BearFan PHX

I think there is an ideological difference here. Some people, and Jason I think has been consistent in this over the years, are position people. They identify the weakest link on the team, and want to target players to replace that position. Obviously, every team does some of this, and the worse the roster is, the more this is true. Other people prefer a best player available approach. Of course you need to have a fairly comp[lete roster to do that. The Bears havent been that team before, but i think starting this year, they are. Smart GMs like Pace fill holes with free agents before the draft so that they are flexible to take advantage of where value presents itself, regardless of position. Naturally, every real world draft is a blend of these two ideas. But I think that now more than ever, the Bears are able to take BPA, and that is very good news indeed. And BPS might BE a 3-4 DE. All I can predict is that Pace won't reach - in his own opinion anyway. I guess Im saying he doesnt HAVE to reach.

+1

I agree that DE is a place where you wouldn't have to supplant a pretty good player when you draft a stud. That said, I don't think the studs are there in the 3rd. This could be next year's first or second round pick perhaps. That said, we have some pretty good bodies there already, and we need to get ahead of the curve on Trevathan, Long and Amukamara. I think Pace is doing very well, and setting us up to be a strong team for as long as Trubisky is playing well.

I dunno. I think if you have the chance to draft the Michael Jordan of football, you do it. LOL

I agree with what youve said about round 3. I think they scout ALL the players at ALL positions every year so that they understand weird trade scenarios that may arise, and so they have a book on the player when they become free agents in a few years. This is a very interesting draft, and we might well get some surprises.

if a player falls at a position we dont necessarily need, but who is tremendously undervalued, we might just pick him and surprise everyone. we might even trade up for such a player. I think we are legitimately looking for value now.

it's both. Pace is getting the guys that fit what the coaches need. Take Jordan Howard as an example. Good player with a lot of football ahead of him, but doesnt fit the scheme. So Pace has found the right players with the traits they need.

yeah Pace is kicking butt. WITHOUT a kicker!

something Im sure, but probably not anything that makes it hard for us to cut him. I thin the three year deal was a measure of our leverage, not his.

ok, so you know you can cut anyone you want any time right? The only downside is the cap hit, the signing bonus (guaranteed money) that you paid upfront is due on that years cap. If there is no significant upfront money, then you can cut them at any time without any downside. Now on the other hand, if this guy works out and we want to keep him, we dont have to renegotiate with him for three years, his salary is set, now before he has leverage. So assuming there is no signing bonus or upfront money (at least until he makes the final team this eyar) then this is a no lose situation, where we are covered for three years if we want to keep him. But it doesnt mean we have to. That's only in proportion to the upfront money. Thats the only security any player has.

because they can probably cut him easily if they want to - the three years protects the team not the player if there isnt significant guaranteed money.

+1

Yeah it's been quiet. Probably because we dont pick until the 3rd round. Im VERY happy with our first and second this year: more than half of Khalil Mack and Anthony Miller. Great picks. Already NFL proven. Helped us learn to be a winning team last year too., and develop Trubisky, and chemistry with the team. Great value for those picks.

I assume there is an out if he doesn't make the team. It'd be really early in the process to nail someone down for three years. So it's probably a three year deal, but the guaranteed money is probably not very much. So basically, Im guessing we have him locked in for 3 years if we choose him. But if we cut him, Im guessing there won't be much of a cap hit.

If you're a talented free agent who didn't find the huge guaranteed contract you were hoping for, then you sign a one year prove it deal somewhere and hope to cash in the next year. SO it stands to reason that if you have to play a low paid prove it year, you want to go to a team that's GOOD for two reasons - one your productivity looks better playing on a good team, especially on defense, and you get a chance to win a super bowl. On offense, you want to play with a good QB. Basically, this means as long as Pace does his job right, and keeps this window open, we should be an attractive landing place for free agents every year to fill holes. They have a salary cap and parity in a draft order in inverse order of your prior year's record all in an attempt to equalize the league. But the salary cap also promotes the importance of free agency and coaches, so if you have a winning team with a good coach and a good QB, youre going to have an ongoing advantage in building your roster. Like the Patriots. Like the Bears.

Thanks Adam! I'm not sure we will get any compensatory picks tho, and I doubt very highly we get the conditional pick from Oak, Mack has played well. I think a likely reality is: 2nd (oak) 2nd 4th 5th 6th (from howard) 6th 7th And maybe some low value compensatory, but I wouldnt be counting on another 4th at all.

Does anyone know where to find a list of our 2020 picks? Ive looked all over and cant find them - weird, it's the internet and everything.

Ive been looking all over for this info, and I dont doubt you, but can you provide a link that shows we have 10 picks? Are some of them assumed compensatory picks?

Ill just add that the RPO isnt a gimmick or a trick play any more than having a strong running game that sets up play action is. I disagree with you on this, Grizz, but with respect, because I usually like your posts!

I think the film here was very telling. First off, I dunno what Pederson's running game is like, or what role he sees for Howard. I think we all agree Howard is a tough grinder, and he's a good player that has plenty of NFL football left in him. I don't think he is saying Fox's lack of success was solely on his running game, in fact, he said the opposite. He said that Howard was successful within Fox's offense. And we know Howard got over 1,000 yards in that system. I think Howard got fewer yards with Nagy because he fits Nagy's scheme poorly. Howard's the kind of back you give the ball to 20+ times a game, and that isn't Nagy's offense. You counter that Nagy should change his offense to use the skills Howard has. That makes sense if you only consider the running game, but the thesis of the video was that Nagy's preferred plays are the rock to his passing game's paper and scissors. They work together, and he doesnt want to change his PASSING game to one that would be better complimented by Howard. In other words, he prefers to play to Trubisky's strengths rather than Howard's, and that makes sense. I think we all liked Howard and wish him well. But between featuring Howard in a traditional offense, and the RPO that Nagy is building, I choose the new Nagy system. I will not at all be surprised to see Howard gain 1,000+ yards in a season again, but I bet we will see a Super Bowl before he does.

I like Lynch as a quality depth player. It does give us the opportunity to draft someone that might take a year to put weight on their frame, or develop in other ways. Great.

not sure Shaheen is living up to potential. I hope he does, and Im not betting against it, just saying, right now, we could use competition at TE.

we need (in no particular order): RB, OLB, DE, CB, TE, S, K, long snapper, special teams coverage

It was this time last year a lot of people were upset about letting Meredith go. Jordan was a 5th round pick with declining productivity and poor receiving skills. Also, there was no way he was going to re-sign with us. As the season went on, the tension was going to rise as Howard didnt get the ball enough. For all we know, maybe Howard communicated privately in a classy way that he would hold out if he wasnt traded. And if not, surely his unhappiness would be felt, even if he was the ultimate pro about it. I like Howard as a person. I appreciate his fight and the way he finished his runs. He was the kind of player you'd love in a 1980s landscape. At least when he was averaging 5 yards a carry. 3.7 not so much. We are so used to holding on to 85%-ers that we arent used to the reality that teams like the Patriots live in year in and year out. We are a really good team now, and player who are pretty good are not helping us. We have to be able to aim higher and let go of players that might even have roles on other teams. Again, we traded one year of an unhappy Howard, not a career of a tough fighting 20 carry a game Howard, because for a variety of reasons, that player is simply not available to us. So the end result is, if you saw a 6th round 2020 pick laying on the sidewalk would you bother to bend over to pick it up? Im glad Pace did.

exactly