DaBearsBlog would like to formally congratulate Chicago playwright Tracy Letts for winning the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a play which premiered in Chicago - August: Osage County. If any of you get a chance to see this play, I promise you one of the most entertaining nights of your life.
Sorry for the absence of reporting by yours truly but there's just been nothing to talk about, especially with the NFL delaying the release of the schedule a few weeks. Here are some quick thoughts for issues to maybe stir up a bit of debate and conversation.
Terry Bannon reports on the Bears meeting Rashard Mendenhall in the Tribune (and it is most likely just a formality) but the closer we get to the draft, the more I think the Bears will have a serious decision to make with the fourteenth overall pick. I'd still take an offensive tackle there and looking running back later but Mendenhall has star potential. Next week I'll do some real research on Chris Williams, Jeff Otah, Mendenhall and the other guys in-play with the 14th pick and we can start really debating the talent available.
David Haugh thinks the Bears should give Brian Urlacher a contract extension. In other "no shit" news, rape is bad.
Drew Rosenhaus will arrive at Halas Hall today to begin working on the new deal for Tommie Harris. Let me say this: I have no damn clue how much he's going to make. With Tommy Kelly, David Garrard and Calvin Pace - three mediocre players - making billions, this is a solid opportunity for Tommie to take minority ownership in the organization.
For those of you not in the Chicago area, the Bears third (and most important) preseason game has been announced as a nationally televised game. August 21st at 8:00 pm ET on FOX in what will inevitably be dubbed TamperBowl against the San Francisco 49ers. Considering the Bears might not have chosen their starting quarterback by then, the game is a must-see.
#2 Rancid said . . .I keep seeing this Mendenhall popping up over and over again and inching his way further up the draft boards. I just think the bears need to concentrate on building back up the o-line. Sure I would not mind getting a talented rb like Mendenhall but for every Adrian Petersen drafted in the 1st round there are countless other busts at that position and in this draft we cannot afford that.
We would be better served beefing up the o-line and finding a rb later in the draft and/or making a trade for one after the draft.
April 8, 2008
#3 jeff said . . .It's too easy to say "we need to take Oline with the first pick". Several mock drafts now have Long, Clady, Williams, and Otah all off the board by #14. If that is the case there is a bit of a dilema. Then we either
1. Reach for Albert or Cherilus - I'm not sure Albert is such a reach. I really like this guy, and there's an outside shot he could play tackle.
2. Trade so we can either pick sooner and get one of those four, or pick later where Albert or Cherilus isn't such a reach.
3. Draft something other than Oline with the pick.
I feel that if one of those four (realistically Otah or Williams) is there, then it's a no brainer. Take him. The tough decision will come if none of them are left when we pick.
April 8, 2008
#4 craig said . . .or do the bears (DON'T SAY IT! DON'T SAY IT!) trade UP for a player they want.
April 8, 2008
#5 Da Ghost of Da Bears Past said . . .I have a hard time imagining JA trading up. I think the most likely scenario at this point, if the top three OLs are gone by 14, is that the Bears trade down. Seriously doubt they'll take a Rd1 RB considering the fact that Benson is still around to remind them what a probable bust looks like.
April 8, 2008
#6 Phil from SATX said . . .We should trade our first round pick to seattle for Rick Mirer. Thats what we should do. Thats a foolproof plan. QB problem solved.
April 8, 2008
#7 animal said . . .They better have their draft intelligence down, because if they think they have a chance of losing out on all four they may well need to trade up. However, I'm not sure where Rancid is seeing mock drafts with all four gone in the top 13 teams. Most seem to agree that 3 will be gone, some 2, but most of those names showing up in the top 15 seem to stay the same, and most drafts have us with Williams as the 4th OL taken. I'm sure if the Bears get surprised, they will immediately look to trade down to get Albert, Baker or Cherilus. Don't know why Baker's stock fell so hard - he was routinely up there until the combine.
I'm always struck by how much the names change, and in a decidedly trendy way, in the weeks leading up to the draft compared to the early mocks. The media leads the way, fueled by the mocks, and then the combines hit and everything changes. Now surely the guys they have been scouting so hard prior to the combine can't change that much, can they?
But they do, and every year this happens. Just hope the Bears do their own research and don't put too much stock in the combine.
April 8, 2008
#8 jeff said . . .I have visions of Marc Colombo haunting me...
April 8, 2008
#9 animal said . . .animal, he doesn't have to haunt you. he's playing brilliantly in dallas. that was a tough break on the pick but a superior talent.
April 8, 2008
#10 Phil from SATX said . . .We strike out so often on first rounders, then hit the jackpot with later rounds... I say trade down and hoard some picks.
My experience has been, they will take a lot of guys I've never heard of, and I'll initially be pissed, only to end up loving those guys later on when they turn in solid contributions.April 8, 2008
#11 jeff said . . .There's just no question that Olinemen are MUCH lower risks, with typically longer productive careers, than RBs. Stan Thomas is the only name that should haunt anyone and he was a long time ago.
No, the thing that should haunt Bear fans is the lack of high round draft picks on olinemen in the last 7 years, an enormous oversight by Angelo that has put us in this position. Forget Mendenhall - don't wish for anything less than using the 14th pick on one of those four guys, and then picking another, quite possibly in the second, but hopefully no later than the 1st 3rd. Be glad when they do it, and hope that they do it again next year. Jeff's right, Marc Columbo was unlucky with injury but looks like it was a good pick, even with hindsight.
Also, let's not fall into the trap of believing something is a hard and fast rule just because a few sample points have indicated something. We typically only have one first round pick per year. We've already discussed at length what a crap shoot many of these positions are, especially on offense. The Bears have made picks that turned out bad, picks that turned out good and picks that the jury is still out on. Their most recent pick was great. This year they'll have a better than normal chance to pick well because they are picking at a position of lower risk.
So whether it's Otah, Williams or Clady, be happy when they take about 30 seconds to take that guy. Then hope beyond hope that the next one they take is as close to the first as possible. I'll be pretty bummed if they don't pick oline again until the 4th - our last 4th rounder hasn't generated much buzz yet and even less playing time.
April 8, 2008
#12 animal said . . .animal, maybe i'll write about this. i wonder how we compare to the rest of the league. we all - me included - accept the idea that we suck in the first round but are we any worse than the rest of the league? you have 22 starters on your rosters. three of our elite players - urlacher, tommie, olsen (yes i consider him elite) were first round picks. our starting quarterback was a first round pick. i think we've had high profile failures at skill positions which i think has led to the reputation.
April 8, 2008
#13 Rancid said . . .good points. Im only 31, but I do remember Stan Thomas. In fact, I specifically remember this refrain: "he never gave up a sack at Texas.." over and over. Sure thing, then bust. Goes to show...
what Im excited for is to see which WR, RB, QB we get in the 2nd-5th rounds... Bradley, Berrian, Orton and the like have shown we get quality starters with the potential to be stars in those rounds. Anyone at those positions taken in round 2-4 will be just as exciting as the first rounder.
Will Brohm or Flacco fall to us? What about Desean Jackson? How about Ray Rice, or the fast dude from South Carolina, or the guy from Tulane? This year, because of the situation on offense, any offensive pick will be exciting for us.April 8, 2008
#14 animal said . . .jeff - I just got censored or something. I tried to post and it told me my comment was being held for approval. This is very un-American.
April 8, 2008
#15 Pissed Off said . . .Jeff that would make some interesting research...
I watched the NFL Network replay of the first Bears- Pack game from this year. So, I have to agree, Greg Olsen IS elite. He made a couple WOW catches that game, including the TD. I noticed the split him out wide on those plays. I wonder why they got away from that?By the way, I am making the trek from Alaska to Chicago to watch my beloved Cubs at Wrigley vs. the Dodgers at the end of May. Can't wait. I haven't been to Wrigley in 10 years. Luckily, the Bears have played in Seattle several times in recent years, so I got to see them out there.
April 8, 2008
#16 mikebdot said . . .Running Backs arent worth much in the NFL, even the so called "great" ones or top 10ish NFL backs, pro-bowl caliber guys get traded for 2nd rounders. I'd rather trade a 2nd round pick for a proven guy like Willis McGahee, Willie Parker, Brian Westbrook or Deuce McAllister, or a guy of that ilk. Not saying their available or anything, but those are names you can get for a 2nd rounder. We need to draft an OT, not a RB with the 14th pick. I want us to draft a RB but the draft is deep with talented guys, take one later.
No shit the Bears should extend Urlacher, extend him until he's 65. He's Brian Fucking Urlacher, the best linebacker in football, the leader of our team and the face of the entire franchise, you cant put a price on this guy.
Tommie will be making mad money after this contract thing is done. Its just going to be flat out silly to see what he comes away with. Look at some of the deals some of these guys get, Nate Clements, 8 years 80 Mil? Tommie is going to clean up if a guy like Nate Clements makes that money.
Jeff, #3 got me laughing. #8 agreed. Columbo is doing well.
I actually hope just one of the top 4 O-lineman are left when we pick. Then it wont be hard guessing who to take and they'll be no regrets. If Clady and Otah are available we have a bit of a dilemma, and can you imagine the shit that'll be said if our guy busts while the other thrives for a long productive career elsewhere? Please, God, NO!
April 8, 2008
#17 mikebdot said . . .PO'd: Regarding signing Urlacher 'til he's 65. Priceless.
Don't think Tommie will clean up, especially with the Bears. I'm sure if it is high priced, it will be incentive laden since he's been hurt the past two seasons. He'll still get $15-$20M guaranteed though, I reckon.
Wish there was word from da site on how everyone's rehab is going, not just passing mention of said topic regarding only Mike Brown. I want to know how everyone is coming along. Why aren't there any damn interviews with anyone? 24 hours and nobody f'in reports anything anymore. What a waste.
April 8, 2008
#18 mikebdot said . . .Oops, meant that to say "24 hour NEWS"...
April 8, 2008
#19 jdawg said . . .Continuing a bit from last thread:
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10767516
On page 2 it mentions that Hester actually wants to play more at receiver. 2nd to last paragraph. I also dig the reverse psychology of opposing coaches deciding to go ahead and kick to him when he's actually out there because they think he's tired. We'll see how THAT works the first few games. :)
In any event, Smith doesn't sound as retarded in the quoted info in that article as he did on the article on Da site a few days ago.
April 8, 2008
#20 Worm0922 said . . .I don't think Columbo played "brilliantly" last season, unless you're including the leg-whipping he put on Tommy.
Yeah, it is a ho hum time of year.
The $500 my girlfriend gave me to see a Bear's game last year just went for a new bed. I'm hoping it gives me more reason to cheer than the Bears did last year.
April 8, 2008
#21 jeff said . . .I agree wit Da Coach, we have at least two trade partners in the Gaints and Raiders. If the Raiders draft McFadden as many mocks suggest than why not trade the 2nd #3rd round or 4th for someone like Fargas or Michael Bush. Bush would be the unknown but a beast in college.
April 8, 2008
#22 Rancid said . . .hey rancid, it just does that sometimes for no reason. i get the same thing.
April 8, 2008
#23 Rancid said . . .Phil -
I hit the mocks way too hard. It's a problem I know. I view about 30-40 a day. You are right. The majority of them have one of those 4 available for us, and some even leave us with a choice between Otah and Williams. But in the last few days I have seen an increasing number where all 4 are gone by 14. I don't personally think it will happen, but it left me wondering what we do if it did happen, so I threw it up here. After we did nothing with the Oline in FA I had just assumed we draft one of those 4 and had never considered what to do it they were all gone. For reference sake, here are 4 mocks I ran across today (out of about 20, I know, get a life) that have all 4 gone by 14:
1. Vic Carucci at NFL.com
2. Draft Tek
3. War Room Report
4. Footballs Future
April 8, 2008
#24 Al in WI said . . .jeff - the "post is being held for approval by the blog owner" thing is related to posting links for some reason. I just re-posted what I did earlier except this time I took out the links to the 4 mocks and then it worked. Just thought you might want to know.
April 8, 2008
#25 Phil from SATX said . . .I agree, I just haven't had much to say because I'm so negative on what the Bears have done this offseason. Or I should say what they haven't done.
I'm actually looking forward to the draft in hopes of providing me with some optimism.
I think the Bears have to go OT in the first round. I think if they had done ANYTHING in free agency they'd have options but right now we have no one at tackle.
April 8, 2008
#26 JOE said . . .Rancid - you rock. That is some mighty effort you're putting in every day, all to the purpose of... to the purpose of... oh well, fuck it, there's no purpose to the mocks but to give us something to do, but I'm still impressed with your doggedness.
Here's another angle on the mocks/draft. If teams go crazy and pick all four OTs (which have changed over time, mind you, because many early mocks showed us picking Clady as the second OT picked - it has morphed over time - Rancid you could probably attest to this - if it changes like that what great non-OT player might fall to us at 14? Because some have to if 4 out of 13 are all Olinemen. I think what that means as well is that our pick will then have incredible trade value because there will be some stud that shows up there that some OTHER team is desperate to get their hands on. Which may happen anyway because more than one team in the plus-14 territory is going to want a crack at Mendenhall, who very well still may be available at 14, even if we don't want him. If the Bears were smart they'd be putting out a bunch of disinformation right now about their interest in guys like Mendenhall and Jonathon Stewart, Malcolm Kelly, etc.
Let's say the Bears know that neither of the next two teams behind them is interested in an Olineman - the 125 draft value points you'd pick up by swapping spots with 17 is worth a late 3rd rounder - or enough to move up to the front of the second round and get the equivalent of two 1sts.
Of course, then teams behind the two spots you think are safe when you traded could themselves trade to get that OT that they didn't think they'd have a shot at - oh my brain hurts.
Rancid, I think with your hard won mock draft expertise you need to post your own - maybe the whole draft 1st round and then the Bears next picks. Actually this would be fun for everyone (and I assume it's on the docket, Bears picks at least, in the coming weeks...)
April 8, 2008
#27 JOE said . . .Is there any possibility that Urlacher might not be 100% healthy and he's pulling this contract junk NOW so that he gets as much money as he can before the Bears realize that his body is breaking down????
April 8, 2008
#28 Matt said . . .Phil from SATX:
TONY MANDARICH
April 8, 2008
#29 mikebdot said . . .The Bears are not obligated to somehow erase the shitty contract Urlacher signed. If I'm not mistaken, he fired his agent shortly thereafter.
Tough shit, rockhead.
This is just what the Bears should do, give a ton of money to a linebacker heading into his ninth year with some strange neck conditon.
They have way too many other problems then to have to worry about someone "who wants his". He should have thought about that before opting for security over potential contractual financial shortfalls later on. (I don't even know if that sentence makes sense, but I'll stick with it).
April 9, 2008
#30 Rancid said . . .In the past 4 drafts 4, 3, 4, and 3 offensive linemen were chosen in the first round. If 4 are gone by #14 I think we should trade our pick if we're going to get a tackle. Or select the talent that has been passed up. Every time there is a "good draft" for a particular position, everyone usually ends up busting, except maybe the two or three guys everyone was excited about to the point where they said "oh, this is a GREAT draft for the XXX position". And usually one or two of THOSE guys are busts (and someone else actually turns out in the 3rd or later rounds).
I really don't think the talent from draft to draft changes all that much. A few elite players at each position emerge from where you least expect them. QBs lately have been pretty crappy. The best QBs drafted over the past 10 years have been the Manning brothers (I happen to hate Eli, but I'll go ahead and put him in that class), Ben Roethlisberger (don't care if I spelled that wrong), and who else? Phillip Rivers? Shit, Rivers, Roethlisberger and Manning were drafted in the top 11 picks in one draft. There are just very few elite QBs out there to be had. Most of them are merely competent (usually, or even just sometimes). The same goes for most other positions.
Anyway, just ranting there for the most part, but I think I was alluding to how unpredictable not only the draft will be, but also how all the talent shapes up following it. Conventional wisdom makes you use the same hair product as Mel Kiper. That shit would stand up to some heavy artillery, but it doesn't make a savvy talent analyst.
April 9, 2008
#31 Rancid said . . .I think I would be foolish to attempt a mock. Most mocks are made by people who have a limited knowledge of every team in the league. That's why when I read a capsule for "Bears draft needs" and it says things like "Grossman is in the final year of his contract" or "the Benson experiment is over" or " the Bears need a quarterback who can challenge for the starting job right away" I get annoyed.
But I couldn't do much better to try to guess what other teams need. That's why I try to look for mocks that may have at least a tiny hope for inside information. I wish Larry Mayer would do a mock. I doubt he's in the circle of knowing what the Bears are going to do but I bet you'd get some good misinformation from him. There are a few guys with similar roles representing other teams who do mocks. Those can be fun to look at.
I don't have a clue what a lot of teams need or have a tendency to do. Parcells is a great example. Who knows what goes on in that guys head and if you get the first pick wrong it gets ugly from there. Who would have guessed that Mario Williams would go #1 or that it actually looks like a pretty good move 3 years later.
I can say what I hope we do and it's probably a little different than what would be expected. I almost hope all 4 are gone by #14. I don't think Branden Albert is a reach at #14. Why is he not rating as high as the 4 tackles? Just because he's a guard and they aren't as valuable as tackles in the draft. I think Albert is going to fantastic in the league and pretty much everyone is saying he can start from day one.
So below you'll find a mini-mock of who I would like to see the Bears draft. It shows my bias in that I really like Albert, don't think we need to draft a day one QB, and need a solid safety.
Round one: Branden Albert OG
Round two: Sam Baker OT
Round three: Jamaal Charles RB
Round three: DaJuan Morgan S
Round four: Paul Hubbard WR
Round five: Erik Ainge QB
Round six: Barry Booker DT
Round seven: Mike Gibson OG/ILB/TE
Marcus Henry WR
Chad Simpson RB
Mackenzy Bernadeau OGHere's a more realistic version that should be more likeable. This one is more what I could potentially see the BT doing, yet they are fairly unpredictable, so this is harder
Round One: Chris Williams/Jeff Otah (which is left)
Round Two: Joe Flacco/Chad Henne (which is left)
Round Three: Jamaal Charles RB
Round Three: Chilo Rachel OG
Round Four: Paul Hubbard WR
Round Five: Jamie Silva S
Round Six: Barry Booker DT
Round seven: Mike Gibson OG/ILB/TE
Marcus Henry WR
Chad Simpson RB
Mackenzy Bernadeau OGApril 9, 2008
#32 jeff said . . .damn that was long
sorry
April 9, 2008
#33 Rancid said . . .rancide, albert will be gone in the top ten picks. the guy is flying up draft boards and some ave him going to kansas city at like 5. i always say it's too early to evaluate a draft until two weeks before...because no one tells the truth until then and even then they don't...
if the bears come out of the first round with: albert, clady, otah, williams - i'll be very happy. i think jake long has less upside than a few of these fellas on the left side.
April 9, 2008
#34 jeff said . . .jeff - the only team I've seen Albert going to in the top ten is NE. Unfortunately for us, that makes a lot of sense for them.
April 9, 2008
nfl network last night had two mocks - one to ne and one to kansas city. and mel kiper on sportscenter last night said there's no way he escapes the top ten. he's THAT guy this year that has just pole vaulted up the board and mel thinks he'll transition from guard to left tackle easily. if we end up with albert, otah, williams in the first round - i'm content. and next week, we'll do a post on each of the possible guys and let everybody discuss them and bring as much information to the table as possible.
April 9, 2008
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