ASHKUM BEAR

I really like these picks, and that would definately be my next choice. As much as I like/want Maclin, I still feel Hester will progress and become a better WR. That's why I prefer Duke, who we'd be over reaching a little at 18, but he'd be worth it. How 'bout this: (26mil cap approx available) Sign TJ Housh day 1 of FA (8mil) , also sign S from STL Akogwbe(?) (5mil), T. Suggs DE (8mil), QB D Carr (4mil), {cuts-only if they save some- Tait, Ogun, Metcalf,Garza,Booker} Draft: D Robinson 1, Loadholdt 2, Canfield 3

With the list composed from Walterfootball.com. If I were JA and I had my choice off those available, I would go: 1-18 Duke Robinson G - good chance he's an All-Pro 2-50 Phil Loadholdt RT - He may need some work before he's ready, but w/ his size, we should be able to convert any 3rd/1 3-82 Louis Murphy WR - great size/speed 6-3 204, if he does run a 4.33 40, he'll jump up to high 2nd RD

Below are players that could be around our slot by looking at a Walterfootball.com mock. I did a quick 3 rounds and ranked them in order I like. Round One: Bears Big 10 (In order I think Bears should have them) Duke Robinson G Oklahoma 6-5 330 Pros: Huge body that he used very well blocking. All Pro prospect Cons: Guard is position that rarely see's RD1, Robinson proj around 25th William Moore S Missouri 6-1 227 Pros: Leader for Mizou's D, can play either S position, great hitter, football IQ, ability to create turnovers. Cons: Probably more suited to play the box which we seem to be loaded w/ right now Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri 6-1 199 Pros: Very quick/athletic, return capability, compared to be better than Ted Ginn Jr. Cons: Similiar to Devin Hester in abilities, but is actually a real WR. Bears need a bigger/stronger WR to be able to block/out muscle DB's/ Michael Johnson DE Geogia Tech 6-7 257 Pros: Athletic pass rusher, has nice height to deflect passes. good character. Cons: Been rumored to give up, not go all out. Ciron Black OT LSU 6-5 315 Pros: Started all 39 games of his college career at LT since a freshman Cons: Bears have Chris Williams and Black may not make a good RT Vontae Davis CB Illinois 6-0 200 Pros: Physical CB at line that rarely gets beat deep. Has speed to recover. Great size Cons: Movtivation needs to improve, run D needs work, improve on his ball skills to intercept more passes James Laurinatis ILB Ohio St 6-3 243 Pros: Great size/speed. Has great mobility and can play the pass. Would be a nice replacement for Urlacher Cons: We have Urlacher under contract and cannot afford to add 1st Rd talent to that unit Rey Maualuga ILB USC 6-3 260 Pros: He has great size/speed combo and is a leader and playmaker. Cons: His mobility may not translate well for the Cover-2 and we have a lot of money tied up at LB's already Knowshon Moreno RB Georgia 5-11 207 Pros: Great vision, moves, hands. Would be top 10 if most teams weren't already set w/ #1 RB's. Cons: Bears have RB of future in Forte. Eben Britton OT Arizona 6-6 310 Pros: Showed he can play both RT and LT effectively Cons: ranked in RD1 b/c some team will take him for his ability to play LT. Bears need a RT. Round Two: Bears Big 11 Phil Loadholdt OT Oklahoma Kenny Britt WR Rutgers Matt Shaughnessy DE Wisonsin Larry English DE Northern IL Herman Johnson G LSU Sam Young OT Notre Dame Fenuki Tupou OT Oregon Emanuel Cook SS S. Carolina Josh Freeman QB Kansas St. Tyson Jackson DE LSU C.J. Spiller RB Clemson Round Three: Bears Big 7 Juanquin Iglesias WR Oklahoma Trevor Canfield G Cincinatti Antony Parker G Tennessee Louis Murphy WR Florida Rhett Bomar QB Sam Houston St. Mark Parson CB Ohio Jarron Gilbert DT San Jose St.

tidbits: Since Marinelli joined DET, here's what the team did to help out his Tampa-2 D through the draft. 2008 1 1 17 17 Gosder Cherilus T Boston College 2 2 14 45 Jordon Dizon LB Colorado 3 3 1 64 Kevin Smith RB Central Florida 4 3 24 87 Andre Fluellen DT Florida State 5 3 29 92 Cliff Avril DE Purdue 6 5 1 136 Kenneth Moore WR Wake Forest 7 5 11 146 Jerome Felton RB Furman 8 7 9 216 Landon Cohen DT Ohio 9 7 11 218 Caleb Campbell DB Army 2007 1 1 2 2 Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech 2 2 11 43 Drew Stanton QB Michigan State 3 2 26 58 Ikaika Alama-Francis DE Hawaii 4 2 29 61 Gerald Alexander DB Boise State 5 4 6 105 A.J. Davis DB North Carolina State 6 4 18 117 Manuel Ramirez G Texas Tech 7 5 21 158 Johnny Baldwin LB Alabama A&M 8 7 45 255 Ramzee Robinson DB Alabama 2006 1 1 9 9 Ernie Sims LB Florida State 2 2 8 40 Daniel Bullocks DB Nebraska 3 3 10 74 Brian Calhoun RB Wisconsin 4 5 8 141 Jonathan Scott T Texas 5 6 10 179 Alton (Dee) McCann DB West Virginia 6 7 9 217 Fred Matua G USC 7 7 39 247 Anthony Cannon LB Tulane

Mentioned on the score 670, but not confirmed. Marinellin will be D line coach and possibly assistant HC.

I would rather they use it some way than letting it go back into the owners pockets. IMO, if the NFL doesn't give us credit, I'll put another notch on the Bears are cheap board (even though I think they broke that barrier and spend more than they should -Url,Hest,etc.). I believe Brad Biggs wrote an article saying the Bears will get that credit, but I just glanced at it without reading it all. Who knows?

So on that cap credit will be missing out on, was that money that could have been spent last year and we missed out on b/c we attached it to Hamilton? If so, that is a huge boneheaded mistake. That money could have been put to extending the following who will become FA after next season: D. Manning J. Williams M. Anderson D. Dvorecek A. Peterson -------------- or ------ N. Roach J. St. Clair

As for cheaper: I'll clarify that it will be cheaper to plug in a coach that fits JA's scheme rather than moving JA and Lovie and bring in a new GM, HC, Coordinators, position coaches, and players that fit the new scheme. The price/time to overhaul the organization could be long and expensive, and may not make us any better off. The short term "quick fix" will only be cheaper if it works out. If not, then it would cost even more b/c then you'd need to go with the whole tear down and rebuild mode anyways. As for how they are linked, Lovie is signed through 2011 and Angelo is signed through 2013 http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2783609 which I had to just look up. As far as the draft goes, how many guys do not get a fair shake b/c there not Lovies guys. It seems Lovie don't like to try new things unless forced(Beekman,Roach), so were left with not knowing about guys like (Bradley,Wolfe,Bennett, J Williams,- to name a few) I've also heard that Lovie had his say on D. Manning, D Bazuin, and M. Okwo, whether it's true, well never know.

I think if JA thought Lovie was the problem, he would be able to pull the trigger if needed. Lovie has 3 yrs remaining to Angelo's 4. I think if the Bears don't meet expectations after next year, that gives JA a 2 yr window. It wouldn't be a typical Bears move, but with a fan base that is showing more and more displeasure it'll be either Phillips pulling the plug or Angelo pulling the plug. The cheaper of the two and possibly the quicker fix may be to try a new coach. If Phillips pulls the plug, which I can't see happening for at least 2 yrs, will put us to back to 2011, and thats with us hoping we can have a turn around like Miami did. I'm willing to give Lovie 1 more year, that's it and if that means JA goes with him, I can live with that.

I'm not so sure Lovie/JA are BFF. I posted what I think may be going down in another thread, it may not be enough right now, but it may put some pressure on Lovie.

I'm wondering what JA is thinking about Lovie and what Lovie is thinking about JA. I think maybe there's a little rift going on and our next move may be a sign of things to come. Lovie Smith said in his post season interview that it didn't help when he lost his #1 and #2 WR. I take those comments as strikes towards JA. I even think this started about a year ago. Muhammad was released in Feb, Berrrian was not resigned and then Lovie stated "Devin can be a #1 WR in this league" putting pressure on Hester and JA. The Bears also had Mark Bradley who IMO Angelo wanted to see get his shot, but Lovie refused. If it was Lovies choice not to play/develop and then cut Bradley, I'm sure JA was not to pleased at the time wasted with a high draft pick. In Jerry Angelo's press conference, he made the bold statement that it all comes down to having a QB. I seen that statement as an attack back at Lovie for bringing up the fact of losing BB/MM. The attack on the QB could have many meanings, like telling Orton not to even think about demanding a new contract or it could go back to training camp when the "fair" competition didn't go JA's way (Grossman). Angelo also mentioned how he didn't understand why Earl Bennett didn't get to see the field. His speech IMO showed retaliation on Lovie. What the two have said recently makes me believe that there not completely on the same page and this is costing us fans. Right now, I tend to be on JA's side b/c like he mentioned about Earl Bennett, it makes me wonder about some of the other draft picks/players. Lovie also moved Riveria out to make room for his pal Babich who has looked incompetent and brought this team down making JA/Bears D look bad. Now we have Marinelli in the picture and even though Marinelli/Lovie are pals, Marinelli/JA have a connection also and I hope he signs to maybe put pressure on Lovie's back. Marinelli may have failed in DET, but could be JA's last resort if Lovie can't get on the same page. Could this be a sign? Since JA has 1 more year of contract than Lovie, Angelo won't start another scheme, but may try another coach if Lovie don't turn it around within the next 1-2 years.

Ted Phillips needs to hire a "PR" guy that acts like a lawyer and coaches the players what to say when interviewed. Maybe some of our beloved Url, Harris, Briggs, etc won't make asses out of themselves so often. And to all those that are know crowning Briggs, don't forget about the things he said about the Bears, if I remember right, there were alot of "we don't need him" and "his stats are padded b/c that's how the system is set up". I'm glad we have Briggs, but I'm just as glad we have Url. I want them both to retire as Bears and be remembered as Greats. Right now, our D is down, lost, and confused and needs something new to bring in them back in. Hopefully Marinelli can be that guy that brings discipline in running assignments correctly b/c that is the only thing that makes this D sucessful. As even Briggs said, that was there main problem(staying in there gaps/discipline).

If JA/Lovie are really serious about adding Marinelli, they better make it enticing b/c his next trip is to Seattle to possibly be offered the DC job. My thought is, Marinelli will bring out more with our D Line. We need to get back to Bear football and back to leading the NFL in sacks. The Bears are all-time 1st (84') & 3rd (87') in team sacks, maybe Marinelli can find a little Warren Sapp in Tommie and a little Simeon Rice in Mark Anderson/rookie. Another thought, if we add Marinelli, we better see results out of the dlilne as being a top 10 unit, and the linebackers better be a top 5 unit with having two LB coaches in Lovie/Babich.

With this scheme the Bears run, Urlacher will never live up to the standards of the fans. 50% of the time he is dropping back to the middle of the field, the other 50% Babich has him lined up at the line giving him no angle's to pursuit the RB. The only thing playing him at the line does is make an offensive lineman commit to blocking him instead of doubling a DT. Hopefully that part of the experiment is over and we can line up as a more balanced D.

Listening to Hub on the score today he talked about a couple of changes to watch for. We all know JA wants to bring in Marinelli as he mentioned it during the press conference. Marinelli didn't do so well in DET, but I can't say that says alot about his coaching abilty as much as the organizations ability to commit to his philosophy. Marinelli was our first choice when we brought in Lovie to run the D, but Tampa refused. His coaching style is about having discipline and working hard and those are two things I think killed our D this year. Hub didn't say the Bears would bring him in to be the D Coordinator, but as the D Line coach with an assistant head coach title, or something in that nature. This D is ultimately Lovies and the way it is run and the way plays are called are through him. Babich will most likely keep his job or maybe move back to the LB's coach, but he won't be leaving this team. The interesting thing mentioned was the possibility of Turner getting the ax, even though the offense performed much better than anybody anticipated. The coach Hub mentioned about taking over was Mike Martz. I know I'm not very amused by that thought, but Martz did coordinate the one of the greatest offenses in recent history. We would definately need a QB and WR's, but Matt Forte may be the Marshall Faulk (share same initial MF). other comparision: Faulk was faster 4.33 to Forte 4.44, Forte 6-2 214, Faulk 5-10 211 has the height. For QB, Kurt Warner will be a UFA and maybe the Bears can sway him to come to CHI and if Tory Holt is still wanting out of STL, maybe we can swing a trade for him? That would be two coaches possibly added that have actual HC experience. At least this offseason is starting off with a buzz and hopefully will keep some interest.

First off, when you say late RD, are you talking about late RD1 or are you talking about later rounds 4-7? Looking at it as later RD1 through RD2, since we can really use a legit starting quality DE and it won't hurt to find a real QB. Looking back the past 4 drafts, there were 11 QBs taken between 15-64. 3/11 are starters, 4/11 are decent #2's, 2/11 complete unknowns and 2/11 looked to have failed so far. Odds of landing a starting QB: 27% Out of the 21 DE's taken, 15-RD64: 11/21 starting (some at DT/OLB) 9/21 backs getting situational time, 1 completely out of football (DAN BAZUIN). Odds of landing a starting DE: 52% (some of the DE's drafter were converted to OLB/DT) 2008 1-18 QB Joe Flacco BAL - quality starter 1-28 DE Lawrence Jackson SEA quality starter 1-29 DE Kentwan Balmer SF back up 2-32 DE Phillip Merling MIA quality starter 2-50 DE Calais Campbell ARZ back up at DT 2-52 DE Quentin Groves JAX back up 2-54 DE Jason Jones TEN back up at DT 2-56 QB Chad Henne MIA - unknown #2 2-57 QB Brian Brohm GB - #3, beat out by a 7th RD pick for #2 2007 1-17 DE Jarvis Moss DEN - back up 1-22 QB Brady Quinn CLE - quality #2, verdict still out for #1 2-36 QB Kevin Kolb PHI - unknown #2, still needs work 2-40 QB John Beck MIA - #3, most likely will get cut 2-43 QB Drew Stanton DET - #3, verdict still out 2-54 DE Turk McBride KC starter IR 2-56 DE Tim Crowder DEN-back up 2-57 DE Victor Abiamiri PHI quality starter 2-58 DE Ikaila Alama-Francis DET back up 2-62 DE Dan Bazuin CHI out of the NFL 2006 1-20 DE Tamba Hali KC starter IR 1-32 DE Mathias Kiwanuka NYG quality starter 2-49 QB Kellen Clemons NYJ - quality #2 2-63 DE Darryl Tapp SEA quality starter 2-64 QB Tavarias Jackson MIN-decent #2 2005 1-18 DE Erasmus James MIN back up on WAS 1-20 DE Marcus Spears DAL-quality starter 1-24 QB Aaron Rodgers GB -quality starter 1-25 QB Jason Campbell WAS - quality starter 1-28 DE Luis Castillo SD quality starter 2-37 DE Shaun Cody DET quality starter DT 2-46 DE Matt Roth MIA quality starter at OLB 2-59 DE Jonathon Babineaux ATL quality starter DT

Thanks, I wasn't sure how it worked since we had a better record than SD and tied w/ ARZ. I am know rooting for SD to win it all : )

Good topic for the offseason, maybe next we can look at Oline. Out of this years unit, the only guys that should be welcomed back into training camp: Devin Hester - I watched him progress as the season went on, like Lovie said he's our #1 WR. I thought he was the best out of the unit, but that don't say much. Hester would excel with a true #1 opposite him. Earl Bennett - Bennett gets the benefit of doubt because we didn't get to see him perform. For all we know, the kid will catch everything thrown his way (he did get the ball thrown to him against Hou, but missed) Brandon Rideau - Rideau looked great in TC/Preseason, like Hass, he'll be our TC hero that we'll never get to see. Rideau has the combo of size/speed/hands, but he must be missing something for Lovie/Turner to leave him out (smarts/blocking) Rashied Davis - I really like the Rashied Davis story and love his TD celebration. He busted his butt off in the offseason when he knew BB leaving would open a door and it definately showed. The only thing Davis forgot to work on last offseason was CATCHING THE DAMN BALL. I was more angry with him dropping multiple balls in consecutive games and thought Lovie should make a statement and cut the kid. Now that the seasons over, I hope he continues to work hard to improve and comes back to make it up to us fans/team. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Thats it from this unit worth keeping, Booker and Lloyd can knock on Minny's door and see if Berrian/Wade will let them in. ---------------------------------------------------------------- As for offseason moves, I will officially join the "Houshmanzadeh Club" 1 - T J Houshmanzadeh - sign to the 4 yr 50 mil deal or whatever it takes. He will be heads above the rest of the group. 2 - Tory Holt - news out of St. Louis is that Holt no longer wants to be a part of the Rams. This may have changed, b/c it might have been before Haslet took over. But keep an eye on this as Lovie may be able to lure him. 3 - draft a WR in rounds 2-4. Prerequisite is he must be 6'1" or taller and has ability to get seperation/catch.

Not sure how it works with teams with worse records making the playoffs, but the Bears shouldn't be to much lower than the 16th pick. Here's what I'd like to see them draft. 1-16 Everette Brown DE FSU Bears sack totals have fallen off the charts and without pressure on the QB, this defense just will not work. Oguneleye has never lived up to his Miami days and will most likely be cut leaving a Brown/Brown combo at DE. 2-48 Phil Loadholdt OT OU With St. Clair's contract expiring, the Bears draft Loadholdt just in case St. Clair signs else where. John Tait, on the other hand didn't step up like expected when the Bears shifted him from the LT side to the RT. He wasn't the weak link, but he's not playing up to his salary. 3-81 Trevor Canfield G Cin Canfield is a big-run blocking guard who should help fortify the youth movement to the OLine. Hence the word Fortify (FORTE) 3-97 (comp) Brian Robiske WR OSU - The Bears were awarded a 3rd RD pick for losing Benard Berrian, so they select a WR who they hope in a year or two can pick up were BB left off. 4-112 Zack Follet OLB Cal - Follet has size 6-2 235 and speed 4.6 40 that Lovie likes. Follet is a tackling machine who likes to get after the QB. 5-145 Darcel McBath FS Texas Tech - McBath is quick for his size 6-1 198, 4.45 40. Has a knack for the ball 6 int/ 70 tackles, and an All Big XII caliber player. Not quite Taylor Mays size 6-4 225 or Willam Moore 6-1 227, but just as fast and he means just as much to the Red Raiders as a player as Mays/Moore. 6-176 Marcus Thigpen RB IU - Thigpen is brought in to add some lighting to Fortes thunder. Thigpen is a smaller/quicker back that is needed to change up the pace. Thipen is listed at 5-9 195, so he's bigger/quicker than Wolfe. 7-209 Drew Willy QB BUF - For all the MAC fans, this wet willy is for you.

I'll admit, I called them low at the begining, but I did that on purpose. Everytime I have high expectations, they fail. Now, I can say I don't feel so bad because they did better than I predicted. Call me a sandbagger

True, but you know here in Chicago, were gonna here "Kyle's our quarterback". Plus, I would give Kyle a little time if other parts are brought in to the offense, like #1 WR and more OLine talent.

Resign Mike Brown, sign Jeff Garcia as #2 vet to back up Orton sign TJ Housh or trade for: Anquan Boldin Draft: RD1: Mays, Moore FS, Monroe OT, Robinson G, Maclin WR in that order of availability RD2: H Johnson OG, DE, or best WR w/ #1 potential available. RD3: Potential RT RD3b: QB to develop

We've had mixed feelings about this ball club now sense our Superbowl run 2 years ago. We are still grasping at a shot of redemption with our fingernails this year and if it weren't for a couple plays, the "NFL" world would be mentioning the Bears with the Giants and Panthers as favorites to go to the big show. With this in mind, I don't see JA looking to tear down and rebuild, but to keep reloading. He will stick to his formula in building the team through the draft and to only add big name FA's only if it won't hurt the team in the long run. FA starts Feb 27 - Mike Brown - signed 4 yr deal Julius Peppers/Terrell Suggs Jeff Garcia NFL Draft - Chicago Bears select at 19 1. Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri Lovies/JA philosophy is speed, and since they were unable to land a FA the would bolster the WR's, they select Maclin. With the emergence of Kyle Orton, finding a WR that can get open and hold on to the ball could of possibly been the difference in some of those close losses for the Bears. 2. Herman Johnson OG LSU Another situation sticks in my mind as I watched the Bears lose some very close games. The offensive line would never win the battle when it mattered worse. The drive of Matt Forte actually made them look better as he would shed blocks or keep his feet pumping for those extra inches. The Bears need more strength in the middle and the bulk of Herman "The Sherman Tank" Johnson should help. 3. Fenuki Tupou RT Oregon Another big bodied offensive lineman like Herman Johnson to inject youth and strength into the offensive line. It's time to think about moving on w/o Tait and Tupou may be able to step in late next year and be the starter for 2010. 3b comp Derek Peques FS Missippi St. JA now has free reigns to the draft to work him magic as the guru. His first selection is finding a FS for his Chicago2 DEF. 4. Larry English DE Northern Illinois English has speed to get to the QB, something the Bears need to address 5. Clinton McDonald DT Memphis - Can JA pass on a DT that would fit good in his scheme??? 6. Brannon Southerland FB Georgia - Southerland can block, catch and run pretty good, should be an improvement over Mckie. 7. Darcel McBath FS Texas Tech - another FS that doesn't fit the mold of an "in the box" safety. Peques/McBath are more like Daniel Manning.

You might be surprised what interest Mike Brown can bring. A team like New England would love to have him in there secondary(a smart/disciplined vet). Mike Brown was used a lot differently the first 8 games, now he's back to playing in the box and causing havoc. If the Bears don't resign Brown, he'd be the top Safety in the FA pool. It would be a sad day in Bear nation to see Mike Brown in another uniform and to face him, especially if someone like Minny decides to hire his services. I think the Bears should reward Brown for restructuring his last year and find out what it would take to have him retire with the team. That would be my first FA signing if I were JA, then I would look at Suggs/Peppers , TJ Housh.

It seems like we go over this about every 6 months or so. For the record I liked TJ at hated to see him go. Here is my thoughts on the process, not using hindsight: . Like NFO says, were we picked and who was available Cedric Benson or Cadillac Williams were our best options ------->The Bears brass, mainly Lovie wanted to get rid of the garbage offense Terry Shea brought in ------->Lovie, a defensive minded coach, wanted to see a run oriented offense, or at least more ball control *********With this new offense, he wanted to increase the avg. time of possesion of 28:25 vs 31:36 to favor CHI *********The choice of Cedric over Cadillac was CB would eventually wear down defenses running between tackles . The argument about not needing Benson b/c we had Jones/Peterson (also Anthony Thomas) -------> TJ was a FA quickly acquired to fit Shea's offense and TJ was to play the part of Priest Holmes -------> Benson was drafted after TJ first year in CHI, TJ's stats were: **********ATT-240 YDS-948 AVG-4.0 TD-7 REC-56 YDS-427 TD-0 (2 games missed due to injury) ------->TJ was an unknown as to how he'd fit in Ron Turners offense, plus would he be durable enough ------->Adrian Peterson was almost non existant, so saying we had him when we drafted CB is purely hindsight now ************AP's stats: ATT-6 YDS-19 AVG-3.2 TD-0 ------->Anthony Thomas was on the last year of his contact and deemed not special enough to resign So looking back, we can say we didn't need to draft Benson b/c TJ would be a 1300 yd runner that would fit in Ron Turner's offense and Adrian Peterson would flourish once given more opportunity. We should have known that Jones would become more durable after the 2003 season (missed 2 games in 03') and only missed a total of 3 games since that season. We should have traded Cedric (almost impossible due to contact stipulations) instead of Jones b/c we knew CB wouldn't make it even though his stats in 2006 showed otherwise in split 1:3 duty. The thing is, you can always look back and say "I told you so", but a chance was taken on CB and it didn't work out. At the time when CB was drafted, everything pointed in saying this is the guy, except for that fishy personality issue. Too bad we can't go back for a redo.