bradjock

He turns 31 in March, but he's a damn good Left guard. He's no spring-chicken, but he could be an upgrade to Ruben Brown who turns 36 on Wednesday. IMO, we'll sign a guard and draft a tackle early to develop for next year. Angelo likes and trusts older offensive lineman. The team seems to be happy with Fred Miller at RT. Wahle, depending on how much he'll cost, would be a good fit for this team. He'll be one helluva a lot cheaper then Faneca.

Disagree with bringing in Booker. At least at this point. I just don't see how he fits in with this team. Booker does not have the speed that Turner craves, which is why Terry Shea wanted to dump him to begin with. Booker is a good possession type receiver with great route-running ability. He doesn't have much size or speed, and he'll be 32 by the time the season starts. Reading the above posts, I get the impression that it's "dump Moose & bring back Booker." Is Booker any better? Seriously I doubt it. Don't speak lightly of dumping Moose. Yes he's been a dissappointment overall, but he's a team captain, a team leader, and he's a pro. His cap value is 3 million this year (thanks LT!) which ain't bad. He'll be back. Looking at the receivers next year, I genuinely believe we'll bring back Rashied Davis to be our 5th receiver. He's great on special teams & he's a solid WR. He's restricted and I can't imagine him getting many offers. Mark Bradley is back for one more season. Hopefully he can turn it around. Hester is expected to see his WR role expanded this season. Moose will be back IMO. That leaves room for one more. Hopefully Berrian returns, but if he doesn't, I'd bank we'll either draft or sign a burner that can stretch the field. Either way, I don't see Booker fitting in with this group. If we did bring Booker back I expect we'd be dissappointed the same way we've been with Moose.

When we signed Moose, he'd been coming off a 1400+ yard season with 16 TD's. Plax's stats weren't even half that, and supposedly he had a terrible attitude. On hind-sight in the long term it would have been a better deal, but at the time when it happened Moose was clearly the superior receiver.

I personally will be pissed if we count on Cedric to do anything more then run into the back of his offsensive lineman. For a team that "gets off the bus running" we need to have a back that's not completely worthless. (Benson is slow, has bad vision, he fumbles, he's a bad receiver, a terrible blocker, AND he seems to think he's the greatest and repeatedly says ignorant crap to the media.) I'd take damn near any available free angent running back over Cedric.

Agreed. Most days I completely ignore Mariotti's articles.

Great memory Pix! I'd forgotten about all that. I too was happy as hell when I could pick them up full time (was 1020 the station they were on before?) I'd forgotten about the Janikowski stuff also. That said part was that I actually BELIEVED North (In my defense, I was comparitely young & retarded. In addition, my Internet dial-up connection took about 15 minutes if at all back then, and I didn't have near the access to information. I'd have to go to the library if I wanted to read the Sun-Times or Tribune.) Janikowski was going to "reolutionize the game," and the way North talked, the 50 yard line would be automatic field goal range. The fact that I used to believe him is likely way I feel so much vile towards him today. (That and I can't stand anyone who laughs for 5 minutes at their own stupid jokes.)

Hopefully we have that guy in Greg Olsen.

Let me ask you this: What exactly would you hope to gain out of those 2nd & 3rd round picks. I think the reason you're getting ripped on is that Angelo has actually made deal to acquire 2nd & 3rd round picks the past two drafts. Those years we have acquired: 2006: Danieal Manning & Dusty Dvoracek--Manning is mediocre at best, while Dvoracek, while showing potential, in two years has played in exactly 2 quarters of NFL football. 2007: Dan Bazuin & Michael Okwo--It's WAY to early to judge either of these guys, but the early consensus from what we've seen in training camp is bad, and bad. (I'm not 100% certain we received Okwo in the trade. It might have been Garrett Wolfe who was drafted immediately before Okwo, but he's also beem mediocre at best.) So let me put it this way: Would you trade Hester for Manning & Dvoracek or Hester for Bazuiun & Okwo/Wolfe? I think the consensus would be "Hell no!!!" Because that's what you'd be looking at. Now you make the argument we do it in order to sign Anderson & give up a 1st and a 3rd. The problem is, we'd have to pay a ton of $$$ to sign Anderson. That means Berrian likely walks. So Anderson would be throwing to the trio of Moose, Bradley, Rashied Davis, possibly Hass, and whatever rookie we draft. Yikes thats ugly. Tom Brady would suck with that bunch. That's basically why that trade scenerio is bad and not realistic IMO.

Hester was actually drafted #57 which is more of a low 2nd round pick. At the time JA said that Hester likely would have been a top 10 pick if he stayed in college one more year. At the time I was thinking, "Whatever." Now, there's no question that he's a top 10 talent. IMO, we'd have to get a "top 10 talent" for any trade involving Hester in order for it to be fair. This becomes damn near impossible because of Hester's cap value. Hester's cap hit on the team for this year is $650,000 (thanks LT). A comparable "first round talent," Cedric Benson, has a cap hit of $3,375,000 (thanks again LT), over 5 times as much. Then you risk getting a turd like Cedric. Either way, no deal dumping Hester is going to improve the team this year.

On Wednesday, profootballtalk.com wrote (via Adam Schefer of the NFL Network): "Schefter reports that, based on talk in league circles, the following players could be franchised in the next two weeks: Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby, Panthers tackle Jordan Gross, Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, Patriots receiver Randy Moss, and Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant. Other potential tag-wearers include Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen and Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs. Given the value of a quality defensive lineman (see Super Bowl XLII), Allen, Suggs, and/or Haynesworth could all get the exclusive version of the tag." I'd previously thought the Bears might tag Berrian because: 1) It would give us a year to develop a rookie/Hester/Bradley, etc. 2) It would give us leverage to trade Berrian, the way we were almost able to trade Briggs last year. What's changed my mind is the realization he'd be getting paid "Randy Moss" money. How the hell do we justify that? How can we justify making him one of the top 5 highest paid WR's in the league, when IMO he's not even one of the 20 best WR's in the league (per NFL.com he was ranked 26th last year, behind better WR's who were injured like Plaxico Burress & Anquon Boldin.) His talent simply does not equal his expected price tag.

Here's what he has to say about WSCR's Mike North (I'm really pissed about the fact I can't listen to the SCORE in the morning's because of the braying jackass.) From http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mariotti/78...i020908.article Another problem is allowing sports hosts with low IQs to pontificate about social issues. For years, WSCR's Mike North has embarrassed his hometown by forcing his views on race, religion and current events when, in truth, he's just a goof who was pulled out of a hot-dog stand 15 years ago. North has a hard enough time putting together a sports argument, much less breaking down Hillary vs. Obama. But there he was, mimicking and mocking brain-damaged Terri Schiavo during her right-to-die drama. Sorry, but why is a sports host telling me about Terri Schiavo? And wouldn't I want to scream if I heard him ridiculing her, wondering how he might feel if she was one of his family members? North is a crude, rude product of the streets who is stuck in the 1970s. He has used racial and ethnic slurs throughout his radio career, finding trouble as recently as last year. I used to cringe during his ``Hug a Jew/Black/Asian/Hispanic'' segments, blown away that he viewed himself as a comedian when no one was laughing. So why is North still on the air? Oh, because he successfully curried the favor of White Sox and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, who sees himself as a similar rags-to-riches story and placed North in his trusted circle many years ago. As co-chairman of Major League Baseball's Equal Opportunity Committee, Reinsdorf helped formulate the successful Diverse Business Partners program. So why on earth would he befriend a person who could be viewed as insensitive to minorities? Shouldn't he detach himself from North to preserve his own public image?

You act like Rex has a ton of say in it. Nine times out of 10 the decision is based on money. Minnesota has arguably the best defensive line in the league. They clearly have the best running-back tandem. That is two reasons why he might want to escape Chicago. Angelo declared there would be a quarterback competition. Translation: We will offer Rex "Back-up money." Look at the deal we gave Griese (with appropriate elevators due to the elevated cap) as the Bears starting point and possible final offer. If I'm Rex I say "To hell with the system. I'm going to get paid."

While Tavaris Jackson has mobility, he does not run. I can't see mobility being a factor. I don't know any Vikings fans, but I bet my bottom dollar they'd say "Jackson sucks." Sure he has potential, but look how far his potential got them last year. Rex took the Bears to the Super Bowl. We over-look that fact, but other teams eat that up. When was the last time Minny went to a Super Bowl??? The 70's? I don't even know. I do not think Chad Pennington is available right now. He's rumored to be cut, but that's pure speculation at this point. If I was a Minny fan, I'd love to have Rex to at least give Jackson competition.

I was thinking how damn good Minnesota is defensively, how great their o-line is, & their RB's are top-notch. They have around 15 million cap-available. While their secondary sucks, their most glaring weakness is QB & WR. I'd take Mark Bradley/Devin Hester or Moose over ANY WR Minny has. MAYBE Tavaris Jackson isn't horrible, but why take that chance? Sadly & ironically the best WR on the market is Bernard Berrian. (Randy Moss is returning to NE IMO) The best QB available is Rex Grossman. (Derek Anderson ain't going nowhere . . . . that makes Rex #1.) If I'm Minnesota, I do everything possible to address these two positions. I'd over-pay if necessary. Rex & Berrian are the best available, they have GREAT chemistry together, AND you'd be stealing them from a division rival. Nice. Minnesota needs & probably wants these 2 more then the Bears. I could see Minny getting both. This is just speculation on my part, but how bad would that suck?

Even if Gaffney's available, he was bad enough that NE brought in Moss, Welker, AND Stollworth. How bad must he be for that to happen? That being said, if Berrian walks, WR becomes a top priority for this team. Along with him, Johnson & Stollworth, there's not much availble. Currently the Bears have Rashied Davis (assuming we sign him), who is a nice #4 WR, Hester who is a GREAT #3 (I still don't want to see us use him too much or it will hurt his kick/punt returns), Moose who's a great blocker, great leader, but slow as hell, and not an every down WR. That leaves us with Mark Bradley? Yikes. That's scary. In other words, adding Stollworth would be just adding another bad/mediocre WR to a bad/mediocre group. We'll have to draft one early.

I agree with most of what you said. I've said this before, Berrian reminds me of Nate Burelson who showed flashes at times in Minny, received a HUGE contract with Seattle, and has been a big dissappointment. Berrian is an outstanding 2nd option, and has had some of the best plays I've seen by any Bear WR. But the big plays are too few and too far between. I have a feeling when he signs a contract we're all going to say WOW! What I disagree with is that Stallworth & Johnson will be cheaper alternatives. The market's bare, and this has become a passing league. During the 2nd half of the Super Bowl there were only two rushing first downs in the 2nd half. That's never happened before. Stallworth & Johnson are also going to find huge paydays.

Personally, I like this site because it reflects the Bear's needs with a bit of common sense added. IMO it's assuming the Bears will draft a QB in round 2. This makes sense since: 1. Rex Grossman is likely to be the #1 FA QB available after Cleveland's Derek Anderson is restricted & ain't leaving. Plenty of teams are desperate for a QB and will outbid the Bears. 2. When you draft a QB in round 1 that indicates you're in rebuilding mode. The Bears aren't rebuilding and we're "praying" that Orton can be the man. So you draft the best available QB in round 2. There's not NEARLY the pressure then. As for the safeties, that's a NEED. Despite it being a weak draft, Danieal Manning is mediocre at best, Mike Brown can't stay healthy, Brandon McGowan is no more then a nice back-up, and we have no idea what the hell Kevin Payne can do. This is a GLARING weakness on this defense. If it's not addressed in FA, then it has to be addressed in the draft or we'll continue to be scorched. This team, when healthy, is pretty deep at most positions. I can't imagine there are too many players who will make an immediate impact.

How about this: Couldn't Hester be best be compared to Reggie Bush? While they play different positions, the two are similar in size, have unbelievable talent/potential, and both need space to create a big play. New Orleans & Chicago are both criticized for not maximizing their potential. With Hester, the first part of the season I wondered why the hell we didn't run him in an end-around, toss him the short pass, etc. By the end of the season, as soon as I saw it coming I was screaming, "NOOOOO!!!!!" More often then not the play ended up being a 5 yard loss. This convinced me Turner did actually know what the hell he was doing & was smart for not running it. We saw these plays more often as the season progressed, probably because we had nothing to lose. Yet the outcome remained the same. Hester has some GREAT plays catching the pass down-field, but most plays near the line of scrimmage were a disaster. In other words, it's real easy to say, "Get him more involved" but it's much easier said then done.

Can this officailly be called the "Airese Currie factor?" I like how Rex always said, "He's the fastest receiver I've ever worked with!" I'll bet Rex would have loved to add, "To bad he can't catch the damn ball, run a route, or take a hit."

Great site! Thanks for the Pix. This site seems to be more on target with what fans expect (translation: What the Bears are likely to do . . . I'm tired of them predicting we'll draft Woodson.) This site seems to have a better genuine understanding of what the Bear's needs are. Hell, I'd be pretty happy with this Bear's draft. After all they have us taking: Round 1: OT Chris Williams (I want the best OT available) Round 2: QB Chad Henne (Neither Rex, Griese or Orton can be "franchise" so we need to go back to the well.) Round 3: RB Steve Slaton (I think we'll sign Julius Jones long before this, but who knows?) Round 3: SS Jamar Adams (A definite NEED pick) Round 4: FS Jonathon Hefney (Did I mention our safties suck?)

It would be a waste to use Hester the way they use Welker. Welker is more of an "over-the middle" type receiver, who has the ability to break tackles, and take some big hits. Basically he's a faster version of Moose or Rashied Davis. We need Hester to be like Randy Moss, the big home-run hitter. The Patriots beat the Giants during the regular season because they were able to connect with him on the long ball. Actually, Steve Smith is probably a better example of who Hester should copy. That being said, Hester cannot do what Welker does because: A) He's too damn stupid to learn the play-book He gets dropped easily on contact C) We'd be nuts to risk him going across the middle consistently. He's too damn valuable.

If you listen to the SCORE, Bear players will tell you that Hester's not even the fastest guy on the TEAM. That distinction belongs to Danieal Manning. I'm assuming that means "in pads." I don't know how much of it is acceleration, or just his ability to make quick cuts. Not to mention his great vision.

I don't think Stallworth is an UFA yet. I believe he's due a 6 million $$$ Roster bonus, so there's speculation he'll be cut. IMO it's good for the Bears he's on the market, but he strikes me as being pretty damn similar to Berrian. They're both 27, both appear to be damn good #2 receivers, but not #1's, neither one has ever caught for a 1000 yards, Stallworth is listed at 6-0, 200, while Berrian is 6-1, 185. Berrian appears to be faster. It'll be interesting to see which of the two gets more money. I just hope like hell if we're going to pay for a WR, we keep our own. Personally I think we'll let Berrian walk, hope like hell Mark Bradley develops, and draft a WR fairly early.

Thanks for the Pix. It's flat our mind-boggling that Rex is the #2 available QB this season. Wow. Derek Anderson ain't going nowhere, so that means the top free agent QB is Rex??? Wow again. Some team will give Rex big money to be the #1 guy, where-as JA has stated there will be a QB competition. Good luck Rex, and I really mean that. I can't remember there being a more likeable guy on this team.

I'm sick and damn tired about hearing how damn great the NFC is. What REALLY pisses me off is for the last year, there's been the notion the Bear's didn't have a snow-ball's chance in hell to win the big game. It was 29 to 17!!! Christ almighty, the way people talk you'd think the Bears lost 41 to 3. I hate NY teams, but the Pat's were even more obnoxious. Congrats Giants. On a side note, in any sport has their ever been a pair of brothers to do what Peyton & Eli have done?