Bears Offseason Thread (Trestman new HC, pg 37)

[cubbyvirus00]

The Bears are going to run the read option? Are they trying to end Jay Cutler's career prematurely with concussions?

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000152954/article/jay-cutler-chicago-bears-are-great-fit-to-run-readoption-offense?akmobile=ios-tablet

 

This is likely just a wrinkle for opposing teams to prepare for. If anything though it will keep teams honest and Jay has the speed to work with it ever so slightly.

 

The read option is here to stay.

[RynoRules]

With an offensive minded coach now(finally as far as I'm concerned) I think we're going to see a shift, maybe substantially, to where more of our cap will be distributed to the offense. If we add another LB thru FA, I can see OG and WR being our top 2 draft choices. That said, I'd love a trade down emerge that gets us an extra pick inside the top 3 rounds.

 

The last regime had so much tied into the LB position that it negatively affected their ability to address other needs. I like filling LB with lower cost players. Look at what the Giants did in their Super Bowl year, they were running out street free agents that postseason. Their cap space went to pass rushers, DBs and the QB. Linebackers just don't impact the game enough to account for so much cap space.

 

This (unless you are running a 3-4).

[Magnetic Curses]

dickerson said that williams will be playing in the middle

[Soul]

With an offensive minded coach now(finally as far as I'm concerned) I think we're going to see a shift, maybe substantially, to where more of our cap will be distributed to the offense. If we add another LB thru FA, I can see OG and WR being our top 2 draft choices. That said, I'd love a trade down emerge that gets us an extra pick inside the top 3 rounds.

 

The last regime had so much tied into the LB position that it negatively affected their ability to address other needs. I like filling LB with lower cost players. Look at what the Giants did in their Super Bowl year, they were running out street free agents that postseason. Their cap space went to pass rushers, DBs and the QB. Linebackers just don't impact the game enough to account for so much cap space.

 

This (unless you are running a 3-4).

 

Yes, what goony says rings very true now.

[davell]

Jensen says we're signing Zbikowski.

[ctcf]

Jensen says we're signing Zbikowski.

 

Someone tell me how to feel about that.

[davell]

Jensen says we're signing Zbikowski.

 

Someone tell me how to feel about that.

Assuming its a vet minimum deal, hes a decent ST guy, depth at S. Just a body.

[rawaction]

May mean cutting Steltz and saving a few hundred thousand dollars.

[rawaction]

Jensen says we're signing Zbikowski.

 

Done deal per this website. 1 year/$715K

 

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/tom-zbikowski/

[cbbryan]

Jensen says we're signing Zbikowski.

 

Done deal per this website. 1 year/$715K

 

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/tom-zbikowski/

 

Cheap depth.

[rawaction]

FWIW, Walter Football has really liked the Bears last 2 moves.

 

Bears sign S Tom Zbikowski (1 year, $715,000): B+ Grade

This is a cheap, quality signing. Tom Zbikowski was a sub-par starter for the Colts this season, but he would have been better served as a backup. That's the role he'll serve in Chicago, playing behind Chris Conte and Major Wright. He'll also be a contributor on special teams. The price is just right for the 28-year-old veteran.

 

Bears sign OLB D.J. Williams (1 year, $900,000): A Grade

I love this move. The Bears were willing to pay Brian Urlacher $2 million to remain with the team. Urlacher declined, yet Chicago obtained someone better and younger for less than half as much.

 

The only reason this isn't an A+ grade is because Williams doesn't have the best history of staying on the field. He started just one game last year and missed some time in 2011 as well. But this is part of the reason Chicago is able to buy low like this. Getting Williams for $900,000 (he could make as much as $1.75 million if he hits his incentives) is a steal.

[Guest]

FWIW, Walter Football has really liked the Bears last 2 moves.

 

I agree with their assessment. Good, cheap, low risk moves.

 

I don't like Bushrod that much but their assessment of him was too over the top.

[rawaction]

FWIW, Walter Football has really liked the Bears last 2 moves.

 

I agree with their assessment. Good, cheap, low risk moves.

 

I don't like Bushrod that much but their assessment of him was too over the top.

 

Yeah, Zbikowksi isn't a guy that's going to kill you if he has to start. He started several games for the Colts this year and some for some pretty good Baltimore teams. He's a stronger special teamer and safety than Steltz. Good #3 safety.

 

Williams, if he stays on the field, still can play. Good fit for the defense. Much better than the similar Geno Hayes signing last offseason.

[rawaction]

Urlacher's ability to stir emotions aside, I think I'd be 100% in favor of trading for Albert if reports that KC wants a 2nd rounder are true.

 

I know they have limited picks and already signed a LT. But Bushrod is not very good and I'm a big believer in making parts of your team dominant, preferably on the offense, to allow lesser parts to benefit from the trickle down of that dominance. A dominant line can make almost any receiver group productive. A dominant line can make any RB a star. If the Bears had the league's best receivers they could get away with a second rate line because defenses would have to focus so hard on covering them.

 

As things stand they already need to spend a draft pick on an offensive lineman, if you can get a stud for a 2nd rounder then why the hell not do it? I'd love to see them trade down from their first pick to get more quantity through round 3, and then spin a 2nd to KC if that is really the cost.

 

There are 9.8Mil reasons why not to. The Bears can't fit him into the cap. Even if they could re-sign him to a long term deal cutting his cap number this year, they've already signed Bushrod (like it or not) and would be paying a lot of money for a RT or LG. While that's not that big of a deal to me (and where resources should have been going for GOOD players for a while), they could potentially get a good LG in the 2nd round and could get a legit stud in the first (Cooper, Warmack) or at RT (Fluker). If the Bears didn't already pay Bushrod, it would be worth thinking about. At this point I'd wait out the season, hope the OL solidifies itself some this year with Carimi finding a home at RG, Webb improving on the right side, Bushrod getting back to 2011 levels, and an early pick settling in at LG...and then look at signing Albert in next offseason.

[Magnetic Curses]

Urlacher's ability to stir emotions aside, I think I'd be 100% in favor of trading for Albert if reports that KC wants a 2nd rounder are true.

 

I know they have limited picks and already signed a LT. But Bushrod is not very good and I'm a big believer in making parts of your team dominant, preferably on the offense, to allow lesser parts to benefit from the trickle down of that dominance. A dominant line can make almost any receiver group productive. A dominant line can make any RB a star. If the Bears had the league's best receivers they could get away with a second rate line because defenses would have to focus so hard on covering them.

 

As things stand they already need to spend a draft pick on an offensive lineman, if you can get a stud for a 2nd rounder then why the hell not do it? I'd love to see them trade down from their first pick to get more quantity through round 3, and then spin a 2nd to KC if that is really the cost.

 

There are 9.8Mil reasons why not to. The Bears can't fit him into the cap. Even if they could re-sign him to a long term deal cutting his cap number this year, they've already signed Bushrod (like it or not) and would be paying a lot of money for a RT or LG. While that's not that big of a deal to me (and where resources should have been going for GOOD players for a while), they could potentially get a good LG in the 2nd round and could get a legit stud in the first (Cooper, Warmack) or at RT (Fluker). If the Bears didn't already pay Bushrod, it would be worth thinking about. At this point I'd wait out the season, hope the OL solidifies itself some this year with Carimi finding a home at RG, Webb improving on the right side, Bushrod getting back to 2011 levels, and an early pick settling in at LG...and then look at signing Albert in next offseason.

 

webb will be adequate at RT, i think he's really come a long way, oddly enough. i'm kind of excited about our line next year.

[Guest]

Urlacher's ability to stir emotions aside, I think I'd be 100% in favor of trading for Albert if reports that KC wants a 2nd rounder are true.

 

I know they have limited picks and already signed a LT. But Bushrod is not very good and I'm a big believer in making parts of your team dominant, preferably on the offense, to allow lesser parts to benefit from the trickle down of that dominance. A dominant line can make almost any receiver group productive. A dominant line can make any RB a star. If the Bears had the league's best receivers they could get away with a second rate line because defenses would have to focus so hard on covering them.

 

As things stand they already need to spend a draft pick on an offensive lineman, if you can get a stud for a 2nd rounder then why the hell not do it? I'd love to see them trade down from their first pick to get more quantity through round 3, and then spin a 2nd to KC if that is really the cost.

 

There are 9.8Mil reasons why not to. The Bears can't fit him into the cap. Even if they could re-sign him to a long term deal cutting his cap number this year, they've already signed Bushrod (like it or not) and would be paying a lot of money for a RT or LG. While that's not that big of a deal to me (and where resources should have been going for GOOD players for a while), they could potentially get a good LG in the 2nd round and could get a legit stud in the first (Cooper, Warmack) or at RT (Fluker). If the Bears didn't already pay Bushrod, it would be worth thinking about. At this point I'd wait out the season, hope the OL solidifies itself some this year with Carimi finding a home at RG, Webb improving on the right side, Bushrod getting back to 2011 levels, and an early pick settling in at LG...and then look at signing Albert in next offseason.

 

webb will be adequate at RT, i think he's really come a long way, oddly enough. i'm kind of excited about our line next year.

Still need a guard (Louis?) and hopefully a center to replace Garza.

[cbbryan]

Hope they can fit Lance Louis back under the cap. I don't know what his projected money looks like, although I wouldn't think it would be that much coming off an injury. He was probably the most consistently (good) OL for the Bears before getting hurt.

[rawaction]

Yeah, there's definitely legitimate hope for a change. Bushrod has been good before (2011). Of course, he's been bad a lot but he's young enough to get back to that level. Webb has gotten better every year, and the hope is that him seeing lesser pass rushers as a RT will get him from slightly below league average to above average. Carimi was actually pretty solid at RG last year (according to PFF), and he was playing the position in a pinch. With an entire offseason devoted to the position, he could be an asset there. Any LG they get should be able to be an improvement over the Spencer and Rachal disaster. Garza is probably around to play out his contract this year, but C is the least important position on the OL, IMO. If he's the worst of the group, then overall they will be solid and good enough to win a ton of games and not get Cutler killed.

[davell]

Walter has Barrett Jones dropping to Jacksonville in the 4th at pick 98. Why has he dropped so far? I would love to trade down, pick up a 3rd an take him, if thats actually in the area where he'll go. Especially with his vetsatility, I could see him at LG, then moving to C once Garza is gone.

[Soul]

Walter has Barrett Jones dropping to Jacksonville in the 4th at pick 98. Why has he dropped so far? I would love to trade down, pick up a 3rd an take him, if thats actually in the area where he'll go. Especially with his vetsatility, I could see him at LG, then moving to C once Garza is gone.

 

Probably because of his foot surgery / recovery.

[Pushfrog98]

Urlacher's ability to stir emotions aside, I think I'd be 100% in favor of trading for Albert if reports that KC wants a 2nd rounder are true.

 

I know they have limited picks and already signed a LT. But Bushrod is not very good and I'm a big believer in making parts of your team dominant, preferably on the offense, to allow lesser parts to benefit from the trickle down of that dominance. A dominant line can make almost any receiver group productive. A dominant line can make any RB a star. If the Bears had the league's best receivers they could get away with a second rate line because defenses would have to focus so hard on covering them.

 

As things stand they already need to spend a draft pick on an offensive lineman, if you can get a stud for a 2nd rounder then why the hell not do it? I'd love to see them trade down from their first pick to get more quantity through round 3, and then spin a 2nd to KC if that is really the cost.

 

There are 9.8Mil reasons why not to. The Bears can't fit him into the cap. Even if they could re-sign him to a long term deal cutting his cap number this year, they've already signed Bushrod (like it or not) and would be paying a lot of money for a RT or LG. While that's not that big of a deal to me (and where resources should have been going for GOOD players for a while), they could potentially get a good LG in the 2nd round and could get a legit stud in the first (Cooper, Warmack) or at RT (Fluker). If the Bears didn't already pay Bushrod, it would be worth thinking about. At this point I'd wait out the season, hope the OL solidifies itself some this year with Carimi finding a home at RG, Webb improving on the right side, Bushrod getting back to 2011 levels, and an early pick settling in at LG...and then look at signing Albert in next offseason.

 

webb will be adequate at RT, i think he's really come a long way, oddly enough. i'm kind of excited about our line next year.

Still need a guard (Louis?) and hopefully a center to replace Garza.

I don't remember seeing an answer to my question about Garza several pages ago, but is it common for a Center to have as many False Starts as Garza? It seems like every game I watched (which was only a handful), he'd have at least 1 false start. I don't remember Kreutz false starting that often.

[Guest]

Urlacher's ability to stir emotions aside, I think I'd be 100% in favor of trading for Albert if reports that KC wants a 2nd rounder are true.

 

I know they have limited picks and already signed a LT. But Bushrod is not very good and I'm a big believer in making parts of your team dominant, preferably on the offense, to allow lesser parts to benefit from the trickle down of that dominance. A dominant line can make almost any receiver group productive. A dominant line can make any RB a star. If the Bears had the league's best receivers they could get away with a second rate line because defenses would have to focus so hard on covering them.

 

As things stand they already need to spend a draft pick on an offensive lineman, if you can get a stud for a 2nd rounder then why the hell not do it? I'd love to see them trade down from their first pick to get more quantity through round 3, and then spin a 2nd to KC if that is really the cost.

 

There are 9.8Mil reasons why not to. The Bears can't fit him into the cap. Even if they could re-sign him to a long term deal cutting his cap number this year, they've already signed Bushrod (like it or not) and would be paying a lot of money for a RT or LG. While that's not that big of a deal to me (and where resources should have been going for GOOD players for a while), they could potentially get a good LG in the 2nd round and could get a legit stud in the first (Cooper, Warmack) or at RT (Fluker). If the Bears didn't already pay Bushrod, it would be worth thinking about. At this point I'd wait out the season, hope the OL solidifies itself some this year with Carimi finding a home at RG, Webb improving on the right side, Bushrod getting back to 2011 levels, and an early pick settling in at LG...and then look at signing Albert in next offseason.

 

webb will be adequate at RT, i think he's really come a long way, oddly enough. i'm kind of excited about our line next year.

Still need a guard (Louis?) and hopefully a center to replace Garza.

I don't remember seeing an answer to my question about Garza several pages ago, but is it common for a Center to have as many False Starts as Garza? It seems like every game I watched (which was only a handful), he'd have at least 1 false start. I don't remember Kreutz false starting that often.

 

No, it's not that common, at least from the other college and NFL games I've seen.

[cbbryan]

Walter has Barrett Jones dropping to Jacksonville in the 4th at pick 98. Why has he dropped so far? I would love to trade down, pick up a 3rd an take him, if thats actually in the area where he'll go. Especially with his vetsatility, I could see him at LG, then moving to C once Garza is gone.

 

I like Jones a ton. He's versatile too, could play either G or C. I would worry about his health, but I'm sure NFL teams will be well informed about that before making a pick.

[Splendid Splinter]

Walter has Barrett Jones dropping to Jacksonville in the 4th at pick 98. Why has he dropped so far? I would love to trade down, pick up a 3rd an take him, if thats actually in the area where he'll go. Especially with his vetsatility, I could see him at LG, then moving to C once Garza is gone.

 

I like Jones a ton. He's versatile too, could play either G or C. I would worry about his health, but I'm sure NFL teams will be well informed about that before making a pick.

 

I'm shocked they're dropping him that low. It does look like he won't be able to do anything before the draft, but it shouldn't matter since they have a TON of tape on him.

 

I found his injury history FWIW...

 

Right Shoulder surgery in 2008.

Missed 2 games in 2010 with a high ankle sprain

Missed 2 games due to a sprained ankle in 2011

Lisfranc sprain with torn tendons in the BCS Championship game. Played through it and will have surgery. Expected to be out 3-4 months and will miss the Combine.

 

 

Matt Schaub, Darren McFadden, Santonio Holmes, Ryan Kalil, DeMarco Murray, Maurice Jones-Drew and Cedric Benson all had Lisfranc injuries if you're wondering who else had it.

[Soul]

I smell opportunity...