It's hard to decipher what the Bears should do in the first round of the 2008 draft without being privy to the next couple months of free agency. But since there isn't a damn thing to talk about in Bearsland (David Haugh is writing columns comparing Rex to Eli and Da Site is preaching the benefits of Adrian Peterson in the passing game) I figured why not talk about something.
So where do the Bears go with the first pick in the draft? I don't mean the player, I mean the position. Here's my two-tier answer:
Their most pressing need is safety.
The deepest talent pool in the first round is offensive line.
So I say take...
#2 Rancid said . . .WR!
If Berrian leaves, and he probably will, then the Bears are going to need someone to fill his shoes. You have to expect the defense to let up at least 17 points per game which means you have to eventually score points. The Bears lack an explosive player on offense who can make plays at will. They need a WR who can win the 1-on-1 matchups, and make the big catch when it counts. Sure we have Devin Hester and Moose, but we still don't have a #1. They NEED a #1!
Offensive tackle? Yes, they need to rejuvenate the O-Line. But with the depth of the position in the draft and FA, there's no guarantee it'll be with the first pick.
Quarterback? I can't believe Rex Grossman is the likely QB of this team, it's just not right. If the Bears were to sign him, it certainly wouldn't be only a 1 year contract. Rex would rather take a 3 year deal somewhere than have to go through another contract year. Regardless, the Bear "need to upgrade" to quote JA at that position. At this point, I don't see the Bears taking a QB with the #14 pick, not even Joe Flacco *Sniff*...
Safety. I don't know what they think about B. McGowan, but I have a feeling the Bears are pretty confident in D. Manning and they're high on injured rookie Kevin Payne. I don't think they'll do it (or get a chance to), but the Bears might get a chance at Kenny Phillips at #14. I say do it. The defense can't continue to set record low performances like they did in 2007. I fear the problems on defense might be overshadowed by the ones on offense. The Bears seemed to play better defensively towards the end of the year which gives me hope that it might have been a problem of personnel and positioning rather than scheme.
Things are still quite blurry at this point. Until the FA period is over, it's going to be hard to try and predict what's going to happen in the draft.
February 8, 2008
#3 Pissed Off said . . .I think safety, but only if it's Phillips, theres no one else worth the pick. After that we do need O line but hopefully we won't by then (FA) then I would say WR, then RB. As I said in a previous thread, If we have solved the O line problem and Phillips is gone, Trade for more picks
February 8, 2008
#4 Phil from SATX said . . .I just dont think safety is as pressing a need as you guys do. Yeah we cant count on Mike Brown but is he not still on this team and is he not slated as a starter and is he not a kick ass safety when he's playing? Plus with McGowan and Manning (stud) and Payne we dont need one that bad, certainly not as bad as O-line. If Phillips is available at #14 we can take him I guess (not completely sold), if not we move on and dont even worry about it until the later rounds, much later rounds.
Please do not draft a WR with the first pick, SHADY, c'mon man! First round WR. Thats crazy talk given the needs here. And you arent going to find a #1 WR who's going to be a #1 right away on this team. NO chance, it never happens witha rookie. Yeah he could turn out to be a #1 in a couple years but never as a rookie. We need a WR NOW! We need to simply let Berrian walk and trade for Chad Johnson or sign one of the free agents like D.J. Hackett.
We need Rex back. We cant go into next year with Orton or Griese as the starter. We just cant, we wont. I am not in Favor of Griese/Orton/Rookie to be the tandem next year, I want Rex, Orton(eh), and a Rookie like Brennan who will go later in the draft.
And Rancid I like the idea of trading the #14 for more picks. We need O-line talent and most of it will be around later.
February 8, 2008
#5 Phil from SATX said . . .Shady, typically agree with you, but not this time. Of course I agree with Rancid, no surprise there. Think about what position could make the biggest impact on our team. WR is not the answer there - we have folks who can help us there already, especially if the running and line is improved. There's no doubt it's a position that will be addressed in the draft, but I think WR is one where you can find good guys in many different rounds.
Running back? No. Same answer as above.
Safety? Now this is an impact position. The Bears' D reaches its full power with a Mike Brown-style safety. Now he is obviously a special player, a would-be Hall of Famer if he could only stay healthy. But the Bears of the 90's and unfortunately the Bears of recent years have not played with the benefit of a top flight safety - Brown, Duerson, Fencik, Plank. It is absolutely critical that we find the next great safety for the Bears. Is Kenny Phillips that guy? I don't know. If he is, I say the Bears go all out to get him - which may mean moving up by a few spots. It looks like you're going to have to jump Denver's 12th pick to get him - most mocks call for them to pick him. Jumping from 14 to 11 (trade with the Bills) costs you 150 points - coincidentally, that is the exact value of our second 3rd round pick. If Phillips is that good, then you do everything you can to make a deal with the Bills.
If you can't make a deal, and Phillips doesn't fall to you (assuming he is that good), then there's no question the pick is Oline. There are 4 guys who routinely appear in the top 20 picks, in Jake Long, Ryan Clady, Sam Baker, Jeff Otah and Chris Williams. After Long and Clady, there doesn't seem to be a concensus as to the order of the next 3, so you have to imagine one of those 3 (if Clady doesn't fall) warrants a #14 pick. This pick will start in 2008 and immediately upgrade our line. Coupled with the free agent move we know they'll make, the 2008 Chicago Bears offensive line will be vastly improved over 2007. Who does that help? Let's see... QB, RB, WR's and TE's. In other words, everybody on O. They'll even help the remainder of the line, Olin Kreutz will return to his former self, fired up to be part of a newly-great line. Tait will be excited to be on the right again, his vastly favored position.
We can't make the mistake of saying the draft is deep in OTs so we can wait - the research has already been done here - if you want an impact O lineman who can immediately help you, he must be a first or second rounder. If we get Phillips in the first, it WILL be o-lineman in the second.
3rd and 4th are for your RB and WR. Scout well, get a guy who's a good fit for us.
February 8, 2008
#6 DTB said . . .I guess I counted wrong - that's 5 Olinemen that show up in the top 20.
Here's the link for the draft point values:
http://www.eastcoastsportsnews.com/NFLDraftChart.html
Have fun wheeling and dealing! That extra 3rd round pick gives us huge flexibility.
February 8, 2008
#7 Phil from SATX said . . .Trade down, pick RB.
As I have said in the past, I want the beloved to run with a consistant 2 TE set. We have the ability to create mismatches all over the field and with as much McKie actually sees the field it would be an injustice to have him active on game days. With this pick and philosophy our team will be stronger, not only with Benson and the new RB (Felix/Stewart) running on 1st and 2nd down but also mixing in Wolfe situationally. We will be able to keep AP as an insurance policy in the running game but more importantly letting him take over the Ayanbandejo role in special teams, thus allowing BA to go seek his 2 mil/yr. elsewhere and free up even more money to re-build the line.
For those that claim safety, I say that we can find a quality player in the 2/3 round. Keep in mind Brown was drafted in round 2. Point is, no one really knows what we have in Payne but the BT seems awfully confident in his abilities. I remember when he was drafted, there were several folks that thought he could be an impact player back there. We'll see.
OT- With a glut of quality tackles on the board I could see us waiting to fill that position until later on. Seriously, when was the last time there were 6 OT taken in the first round. Without researching it, I would have to say never.
QB- If we do trade out of the 14 slot we would pick up a an extra 2nd or 3rd, in which we use on the new QB.
Overall, we need to maximize the value of that first pick and if it means we can add an explosive compliment to Ced as well as the next QB in line for all of us to ridicule, I would be all for that.February 8, 2008
#8 Phil from SATX said . . .One more thing, Shady - if memory serves, JA didn't say "we need to upgrade" the QB position - he said "we need to STABILIZE" the position. Maybe that's GM-speak for the same thing, but I still believe that Eli Manning's victory over the Evil Empire has already had an impact on the Bears - it's already crossed their minds how closely Rex's and Eli's careers have matched up - and Eli's win says more about what Rex could be with the right pieces around him than it says about Eli suddenly morphing into a HoF QB. The stabilization at QB, in the BT's minds, will occur when they succeed at signing up Rex, WHICH WILL HAPPEN. They'll offer more than the other guys, and they should. The 2007 offseason with Rex was, for whatever reason, a complete joke. This offseason will not be. Watch what happens next year with Rex when we've got our upgraded line, a new RB with Ced, better and more frequent usage of our killer TEs and better performing WRs, including the vastly improved DH.
It'll be back to early 2006, boys and girls! Yahoo!
(somewhere, deep in the bowels of the earth, fingers are clickety clacking away...)
n u t t i e r t h a n s q
February 8, 2008
#9 Duff Diggler said . . .DTB, who says AP is as good as the Pro Bowler BA on special teams? We haven't talked about it recently, but I sure hope BT pays up for BA, because it still won't be that much money in the overall scheme of the cap. BTW BA didn't deserve the Pro Bowl this year, but hopefully he will next year, when the Bears Special Teams start to solidify their reputation as the BEST SPECIAL TEAMS IN HISTORY - that's not hyperbole, that's a real possibility.
BA's got to be a part of that. He's a special player on a special special teams unit. And that there's a heap o' special.
February 8, 2008
#10 mikebdot said . . .Hey everyone!!! Sorry I haven't been on in a while (asuming you care)....i've been in the field....anyway....
SHADY: Berrian isn't going anywhere.... 5-1 says that we franchise him....
Offensive line needs to be addressed in FA.... if that doesn't happen, then then we can wait 'til the 2nd round to.....
Quarterback needs sumthin.... Rex will prolly be a fin next year, fuck Griese, and i'm not totally sold on neckbeard.... Flacco will be there late, i promise....
SAFETY!!!!! I know i'm a broken recod on this, but picking Kenny Phillips 14th overall makes us MUCH better on D instantly! To me, this is a no-brainer.....
BTW....more videos coming soon....
February 8, 2008
#11 Pissed Off said . . .Keep Briggs, Okwo and Williams can cover for Briggs and Briggs can cover for Urlacher, cuz we should move him to safety. Problem solved.
Not really, just bored again.
And Manning is no "stud". He has tackling skills comparable to Archuleta.
I see promise with Payne. You remember how we were in that Dallas game until he and Vasher and Briggs and Harris were hurt? Food for thought, unless you're Mike, then the response will be "I'm nuttier than squirrel shit" with no amount of "thought" required.
February 8, 2008
#12 mikebdot said . . .Manning is far better than Archuletta. There is no comparison.
February 8, 2008
#13 Pissed Off said . . .Remember that time he couldn't even knock AP out of bounds with about 4 inches of sideline to work with? Or the time he took quite possibly the worst angle imaginable to try to angle Reggie Bush out of bounds? He doesn't pack a punch and he can't take angles properly. He's marginal in coverage as well. He's certainly not a suitable replacement for Mike Brown.
February 8, 2008
#14 mikebdot said . . .I'm a suitable replacement for Mike Brown if I suit up. So what, in case you didnt know several players and several teams cant tackle AP at all.....period! So dont blame everything on Manning. I dont know if you watch the games or if you're just spewing crap but he's damn good in coverage for a safety, so good that the team used him at cornerback if you remember.
February 8, 2008
#15 RandomName said . . .PO'd: Yeah, and how did that experiment work out again? Your "I don't know know if you watch the games or what line" is getting pretty old. That play against AP was just plain inexcusable. Archuleta looked foolish in the open field a few times, but that was in the open field, AP was against the sidelines and should have been leveled. Shit, I would argue he should have been hit late out of bounds (if that is what he was worried about), just to send a message, but instead Manning bitched out and AP scored a TD.
And ha ha dissing Mike Brown. That's just disrespectful man. When the man was on the field he was awesome, which means when he's no longer on the field, he needs a replacement to fill that gaping hole. Manning is definitely not suitable for that role.
February 8, 2008
#16 jdawg said . . .Just for the record.
Urlacher is recovering from neck surgery as we speak.
Just for the record
February 8, 2008
#17 jeff said . . .I hate to say it but this discussion is pretty moot until FA. If we pick up Gross, or any other o-lineman our draft needs will be affected.
On a side note, on KSK they're calling "the catch" from Manning in the SB as "the Giant Snatch."
I hope that catches on.
February 8, 2008
#18 Phil from SATX said . . .never draft a first round receiver and expect him to produce immediately. and as for the current roster of safeties, none of them can tackle outside mike brown.
February 8, 2008
#19 JB said . . .I honestly don't really know how good D. Manning is or how good he could be. I do think, MikeB, that you're being too harsh on him. If you want to call out a couple plays during the 2007 campaign, we could do that on every single player, even the likes of Devin or Brian. I never felt like D. Manning was the culprit this year, EXCEPT when they foolishly stuck him at CB for a few games. And he's totally excused for that.
But I think we can agree that we don't want D. Manning to be our best safety, which is somewhat of a problem, since the last time we took a safety in even as high as the second round it was... D. Manning! (42nd pick in the 2006 draft! anyone think he was worth that?). Last one as high as that before was Tony Parrish in the second round. Mark Carrier was a first rounder (forgot about him).
We need to go high on this pick. It looks like free safeties are valued higher than strong safeties, so maybe one way to go is pick the best strong safety - looks to be Tom Zbikowski, who could go Round 2 or 3. Anybody have thoughts on him?
February 8, 2008
#20 willie from chicago said . . .Phil, I like Zib...he's got a cool name.
I dunno, this phillips guy...if he's really that good i'm for it, but it better be after some FA signings on the oline.
I think we can get a running back in rounds 2 or 3, so that isn't a top concern for me. same with wideout...
OL, unless FA dictates otherwise, if not, I'll go with your guys choice on this phillips guy...but I want to wait things out a bit. Whatever happens, I think that 3 of 4 of our first day picks need to contribute this year and not get put on IR.
February 8, 2008
#21 Al in WI said . . .Shady, all i have to say is ocho cinco, if we get him then our problems are solved =D. This is the players we should get
(IF AVAILABLE):1 Kenny Philips (again if available)
2. O-Lineman
3 Rashard Mendenhall
4. A WR
This is what our board should be like for our first pick. I agree we need a #1 WR but we can get one in FA, that way we can get what we REALLY need in the draft and suppiment it in FA.
Jeff, another great post dude!
February 8, 2008
#22 jeff said . . .Urlacher's surgery is the biggest issue in Bears land these days....
February 8, 2008
#23 Grifter said . . .From Sports Illustrated:
. Which team will land free-agent running back Michael Turner?Known for rarely taking the field, LaDainian Tomlinson's backup is going to get plenty of play in this year's market. He's the best running back available, and there are a handful of teams -- Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Oakland come to mind -- that figure to be in search of a lead rusher. The Bears make the most sense to successfully woo Turner. They've got an estimated $20 million of cap room, and Turner is a Chicago native who starred at Northern Illinois, along with current Bears running back Garrett Wolfe. Turner's 5.5-yards per rush career average is intriguing, as is his 4.4 speed and the relative lack of wear and tear he's accumulated in his four NFL seasons
February 8, 2008
#24 Jimbo said . . .Where to spend the pick?!
If you could...on a new damn Head Coach! All this talk about players and schemes, it comes down to not knowing when to call it what it is; Ron Turner is a horrible OC, is there anyone that doesn't believe that? You get rid of the DC, but keep the OC...what was in your cereal that morning Lovie? Haven't even talked about the fact that we got rid of the better RB, and completely abandoned the 2-back scheme for what? Cedric...isn't worth the hype, or the tantrums he's thrown.
I hope for Rex that he doesn't sign with the Bears'. I'm a Rex fan, believe that he has the absolute potential to be great in a specific system, just not ours with Turner and Lovie at the helm. He's a gunslinger, it's what he was in Florida, it's what he is now...we're a ball control offense, just with out offense. Orton should be the backup, permanently. He's not first team material.
Onto the draft...
At this point, unless it's a special player...trade the pick. Free agency is where we need to be, maybe we need to bring in Jim Hendry from the CUBS to help us out??
February 8, 2008
#25 willie from chicago said . . .1) Trade down/collect picks.
2) OT (best available).
3) Safety (KP appears to be the only one worth drafting this high, and some draft boards have him rated lower than 14).*** Even if we do sign Rex, which I believe we will, we need a new name at QB, either by draft or FA.
*** Also, I'm on board with NOT drafting a WR in the 1st round. See the names below, all 1st rounders. For whatever reason, pegging a surefire WR is hard to do. And like the Grand Poobah said, you can't expect them to produce anytime soon.
2007 - Calvin Johnson, Ted Ginn Jr., Dwayne Bowe, Robert Meachem,
Craig Davis, Anthony Gonzalez
2006 - Santonio Holmes
2005 - Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson, Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton, Roddy White
2004 - Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Clayton, Michael Jenkins, Rashaun Woods
2003 - Charles Rogers, Andre Johnson, Bryant JohnsonFebruary 8, 2008
#26 B.A. Baracus said . . .Grifter, I never thought of that dude, it might help to trade the pick, good call man!
February 8, 2008
#27 Pissed Off said . . .I don't agree with those people advocating a trade of the Bear's pick or looking to later rounds to draft O Line.
If the Bears knew what was good for them, they would launch Ruben Brown and Fred Miller from this team. Tait needs to be moved back to his old position. The Bears have drafted four O Lineman out of 42 players in the last 5 drafts. This is unacceptable!!
The Bears need to take an O Lineman with their first pick, they need to pick another O Lineman in a later round and the should possibly look to FA to pick up an established O Lineman. They should start the 1st round pick and the free agent and develop the O Lineman from the later round.
The bottom line is - it won't matter what RB or WR they pick or sign in FA if the O line can't run block or pass protect next year.
February 8, 2008
#28 Phil from SATX said . . .It didnt work out well cuz he's NOT A CORNERBACK, he's a safety. If he was a great cover guy he would be a corner. My point is that FOR A SAFETY, he's a good cover guy. Thats why people play safety rather than cornerback. Its not that complicated dude. And just to piss you off.....if you watched the games you'd know this already. And by the way I think you're the only one I pull the "if you watched the games" card on becuase with your comments some of the time I really do wonder if you watch.
Manning doesnt play the same safety spot as MB so he's not a viable replacement AT THAT POSITION, again...if you watched the team or knew the difference between FS and SS you'd know that. And if you read my comments on the #3 post you'd see I am a fan of MB. Do I get on him for being hurt? Yes. Am I sick of him being hurt? Yes. Do I think he's a rockstar safety when he's playing? Yes.
February 8, 2008
#29 mikebdot said . . .BA, totally with you - why can't we develop our own O linemen? We obviously did pretty good with Kreutz (last year aside). However, IF Kenny Phillips is available and IF he is really that good, still think there will be a first year Oline starter available in the second round. Here's another thought - maybe silly - using that draft value deal we could deal our two 3rd rounders for another team's mid-2nd, and get two Oline studs in the 2nd round who would be first year starters - LT and guard (who draft lower) - and save your FA money for Briggs or Berrian or Michael Turner (see overwrought and Chicken Littleish article in Trib on Brian's surgery on possibility of needing Briggs more now).
Knowing how JA loves old linemen I'm sure that scenario's not a realistic possibility though.
Regarding QB (again), I say do whatever to keep Rex, keep N. Beard, and waste a late pick on some guy (Colt Brennan maybe! his stock's been plummeting, which we all know can mean absolutely nothing in the real world) - because with Rex as #1 and N. as a legitimate (dare I say even strong) backup option if Rex gets hurt, we can play with house money for a year to take a flyer on somebody.
Someone here wrote that you should draft a QB every single year in the hopes of uncovering a gem - I think that's a great concept. Sorry I don't remember who.
February 8, 2008
#30 JM said . . .PO'd: You win. You're the biggest prick. Good job!
February 8, 2008
#31 Phil from SATX said . . .I say still with Mike Brown, it's a contract year. Go offensive line in Free Agency and then look RB or QB best available in frist round.
February 8, 2008
#32 Phil from SATX said . . .And PO'd and MikeB, no need to fight! I appreciate both of your viewpoints on this site. I happen to be in the middle of your two opposing positions re: Manning, probably closer to PO'd, but MikeB, you usually have pretty good backup for your positions - you have very detailed memory.
Come on boys, I thought we were one world, united against Mike! (205 pounds soaking wet!) (just a guesstimate)
February 8, 2008
#33 Pissed Off said . . .Also, just an aside, but both Brown and Manning have played both safety positions at different points in their careers.
February 8, 2008
Thank you.
February 8, 2008
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.