Bears Offseason Thread (Trestman new HC, pg 37)

Banedon · March 24, 2013

Jones showed up at the NFL Scouting Combine wearing the boot and answering questions about the injury. It seemed fitting that he had to cut his media session short Thursday afternoon to go to the hospital to complete his physical exam.

The injury and four-month recovery period means he likely won't be able to work out for the NFL scouts at full strength before the draft, April 25-27.

Jones is smart and a realist. He knows that the injury could hurt his draft stock.

"Obviously, that's the first thing that comes to your mind," he said. "You've got to realize you can't control that. I can't control that I was hurt. I just have to focus on the things I can control. That's interview well and doing all the little things right.

"I hope I have a lot of game film, maybe not at center, but at different positions. I feel like I'm intelligent. I know how to study the game well, make very few mental errors. That's what separates me apart."

Jones is rated by many as the top center prospect in the draft, but this isn't a strong draft for centers. Jones could be drafted anywhere from the middle of the second round through the fourth or fifth, depending on how much teams value his versatility he exhibited by playing three positions.

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/ohara/article-1/Barrett-Jones-knows-his-draft-stock-may-drop-following-a-lis-franc-injury/883b5905-361f-4504-8b3d-8807c9fc8796

Magnetic Curses · March 24, 2013

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.

barrett jones can play anywhere on the line, and i mean it, even at either tackle. i would even be good with taking him and then playing him at c and moving garza back to g.

rawaction · March 24, 2013

Not a huge fan of Jones. Even with his versatility shown in college, I think he's only a LG or C in the NFL. Ind I'm not sure he'll be much more than a slightly better than serviceable one. There are a lot of interior OL I like more than him. Cooper and Warmack are obvious. But I also like Warford from UK. Kyle Long from Oregon. Frederick from Wisconsin. And I think that Fluker and Justin Pugh would be better to convert to OG (with the ability to play OT better than Jones) than Jones at OG.

Again not that Jones is bad, but the injury issue combined with the limited upside takes him down on my list. I won't complain about any OL the bears bring in early though. They need the help and a slightly better than average one is more than the Bears have right now.

Banedon · March 24, 2013

lol @ Anthony Adams

Sammy Sofa · March 24, 2013

lol @ Anthony Adams

Outstanding.

ctcf · March 24, 2013

Get that man a TV job.

cbbryan · March 24, 2013

Get that man a TV job.

He'd be great. Comcast Sportsnet Chicago should have called a long time ago.

Mark Priors Calves · March 24, 2013

His video series that he's put together over the past year has been good, but anytime I've heard him in an inpromtu setting, he's full of athlete cliches and fluff answers.

cbbryan · March 24, 2013

His video series that he's put together over the past year has been good, but anytime I've heard him in an inpromtu setting, he's full of athlete cliches and fluff answers.

Is part of that because he was hoping to play again?

Butterscup1679666578 · March 24, 2013

Chicago Bears ‏@ChicagoBears

LM: #Bears have agreed to terms with LB James Anderson on one-year deal. He spent last 7 seasons with Carolina Panthers.

Brian · March 24, 2013

Get that man a TV job.

He'd be great. Comcast Sportsnet Chicago should have called a long time ago.

He did Bears Post Game Live for like the first game last year, which I think was right after the first video came out. But then the next week it was back to Hunter Hillenmeyer.

davell · March 24, 2013

Chicago Bears ‏@ChicagoBears

LM: #Bears have agreed to terms with LB James Anderson on one-year deal. He spent last 7 seasons with Carolina Panthers.

Solid depth. Excellent 4th LB, decent enough to start, if we need him to. Gives us that much more flexibility for the draft. Williams AND Anderson for same cost as Urlacher? I'll take that all day long. Damn good bargain shopping.

UK1679666180 · March 24, 2013

Minus Campbell last year, I really like the thought process of how Emery has handled FA, I hope I can feel that way about the draft.

rawaction · March 24, 2013

Chicago Bears ‏@ChicagoBears

LM: #Bears have agreed to terms with LB James Anderson on one-year deal. He spent last 7 seasons with Carolina Panthers.
Solid depth. Excellent 4th LB, decent enough to start, if we need him to. Gives us that much more flexibility for the draft. Williams AND Anderson for same cost as Urlacher? I'll take that all day long. Damn good bargain shopping.

I'm not a big fan of this move. Anderson is an OK pass defender, but a liability vs. the run. If he's the 4th LB, that's fine and dandy, but JT Thomas is again the 5th/6th LB (with Costanzo) and that'll make him another wasted draft pick in the last 3 years, without us ever seeing if he can actually play football. If Anderson's a starter, that means the Bears failed to get younger at LB, and will go into the 2013 offseason with 6 defensive starters as FAs (Anderson, Williams, Melton, Tillman, Jennings, Wright) and Peppers a possible cut due to his cap number. LB is an easy position to draft a guy at and get production. Only RB is easier for a college player to adapt to at the NFL level.

And at some point, you're getting into a question of resources, and if they are being allocated as well as possible. You still don't have a good OL, and while Anderson, Williams, Maneri, and Zbikowski don't make much money....that's about 3.5Mil for 2 stop gap LBs, a 3rd/4th S, and a blocking TE (when you have a good blocking TE that played 91% of offensive snaps last year). That 3.5Mil could buy a pretty decent OG (probably enough for a Brandon Moore or Kevin Boothe at least for their 2013 salary).

I think I'd take a solid starting LG, rookie MLB, JT Thomas at SLB, and Steltz/Walters as the 3rd S over signing Anderson, Williams, and Zbikowski. Draft flexibility be damned. Who cares if everyone knows what position you need to fill?

davell · March 25, 2013

Raw, I think we need bodies though. Personally, I'll take Williams/Anderson being as productive as Urlacher/Roach as a whole. I like the flexibility, although I agree Moore or Booth would have been excellent additions. I'm not sure what our line is right now. Improved for sure. My guess is that by just signing Bushrod, it improved LT, likely gives us better play at RT as well, since Carimi was bad there last year, and improved a guard spot, since Carimi likely winds up moving inside for good, where he was much better anyway.

davell · March 25, 2013

And I'll say this: I'd rather still have an offensive minded draft this year. Our D is old, but solid. I would spend our 1st and 2nd on a WR and an O-Lineman. Spend your 4th on a LB, grab a CB late and just expect next year will be an almost(maybe all) concentration on getting younger on the defensive side of the ball. Extend Melton, maybe Peanut or Jennings, draft LB, and CB early. Maybe DE too, depending on what shakes out with Peppers at that time. Hopefully, with the cap moving up a decent amount next year, it allows us to spend on a FA or two, as well.

rawaction · March 25, 2013

Raw, I think we need bodies though. Personally, I'll take Williams/Anderson being as productive as Urlacher/Roach as a whole. I like the flexibility, although I agree Moore or Booth would have been excellent additions. I'm not sure what our line is right now. Improved for sure. My guess is the t by just signing Bushrod, it improved LT, likely gives us better play at RT as well, since Carimi was bad there last year, and improved a guard spot, since Carimi likely winds up moving inside for good, where he was much better anyway.

Bodies are fine but the Bears have 3 TEs on the roster, and 3 more on futures contracts. They have the same 4 safeties they had last year but Hardin also coming back off of injury. After Williams they had 7 LBs. You're talking a 3rd or 4th S, LB, TE over a starting LG for similar money. It didn't kill the Bears last year to have worse backups than Zbikowski or a mediocre blocking 3rd TE. Their guard play did kill them and again they don't seem to care enough to do anything about it.

davell · March 25, 2013

We'll see. My guess is they prefer a 1st/2nd round OG to Moore or Booth. Or maybe just expect to keep Louis. But I don't think the O-Line is done being addressed. You certainly have a good point about the extra bodies, I'd rather have Moore or Booth over Anderson, Zbikowski, and Collins. I'd take the starter upgrade over depth, but again, I think its getting addressed in the draft.

Soul · March 25, 2013

Raw, I think we need bodies though. Personally, I'll take Williams/Anderson being as productive as Urlacher/Roach as a whole. I like the flexibility, although I agree Moore or Booth would have been excellent additions. I'm not sure what our line is right now. Improved for sure. My guess is the t by just signing Bushrod, it improved LT, likely gives us better play at RT as well, since Carimi was bad there last year, and improved a guard spot, since Carimi likely winds up moving inside for good, where he was much better anyway.
Bodies are fine but the Bears have 3 TEs on the roster, and 3 more on futures contracts. They have the same 4 safeties they had last year but Hardin also coming back off of injury. After Williams they had 7 LBs. You're talking a 3rd or 4th S, LB, TE over a starting LG for similar money. It didn't kill the Bears last year to have worse backups than Zbikowski or a mediocre blocking 3rd TE. Their guard play did kill them and again they don't seem to care enough to do anything about it.

They haven't drafted yet, so we don't know if they care enough to do anything about it.