balta1701-A

I've always believed Tillman does an excellent job against the bigger, more physically gifted receivers. I think you match him up with Owens, Moss, guys like that...the really big receiver who is using his size or strength to his advantage, and Tillman does a solid job of shutting him down. Where Tillman is weaker is if you put him up against a guy who uses his speed more. I.e. Steve Smith, Bernard Berrian, etc., I always thought prior to this season Vasher was a better corner against them because he was simply faster than Peanut.

Also worth noting...Brees needs to average something like 301 yards passing per game for the rest of the season to pass Marino's single season yardage record.

Well, let's think rationally here. If the Bears somehow wound up in position to draft a top QB, around spot 8 or something like that, given that they're currently 6-5, that pretty much means they're going to have to lose out the season to go 6-10. After a collapse like that one, you'd sort of expect that someone might take the blame, and the QB who fell apart and led his team to 4 straight losses after beating the Rams might be on the hot seat. Anyway...I still want some O-Linemen.

Plenty of other teams would be willing to sign a pass rush specialist DE. Not for a monstrous Peppers type contract, but he'd find another job.

Last year, weren't the only 2 guys who got #1 wide receiver money Bernard Berrian and Javon Walker?

I agree with your idea that continuing to build up the Offensive line is a solid thing for the Bears to do and probably should still be their main target in this offseason's draft, regardless of their problems on defense. But I disagree with your idea that signing Faneca is the way to do it, especially for the long term. Alan Faneca turns 32 in about 3 weeks. To expect him to last to the point where he will be a major factor for the future or even for the time that he's taking up big chunks of cap room is probably a mistake. If you were signing him, you were signing him for 2008 and 2009. For comparison, Olin Kreutz is actually 6 months younger than Faneca. His decline has been called by several people for over a year now, and we've been talking about his replacement for a while now also.

Would an upgrade on the O-Line really be the key thing to help the Bears right now?

The Bears should be embarrassed if they only win by the scores you guys are posting.

Maybe Ayanbadejo really was that important as a blocker.

Is 2010 still looking to be uncapped?

Well, they'll also be getting that Merriman dude back. They will make a good jump on D regardless of their coach.

Guys...we really don't need to bait him.

Here's the discussion thread ongoing at Soxtalk, in case you don't travel there often.

Quite simply, a team with Devin Hester on it should not lose the field position game.

Why? Now we can use it to spy on every single meeting of the RNC or high up people in their campaigns. It's now totally legal again.

The way that ankle looked when he went down, that's really amazing.

He didn't throw any picks that were really his fault and didn't totally screw over his team. For a backup qb, that's often not bad.

But it's still a game that the Bears seem like they had a very good chance to win, that they did not win.

Which number is greater: number of 1st round picks on the Bears' defense or # of first round picks in the Lions' receiving corps?

Well, um, I have some news for you.

Honestly, that's a move that makes perfect sense. Drop the QB and put in an extra blocker, Give Hester the ball, and point towards the end zone.

Culpepper is not a multi-year solution for anyone regardless of whether or not he signs a multiyear deal.

Figured someone ought to post this on this board. Seems the NFL has roughly 6-8 players, including 2 Saints, one of whom is Deuce, who've in some fashion tested positive for banned PED's and who are currently locked up in the appeals process.

He's worth the $ as a #2 for us, but if Orton continues at anywhere near his current pace...there are teams out there that will give him more money to actually challenge for a starting spot. If he'd continue to sign 1-2 year contracts for #2 starter money then obviously you bring him back because he knows the system and personnel, but I think he's going to want to move on.

He could wind up in Minnesota. One of their receivers worked pretty well with him in the past.