jason

I think it means CB just got moved far down the list. OL, WR, DE...wash, rinse, repeat

WOW. This is the first thing I've seen that conclusively shows people were encouraging actually injuring someone with illegal tactics. I've stayed somewhat divided from this because I think it's not much different from the sticker system in college if the hits being rewarded are legal. Football is a violent game and people get injured all the time as a result of legal hits. But until this link, I hadn't actually heard someone unequivocally say they were trying to do so illegally (i.e. the head shots to Gore). "Remember me" shot to Alex Smith = Could occur legally Re-injuring 49ers PR Kyle Williams = Could occur legally Taking out someone's ACL = Could occur legally Now, actually wanting to do someone else harm in this fashion is a somewhat different issue, and any player who wishes to physically injure another player so that the opponent's career is potentially in danger is downright disgusting. Hurting someone with a legal hit is just part of the game. But hoping you actually injure them longterm is very unsportsmanlike.

I completely disagree with your stance on this. It goes against everything everyone has done and said on this board. Whether the other boards are used or not, that should not default all conversations into the Bearstalk main section. Unless of course you'd like to open a thread about Devin Hester's comments regarding the Treyvon Martin case? Talking abuot Fairley getting busted, how it affects the Lions, how it benefits the Bears, etc. = Appropriate Talking about the political implications of legalization = Inappropriate Remember your decision when the shitstorm hits on the next politically-laced article.

Fitting our system is key...which is why CB is not as important as several other positions in the Lovie-2 defense. One has to be a more instinctive, zone-type player instead of a man-on-man player.

No way the Bears do that. Gilmore in the first when there is still the following available? No way. OT - Martin, Adams WR - Hill, Wright, Randle DE - Mercilus, Ingram DT - Worthy

I honestly hope you and the coaching staff is right. I hope Webb turns the corner this year and makes everyone piss themselves over his play. Alas, I've seen him play the past two years, and I doubt it's going to happen. He's a 7th rounder for a reason, and he shouldn't be starting. You think it sucks that we have Peppers rushing opposite of Izzy, but the Bears have the best QB they potentially have ever had in the existence of the franchise, and he's being protected by: LT - 7th Round bum LG - 1st Round OT C - Aging Vet OG RG - Undrafted bum or 7th Round bum RT - 1st Round OT (hopefully) Where I see the major difference... Without a good DE opposite of him, Peppers can still work independently and dominate. Which he has done. Without a good OL in front of him, Cutler's talents are marginalized at best, wasted at worst.

Political thread? Admins?

If the Bears FO honestly believes that, then it makes sense to go elsewhere in the first. It would be a little hard to believe, however, since just about everyone else everywhere thinks the top 4 guys are legit first rounders.

Understood. Your artist/designer side obviously is going to sway your opinion towards that side of the fence. Makes sense. I still hate the Oregon Duck type uniforms and hope they never get close to changing the uniforms that much.

Ugh. I still can't believe someone actually thinks like you. Every time you post something saying you love the new, non-traditional, Arena League looking uniforms, I think you're just playing an elaborate prank on the rest of us. I despise, hate, loathe the Oregon Ducks' uniforms, and I'm very pleased with the traditional look the Bears have. When something works so well, there is no need to change it drastically.

I would obviously like the first round pick. Martin may not be the bell-cow LT from other years, but he's a solid 1st round pick, and an immediate upgrade over highway Webb. A TE in the second round is a horrible pick, however, because there are other much more pressing needs.

I don't think this is entirely accurate. 2011 - Tyron Smith, Nate Solder, Anthony Castonzo played in 41 out of 48 games. Meanwhile, the three WR counterparts (AJ Green, Julio Jones, and Jonathan Baldwin) played in 39. The fact that it was just a banner year for OT injuries (Carpenter, Carimi, Sherrod) is just bad luck. 2010 - Williams, Okung, Davis, Bulaga played in 56 out of 64 games. The first round WRs played in 22 out of 32. And it gets even uglier when it comes to actually starting, because that's a total of 4 games for the WRs and 51 games for the OTs. 2009 - Eugene Monroe and Oher played in 31 out of 32 games. DHB, Crabtree, Maclin, Harvin, Nicks, and Britt played in 82 out of 96 games. Again, this year hurt OTs because the top two picks (Jason and Andre Smith) both got injuries; otherwise, they were starting the entire way through (Jason Smith started the entire year before concussion, and Andre Smith started as soon as he came off of injury). It's arguable that OTs are more injury prone based on this small data-set, but to insinuate that they are reaches or don't play as well their rookie year is outright false. By comparison, OTs drafted in the first round (who do not get injured) still outperform, in terms of games played and games started, their WR counterparts.

If one of the top four OTs fall to the Bears in the first, they should draft that player. In rounds 2-4 the Bears should pick an OG. If that means Webb is a backup and E.Williams gets cut, so be it. A rookie at 19 will be better than Webb, of that there is no concern. And if they are really concerned about it, they can draft Cordy Glenn, pencil in Chris Williams to LT and Glenn in at LG, let them battle it out for the LT position, and put the loser of the battle at LG.

Pretty much. Although, I wouldn't be terribly upset if they cut E. Williams or Webb in favor of higher draft picks who outperform them in training camp.

I would knit the hell out of Wesson...unless he had the backup of multiple WRs (who are all over 6'4").

Please stop. How many times do I have to discredit and disprove this nonsense? Chris Williams did NOT get moved out of LT because he didn't meet expectations. Period. It's not up for debate. Just like before... Recap 2008 - Injured 2009 - Got screwed because of the Pace signing, ended up replacing Pace 2010 - Started LT, got injured, then got screwed because he was versatile and Garza was injured 2011 - Never given a shot at LT while Webb sucked ass The primary reason he's not the current LT is Tice bucked the common trend of giving the starting job to the starter when he comes off of injury. That, and the fact that Garza was injured, forced Tice's hand and allowed him to figure out a way to place his boy Webb in at LT.

Precisely. Attributing a major portion of wins to the Bears OL of the past few years is like when people tried to give the winning record to Shoop and his offense.

I'm referring to the draft. A #1 draft WR now that Marshall has been signed doesn't make sense. It's especially true if they believe Thomas has even the slightest chance of catching on. Actually, you might want to look back on what you want, or at least stay consistent: "Actually its not stupid......if they had signed Royal instead of Weems that would give us Knox, Hester, Bennett, Royal, Marshall and the other draft pick Floyd/Hill. "

Actually, I've said virtually nothing about those who want a DE in the first. I wouldn't mind the pickup. I'd prefer OT, but I can see a serious advantage to a stud DE complimenting Peppers. It would benefit the defense in numerous ways.

I think people forget that the Bears had a damn good offense the year they had the best defense in the history of the league. Not only could they shut you out, they could put up 30. Even if the Raiders had the "best OL of all time" that year, it wouldn't have been able to withstand the speed, power, and sheer numbers of the 46.

You might be surprised, but I could type virtually the same paragraph about myself. As for the braindead/stupid part, you didn't read my post, replied too quickly because you didn't read my post, and completely ignored the original intent because you didn't read the post. It's entirely possible for a very smart person to be braindead sometimes. The same goes for a smart person who does something stupid or braindead. That's where the distinction comes in. All the agitation is unnecessary and overblown. The instigation by others is similarly unnecessary. I swear this board has gotten more and more sensitive over the past several years. It's like a bunch of people talking about knitting or something (which reinforces my comment about not even caring what you said regarding my injury). Back on topic: Marshall = Jackson (at least in stature) Thomas Weems should be listed on the depth chart as ST #2 instead of WR #5. If the Bears get a #1 WR I will not be happy. But if they do, it's not as bad as what you orginally talked about... Potential Reality: #1 + #5 (Thomas) + Rookie #1. That does not equal #1 (Marshall) + #2 (Royal) + Rookie #1 (Floyd/Hill), what you wanted (I could link it for you if you'd like). Because then the WRs would be Marshall, Bennett, Royal, Floyd/Hill, Hester, and you've essentially done one of the following: -Thrown Hester away as a WR option (the management and Hester's salary makes this unlikely) -Minimized the touches a true #1 like Marshall should get -Minimized the touches a first rounder like Floyd/Hill needs to develop -Created a situation where Bennett, Royal, Hester, and Floyd/Hill are all fighting for playing time and targets Bad idea. On a run-first team where the opportunities are somewhat limited, you're not allowing anyone to get in a groove, to develop chemistry with the QB, to maximize potential. You're really creating a cauldron of pissed off WRs who want to do more, who won't be happy about their playing time, and will want to get out of Chicago. If they draft a first round WR and the corps of WR is Marshall, Bennett, Thomas, Rookie #1, Hester, I think the Thomas signing will be purely for ST and he'll never see the field as a WR. Which still means they got a FA WR (Marshall), and one draft pick (#1)...not FA WR, FA WR, #1.

The RGIII thing is more an indication of my belief in RGIII's abilities vs. Wright's. I believe RGIII made Wright more than the other way around. I believe RGIII to be an elite talent that amplifies the abilities and production of those around him.

And yet, in Martz's last year with the Niners (2008), the second year LT Joe Staley, who happens to be a first rounder, only gave up 8 sacks on the year and performed well enough that the team thought it a good idea to sign him to a six-year contract worth $42M ($18M guaranteed). Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of Shaun Hill and JT O'Sullivan put up 3700 yards passing. If they had anything close to a consistent, NFL-level QB playing more than half the games, they would have not had the problems they did. And even with their problems, it certainly wasn't because their LT was a catastrophic failure. Putting an LT on an island on almost 100% of the plays is bad strategy. Putting a shitty LT on an island for the same amount of time is suicide. There is a definite distinction, and trying to lump the two statements into one is not a way to defend Webb. Others in the same system have previously done better, would have done better for the Bears last year, and will continue to do better than Webb. It would have been smart to give Webb help - I still don't understand why it wasn't done or how much blame Tice deserves - but regardless of the help, Webb would have sucked, and a team shouldn't have to completely alter their offense and protection plans to make up for the deficiencies of a single player.

Agreed.