Here are five thoughts on the Bears possible approach.

(1) Go get Eric Weddle. Why?

• Antrel Rolle is shot and has been for some time. (Even when he wasn’t shot, he couldn’t cover anybody.)
• Weddle may come with a significant yearly price tag but at thirty-one years old the length of the contract will most likely be tolerable.
• Weddle can bring toughness, versatility and leadership to a secondary desperate for all three.
• Adrian Amos already has the best secondary coach in the NFL. Line up Weddle beside him and you’ll see his development expedited.

(2) The Bears targeted Pernell McPhee quickly a year ago and landed their man. Would they do so again? Yes. Because adding Malik Jackson to their defensive line will turn around their poor rush defense almost immediately. There’s concern, of course, because paying defensive linemen has bitten several clubs in the ass. But you have to spend all that cap space somewhere, don’t you?

(3) The Bears should go into 2016 with Charles Leno and Kyle Long as their starting tackles. Both showed enough a year ago to warrant another season at those positions. But don’t be surprised if they look to free agency for a tough presence in the middle of the line. Is Alex Boone a great guard? No. But he’s got some badass in him. And he shouldn’t be too expensive.

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I hate the Combine.

Hate it.

Pure, unadulterated hate.

Why?

Three reasons.

• It’s stupid. Football has become overcomplicated to an insane level I can’t stomach. Does a man’s hand size equate to his being a better thrower of the football? Perhaps. But the truth is I simply don’t care. If there was no Combine and the players were selected based purely upon their performance on the college football field (you know, like it was when Walter Payton got drafted), you trying to tell me teams would do a worse job of talent evaluation? Teams are shitty at it now and there’s three months of evaluation!
• A collection of wealthy, overwhelmingly white men sit and evaluate the physical attributes of a collection of unemployed, overwhelmingly black men. They are trying to determine whether their physical abilities suit the needs of the labor force. Do they pay the men? Absolutely. But if you don’t see the similarities between the Combine and slave auctions it’s because you don’t want to see them.
• This stupid event gives credence to the inanity of people like Mike Mayock, who will cite a player’s measurables exhaustingly when he’s ACTUALLY CALLING A GAME. The Draft Industrial Complex is the biggest waste of money and resources in the sports world.

Ian Rapoport reported last week the Bears are open to not bringing back Alshon Jeffery in 2016. Here are some thoughts.

• I’ve never believed the theory that the Bears selected Kevin White in the 2015 draft because of a best player available philosophy. I believe they selected White because they envision him as a dynamic, game-changing, number one wide receiver. By the same token they don’t view Jeffery that way. Does Jeffery have that potential? Absolutely. But is he among the game’s best at the position? No.
• Leaking this news to RapSheet serves a particular purpose for the Bears. They have now let people in Jeffery’s camp know they are comfortable with him walking out the door. It’s very clear the Bears don’t intend to break the bank for Jeffery so they are trying to convince him to take a team friendly, long-term deal.
• The Bears have a ton of cap space. Not sticking Jeffery with the franchise tag makes zero sense if they believe he’s part of their future.
• If Ryan Pace decides to move on from Jeffery, he better be sure. Letting a terrific player leave your organization in his prime, especially if he succeeds elsewhere, is not something fans let a GM forget.

Dannehy with Hatman

Having some trouble with the sound quality when transferring Soundcloud to WordPress so I’m simply embedding Andrew’s Tweet in this space. Dan Hatman is a quality follow on Twitter and his conversation with Dannehy is worth your time.

A little dated due to technical difficulties, a pod with @Dan_Hatman where we discuss Fox/Broncos and Forte: https://t.co/fpfniD4OfY

— Andrew Dannehy (@ChiBearsAD) February 14, 2016

THREE THOUGHTS FROM AROUND THE BEARS

• After a few days I can honestly say I didn’t like the 30-for-30 on the 1985 Bears. Why? (1) There was very little new information in the film. Having seen/read just about everything on the subject, ESPN offered a survey course on a subject I’ve devoted my life to. (2) The film wasn’t made very well. The focus – especially the Buddy Ryan excess – was off. The score was bizarre. The narration was poorly written and poorly cast with Vince Vaughn. (How can you not have an iconic Chicago voice attached to a project like this? Adam Jahns narrating would have sounded far better.) If you’ve never heard of this team, it’s a worthwhile investment of your time. If you know a lot about them it offers little more than a few smiles and a chance to dive once again into nostalgic waters. People who call this one of the best 30-for-30s are lost.

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The game will be dissected all across the board for weeks. Here are just a few quick thoughts.

• I don’t think I’ll ever forget the image of Cam Newton refusing to go all-in to recover his own fumble. The biggest and strongest quarterback in the league came up small in a massive moment.
• Has any defensive player ever finished a season better than Von Miller? His AFC title game and Super Bowl were historic.
• The Gary Kubiak / John Fox debate that jumped on the internet last night makes no sense. The debate people should be having is Wade Phillips / John Fox. I can end that debate now. Wade is one of the greatest defensive coaches in league history. Fox builds great defenses.
• I don’t want to see Peyton Manning play football anymore. When Denver ran the ball on that late third down I just felt bad. Primarily because it was the smart call.
• Usually you can’t label a team’s loss this simply but I will make an exception for Carolina. The moment got to them. They seemed to make every mistake. They’re young enough to rebound and get back there but they should show up with real offensive tackles next time.

Three questions for this game.

#1. I have no doubt Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware will get to Cam Newton. But what happens when they get there? Newton ain’t Tom Brady. He’s more likely to throw Miller to the ground than be sacked by him.

#2. What happens if the Panthers offense struggles early? This is a team that hasn’t faced adversity a lot this season and certainly hasn’t faced a defense of this caliber. If Carolina doesn’t score on their first couple drives, do we see Cam Newton force things?

#3. One of the untold stories of the AFC title game was how many receivers Peyton Manning missed for big plays down the field. But the biggest stat of this game may be Manning’s interception total. Can he avoid the big mistake, especially in the middle of the field? If he does, the Broncos defense will keep the game close.

Carolina Panthers 24, Denver Broncos 20