jason

Agreed. I'd love to see the Bears woo him out of retirement. Although, that means the Bears wasted a first rounder on a rookie who won't play. So, despite the fact that I love the idea of having Ogden on the Bears, it would be counter-productive unless the Bears plan on using their first rounder as a stop-gap at OG (which could mess him up at OT for the rest of his career).

Are you saying that the public's eyes aren't accurate, or that the public is wrong?

I've been telling people this for years. If Jordan didn't take the 2 year hiatus for baseball, the Bulls easily win 8 straight. And if he didn't retire when he did, they may have filled up both hands (i.e. two for the thumbs).

1) More explosion? I'll believe it when I see it. I remember tales of a double-TE formation last offseason, and countless other offensive upgrades/explosions/potency lies that were exposed in the season. 2) If Hester (someone not known for situational awareness) is telling the WR coach when he messed up, something tells me I shouldn't take the WR coach's recommendations or beliefs too strongly (see #1). 3) Dusty hurts my knees. 4) MuhMuh talks a big game, but the things he left out were "catching the ball" and "actually getting open"...neither of which were done at an all star level while with the Bears. 5) Mike Brown should not be surprised. He's a stud, and the team knew that. If he stays healthy, he is Bob Sanders before Bob Sanders became the name and earned the reputation. Mike Brown is a guy who is always in the right spot, hits with power, and finds a way to come up with turnovers more than any player I've ever seen.

He should have never even STARTED over Major Applewhite! If it weren't for the name, he would have been on the pine.

Craig Steltz:

Alex Brown and Djimon Hounsou!? That's PERFECT! Wow. Great find.

Despite the similarity, I suggest that there be a ban on Ben Affleck for this movie.

Given the fact that they didn't look nearly as good as they have in the past, and the entire makeup of their team is due to change without D'Antoni, it's very possible they'll want to go a different route and get rid of Stoudamire. Not to mention the fact that he does have a injury history. Add both of those facts to the recent dumping of high profile players for .75 on the dollar, and it's entirely possible that they'd make the move. Oh yeah, they also made a move for Shaquille O'Neal, perhaps the worst possible player for their style of play. If that doesn't show an organization with a propensity for bad decisions, nothing does.

Is anyone else getting tired of the Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant comparisons? I could put up a ton of stats and anecdotal evidence that shows there is really no comparison, but it sure does seem to be getting more and more buzz as the years go on. Kobe's great, but he's nowhere near MJ.

Yeah, pretty much sums it up. I don't see how anyone can be truly upset about losing MuhMuh. He never stepped up big, he dropped balls, ran poor routes, and pretty much was the opposite of what the Bears wanted. The only thing he seems to have done well was be a veteran leader in the clubhouse. Moving him makes way for other WRs to get in and shine, and we'll finally get to see whether or not Bradley is any good...or maybe we'll get Hester more plays...or maybe the rookies come in and shine. Either way, it's an improvement in my mind. Oh, and Ayanbadejo? Seriously? We're worried about losing a ST guy? He was good at it, but he was still a ST guy. He will not be missed all that much. Some young, hungry player will step in and fill the role.

First of all, the Packers have someone just as unproven as the Bears' QBs in there. In fact, he's more unproven. I'd say he has to do something before they automatically get the wild card. As for not improving in the offseason...that's bogus. -Addition by subtraction because they cut some of the bums on the team -MuhMuh's gone and that will give way to a WR with talent -Chris Williams draft is like drafting two players, because that allows Tait to move to the other side This is essentially the same team that went to the Superbowl, and if it weren't for injuries, the Bears would have been a 9 or 10 win team last year. This year, without injuries, they surprise everyone and win the division.

They traded Marion because he was crying about his contract and about not being happy. He plays a completely different position, and has a completely different role from Stoudamire. The one has nothing to do with the other, except for the amount of money. I still say they have a ton of talent, and should use this pick with Larry Hughes to make a blockbuster trade for a proven stud/veteran.

Personally, I think they should trade it. There is a ton of hype with this pick, and either Rose or Beasley will command a lot in a trade. On top of that, I don't know what the Bulls' identity is right now. I think they need a marquee player of some kind to go with the players they have. They have far too many similar players. They remind me of the Blazers from about 8-10 years ago. Tons of good players, but all about the same level. Besides, their backcourt is pretty good. Sure, Rose will probably be better, but Heinrich, Gordon, Duhon, and Sefolosha are pretty formidable. Nocioni, Thomas, Noah, and Deng are pretty damn good for forwards. They lack something serious at the center position. And since they don't have Jordan, I'm pretty sure they need a Center. What does that mean? They need to pull off a massive trade. First of all, Drew Gooden sucks, but is also highly overrated somehow. This goes double for Larry Hughes. He is one of the worst players for the Bulls. He may be better THAN some players, but he's the kind of guy that goes in to get "his shots", and doesn't seem to work well with the team, the offense...and he doesn't player defense either. A few team ideas: -Stoudamire from Phoenix - Look how easily they gave away Marion -Chandler from NO - He understands how to play now -Nene / Kenyon from Denver -Howard from Orlando - This would be a blockbuster, and probably unlikely -Bosh from Toronto - This would also be a blockbuster, but more likely considering Toronto's habit of dumping talent

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, as long as a player doesn't OJ someone, or do something similar, I don't really care. I haven't been one to say the Bears should cut a player because of their problems. I don't think they should have gotten rid of Tank. Unless a player is disruptive on the field or in the clubhouse, stirring the hornet's nest and causing problems related to teamwork and football, then I don't think they should be released. Does Tank's gun possession stuff cause more clubhouse drama than a bigtime contract dispute or an OTA holdout? I don't think so.

2. Why ask? It doesn't matter if the guy who "liked Forte" was with the Bears. I just chose the easiest person from memory since I'm a Bears fan. If the guy who allegedly liked Forte so much also has a track record of liking a bunch of busts, then his reliability declines, and there is a lessened amount of excitement about how much a certain guy with the Bears liked Forte.

You know, it's funny. I was just thinking to myself, "These guys have tons of talent, and even more potential." Then I thought to myself, "Yeah, but it doesn't matter, because they will not be used appropriately, and I'll be disappointed by the passing game yet again." Then I read your post. Dead on. The Bears have not had a competent OC who understood a potent passing game for quite some time. I truly believe the talent has been there, and has been horribly mismanaged.

I drink whenever Madden announces a game and mentions farv. It could be a week 3 game showcasing the Dolphins vs. the Browns and you can damn-well guarantee that farv will get at least two shout-outs.

1. I wonder who it was that was so in love with Forte? 2. I wonder what his track record is with other picks? Did he like Curtis Enis as well? 3. I wonder if it will matter how much thinner Benson looks and how impressive Forte is as a rookie if the OL still stinks?

My top five 1. Because people in Chicago, and Chicago sports fans in general, care more about the Bears than the Bulls. 2. Because Benson has been a pain in the ass from the on-set, and Noah has not. 3. Because Benson looks lethargic half of the time, and the rest of the time he looks slower. Noah on the other hand looks like he's had speed, not pot. 4. Because it's something almost expected out of basketball nowadays. The NBA is saturated with bad-apples, and one guy from the Mavericks basically came out and said this year that the majority of the league engages in illegal drug usage. 5. Because Benson was brought in to replace a guy who was nearly universally liked as a player and a teammate, while Noah wasn't necessarily replacing anyone specifically.

The best one I've ever heard was when a former pro player, a WR I think, said that the opponents sent some complementary female companions to his hotel room late at night on the day before the game. Win some, lose some.

''My reason for holding out was so ludicrous,'' he said. ''The Bears were trying to give me $1.5 million, and I held out 16 days for $300,000 more." This, in a nutshell, is my entire philosophy in regards to the athletes "trying to get paid" argument. It's just too bad that Salaam had to bomb out before he "got it".

That's a good question. I believe this will come out later on as well. The video didn't help one side either way, IMO. I suspect that it was accidentally leaked, or something similar.

I agree that the kid is soft. However, I also have seen enough that I hope he's not hurt this time and gets on the field a lot. I swear, every time this kid is on the field he looks bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone in the secondary. If he could just stay healthy he could be a huge contributor.