Reports are now being confirmed that the Bears will travel to London in 2011 to play the Bucs in what will be a Bucs home game.  The exact date of the contest will be released with the remainder of the schedule.

Also announced today was the preseason schedule, which will feature the Bears in two high-profile national television slots.  They will face the Rams in the Hall of Fame Game on the evening of August 7 on NBC.  They will then wait fifteen days before facing the Giants at the New Meadowlands, Monday night August 22, on ESPN.

This was an actual dialogue between my brother Jon (a die-hard Jets fan) and myself (a Chicago Bears addict):

Jon: I haven’t followed any of this labor stuff.

Me: I haven’t either.

Jon: I just don’t care.

Me: Just let me know when they play the games.

Jon: How was the US vs. Argentina game?

Me: Cold but amazing…

There will not be much variety when it comes to my analysis of the 2011 Chicago Bears draft.  I am more than on record as saying I believe the team should use each and every pick on an offensive lineman and hope they strike gold a few times.  They have no other pressing position on their roster.  If they solidify their club up front, they can easily win the NFC.

ere are two players I like in the second round.

RODNEY HUDSON G/C FLORIDA STATE

Video of Performance: Click here.  (He’s #62)

Analysis from O-Line World: Click here.

Upside: Hudson is often applauded for his “nasty” and his versatility on the line (he’s believed to be a future center).  He is also a terrific athlete with no history of health problems.

Downside: LeCharles Bentley says, ” Some coaches may believe he can play guard in the NFL based on his ability to anchor.  The reality is he would be a great guard for about a season in the NFL because physically it’s very difficult to be the nail and not the hammer week to week in the NFL.  Every defensive coordinator will instruct their 330lb DT’s to bull rush Rodney every single snap with the intent of breaking him.”

My Take: The Bears need to have an heir apparent for Olin Kreutz in place by the end of the 2011 season as OK can’t have many more season left in the Hawaiian tank.  Hudson can fill the guard slot for a year and shift over for 2012 if he’s able.

But I’d prefer…

 DANNY WATKINS G BAYLOR

Video of Performance: Click here.

Upside: From Beyond the Combine – “Delivers a good initial punch. Physical in the run game, finishes off blocks, plays with a nasty attitude. Drops hips well,  Plays with good pad-level, good feet. An intelligent prospect that understands blocking schemes. Great upper body strength, plays with good posture, very patient. Good balance and body control. Showed at the Senior Bowl that he can anchor against the bull-rush on a consistant basis.”

Downside: From Shutdown Corner – “The former part-time firefighter (he went to Butte because of the school’s Fire Sciences program) will turn 27 years old in November, which may give potential NFL suitors pause as much as his lack of experience — his age could make him a one-contract guy. Doesn’t possess great second-level agility, but may be able to modify his technique over time to fit a zone-combo scheme. Watkins’ natural ability to adopt a new position will be tested by more complex NFL defenses — it wouldn’t be surprising if he struggles at first as his technique catches up to his raw ability.”

My Take: A 27 year-old Canadian with experience as both a firefighter and a hockey player.  Yes, you could say I want this guy on the Chicago Bears.

Because there is no free agency period and because the NFLPA and NFL owners are currently entangled in the stupidest labor dispute in American history, there is nothing to write about.  Instead I’ve been spending all my time developing TheOtherSports.com (come check it out) and focusing my attention on non-NFL activites.

Today’s open debate is an easy one.  Who should Jerry Angelo and company select in the first round?  My answer: Mike Pouncey, Florida.

Yes I know that most have Pouncey slotted before the Bears select at 29.  (Prognosticators have him going anywhere from 20-28.)  But Pouncey is the perfect addition to the Bears offensiive line.  He would immediately start at guard and be the natural successor to Olin Kreutz at center as our beloved #57 only has one or two more rodeos left in his hind quarters. 

I also liked the PFT report wherein Pouncey declared he’d attend the draft if invited and regardless of the the NFLPA.  I like someone who doesn’t care what he’s expected to do and I like those kinds of guys in the trenches for the Chicago Bears.

So…who is your pick?

The NFL Competition Committee, the talented group of brainiacs that meet each offseason and discuss the minutiae of the NFL game experience, are proposing moving kickoffs from the 30 to the 35 yard-line for reasons of player safety I simply don’t understand.  The belief currently circulating is that kickoff returns are responsible for a lack of player safety and not the remaining 97% of action wherein a series of three hundred pound men kick the shit out of each other.

Jerry Jones at home.

Blindly supporting the players or owners in a CBA situation can be a problematic approach, especially during barroom discussions.  If you support the owners, you’re a right-winger who has no compassion for the working man.  If you support the players, you’re a socialist who believes it’s more important for millionaires to make more millions than for a sport to continue operating at a profit.  

There is a belief in the sports world that the NFL season is now 52 weeks long and allows coaches and organizations only the short break between the end of their season and the start of the scouting combine in Indianapolis (the shorter that break, the more successful your season). For the Chicago Bears, I’m hoping these few months don’t allow them too much time, too much distance from the central issues of their 2010 campaign: the offensive line.

They do not require development of young talent, though J’Marcus Webb is certainly a player with a future in the organization.  They do not require more time to become acquainted with a complicated system, though improvement will surely follow the continuation of the Mad Mike system.  The Bears need better players on the offensive line.  Plain and simple.  Not a single individual, with the exception of Webb, should be considered irreplaceable over the next six months.  Not one.  Not the aging great in the center.  Not the talented Mexican at guard.  Certainly not the left side – which walked an eighteen-game tight rope and spent too much time on the security net.

Pompei Has Warped Priorities

As Texans right tackle Eric Winston explained earlier this week on PFT Live, the NFL could easily grow the pie by selling the Thursday night package to the highest bidder, in lieu of using it to prop up a league-owned network with far less distribution than it deserves.  The other easy answer would be to eliminate the playoff byes, adding four games to the wild-card round that could be sold to the networks.

While the overwhelming majority of NFL coaches will be forced to accept pay cuts in the event of a labor stoppage, Bears assistants have been assured their pay won’t be docked unless a lockout forces NFL games to be canceled, team president Ted Phillips said Friday.

Good for the Bears.  

It’s the slowest time of the NFL season, unless you get excited about franchise tags and press releases from the mediators of collective bargaining sessions.  In Bearsland, it’s no different.  

Some might argue the top half of the Bears’ board should be heavy with defensive players, given the age of some of the key defenders. But Ruskell doesn’t see it that way.

 Can someone explain to me the essence of this “argument”?  Are the Bears simply content to plod along offensively while focusing all their attention on defensive depth.  They have, right now, in place, a defense that can hold the world champions to three scores or less.  They need to score points.  They need to block.

Some fans have written their protest songs about the contract extension given to Lovie Smith by Jerry Angelo and the Chicago Bears.  Some believe we have entered into a deal with the world’s most boring devil – a devil that has no concept of game management or the correct use of challenge flags.  Some believe the surprising 2010 campaign, capped off with a trip to the NFC title game, had nothing to do with the head coach from Big Sandy, Texas.