Connorbear

Got this from the Bears official site: Piling up the picks Bears may recoup losses with bonus draft choices Dan Pompei | On the NFL March 23, 2008As it stands today, the Bears have eight picks in the upcoming NFL draft, but if everything goes right they could end up with a dozen. They have their own picks in the first round (14th), second (13th), third (12th), fourth (11th), sixth (ninth) and seventh (15th). They traded their fifth-round pick to Buffalo for defensive tackle Darwin Walker. But they received a fifth-round pick (ninth) from the Panthers for Chris Harris.They also have the Chargers' third-round pick (27th) as a result of a draft-day trade last year. The Bears moved down 25 spots in the second round and received third- and fifth-round picks last year and the third-rounder this year. It is also possible they will receive a draft pick from the 49ers if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell rules the 49ers tampered with linebacker Lance Briggs when Briggs was under contract to the Bears last fall. And it is probable they will receive compensatory picks from the NFL. The best guess is they will receive three additional seventh-round picks. Teams that lose unrestricted free agents and don't replace them with other teams' free agents are awarded compensatory picks. The formula by which compensatory picks are awarded is a closely guarded secret. Even NFL teams don't know it. But they do know the picks are determined by the value of the contracts the players they lose sign and their performances in the subsequent season. Last year, the Bears lost Justin Gage, Alfonso Boone, Ian Scott, Todd Johnson and Cameron Worrell. Players who are cut, as Tank Johnson was, don't count. The only free agent of significance they added was Anthony Adams. Lest anyone think those compensatory picks are meaningless, consider this: there has been a direct correlation to compensatory picks and winning over the last decade. The teams that have been given the most comp picks over that time are the Ravens (24), Rams (20), Packers (19), Patriots (17), Bucs (17), Jaguars (16), Eagles (15), Cowboys (15), Bears (12), Titans (12) and Steelers (11). Of those teams, only the Jaguars and Cowboys have not played in a Super Bowl during that decade. The other nine teams have made 13 appearances in the Super Bowl and won seven of the 10. The compensatory pick system rewards the teams that draft well and do not look for the quick fix. A team selects a player who becomes a starter. They lose him as a free agent and he gets a lucrative contract, so they are rewarded with a compensatory pick that can be as high as a third-rounder. Then they have a chance to draft a player of commensurate abilities who takes up less space under the salary cap. Among the players who have been chosen with comp picks are Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Vikings running back Chester Taylor (by the Ravens), Saints wide receiver Marques Colston, Patriots offensive tackle Nick Kaczur, Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel (by the Steelers), Seahawks linebacker LeRoy Hill and Colts safety Antoine Bethea. Even though comp picks can't be traded, they enable teams to take more chances in the draft, and can set up trades with other picks. The more picks a team has, the more flexibility it has on draft day.

I agree. I am just hoping we can reduce the amount of turnovers and penalties on offense this yr so we can at least give the defense a fighting chance. Peace

Pix - congrats on the promo at work. I like your idea on a distribution list. I will send you an email later. Take care of yourself. Peace

We won't be the worst team with a top 10 defense and a top 5 special teams. We will most likely fight for a 7-9 or 8-8 record. Peace

Glad your back. FYI - I did not receive any emails on this issue. I will get with Pix and DBDB and make sure I am set up correctly. Peace

NFO - let me just say you have gained a ton of my respect. Thank you for stepping in and addressing. Peace

Wow!!!! I am extremely sorry to hear that. LT2 has always been one of my favorite posters. If you read this LT2 please know you will be missed. Peace

I bought my son and his cousin McNown jersey's long ago. I won't let him wear it. I should just burn the thing. Peace

I agree with everything but #2. I think Johnson will cost us a first rounder and would rather we address o-line with that pick. Peace

Piccalo, Hampton, Kruetz, Mike Brown, and Grossman. Normally I wear Piccalo to the games. Peace

I believe Harris was a 6th rounder. McBride was a 7th rounder and looks like a great pick so far. Aaron Brant, other 7th last yr, was a complete bust. 7th round is a crap shoot but. like you said, the more picks you have the better. Peace

McBride can feel like a 5th-round pick now Trumaine McBride figured all along he would be a fifth-round draft pick. At least he’s been compensated like one. The cornerback was the Bears’ biggest winner in the NFL’s performance-based pay system that rewards players for being on the field. The system adopted in 2002 provides the highest payouts to players who play the most and earn the least. As a seventh-round draft pick, 221st overall, McBride received a signing bonus of $55,250 for his four-year contract with a base salary of $285,000 last season. The payout received in performance-based pay? In excess of $200,000 according to two league sources, meaning McBride will collect money commensurate to bonus pay of a fifth-round selection. The Ole Miss product appeared in all 16 games and started nine as injuries wiped out the secondary. The league uses a complex formula that weighs play time (including special teams) with all facets of a player’s contract, including base pay and signing bonus. Safety Brandon McGowan, who played in 14 games and started nine, was next for the Bears. He collected roughly $180,000. Safety Danieal Manning and defensive end Mark Anderson also did well. Every player who steps on the field receives a portion of the pie that was just more than $3 million for each team. Even safety Mike Brown and defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, both injured for the season in the opener, get checks. High-paid center Olin Kreutz started 16 games. The formula produced a check for him in the range of $20,000. So yes, even well earning veterans enjoy the riches of the performance-based pay system. The biggest winner of all? Pittsburgh Steelers right tackle Willie Colon will cash a bonus check of $309,000. Posted by Brad Biggs on March 14, 2008 06:34 PM

If someone makes him an offer, I think he is gone. His real value to the team is on special teams and Toub can just plug in another piece if necessary. Peace

At this point, I would rather see what we have in Payne and Gattis. McGowan and Manning looked better at the end of the yr. Brown will hopefully be back. Unless we are plugging in someone like Hamlin I am more interested in seeing what we have from out young players with Brown as the vet presence. Peace

Since we haven't signed any high priced FA from other teams, it is likely we will get a comp pick for Berrian. Peace

Agreed. Kill the NFL forum. Peace

I like this idea. Brown and Benson fight it out for #1 RB with the loser being #2. Leave Wolfe at #3 with AP your special teams leader (replacing Brendan). Peace

Thinking about this, I agree with you here. If he unwilling to move down from 30 million guarenteed then don't extend him. We can always tag him later. He needs to be reasonable understanding the injury situation he has been in over the past few yrs. Peace

1. I agree. Look for Gould and Harris to be signed in the near future. 2. I think we will sign a vet for RB. Look for Chris Brown as a possibility. Unsure if we go after a WR very high. Maybe with one of the 1st 3rd round picks. I think we go OT and QB in the round 1 and 2 (in that order). 3. I think St. Clair is our starting LG next yr. The tackle that is drafted will most likely play RT this yr. I still think we will sign a OT as a backup (someone like Olivea). Peace

I agree. His biggest impact has been on special teams and we know that Toub will just plug someone else in. Peace

Nfo - you nailed it. Minimal risk in this deal to the Bears. Huge upside if he breaks out. Peace

Yeah, give me a self centered piece of crap like TO over Favre anyday!!!!!! Sorry dude, Favre was a great player whose value to the game can't be measured. Although I hated him as a Packer, I have tremendous respect for him as a player. Peace

On this article, I disagree that after Olsen the next offensive skill player is Booker. I see it as Clark who is a very, very good TE. Further, I do not see Booker as a replacement for Berrian. He is a replacement for Moose. Bradley or Hester replace Berrian (one of the 2 must step up). Nfo - I agree with you completely. I think this is why we will not draft RB in the first round. I see OT in round 1 and wr in round 2. Benson is going to be given 1 more chance. They cannot cut him because of his cost. They will either draft a rb in round 3 or later or they will sign a FA like Chris Brown to compete against Ced. Peace

He was a great ST player for us. Hate to see him go but we need to get some of the younger players involved. Best of luck to him. Peace

Yeah, just saw the Booker thread. Please ignore my previous post. Peace