rawaction

7 picks. But still, they lost 2 of the top 3 potential guys they could get. I think they continue to bolster the offense in the draft and hope that Marinelli and Lovie can turn around the defense.

Couple things. I look at Pace like I do Milton Bradley. He'll be really good when he is 100% healthy. The problem is with the Bears, Pace has to stay healthy for the team to be successful. And with the nature of football, if he gets injured, it's probably for a long period of time and would keep him out for the stretch run. I'd imagine Shaffer will compete at RG. If Omiyale can play LG having never played there, I'm sure Shaffer can play RG with no experience. The major problem I see there is that if Pace or Williams get hurt, and neither is a huge stretch, then your 2 best backup OTs are starting guards. That means you may have to rearrange the entire OL for 1 injury (ex: Pace hurt, Williams from RT to LT, Shaffer from RG to RT, Garza to RG).

I did the trade.

One thing to note. Cutler played at Vanderbilt with Earl Bennett and Chris Williams. The Cutler to Bennett combo put up 79 catches for 876 yards and 9 TDs in Bennett's 1st season (I can't remember if he came out early so he was either a Freshman or Sophomore). Bennett and Cutler are really good friends and last year Cutler showed up in Nashville to throw to Bennett on his pro day, despite being an NFL QB already and being 2 years removed from playing with Earl. Clearly there is some good rapport there.

It's a great deal for Denver. They made it known they wanted 2 firsts and they got them and a QB that can play right now with a bunch of weapons. It's great for the Bears too. Whether they do anything this year is beside the point. A team that looked to be building a dynasty in the mid 80s, has wallowed in overall mediocrity for the 25 years since then, minus 1 real good year and a few really bad ones.

Puts a lot of pressure on Earl Bennett. He'll likely step in and play a prominent role offensively having been a teammate of Cutler's and given that its not likely that any other WR will be brought in before the 49th pick.

YES!!!!!!! Franchise QB!

Yeah, those top 3 for sure. I think Tebow goes day 1 too, and at QB. Devlin should have a huge year at Delaware, they are already comparing him to Flacco who was a D1 transfer and obviously went to Delaware too and came on strong as scouts got to see him more. Hiller is also getting Flacco comparisons because of putting up huge numbers at a small school and similar size. Claussen if he cuts down on the TOs this year is a possibility. He still has the #1 recruit pedigree on his side. Robinson, I guess a lot depends on where guys like Nate Davis and Pat White go this year. Robinson seems to be in between those 2 right now, but another big year could put him in the running for a late 2nd, but he's probably the longest shot right now. Outside shot at Dan Lefevour from Central Mich. going top 60 also. Of course a lot of these guys are only Jrs. so they may not come out making the class not as deep.

Why? It's not like Jordan ever deserved one either. Not saying Jordan was not a great defensive player, though, as he runs circles around Lebron defensively. Well, that was the main point. People discount Jordan's defensive ability when comparing other players to him. LBJ has a long way to go on that side of the ball before he can be compared to Jordan. Kobe has defensive ability. Wade's pretty decent too.

Just out of curiosity, who do you like that much in the 2010 QB class? Bradford and McCoy will be the top two, obviously. And after that you have Tebow, Claussen, Jevan Sneed (if he leaves), Pat Devlin and a bunch of questions. The top two in that class is very comparable to this year's top two (and perhaps better) and Devlin is very interesting, but after that I'm not seeing anything to get excited about. Next year's is probably deeper than this year's, but not deeper with 1st round talent. Bradford may be the only 1st rounder, but you could see 7 more by the end of the 2nd round. I like Snead and McCoy and Tim Hiller from Western Michigan. I'd like to see more from Devlin and Zac Robinson. I can definitely buy the idea that next year's is deeper - it is. But I'm not sure I'd call it loaded. How many other drafts have 8 legit 1st day QB talents? I don't think any of them will the next Elway, Montana, or Manning, but I'd say Bradford, Devlin, Snead, and McCoy could all be top 1/3 QBs in the league in time.

Why? It's not like Jordan ever deserved one either. Not saying Jordan was not a great defensive player, though, as he runs circles around Lebron defensively.

anyone else?

My team looks to be pretty healthy. Of course, I have Kinsler, Tulo, Drew, Carpenter, and Wainwright who all missed at least a month of last season. Four of the 5 missed about 1/2 the season.

Just out of curiosity, who do you like that much in the 2010 QB class? Bradford and McCoy will be the top two, obviously. And after that you have Tebow, Claussen, Jevan Sneed (if he leaves), Pat Devlin and a bunch of questions. The top two in that class is very comparable to this year's top two (and perhaps better) and Devlin is very interesting, but after that I'm not seeing anything to get excited about. Next year's is probably deeper than this year's, but not deeper with 1st round talent. Bradford may be the only 1st rounder, but you could see 7 more by the end of the 2nd round. I like Snead and McCoy and Tim Hiller from Western Michigan. I'd like to see more from Devlin and Zac Robinson.

Are you talking about Quinn, Rogers and picks for Cutler. I didn't believe that for a second. Even if the Browns didn't have a decent QB, I'm not sure if I'd trade Rogers for Cutler straight up. He eats QB's for breakfast. No, I had posted what I read online somewhere else about a 3-way trade that had Cutler to the Bears, Peppers to Denver, and Bears 1st and 3rd to Carolina. Man I would jump on that deal is a hurry if that was true. With that said, if the Bears decide the price is too high to pay for Cutler (if Angelo doesn't think Cutler is worth acquiring then I am sorry Angelo will never actively upgrade the QB position as long as he is here), what about tossing a 2nd rder to Washington for Jason Campbell? If you don't get Cutler, I'd rather not worry about QB this season at this point. Cutler is a big enough upgrade to go through the trouble. Not Campbell. Exactly. If no Cutler. Wait til next year. 2010 QB class is loaded. I just hope they stay away from Tebow and Claussen.

Roto style league. Crap load of categories: W, L, K, SV, HLD, ERA, WHIP, QS My pitching staff is: Starters Oswalt Lester Lackey G Floyd D Price Gio Gonzalez S Marshall Relievers Nathan Wood Balfour Devine Morrow I was counting on Price, Gonzalez and Morrow in the rotation, but the first 2 will start in the minors. Morrow in the pen. To help matters, Devine and Lackey start on the DL. So, my question is....would you trade Brandon Morrow and Ian Stewart for AJ Burnett? Stewart is currently my insurance at 2B for Mark Derosa, my weak spot on offense. FYI, my offense is: C- V Martinez 1B- Votto 2B- Derosa SS- H Ramirez 3B- Longoria OF- Holliday OF- Kemp OF- Quentin U- Huff Bench- Delgado, V Wells, I Stewart

Are you talking about Quinn, Rogers and picks for Cutler. I didn't believe that for a second. Even if the Browns didn't have a decent QB, I'm not sure if I'd trade Rogers for Cutler straight up. He eats QB's for breakfast. No, I had posted what I read online somewhere else about a 3-way trade that had Cutler to the Bears, Peppers to Denver, and Bears 1st and 3rd to Carolina.

bad April fools joke that I fell for

If earlier rumors are true that they want an NFL QB back in a trade, the Bears may be in a better position than most. Orton is probably better than anybody discussed, and his contract is trade friendly - no cap implications. Cleveland could trade one of their guys, but both of them have bonuses that need to be accounted for in a trade (where Cutler's bonus will already provide it's own complications). And I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense for them to deal one of their two QBs for another QB. The Jets may be the front runner if only because they have shown a willingness to go big for QBs and are very QB hungry at this point. Detroit has the #1, but nobody likes #1 picks anymore. The Bears have 4 top 100 picks this year, an NFL tested QB and all of next year's picks. I don't see how they have any less ammunition than anybody else. Rumors were that the Broncos wanted young experienced NFL players in return. Most likely those would need to be defensive players given the state of their team. The Bears have Kevin Payne and that's about it as a fit for the Broncos. Danieal Manning? Dusty? Idonije. Steltz, Hamilton, Harrison, maybe even a guy like Vasher (he's been around, but is only 27 and has had NFL success). Roach or Williams could draw some interest. Manning is a man w/o a position. Dusty can't stay healthy or play NT in the 3-4 that Denver runs. Harrison is also not a nose. Steltz isn't experienced. Idonije is a backup, but could help at 3-4 end. Roach could draw interest. Vasher maybe, but I don't think they would want to take on that money and inconsistency. Jamar Williams is not experienced.

If earlier rumors are true that they want an NFL QB back in a trade, the Bears may be in a better position than most. Orton is probably better than anybody discussed, and his contract is trade friendly - no cap implications. Cleveland could trade one of their guys, but both of them have bonuses that need to be accounted for in a trade (where Cutler's bonus will already provide it's own complications). And I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense for them to deal one of their two QBs for another QB. The Jets may be the front runner if only because they have shown a willingness to go big for QBs and are very QB hungry at this point. Detroit has the #1, but nobody likes #1 picks anymore. The Bears have 4 top 100 picks this year, an NFL tested QB and all of next year's picks. I don't see how they have any less ammunition than anybody else. Rumors were that the Broncos wanted young experienced NFL players in return. Most likely those would need to be defensive players given the state of their team. The Bears have Kevin Payne and that's about it as a fit for the Broncos.

especially lame

No, I think it means they are souring on him. Everyone knows Pace is not a long-term option. For them to delay Williams from playing on the left side after not allowing him to play over St. Clair last year, would be an ominous sign to me. It reminds me of the Cubs starting Shawn Estes and keeping Juan Cruz in the bullpen back in the day.

Seconded and, although, as Jersey pointed out, Angelo has backed off on his season ending QB ramble, he still rambled on about the need for an NFL QB. What worries me is it makes way too much sense for the Bears to pursue Cutler, that's why they won't. They are obviously pursuing, at least a little. Whether they get it done or not may or may not be in control.

One thing I noticed. The teams that seem to be most likely destinations for Cutler are in pretty similar situations to the Bears. The Jets pick at 17. Denver doesn't want the 1, so Detroit will most likely be trading for the 20. Tampa has the 19th pick. Word is Cleveland could offer Quinn, Shaun Rogers, and a couple picks...which would probably trump anything the Bears could do. Orton is probably not going to be traded, as he only has 1 year left on his deal. Also of note is that the Broncos are a 3-4 team now, and the Bears don't have their biggest needs which are NT and OLB.

I highly doubt they will take less just to get back at them. That organization is in disarray. They can't afford to screw around sending messages. If they perceive equal value between the Bears and Detroit, I could see sending him to Detroit as an added insult, or maybe giving Detroit the opportunity to match any other offer that's made. But I doubt they actually take less just to screw him. I didn't mean drastically less. But if the packages are close, I think they'd take the Lions deal.