jackie hayes

The problem I have with this is the dropoff at each position. At tackle, after Long you're looking at...Clady, Oher, Otah, Baker, Williams, Cherilus, Hills, and Loadholt. Some are juniors and may or may not leave. And there's at least a rough idea that some are better than others. But it's a long list, and they're all good prospects. Who's even close to Phillips?

Gotta wait for the combine etc, but I for one like Phillips a lot.

Yes... Most were at the shoelaces.

Orton was fine. Hasn't played in years, completes a respectable percentage, did a decent job evading pressure (stepping UP, not back). It was a mostly conservative gameplan, so you can't expect too many big plays. A couple bad throws, but I was generally happy with the way he played. Absolutely, 100% deserves to start the rest of the way.

They kneeled it three times. Fourth down. They could try to run around for 14 seconds or so, but that's not without risk.

Wait...did we just finish the game with one unused timeout and Devin Hester as our return man?

He did trim the beard, I think.

I think as of now we're set to pick closer to ten than mid-teens. Iirc, the rivals.com mock had us at 11. So figure we could conceivably pick anywhere from 6 or so to high-teens. I can imagine a situation where McFadden drops to 6, say. Still VERY unlikely, but that's the kind of thing I was thinking about. As for qb -- I'm intentionally not taking a strong position on this. I just don't trust my judgement on college qbs much, especially this bunch. So if after the combine and workouts and interviews and wunderlics and &c, the opinion of Ryan or Brohm or Woodson is so high that the Bears decide they can't pass on this guy...well, okay, I'll trust them. Obviously the qb situation we've had isn't acceptable. Overall, I think I just have much less definite opinions about what the Bears should do in the draft than most posters seem to. I've become pretty patient after I was really, really, REALLY wrong about taking Hester. I'm not advocating taking a qb, but I won't get pissed about it.

The biggest needs are safety and oline. As of right now, you take Long if he's there (very unlikely); if not, you take Phillips if he's there; if he's not there either, try to trade down in the first and take an ot. Right now, I just don't see a huge difference between the group of tackles after Long. If you get Phillips, there's a good chance you can still grab a good tackle in the second. But a small trade-up could also help. Though I wouldn't be angry if we grabbed a qb in the first, or someone who slips (a McFadden or Dorsey -- obviously not likely), even if it isn't a position of need.

He is -- NOTHING -- like Jason White.

I'm not saying I want this to happen. Only that it's a reasonable guess. This certainly isn't the only mock that has the Bears taking a qb. I don't love the idea of a Ryan pick, but if the braintrust loves him...can't pass on a franchise qb, the saying goes.

It's not a bad mock, really. Qb is obviously a need for the Bears, and many people think very highly of Ryan. And we know Angelo loves his linemen. Obviously it'll be almost completely wrong, like every mock done now. But the picks fit the teams reasonably well.

1 or 2 fumbles is too high a standard. Tiki Barber and Ahman Green were productive for years despite regularly putting the ball on the grass. That's not to say Benson doesn't have to take more care, though. Let's just not set that as some standard.

Okay. I look at those two preseason games -- he can't have many 3 fumble, 1 pick, 0 td days. But I expect a couple. And the next game, he had 1 fumble and 1 pick, but he also had 2 tds with a ton of yards. But all my friends would talk about was the fumble. Mix those sorts of games with the dominance he can also show, and you have a good qb. But it seems like everyone wants him to become a Jeff Garcia type, and that's just a setup for disappointment. Sorry, though -- I didn't want to make this another Grossman thread, even if that's what I ended up doing.

Oh, agreed, that'd be great. But from the moment he was drafted he was described as a gunslinger. It's just not realistic to expect that sort of transformation. And it's not just him, it's the scheme, too -- the Bears are looking at a wr corps with Berrian and Bradley and now Hester. They are asking the qb to take shots. I think Rex'll be better this year, but even in a best-case scenario, he'll never be a model of efficiency. He'll have 'those' games. I just hope the first one isn't greeted like the 11th plague.

He's just one of those who believe Grossman is one of the worst qbs in the NFL. An otherwise great team saddled with an awful qb is going to struggle to make the playoffs. I don't agree. I think I'm one of the bigger Rex fans out there. But it's the same debate as always.

Keep your nose clean and good luck, Tank. I hope we'll be seeing you in the NFL for a while.

I'm just not sure of that. When he was living in a house with kids and guns all over the place, and his "bodyguard" dealing and getting shot, then I'd say that his life wasn't straightened out. But what he just did has been done by so many people whose lives are "straight", that I don't know how you can make that conclusion. I'm not going to argue this, I've had enough of that at st. But I'll say that I think this was a bad decision. If they thought 'Tank is a good guy' before, I don't see how this could change their minds. I'm sure I'm the only one who thinks this, but I think it's the wrong way to go. Good luck to Tank.

I'd bet money he gets 8, minimum. I don't agree with it, but I think it's inevitable. Btw, is there any known reason why this is taking so long? Didn't the commish's office say early this week that he has all the info he needs?

So, ignoring McNabb's injury and assuming he had been with the team for a while? Even then, I'd say -- maybe, but I doubt it. He wouldn't have thrown that stupid jump ball that Grossman did. But I wouldn't say he's immune to underthrowing the ball a little, like on the interception intended for Berrian, or making a similar mistake. To compare them against one team that uses the same defense as Indy, Rex performed better this year against Tampa Bay than McNabb did. Although, to be fair, that may mostly depend on practicing against that sort of defense. More importantly, there so many other glaring mistakes -- the fumbles by Reid (good Lord...) and Benson, the coverage collapse on the deep ball to Wayne. The Bears were outplayed all over the field. You then take away our leading tackler and replace him with a replacement-level player, and I don't think you change the outcome of that game. Jmo.

No thanks. Even veteran qbs need time to adapt to a new system. I want a pick for Briggs. Anyway, I believe in Rex.

Or...he knows that big contract + monster rookie year + 2nd round pick means that he'd have to be an all-pro player to stick even to the end of this contract, forget getting another at age 31. One of the two. Brown's made himself a damn good player. But he just doesn't have the talent to play until he's 40. (Very, very few do.) In this league, with contracts the way they are, I don't question a guy's work ethic just because he wants to get his money now. Seems only sensible. Of course there's a limit. But if Brown just asks to be traded and is quiet about it after that, I won't wish him any ill.

Garrett Wolfe becomes the first drafted player in the NFL to sign. Four-year deal: http://www.chicagobears.com/news/NewsStory.asp?story_id=3429

I was under the impression that udfa contracts were almost always shorter than four years. Even if the Bears refuse to sign an udfa for less than four years, some teams certainly do. I doubt he would have trouble finding a deal of three years or less (assuming he had any offers). Now, if he wanted an out after one year -- I can imagine that being a problem. What still confuses me, though, is that he didn't even accept a mini-camp invitation. Udfas are such long-shots to make a team, anyway, why not get in there and just show your face to the coaches? Make some impression in the league. The injury risks are minimal.

The first one I can see (although I'm not sure how a contract can be written that would circumvent the NFL's free agency rule -- 3 years before one becomes a rfa, 4 years to ufa -- maybe a huge second year salary that would force a cut?), the second doesn't sound reasonable. Why would anyone pay him more than they'll pay a player they believe to be better? I just don't understand why he didn't at least make a mini-camp this past weekend. At least make it look like you want to play.