bradjock

If we only needed 2 players, that'd be perfect. Do I need to mention how many positions we need to fill?

Thus begs the argument: Are the Bears better off trying to get one great player (Williams), vs. a really good player for great money (V-Jack) vs. 2-3 good players . . .

Agreed, but I think we'll be very limited to bargain shopping after Williams. We'll get some of the Roy Williams/Marion Barber type signings, but we have a ton of needs.

I'm wondering Hawthorne's asking price. I'd think he's out of the question if we sign Williams.

Agreed. Houston has a kick ass o-line. I could play running back for them and rush for 100 yards (I could go 150 against the Colts). I'm guessing this is a move done not because he's bad, but because Houston is over the cap limit.

I'm no expert on the specifics, but teams have the ability to back-load deals. The Giants just saved a ton this year by back-loading Eli. They aren't giving him less money, just restructuing. There's been a bunch of these deals done. The NFL warned teams 6 times not give big contracts now that would give them an advantage in the future. The Cowboys gave Miles Austin a 17 million $$$ bonus. I'm guessing this put them above and beyond the typical cap number. I haven't heard what the Redskins did. Again, the Skins can restruture deals to save space immediately. Someone more knowledgeable in this can explain it better. Either way, they're at least 15 million under. That'll get them V-Jack no problem.

Bell outplayed Barber and he's cheaper. Pompeii said we'd like to get a change of pace back. I wouldn't mind us spending a 3rd round pick on a RB. Does anyone know if we save cap space by dumping Barber? Why are we waiting?

Remeber the year it was reported the Skins had no cap space & they gave Haynesworth a 100 million $$$ deal. They did it by restructuring & back-loading veteran contracts. If they want V-Jack, they'll make it happen, even if it's bad for the team. They need V-Jack to save face for the RG3 trade. They've got to get somebody in their or he's doomed to be bad. If it's anywhere close, I think V-Jack avoids the Skins like the plague. But the Skins typically don't just outbid everybody, they blow the next best offer out of the water. At the end of day, money talks.

You're forgetting we franchised Forte. It was reported we had 29 million. Forte will cost close to 7 million. That brings us down to 22+. I'm thinking we'll take the "wait and see" approach when it comes to that extra 1.6 and should we use it this year or next.

What's with the head banging icon? Does that mean it's obvious we should go after Bennett or a terrible idea? As for Joseph Addai, after what happened with Chester Taylor & Barber, we'd be ignorant to go the route of good veteran back-up. Coach up Kahlil Bell to hang onto the ball and use one of our 3rd rounders on a RB.

The nice thing about Mario Williams is he is not only a great player, but with him you don't have to worry about the defense getting so old so quickly. The way we're headed, in 2 years we'll go from being a top d to one of the worst. Also you win with great players. Williams is a great player. V-Jack is just good & you'll be giving him great money. That being said, while everyone agrees we should go after Williams, does anyone think we will???

Yep. The Colts see Luck as the next Peyton Manning. It's one helluva a gamble, but if they are right, it'll be worth it. On a side note, if RG3 is worth 3 #1's and a #2, what would Luck be worth?

Agreed. What kills me is we seem like all our o-lineman. Pompeii reports we're sticking with J Webb & he can be the answer at LT. Carimi's #1 pick. Tice drools over Louis & C Williams at guard. We love Garza & gave Spencer 6 million. If we were going to play C Williams at tackle, we'd have done it last year. Seemingly the only o-line position we need is a guy to push Carimi & J Webb. How can we like our guys so much and our line be so bad?

The Redskins are idiots. How many times have they overpaid for a player? Haynesworth was the last example of their stupidity. Seemingly when they want a guy, if other teams are offering 50 million, they'll offer a hundred. The fact they gave up 3 #1's and a #2 for the 2nd best QB in the draft is another example of this. The Rams even announced they were trading the pick, yet the Skins were willing to give up the most compensation ever to move up. If they'd have been patient, they could have saved themselves a pick. V-Jack is a good but not a great player. If Washington wants to overpay for him, have at it.

I don't think anybody was surprised when they gave Manning the 100 million $$$ deal. He ended the previous season as arguably the best QB in football. Hell, Philly gave Vick a 100 $$$ deal. I always view it as every year you do everything you can to win the Super Bowl. Don't worry too much about the future. The Colts were trying to win a Super Bowl last year. Without Manning they were the worst team in the league. It makes sense to blow it up.

Good point about the cap space. Cam Newton's signed a 4 year 22 million $$$ deal. That actually makes those picks St. Louis received even more valuable. You don't have to pay through the nose to draft a bust like Cedric Benson.

Peter King has a list of top 50 free agents and Finnegan Is #2 behind Peyton Manning and ahead of CB Carr from KC who is listed at #5. I didn't realize Finnegan was that good. If Peter King is right, he'll be getting about 10 million per. We have a need for WR, DE, and O-line above CB. No way we spend that kind of money. Although I'd be thrilled if we did.

But is Davis better? He seems to be mediocre at best. Realistically we could probably sign both. Either way, I'd love to see us upgrade the position to have an offensive weapon. John Carlson or Macellus Bennett would both be upgrades.

And just because Tampa has publicly stated they'll spend it, doesn't mean they will. Their GM said that 2 years ago and they finished 40+ million under the cap. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe teams are required to spend a minimum until 2013. How much $$$ will Finnegan cost? More importantly, why would V-Jack want to go to the Bucks (other than a huge pay-day)

It makes the Cutler deal look Great. Cutler was a young pro-bowler & a legit franchise QB. How many times have we seen top drafted QB's suck? Not to mention the Bears were an average team with a great defense and awful offense. The Redskins are just awful. How many years will it take for them to get better? Its quite possible the Redskins could be the worst team in the league and the Rams would own the #1 overall. EXCEPTION: Won't this make the Redskins even bigger players in free agency? We were able to sign Peppers because we didn't have to pay for 1st or 2nd rounders two years straight. PFT reported a couple weeks ago the Redskins were going to target a #1 WR. The price for V-Jack may have just went up.

Clark turns 33 in June and he's only 6-3. He's struggled with injuries and he was real bad without Peyton. He won't be expensive.

That's what I thought it meant. Not necessarily a former 3-4 lineman, but a smaller passing situation DE. When Mark Anderson was drafted, he was projected as a 3-4 linebacker. His rookie season the Bears had the lead most of the time and he register 12 sacks, mostly on passing situations. The next year we tried to make him an every down DE and all teams did was run at him. He finally excelled this year in New Englands scheme. I think we're happy with Idonije against the run but we need someone with more explosion. Getting a 3rd down specialist is a cheap alternative.

Let me ammend that. Unless you have a top 3 NFL QB your franchise will likely suck. It's also why the Packers and Pats don't have much room to sign free agents. Lucky for them they have Brady and Rogers so it's not that urgent. My figuratively saying it would be the death of a team was an exaggeration, but it makes it one helluva a lot tougher. I will say this: Urlacher, Briggs, Peppers, and Tillman are old as hell by NFL standards. We have no replacements waiting in the wings. If the Bears swing and miss on a huge free agency signing, we could be screwed. If the defense gets bad and one of our highest paid offensive players is bad, we could be a bottom team. It wouldn't be the death of the franchise, but we be in rebuilding mode which ain't much better.

1. The Bears are going to make a serious push at Vincent Jackson. While you might be saying "wow, what a great source you have," it's believed to be a potential upset inside the Bears organization if he doesn't end up as a Bear. They're going to make every effort to have him wearing a Bears jersey next year. Right after the combine on WGN Sport's Central one of their insiders guaranteed V-Jack to the Bears. Said it was a done deal. A lot of negotiating goes on at the combine. When we got Peppers, that was probably done a week in advance. We know V-Jack can play in Soldier Field in November. 2. This isn't really anything new, but they probably won't be making a push for Mario Williams. Their goal is to add a former 3-4 OLB, like Kamerion Wimbley, as the DE opposite of Peppers, sign Jackson, and go after a veteran OL in FA. Wimbley made a little more than $9m last year, so look for his deal with the Bears (if he signs here) to be around $7.5m. That'd be AWESOME 3. Don't be surprised if the Bears still take a WR with the 19th pick, although it's possible that they still may go DE at 19, even if they sign Wimbley, because they are all well aware of Idonije's down year in 2011. I just hope we take the best player. That's cliche' but it's true. If we sign V-Jack that will give us flexibility 4. Although reports came out today that said otherwise, people all over the league believe Peyton Manning will be going to the Redskins soon. However, with so many other teams in play for Manning, don't hold me to this one. You were correct. PFT reports Manning says "no" to Washington Again, I've been wrong before, but I enjoy sharing this stuff with you guys, so believe what you'd like and we'll see what happens soon. I appreciate it and it's fun to speculate.

Yep. If would actually make way more sense for the Bears to sign Manning and dump Cutler. Seriously. You just don't flip your franchise like that unless it's necessary.