonije

DT: Harris, Toeania

DT: Dvorchek, Rookie

DE: Brown, Anderson

MLB: Urlacher, Wilson

OLB: Briggs, Williams

OLB: Hillenmeyer, Okwo?

CB: Tillman, Vasher, McBride, Manning Jr, Payne, Graham

SS: Manning, Archuletta (but will probably get cut)

FS: Brown, McGowin

 

K: Gould

P: Maynard

 

Thats 50 of the 55 roster spots

 

I completely agree on everything except DT. I think "hopefully" Idjonie will stay at DT and we will have Dvorcek Harris then Toenia Adams Idjonie For the DT rotation. At DE Brown, Wale, Bazuin "this is where the hope comes in" and Anderson.

[Outshined_One]

I completely agree on everything except DT. I think "hopefully" Idjonie will stay at DT and we will have Dvorcek Harris then Toenia Adams Idjonie For the DT rotation. At DE Brown, Wale, Bazuin "this is where the hope comes in" and Anderson.

 

Frankly, I think DT is the sleeper position for a surprise pick in the 1st or 2nd. You're basically relying on a group of guys with documented health issues and inexperience. Even if everyone's healthy, I'm skeptical about the amount of talent among that group. Harris is terrific, but what about everyone else?

 

If one of the top two DTs (Dorsey or Ellis) falls to 14, I'd be doing cartwheels if the Bears took him. Ditto Kentwan Balmer in the 2nd.

[Handlebar McSkullet]

I completely agree on everything except DT. I think "hopefully" Idjonie will stay at DT and we will have Dvorcek Harris then Toenia Adams Idjonie For the DT rotation. At DE Brown, Wale, Bazuin "this is where the hope comes in" and Anderson.

 

Frankly, I think DT is the sleeper position for a surprise pick in the 1st or 2nd. You're basically relying on a group of guys with documented health issues and inexperience. Even if everyone's healthy, I'm skeptical about the amount of talent among that group. Harris is terrific, but what about everyone else?

 

If one of the top two DTs (Dorsey or Ellis) falls to 14, I'd be doing cartwheels if the Bears took him. Ditto Kentwan Balmer in the 2nd.

 

well... if Dorsey or Ellis fell that would be hard to pass up. The same with Mendenhall. But they really cant afford to go dt or de first round. BTW im liking Chris Williams at 14, move Tait to right tackle.

[Outshined_One]

well... if Dorsey or Ellis fell that would be hard to pass up. The same with Mendenhall. But they really cant afford to go dt or de first round. BTW im liking Chris Williams at 14, move Tait to right tackle.

 

I'm fine with all of the above, but I was basically pointing out the fact that DT could be a major weakness for the Bears next season. If the Bears take a DT in the draft, I won't complain.

 

There might be greater needs elsewhere, but the Bears could definitely benefit from shoring up the position.

[jmajew]

I found this a bit interesting regarding Julius Jones on ESPN.

Jones, who has visited the Titans and the Lions, is considering trips to Chicago and Philadelphia.

 

This could solve our RB problems. Now only if we could figure out what to do with the O-Line.

[tfarks]

I found this a bit interesting regarding Julius Jones on ESPN.

Jones, who has visited the Titans and the Lions, is considering trips to Chicago and Philadelphia.

 

This could solve our RB problems. Now only if we could figure out what to do with the O-Line.

 

I wonder what type of contract hes looking for...I'm sure he doesn't mind competing for a job.

[rawaction]

Julius Jones isn't as good as his brother, which means he'd possibly the 3rd best back on the Bears.

 

Naeole would be a great pickup, but he's gonna be expensive, even with most of the FAs gone. As for the DT discussion. There's 0 chance that Dorsey falls to 14. There's maybe a fraction more that Ellis falls (for the record, I think Ellis is the better prospect). Balmer went from a possible mid-2nd rounder, to now probably mid-1st. At worst, Balmer goes to San Diego late 1st.

[Magnetic Curses]

Julius Jones isn't as good as his brother, which means he'd possibly the 3rd best back on the Bears.

 

Naeole would be a great pickup, but he's gonna be expensive, even with most of the FAs gone. As for the DT discussion. There's 0 chance that Dorsey falls to 14. There's maybe a fraction more that Ellis falls (for the record, I think Ellis is the better prospect). Balmer went from a possible mid-2nd rounder, to now probably mid-1st. At worst, Balmer goes to San Diego late 1st.

 

is dorsey really the kind of dt we need? from what i can tell, he projects as a 3-technique.

 

and the prospect of signing julius jones has sent me into a fever. look out, he's the missing piece

[Outshined_One]

Julius Jones isn't as good as his brother, which means he'd possibly the 3rd best back on the Bears.

 

Naeole would be a great pickup, but he's gonna be expensive, even with most of the FAs gone. As for the DT discussion. There's 0 chance that Dorsey falls to 14. There's maybe a fraction more that Ellis falls (for the record, I think Ellis is the better prospect). Balmer went from a possible mid-2nd rounder, to now probably mid-1st. At worst, Balmer goes to San Diego late 1st.

 

Dorsey's injuries reportedly have concerned plenty of teams. I wouldn't be surprised to see him drop out of the Top 10, especially if Ellis continues climbing.

 

Also, my impression of Dorsey is that he could make a very good 4-3 NT in the pros. That certainly wouldn't hurt the Bears.