ASHKUM BEAR

Nice job on the poll, I did the last one just to see who people would pick without a name attached. The two guys I like the most are Brohm or Brennan. Flacco is the hype and though I wouldn't mind him he seems like a mix of Orton/Grossman.

I think if a topic like "Shaun Rogers traded to Cincy" shows up, then yes it should be transferred. Even though it was a division rival losing a good player. A topic like Jake Scott or Kevin Jones may not need to be transferred if they are bringing in discussions related to the Bears. I understand you'd like a concrete solution so everyone is happy, but this can't be handled as black/white but rather GRAY. Whatever decision is made, we just need to respect your decision and live on. PS- having links added to the web site to sites like KFFL hot wire, Hailedredskin.com, rotowire, PFW would be nice since they are very informative sites.

Who said we gave up on Tait? I think most of us have said we'd like the Bears to draft a potential OLT and shift Tait back to the right side. That may give us two added strengths. RT Tait, RG Garza, C Kreutz, LG St. Clair, LT Williams. Lately, the OLT coming into the league have been pretty good lets hope we can find that same luck.

I just used them as a scenerio of what we could look at if some team wanted to leap us/Detroit for Mendenhall if he's still there at 14. The trade was off by 230ish on the point chart, so we'd have to throw in our 2nd instead of our 3rd to make it closer. If Clady/Williams are both off the board, I'd rather trade down than take a RB. If we couldn't find a trade partner, then I'd take Mendenhall. 14 IMO would be too early for Brohm/Flacco, Otah/Albert, Sweed or Phillps. I'd rather trade than reach b/c the talent from the mid 1st to the mid 3rd are pretty close IMO.

No need to be so down about things yet. Our O-line will get a boost when we add a potential stud OLT. At G, we have Garza and most likely St. Clair (competing w/ Beekman, Metcalf, and draft pick). St. Clair will be better than most give him credit for, he always filled in nicely when he stepped in at OT. Our WR is iffy, but I think Booker, Bradley, Hester & Loyld will be just fine especially if we use Clark/Olson as main threats (Gates/Gonzalez). Benson will have to man up, or his NFL days are done. I think he'll be fine with a stronger line that can drive off the ball. At D, we have Mike Brown coming back. These guys just need to stay healthy and they'll be elite once again. Just b/c we see all these holes written out on paper doesn't mean these are real holes. They are worth the concern, but nothing we need to be unloading cap space on especially if we want to keep our some of our own. If a good deal comes along, you will see a signing. Otherwisse we will go with our group and bring in some draft picks.

Supposedly Sirius Radio said Johnson was close to signing with the Bears? I can't find a site linking this rumor, but I caught it on other message boards. Wouldn't this be a pleasant surprise. Bryant Johnson to Bills, Bucs or Skins? Joel Segal, the agent for free-agent wide receiver Bryant Johnson, said Wednesday night that he is in negotiations with three teams -- not including the Bears -- and anticipates having a deal done by the weekend. Interest in Johnson, a former first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, had appeared to cool because of a high asking price. The only team he is known to have visited is Buffalo, though Tampa Bay and Washington are reported to be interested. After Berrian signed a $42 million deal with Minnesota on March 1, Johnson was considered at the top of the next tier of wideouts. -- Chicago Sun-Times Link of Moose discussing the Bears Moose on the Bears

Awesome news, if Clady/Williams are gone before 14 then we can trade down b/c Mendenhall's stock just went through the roof. Teams that had Stewart on there radar may think twice now, meaning more interest trading up for Mendes services. I love to see Mendenhall in a Bears uni, but if we can aquire more picks we may be able to get a lot more value. scenerio: trade with Dallas 22 Branden Albert OG 28 Brian Brohm QB 45 Jonathan Stewart RB 76 Tony Hills OLT 91 traded to Dallas 107 Craig Steltz/Tom Zbikowski SS 137 Adarius Bowman WR 169 traded to Dallas

I didn't want to sell Flacco anymore than he already is. He's already getting a lot of hype and if we were to pass him up with our 2nd I know Best Buy in the Chicago area will have an increase in TV and Computer sales b/c people would be putting remotes and mouse's through them(LOL). I'm starting to like the thought of Brohm, not so much at 14 but if we could trade down for someone wanting to get to Mendenhall before Detroit. Also, Brennan seems interesting too and I wouldn't be upset if we got him with one of our thirds if we missed out on Brohm/Flacco. I think Brohm has all the tools (unlike McNown/Grossman) and is the most polished out of all the QB's. His biggest flaws were a couple of injuries (knee and thumb) that make you question durability and that his numbers dropped his senior campaign but he was playing for a new HC with a new system. Ryan-not big, not mobile/elusive, no cannon for down the field throws Woodson-hitch in his throw, bad mechanics, sits in pocket, not very mobile/elusive Flacco-small school competition, hasn't played under center, forces ball down field (Rex) Brennan-system QB, skinny Henne-Not as tall as you would like, mobility and deep throws not as strong as you would like.

I here ya, I don't think were looking to spend too much since we said bye-bye to Gilmore. Gilmore signed a 3yr 4 mil deal w/ 1 mil guaranteed. Walker would more than likely be offered a 3yr 2.8-3 mil deal otherwise we would of macthed Tampas offer. I like the idea of bringing in a big vet that knows his role instead of bringing in a rook that we may not fill comfortable with especially if we will be bringing in a rookie OT. We need to surround the rook with superior talent to make his transition smooth.

Bears | Team meets with A. Walker Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:59:31 -0700 Brad Biggs, of the Chicago Sun-Times, reports the Chicago Bears met with free-agent TE Aaron Walker (Rams) Wednesday Walker is more of a blocking TE to replace Gilmore. He played at Florida with Rexy, and St. Louis so Lovie has some inside on him. Interesting hopefully we sign him

BearSox is right on all. I just pointed some goods/bads to see who voted for what not based on name. I didn't mention Henne b/c he didn't have anything great that stood out and is a little bit on the shorter side.

. St. Clair was solid for a guy that spent the entire season preparing to fill either tackle spot in a pinch. When he played at guard, I didn't notice him make any mistakes, but I didn't see him blow anybody up either. St. Clair at G may be alright for a short term answer as I don't think he'll be a liability there (like Metcalf)

Prospect A. (+)Has all the intangables and leadership qualities. Tough and plays through pain and takes command of the team. Strong arm and can complete all the intermediate routes. Decent mobility and can throw accurate on the run. (-)Doesn't shine at any physical aspect, but not poor at any either. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prospect B. (+)Has it all from a physical standpoint. Perfect height and weight for a QB and can take a hit. Is athletic enough to avoid the rush and buy time in the pocket. Can make all the throws and has great arm strength. Makes smart decisions and doesn't turn the ball over often. (-)Durability is a concern as he suffered ligement tears twice in his college career. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prospect C. (+)Has perfect height and weight for a QB and excels in the pocket. Delivered many strikes with defenses collasping in on him. His arm strength is his strength as he can make all the throws. Very accurate and smart with the football as he had a 60% completion percentage in 4 yrs and a threw 79 TDs to 25 ints. (-)Lacks mobility and averaged 30 sacks a year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prospect D. (+)Has the height and weight to be a great pocket passer. Can withstand hits and make all the throws down the field. Very accurate on throws and nails his target. (-)Played in a shot gun offense so will have to learn to play under center. Puts alot of faith in his arm and forces the ball often. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prospect E. (+)Has decent height and is patient enough to sit in the pocket to deliver strikes. Has a strong accurate arm and can make all the throws. Is highly efficient throwing the ball and excels in the intermediate routes and hits the deeps routes on point. Mobile enough to avoid sacks and can buy time in the pocket. (-)Durability is one concern for him in the NFL. He'll have to bulk up to withstand the punishment. Also questioned is how he will handle playing a pro style offense.

Lets say we do move down and find a suitor in SF. The trade works out with our 1-14 + 5-137 for SF 1-29 + 2-40. The only way I'd like the move is if Clady/Williams are both gone at 14. Below are a couple of ways we could draft. We draft: 1-29 Joe Flacco QB~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1-29 Branden Albert OG 2-40 Sam Baker OT ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2-40 Sam Baker OT 2-45 Gosder Cherilus OT ~~~~~~~~~ 2-45 Early Doucet WR/Mario Manningham WR 3-76 Ray Rice RB ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3-76 Ray Rice RB 3-91 Jordy Nelson WR ~~~~~~~~~~~ 3-91 Josh Johnson QB 4-107 Marcus Griffin FS ~~~~~~~~~~~ 4-107 Marcus Griffin FS/Wesley Woodard SS 5-traded ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~5 traded 6-173 Keenan Burton WR ~~~~~~~~~~~6-173 Keenan Burton WR 7-205 Jacob Hester FB ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7-205 Jacob Hester FB 7-245 comp. (Chris Horston SS)~~~~~~~7-245 comp. SS/FS 7-250 comp. (BPA)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~7-250 comp. (BPA)

The Bears were god awful running the ball last year. Blame who you want, but this is an area that has to be fixed. IMO, we will be looking to add a RB to compete. The NFL is a funny place for RB's. Ryan Grant GB, was an undrafted FA and had an almost Probowl season in limited action (7 starts). He finsihed w/ 986yds, give him 9 more games and he breaks 2000. The point of this is, as much as we'd love to see Mendenhall/Stewart in a Bears uniform, it's not the best decision for the Bears. We have a first RD back in Benson for 1 more year with a solid back up warrior in AP. Wolfe will provide a nice change of pace if used correctly. The Bears first priority needs to be the Oline. Not a glorious choice, but an area that needs youth. The best place for the Bears to draft a RB is from the 3rd to the 5th RD. My draft board RD3-4 1. Ray Rice-Considered small, but so was Emmitt Smith. Rice plays with passion and was the work horse at Rutgers. 2. Kevin Smith-Has great vision/balance to go with his speed. Can play between the tackles, block, and catch. 3. Jamaal Charles- Will probably be the 5th RB taken somewhere in RD2, but he's 3rd on my board 4. Tashard Choice- Has speed, vision and balance and catches the ball well. 5. Matt Forte-More of a bruiser, bust it through the tackles type runner. Sizes and 40 times at combine: Ray Rice Rutgers-5-8 199 4.44 Jamaal Charles Texas- 5-11 200 4.38 Kevin Smith Central Florida- 6-1 217 4.43 Tashard Choice Georgia Tech- 5-10 215 4.54 Matt Forte Tulane-6-1 217 4.46 Steve Slaton W Virginia 5-9 197 4.44 Jalen Parmele Toledo 5-11 224 4.47 Alan Patrick Oklahoma 6-0 198 Mike Hart 5-8 206 4.67

I think Chad Johnson is really trying hard to get out of Cincy and he may just get his wish now. I'm not sure I'd want him on the team if he is a cancer, but thought I'd bring it up to see what you think. Bengals | Former teammate says C. Johnson punched Lewis Fri, 7 Mar 2008 12:09:26 -0800 Mark Curnutte, of The Cincinnati Enquirer, reports Cleveland Browns DL Shaun Smith, a former Cincinnati Bengal, said that Bengals WR Chad Johnson had an altercation with head coach Marvin Lewis and wide receivers coach Hue Jackson, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens. There was reportedly a video on YouTube of Smith making comments about the fight but the video was removed. "He swung on Marvin. (Johnson) shattered the training room glass. He swung on Marvin (and) hit Marvin in the eye. Then he tried to swing on wide receivers coach Hue Jackson, who's now in Baltimore." Not sure when this altercation happened, but I'm sure Cincy will want to get rid of him after this. Would he be worth a 2nd RD pick?

Bears | Team showing interest in McCareins Fri, 7 Mar 2008 04:52:22 -0800 Jim Wyatt, of the Tennessean, reports the Chicago Bears have expressed interest in free-agent WR Justin McCareins (Jets). Awesome!!!!

I also see Stl passing on Jake Long. They drafted Alex Barron in RD1 to eventually replace Pace.

We should find out by the third week of March if we will get compensated for our FA losses in 2007. We will most likely gain (2) 7th RD picks for losing Boone, Worrell, Johnson, and Scott (IMO). 1 Chris Williams OLT 2 Devin Thomas WR 3 Chad Henne QB 3 Quintin Demps S 4 Matt Forte RB 5 Brad Cottam TE 6 Kory Lichtensteiger C/G 7 Jacob Hester FB 7 Jason Rivers WR 7 Lorenzo Williams DT

Latest I heard is Johnson met with Buffalo, but no contract was offered. He is supposed to meet with Washington, but he is really wanting to play in Buffalo and is hoping a deal could be worked out soon. Don't sound like he has a visit with Chicago at all. Maybe JA wants to bring back Engram so we can reunite all the old Bears.

I agree, Moose was really starting to fall, Book should be able to outperform the 2007 stats Moose put up. That gives us Booker, Hester, Bradley, Davis, Hass. I still see us adding another FA (Johnson, Hackett, McCariens) and then drafting one which would mean either Davis/Hass will be the odd man out. Marty Booker year rec yds avg td 2007 50 556 11.1 1 2006 55 747 13.6 3 2005 39 686 17.6 3 2004 50 638 12.8 1 Moose Muhammad 2007 40 570 14.3 3 2006 60 863 14.4 5 2005 64 750 11.7 4 2004 93 1405 15.1 16

We usually keep 3 TE's on the roster. Olsen, Clark, and ? If we don't pick up a blocking TE in FA, I'd target Cottam in the draft Brad Cottam, Tennessee Height: 6-7. Weight: 270. Projected 40 Time: 4.68. Combine 40 Time: 4.68. Benchx225: 24. Vertical: 33. Brad Cottam ran a really impressive 40 at his size and looked fluid in the drills. A monstrous tight end with decent size, Brad Cottam could be the best blocker at his position in this class.

Calvin Pace will play OLB in a 3-4 defense and the Jets weren't interested in a LB that's only played in a system defense that caters to the WLB. I'm guessing Pace's deal was more b/c he may have had other visits scheduled. Other teams that may have been interested would be NE, Miami to name a couple.

Plus, he was a huge Chicago Bear fan growing up.

I have a small feeling that JA really like the way St. Clair stepped up at the end of the season at G. Maybe he thinks were fine at G with Garza, St. Clair, Metcalf, and Beekman.