jason

I love how all the Mendy talk happened before the draft, and then he doesn't even end up going as the second RB. OL was the biggest need, and was addressed. OL is probably the second biggest need as well.

By the way, the note on Tomlinson was to show that the Predraft grades and comments are often wrong. For all the things "wrong" with LT, he sure has turned out well and seems to have done everything opposite of his detractors. I don't like the Forte pick, but I suppose it's possible that all the "bad things" about Forte are wrong.

Luckily they have brains bigger than a BB and didn't make the move up for Mendenhall. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the Forte pick, but drafting up to get Mendenhall would have sucked just as much.

I'll tell you what guys, I love the Chris Williams pick. I saw him play twice this year, once against Mississippi, and the finale against Wake Forest. This is what I remember seeing/thinking: 1) He seems very fast 2) He almost always made the DE go really wide 3) He seemed like he had quick hands or quick extension of the arms once the Defensive player engaged. But this is the most important thing I remember from each game: He looked like he was playing against a little kid. I don't mean that the other person was smaller. What I mean is, when you are playing with a little kid, you can often do things that are ridiculously unsuccessful against adults. That is what appeared to be happening against two big schools with decent talent...one of which is an SEC school. He dominated. It was the equivalent to dribbling a ball behind a little kid, then making him turn, and then bringing it back where he doesn't see it. He was the And 1 Mix Tape of Offensive Linemen when I watched. This is a great pick for the Bears, and he'll probably start immediately. That should bring Tait to the RT spot, and upgrade two spots at the same time.

Love the first round selection...don't like the second round selection. I am just not a fan of guys from smaller schools who boost stats hammering weak opponents. There are plenty of options that prove this wrong, but more often than not a guy who dominates in a big conference is going to do better.

Yes...I made the thunder and thunder comment in regards to Mendenhall and Benson. From what I have seen, some hope for Mendenhall, but all realize that if he is drafted, he'll be sharing time with Benson. Neither is lightning, and I haven't seen the game or highlight video that makes me think otherwise. Also, if you think the poor OL is an excuse, you must not have watched the games last year. The OL stunk up the joint. Seriously, watch a replay if you have it. They were brutal most of the season. No skill position players - outside of hall of famers - do well behind a crap OL.

Oh. Also... I wish this were one of those pie-in-the-face videos and someone slammed a pie in Rosenhaus' face so hard that his nose were broken.

Completely agree. This crap will never end until the owners start to get tough with these dirtbags. Chad Johnson can sit on his ass all year and see how unhappy he is then! If I were the owner, I would teach Chad Johnson's dumb ass a lesson. I'd keep him until his contract was done, and fine him the maximum amount allowable by the CBA. I'd also go on a media frenzy - via my GM - basically saying that Chad Johnson not only hurting himself, but he's hurting my organization, and I wish he'd play. If that happened, the sit-out wouldn't last past week 4....and if the Bengals were losing due to poor offensive performance, it may end sooner.

It's a very good start. I'd love to see Albert in the first.

I'm at a state bowling tournament in Mobile, AL hoping to win some big money. Unfortunately, I bowl at 4pm (CST)...so I'll probably have to get the recap online. Here's to hoping the Bears don't draft Mendenhall in the first.

DING DING DING!!!! What do we have for him Johnny!?

Yeah but you live in a foreign country; so, there's some sort of loophole for cultural differences.

Regarding this conversation...read the signature line below.

What do you base that on? Have you seen a lot of his games? He didn't appear too shifty in the games I saw, and in the highlights I've seen he doesn't appear to make anyone really miss. Looks to me like he ran where the open lane was in the spread offense.

(begin rant) Personally, I hate his haircut, or lack thereof. That new floppy haircut that all the young boys are wearing looks like shit. Guys shouldn't have long hair unless they are rockers, Indians, hippies, or bums. It's just a small part of that graying of the sexual boundaries going on in our society that is demasculinizing boys. (end rant) As for the 100 catches, keep dreaming. There is no way he gets 100 catches with the mastermind Turner behind the offense. There were several instances last year where the Bears had goal-line passing situations and didn't even let Olsen sniff the field! Who the hell else is going to catch thd end zone fade if not a massive tight end on an overmatched DB?! If Olsen gets 60 catches, consider it a good year.

Grudges? I hold many. Do they apply to this board? Absolutely not. That'd be silly, because this stuff is not that important considering our relative unimportance. Although, I would say that some conversations get more heated than others, and some posters are incredibly more sensitive than others. I don't hold a grudge against JA; I think he's done a fairly good job. If the Bears do draft a RB in the first, and it would probably be Mendenhall, I'll tell you all that he's going to be a bust...just like I said when the Bears drafted Benson. What amazes me about the whole thing is that we have all watched the same games, and I'm baffled that people think drafting a RB in the first is a good idea when there are several other more pressing needs.

I admit that I haven't seen him a ton, but I have seen enough to form an opinion. I have gone to Youtube and looked at a few highlights as well. So, what I want to know is this: Is Rashard Mendenhall a speed back or a power back? From nearly everything I've seen, he's not explosively fast. He appears to be more of a power back whose speed was accentuated by playing in a quirky spread offense. If the Bears draft him, isn't he essentially the same type of player as Benson?

That doesn't seem to make sense to me. I thought Mendenhall was considered a powerful inside runner with a little burst on the outside? If Mendenhall is drafted, it's as a replacement for Benson, not a counter-part in a thunder and thunder attack.

Just about every mock draft someone has proposed with a RB as the Bears #1 draft pick has brought about distaste from me, and a nearly universal reply of "hate it". Your mock possibility, however, is only borderline distasteful because of the start. It's like the peanut sauce at Thai places - the first bite is kinda weird, but you end up liking it at the end. Take one of those OLinemen out, and then I hate it. Any draft that starts out with a RB for the Bears has to be loaded with OLinemen afterwards.

I honestly considered it, but it was more for the sake of the board's opinion than for mine. I honestly don't think the Bears really need a RB all that badly this year. There is no way to accurately rate or evaluate the RBs on the roster when the OL sucks as bad as they did last year. When Benson was given any kind of hole, or decent blocking, he blasted through and made good gains. I really believe that Benson could put up huge stats if the Bears' OL played like they did two years ago. He's got the speed/burst to get to the second level, and enough wiggle to make it hard for stationary LBs to tackle him. That means a lot of downhill running at safeties and DBs. It's all about my signature below...

The draft list is more of a wish than a prediction. As for the QBs, it's somewhat of a personal philosophy. I think the Bears should make it a practice of signing QBs with potential in draft after draft. I like the idea of having four QBs, to be quite honest. After this year, the Bears find out which of the vets they want to keep, get rid of the other, and have an open camp with two young studs, and one young vet. It's never a bad idea to have a good QB on the roster; we should all know that by now. And since we haven't had a good QB since McMahon, it's about time the investment is taken a little more seriously. Both Dixon and Brennan have serious upside and potential, and I think the Bears should be willing to carry four if the opportunity presents itself. On a side note, what is your personal experience with Brennan?

Actually, I didn't have enough time to reply. I'm on the traveling for work this week, and don't have the computer time that I normally have. We'll just agree to vehemently disagree.

Pass. I have a friend who is a diehard Seattle fan, and he's hated Alexander for several years. Alexander runs weak, seeks the sideline whenever possible, breaks no tackles, and would get destroyed behind the Bears' OL.

Otah would excite me more than Mendenhall. Actually, if the Bears pick Mendenhall with the 14th pick, I'll be disgusted...and I'm sure I'll hear yet another year of calls from friends - who are fans of other teams - making fun of the Bears' first round selection again.

I think many would argue that the RB situation is better than the QB situation for the Bears. Let's face it; Rex Grossman doesn't really scare opponents, and they sure don't get shivers thinking about NeckBeard. And, while nobody is scared of Benson either, I think others realize that Benson has more raw talent to exploit if given the right opportunity than either Rex Grossman or NeckBeard.