AZ54

I'll agree Saints pass protection always looked good but guys did get around the edges. They didn't get up the middle. I still think the organization goes inside to fix our line and Webb, with a better Oline coach and scheme to help him may still be our LT. If Cutler can step up, and he has that vision, those misses won't be as bad. Trying to read the tea leaves here it seem we're done with Spencer and EWilliams. Carimi being talked about as potential OG, team wants to keep Scott. Louis unsigned but I think that deal gets done. Cooper makes a ton of sense at 20, smart, athletic and can play OG or C. Wildcard here, and nobody has talked about him yet (at least not that I've seen) is James Brown. Is he OG or OT? Or is he off the team? I still believe there is a FA Oline headed our way soon just not likely the big name LT we'd like to see due to budget constraints. I'll guess we add a FA OG to the mix but I'm still sticking with Cooper in Rd 1.

Don't see us cutting Mannelly. Saves a some cap but at what risk? Why mess with a solid FG and Punt unit when with our traditionally bad offense has to rely on them at all times? Of course I hope to see things get better on offense but I'm taking a wait and see approach.

Cut or restructure and I think there is some restructuring coming up with Tillman and perhaps Peppers.

Don't like the deal. We have a playoff ready D and we have a lot of playoff ready players on the offense. We need to try to get it all right in this offseason and make a run at the Superbowl. Dropping back especially with so little in return this year makes no sense to me. If our team were more playoff caliber ala NE which sometimes makes deals like this then maybe. We need a big hit at either Oline, TE, or LB in Rd 1 of this draft. I'd consider the idea of dropping back into early second Rd and adding a 3rd and a day 3 pick but depends on what we do with FA.

Kromer certainly will influence things just like he did coordinating the running game for the Saints. But again, he and Trestman have said they are building the offense from scratch based on what they feel will maximize our players' abilities. It's not even Trestman's offense. Cavanaugh is in on the discussions too. Like I said in an earlier post, usually coaches and/or coordinators arrive with their playbook in hand. I can't recall any Bears coaches building something from scratch like this. http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1...6b-360d7dbe1983 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The team's new offense will be a compilation of multiple systems that first-year head coach Marc Trestman and coordinator/line coach Aaron Kromer have operated the last several years. The new Bears offense that Jay Cutler will operate will be a hybrid of a couple different systems. The two coaches were assistants with the Raiders in 2002 when Oakland led the NFL in total offense and reached the Super Bowl, while Kromer spent the last five seasons with the Saints, coaching running backs in 2008 before working with the line/running game from 2009-12." "Marc and I have a history together back with the Oakland Raiders and we had a lot of success there and obviously the New Orleans offense has been very successful lately," Kromer said Thursday at Halas Hall. "It will be a combination of a lot of things, and you don't want an offense to get stagnant, so you are constantly researching and finding new things that you can add to your offense to make it better and more versatile." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We will have some things in our offense that New Orleans does but we might have some things that Trestman and Kromer did back when they were with the Raiders. Trestman may even toss in some of his CFL stuff too, which I read on. We know now that Forte is going to have a bigger role than he did last year. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0,7967807.story

If Cooper is good enough to be mentioned as being worthy of the first pick overall then absolutely he should join the Bears with our 20th pick. I know most teams won't have their board setup like Mayock's but if Mayock is right on Cooper's talent then he should be top 10 on any board. Can't wait for the combine to put some of this speculation to rest.

If Te'o ran a 4.65 forty and if he was best available player on the board then yes I'd be happy with the pick. I think the first IF is a serious reach based on what I've seen from him. Plus from what little draft coverage I've read, most analysts expect his forty time to be in the 4.7 range. I think he's going to run closer to 4.75 and that doesn't fit with what I'd want out of a 1st Rd pick MLB. I think Te'o is a good fit for a 2-gap 4-3 scheme, much less so for our 1-gap scheme. Even if he's not going to make plays on the outside like we used to see Urlacher do in his prime, in a 2-gap scheme he can definitely find the RB and make the tackle at the LOS. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospec...rch?name=Te%27o NFLDraftScout.com Prospects Last Name: Or Search By: Yr: Pos: School: Prospect Search Results NAME COLLEGE POSITION YEAR HEIGHT WEIGHT FORTY POS. RANK Manti Te'o Notre Dame ILB 2013 6-2 255 4.75 2 Key: * = underclassmen

Where or who? I'm a fan of Ogletree but I don't view him as better than Urlacher right now. Who is on your list of better/cheaper list?

I agree, Rodriguez seems to fit the wish list there. Adding one more TE like that works for me. We're likely adding a FB too according to what I read so that means 3 TE should make the roster versus the 4 we had last year.

I have no problem with his proposed contract for Louis. A contract for 5 years but that low dollar amount means little upfront bonus and we can cut him after a couple years with negligible hit. If he improves in 2014 then we have a bargain. I just don't see much risk in a contract like that. I like the draft minus a safety in Rd 3 as I think Hardin can fill the backup role for us along with Steltz. I'd go anywhere else in the 3rd from LB (still need depth even with Skov pick), QB (need depth and being honest Cutler isn't a sure thing might as well gt some young talent in the system), CB (replace Tillman in a couple years or solid NB), more Oline, DT, TE. and, to placate BTwig, I'd even prefer a WR here.

After all the WR battle going on in this "Trestman" thread I'm not sure if I should post this here or start a new thread. Here it is anyway... I'm very surprised by the fact that Trestman is working with his staff to develop the "offense". I'm more accustom to a coach, or the new OC, coming in and having his playbook ready to give out to players. The fact so many coaches insist they are still reviewing film and haven't decided on the specifics of what we'll be doing makes me think we might have a coaching staff that will put players in a position to best utilize their talents. On the defensive side of the ball it's the other way around and the new DC will learn Marinelli's terminology and keep a 4-3 scheme with cover 2. Again, to me this is a coaching staff taking something that is already successful and trying to tweak it to make it better instead of sticking with "their" system.

Unfortunately my work schedule changed over a year ago and so I don't get to watch many college football games. I've seen some of ASU's games but not enough to comment on either WR mentioned but that's in part because they never really stood out. Which is also why they are listed as potential late round picks. I believe finding a TE passing threat is more important to our offense than adding a speed WR. I see the early pick being used for TE and late Rd pick used for WR. For WR I think we will see both...a low budget FA like Ogletree who can compete with Bennett and a late Rd pick to complete the WR corps. I was impressed with the UDFA talent at WR Emery brought in last year after the draft. Not to say they were gems but he seemed to find guys that could genuinely compete for the last roster spot. I tend to think he'll do alright finding a WR late in the draft.

After watching the video's I now think he is competition for D.J. Moore at the nickel spot. He's likely not the only option we'll look at for that spot.

DJ Moore didn't fare well last year and he's definitely on the hot seat. Can't imagine anyone is impressed with Bowman's coverage ability. These are all bottom of the roster spots so it's almost impossible to predict who makes the team.

Yes but negotiating a contract only happens when the GM directs it, and the GM has control over the budget. Everyone figured Emery would come in a get Forte signed quickly and that didn't happen.

What I read about Barnett is that he has been horrible in pass coverage the last two seasons. There's a reason a really bad defense just let him go.

Someone to challenge for the last roster spot (i.e. challenge Bowman again). I never heard of him in the NFL and I never heard of him when he played at ASU FWIW.

Melton can be a very good DE in a 3-4 front. Maybe that's what he's talking about?

I think at this point Johnson's value is about as high as it gets. That's simply because he performed well during the Senior Bowl week and thus some draftniks have him going before our pick. However, he is not without some flags. As always happens we have yet to see who the "risers" are in this draft. They are always there after the combine and after some pro days. I think the odds favor Johnson being available at our pick as some "athletes" jump ahead of him in the next two months. I also think Teo drops past us but I think where he ends up is based largely on his 40 time. I didn't watch many of his games but he never really jumped out as a game changer to me. A good player...absolutely. Blue chip? Didn't notice the above average athleticism (relative to NFL talent). Ogletree's athleticism stands out all over the field but he's also a bit raw at the LB position. Having him chase down guys like Cam Newton, RGIII, or Kaepernik looks awful good to me. He might not be Urlacher's replacement rather he's Briggs replacement. I can deal with that. He can play SLB for a year to learn the ropes, then MLB for a year before sliding into Briggs' spot. Cooper is also a pick I'm interested in. We have to fix the interior of the line but there are more FA options for OG/OT than LB this year so I think we end up doing something for the Oline. -------------------------------------------------------- Of your list I'm taking Johnson. When you can fix the LT spot for a decade you do it. It seems Johnson will need a year or two to develop but he shouldn't be worse than Webb to start and with Kromer coaching him I see him improving quickly.

Crazy expensive these days. I paid $300 for my ticket to the Seattle game this past season but I haven't been to the city to see a game for about 5 years. It will be another 5 or more before I make that leap again. I'll just wait for the next time they are in AZ. For me it's all supply and demand. The team isn't interested in the average Joe coming to the game they want more $$$. As a fan who'd like to see more games it hurts but on the other hand, if they can still sell all those tickets then it means my team has more $$$ to compete for Free Agents! I like part 2. Nobody should be shocked by this. They are paying Lovie $5mil to sit at home. As fans we still want them to go out and sign Melton plus a good FA Oline player. Something was going to give and in this case it's the fans giving more.

This is a pure crapshoot since he's brought in to compete for the last safety spot on the roster. Seeing as his coaches put that speed at the safety position I'll assume he's just a north south type of runner with below average cutting ability. Probably below average vision/anticipation too. He makes the team if we have a bad injury to one of the four players who are ahead of him but most likely either Steltz, or 3rd Rd dude who knocked himself out. How's that for an answer?

I like your list but 1) Urlacher is definitely a question mark depending on what he wants for salary. If it's not reasonable then move on. 2) I would add keeping Khalil Bell, he was more effective than Allen and after what he went through last year he should be willing to play for minimum salary.

Make him earn it.

Chris Williams went away.

It's not a question of what I want as much as what I think the Bears will do given their cap situation and needs (re-signing Melton at the top of the list). To be honest, after watching Spencer and EWilliams at LG I'd be happy if we had average play there. In fact if our Oline became average next year that would be a big step up from where they have been in recent years. Draft the top tier OG of the future and he's in the mix with Louis and possibly Brown for the 2nd and 3rd spot on top of that will work for me. Even drafting a rookie LT assuming it's Fisher or Johnson....both those player need work in the weight room before they can excel. They'll be average. We will not go from bottom feeder to elite in one offseason but we need to put the building blocks in place to get to above average.