Harris seems so inconsistent. I think you have a good group of linebackers who can handle that type of game, not sure about the secondary. The D-line is where I think teams suffer with the fast paced offense, especially in the middle. It always gets overlooked in the excitement of having a high-flying offense until down the road when everyone starts wondering why the D suddenly dropped off. It’s hard to tell when watching a team whether the line looks good because they selected good players or because they have the right coaching to make guys look good in the scheme. That’s very much the case in Pittsburgh. Many of our LBs would look ordinary in another scheme but with Keith Butler coaching them and fitting them into Lebeau’s scheme they start to look like all-stars.
He’d be a better fit if he had a bruiser, between the tackles kinda runner, like Pierre Thomas. Seattle already has Justin Forsett, who fits the Bush mold already. But we agree, some team will overpay for him.
How does that make you feel (or more importantly, how does it make Martz feel)? Are you happy with your WR crew?
It will be interesting if nothing else. I like it that the Bears seem to have broken out of their Bear-like funk of not taking too many risks and playing it safe and mediocre. The last couple years they’ve taken a ton of risks, from overpaying a KR to be a WR, to paying a steep price to get Cutler, to hiring Martz. It’s just so … UnBear-like. Should be an interesting year.
The Bears certainly do have a lot of pressing needs, we can agree on that.
Boldin is a guy who I think would be an excellent fit for the Bears. He gets the separation that Martz loves, he’s good after the catch, he’s powerful, he has something to prove as a #1, and he’d be a great complement to Az Hakim, Dante Hall, and Bennett. The Bears have already risked a ton going into this year, opening the coffers for a #1 WR in an uncapped year doesn’t strike me as too much more. And a 3rd round pick (how’s Juaquin Iglesias?) after giving up two first rounders, a third rounder, and a starting QB for Culter, is a drop in the bucket. But a lot of it comes down to your comfort level with the WRs already there. If you’re happy with what you got, so be it.
In other news, rumors have it that the Rams are going to be sold to a Champaign/Urbana businessman, so there’s hope the team won’t be leaving St. Louis. Good news for them.
Happy might be too strong a word but I’d say I’m content with them. If you take the optimistic view and assume that Aromashodu’s finish to the season wasn’t a fluke and/or the result of good matchups then they have all the pieces they need. If Aromashodu was a flash in the pan and the guy who couldn’t get off the bench is the guy we’ll be seeing once he’s in the starting lineup then we’re in deep trouble. I’m tending towards the optimistic view though, he started the season injured and Cutler had been advocating for the guy all season. His late emergence by all accounts is a result of locker room politics, questionable coaching and bad luck. He’s got size, speed and hands and is the prototypical #1 WR everyone pines for, he just has a small body of work.
I like Boldin, I always have, but I think the team that signs him will be making a big mistake. He’s really aging fast and his injury issues are becoming more frequent, and they already were worrisome. I think he could be a major asset for the Bears for next year, but I suspect that he’ll fall off the cliff after that. If the Bears were a WR away from being a Super Bowl contender I’d be all for rolling the dice but that’s not the case. If it was just a matter of getting stuck with an unwieldy contract it would be tolerable, but as sad as it sounds that 3rd round pick is just too important this season in a deep draft.
Practically speaking it’s more about what will happen versus what I want to happen and Iglesias personifies that. The Bears, Angelo specifically, are very attached to past draft picks. They simply aren’t going to give up on players whom they spent better than 5th round picks on. Iglesias and Bennett are exhibits A and B, giving up on them would be an indictment of Angelo’s drafting ability and the McCaskey’s wouldn’t like to be writing big checks to fix those failures. The Bears have a lot of WRs on the roster, all young and cheap, and adding Boldin or Holt would definitely mean that one of them is getting cut. That’s just not going to happen. With the exception of Iglesias they all showed enough last season to merit optimism in Halas Hall and Iglesias basically took the Bennett “rookie red shirt” program. He’ll get his looks before they quit on him, for better or worse. (Mind you, I hated him the day they drafted and think he’s a pile of garbage, but the team is married to him for at least all of camp.)
I haven’t heard about this. I’m shocked to hear that there’s anyone in Urbana with enough clout and cash to buy an NFL team. After some Googling the guy appears to own Flex N Gate an autoparts company of only 9500 people. It seems that if the sale goes through the Rams would immediately be the bigger of the two businesses. Though a news report says Flex N Gate has revenues of $2B annually, which is a shockingly high number for such a small company. As a fellow Illinois Engineering grad I guess I’m pulling for him.
Fair enough. I’m not sold on a thrice released 7th round draft pick with less than 400 yards receiving after 4 years in the NFL, but I’ve been wrong before. Lots.
Back when the Bears got Cutler, you seemed to downplay the draft picks given away by the Bears. The reason I think the 3rd rounder is so important to the Bears now is, in good part, because they didn’t have a first or third rounder last year and no first or second rounder this year.
I see no reason for the Bears to stand pat with their WR crew. Mostly because their WR crew isn’t that good to me. There are better WR (I think Martz-guy Mike Furrey is available, as are a fair amount of middling talented guys) out there. But I think you’re right, the Bears would rather roll the dice with their guys. But if Martz doesn’t think they can do it, I can see him bringing in other talent he likes.
Maybe he’ll have an alumni day and give away free tickets to the Rams. Plus, there’s a whole boatload of humor to be made from having the fans and players scream “KHHHHHAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNN!!!” ala Will Shatner.
Heh, I hear ya. I’m not sold either, though I liked what I saw. When you say that he got 400 yards in 4 years it sounds bad, when you say he got 400 yards in 3 starts it sounds a lot better. The truth lies somewhere between.
I downplayed draft picks in regards to starting QBs. Teams tend to waste that many picks trying to locate a franchise guy at that position and the process drags out. It was a good move then and now. Additionally I downplayed the draft picks because Angelo has been such a disaster as of late in using them. That point hasn’t changed and I’m not optimistic he’ll make the most of the picks we have left, but that doesn’t mean the Bears should start taking the Daniel Snyder approach.
I’m not opposed to a move at the WR position. Furrey is a guy I’d be fully on board with if he replaced Iglesias or Davis on the roster. I’m mostly opposed to bringing in old washed up guys like Holt and high priced guys like Boldin. All in all, I just think the window is closing on him.
Anyways, there’s a gulf between what the Bears should do and what the Bears will do. What they will do is what I’ve predicted. In some ways they are right and in some ways they are wrong, but the speculation on Boldin and Holt makes my nose wrinkle. As far as those two are concerned, they won’t and shouldn’t be Bears.
I’ve been repeating it a lot and I’ll continue repeating it all off season. Wide Receiver is maybe the last position, excepting QB, where the media and organization should be focusing in changing. That’s both because the crew we have is a bit better than the perception and because other positions are poor and going under reported.
Maybe I can give him the secret handshake and get a job in the personnel department.
For the Rams? Talk about an unhill climb.
Unhill…great typo.
I’m sure Ellis Dee will have an opinion but apparently the Giants have pulled the plug on Antonio Pierce. You have to wonder how serious his neck issues are or if this is a cost cutting move, the Giants last offseason seemed to be stockpiling linebackers and pass rushers so I’m not sure he’ll be that missed. Of course their defense struggled horribly down the stretch when he was out injured.
Hey, football is over. Come on over and talk about offseason baseball!!! 
Football is never over.
You’re right, they are playing it in England! 
Seems odd that the Giants would cut him now with the uncapped year looming. Presumably they’re one of the teams that wouldn’t mind spending a little more than they would have been able to, and Pierce, though expensive ($4.75M), was not so outrageously overpayed that they wouldn’t even want him around if they can’t get anyone they like in the offseason. Would’ve made sense to hang on to him until they had a replacement lined up.
OTOH, it’s to Pierce’s benefit to be released earlier, and the Giants do have a history of being mensches to players with whom they’ve had a good relationship, even if there’s a minor competitive disadvantage involved.
Looks like the Bengals may be signing Matt Jones: NFL National Football League News, Video, Rumors, Scores, Stats, Standings - Yahoo Sports
High risk.high reward. Dude is tall and talented, but can he stay off the coke?
And they worked out Pacman Jones…
…hoo boy. The redemption skills of Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis are getting stretched pretty thin here.
…aaaaaaand Matt Jones is a Bengal.
And neither does baseball begin.
For ESPN Insiders there was a 2010 Offseason Team Needs column posted a couple days ago, I thought it was interesting and I was wondering if any of you guys had any thoughts, particularly regarding the analysis of your team. Here’s the links: NFC - AFC. If you aren’t an insider and are curious to see what was said about your team, let me know and I’ll copy it into the thread for you.
Here’s what they said about my Bears:
All in all, I have no disagreements. I think I’d place RB ahead of WR if I ranked the lesser needs, but that’s a minor quibble and it’s pretty bizarre to note the LB crew as being in need at all since it’s probably the most sound unit on the team. Last season’s injuries will be a benefit in the long run as Hillenmeyer, Roach and Williams all acquitted themselves very nicely when called on and Tinoisamoa and Urlacher will both be back and healthy next year. We’re great at LB. They don’t mention DT as a need even though it is. It’s similar to CB in that we have well paid veterans at the position but they’ve all underperformed and been consistently banged up.
As far as the big 3 needs go they nailed it. They need to solve the RT position, personally I’m comfortable with Omiyale and Shaffer competing for that job, and I’d love to see them take one of the top 2 OG prospects in the 3rd round if there’s any chance they are available there, if the kid from Idaho, Mike Iupati, is as good as hyped I’d even be willing to move up a round to take him.
Omni, can you post what my Bengals “needs” are? I’d be curious to see if they match mine. The obvious need for them is WR and TE, although they need oline talent, another LB and more depth at CB. Safety remains a concern too, with Roy Williams’ fate/durability uncertain at this point.
Thanks in advance.
YOU have need for a tight end with speed and good hands?? Who knew? :eek: 
I think so much of it depends on the development of their prior draft picks, which means I don’t know. Keith Rivers, Andre Caldwell, Jerome Simpson, Pat Sims, Andre Smith, Michael Johnson, Chase Coffman, and Jonathon Luigs are all question marks, and what the Bengals need depends a great deal on what you think of their potential and performance.
WR is a need, but if you think Caldwell and/or Simpson can step in at #2 or eventually #1, it may not be the most important. If you think Coffman was overrated and hasn’t a chance, grabbing a difference making TE is imperative. If you think Andre Smith is a fatassed head case incapable of being more than a widebody, you need to build the tackle position. If you think Johnson and Sims are solid players and Peko will be healthy, the D Line is fine. If you like what you saw from Morgan Trent, you can wait on CB. So much of the team needs depends a great deal on what they think of the guys who are already there.
Personally, I think WR is a must. 85 is older and can be shut down by great corners, Simpson is a huge disappointment, and Caldwell has potential, but is unsure. Safety is another huge hole, and they need both a starter and a development guy. But, in all honesty, too much depends on what you think of their young guys. And I don’t follow the Bengals enough to know much about them.
Here you go.
Looks like they pretty much agree. I’d have said they need to spend at least 3 picks on WRs and TEs in this draft, the higher the better. Safety is a big one too and with how highly regarded the top 3 prospects at that position are I might expect them to take a chance on getting a difference maker in the first round there and wait on WR, personally I only see 1 first round worthy WR in the draft.