Kevin Jones has be released by the Detroit Lions and the Bears should be attempting to sign him right now, even if he's not going to be ready to play come the start of training camp. I have some reasons why.
(1) In no way should this preclude them from drafting a running back in later rounds. Kevin Jones is an upgrade over both Hungry Like the Wolfe and AP.
(2) Cedric Benson is that rare kind of pitiful athlete that needs a boost to play hard at professional sports because the many millions of dollars is not enough. KJ - even lingering with an injury - might be the kind of added incentive Benson needs to play with a wee bit of heart.
(3) Twice a year, KJ will run against Detroit like he's never run before. Players don't just leave Detroit. They leave angry.
My verdict is sign him and do it quick. Don't be frightened by the idea of not having the guy until the season starts or later. He's a real talent and Detroit is where talent goes to die.
#2 KidronJesse said . . .1st!!!AGREE
March 13, 2008
#3 Worm0922 said . . .Yes. To kevin jones. And to everything said above. And i still want to trade the fourteen to arizona for Boldin. Then draft three linenman and hope two of them can contribute this year. Next year we attack running back and quarter back.
March 14, 2008
#4 jeff said . . .First of all, I love this site, I'm home!!! Kev is the incentive that Ced needs to produce. Maybe he will put down the blunt and start caring. Even injured last year, kevin jones looked good.
March 14, 2008
#5 craig said . . .kidron, after me own heart. i have a feeling the cards are going to try and milk another year out of the two receivers.
March 14, 2008
#6 Blk Dragon said . . .Yeah I'd take KJ in a heartbeat. It's not his fault Martz only called about 4 runs a game, and made him split carries.
March 14, 2008
#7 Shay-dizzle said . . .I hope the management is listening I wanted Kevin coming out of VA Tech. Dont wait quick strike then sign WR Bryant Johnson. Draft Mendenhall RB THE REST OF THE DRAFT ON OFFENSIVE LINEMAN. BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS AGAIN
March 14, 2008
#8 jeff said . . .He's an '04 draft pick. 30th overall. Still pretty young!
The question is, how much would he cost?
The acquisition of K. Jones and 3rd 4th or 5th rd. RB in the draft should add enough competition to make Benson start looking over his shoulder.
What's the likelihood of this going down?
March 14, 2008
#9 Shay-D said . . .the bears are getting mentioned and they HAVE to be interested. it'll cost some cash, which the bears are bogarting for the new contracts for tommie and the skunk. go running back late (if at all) and build the o-line, maybe a safety, in the draft.
March 14, 2008
#10 Brad Biggs said . . .A source told the Detroit Free Press that Kevin Jones could return to the Lions at a reduced salary.
"Jones was on the hook for $2.4 million before his release. However, another source said Jones was "shocked" by the team's move. Jones figures to generate a good amount of interest, so he's not a good bet to return. Teams like the Cowboys, Bears, Titans, Cardinals, and Panthers could use him."
Texans agreed to terms with Chris Brown on a two-year contract, according to NFL Network's Adam Schefter.
"We're not huge fans of Brown because he wears down easily, but Houston is a perfect landing spot for him. He could hit long runs in a zone scheme, and only Ahman Green, Chris Taylor, and Darius Walker are in his way. We expect a committee approach, and Brown has a good chance to find a role. Houston seems less likely to take a running back early in the draft now."
March 14, 2008
#11 Chris Brown is a Texan said . . .Go ahead, nix Nicks from the Bears' list
General manager Jerry Angelo’s increased emphasis on football character as he prepares for the draft probably leaves him in an awkward position with Nebraska guard Carl Nicks.
Not as awkward as the one Nicks found himself in over the weekend when Lincoln, Neb., police arrested him at a house party on suspicion of being an inmate of a disorderly house and failure to disperse after he wouldn’t leave. Basically, Nicks didn’t go home when he was told to go home.
It’s not like he was on probation and got caught with loaded guns in his homeâ€â€see Tank Johnsonâ€â€but it’s nearly certain Angelo has a zero-tolerance policy for players who can’t keep their noses clean in the weeks leading up to the draft. If football isn’t important enough to players this close to the beginning of a professional career, Angelo doesn’t want them.
Even if Bears scout Teddy Monago wanted to check out Nicks today at the Cornhuskers pro dayâ€â€a source there spotted himâ€â€Nicks wasn’t doing any working out. New Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was so incensed by Nicks, he banned him from the event.
The 6-5, 340-pound Nicks played tackle in school and most project him as a guard. He is a physical performer who did well at the combine, well enough for some to suggest he would be a solid second-round pick. It’s unknown yet how his draft stock will be affected, but after hearing Angelo talk at length about the club’s renewed effort in getting the right people, you’d imagine Nicks is off one list.
March 14, 2008
#12 Blog Down, Chicago Bears said . . .The Houston Texans signed unrestricted free agent running back Chris Brown on Thursday. Brown played his first five seasons with Tennessee.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Brown was taken by the Titans in the third round of the 2003 draft. He's played in 54 games, starting 29, and rushed for 2,757 yards and 16 touchdowns. Brown had his best season in 2004, when he rushed for 1,067 yards on 220 carries.
The Texans have also re-signed running backs Darius Walker and Chris Taylor for next season.
Brown is the third unrestricted free agent to sign with Houston this month, joining cornerback Jacques Reeves and linebacker Kevin Bentley.
March 14, 2008
#13 Max said . . .I think Kevin Jones' price will be too high. He probably wants to be paid like a bonafide starter. Plus, Adrian Peterson plays special teams, so he's more valuable as a #2. Let us draft competition for Benson, somewhere in the third or fourth round probably. It'll be just as good for us and won't cost nearly as much as an injured KJ. By the way, as a first-time visitor, I must say "I LIKE!"
March 14, 2008
#14 jeff said . . .It cant hurt to talk to him
March 14, 2008
#15 Jesse said . . .i think adrian peterson is heading to special teams full-time this season. even if the bears draft a back, jerry isn't letting lovie move his pick from last year out of the offense, especially with the explosiveness shown at the end of last season
March 14, 2008
#16 Pissed Off said . . .There is an interesting article at chicagosports.com that talks about the dispute between the owners and the NFLPA thats going on. The main focus is on the lack of a reasonable rookie pay scale... It goes into a little detail about how much top 15 picks make. I use this as Exhibit A in my reasoning for trading our pick for a proven pro bowl quality player at a position of need. As exhibit B, I remind everybody that Cedric Benson was considered a sure thing when we drafted him. Everybody thought he would be a great back. Now, everybody realizes he sucks, and the bears have the pleasure of writing him huge checks. Exhibit C is marc columbo, curtis enis, cade mcnown... etc... I understand how important it is to upgrade our line, and i think that should be heavily addressed, But the one thing that we cant risk is a busted first round pick. Not only is it a wasted pick, but it also equates to an overpaid, underproductive player taking up a lot of precious cap room.
March 14, 2008
#17 J said . . .I think the Bears will be carrying four RBs this year. AP will be allocated to special teams (which I'm not crazy about, I actually like him as a RB better than Wolfe) and so we will have Ced, Wolfe, Rookie or FA like Jones (not both) and AP. AP could still get some looks if one of the three goes down. Lets remember Wolfe played a lot on special teams too but he's not as good as AP, so he's not as good as AP at RB or ST in my opinion. I just dont see us drafting a RB if we pick one up in FA like Jones, thats why, in my opinion, we havent bit on anyone in FA yet, they are planning to draft one. Even if they did pick up a FA RB they could still draft one late and put him on the practice squad in case someone went down. Problem with Practice squad is that any team can sign those guys if I remember correctly.
March 14, 2008
#18 JB said . . .I'd be feeling 100% better right now if we would have signed an upper level FA at OL. With a great line even Ced would look respectable. I think its worth mentioning he and AP averaged the exact same 3.whatever yards per carry last season... have to put some of that on the line. Also good luck hitting hester (or any WR) on deep routes when you have 2 seconds to throw the ball.
I dont know how often 2 OL rookies endup playing AND having a good year. I am concerned. Whats the point in drafting a RB if they spend their entire rookie year on their ass the minute the "hit the hole" that isnt there? The truth is... last season LT would have been lucky to average 4 YPC on this team.
March 14, 2008
#19 jdawg said . . .Now kevin jones is someone i'd be more interested in and i don't think he's going to cost as much as some of you think. So can we sign Jones, sign Bryant Johnson, draft offensive line, extend 91, 54, 23 and fast forward to training camp?
March 14, 2008
#20 DTB said . . .I prefer a Basketball Jonessss...
a Basketball Jonessss....
a Basketball Jones oh baby ooh ooh ooh
March 14, 2008
#21 DTB said . . .Jones would most definitely be a quality pickup. Do I think that it is going to happen? I wouldnt bet money on it. It makes all too much sense. But this does in fact show us that we will be facing either Stewart or Mendenhall twice a year in Detroit. I am hoping that management realizes that if Benson just doesn't have it, we need to have a plan. That doesn't mean we pick a RB in 2009, that means now. But it does seem to me that Felix Jones could be falling to the second round. Which I would fully endorse.
As far as the linemen in the draft there are two potential situations that we need to monitor. I see a possibility of trading up with the Bills to grab Clady before the Donkys, or possibly trading down with the Texans if they fall in love with either back to snatch him away from Detroit. Reality is that there are going to be options come late April and I have faith that the most talented OT, outside of Long will be in a Bears uni next year.
March 14, 2008
#22 Phil from SATX said . . .I'm very happy that Houston made the Chris Brown decision for us. Not that he wouldn't have been decent for us but to eliminate management riding the fence about it, as they've been doing all off-season. I would love the BT to be decisive and pay Jones that 2.4 mil that he was expecting this year. Not a bad cap number for a guy that could seriously contribute in '08.
March 14, 2008
#23 Jesse said . . .Good post DTB. I don't know what the Bears think about the difference between Clady and Jeff Otah, who seems to be the most likely next in line. All we know about this is that they've visited Clady - have they done the same to Otah, or anyone else? Of course, there's lots of time before the draft. The other thing we know is the previous history on trading up, but I'm certain that just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't this year - I'm sure JA reviews all options, every year. We now know that there's a good reason that every team should try to trade out of the very top picks in the first round, because the risk/cost relationship is not good.
Just think if we signed Jones AND signed Bryant. You could have the luxury of considering some high D picks - DT, DE, maybe another corner. Apparently NOT safety, we have to forget about this, at least if Jerry is telling truth - no good ones out there. Of course he may be saying this to get us fans off his back because he likes his current safety situation. But I have read that elsewhere as well.
This could open up using our 2nd rounder for a DT - and getting people like Pat Sims, Trevor Laws, Dre Moore, or Red Bryant. Remember that the Bears are short one high DT pick - they filled Dusty in AFTER Tank Johnson was already there with Tommie - so they had a 1st rounder, 2nd rounder and 3rd rounder committed to that important position - after the Tank fiasco they now only have a 1st and a 3rd in there, and the 3rd has substantial injury history (Tommie does too). I'm guessing they're dying for the opportunity to grab a high round DT, and the 2nd pick looks like it would be open -- IF someone like Jones is brought in.
I really think that the whole issue of Angelo being good at picking D and bad at picking O is based on the fact that D players are generally much lower risk, because their positions are easier. Much more based on physicals and motor rather than the skills required on the O side.
March 14, 2008
#24 Phil from SATX said . . .Jonathon Stewart is having surgery and is out four to six months. This makes things more interesting.
March 14, 2008
#25 JB said . . .He's going to drop like a rock based on that. We already know what happens to rookie running backs who miss training camp - they're pretty much lost for the first year (hello Ced!)
He's out of the first round for sure, and should be out of our plans.
March 14, 2008
#26 Phil from SATX said . . .From ESPN guys...time to cross him off the list.
Wide receiver Bryant Johnson has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, a source told ESPN.com.
Johnson, an unrestricted free agent, was a first-round pick (17th overall) by the Arizona Cardinals in 2003, and had spent his entire career with the Cardinals. Last season, he had 46 receptions for 528 yards and two touchdowns.
March 14, 2008
#27 said . . .If he's going to make anything within the $3MM range, I'm thinking I'll be pissed that the Bears weren't there with that offer.
They can unpiss me off by reporting that they signed Hackett.
March 14, 2008
#28 Phil from SATX said . . .Phil, I dont know that he'll plummet like a rock. One name for you, Willis McGahee.
March 14, 2008
#29 Monkeynuts said . . .Jesse, if that's you, would you at least expect him to move out of the 1st round? It would have to, right? Most have him in the last 10 picks of the 1st.
If that made him available to us in the 2nd, would you all be in favor of that?
March 14, 2008
#30 Phil from SATX said . . .Completely agree with you J we need an FA OL.
March 14, 2008
#31 jeff said . . .You gotta wonder about the Cardinals. Didn't realize Johnson was a #17 pick. Well they burned all the way through that #17 contract without getting ANYTHING from him, and he was an able-bodied receiver! Why they didn't trade him when they could get something out of him is pure negligence on their part. If I was a Cardinals fan (are there any of those in real life?) I'd wanna sue.
Say what you want about the Bears, but can you ever imagine us spending a #17 (very similar to what we'll be using this year, which is why I'm shocked we didn't make a play for this guy) and not using him THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE 5 YEAR CONTRACT?
Pure nuts.
March 14, 2008
#32 Pissed Off said . . .bryant johnson's best offer was a one-year deal? my god, what dont we know about him? bernard berrian just made a billion dollars and he drops half the balls thrown to him.
March 14, 2008
#33 Pissed Off said . . .Please sign Hackett now. Johnson is gone, Hackett is the only good viable guy left and we should make a run at him. While your at it sign Kevin Jones if you want, His style reminds of Thomas Jones, and I'd like to have him back. Then we can concentrate on O-line, O-line and O-line in the draft.
March 14, 2008
#34 Pissed Off said . . .And I agree that Stewart will no longer be a 1st round pick, probably even day 2 with the RB depth thats available in this draft.
March 14, 2008
#35 Jesse said . . .One other point that I want to mention that kinda pisses me off. You know how Lovie continually says that every week its a competition for whos starting in EVERY position and that they determine whos getting playing time between games at practices, etc. What if we had say Strahan on this team or hell lets use Urlacher for example. What if he wasnt a hard practicing guy (like Strahan who skips offseason workouts etc.) and kinda just went thru the motions between games. Would Lovie sit him, or give someone else the majority of the playing time at MLB during the game? I dont know what brought this on but I just keep thinking of examples of good players not getting enough time who maybe are lazy in practice but bring it on game day. Anyone else feel my pain? This could be a whole other thread but I had to get it out there.
March 14, 2008
#36 Phil from SATX said . . .I would say that it definitely puts him out of the first, as many people thought he was the third best Rb prospect in the draft. But at this point we dont know anything about the injury. If its common and he will come back from it fine then I wouldnt be too suprised if a team takes a chance on him in the second. If they're was a Gm or scouts that really loved him, well now they can get him at a great value if they're willing to wait till september to see him on the field.
March 14, 2008
#37 Pissed Off said . . .I believe Lovie when he says that on D and disbelieve it entirely on O. There was no "open competition" for those offensive line positions, because Beekman's kid sister could have beaten out Fred Miller, or Brown after he was injured (badly, and STILL PLAYING). There was no competition for Moose's playing time when he was contributing very little. When Benson was playing easily well enough to secure more carries, they'd sit him down because they wanted to "try out AP."
Mikeb's post from the other day really resonated with me - the one where he talked about how Turner was trying to do too many things and never established any rhythm. I think that is the most succinct performance evaluation on him for 2007. He wasn't trying to be bad, he was just in such bad rhythm and feel that it was like every single move he made was guaranteed to be the wrong one. To me, that shouldn't have been written off as a "one year slump" - that is simply the definition of a BAD offensive coordinator.
I sure hope he's done a lot of soul searching in the past few months. I think he's surely better than he showed last year, but I also think that he may have established a record as one of the worst ever jobs done by an OC in a season. It's not like he didn't have talent, he just continued to make all the wrong moves and all the wrong times until it became like watching a train wreck in slow motion, complete with post game conferences filled with sheer insanity, with dialogue straight out of Catch-22 or A Confederacy of Dunces.
If he doesn't improve his performance in 2008, things will be very ugly regardless of the guys we pick up.
March 14, 2008
#38 jdawg said . . .Thats what I mean Phil, when guys get hot, just keep leaning on them. Dont sit Ced when he's hot to "try out AP". Or if you not getting shit from Berrian or Moose sit their ass for a half and play Bradley or Hester consistently for a while. Thats what I'm talking about, no rythm to anything and bad timing on a lot of stuff too.
March 14, 2008
#39 Decatur Staleys #7 said . . .I stop listening to Lovie when he opens his mouth. He has a pathological aversion to giving info about how he operates the team as a head coach.
March 14, 2008
#40 Jesse said . . .Here's some Bears tidbit about TE visiting Halas Hall
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/840427,CST-SPT-bsep13.article
March 14, 2008
#41 jeff said . . .I dont really want the bears to sign safety Kennoy Kennedy, but he is available because the lions just cut him.
March 14, 2008
#42 RandomName said . . .we're not getting kevin jones. larry mayer on da site is a mouthpiece for the team. he says:
"I don’t see Kevin Jones being an answer for the Bears given his serious durability issues. He tore a foot ligament near the end of the 2006 season and then ruptured his right ACL last Dec. 23. With Jim Colletto replacing Mike Martz as offensive coordinator, the Lions intend to commit more to the runâ€â€and they still released Jones. That tells me all I need to know. I think it’s safe to say that the Lions and Bears both could select a running back in the first few rounds of the draft"
March 14, 2008
#43 Shady said . . .get rid of Benson, I think he's a bust anyway you slice it.
March 14, 2008
#44 Phil from SATX said . . .I don't think we need to draft a RB at all, I mean, remember what Lovie said last year:
"When you continue to run the ball, eventually teams are gonna stop that."
Ugh.
March 14, 2008
#45 Dave said . . .Yeah Jeff, that's probably why he wouldn't publish my question a couple of days ago asking what possible reason could there be for Jerry not pursuing an Olineman in free agency at this point - instead he answers crap like what's Brett Favre's record against the Bears and who were the other Bears receivers when Marty Booker was here. There is no doubt in my mind that my question is the most burning issue going on right now, and it's on every Bear fan's mind - he's probably gotten a zillion of these just like mine and nothing. I generally like his takes but I have to agree with you Jeff - on the other hand, what do we expect from the Chicago Bears Official Web Site.
I'm okay with not signing a FA RB at this point, but only because we passed on so many it's practically a moot point now. There will be a good one to pick in the draft, I just was hoping for the benefit of some veteran professionalism. Of course, I would say AP has that but a lot of good it did us last year.
March 15, 2008
#46 Jesse said . . .How is it the last couple years Bernard Berrian was the greatest receiver ever, and now he's the biggest piece of shit ever.
Man, you motherfuckers are the dumbest bastards ever.
There's a couple of reasons he left. Money which the Bears have none, and he knew his chances were better with Jackson then with that fumblefucker, interception throwing asshole Grossman.
The balls he dropped, as Jeff points out, came from Grossman and were so badly thrown that superman himself couldn't have caught them.
As for your team getting better through FA, I say bullshit. You bastards will be worse then last year.
I think last in the division
Face it, the Bears are not going to sign anybody.
That old bag Virginia won't allow it.
March 15, 2008
#47 J said . . .Well, we didnt sign Bryant Johnson (who I thought would have been a good pick up) but now that san fran signed him, they cut Darryl Jackson. So maybe we have another option after all.
March 15, 2008
#48 JM said . . .St. Patricks day wish: If John Stewart drops to #14... please, please, please take him. Dont care about the toe issue, the guy can play. He could come in right away, split carries with ced, then we can cut/trade ced next season.
Plenty of OL depth later in the draft. But this makes too much sense. Besides the bears might not want to tie up TOO much money at one position. Although, i would argue, this team needs a power running game to have any chance to win the division/playoffs.
IF we take OT at #14, i'll be happy too... but our offense needs some talent at RB, WR, and QB. Stewart is a steal at #14.
March 15, 2008
#49 Jesse said . . .Anyone see in ESPN the Mag that Tim Duncan is a Bears Fan!!?? Welcome Timmy D!!
March 15, 2008
#50 Decatur Staleys #7 said . . .Stewart should be there for our second pick if we want him. There is no reason to take him fourteen. The toe issue is not that serious, and he should recover just fine. And he had some great workouts with the injury, so its obviously not that big of a deal. But he's out four to six months and in a draft this deep at running back, it will be enough to drop him to the second round for sure.
March 15, 2008
#51 Z said . . .Here's a article written by Adam Schein from NFL Network about the Bears.
It's pretty much what everybody been saying on this board,But it's nice to see somebody with more inside knowledge of football to express it.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7904692
March 16, 2008
#52 SuperBowlXX said . . .The 49ers released Darrell Jackson. 46 catches for 497 yards and three touchdowns '07.
Are we interested Bears nation?
I say beggars can't be choosers. And when it comes to WR and O-line we still look like beggars to me. Oh yeah and how I could forget at RB too.
His career stats are pretty darn good. Besides playing only 6 games in '05 and playing for the shitty 49ers last year. 8 years exp. and only 28 years old. 10 TD's in '06 and 3 years over 1000 yards and a 956 and a 877 yard season as well.
Career Stats:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/playerStats?categoryId=70734
March 16, 2008
#53 Z said . . .although i think that johnson would had made better pickup than lloyd but he played 3 yrs with ron turner when he was at illonis so that was inevatable. but the daryll jackson pickup is intriguing. he was clearly the go to reciever in 2006 when we played the seahawks twice. no td's but had the most cateches and also had a 15.3 yd per catch. also has has 3 1000 + yard seasons and another 900 yrd season. had 500 yards last year with a qb carosell, the same as vet Musin Muhammad and he's 29 5 years younger than Muhammad, so this may be in our best interest to at least look into sighning him cuz the draft doesent have many decent recievers in the draft. but i do like the oaklahoma and michigan st recievers both over 6'3" and both over 200lbs. need to get physical at reciever, i.e. ( keyshaun johnson, anquan boldin and t.o.)
reshard mindenhall looks good in bears uniform and ron turner scouted him. but you can forget this. the bears will trade down to save money and aquire picks lost in last years free agency. also we havent recieved commpimentarry pics scince 2003, but you never konow we might get lucky and get a few. we will draft o line first rouns second round we will either go oline again or we will try to get j stewart or the east carolina back that everyone seems to think is under the radar, then we will address saftey and then wr. jerry angelo has sucess in drafting late round defensive players so if we can try to get a few in the draft he just might be able to pull a rabbit out of his ass and mabey be lucky and he will turn into a play maker.March 16, 2008
#54 tenacious d said . . .I would feel a whole lot better if we signed Kevin Jones and Darrell Jackson. We could basically use the whole draft for O-line.
March 16, 2008
#55 Matt said . . .Jones is a beast when healthy, and if he's healthy we should go for it. From what I've read though, he blew out his ACL in December, and that injury sometimes requires a full year to be 100%. I like the guy, but I don't think I'm interested if he wont be 100% until the season is 3/4 over.
March 16, 2008
#56 Seirous. said . . .Uh oh.......
From www.eastcoastsports.com
Al's Draft Scoop...Keep an eye on a potential Draft day trade involving the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers since both teams are said to covet two different offensive tackles in the upcoming Draft. The Chiefs own the fifth overall pick in the Draft, and would like to fill their need at the offensive tackle position with that pick. Jake Long and Jeffrey Otah are the two tackles in this Draft that would fit perfectly on the Chiefs line, but Long will already be off the board, and the fifth overall pick in the Draft is too high to take Otah. The Carolina Panthers on the other hand, own the thirteenth overall pick in the Draft and are said to covet Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady. The Panthers have two extra picks (a third and fifth round pick from the Jets for Kris Jenkins) in the Draft to use as ammunition in a package deal of picks to move up to the Chiefs pick at #5. The Panthers would then be able to select Clady with the fifth overall pick in the Draft, while the Chiefs would move back in the Draft to pick #13, have the extra picks from the Panthers to use to fill needs, and would be in a better spot to take Otah because he's not worth the fifth overall pick in the Draft. The only potential danger in making such a trade on the Chiefs end, would be another team moving ahead of them into the top twelve picks of the Draft to take Otah for themselves.
Well, I guess that leaves Chris Williams from Vandy....or Mendenhall?
March 17, 2008
#57 Al in WI said . . .i have 5 bucks that says the bears DONT take an OT in the first round. Prior to the start of FA i would have been fine with that, and assumed they would sign a solid vet. now i think they have to... but for whatever reason i'm feeling like #14 will be WR or RB. Esp. if the top 3 OT's go in the first 12 picks.
March 17, 2008
#58 Pissed Off said . . .Frankly I think this offseason has been a complete disaster for Jerry Angelo. He entered it with holes at rb, wr, o-line, Safety, and d-tackle.
And today several weeks after the start of FA he still has holes at each of those positions and has only tinkered with reciever. The only upgrade has been at the #2 reciever position by going from Moose to Booker, but that is debatable because in reality Booker is the #1 reciever on this team.
I'd love to be optimistic but I fail to see how one can be at this point.March 17, 2008
#59 Pissed Off said . . .A very dead news time, nothing important at all to report except that Darrell Jackson is available. I still would like us to sign DJ Hackett. I heard Seattle would like to re-sign him (Hackett) but now that Jacksons available I wonder if Seattle might want him back instead...or in addition to. Anyway i wish Jerry would pull the trigger....on anyone for Gods sake...preferrably Hackett.
Those who suggest we migh draft ANYTHING other than O-line with the first pick might be nuttier than squirrel shit. I will eat crow if I'm wrong but I dont see any possible scenario where we dont take one of those OT available at #14.
March 17, 2008
#60 nutjob said . . .I hate to be a jerk and go one step further but really...dare I say it.....only a casual fan could suggest that we should take anything other than O-line and more specifically, tackle, with the 1st pick. Especially given the fact that we've gotten rid of 2 members already and more importantly not signed even one guy thru FA.
I am open to listening to REAL responses with VALID points however, that can prove me wrong, and I've been proven wrong before but given our dire need, and the depth of O-line in the draft....well you know.
March 17, 2008
#61 mikebdot said . . .WHYYYYY!!!
Hacket just signed with the panthers for 2 years 3.1 million Bears couldnt match that
We suck
March 17, 2008
#62 MONKEYNUTS said . . .PO'd: The BT has actually stated they believe in the kids in the system already, so I could see them picking best available talent at any of the need positions at 14 (i.e. WR, RB, QB (if Ryan is available for some reason), OT, OG). They could also trade down and get more picks so they can pick more O-line. That possibility will come into play if 3-4 top tackles are gone by pick 14, in which case we could trade down to take the next available guy we actually like.
Problem is, I have ZERO confidence in this team's ability to spot O-line talent and develop it. Same goes for D-line actually. Tommie Harris didn't need any development whatsoever and the rest of the line has been mediocre at best, besides flashes of brilliance by Alex Brown, who I would argue is jut a phenomenal talent anyway.
March 17, 2008
#63 Pissed Off said . . .Yes I agree with you PISSED OFF, we look as though we have to pick an OT with our first pick, but only because we are backing are self’s into a corner by not signing anyone on the OL in FA.
I feel really uneasy about starting the 2008 season with 2 or maybe 3 rookies on the oline, this surely is a mistake because with a rookie, you never know what you’re getting. At least with a FA we will know what we are getting, even if it’s mediocre.
2 rookies on the oline is a gamble and can mean only one thing, 2008 will be a rebuilding year for the offense.
March 17, 2008
#64 Seirous. said . . .Now Hackett off the board, what next? This teams failure to make moves is killing me.
Mikeb I would agree with some of what you said. I have no faith in development either and thats the reason that I think they should draft O-line at 14. The player we draft that will be available at that time will be far more of a sure thing (if thats possible) than any amount of guys we can pick up on day two. I think theres a possibility that three of the OTs will be gone but I'm not sure about 4. I cant imagine 4 of those OTs being gone by 14 but I would say that if 3 are gone, I'd still take an OT, if four are already gone, then if theres some guy sitting there that you cant pass up...go for it but I still think we're screwing ourselves.
Who is it exactly that they've said they have faith in.....they dont even have enough guys to fill a starting roatation right now unless you want to go with Tait, Metcalf, Kreutz, Garza and St. Clair....thats seems crazy to me. I guess they have Reed, Jones and Oakley that they're developing?, maybe they think they're ready, I guess you can throw Beekman in the "wait and see category" with those three too. Very frustrating.
March 17, 2008
#65 Duff Diggler said . . .For the record. I didn't say the bears SHOULD take and RB or WR at #14, thats just my feeling. We have alot of needs on offense... and if post #55 is correct and the top 3 O-line guys are gone by our pick, then i think the front office will be taking the best talent at any of the O-positions.
PO'ed I'd agree that we despertly need O-line help. In truth it wont matter who is playing RB, WR or even QB if our line is as bad or worse than last season.
I agree that we've backed ourselves into a corner by not signing any FA talent for the O-line... or for that matter WR or RB. I'm not very confident that we will be able to address all the holes on offense via the draft.
Also: casual fans don't spend all day reading and responding to chicago bears blogs.
March 17, 2008
#66 mikebdot said . . .Does anybody think that it's a possibility that this is our fault, as the fans? I mean think about it....
....there aren't too many other fan bases as loyal to their respective teams as the fans of the bears (and the cubs for that matter....).....
.....and as much as i hate to say it, i wouldn't love this team any less if we had lost one game more than miami did this year.....
love is blind
.....so maybe it's partially our fault....
maybe we as hopeless romantics allow too many failures and still pay the extra $8/game.....
March 17, 2008
#67 Duff Diggler said . . .PO'd: I thought I had seen them mention Beekman as a starter, or maybe I dreamed that.
In any event, the only solid reason I can give for them not drafting an O-lineman at 14 is because, well, that's probably what they SHOULD do, and how often does that happen?
Also, it seems Angelo is in love with selecting the best available talent (in their warped-world view, from last year - see Bazuin/Wolfe), regardless of need.
Honestly, I'm not sure I would care if they signed someone that "fell" into their laps, like last year with Olsen. It just so happened we needed someone like him, but, of course, Turner couldn't use him effectively, so it was a moot point really.
I'm just not sure how much more I can stand of Lovie/Turner. I don't mind Angelo.
March 17, 2008
#68 Phil from SATX said . . ."Thank you Sir! May I have another?"
March 17, 2008
#69 Shady said . . .Yessirree, Angelo's driving me seriously crazy right now. Hackett for $3MM over two years? And we didn't want a deal like that?
The only way this shit pans out is if Angelo knows that there will be a significant second wave of releasees coming before/during/after the draft and he is waiting for some guys he's pretty sure will be cut. That could be a very effective way to go, and frankly it's the only plausible explanation for his seeming lack of effort in getting any one of the 3 need positions in FA - aside from the other choice, that he's throwing it, prepping for a 2008 Kill Lovie campaign. Would he do that to us? Otherwise I got nothing. Can't figure out what's happening, just know that it's pissing me off daily.
All that said, is it possible that people are really grousing about an $8/seat price increase? I've been to Chicago recently and those people pay insane prices for everything ($5 for 12 ounces of bacon, $5 for milk, etc.). Can you really be worrying about $8 per game? Just wondering.
March 17, 2008
Why would any quarterback, even Rex Grossman, want to play for the Chicago Bears?
I just might take a few collegiate offensive units over this one!
Shady. Angry.
(Patience grasshopper, patience)
March 17, 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.