bradjock

So you're saying that Moose was bad here because of the system and the players around him? That's exactly the point I'm trying to make. Moose's last season with the Bears, he had 40 catches for 570 yards. Last season, Rashied Davis had 35 catches for 475 yards. Those are about the numbers I'd expect Lance Moore to put up if he were wearing a Bear uniform.

Galloway turns 38 in November, and he didn't do much at all last season. I'm sure he's a nice #3 or #4 receiver. When you have Moss & Welker, that work out great. When it's Devin Hester & Earl Bennett, it's not so good.

I just glanced at the line that read, "That showing would have ranked him among the top 10 defensive tackles at the combine." Heck, for all I know, he may not even get drafted. But if he's that gifted physically, then the Bears should take a look at him.

The article says he was one of the top 10 defense tackles at the combine . . . if that is correct (and I have no idea if it is) how does that equate to a 6th rounder? I do think that first & formost it's important to take the "best player available" route as often as possible. We consider DT to be the most important defensive position. We have ever since Lovie arrived (and we drafted Tank & Tommie the same year). While Adams is good, the coaches don't seem to think he fits out scheme. We've lost faith in Dvoracek. If we really believe this guy can get it done, then we should spend that 2nd round pick on him. It's much better doing that then reaching for a position of need on a player who sucks.

Gosh, I feel like I just posted this a week ago, and here I am posting it again? I must need to quit drinking or something. That being said, with the exception of a gimpy Orlando Pace, Barnes was the only real upgrade to St. Clair. So lets hope we ink St. Clair soon. Here's the story from PFT. They make some unflattering remarks about Barnes that I was not aware of. I guess it explains why he was still available March 14th: RAIDERS REEL IN BARNES Posted by Mike Florio on March 14, 2009, 6:58 p.m. Earlier today, our friends at RaiderBeat.com reported that talks between the Raiders and tackle Khalif Barnes were back on, and that a deal could soon be done. And soon is now — Barnes is a Raider. According to John Clayton of ESPN.com, the Raiders have signed Barnes. But if Clayon is serious when he says that the one-year with underachieving Barnes constitutes a “free agent coup,” we suggest that Clayton sleep off whatever it is that he’s been smoking or drinking. Barnes was a chronic underachiever in Jacksonville, who nearly lost his starting job last year to Richard Collier. Then there’s the whole “KKK Devil” thing, followed by the abandoned Mercedes that he wrapped around a tree thing. So, yeah, they scored a real coup, John. Maybe next they’ll trade for Donte’ Stallworth. But, hey, at least Clayton will get an extra-large fruit basket this Christmas from the guys at Priority Sports & Entertainment.

Here's how I compare Rashied Davis & Lance Moore: Both are around 5-9 and undrafted free agents. Rashied Davis went for 445 yard & 2 touchdowns on an offense that turned Marty Booker into "Stone-Hands." The kicker for me is that Mushin Muhammed was so bad with the Bears we cut him . . . last season Moose put up "Lance Moore" numbers going for damn near 1000 yards. Rashied Davis looked bad the game you saw him, but what WR doesn't look bad with the Bears?

It's easy to look at the fact he came close to receiving for 1000 yards last season and think, "Hell yes!!!" Then you realize: 1. He played with Drew Brees who makes the WR's around him MUCH better. 2. He wasn't even drafted & he's only 5-9 (that means he's a slow 5-9) Basically he's Rashied Davis in a New Orleans uniform. If Lance Moore came here he would die (figuratively, not literally) We can't do it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about signing Bullocks like others have. Sure, I'd have liked more of a "top-tier" signing, but you won't here me complaining. My point was, Dannieal Manning physically is just a freak. Supposedly, he's the faster player on the Bear's roster, faster then even Hester. Physically, he looks just cut. On kick returns he flat out runs people over, which is impressive. As a FS, as far as I'm aware, tackling has not been an issue. It's purely a matter of him having a difficult time of reading the defense and being out of position. We have a ton of depth at cornerback, and apparantly we have no interest in moving any of them. With Peanut & Nate it's a health issue. Although with Graham & Bowman, I'm not sure why we wouldn't consider it. That being said, if D Manning is better then Bullocks, it would make sense that we move him back to the FS spot. One other thing is that Lovie & Angelo seemed to contradict one another. Immediately after the season, Lovie announced that DM would remain at FS. A month or so later, JA announces that DM would stay at the nickel spot & Craig Steltz was our immediate #1 FS. Ultimately I think it's Lovie's decision.

I don't think that's true anymore about the cb position. Have you seen any current mocks that have us taking a cb in round 1? The early mocks had that a lot, but since the combine & free agency, everyone I've seen has had us taking an o-lineman or WR. Good point about us having a lot of depth at cb. My guess is we'll try to draft a safety in rounds 2,3, or 4, and if not, we may see another Dannieal Manning experiment. Don't forget that Lovie REALLY likes DM, and he's had a more active role in coaching him. I know DM has sucked at free safety, but let me ask you this: Is Bullocks better? My guess is no. More importantly, we seem to be happy with Corey Graham, and we've made it clear that Vasher will be in the mix. I could easily see Vasher moving back to nickel, and DM back to fs.

Sorry, double-posted.

The only argument I can see for not going after a guy like Weaver, is that we seem to be putting less importance on the fullback position, and more on the TE. Last year McKie sat more and gave way to the Olsen, Desmond Clark combo. I expect to see one helluva a lot more from the 6-7, 267 lb Kellen Davis this year. Supposedly we spent a ton of time last year concentrating on him being a better blocker. That being said, I agree I'd much rather have a "bowling-ball" type blocking FB.

How's that a smokescreen? Sorry, but that word gets thrown around a lot, and it just annoys me. Agreed like hell we could look to target him in the 3rd round. JA LOVES drafting DT's. Harris is gimpy, and Dvoracek may be done with the Bears after this season. Although I'm not certain how much the workout has to do with it. If I remember correctly, NFL teams are able to work out as many players as they want to went to school in close proximity to the team. I think I remember last year we were able to work out Notre Dame guys also. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that. The only problem I see is the Bears seem to have a ton of needs that IMO take precedent over DT (WR, QB, DE, Safety, OT, WR)

[b]Two. "piss and moan". Um, when have you ever heard about Holt being anything but a solid, positive character. I think it a tad unfair to Holt to assume such a weak character when he has never proven anything of the sort. True, but the exact same thing could have been said about Brett Favre a couple of years ago. Also, what is there to complain about if he gets the $6.5m base plus $1.25 bonus he would be due. Not sure what sort of contract you think he might get on the FA market, but I think you are over-valuing him if you think he will get more than that for one In 2007 Holt when for 1200 yards & 7 touchdowns. He's younger then TO, and he's not a piece of crap. I don't know how much he'll get, but it'll be one helluva a lot more then what TO received. Think about how many teams wanted Housh. For me it comes down to the fact no team has wanted to trade for him. Maybe, or it could be that Holt's agent has expressed that his client won't be happy going to any team. Neither one of us know for sure, but I'm surprised he hasn't drawn any interest in trades. Has KC signed Cassel to a new deal yet? No, but Cassel is a not the norm. If Tom Brady returns, Cassel is back to the bench, and how much is he worth then? Also, there was speculation a tentative deal was in place, but not finalized because the Chiefs have tons of cap room & their in no hurry. Sorry, but I don't see Holt getting what TJ Hous got, which is the numbers you are talking about. Holt is older, and w/ more wear and tear. Further, he is coming off a sub year, and too many questioning how much he has lost. I realize he isn't "that" much older than TJ, but here is the key. Most all, including you below, are questioning whether he has lost it, how much he has lost, and how much he has left in the tank. I recall none of the same questions w/ TJ. Some may have wondered about signing him to a long term contract, but I read none who were questioning if he has already begun the drop. Most have w/ Holt, and he is simply not going to get the same deal. He's lost a step, but he's still considered a #1. Teams will pay for that. Sorry, but I think you are a tad nuts on this. How much would he help the bears? Come on. His speed could drop off. His eyes could begin to go bad. His hands could suffer from beginning stages of arthritis. And guess what. He would still be an upgrade over what we have. Holt may not have the speed to be the homerun threat on every down, but he is still a great route runner, w/ great hands, who would be a fantastic compliment for Hester. I think that is the key. I think you think I, the bears, or anyone still considers him a #1. I think most view him as a great #2 at this point, which is how I view him, and how I think he would help the bears. [/b] I can't argue that he'd improve the Bears, I was just pointing out that it may not be worth paying an ass-load of money (which you can't convince me he won't receive) to run down field and let Orton over-shoot him by 20 yards.

I was honestly surprised we kept him around after we signed Buenning. Since 2005, he's been pretty much worthless. It seems like once a year we'd hand him the starting job and he'd get hurt, and whoever we replaced him with played better. Last season it was St. Clair.

Thank christ the Craig Steltz days of starting free safety will soon come to an end. This isn't a great signing, but it was necessary. What other free safety is out there? We've upgraded. Ultimately we need to draft a safety real damn high in the draft, either round one or two. Here's what ESPN.com had to say about him: Bullock is a five-year veteran who has been a starter for all of the previous four seasons. He is a good-sized safety with good top-end speed with above-average quickness and agility in coverage. He is a little stiff in his pedal and tends to play erect, which causes him to miss some tackles in space. He builds to speed more than being explosive or immediate. He is a little stiff in the hips and comes out of his pedal in stages, which causes him to lose speed and relationship to receivers. He is not real direct, when transitioning to close on the pass and tends to round things off, but will show a decent burst to close on the ball, once he gets realigned. He shows good route awareness and can read the quarterback's eyes to get a jump on the ball, but is not a great ball hawk and often gets there after the catch. He is inconsistent wrapping up and often chooses to try and knock the ball carrier down, rather than wrap up and form tackle. He is willing in run support, but is not a real physical player unless he can hit on angles, rather than heads up. He is an adequate starter but does not stand out in any one phase of the game.

T.J. Housh is 31, caught for 904 yards & 4 TD's on a horrible offense. He signed for 5 years, 40 million, 15 guaranteed, and had several teams chasing him. Right now Holt is 32, and he caught for 796 yards, 3 TD's on a horrible offense. He'll be a candidate for the hall of fame. Why do you think he wouldn't want to get paid? More importantly, why would he make himself affordable to the Bears when: 1. All the teams who didn't get Housh will be going after him (and we didn't even pursue Housh) 2. The Bears have bad QB's and bad field conditions.

I disagree. Let me put it this way. If your options are: 1. 3 years 15 million, or 2. 1 year for the minimum Wouldn't you be jumping all over option #1??? He must have some leverage or he'd have signed by now. Realistically, there are at least two teams with comparable bids, and he's waiting until one flinches or one drops out.

I didn't know that. It makes sense cause the Bears are usually ones who "go with the flow" of the NFL. That being said, if I may bitch for a moment: I have a biased opinion, because at least for me, it's impossible to buy a damn ticket without paying at least double the face value. Ticketmaster's impossible, while stub-hub & E-bay suck ass. I do genuinely feel bad for the dedicated season ticket holders who have to pay PSL fees, and then have the prices jacked up each year. But at the same time, I'm pissed at those who keep those tickets just to make a profit each each. That's my rant. I'm done . . . until I decide to bitch about the price of beer at games . . .

Hell yes we should consider him. Especially since GM's apparantly believe the statistic that drafting a o-lineman in the first round is the safest bet. I can't remember which mock it was, but one of them projected their to be a run on offensive tackles the way there was last year. I went into ESPN draft history, to look at their projections vs. where they went, and the 3 big surprises were: #17 Gosder Cherilus to Detroit--He was projected 31st overall, late 1st-early 2nd #21 Sam Baker to Atlanta--He was projected 64th overall, late 2nd-early 3rd #26 Duane Brown to Houston--Projected 58th I don't know how successful they were, but Cherilus started 13 games, Sam Baker 5, and Brown 16. What was even stranger is that teams were trading up to get these guys. So based on what happened last year, even though ESPN has Britton rated #33 (for what it's worth) it's easy to believe he'll be a 1st rounder. Ideally, we resign St. Clair as insurance in case they suck. That being said, I'm nervous as hell about the outlook of our safety position and IMO, it's seeming more and more inevitable that it's a necessity for us to draft one in rounds 1 or 2.

The main problem I see with your argument is that the crappy economy plus the upcoming labor uncertainty may put a screeching halt to most of the big spending. Sure it won't stop Dallas & Washington, but teams like Jacksonville & Buffalo are likely to be hurting. If you'd have said that about Angelo last year at this time it would have made total sense. But last year he was busy signing Lance, Hester, Lloyd, Booker, Rex, Kyle, Kevin Jones, Urlacher . . . Of course the counterargument that pisses me off is that the Bears have not been affected by the economy and it shouldn't affect the way the Bears spend money. Our stadium will continue to sell out and be filled to capacity, and the TV money is already locked in. So what are we losing out on? Merchandising? Hell, I was one who thought we should have raised ticket prices if it meant we go cheap in FA. But I digress. Getting back to St. Clair, are you suggesting that he has a better offer out there but he just REALLY wants to play for the Bears??? If free agents see a big deal they know to jump on it ASAP. If anything, any offers St. Clair has received are likely very comparable. Which IMO proves that Angelo is dead on when determining a players value in this particular case. (Unless there St. Clair has received no other offers, which doesn't make much sense cause he would be screwed if we signed Khalif Barnes.) I'm glad you brought this up when it's boring as hell here in "Bear-land" but I think you're reaching.

It sounds damn good in theory, but my guess is that it's not that simple. The key factor IMO is that Holt would have to agree to the trade and be happy with it. At this point Holt is asking the Rams to release him. That means Holt wants to be paid. Technically, the Bears could play hard-ball with him and make him play out his contract (Is it after 2009 he's a free agent?) But the Bears aren't going to trade for a guy just so he can piss and moan & hold out. In the NFL, like when we traded Thomas Jones, there's almost always a deal in place. Which means we're not talking so much about what it would cost to trade for Holt, but how much would we pay for him. He's a year older then Housh, and a much more accomplished wide receiver. My guess is he'll be asking for 4-5 years, 40 million with 15 guaranteed. Will we pay that for a 33 year old? Then there is the question of how good Holt could be with the Bears. His speed has dropped off and he's always excelled playing in the dome on turf. My fear is he'd be the next WR that came here to die. Great theory, but it's not going to happen.

Agreed with homeboy. For me it comes down to "34" being the magic number. Fred Miller turns 34 and he's done. John Tait turns 34 and he's done. Pace is 34 in November, and he might have been done two years ago. Honestly, I'd think Pace might be ready to retire. He's used to being one of the highest paid offensive tackles in the league, and he'll be reduced to a one year offer most likely. That being said, I wonder what the hell's going on with St. Clair?

I didn't realize that the Rams need to decide one way or another to keep him by March 17th. Before I'd thought all this Holt speculation was based purely on, "IF the Rams decide to release Holt . . . " I'd love to see Holt in a Bear's uniform. That being said, if we didn't pursue Housh, why would we pursue Holt? You have to figure the 5 year 40 million $$$ contract Seattle paid TJ will be the starting point for what Holt is asking.

Good point. Apparently they were talking about Smith. My mistake. I jumped on it cause I thought that would explain why Barnes was still out there.

I like to think we're not going to wait until after the draft to just sign players off the scrap-heap. Here's some guys who are still available I hope like hell we're thinking about trying to sign: Byron Leftwich: What the heck happened to him anyway? He was supposed to be the best free agent quarterback available, and I haven't even heard a rumor about him other then he might resign with Pittsburgh. He's proven he's a good back-up and he'd definitely keep Orton on his toes. Khalif Barnes: At 26 years old, he could be our starting RT for the next 6 years. I'd like to sign him AND St. Clair. Jared Page: At 6-0, 220 lbs, he's considered a big free safety. That's exactly what the Bears need. He is a restricted free agent for Kansas City, but I wonder how much immediate cap space they have left after the Cassell deal? We stole Tait from the Chiefs when he was restricted . . . D.J. Hackett: He's extremely injury prone, but ESPN has him rated very high and I love what they had to say about him: Hackett has excellent size and above-average straight-line speed. His long stride can be deceptive and allow him to get behind a secondary. He can use his long frame and excellent catching radius to get over defenders and catch in traffic. He has become a legitimate red-zone threat. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and consistently plucks the ball away from his frame. He shows a decent burst out of breaks and can separate from defenders with his cutting skills. He still needs work on his route running, but is learning how to set up defenders and avoid telegraphing his intentions. He lacks great top-end speed and won't blow by many defenders on go routes. His durability is questionable. Hackett started to come into his own in 2007, but he missed most of the season's first half and four games late because of ankle injuries. In four NFL seasons, he has yet to play a full 16-game schedule.