AZ54

This was a game filled with players who will affect the draft on the first two days. I only saw the 2nd half and it's recorded so I'll likely go back and watch it all. For now... Jonathan Allen: In two college playoff games I've yet to be impressed. I don't see the game wrecker I was expecting to see but he can also be holding back a bit knowing he's about to make $30 or 40mil. His stat line was good 7 tackles, 1 sack so one of these days I'll go back and watch the game and focus even more on him, unless of course our friends at Draftbreakdown cut it up. DeShaun Watson: Speaking of making $30 or $40mil there is no way to watch that game and not come away thinking Watson is the first pick in the draft. On the game's biggest stage against a defense loaded with NFL talent he was spectacular in the 2nd half. He was under some intense pressure at times and took some big hits and still held onto the ball and his composure. If you're the owner of the Browns who recently suffered through the Johnny Manziel era Watson's leadership on the field as well as his answers in interviews afterward had to catch your attention. There is zero chance he's not a top 10 pick, and it's quite possible he goes first overall because he won't be there for the Brown's second 1st Rd pick.

This early in the coaching carousel process I think this is more speculation than fact. Both Fox and Mccoy may be open to that but McCoy was a successful OC before he went to San Diego. I wouldn't be surprised to see him offered a job by one of the new HC around the league, especially one who was a defensive coordinator. I think he'd want that role before coming to Chicago and working with Fox again. I'm not as down on Loggains as most are. I was actually impressed that he kept our offense moving with a lot of backup pieces. When you're down to 3rd/4th string WRs and 4th string QB expectations for anything from the offense dropped to zero. He still got points on the board, or in the case of Hoyer he still kept the offense moving. People point to Howard being the reason for all that but fact is in the 2nd half of the season stopping Howard became the priority of defenses. When everyone knows what you're going to do, they focus on stopping it yet you still run it down their throat... I like that identity. We had no identity on offense the first few weeks and it showed. He found his gem of an identity in Howard and built up the running game to where nobody was able to stop it even when Kush and Larsen were in at OG. I find it interesting that Fox finds McCoy and helps him become one of the better OCs and then off to become a head coach. Fox replaces him with Adam Gase and over the next few years helps Gase become one of the better OCs who then leaves to become a head coach. Fox finds Loggains and... ?

I'll be the one who isn't on board with this thought. We need a couple pieces IMO. CB2: I like Porter just as the #2 CB not the #1 role he's been playing for us. He struggled a lot this year but after hearing he had to have his knee drained every week in order to play on Sunday's I can't fault his toughness. I don't know what his injury was but it was clear he had trouble cutting off that leg. He should return to form over the offseason. I also think he brings some good leadership qualities to the DB group that we need with so many young players out there. NB: I like both Callahan and LeBlanc. Both play very well in the slot for us, Callahan also played well outside. Problem is Callahan can't stay healthy so it's hard to count on him. LeBlanc would have stood out more, and made more plays had we not moved him all over the place. Despite that he showed steady improvement and even played decently on the outside where he's not ideally suited to play. Keep both as #3/4 CBs and we're in a good spot IMO. SS: I still like Amos. Much is made of his lack of coverage skills. He's not bad in coverage he's just not great. I think his skills fit better in and around the box. Put a quality FS next to him, ideally someone who can direct things on the field as Mike Brown used to do, and I think he'll be a good player for us. IMO we have job openings for CB1 and FS. This is why I'd be good with Pace paying big money to Eric Berry. I think he'll get the DBs lined up across the board and he's good enough in coverage to make the big plays we need. I could also see Jamal Adams in this role. CB1: There's a lot of talent at CB in this draft and it will go into Rd 2 and even Rd 3. We're not going to get a rookie to come in and play at that level in year 1 but if he can play at the level Porter does when healthy we'll be ok having Berry covering things deep. Depth: I like Hall and think he has the potential to be the CB2 when Porter's done. Fuller certainly should be in the mix and again I think if he can get his technique right he can be a CB2 long term. There's just no reason to walk away from him right now given the state of our DBs. If he beat out a healthy Porter to start I'm fine with that. Bush: Love his athleticism but he's got a lot to learn. I don't see him as a starter next year but hopefully he can take over as the 3rd S on the roster. HJQ: I was optimistic he'd improve this year after his initial playing time last year. It just hasn't happened. He's late to everything. He can hit but he does that as often as he misses. Hopefully Houston-Carson takes his job next year. We need starting quality at CB1 and FS. If you can get a Pro Bowl type performer at either spot it lessens the need for elite talent at the other spot.

Bummed about this. I think he's done well converting our veterans and new players to the 3-4 front.

I've watched some film on him at Draft Breakdown. He's a really good player and I like him a lot more than Peppers because he can cover any of the DB positions (slot, CB, SS, FS). He's a smart player who can diagnose plays quickly and reportedly has excellent leadership qualities. The downside is that he sometimes takes bad angles on his tackles and he'll miss some. He doesn't miss a lot of tackles but you'll see him flash by the ball carrier a couple times per game. On the flipside, he arrives at the ball carrier with bad intentions and he's strong in his core and lower body. Good quick twitch type of athlete, not sure how fast he is but he is definitely not slow. He'll close a 10 yard gap in a flash and effortlessly blow up WR screens (yes, even from 10yds off the LOS). He's excellent on kick coverage. Improving the tackling angles (really just ease up a bit at the mesh point) should be something a coach can get him to improve upon. I think he'd be a great fit for us.

Even though I believe our first pick will be and should be a QB, if Garrett falls to us I view that as a winning scenario. In 2018 we can put all our chips (and draft picks) on the table and go after a QB. I'm one fan that has enough patience to wait on that. An OLB group of Floyd, McPhee, Young, and Garrett is non-stop headache for a QB and Oline. I'm still optimistic for Roy Robertson-Harris. Even though I like him as a player I don't put Jonathan Allen in that category. I don't think Garrett has fully showcased or utilized his physical skills yet but based on his physical ability when you see him bull rush and toy with OTs, he is a once a decade talent. Allen isn't, but he's not a talent you can find every year in the draft so he has a lot of value. I have to believe there is no way Pace trades out of the 3rd pick until he sees who is available to him on draft day.

On the other hand he didn't do so well getting Langford ready to be the starter, and that was an entire offseason's work. Plus he was part of the leadership group that missed on Howard's potential early in the season. I still think he was a good coach.

I read that last night. Apparently he was not liked by the Oline players. We had Mawae in camp last year and he did well enough they kept him around all all season, plus he was well respected by the players. -------------- http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0104-story.html "But Magazu was unpopular with players and some of them wondered privately if he would be let go during the season with the team struggling. The Bears had an interesting dynamic in play where the team essentially had four O-line coaches. Ben Wilkerson had the title of assistant offensive line coach and Kevin Mawae, who was an intern for training camp, was hired for the remainder of the season because he was so well-liked by the players. Additionally, tight ends coach Frank Smith had a natural hand in work with the offensive line and took a more vocal role during this season." ----------------- I appears my credit for the decent Oline performance was misplaced.

I believe Kizer will rise a ton because he has all the physical tools. He's perfectly setup to execute a scripted Pro Day event and make everyone feel good about him. Will he throw at the combine? Even in that controlled environment I think his weaknesses are minimized. With his size he has already show he can stand in the pocket under pressure and make accurate throws and then take the hit. Trubisky less so. It's the between the ears stuff (i.e. reading a defense, learning the playbook, handling the pressure of the job, etc.) that Pace has to figure out who is best.

Very few early 1st Rd QBs come out with fanfare. The majority do not. There was little fanfare for guys like Winston and Mariota who most here would have hated had we traded up to pick them. Cam Newton had tons of question marks when he went #1 overall. Tannehill went #8 overall with little QB experience. Wentz and Goff last year had zero fanfare as sure fire starters. They were just the best options. Expecting to wait and hit on someone in Rd 2-4 is likely to be a long wait because the hits are fewer and farther between. I understand the comment about a GM losing his job if they guess wrong on a QB at #3 overall but it really doesn't matter what round they guess in, it's the failure of finding a starting QB that leads to the unemployment line. If it's my job and I had to pick one QB from this entire draft class to be my future starter you can bet I want to choose first. If the decision is that there is not one starter quality QB then we don't pick one at all in the entire draft because we already have backup quality QBs in guys like Hoyer. There are drafts where zero starting QBs are drafted but usually there is at least one. For those who feel confident in Belichick's ability to sniff out the late round QB gem, last year the Patriots chose Brissett in Rd 3 ahead of Dak Prescott.

I'm a Iowa State Cyclones fan and I always felt like Beathard was helping to level the playing field. Too bad he can't stay another year.

Just to play devil's advocate for a bit. There is no position in pro sports that is harder to fill than NFL QB. Brady is very close to the end of his career but even if he can make it 2-3 more seasons, if JimmyG is a valid top 15 NFL QB do you really think the "geniuses" that run the Patriots would let him go? Even if Belichick wants to end his career at the same time as Brady I'm pretty sure the owner wants a successful team once they leave. Why would he let go of his next starting QB? Does Kraft think it's more logical to wait for his brand new front office/HC to find his next Pro Bowl QB? I'm certain he'd trust Belichick's opinion a lot more than anyone else in the NFL. JimmyG had an entire preseason to prepare for his first game or two. These were games where the opponents had no idea what his strengths and weaknesses were, and what plays they'd be running. Yes it's the same offense but every QB makes certain throws and reads better plus it's the beginning of the season and there are always new twists, twists the coaching staff had all offseason to put in place for JimmyG. IMO there's a ton of caveat emptor in this deal. We can go back and scout him again to compare his college tape against the current college QBs. If I get intensely bored one of these weekends I'll go back in Game Pass and watch his game against AZ. Right now I don't see anything that would make me want him ahead of either Trubisky or Kizer. Watson has his issues but he's performed at the highest level of college football, and against a lot of future NFL talent. I'd be much more comfortable taking him ahead of Garoppolo. http://draftbreakdown.com/video/jimmy-garo...-illinois-2013/

They are his words not mine. He is the one who said RGIII was a "can't miss prospect". If you read the article you'd know that he didn't choose Luck, his owner did. Of course he was let go before the draft so he never really made the decision anyway.

I liked Magazu, thought he did a good job here.

Patrick Mannelly suggested we trade back in the 1st Rd and pick up another 1st Rd pick. Use the higher first round pick to select your DB or player of choice, trade the later 1st Rd pick to NE for Garrapolo. I know nothing about JimmyG but I assume Pace and Fox do since they practiced against him for 3 days. The downside to that is he was throwing against our secondary. There are zero assurances when drafting a QB. I'll stick with Trubisky because I like the physical tools and I think he has the mental makeup to succeed long term. I don't think he suffers from Goff's tendency to toss a prayer when under pressure. Opinions are like... everyone's got one and we're not always right. http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/colts...s-us-through-it “We explained they both as athletes and football players were can’t-miss,” Polian said. “We explained where Andrew was in his stage of development, where RG3 was in his stage of development, particularly because he played in a spread offense and there was going to be an adjustment period because of that.” “I believed at the time they were can’t-miss (prospects). I still said on draft day on ESPN they were both can’t-miss.”

Off to Texas... http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/bears-l...ayton-to-texas/

If there is one QB in this draft who will give you deja vu of a younger Jay Cutler watch this game of Josh Allen: http://draftbreakdown.com/video/josh-allen-vs-nebraska-2016/

While the link is not updated for 2017 here's last year's mock with us taking Floyd at #11. This board was shown to be among the most accurate mock drafts for the last few years (some article someone posted last year) so I bookmarked it. http://draftboardguru.com/mockdraft/

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000076...ach-senior-bowl

I don't advocate keeping Cutler around just saying that it is an option. Any reworked deal would not include guaranteed money. I really think at this point it is best for both parties to simply move on. Pace has to take this young roster toward the future and Cutler will not be part of that. We're 2-3 years away from competing in the playoffs.

I think he comes back as part of the mix with Shaw and Hoyer and a rookie. We haven't cut Cutler either so it's possible he reworks his deal and stays in Chicago for another year. Cutler is still our best QB option for the moment.

Trubisky is still my pick. I saw nothing from Jonathan Allen in his last game to make me think he's a guy who will command double teams in the NFL. Alabama's need to blitz when they have two top 20 NFL draft picks in your front 4 is worrisome. That's backed up by another top 20 player in Foster ILB, and on the outside CB Humphrey. Not gonna fault the coaches for the calls since they had to win the game and Washington had no answers for the blitzes they threw at them. I was expecting to see something more in line with what I saw from the Clemson DTs: Guys breaking through double teams to blow up plays all game long. He did a great job sniffing out the one screen play other than that he looked like an average good DE. I'm not saying he's a bad player but for the #1 or #2 overall pick in the draft I expected a lot more. Trubisky didn't play well either in his last game but QB is still a far higher need position in the NFL.

New Years Even update have a lot of changes among the top 10 draft eligible players. As always I prefer CBS/NFLDdraftscout.com rankings and player profiles. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings Notable changes have Jonathan Allen at #1 overall ahead of Garrett. Jabrill Peppers at #3 Dalvin Cook RB #4 Cam Robinson OT #5 most surprisingly Deshaun Watson QB at #6 overall Fournette has dropped to 9th on the list but having 2 RB among the top 10 players, if it holds, will be interesting on draft day. I'm not interested in Watson but I certainly hope some other team is, especially in the top 5. Seeing one LT in the top 10 means he'll be a target worthy of a trade up for teams with a need.

It's early and there's much tape to view but another player I like a lot is Jamal Adams. I'd take him well before I take Peppers because his coverage skills are better.