rawaction

Isn't his fastball pretty flat? I imagine as it starts to lose velocity, he'll get pretty hittable. Lot of similarities to Bob Howry, down to the really bad 2008 season. Straight, but good, fastball which was down a little last year. Both had been pretty good at locating the fastball. Loss of location, plus loss of velocity equaled both getting hit pretty hard last year. Both also had a lot of appearances the previous 2 years. Only Jon Rauch and Scott Proctor had more.

I don't think Edmonds would have taken a bench role, and even if he considered a bench role it likely wouldn't be with the team who wouldn't offer him a starting spot after he performed so well. Plus I could see it being a disaster PR wise. If Edmonds is on the team, it's going to be really hard for fans to see that Fukudome, who was getting booed for large parts of the 2nd half of the year, should be the starter over Edmonds. And honestly for 2009 he probably shouldn't. But the Cubs have to start Fukudome for the purposes of 2010 and 2011 and so Edmonds really couldn't be a part of the team. I don't know. I think Jim knows his limitations at this stage. I think there would have been plenty of ABs for him between the 3 OFs missing time. I'd rather those ABs go to Edmonds than Miles, Hoffpauir or Gathright. He would save the Cubs having to play Aaron Miles ever in the OF. He doesn't effect the playing time of Johnson, who would still play vs. all LHPs. Edmonds could also get time at 1B to rest DLee.

I have that feeling about Johnson too, but he maybe has the most talent at his position. That'd be hard to pass up. Part of me is hoping he's off the board, because I think Everette Brown can really be a Freeney like pass rusher.

I'd rather see Heilman close. Don't know what happened this past year, but he's usually a guy that doesn't walk people and keeps the ball in the park.

I wish the Cubs had brought back Edmonds. Wonder what they do if Fukudome falls on his face again. He'd been a great insurance policy for Kosuke, Bradley and Soriano. Two guys who missed over 40 games, and another who essentially only had 40 good games. Soriano, Edmonds, Bradley would look a lot better if Fukudome struggles. Bradley, Edmonds, Fukudome would look better than the alternative if Soriano gets hurt again. Soriano, Edmonds, Fukudome would look better than the alternative when Bradley's not in the lineup for the long-term.

I'm really starting to warm to the idea of Maclin at 18. But I don't think you can pick him over Michael Johnson or Everette Brown. I do like some of the 3rd/4th round DEs, but I don't want to wait that long to get one. I think there are other WRs that will be there in the 2nd or 3rd (Iglesias, Britt, Nicks, Massaquoi, Williams)

Trick question! They are the same thing!

That's stupid. One of the 4 is a good player, who was the best at his position before getting hurt. One has played about 10 NFL downs. Also, 2 of those picks were BPA at a position of need. Even if Williams is horrible, those 4 picks have nothing to do with his ability to pick a good player in the top 10 this year. Even still, the Bears could trade up to the #1 pick, takes the consensus best pick, and if he turns out to bust, it doesn't mean the Bears don't pick well. It just means that player sucked. Granted picking in the middle of the round like they have requires more skill, but of the current regimes picks only Haynes was a real reach of the top of my head, and I'm not even 100% sure he wasn't rated that high.

With all the talk about how horrible higher picks are nowadays, and how nobody wants to trade up and everybody wants to trade down, I think a shrewd NFL GM should be able to make a great deal moving up to get the guy he wants this year. That's a good point. Though trading up involves losing picks, which the Bears can't afford to do.

No RB should ever play 4 years of college football if he plans on being an NFL player.

The only reason Mays wouldn't stick at safety is if a team is really desperate for a LB and moves him out of necessity. He won't grow his way out of the position. If Mays doesn't fall to 18, which he won't, and the Bears don't trade up, which they shouldn't....what do you guys think about Rashad Johnson from Alabama? He's only abuot 180-185, but is a great pass defender. He may also be able to play some corner. I like him a lot, and because of size he may last til the 3rd. But he reminds me of a smaller Danieal Manning, with actual football instincts though and not a raw athlete.

Yeah, Spiller is that type of exception. I don't think the Bears need a DT or CB in the first 3 rounds. Probably a G, maybe a OT. Bears should take 3 of these positions in the first 3 rounds. DE, OT, OG, WR, FS. RB, C, CB, LB are luxuries if a player slips far.

FYI, I wasn't advocating Garland or Hampton. I only suggested them because I thought they were the best affordable FAs out there (And I forgot Hampton was not available).

Why isn't Louis Murphy more highly rated? I've seen him going in the 3rd round. He seems to have the size and speed.

Despite my last post, I personally wouldn't draft Wells or Ringer. Spiller has star potential, even with being smaller. I actually think scouts will NOT shy away from smaller RBs anymore. Steve Slaton was excellent in Houston (quietly led rookie Rbs in rushing). Darren Sproles has shown he can handle a full workload of carries. Spiller seems like a Slaton clone. In the right situation, he could have a huge year. I'd love him in the 3rd round for the Bears.

Let's see, Wells has: - 2 more inches of height - 30 more lbs of weight - 11 months younger - Reported similar 40 times And actually, Moreno has 498 carries the last 2 years. Wells has 481 (104 his freshman year). And warranted or not, the Big Ten gets better rep than the SEC for RBs taking a pounding. Meaning, scouts think Moreno is more likely to more bigger hits in the NFL than he did in college and due to his size, scouts question if he can stay even as healthy as Wells.

Jon Garland or Mike Hampton anyone?

Williams is going to be a huge steal. He may go in the 2nd, but he should be ready to step in a be a slot WR for a lot of teams, almost right away.

That's funny. March is thought of as the best month for sports because of the "interest" of college basketball (along with spring training). September/October are thought of as the best. March is good because NBA/NHL are in the stretch drive and March Madness. But March Madness is the only thing college basketball has going for it. And after week 2 it's anti-climactic and dull. College basketball is interesting for 8 days. Where do you get that Sept/Oct are thought of as the best? Baseball is the 3rd most popular sport in this country. The stretch run and playoffs pale in comparison to March Madness for most people. College basketball also has pre-conference tournaments, conference rivalries (where everyone actually plays each other), and the stretch run where teams are trying to make it in off the bubble. Even if I let you argue that college basketball has 8 interesting days, no other sport can match that. The 4 straight days of 12 hours of action are unparalleled. And I did vote football by the way.

He actually did have some hamstring issues last year. James Harden would be a perfect compliment to Derrick Rose and I'm not just saying that because he's the best basketball player to ever play for ASU. He is going to be a legitimate star. His strength/athleticism/body control is awesome. And he has an awesome beard. Can he play D unlike Gordon? I don't think he'll ever be anything great defensively. He's 6'5, really strong, has long arms but has average speed. He'd never be a lock down guy, especially against top shooting guards. So let me rephrase that can he play D better than the Matador Ben Gordon? Yeah and more importantly has the size to actually body up on a two offensively and defensively. Having a 2 that can work a pick and roll with Rose would be a great weapon as opposed to just shooting long jumpers. Yeah definitely....With Rose right now Gordon really makes no sense with him he's to small and all he can do is shoot(sometimes) I actually don't mind Gordon with Rose. But they still need a big guard. Gordon should be a compliment and be a guy that can shoot the ball and open up the lane for Rose and a good 2G to create.

I don't know that I agree with that. I don't think JSC is significantly worse than Tait, if at all. JSC is a better run blocker at this point. Tait is probably a better pass blocker, but JSC faced much better pass rushing ends on a consistent basis. Factor in Tait being a year older next year, and I think St Clair is the better OL going forward. I don't want either starting at RT, but JSC is clearly the better backup, because of his versatility. Oh yeah, and Jordan Gross would be a no brainer if you are going to spend some money this offseason. I'd probably play him at LT and move Williams to RT. Gross has been a pretty good LT for a few years, moving him to RT would be a waste of his ability, whereas you don't know if Williams can play LT effectively or not. Arguing who is better between JSC and Tait is like choosing between a rusty civic and a trashed out corolla. Just give me something viable. If it's Gross, then so be it. True, but if the rusty civic or carolla can get you to work everyday, it's a lot cheaper than buying an Escalade....especially when you have other bills that need to be paid. And again, I am on record that I don't want either Tait or JSC starting, with the exception that it may take 4-6 games for a young OL to step in (or injury). If the Bears spend, I'd rather they spend on OL more than anything. But if they believe in Williams (then they should have played him this year), they probably won't go hard after a LT.

I don't know that I agree with that. I don't think JSC is significantly worse than Tait, if at all. JSC is a better run blocker at this point. Tait is probably a better pass blocker, but JSC faced much better pass rushing ends on a consistent basis. Factor in Tait being a year older next year, and I think St Clair is the better OL going forward. I don't want either starting at RT, but JSC is clearly the better backup, because of his versatility. Oh yeah, and Jordan Gross would be a no brainer if you are going to spend some money this offseason. I'd probably play him at LT and move Williams to RT. Gross has been a pretty good LT for a few years, moving him to RT would be a waste of his ability, whereas you don't know if Williams can play LT effectively or not.

It is if he puts up a .950+ OPS again.

Thanks. Looking at that, Ogun and Tait would cost us a little over $2M in cap space to cut. If we keep them on, it will cost us over $9M in cap space. Definitely cut them and put the $7M in cap room towards a big name FA. Peppers or Gross? The other position look at with a draft pick. Yeah, I cut Ogun because I want an DE in the 1st round. You don't have to start the drafted DE, but he can come in and compete with Anderson, Idonije, and a cheaper DE picked up this offseason. To me, there's no reason to keep Tait. He can only play 1 position at this point (RT), and can't play that too well. He will only get worse with age. I'd like Peppers, but it isn't the Bears M.O. to spend big on other teams' free agents, especially on defense. I'd spend the money on Gross or maybe even Antonio Bryant, but that's about it.

Bears Free Agents QB- Grossman RB- K Jones WR- B Lloyd OL- St Clair DB- M Brown In last year of contract WR- Booker DE- Anderson DL- Idonije LS- Mannelly DB- D Manning DE- Ogunleye QB- Orton OL- Tait LB- J Williams RB- A Peterson DL- Toeina I think you waive Ogunleye, Tait, and Booker. I think you also let Grossman, Mike Brown, and Jones walk. I'd probably re-sign JSC to compete at RT/RG and hopefully keep one of those positions warm for a young guy the Bears draft this year. JSC adds value as he could be an average RT or RG, and he is the backup LT with some experience there. I'd probably bring back Lloyd too. He shouldn't be too expensive, and showed flashes this year. He can be a good 3 or 4 if the Bears bring in a couple guys to go w/ Hester. Definitely talk extension with Idonije and Manning, if only for their ST abilities. Orton, Williams, Manning, and Anderson would all be playing for their next contract in the first half of 2009 (Jamar may have to worry about being cut late in camp).