balta1701-A

I'd rather spend the $11 million on Bowe/Jackson. Yes, there are positives to Wayne/Garcon, and yes, signing the big WR will leave the Bears still needing to fill that 3rd WR spot...but I don't think this is a case where you go for the double, you swing for the fences. The hole is so big there that adding good but not great won't leave me satiated. Especially when you have Jay Cutler sitting there, I want a single, go to guy for him, a guy who is always double-teamed, a guy who the defense will game plan around, where it makes the other WR's better having him, and that's not Garcon.

Of course, one thing worth remembering is that TO strong-armed his way into Philadelphia and wouldn't go anywhere else, but that's another story.

If the difference between $9 and $11 million was what cost the Bears one of those 2 WR"s you say should be at $9 million, then that's a major failure. Clearly they need to be on the phone first thing at midnight with either Jackson or Bowe, but if somehow they lose out on those guys, I'd rather overpay one of those last 2 WR's by $2 million than fail to come away with one.

I think Mathis is a great option. Don't know that I'd cut Wooten just yet, but Mathis would look ideal on the opposite side from Peppers.

Let's say this then. If the Bears are close to $40 million available, then they ought to pull off both a top flight WR and one of the top flight DE's from the market, in addition to some CB depth and maybe one of the available OT's. But they ought to be able to get at least 2 stars there, and the WR and DE would make the biggest impact from the available guys.

And most of the stuff I've seen has said that the Bears are somewhere close to $100 million committed, giving them $20 million or so under next year's cap plus a good chunk in "Carry over", however the rules work on each part.

The Bears are in a position where any of the "Will be" numbers you quote would be acceptable to them and a top flight WR should be worth that to them.

Moose was not a "Maybe" when the Bears picked him up. He was in a lot more demand than Moss and Owens.

I'm sure people said similar things about Pace.

That would put the Bears at about $80 million? Again, I think I've most commonly seen $100.

The best position for the Bears to be in would be to cover the 2 biggest needs (OT and WR) in free agency, then add decent players in a couple of the other spots (CB, DE, OLB, extra WR or TE), so that they go into the draft still having roles that can be filled, but no single position that they're desperate to address. That way, they can just draft BPA in their picks, and that's a formula to rebuilding the roster once the veterans on D start retiring.

Is that guy still using a $140 million cap number? He's the only one anywhere I've seen say it would be that highl

I would still be disappointed if the Bears went into the draft with major needs at WR and at OT. If nothing else happens, those need satisfied partially in free agency. I don't know if they'll want a starter or not, that's going to be up to Tice and Emery to decide what they are doing with Webb and Carimi, but "Cutting Omiyale and not finding a replacement" would be unacceptable.

I like how Pace was in fact actually acquired.

One issue with DJax is that a decent portion of his value is as a returner. And the Bears...have that.

I think the $50 is probably wrong, the guy who wrote that number was projecting a cap that was $20 million to high. When we start discussing the difference between $20 and $30 million, things like whether the actual cap comes in at $120 or $126 matter a lot, and that number isn't set for the next few weeks I believe. So the Bears are in the range of $20-$30 million from their commitments, but then there is probably about $10 million in holdover space, and there will probably be a couple million in cuts (please Omiyale leave, Please please please). So it's hard to come up with an exact number, but it ought to be close enough to $30, plus or minus where the actual cap sits and any other tricks they do with guys currently on the roster.

I really haven't seen this being available in FA, unless new names have appeared.

Exactly. It's such a huge need that if you take a high risk guy and he fails...the position winds up still being a position of n eed.

My top choice remains Jackson. Even if Bowe is available, I think Jackson seems to me to profile better with Cutler's arm strength.

And yet, if you actually read his words, there's no sign that he's a different guy at all from the one who Minnesota cut after he ripped on their caterer or the Patriots traded after he quit against the Jets. And I hate the "if he's bad we'll cut him" idea. Who replaces him if he's cut after 2 games? Unless the Bears expect to have Knox back after a couple games, that leaves the Bears back in the WR void they're in right now.

Really? If I look at this team and think "Positions where the Bears really aren't desperate for anyone", DT comes in 3rd, after starting QB and Middle Linebacker.

Yes, I'd be strongly against getting one of those guys "And" Moss. Especially with Forte on the team, Randy Moss would not get the number of touches he needs to keep himself interested in the game if he was sitting there as the 2nd/3rd WR option.

At which point, the Bears go back to being undermanned at WR and wind up missing the playoffs or losing to green bay. hooray! easy.

And Haynesworth is a "Good" defensive tackle?