AZ54

What are we looking for here? Looking at our roster I think we want a better blocking TE because nobody really fills that void well. Of the TE names listed the best blocking TE is Moeaki, and he is more of a move TE. Then there is this article at the bottom listing Khari Lee as our starting TE, I presume our starting inline blocking TE. ----------------- On Moeaki... (I'm posting one comment but it is representative of the draft profiles I read) http://bleacherreport.com/articles/382607-...was-tony-moeaki "I think Tony's strengths line up very well with what teams are looking for from a second or third tight end. Tony's not going to be a Brandon Pettigrew type, who was the first tight end taken last year. He went in the first round because he was an excellent blocker and he could also be a factor in the passing game. Tony is what teams are calling a 'move' guy." - Paul Burmeister, NFL Network Analyst -------------- Ryan Taylor couldn't catch on with the Packers despite their TE struggles. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players...torical/1117400 Negatives: Average size for the position, lacks strength and pop to be an in-line blocker. Not elusive after the catch and will not separate with speed from pro linebackers. Lacks athleticism to adjust to oncoming NFL defenders when blocking, also needs work on his cut blocks. Does not always find his target as a second-level blocker. -------------- Terenn Houk was 229lbs coming out of college he is not an inline blocker. ------------- The Suntimes article listing Lee as working with the 1's.... http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/tight-e...duce-for-bears/ There are only 3 names listed in the original post but those prospects are all move TEs not inline blockers. I thought we had the move TE covered between Miller, Braunecker, and Housler. In general there is no problem looking at players like this during the offseason but we've been chasing TEs since we cut Bennett and we're still at it. Someone isn't making them happy in the OTAs...but who? It's not Miller since they knew what he could do before re-signing him, nor has there been any word of any injuries hampering him. I thought maybe Lee but if he's practicing with the 1's as the inline blocker and the team is bringing in move TEs then they are happy with Lee's blocking. That leaves Housler or Braunecker on the bubble, maybe both. Also, do we want to keep 3 or 4 TEs on the 53 man roster? That would make a difference as well. If the team prefers to keep 4 TEs odds are one of them gets a serious injury before the season starts and then we'd only have 3 TEs on the roster. Maybe we're just sniffing around for competition for that 4th roster spot. -----

Reading this article about Curtis Johnson and hearing about how Loggains is very upbeat and energetic it is clear our sideline is not going to be a quiet boring place like it often was under Trestman. Curtis Johnson brings the same meticulous detail that Trestman had but with a whole lot more energy and discipline behind it. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0611-story.html

Impossible to know what happened here as a day or two earlier Ramirez was quoted as saying he was competing to be the starter. To go from that to retiring in two days is a massive change in mindset. Was it because he saw himself sliding too far down the depth chart? I was counting on having his experience in the locker room this season but if he was falling outside the top 8 then it's possible this is a good sign some of the others are starting play well. Or he was playing that poorly and we still have a depth problem. Shortly after he and Larsen signed we cut Slauson so the assumption then was that Ramirez was a better player. All eyes will be on the Oline vs. Dline workouts next week.

A little more insight on our rookie ILB. These guys do a good job breaking down Kwiatkoski's skills defending the run. I still like this draft pick and agree with the decision to move up to take him. He's got at least one year to sit behind Trev and Freeman and learn, more likely two or three. If he gets on the field sooner I think he's already better at diagnosing plays between the tackles than any of the ILBs who took the field for us last year. The outside the tackle stuff like pass coverage will take longer. http://bearswire.usatoday.com/2016/06/02/b...opping-the-run/

Amazing how far Jake Long has fallen. If he had anything left there's no way the Bears wouldn't have signed him over an unproven OT like Chandler. Chandler is an odd signing because he's got very little experience (none at LT) and is not what I want as a backup OT. At this point I have to assume the coaches compared his workout against Long's and he won but that's just blocking air. How he performs in the preseason, along with the others in the position battle like Kling, is something to watch because it's looking like we have a big talent drop off behind Massie and Leno. If the glass is half full I'd say this signing indicates the coaches are actually fairly high on either Kling or Becton filling this role. If the glass is half empty Hoyer better be ready to play.

I wonder if we're serious about signing him now or if we're taking an early look to see how his health is and then we'll keep his number handy in case some of the young guys don't develop as we hope. I'm not a big fan of signing him because he's done nothing in the last few years but if he's the backup plan there's a lot less risk than with the young players and his experience couldn't hurt. Tayo being cut now is either because he just wasn't close to doing what was required for his job so the coaches made an example of him, or he is performing the same as he did last year and we have players who are better. I hope it's the latter.

We can see physical talent when it shows up on the field but it always hard as fans to assess a player's work ethic. That was part of the question on Tayo when we drafted him. Whenever you get to late round picks there are always significant question marks. Throw your darts as best you can.

It's getting interesting (or scary) at the backup OT spot. Have to think someone like Kling showed something good early in the OTAs and Tayo did not.

McPhee tried to play through a bad knee that required surgery. It didn't work too well but let's see how he is doing once he's healthy and back in the mix.

We have a lot of cap space next year. I'll guess that Pace is willing to pay a bit more in guaranteed money early in the deal in exchange for being able to walk away early if Jeffrey's bad workout habits and injury issues continue. That gives Pace a couple years to see if White becomes the stud WR he was drafted to be, as well as finding a #2 WR that can get on the field every week.

Define terror. He had 2.0 sacks in his last college season 2013. I'm in agreement he's a great athlete but there's too much data saying he's just not a good football player. Playing OLB should reduce the amount of thinking he has to do and clearly that's not his best attribute. It is quite possible that this is a better position for him but he's not going to beat out... Floyd, Houston, McPhee, or Young ... for a job. Assuming we'll keep 5 OLB that leaves him in competition with Acho and Roy Robertson-Harris. I wasn't impressed with Acho last year so it is possible Jones can win a job over him but do coaches want Acho's sure and steady over Jone's flashes of goodness? RRH is 6'7" and while I think he's a notch below Jones athletically it's not a big gap, and the size/length advantage is a huge help for RRH in the trenches. If it's somewhat close IMO the coaches will go with RRH's potential over Jones. Jones could make the team as a 6th OLB if he's a stud on special teams but he's had two years to prove that he's not a stud there. Or an injury gets him a spot. I hope he absolutely proves me wrong and becomes a stud off the edge because having two speed guys (assuming Floyd does well enough) that can get home on 3rd and long would dramatically improve our defense. In Jones' favor is the fact we have a good coaching staff so if he can grasp what he's being told to do then maybe it happens.

Because they both are usually injured and miss games?

A few things I picked up from Bear Report: http://www.scout.com/nfl/bears/story/16731...dcast-episode-8 The battles for the bottom of the roster have begun.... Christian Jones has been moved to OLB. I don't think this will fit him but we know ILB for him won't work at all. Rookie UDFA CB Kevin Peterson started out covering the slot. Interesting because we have Callahan there but there is no other logical competition for this role right now. Rookie UDFA TE Ben Sommers is starting out at FB. I think it's safe to say he's in the role Zach Miller played the first half of the season. I find this interesting simply because that was clearly a role the coaches wanted someone to play last year and Miller seemed an unlikely candidate to do so IMO yet there he was. I expect Miller to play the more traditional TE role or split out as we saw late last year. Who else is competing for this TE/FB role? IN the podcast link they have some other good insights from the day of practice they observed.

Anyone else drinking this Kool-Aid? http://www.scout.com/nfl/bears/story/16720...-top-10-in-2016 In the article he states our secondary was ranked 4th in the league but I find that deceiving in part due to the lack of run defense. I also don't have the much confidence in either Fuller or Porter. Yet we weren't that bad in the 2nd half of the season. Evidence for optimism resides here: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015112602/2...3&tab=recap I think top 10 D is a realistic possibility with a little bit of luck. That luck includes someone else among the young safeties stepping up as a legit starter next to Amos. Good health among the ILB starters. A young OLB in Floyd who can get around the edge and force QBs to step up in the pocket early.

IIRC Zach Miller used to play around 235lbs. Judging by this photo Miller has added some sterngth over the offseason. Housler is listed at 250lbs and is just 1" taller. He said he wanted to improve as a blocker and it looks like he committed himself to that goal. http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/pho...7c-d08bc5c212c5 One thing about Fox that is noticeable from past coaching staffs is his emphasis on players working with the trainers and the nutritionist. I don't know how many times I've seen Jenn Gibson mentioned regarding player's conditioning program but she is the only Sport Science Coordinator and Nutritionist I've ever heard of among the Front Office. I can't say what it will translate to on the field but this is really the first full offseason Fox has had where his staff can mold players into the training habits they want. Last year Fox often seemed frustrated at some of the soft tissue injuries that kept players out for extended time. So far from a distance I see good signs with Miller, Grasu (now reportedly at 310lbs), and even Marquis Wilson appears to have improved his strength quite a bit. Then there is Cornelius Washington who now looks like he's been playing DT for years but we don't know what remains of his quickness and speed at this weight. On the flip side Lamar Houston looks a little leaner which, if true, should be good for his mobility. Danny Trevathan looks like he's been celebrating his new contract by eating too often at Lance Brigg's BBQ restaurant. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink so we have no idea which players really committed themselves to improving during the offseason and that includes Alshon Jeffrey who, despite being paid $15mil this year, can't bring himself to be a leader at a voluntary team practice. Rumors are that he's improved his offseason work outs from what he's done in the past. For now he remains the only NFL player I've ever heard of getting injured during a walk-through. If you happen to view that entire slide show, on the first slide Massie makes Grasu look like he still weighs 280lbs. I look forward to seeing him and Long run block side by side.

My perspective is a bit different. While we never really saw Amos make great plays that changed a game, we also never saw him play behind good ILBs. Amos was out there learning on the fly and routinely watched SMC, Jones, and Anderson constantly over-run their gaps, or fail to run and cover their assignments. For him to contain all that and keep big plays from happening over and over was pretty good IMO. Add in that he had another rookie in HJQ, or Prosinski, learning on-the-job beside him for several games. Let's see what he does with some guys in front of him that can actually make the plays they are supposed to make and allow him to just focus on his assignment. The fact we finished 14th in the entire league for yards given up was in large part due to his play at Safety where he kept it all in front of him. That's just 1 spot behind the "vaunted" Vikings defense (if you listen to the pundits) and ahead of the "good" Packers defense.

This guy did a great job breaking down what the Bears are looking for Whitehair to do as far as run blocking and blocks at the 2nd level. http://bearswire.usatoday.com/2016/05/16/b...r-run-blocking/

I think Bullard is quite bit quicker off the snap. It would be nice to see either Sutton or Washington step up into this role as well so we have some depth but that might be wishful thinking.

Interesting article from the Sun Times. http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/three-w...se-is-changing/ Some things to watch for when we get to training camp. Clearly the sudden and decisive departure of Slauson may be part of a bigger puzzle with regards to what our Oline will be asked to do this year.

NASCAR group: Young, Bullard, McPhee, Floyd ?

Willie's a great guy, the type of player you love to fill out the middle of the roster with. We're in a 4-3 alignment half of the time so he has value IMO. Last year I think he had a lot of reservations early on with the transition to the new scheme but if he's happy playing for Fox and Fangio, and thus more wiling to mold to the scheme, then I'm happy to see him stay a couple more years. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0519-story.html

It was very late before the draft that I found he hadn't been able to lift weights all offseason until perhaps 2 or 3 weeks before the draft. We'll never know what it impacted in terms of ranking but this had to be a big concern for Pace after White's injury last year.

At 5'11" and 170lbs I don't expect much. If Floyd has to eat every 2hrs to gain weight and strength this kid will have to eat every hour. That aside, my biggest concern with him is that he really wasn't that productive as a WR at Colorado-State Pueblo with just 36 passes for 622 yards. For comparison: Braverman is just 5'10" and 177lbs but 108 receptions for 1367 yards with good games against Mich St and Ohio St. That said, he is outstanding at fielding punts even catching the ball over his shoulder when they kick away from him. Oddly his running style is similar to Hester's with short strides and, like Braverman, can make very quick cuts at speed. Despite the fast forty time I don't see elite long speed but he's fast. I'd hazard a guess that his PR skills are what caught the coaches eyes the most and led to contract, and that's his best (long) shot at making the roster. Mariani is just ok at fielding punts. Deonte Thompson can't catch punts so there is something of a job opening there in competition with Braverman. Regional combine highlights Pro Day and the all important highlights

I respect Fangio and the work he did putting a respectable defense on the field last year despite all the injuries and lack of talent especially for his scheme, was IMO, one of best coaching jobs we've seen in a long time with the Bears. I remember last year his comments about players were usually we'll see, or "we have one good Dlineman and the rest we'll see". This year he's clearly more upbeat about the players while still acknowledging the amount of work that needs to be done to get them up to speed. It's way too early to have any idea what this defense can become but it is safe to say that Fangio feels much better about the players he has to work with this year than last. Also interesting is that he's not worried at all about how lean Floyd is. Floyd visited the Bears for two days before the draft. We've all debated the combine numbers (myself included) but in those two days the Bears had to have a good idea what he can do coming off the edge, as well as his coverage skills. Clearly Vic has his ideas on how he can use Floyd and isn't so worried that he gets pushed out of a couple running plays. He values having a player who can cover or rush off the edge. It will be interesting to see this play out and if it leads to more zone blitzing schemes on 3rd and long because you won't know who is coming and who is covering: Floyd or Freeman, or (to a lesser extent) Trevathan who reportedly isn't as good at blitzing. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0514-story.html

IIRC coaches said they wanted him to be stronger not necessarily bigger (heavier). There's good weight that adds strength and then there's the Vince Wilforkesque immovable weight. The Bears clearly valued Grasu's ability to block on the move when they drafted him so that likely means they don't want him to lose that mobility.