ASHKUM BEAR

From what I've read and heard: Bears initial offer was 3 mil Kreutz rejected and said he feels he's worth around what Matt Birk was getting Bears counter with 4 mil Kruetz comes back asking 4.5 mil Bears said this is your offer and set a deadline to accept The Bears front office had to set a deadline because they were losing out on other FA's. The longer it took to try and sign Kreutz the higher the price tag on other available FA's became. It came down to making a decision, the Bears gave Olin a fair counter offer and the Kreutz camp thought they'd squeeze another 5K and when the Bears said take it or leave it Kreutz felt rejected and pissed.

I'd also like to point out with Spaeth coming out of Pittsburgh. They also do not let players on the field unless they know all of their assignments, plays, and can execute them. I've heard he has some drops, but he is a complete TE that will be an upgrade on the blocking end over Olsen.

He played gunner for the Cowgals. Also a Northern IL alumni that adds more size to our WR corp.

Great pick up!!! We got a WR taller the 5'9" with speed that is familiar with Martz and Drake. He is also a vet that can bring some experience to our stable of "colts". This move also makes up for Greg Olsen. Sure Olsen had talent, but now we can run more plays into the Martz playbook to include 7 step drops. We could not run/attempt a pass play like that with a TE that cannot block and if we took Olsen out, that also put the writing on the wall what play might be coming. This will also help Bennett, Knox, and Hester as I see teams fearing RW and putting Safety help closer to him.

Only giving a different route that I would have still been pleased with. Don't get me wrong I love the Paea pick and think he is more starter ready than McClain right now. What if Paea would've lasted 9 more picks? My 2nd route only shows what we could've had instead.

His low and high 40 times were 4.43 - 4.64 He will probably play around 210 pounds Conte has trimmed to 197 pounds to maximize his speed. He was as heavy as 225 pounds while playing cornerback as an underclassman and said he was between 210 and 215 as a senior. "I can put it back on if I have to," Conte said. Conte compared to some other FS/S Chris Conte 6-2 197 4.53 Troy Polamalu 5-10 206 4.40 Ed Reed 5-11 201 4.57 Nick Collins 5-11 206 4.36 Eric Berry 5-11 203 4.47 This years Safety crop in the draft Hgt. Wgt. 40 Reps Broad Ahmad Black Florida 5'9 1/2 184 4.76 18 9'11 Quinton Carter Oklahoma 6'0 5/8 208 4.62 23 10'1 Chris Conte California 6'2 3/8 197 4.60 18 10'7 DeJon Gomes Nebraska 5'11 1/2 208 4.51 Eric Hagg Nebraska 6'1 3/8 209 4.66 10'1 Will Hill Florida 6'0 3/4 202 4.65 10'3 Jermale Hines Ohio St. 6'1 1/8 219 4.62 19 Jaiquawn Jarrett Temple 5'11 7/8 198 4.62 9'5 Jeron Johnson Boise St. 5'10 1/4 212 4.56 23 Shiloh Keo Idaho 5'11 1/4 219 4.73 24 Joe Lefeged Rutgers 5'11 5/8 210 4.43 10'2 Mark LeGree Appalachian St. 5'11 1/2 210 4.56 21 9'8 DeAndre McDaniel Clemson 6'0 1/8 217 4.65 9'8 Rahim Moore UCLA 5'11 3/4 202 4.62 11 9'7 Robert Sands West Virginia 6'4 3/8 217 4.57 12 10'4 Tyler Sash Iowa 6'0 211 4.62 11 Da'Norris Searcy North Carolina 5'10 5/8 223 4.58 27 David Sims Iowa St. 5'9 1/4 200 4.56 24 Jerrard Tarrant Georgia Tech 6'0 3/8 204 4.62 14 9'6 Deunta Williams No Carolina 6'2 205 Nate Williams Washington 6'0 211 4.71 17 9'6

I have no problem with the pick, but I hoped for an interior offensive lineman. With the plethora of mediocre OT's we collected, maybe Tice feels he has some starting caliber players left to play G. If Conte can be groomed into a starting FS, no one will be complaining. The kid has some great features with size, speed, ability to come down and tackle, and coverage. How many times have we seen one of our safeties take the wrong angle and miss a tackle. Miss his assignment on picking up a cover2 zone switch which made Tillman looked like he got burned. Get out jumped on a deep ball from a bigger WR which our division has plenty. Conte might become a big time name in year 2 if we stick him to one position and actually groom him. Lets hope we have 2 safeties that can play that position for many years now.

1 - Gabe Carimi OT Wis 2 - Terrell McClain DT South Florida 3- Clint Boling OG Georgia 4- Jason Pinkston OG Pitt 5- Nathan Enderle QB Idaho 6-Raymond Mistral DB South Florida

I wouldn't cry about Austin Pettis WR Boise St. 6-3 209, but I'd prefer an interior lineman. John Moffitt another Wisconsin Badger?

He can play both DT positions for the Bears and will draw double team attention with his push. I bet Peppers loves this pick.

Here's a couple of scenerios: RD1: Mike Pouncey G RD2: John Moffitt G RD3: Terrell McClain DT RD4: Greg Little WR (doubt he falls but drafttek has him there) RD5: Kevin Kowalski C RD6: Mistrell Raymond CB RD1: Marvin Austin DT RD2: John Moffitt G RD3: James Carpentor LT RD4-6: same as above

Exactly, they are also bringing in their CB for an exclusive workout Mistral Raymond, he's big, played some safety also, and has a skill set similiar to Tillman. I've heard different scouts say McClain could go RD2 and he is a perfect 3 tech DT. After Liguet, Nevis, and Marvin Austin, McClain is it. He may even slip ahead of Nevis/Austin. As for Hudson, I see him climbing and passing Pouncey who I personally liked. It's Hudson is almost starter quality at G and can be groomed for Center if needed. As for the WR Young or Tolliver, yeah I'll pass on Young and only take Tolliver if there is no way to get Greg Little WR NC.

It's still slow in Bear talk, so I'll do my 4th Mock draft. Pick your favorite or make one yourself. RD1 Rodney Hudson G Florida St. RD2 Terrell McClain DT USF RD3 Terrance Tolliver WR LSU RD4 Rashad Carmichael CB Vir Tech RD5 Jake Kirkpatrick C TCU RD6 Nathan Enderle QB Idaho or RD1 Corey Liguet DT IL RD2 Titus Young WR Boise St RD3 John Moffitt G Wis RD4 Tim Barnes C Mizzou RD5 Mistral Raymond CB USF RD6 Alex Henery P/K Neb

Marvin Austin NC 6-1.5" 309 4.90 (40) 30.5 (vert) 7.33 (3-cone) Drake Nevis LSU 6-0.5" 294 5.06 30.5 7.71 Terrell McClain S FL 6-1.5" 297 5.00 28.0 7.48 Here are the results on some 3 tech DT's. Marvin Austin may have jumped up to the top half of the 2nd RD. That may push Nevis down were he is reachable for our 2nd, or we may decide to look at the McClain kid out of South Florida. Warren Sapp really liked what McClain can do.

Thanks! I love mock drafting for the Bears. Draft day is a lot like Christmas for me, lots of hope then a lot of Whos? Whats?

I also recall hearing that the Bears lined up their best 5 and didn't want to change it anymore this year. I think if they can get a great LG, more so in FA than the draft right now, draft Pouncey to play RG since he's better run blocking, they'd be a lot better. We need to stick with Williams and get our value. We all talked about how a great LG like Faneca at the time would help a young LT, but the Bears screwed that all up. One thing they don't understand is drafting and setting that player up to succeed. You can't put a young talent on an island alone. Cutler for instance needs a line and experienced WR's that can run the right routes. He's got the talent, but without scrambling every play for your life and WR's that give up a route, he'll always look bad. We talked about the w/ Grossman/Orton/Benson also.

....and here is my mock to go along with this: RD1 Mike Pouncey G FL...............starting RG replacing Garza RD2 Marvin Austin DT NC...........rotational player RD3 Tim Barnes C Miz...............sits behind Kreutz 1 yr RD4 Terrance Tolliver WR LSU.....Big WR target, see how TC goes RD5 Richard Sherman CB Stan....smart CB, can compete w/ Jennings, Bowman, Graham, & Moore RD6 Vidal Hazelton WR Cincy......Big, Fast, Raw WR talent

The Combine starts up this weekend, so get ready for some drooling over potential prospects that the Bears may covet. Here is my list of prospects I will try to watch: Round One prospects in our reach Gabe Carimi OT Wis - 6-7 315 35-1/4 arm Little raw to play LT, but is a beast in the run game. Has potential to be a great RT. Gabe will probably get drafted a few slots ahead of the Bears, but he has to be on the Bears war room board. He can solidify the RT and improve the run game. The Bears may be hesitate to take another RT project since they like the potential of JaMarcus Webb. Nate Solder OT Colorado - 6-8 314 35" arm Since he struggled at the senior bowl, his stock status will most likely drop to the late 20's. Nate's athletism puts him at LT. Solder has been all over the mock draft boards, but the Bears will take a look and evaluate if he can push Omiyale/Williams for the LT position. If they feel Solder has potential to be better than the two, the Bears should not think twice. Stefen Wisniewski C/G - 6-3 298 Wisniewski is probably the top Center prospect in the draft. He plays with good leverage and technique, toughness, and smarts. The Bears really need to start thinking of finding Olins replacement. Olin will probably put in one more year before hanging it up. Wisniewski can step in right away, but a year of learning will probably help him in the long run. In that time, he can compete for a G position. Mike Pouncey G/C Florida - 6-5 320 Pouncey can play Center, but his best fit in football will be at Guard. He is strong, athletic, and a mualer in the run game. Pouncey, I think is the ideal player for the Bears to draft. Garza is up there in age and Williams is just not getting it makes G the Bears biggest hole on the line. Pouncey will automatically be better than them two and improve the line as a whole. Drake Nevis DT LSU 6-1 287 Nevis's best position might be with a team the utilizes the 3 technique. He is a little small for most teams DT, but he was disruptive, quick to the ball, and played hard. If the Bears feel replacing Tommie Harris will get them over the hump and win the Superbowl, I have no problem drafting a 3T DT with the first. I did think the rotation of Toenia/Harris was effective, even though not disruptive. Nevis could be that guy especially with Angelo/Smith's defensive scouting eyes. Round Two prospects: Marvin Austin DT NC 6-3 305 Austin is a disruptive force in the middle. Good enough to be first round talent, but his troubles will take him out of round 1 and possibly round 2. If the Bears pass on Nevis, they probably will keep their fingers crossed that Austin falls to them. Austin has a good sense to find the QB. He is quick off the snap, strong, with a high motor and he should have fresh legs after missing most of last season. He may be able to fit 2004/2005 Tommie Harris shoes. Ras-I Dowling CB Virginia 6-2 200 Good height and frame, can run with WR's, can play press or zone. Dowlilng can be first round talent if his tackling was better. If the Bears move Tillman to FS like mentioned earlier, they may look CB early. They did like Bowman and Graham earlier, but them two must of done enough to get in Lovie's dog house. They were also high on Moore, but he was redshirted all year. Jake Kirkpatrick C TCU 6-2 301 31-1/2 arm Second highest rated pure center in the draft. Only played one year of highschool football. If the Bears really want to rebuild for Jay Cutler, then the offensive line should take priority. Kirkpatrick can sit behind Kruetz for a year and learn from one of the best (which was many years ago). Round 3 prospects: Greg Little WR NC Joseph Barksdale RT LSU John Moffit G Wis Casey Matthews ILB Oregon Tim Barnes C Missouri Rashad Carmichael CB Virginia Tech Curtis Brown CB Texas Round 4 prospects: Terrance Tolliver WR LSU Greg Salas WR Hawaii James Carpenter G Ark Pat Devlin QB Deleware Lawrence Wilson LB Con RD5 Jonas Moulton LB Mich Richard Sherman CB Stanford DeMarcus VanDyke CB Miami Cecil Shorts III WR Mt Union Ronald Johnson WR USC Steve Schilling G Mich James Brewer OT Ind Nathan Enderle QB Idaho RD6 DeAndre Brown WR Sou Miss Vidal Hazelton WR Cincy Justin Moren G Ohio St Derek Hall OT Stanford Taylor Potts QB Tex Tech

Mixed feelings about it, but this D is built for Lovie. We were pretty close to another Superbowl and I would rather try a few more years with this D and Lovie than start over. We are an offensive line, CB, and DT away IMO.

Austin is sitting at the top of RD3 right now on Draft Tek, so I'll revise b/c I like this one better (of course using Drafttek's 7 RD simulator) Chicago trades out of the first w/ New England for their first pick in the 2nd RD and they also aquire their 4th RD pick 124, according to the trade value chart Chicago loses by a few points. 2-33 Leonard Hankerson WR Mia 6-3 215 2-62 Marvin Austin DT UNC 6-3 305 3-93 Tim Barnes C Miz 6-4 310 4-124 Greg Romeus DE PIT 6-5 270 4-125 John Moffit G Wis 6-5 323 5-157 Willie Smith LT E Car 6-5 290 6-189 Rashad Carmichael CB VT 5-11 190

Bears offseason priorities IMO: 1 Take care of their own a.) Olin Kreutz - ask him if he can go for 2 more yrs, he's not playing for anyone else. He said he may retire b.) Caleb Haine - Still not a guy you want running the helm if Jay goes down for long, but not much out there better c.) Pisa Tinoisamoa - Solid guy next to Url/Briggs. Remember the SLB takes on more blocks and thats the scheme. d.) Corey Graham - Can fill in spot duty at CB, but great ST. Worth an extension imo e.) Daniel Manning - Seems like he's becoming "demanding", make a minium offer. Hate to see him returning against us. f.) Anthony Adams - He seemed to run out of gas later in the season, but rotational player. So the guys I would like to retain are not the most important guys on the team, but solid contributors. Not going to break any banks for this group. But keeping them will allow team to catch back up in the draft. 2 Key FA acquisitions a.) Vincent Jackson/Sydney Rice - The team needs a go to guy that can get up and pull down Cutlers high balls. Taking Rice from the Queens can work 2 ways for improving the Bears. Kinda like Chestor Taylor as Minny missed the 3rd down back. b.) Logan Mankins - Improving the offensive line any way possible is the biggest key to the Bears success. 3 NFL Draft 1-29 Tyron Smith LOT USC - First round picks need to be spent on key positions. Can Chris Williams/Omiyale excel and be the LT 6 yrs from now? Most likely not, so Smith can learn from Tice, add some more weight and possibly be the future anchor of the line. 2-62 Mike Pouncey OG/C Florida - Pouncey will solidify the other Guard spot opposite of Mankins until Kreutz hangs it up. 3-93 Marvin Austin DT NC - Suspended last year and character issues made Austin a risk, but he fits the Harris mold. 4-125 Richard Sherman CB Stanford - at 6-2 191 pounds Sherman has decent size and looked good at the Senior Bowl 5-157 Derrick Locke RB Kentucky - 5-8 186 4.4 speed. He played much bigger at the senior bowl, probably go RD3? 6-189 Ross Homan OLB Ohio St - Can take on blocks and play the pass, along w/ tackle. Fits the SLB for the Bears. WR S Rice WR E Bennett RT J Webb RG MP ouncey C Olin Kreutz LG L Mankins LT C. Williams/Smith TE Olsen WR Knox QB J Cutler RB M Forte CB P Tillman DE J. Peppers DT T Harris DT A Adams DE I Idonje CB T Jennings OLB P Tinoismoa MLB B Urlacher OLB L Briggs SS C Harris FS M Wright/D Manning

Hester's record break/Favre career ending sack- I will remember for my lifetime since I was at that game! Bears beating GB Monday Night - at that game also (seen another Hester Ret TD)

By all means, this was a successful year! No one predicted the Bears as a #2 seed. At best we had some predictions as a wildcard. I'm happy as long as we show up and put up a hell of a fight. I like our chances, the teams that really put fear in me are two teams we beat (GB and PHI). They have defenses that attack the QB and that is our biggest weakness and quick striking offenses. We got to try some things out up at GB, so we have some knowledge of what won't work. If we can shutdown the high power offense of NO or slow down the balanced attack of ATL, which I can see, our Bears have a legit shot. I'm predicting a rematch CHI vs IND!!!

1. Packers 2. Vikings - and their stupid annoying horn 3. Cowboys - they are not americas team, so enough w/ every prime time game 4. ESPN-they hate CHI. Draft coverage they go to commercial, hi-lites they show farve, sanchez, anything but a good play by CHI 5. Jerry Angelo's draft strategy-So many blown drafts, no offensive linemen.

If we do extend Lovie, I would also look at putting that in line with Urlachers contract. Lovies defense revolves alot out of the ability of Urlacher to take away the middle of the field. I would shoot him a 2-3 year extension, take it or leave it.