jason

The father time line made me laugh...but even at 39, and coming off a massive knee injury, he's better than any WR on the roster.

And yet, there are literally 27 other teams who have a better set of WRs than the Bears, and 4 other teams (CLE, JAX, TB, STL) who arguably have better WRs. The Bears are not in a position to be choosey about WRs when there is a future HoF'er available for pennies on the dollar but has been essentially black-balled out of the league - mostly his fault - under the guise of "injury concerns" instead of the reality of GMs not wanting to deal with him. It's absolutely ignorant thinking like that that shows these guys don't want to win 100%. They want to win, but they're not willing to sell out 100% for it. They want some utopia where everyone you pick up is a academic all-American and an Eagle Scout, but also can jump out of the stadium. It's the same thinking that has restricted the Bears in the past when TO AND Moss were available. You're telling me TO isn't better than the #5 WR on any roster in the NFL?! If so, you're insane. Is there potential risk? Sure. But unlike most #5 guys, there is also an upside they rarely have. If he screws up, he's cut. He doesn't have teams lining up for him any more. The difference, of course, between him and other #5 guys is that he's a future HoF'er who could teach virtually every WR in the NFL a thing or two about being a pro WR. And then there is the added bonus of him putting up stats. 72 Receptions and 9 TDs in 2010 before the knee injury. I don't see why he couldn't easily come in and put up 50rec/7TD, and that's being conservative.

Man, people on this board have been using virtually the same excuses for several years. There are a plethora of WRs out there who are younger, but I'd rather have TO than all of about 4 or 5 of them.

To be quite honest, I think Hernandez has more upside than Gronkowski. Hernandez fits the mold of the current WR/TE hybrid who poses an almost impossible matchup. He's too fast for most LBs, and too big for most DBs. They each have similar 40 times, but Hernandez is much more potent and quick out of his cuts. It's just a matter of size and versatility. Gronkowski is bigger and can block better, but Hernandez has better hands. A lot of teams want to catch-first TE, and Hernandez fits the bill perfectly. And if he bulks up a little bit without losing speed, he's a guaranteed all-star. Problem is, he's not leaving NE for the time being, the Pats' coaching staff and Brady are enamored with Gronkowski, and Hernandez is stuck playing second-TE on an offense that spreads the ball around a ton. Having said all that, no, I don't think they would be as productive on other teams. Hell, I know for a fact they wouldn't have been as productive on the Bears this season. Olsen's best year isn't as good as either of these guy's second year, and it's easy to argue that the stats could have been split more evenly if not for the NE style of play. Splitting the stats, they could have had 1100+yds each, and 17 TDs each. They are both great talents, but they wouldn't be nearly as productive as they are on the Patriots.

It appears nobody wants TO. Nobody attended his workout (where he looked like a beast despite recovering from a huge injury in very minimal time). He is still, even at his age and even with recent injuries, probably better than any WR on the roster. What is the downside to signing him to a low-base, incentive-filled contract? Seems like a win-win to me. The guy wants to play, is still in incredible shape, could potentially teach the Bears' WRs a thing or two about numerous things (working out, running routes, etc.), and would be playing as an audition to continue his career in the NFL. If he starts shit, cut him. If he doesn't produce (measured up against other WRs who have been kept but yielded little results...looking at you Roy Williams), cut him. Really, win-win. Why not send out a feeler on him?

That would be a move so bad we might as well get Ditka in here to be the GM. Horrible. The team is desperate for a big time WR, but not so desperate to sacrifice the entire team - one which has multiple glaring holes - in order just to have one guy.

I would say great picks prevail, but average picks on great teams also prevail. Put Gronkowski and Hernandez on any other team, and you don't see nearly as much production and don't hear nearly as much about them. But put them in NE's offense, with their stellar OL, with all-world Tom Brady, and that's another story. And if the Bears drafted two TEs this year, I would be absolutely pissed. That would be ridiculous.

Which is why I changed your original point - that speed is the key - to something a little different. If it were all about speed, the Bears would have one of the top WR corp in the NFL with Hester and Knox leading the way. But we all know that's only part of the picture. Give me Steve Largent and Hines Ward any day.

What I like most about the article is that he appears to understand that the OL isn't very good and needs a blocking TE to stay in for help. He understands that the primary reason for the lack of offensive success is that Jay Cutler has not had adequate time to feel comfortable in the pocket and make progressions. Hopefully it also means that he's content with Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth for the time being, because they both block well, and will focus his attention to the biggest needs on offense: OL & WR.

Wrong. Arm strength at the very least could have been determined. Pocket presence is immediately apparent for a young QB under pressure; either he stays in and throws, or he runs for his life. Various other things can be determined as well. Does his footwork get sloppy when it's an actual game situation? Does he understand the offense? Does he execute the offense well? Maybe more important in today's game, does he make the same reads as the WRs so that he's not throwing an "in" when the WR is running an "out"? The entire picture wasn't going to be painted, but there are things to be learned from playing in an actual game against people want to literally hurt and beat you. He doesn't get that in practice. And even if nothing was learned, it is still better to give some playing time rather than no playing time to a player you plan to keep around. Much better than the choice of giving the PT to someone who might not be around.

I actually think the Marinelli hiring was more Lovie hooking his buddy up than anything else. The fact that he wasn't DC right away was just a way of waiting out Babich until it was the right time to fire him without losing face in the media and around the league.

You got that shit right. Cycle. Jauron almost fired, gets lucky one season mostly because of the players and not because of coaching, gets an extension. He finally gets dumped, and the Bears go through virtually the same thing with Lovie. In 2006 he got the team to the SB, but many here thought it had less to do with his coaching than the national media made it out to be. Sure enough, he gets completely outcoached in the SB, but nonetheless has the national support to get the extension. Luckily the team won the final two games, finishing 7-9 to get a worse draft position. 2008 rolls around and the team underperforms, again, but they manage to win 3 of the last 4, just enough to make the draft position worse while not making the playoffs. In 2009, what do you know?, the Bears go 7-9, but it's a damn good thing they won those last two games and screwed up their draft position while not making the playoffs again. Smith getting fired rumors begin to surface, but they don't fire him, and he leads the team to the NFC Championship game...just in time to have a few more shitty years where draft position is screwed up and the team floats around .500. But I'm not bitter about it at all. Let's hope the cycle has ended and something new begins, because I can't take another year or two of Lovie wearing a zombie mask and leading this team to a mediocre record with minimal change and improvement, only to get a pardon from the governor right before execution.

Exactly. Where WRs come to die. That's one of the reasons why I'm still opposed to the WR in the first idea: underutilization.

Picking Blackmon, Floyd, or Jeffery in the first round where the Bears are at makes sense. Even I admit that, despite the fact that I would much rather have a LT. But Sanu, Wright, and Jones?! No freaking way. One of those guys, and a group of others, can be had for far less. If any of those three are picked in the first by the Bears, I will be livid. And it will be a reach.

Repeat

2004 - Terrell, first round talent that was never developed beyond raw ability. Squeezed way more out of Bobby Wade than anyone thought possible. [OC - Terry Shea] 2005 - MuhMuh regressed from previous years, and I'm sure Drake had some input into his acquisition, meanwhile Mark Bradley wastes his rookie year [OC - Turner] 2006 - Berrian showed noticable improvement, Bradley continued to waste, MuhMuh continued to disappoint [OC - Turner] 2007 - Berrian still looking good, Hester emerges with some raw ability, Bradley continues to waste away with no improvement, and MuhMuh appears to be mailing it in [OC - Turner] 2008 - Devin Hester shows considerable improvement, Earl Bennett barely sniffs the field, Brandon Lloyd and Marty Booker are available for 26 games total but only beat Rashweed Davis by 5 receptions [OC - Turner] 2009 - Hester continues to improve, Knox emerges, Bennett emerges (probably held back in 08 by Lloyd and Booker), Aromoashodu criminally underutilized [OC - Turner] 2010 - Hester regresses, Bennett improves, Knox has better stats but has horrible tendencies that lead to multiple Cutler INTs, Aromashodu still underutilized [OC - Martz] 2011 - Odd year, just about all players appear to regress, but that could be directly related to having an NFL QB in only 10 games. Knox, Hester, Williams are not better than their previous years. Bennett is steady but severely underutilized [OC - Martz] The verdict: Only really Berrian and Hester have improved, and an elevator on the ground floor can only go up. So that leaves Berrian as the only real improved WR. Fire Drake. If not for the lack of improvement for the continual what-ifs. What if Aromashodu were used more? What if Knox were taught how to come back to the ball and actually help the QB out? What if Lloyd was actually used while in Chicago? What if Bradley had actually been given a chance and his confidence wasn't destroyed in the first two years? Fire him. MuhMuh was right; Chicago is where WRs come to die. It's partly because of the offenses, QBs, and the OCs, but it's mostly because of a pervasive, ground-oriented offensive philosophy that hangs over Chicago like a dark cloud. As long as Lovie Smith is in Chicago and that cloud remains, we won't see fireworks in the air. Which is odd since so many want to focus the majority of attention on WR in FA and the draft...will it be another WR who comes to Chicago to die?

Exactly. Which is why it made zero sense to start McCown the last game of the season. Enderle is currently a player with no game-time evaluation. And, before someone chimes in with "the coaches know because they have seen him in practice," spare me that nonsense. We all remember how awesome Dez White was in practice and how much he sucked on the field. That logic is flawed. Practice Game.

Hell no. There are enough of FA WRs that can be had for similar money without giving the pick away.

That's a solid C- in my book. 1. The short DB in round 1 is horrible. 2. The TE in round 4 is a waste. I know you want a new TE because "everyone has one" but the two problems with that are A. Kellen Davis is talented, has shown promise, and hasn't been explored yet, B. There are other needs that need to be addressed more than TE. 3. Demetrius Bell as the answer at LT? You gotta be kidding me. The last thing the Bears need is yet ANOTHER LT prospect who shows talent but is injury prone. Bell has missed 17 games in 3 years because of injury. Pass. 4. Did Knox get cut? I like the Toon, Zeitler, Carder picks though.

You could be right. It could all have to do with speed. OR maybe thought of differently, the ability to get open. Jerry Rice was never considered a burner, but he sure as hell got open. Because if it were speed, then it would be difficult to explain the lack of success with Knox and Hester, two guys with world class speed. Both are faster than VJax or Bowe.

Green Bay is the anomaly. They have had multiple WRs who have been good for a very long time. It's something difficult to pin down, but they always manage to have a wealth of WR talent. They draft it, cultivate it, coach it, and put everything together in an offensive system that consistently produces passing yards and TDs. Believe me, I would LOVE to have the Green Bay offense, WRs, their focus on offense. It's the entire reason I'm about the only one on the board who liked Martz and Crowton. I'm desperate for offensive success. I'm a dehydrated guy crawling through the desert hoping to get an oasis of offense. Anything to get the Bears out of the 1920s of offense where it's all based on trying to shorten the game. I'd love to see the Bears pass for 4000 yards when there are multiple QBs throwing for 5000! With all that said, I think this comes down to the age old debate on this board of OL vs. WR. If the Bears invest in VJax and get Floyd in the first, it matters not if Cutler is on his ass half the game and can't call any plays that require more than a 3 step drop. Which is why I would much rather see the OL get turned into a juggernaut. Then it becomes a matter of finding athletes. Give Cutler enough time behind the OL and I believe the guys we have now would get open. This is the NFL, and these guys can get open if the play gets time to develop. In recent years, the plays have been very short because the QB couldn't stand in the pocket. There were very few times this year that Cutler got to sit in the pocket and make second and third reads when the #1 guy wasn't open. Get him that #1, and the others are suddenly open a lot more, but Cutler may not have time to get to them if the #1 is covered. Get him that OL, and if the #1 is not open, Cutler has time to find the other guys. Which is the entrie reason I think the Bears absolutely have to get a LT in FA (don't really know of one), or try their damnedest to get one in the first. It's really a matter of preference. The Bears haven't tried to get an awesome set of WRs in a long time, but the same holds true for OL. I just believe the latter is more likely to produce success. It'd be fun to watch VJax and Floyd running routes for the Bears, but I think one of the two would get wasted because Cutler wouldn't have adequate time to throw.

Without considering FA moves, I go LT, WR, CB, DE, LB in that order. But, of course, that's all dependent on the flow of the draft. If the top 4 LT prospects are gone, and only Blackmon is gone of the WRs, then you wipe the drool from your mouth and pick Jeffery or Floyd. If, however, there is a run on WRs and all those guys are gone, then one of the top LT prospects is there and you do a happy dance before picking the LT. If both of those positions are just picked over and over, you curse the Bears for winning in week 17 and then go BPA.

I agree with this for the most part. FS - Conte is something I can live with. I didn't think he did poorly. DE - Izzy isn't the answer. He's too inconsistent. Some games he's a beast, and then he disappears for a month. LB - I don't think this is as big of a need. I think LB is the easiest defensive position to draft, the fill, and to coach. The guys in there now are good for another few years, and when they're done it shouldn't be too difficult to find good players to fill in. Maybe not an Urlacher kind of player, but close enough to do the job well.

GB, NO, and IND are teams that are virtually all offense all the time, and have all Hall of Fame QBs who can thread a needle at 50 yards. GB has the best blend, but I really don't think Nelson is that great. I think he's a product of the system. Same thoughts go for the #2 and #3 guys in NO. As I said in the other reply, Harrison and Wayne are completely different players. Wayne is the big #1 everyone is talking about, and Harrison is a lightning quick possession guy who runs full speed out of his breaks. And PIT/NYG aren't even worth addressing really; they're WRs aren't that great. I will admit, however, that your thoughts about Atlanta are the best comparison to what is being discussed. While White is only 6', he's thought of as a big WR. And Jones is without a doubt a big WR. So, that's an interesting comparison, and a potential example of how the double big WR thing could work.

You completely misunderstand my point. In fact, you only prove my point. Fitz & Boldin - Are completely different players NE - Moss and Welker, completely different players. Indy - Harrison and Wayne (Clark is a TE) are completely different players. Phi - These two are pretty similar, but this is a stupid example because Jackson is 5'10" and Maclin is a generous 6'. What everyone keeps talking about is a big WR who is a bonafide #1. So, with all that said, if the Bears get V.Jackson and/or Bowe (both are big, explosive, #1 WRs), and then getting Blackmon/Jeffery/Floyd (big, explosive, #1 WRs) doesn't make a lot of sense. The combo that's getting thrown around is Madden stuff. There needs to be a balance in WRs, a mix up of talents that complement each other. If the Bears grab VJax or Bowe in FA, then they probably would be fine as is, and have a great blend of speed (Knox, Hester) and possession (Bennett) guys who would work well together without having to shoulder the burden of #1 WR status.