bradjock

William Moore or Massaquoi. Did I mention the chat room is open? The link is in the top section.

I'd bet we're taking Massaquoi. I know you won't be thrilled about that Hoof . . .

Except we don't have a 3rd we can trade . . .

It's a little lonely with just Ashkum & me right now.

Western Michigan. Damn. I JUST heard Delmas go.

Disagree. All the WR's drafted so far were projected to go in the first round. Robiskie could still be around.

Agreed. Buy are you sure he won't slide to #49? It's 19 picks away as of right now. What really makes it tough is that we can't trade our 3rd rounder.

Nicks is gone now to the Giants. It seems less and less likely there will be a free-fall for WR's dropping.

Why is nobody in the chat room?

I heard that interview. He based it on the fact that we showed absolutely now interest in Williams. The last time we didn't show interest in a player we drafted it was Cedric Benson. Right. I'm one who's convinced that JA doesn't spend much time worrying about sending out "smoke-screens." Angelo went on record as saying he wants a big receiver . . . someone who's play is different then Hester & Davis. So either JA is lying or he's telling us the absolute truth. I believe him. No way we take Williams.

Are you not contradicting yourself? If Angelo is above the BS, why do you say he is giving us BS when he says he is going to place more value on character, injury, etc. That's just Angelo saying, "I'm doing my damn job!!! A player's health is important to us!" What else can he say? I don't give a damn? I don't think it was "just" Williams, but more like Williams was the most recent straw that broke the back. I also suspect the team is really suspicious of Williams at this point. If Angelo was still so high on Williams, I would question adding Pace. I think they are more worried about Williams then they are letting on. Here's why I disagree with this: We did not sign Pace until: 1. We signed Cutler 2. We traded our #1 draft pick 3. We promised Pace he could play LT (supposedly Baltimore offered him more money) I can't prove it, and Angelo has said they'd been looking hard at WR in round #1, but without the Cutler trade we use our #1 pick on Oher or Britton, and the Pace deal never happens. We only moved Williams in order to sign Pace. If we don't trade for Cutler, Williams is our starting LT. Graham fell in the draft due to injury concerns? I didn't know that. Corey Graham broke his leg his leg midway through his senior season: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/...yers/31170.html From what I understand, he was never 100% his rookie year. That's why Trumaine McBride started over him. Once Graham was healthy their roles were reversed Toenaie (or whatever his name is) looked great at moments. So what. Harrison was supposed to be a 1st round talent available in the 3rd round. That was the hype at least. I am not saying he is a bust. Far from it. But I am questioning your saying he is a "very good pick" at this time. I think he may well earn that, but just do not feel he has done so yet. He's a 3rd round pick. You don't expect greatness from them their rookie season, you expect them to be "ok." Harrison was "ok." Not great, but not bad. Time will tell. In Bazuin, I would actually argue he would be an example of a different "philosophy" issue. Bazuin was a prospect who many fell in love w/ due to his athleticism. I have argued for some time we place too much value on athletes over football players, and feel Bazuin is an example of this. I don't know what the hell we were thinking with Bazuin. He didn't have the size to stop the run, he was more of a blitzing specialist. Why the hell would we draft him when we had that in Mark Anderson? I don't want to even think about it. I said he was moving toward bust status BEFORE this year. you would really argue that? He failed at both FS and CB. He was among the most hated players on the team (at least around here). He really made up a lot of ground w/ his nickel play and return ability, but still. He is a nickel DB we took w/ our top pick in the draft, and supposedly the player we traded out of the 1st round to get for better value. Sorry, but a nickel w/ your top pick is simply not very good. Do I want him on my team? Sure. So long as we look at him only as a nickel and return man, but that doesn't mean he was a solid pick at the top of the 2nd round. He's a player I'm excited about this season. We disagree. Nice pick. Hold the phone. I was among the very few arguing against signing Pace as I wanted to give Williams a chance. IMHO, I am among the few who truly do want to give him a chance. Chris Williams is our starting RT . . . what's wrong with that? Hell, in two years we dump Pace and move him over. First, I think Madlith blows me out of the water in terms of most posts. Not an accurate comparison . . . not of his are 5000 words. W/ that said, I am around and ready. I've been on a couple vacations since the trade. In fact, the Friday after the trade, I had to go on a camping trip w/ my daughter (Indian Princess). It killed me, but no way out of it. I also have to admit. The weather is beautiful, and I can't resit calling in sick to play some golf. That sounds awesome. Just as long as you're there to bash Angelo on draft day Okay, I'm here and ready to explain why you are so wrong

Good point. Although he could have been talking about Robiskie. After reading the entire transcript at Chicagosuntimes.com, what struck me is how Angelo talked about the need for having a different type of WR. A bigger player who can block (Like Moose). Previously I'd thought we just wanted another guy who could stretch the field. If we want the bigger blocking type, surely Robiskie or Massaquoi should be there . . . shouldn't they?

As that player loses a year of eligability, I am not sure you can count on such. What do you mean by eligibility? Dvoracek's a free agent after this season. Being IR'ed for 3 years straight hasn't hurt that. I don't know how many bonuses he lost out on, but being a 3rd round pick, there probably wasn't many. Maybe its one thing when talking about a 7th round pick who has no options, but a 2nd or 3rd round pick that goes on the IR, well, I think there is more of an injury there than fans want to believe. As I remember it, Bazuin, Okwo, & Dvoracek all played in the final preseason games, and then were IR'ed shortly after. Dvoracek's especially stuck out in my mind because the only thing we ever heard was "foot injury." That causes a guy to miss the next 17 weeks? What the hell? It is suspicious.

Something that stands out to me though is, Angelo dang near seems to be admitting past mistakes. That is unusual, and far beyond the typical GM hot air we most often hear this time of year. As of late, Angelo has seemed to be secure enough in his position to admit these mistakes. I got his autograph at training camp last summer, and I was surprised at how frail he looks in person (although he was riding a bike). I wonder if he's gotten to the point in his career where he can just skip a lot of the bullshit. He may not have missed games in college, but before the draft, there were tons of rumors that doctors round problems prior to the draft, leading numerour teams who were high on him to drop him down, or off, their board. And then he is injured. Sorry, but how is this not a good example? If Williams starts every game for the next 4 years would you still say that? The guy missed half a season. He's signed for 5 years. You don't change your philosphy based on that. Um, why does Bowman look like a "very nice" pick? He was an injury risk who went down for the season in his first game. He slipped due to injury concerns, and at the time of the draft we speculated he wouldn't play this season. He passes the "look test" in that he appears like he could be one helluva a player. Corey Graham was in a similar position his rookie year, and he looked pretty damn good last year for a 5th round pick. Going into the season, it's easy to get excited about Bowman's potential. What more do you want from a 5th rounder? As for Harrison, I think it a tad early to say "very nice" pick. While I have hope as well, I would point out he did exactly light a fire last year. Similar to the situation for Bennett at WR, the opportunity was wide open and there for Harrison to take, but he wasn't able to do so. He was a nice player last year, but sure didn't seem (IMHO) to live up to the hopes of those who were talking about how this 1st round talent fell to the 3rd due to character issues. He looked great at moments, and then he'd disappear. He looks like he could be a quality defensive tackle for years to come. That's speculation of course, but the guys a rookie. I think he'll get better . . . but I was wrong once. Didn't he go on IR in his rookie camp? It didn't matter if Bazuin was hurt . . . Bazuin sucked. Seeing how Benson's staying out of jail, as a 2nd rounder, Bazuin might be the worst pick Angelo's ever made. Solid pick? Sorry, no way. Who cares if he started tons of games at FS. He sucked. Davis started a bunch of games at WR. Does that mean he is better than we make out? DM did look good as a nickel, but teams are not usually looking to draft nickel DBs w/ their high 2nd round picks, especially when you consider that was the player we were supposedly targetting when we traded out of the 1st round. I would say that this past season made him look better, but would not say he would represent a "good pick". He hasn't been great, but he's not a bust . . . he seems to be getting better and he still has the potential to be great. That's a solid pick IMO. Let me ask you this: Do you hope he's on the team next year? I do. Yes. The later the pick, the more risk you can take. The 2nd round is a bit high to take high risk in the 1st place, but when your 2nd round pick is also your 1st pick in the draft, I would argue that is even more true. As the draft goes along, you can take more risks, but in the 1st and 2nd rounds (1st day of the draft) I think the flags have to be weighed heavier. Sure it has to be waived . . . but to what extent? I remember you were a huge fan of Chris Williams and thought he'd be gone by the time the Bear's picked. Even more amazing was that Albert & Otah were still available. Yet we wanted Williams. Can we agree to wait until January to judge the pick? I've been around, just not as much time to reply. Damnit NFO! It's draft week! You've been slacking ever since the Cutler trade! Honestly, it's kind of eerie how few posters have been on with the draft a few days away. I believe you have the status of most posts I expect you to get busy these next few days

I really have to disagree with you on multiple areas. #1--I don't believe what JA is saying here: If I remember correctly, a few years ago Angelo talked about drafting "High character players" and then he drafted Dvoracek, who got drunk and beat his friend into a coma. This just seems like a bunch of hot air. Kind of like saying, "We'll take the best player available" and you damn well know "The best player available" will happen to be a WR. With the injuries, JA is just saying he's doing his homework. #2--Bad player examples: Chris Williams, in 4 years of college, missed one day of practice and zero games. He returned to the Bears by mid-season. Are you saying we wouldn't have drafted him due to injury concerns? Harrison & Bowman both look like very nice picks. Bazuin was a terrible pick. Injury had nothing to do with that. D Manning's never hurt, he started tons of games at FS, he looked great at nickel and was the #1 punt return man in the NFL. Solid pick. Mark Bradley: I'll give you that. But that's one example. #3--You're saying it's ok to draft a health risk in round 3 (Harrison) and round #5 (Bowman) but not in round #2 (Bradley)? So you're saying Angelo should be careful with that one 2nd round pick we have? Sorry to be so damn argumentative, but NFO hasn't been around much lately so I figured someone had to pick up the slack

Sheesh, everybody gets too damn uptight about the damn mock drafts. First everyone was pissed they had us taking Massaquoi, and now according to this, Massaquoi's already gone. I know lots of people on here want Robiskie, but most experts tend to agree that he has a "low ceiling." Ron Turner wants WR's who can stretch the field and be a home run threat. Robiskie's doesn't offer that. So I agree we won't take him. And as for the defensive tackle in round 3, would that REALLY surprise anyone? In the past 4 drafts JA has taken Tommie (#1), Tank (#2) Dusty (#3) and Harrison (#4 . . . or was he in the 3rd. I forget.) Although realistically, based on McShay's mock, I see us trading down if this is how things play out. How many times did we trade down last year? Damn I love the draft.

That's easily the busiest time of year for this site. I do wonder if there will be the same excitement since the Bear's don't have a #1 pick. The draft starts at 2:00, which means we should make our first pick by 7:00 or something like that? As usual, I'm taking an "Al Bundy Vacation," which means I'll be roping off the area around the TV, and the wife & kid have to pretend I'm not there. I'm looking forward to the chat room.

So hypothetically speaking, who do you want the Bear's to pick? Let's say the top 7 WR's are gone AND we've committed ourselves to taking the best WR available (which I firmly believe we have done). Do we take Iglesias, whose stock seems to be dropping since the combine? Derrick Williams? Which 2nd tier WR do you want?

Maybe. But would adding him deter one of our young WR's from developing into a stud?

I'd love to see us get Hackett. He has the ability to stretch the field, and he could be a #1 if he ever stayed healthy long enough. Fuerry wouldn't be a bad player to add for depth. Porter can go to hell. Ass-buckets need not apply.

Has anyone noticed that JA more and more seems to be a man of his word? Immediately after the season, JA said he wasn't that concerned about the WR's, but he was worried about solidifying the QB position. (DONE! . . . hopefully) I've stated before that we seem mainly interested in letting Olsen, Bennett, & Hester develop. Considering those 3 consists of a #1, #2, #3 draft pick, and we're likely to add another #2 . . . Look for us to give Kellen Davis more time at TE while playing Olsen a ton as the slot receiver.

Can I have R. Johnson? I'd be happy with him, but we'd need to make an effort in free agency to help correct the glaring weakness we have at WR. I know that is not your question, but if there is in fact a run on WRs, that means other players are slipping a bit. My preference is always to avoid drafting at the backend of a run. Sometimes you can't avoid it, but I do not want to draft players who do not belong in the 2nd just because of a prior run on WRs. Doesn't the first run start in the first round and likely end with Robiskie? Yes we would be jumping on the tail end of that run. But starting with Mossaquoi, there's supposed to be a 2nd round including Iglesias, Pat White, Derrick Williams, Ramses Barden, Louis Murphy, Deon Butler, Quinten Lawrence, and Massaquoi (that's based on Kiper's projections) So while we'd get the tail end of the first run, we'd be at the start of the 2nd run. I would also make this point. The more teams that draft a WR in front of us (1st and 2nd round) the fewer teams likely to draft WR after us. Thus, I would argue several of the WRs we may be talking about w/ our 2nd round pick could still be there in the 3rd. Maybe, but from 49 & 99 . . . that's one helluva a wait. I think those three players are all somewhat similar in style, though the talent different dictates the round value. Now, Robiskie has risen, as has Iglesias, and we don't have a 1st. So at this point, I just pray Nicks or Robiskie slip to us. If not, I would still prefer to look at Iglesias in the 3rd, rather than reach for him in the 2nd. Does Robiskie have the talent to really stretch the field? If he doesn't, my guess is we'll go with a guy who can. Hell, he could be available and we might pass on him.

I thought it was interesting that he said Robiskie had a "low ceiling" and that he'd be a #3 WR at best. Yet he loved Massaquoi (spelling?) and said he could go as high as the Raiders early 2nd round pick and that the Bears could scoop him up. Most importantly, unless there's an EXTREME run on WR's, there ought to be a pretty damn good WR available when the Bears draft at #49.

While these views are always, "spot on," I do wonder if this year will be different, considering: 1. We don't have a #1 pick 2. Bear fans are universally in agreement that the Cutler deal was awesome. There's not NEARLY as much chatter on here today as there would have been if we'd still held our first rounder. Actually the past two years fans have been fairly happy. Most loved the Chris Williams pick and EVERYONE loved the Greg Olsen pick. Could this be the year we just bask in the glow of Cutler and we all just get along?

Good point, but if I'm Tory Holt, I'm trying to make sure I have a deal in place before the draft. If the Jags & Titans both draft a WR in round one, his value drops. While he may not sign with the Jags, I do think he'll sign before next Saturday, and there's no indication that team will be the Bears. Honestly, I hope he does sign. If he signs with the Jags or Titans, they'll be less likely to take a WR in round 1, which hopefully would help push a guy like Robiskie down to us.