AZ54

From the highlight video I see a guy who can go up over the top of defenders to make catches, can adjust to make the back shoulder fade, knows how to find the soft spot in a zone, and can make some diving catches. His speed doesn't look that great but he's fast enough to work well against LBs and good enough of a receiver to be a threat down the middle or on the outside. Is he a one year wonder or was he just wasting on the bench behind a Hall of Fame player in Witten? Stephen A. might not have liked him but I bet Eli is going to miss him.

I think Fluker remains on our short list for RT.

I like this. Now we truly have an average Oline player which is a Bears fan's way of saying UPGRADE. Bushrod at least is good enough that if we have to help him in some games it can be done. Versus Webb who can't figure out the delayed blitz and stunts. I'd say the draft still remains wide open for us in terms of drafting a RT (Fluker) and an OG.

Good choice, mid-priced FA but versatility fits the need very well. Combined with Rodriguez we should have a good tandem in pass catching TEs.

He couldn't run...that's why his stats were down.

No clue why that guy is still associated with the Bears.

For the draftniks out there I thought this might be worth reading. The article breaks down performance trends versus draft position. For example, OTs drafted in slots 1-13 have the highest success rate of being a 5yr starter at 94%, and a bit surprising to me LB is right behind them at 90%. . http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Diggin...babilities.html

If the Halas Hall janitor (just kidding) can't figure it out that's amazing. Supposedly there was a tweet from Lou Cannelis that the Bears have continued to talk with Urlacher's agent but I don't follow Twitter so I have no clue if that's just old news from the offer Urlacher's agent submitted. Either we are doing very little tomorrow or we will be in the news non-stop with all the moves we have to make.

....and an Oline to open holes?

After reading some articles and listening to a lot of "insiders" thoughts on the Harvin deal one thing is clear: Harvin is a big risk for Seattle given the contract he wants. His problems, or rather the team's problems with him go much deeper than what has been stated in the media. Like any new marriage I expect everyone to be all smiles while the honeymoon lasts. We'll see what happens once Percy gets paid.

Yes, I expected that to happen on Monday but all we have so far is:

If we draft Cooper or Warmack there's no need for that. I'm not advocating that we cut Garza, I think he's very valuable to our organization but I don't view him as a player we couldn't replace and live without. I don't see it happening but right now with this new regime in place (including Emery here too because now he has "his" coach) I'm not ruling anything out.

I'd be fine with Greg Jennings catching passes from Ponder. Mike Wallace with his speed and ability to get on top of the safeties, who have to be worried about AP first, would be more concerning.

I watched some highlights of Austin last night. He's going to be a good player but he's no longer who I want with the 20th pick. If it's between him and Eifert at that point (assuming all Oline gone) I'd take Eifert.

What is Garza's cap hit? What's his contract? He might be more expendable than we think.

A lot of money has to be moved around to make that happen and it probably makes signing Urlacher a remote possibility.

It's Sunday.... two days before FA signings start. There is absolutely no way the always exceedingly-prepared and mission-focused Phil Emery has not renegotiated some contracts. I'm not expecting any comments but had to put this in writing. If I'm wrong I'll eat a Road Runner (instead of crow because we do have them running around out here).

What we don't know is if Kromer sees something simple he feels he can fix to improve his pass protection. Clearly Boothe has enough athleticism in the video to be good at pass protection. He did well on initial double teams and then quickly peels off to the second level block. Of course that was a highlight video not a lowlight video so I take it with an open mind.

Ryan Swope is worth watching.

If we tender him don't we lock up cap space? I'm thinking the Bears would like to have him back but need space right now to go after their priority FA.

Due diligence means assessing what your competition is going to do. If Phil is smart any info he can glean from agents about who is interested in their client and what type of contract terms they are discussing (even a range) helps us plan in terms of other teams cap space and priorities. If we are content with OG Moore and other teams want him too but their priority is to first sign one of the WRs it might help us get the deal done quicker.

I've been on board with the second tier FA OG for some time. Can't see us breaking the bank for the top guy when we need to fill a lot of spots. If Moore gives us two good seasons, and that's two good seasons for Kromer to find and develop his replacement then I'm good with it. Add in the extra cap space to sign Jared Cook and it's a no brainer. Still gotta draft an OG in Rd 1 or 2.

Exactly why I come to this board every day! I don't care what the pundits say anymore they usually are so far behind what we're covering on this board it's worthless. In fact a few years back we were suspecting someone was writing articles for a major Chicago paper based on our discussions. The only thing I want out of ESPN et al is the latest news on signings and of course some rumors as those guys are often connected to front office insiders. That stuff we always get for free as they can't keep it locked up for more than 5min these days.

The problem the Titans have is that Cook has a choice to make and he might go where he thinks he'll get the best opportunity to be a star.

There is some suspicion the Chiefs might have tagged Albert in order to find a trade partner. Naturally the Bears are rumored to be at the top of that list but with no 3rd Rd pick this season, plenty of Oline spots to fix, several decent FA options, and limited cap space I don't see it. Maybe someone else will make the trade but I don't see the value in it for us.