CrackerDog

Well John Gruden agrees with you so you're not alone. It would be a complete reboot of the team which some might argue is what we need. I'd hoped for something a little less painful. We'll know everything we need to know in a few short hours.

The more I think about this I'm convinced this is a smokescreen. I think Pace wants to ensure that someone comes up ahead of the Bears and takes Mariota. That'll leave better pickings for us. At least that's my opinion as of this moment.

The Cutler Hate is strong with this one.

Ha! I'm glad you pointed that out. I went back and saw the link I missed earlier and clicked on it. This article is based on an NFL.com article about things they'd like to see happen. Which means it's all a fantasy. Phew. Thought I was going to have to go ferkin' postal.

That article is the most poorly written piece of shit I've ever read. And simple put, if the Bears make this move I'll probably go to bed at 8 PM tonight and skip watching the next two seasons. This makes absolutely NO sense.

According to a tweet from Brad Biggs just now, there have been an average of 13 trades in the first round of the draft over the last 5 years. That doesn't sound right to me but if true it makes a mockery of all of these mocks. (See what I did there?)

I think one other reason I'm so excited for it is because it's here, in Chicago. I can't wait to see how ESPN and NFL Network show off the city.

Not sure if it's because I'm interested in the way Pace runs his first draft or if it's because the Bears needs are so plentiful but this draft is the one I've been most anxious for in a long time. Probably also has to do with us having such an early pick and the bad damn taste last season left in my mouth. But whatever it is... I CAN'T WAIT!

All I know is that if this plays out and the Jets don't take Mariota (or trade him to the Eagles themselves) then the Bears will get one hell of an offer from the Eagles. Frankly I think Mariota goes #2 but whether it's the Titans taking him or someone else I can't say. And I expect Cooper to go ahead of White but that's just a gut feeling.

I'm not saying I like it either. I'm just saying I'm getting the feeling they're going that direction assuming other players I think might be gone really are.

You and I are on the same page. I'm starting to think Beasley which is odd for a team with 17 LB's already on the roster. Of course it depends on who else is available. I'd love Cooper.

How surprised would you be if the Bears went Beasley assuming Cooper and White were already off the board? Obviously Williams is also gone in the scenario. I could see them passing on Shelton and the rest to go Beasley here. Thoughts?

Won't be there at 7.

Say, no. But actions speak louder than words. With that said, as mentioned above in the thread, this really is a no-brainer decision. If Shae pans out, he'll still be cheaper than the price of the option. So I'm a bit ahead of myself with the "waste" comment.

Ouch. But accurate. Interesting that Fox and Fangio, who are supposed to know a bit about the 3-4, don't think he fits in that D either. What a huge waste.

I'll just say, if they got what they got for Marshall it's clear to me that a 3rd for Bennett isn't happening. And anything less than a 3rd is bullshit. This draft is weak on TE.

Ha. Well, on top of trading Marshall, having Forte pissed off and then trading away Bennett... That would basically tell Jay his receivers are all gone. Bears brass to Cutler: "HEY JAY, GFY!!!" I doubt this happens as I've heard this is a terrible draft for TE. We'll see.

Love it. I particularly like the analysis of Jimmy Johnson's chart which is basically gospel in the NFL. If you look at the analysis, the lines cross at selection number 50 (which means Johnson's chart reflects reality at pick 50 if you assume the AV methodology is right and the scales are equivalent) and how far things are apart both before and after they cross. The AV line barely moves down between player selection number 50 and 100 whereas Johnson's chart shows player values by selection 100 have gone nearly to zero. That's essentially the end of the third round! What none of this takes into account is that the draft is only one part of an organization's success. The Bears could've drafted Randy Moss and his career would've been, in my opinion, dramatically worse than it was in Minneapolis due to our coaching and other surrounding players, for example. I think the best coaches get the most out of their average players and the worst get almost nothing out of them. That's a bigger difference than how well you draft in the first place. Again, just my opinion. Then you get into intangible items like team chemistry, leadership, etc. And in the NFL, frankly, ease of schedule. One team can face a dramatically harder road than another. That's all supposed to even out in the end but I'd say over a 10 year range that's probably true, not within a single season for sure. Lastly, the difference in the Johnson chart shows that teams are vastly overpaying guys who aren't significantly better risks than other cheaper players. And that use of the cap can cripple a team that does it wrong. Look at where we are today with Cutler. Love him or hate him, the Bears new staff had their hands essentially tied by what was done by the prior decision makers. This effect can make it difficult for a team to make corrections quickly, leading to coaching staffs getting fired perhaps despite their actual relative responsibility for the team's winning percentage. Good find Jason. Thanks.

I generally agree with you on not wanting a team full of boy scouts. With that said, we always disagreed on TO. My thoughts on a guy like that (besides the fact that his skills had diminished) are that, at some point, the league needs to stop rewarding guys like him despite the antics. Being a distraction no matter where he went eventually caught up with him. As to Moss, unfortunately, his talents would've been mostly wasted here given the lack of QB talent we had here during his golden years.

The latest on Ray is he'll likely fall out of the first round.

There are lots of people concerned his skillset doesn't translate to the next level. We'll see.

I hope one of our guys blindsides Favre during their ceremony. Would be awesome! They cart him off the field and he wasn't even playing LOL! And then do the same to Rodgers during the game.

He bled blue and orange. A true Bear through and through. I still remember getting his Bear Report back in the day. Saw him at a local establishment in my suburb doing his radio show live once. He had great stories and really lived life, it seemed. Maybe he can lend the Bears a hand from above one day when they're in a close one...

Yep

I only snipped the part I thought relevant to my post. I don't really disagree with you that he's had a lot of touches. All I'm saying is that when he "takes himself out of games" it's probably because he's been involved in the previous 4 or 5 plays in a row and he needs a breather. I know my football god Walter Payton didn't do that so I see where you're coming from, but defensive tackles, aside from the Fridge, didn't weigh 300+ LBs back then either. And linebackers weren't as fast as RB's. The game has changed. No, I never really held it against Forte because when he was on the field, he was giving it 110%. He's been great. But you and I definitely agree, he's on the downside of his career and the Bears need to approach his contract with that in mind. You can't give him a deal that's going to be a boat anchor for the cap in future years. And if Matt doesn't realize that, he'll end up on another team.