nfoligno

I don't think that is what he meant. Byrd was a CB for Oregan, but due to a lack of straight line speed, it is not believed he can be effective in man coverage in the NFL, thus many talk about his moving to FS. But in the cover two, you play more zone than man, and thus elite speed is not deemed as necessary. I know some fans do not like the hear that, but it is the reality of our scheme. A college CB deemed to slow is then said to either be an NFL FS or a CB in a cover two scheme.

TJ had teams all over him? Not even close. TJ said prior to FA that he expected to have a deal done by like 12:30am, 30 minutes into FA. But what he found was (a) not as many teams were interested in him as expected and ( those who were, were not offering the sort of money he wanted. He wanted $10m per year, but found out teams were more concerned w/ his age and lack of speed than he expected. Now, I am not trying to compare TJ w/ boldin, just questioning your comment that teams were all over TJ. In reality, only a couple showed legit interest, and even then, not at the level TJ expected. While I do not expect the bears to pull off the deal, might I remind everyone how we got Wale. Wale was a 15 sack DE for Miami, and considered among the elite young pass rushing DEs in the NFL. It didn't workout as hoped w/ Wale, thus I think fans tend to forget just how big of a deal it was, but that trade was nearly as big as we are talking about w/ Boldin.

Thoughts on Boldin's value: I realize there are many questions on Boldin's value. Roy Williams, a lesser WR, was traded for a 1st, 3rd and more. At the same time, we have seen the "rumors" of his value all over the place. So what gives? While I don't have the answer(s), I do have some thoughts. One. Roy Williams was traded during the season, to a team who felt they were adding the one player who would put them over the top THAT YEAR. Simply put, you will find inflated value in a deal such as this. Dallas was trying to win a SB, and making a move they felt would payoff w/ in a matter of weeks. I just do not think you can make a direct comparison between an in-season trade and one that would take place in March/April. Two. Just because one owner makes a bad move, does that necessarily mean a value is set? I seem to recall some years back Ditka making an insane deal to get Ricky Williams in the draft. Soon after, GMs felt the market was set, only to find out very different. Many point to Hatley as stubbornly believing he should holdout for a similar ridiculous deal, and ended up taking Enis. Three. Despite what Az may say, most believe Boldin has been on the block for some time, and yet his market simply does not seem to be nearly as high as many would have believed. If this were such a no brainer, the deal would already be done. As no trade has taken place yet, maybe the market for him is simply not what Az (and most here) expected. At some point, Az may have to simply decide whether to take what they can get or stock up on advil. The above reminds me of Briggs. I remember when most here (not to mention Briggs and his agent) felt his value was so high. They felt they could easily workout a deal to move Briggs for max value, but that didn't happen. Not only that, but when he was an UFA, his market still was not what many expected. More recently, I think TJ Hous found the situation similar. I am not saying TJ and Boldin are the same, and realize the age difference, but the point is, the market for Boldin may simply not be what he thinks. As great as he is, he lacks that elite speed, and while I really disagree w/ the idea, most simply place a greater value on speed and less so on receivers who lack it. I really do not know what Boldin's market value is at this point. Frankly, nor do I know how serious Az is in moving him. What I know is more and more "insiders" seem to place his value lower than most here would have expected, which just makes me wonder. Maybe a 2nd would not get the deal done. But at the same time, a 1st round pick may not be in the cards either. It may involve a package, w/ this years 2nd rounder being the top of the package. At the end of the day, we can quibble about the specifics, but the point is still there. There are proven veterans who could potentially be had, and I think it worth considering taking that route rather than the far greater risk/gamble of the draft. I doubt Angelo would agree, but I simply like the idea of going out and obtaining PROVEN, still young and in their prime, players over the gamble of the draft.

Clabo is a RFA tendered at a 2nd round pick level. Thus, it isn't a trade for him, but simply signing him to an offer sheet and giving up a 2nd in return. We might have to tweak the structuring of the deal to prevent Atlanta from matching the offer though. As for Boldin, I really do not know what the cost is for him, but recent reports seem to indicate (a) Az is increasingly ready to trade him and ( his market value is not as high as he might think. Boldin may be a WR version in some ways to our very own Briggs. Briggs thought his value on the market would be equal to the league's elite LBs, but the league seemed to think otherwise. While a great LB, there were still questions as he played next to Urlacher and lacks some of the non-tackle stats GMs crave. Maybe a 2nd isn't enough, and we have to sweeten the deal. Fine. Send them our 2nd this year as part of a package.

To me, this is a legit issue if the player has a history of weight issues. For example, Mike Williams (the WR) supposedly was in a constant battle w/ weight. In this draft, the OG Johnson would be in a similar situation. If a player w/ a history of weight issues showed such an increase in weight, I think red flags would go up all over the place. On the other hand, if a player who has always been committed in the weight room and has never had an issue maintaining his weight adds some pounds after an injury, I am just not sure that is really much of an issue. Now, I have no idea of Nicks has previously dealt w/ weight issues. I don't think so, but I am not 100% sure.

Okay, to hell w/ the draft. Instead, how about we: Send Denver our 1st & 3rd, and future 1st/2nd conditional pick for Cutler. Send our 2nd to Az for Boldin. After the draft, send Atlanta our 2010 2nd round pick for Tyson Clabo, a damn good RT w/ size (6'6 330), youth (27 years old) and experience (I think he has started every game the last two years). Sure, we are giving up a boat load of picks, yet at the same time, we get a franchise QB, a franchise WR and a damn good RT (which allows us to move Omiyale back to OG). Still have that conditional 3rd rounder this year we can use on a FS. Hey, better than spending our picks on future busts

I gain 15lbs everytime I visit family in Chicago. Between the suffed pizza, italian beefs, sausages and combos, dogs, brats, canolis. Well, you get the point. 15lbs is nothing to gain, and frankly, not that big of a deal to take off either.

But why did we (Angelo and Lovie) constantly talk about Omiyale at OG and start him there the first day of mini-camp? To me, that only made the look worse when they had to move him to OT after missing out on St. Clair. IMHO, the money being offered to St. Clair proves he wasn't viewed as a long term answer, and I would argue they were likely still planning on drafting an OT. But back to Omiyale, if they did not intend to play him at OG, why all the show? IMHO, all that did was make them look foolish. If they signed him and from day one talked about him at OT, I think it would have made more sense. He was considered an OT by both Atlanta and Carolian, and his only start came at OT. Heck, it is even the position he said he feels more comfortable at. If we said we signed him to be our RT, I don't think anyone would have been surprised. But from the moment we signed him, we declared him an OG, and said he would compete for a starting job inside. If that was never the plan, why the act?

The front office "might" get crucified, but I think forte would be very happy. I wonder, if the pick were Orton's, would he take a OL, who could keep him healthy, or a weapon who could make him look better. I realize my hope would NEVER happen, but I just love the idea. Just imagine, a year from now having Williams - Duke - Beekman - Johnson - Britton, w/ Omiyale as a swing OL who backs up both OG and OT.

The point I would make is, by all reports, we added Omiyale to be our starting OG, not RT. After signing him, we still wanted St. Clair, who we expected to play RT. Even when we entered our camp, we had Omiyale at LG, and only moved him to RT because we lost out on St. Clair. I think we might use Omiyale at RT, but that is a backup plan, not the 1st option. Thus, I think the "plan" is still to use Omiyale at LG, and find a new RT.

Most assumed they would go for a similar deal, but that doesn't mean it will happnen. Dallas was in mid season and seeking a playoff spot, and deals at that time tend to be higher than in the offseason. Also, just because one team does something stupid doesn't mean it truly sets the market. Az has been dealing w/ this for a year now, and may simply have reach a point where they will take what they can get, and if no one is offering more.... As for whether they will spend the money, IMHO, when there is a player Angelo really wants, he spends the money. The question is, is Boldin a player Angelo would really want.

Agreed. It is time to work on building the offense. As for the defense, count me among those who believe the defense will be upgraded by coaching changes. We had mainly the same personnel, and dominated. Then we changed coaching and sucked. I am not sure if Lovie and Marinelli are "all that", but at this point, I think most anything is an upgrade from Babich, and truly believe our defense will be better.

Frankly, I think it is pretty cool. We started to check out PFT for fun as much as anything, but they really have become legit. There was a time when, if they were referenced by a majory name or meidia, they would mention it, but it has become so usual that it isn't even mentioned now. ESPN, CNNSI, Foxsports, newspapers, etc. The reality is, they have become pretty well connected, and often beat the "bigs" on scoops.

If you look at it that way, then no, I'm not confident. However, I think it would be idiotic Yes it would be idiotic, but that isn't the point. You said these guys should never create another mock if they project us to take X, Y, Z, BUT w/ our staff, there is a legit chance it could happen, and thus the mock guys are doing their job. Now, our GM is another story. Freeman - Hell no. I can't agree here. No way this guy goes to the Bears at 18. Read today NYJ may be getting worried that Freeman may not even make it to them. His stock is on the rise, and he could be looking more and more like a value. I would say no freaking way, but if (a) the staff does like him and ( his value does push high enough to be seen as solid at 18, and combine that would QB being an obvious need.... Well..... Rise all he wants, he's not in the top 5 WRs. And if the Bears take arguably the 6th best WR in the draft at the 18 spot, it's a horrible pick. Not a top 5 WR according to who? That is my point. Think a couple years ago. When looking at the "experts" ranking the positions, how many had Daniel Manning as a top 5 DB? I realize he wasn't taken at 18, but that isn't the point. The point is you have no idea where the "bears board" places Robiskie in terms of WRs. Most see Crabtree and Maclin as top 2. After that, I think it is much more grey. Agreed...and this is the debate that has raged on this website for a while. I have never seen great WRs emerge on a team with a shit OL, but I have seen a great OL, well, read the sig...I know you agree. No question we are on the same page. Heck, I think I was the first to talk serious about Britton, who now looks like a value at 18, but was considered a reach when I started talking. Point is, there is little question how much I feel OL is our top need. After Britton, I want Duke. After Duke, I would love to see us draft big boy Johnson and see if we can't get him into shape. How about this, now that we know we have two 3rds. 1st - Britton 2nd - Duke 3rd - Iglesias (not the talent Nicks or Robiskie, but I like the style and value in the 3rd) 3rd - Herman Johnson (If Rusty can work w/ him, he could actually be a huge [no pun intended] value down the road)

Tiny timeline issue w/ this idea, though fun enough on a boring day. Gruden didn't join TB until 2002, one year after Angelo joined the Bears. To be best of my knowledge, they have never worked together, and there is no reason to assume the two are friends, much less tight, or that he is on Angelo's "list" anymore than any other former coach.

Best news I have heard in a while. That's awesome. Oh, and Brad, how far has PFT come along for you to use them as a source nearly implying it as fact

I think Loadhart is gone, and then Beatty may be the best available. If that happens, I think we may be better off simply taking Duke Robinson to play OG, and allow new acquired Omiyale to stay at RT, where he has said he feels more comfortable anyway.

I got my feathers ruffled, as did Az, and I am just letting this one die. No point in going back and forth on this one. Send it to the junk pile and be done w/ it.

I would still rather draft an OT, but IF we are looking to draft a WR, I would just as soon send the pick to Az for Boldin. Many here like Nicks, who some "compare to" Boldin. Well, why not just go out and get the real thing. We sure as hell have the cap space to sign him to a new deal, and further, we could even front load it and make it cap friendly for the duration of the deal.

On a serious note, just think for a minute about all the phone numbers he does likely have in there. Just think about all the former and current football players who's personal numbers are likely in his phone.

Great job Pix. Although, I must say that some of the picks are downright retarded. Anyone who has the Bears taking a CB, a DT, Josh Freeman, or Brian Robiskie in the first round should never be allowed to do a mock again. While I agree in general, at the same time, a mock is about when we "might" do rather than what we should do. W/ Angelo as the GM, are you that confident none of those could be our 1st pick? CB - While there is no question OL is a greater need, I am not sure we can say CB is not a need at all, and if a solid prospect is there and is the BPA, it would not shock me. Make me sick, yes, but shock me? No. DT - While we put our hope and faith in Marinelli, the fact is still that our DL failed to rush the passer. Thus, if there is a player Angelo loves, I can see it. Freeman - I have a harder time w/ this one. Could happen, sure. Little question QB is a need, and I would even argue this would be a good year to draft a QB. Again, I would hate it, but there is logic and I can understand the mock of it. Robiskie - Frankly, I see nothing wrong w/ this mock pick. Not that I agree w/ it, but there is little question against WR being a top tier need, thus I think it is the particular Wr you are questioning. But his stock has really been on the rise, and it is possible he is the favorite WR in the minds of our staff. I think it goes w/o saying I would hate all these picks, but I am not sure they are so out there you can question the sanity of the mock guys. They are not predicting what we should do, but guessing what Angelo will do. Further, with the retirement of Tait, the uncertainty of Williams, and the general overall piss-poor performance of the rest of the OL, it's baffling to see such a heavy weight on WR and not on OL. Baffling. Especially when considering the fact that there are questions about all the WRs who will be available for the Bears at 18. While there is no arguing what you say, at the same time, an equal argument can be made looking at our WR corp. I would bet that if you had a survey taken, we would rank in the bottom 3 in terms of WR corps. Likely would rank around the same at OL, but some might point to our getting a 1st round pick (Williams) back this year, as well as giving a nice contract to an OL in FA to justify our passing on OL. I would disagree, but I do understand why so many think we would draft WR.

LOL. I am a smart ass myself, but there was little chance of my popping off last night. He may be retired, but he is still ripped, and would crush me. Easily.

Wanted to tell of something that happened last night. I was up at the club (Lifetime Fitness) and there was this guy in the locker room pissed off because his phone was just stolen. He was really going to town on the guy who works there. I thought I recognized him, and asked at the front desk if he was who I thought he was. Sure enough. It was Michael Irvin. The playmaker himself. I have to say, after reading story after story, he is about as big of a jerk as I always read. The locker room has, you guessed it, lockers. You insert your membership card and pull out the key. So lockers are free and secure, but Mr. Irvin didn't feel the need to use one, and I guess left all his stuff laying out when taking a shower. Bye bye phone. Now, you can say what sort of a world do we live in, but come on. Tons of teenagers there, and you just leave your phone out in the open? Further, he really went off on the freaking towel guy. I mean, this guy keeps towels folded and stocked. He isn't security, and didn't deserve the verbal abuse he took. It was really pathetic. I know it isn't Bear related, but I personally don't come across many NFL players, and just wanted to relate the story.

I've been posting for a LONG time, and I am pretty confident when I say I have never questioned a fans loyalty because he saw things different than I. Some fans always go along w/ whatever the team does or says. Others disagree w/ everything no matter what. I question neither. Understand, if I am talking to a GB fan, you can be sure I am touting Angelo as the best GM in the NFL. But when talking to other Bear fans, I feel I can be honest. Maybe for some, a bit too honest, but that doesn't mean I want to be a Redskins fan, just because they sign FAs. Hell, I have lived in Dallas for some time, as despite an owner who makes splashes, there is no question what team my house cheers for. How many 3 and 6 year olds do you know that know the lyrics to our fight song? Mine do, as we sign it every night before bed.

No offense man, but come on. What was your prediction last year? How many games did you think we would win? In 95% of predictions, we exceeded expectations. You know, sometimes a team does better than expected, but so what. Are we simply supposed to assume this team is good, and thus needs little done? Seems like that what we did after 2001. Exactly how many expected 13 wins? So we follow that up by basically trying to maintain the status quo. How did that work out for us? And this offseason you thought we were going to pick up all these pro bowl linemen and safeties, so now you are sad. Did you mistake us for the Redskins? Just always kills me when someone has to jump to an extreme in an argument. You do not need to be Wash in order to add solid or even pro bowl OL. Sorry, and I'm not just saying this to you, but how many threads do we need to say the same thing? If you are tired of defending the Bears then don't. They is plenty of room on the bandwagon in Pittsburgh. This might just symbolize what pissed me off as much as anything else out there. So if we disagree w/ the way our team does something, we have no right to be a bear fan and should just find a new team. F'ing ticks me off. So you never disagree w/ the team. You never question the front office? You never question the staff. You never question the players. You never......I think you get the point. To me, this is as assanine as a person who questions his government being told he isn't American and should leave the country. Guess what Az. It's not black and white. Plenty of gray and plenty of room to question your team w/o having to leave your team. I will support the Bears now matter what. I will look forward to Bullocks and Earl the return to good form. I will look forward to Bennett making tough catches. I will look forward to Chris Williams having Orton's back. I will look forward to Marinelli to light a fire under the DL asses. I will look forward to returning to a defense that creates turnovers and scores. I will look forward to Matt Forte carving up defenses. I will look forward to Hester and Olsen getting the ball from Orton and getting in the endzone. And I will look forward to seeing our new draft picks coming in and trying to help. You should choose to do the same. I swear to G. I just want to say F off when I read crap like this. We are all bear fans. If we were not, we would not spend so much time on these board. Just because you are a yes man and I guess do not question anything the staff or team ever does, don't question the fanhood or loyalty of someone on this board just because he isn't in lock step w/ the staff. Sorry if I am going over board here, but it just ticks me off when someone throws out the idea that to question the dealings of the team is enough to question that fans loyalty. Stop pretending you never questioned this team. Oh yea. I guess you were 100% behind Cade McNown the entire time too.