AZ54

I agree with you in that we need to add someone else for depth. It could be Okoye and the Bears are doing their usual strategy of letting him test the market and then deciding if they will pay market value. If not, we'll have to go elsewhere but there should be someone else available after the draft.

I don't know this guy but his resume doesn't sound like he's better than what we have. If Ted Thompson is so smart why did he wait so long to bring this guy in? For years we've had an Oline composed of backups and we need to take a step function up in ability.

Because the Bears are going DE in Rd 1 and they want everyone thinking WR.

I only hope we get to see him opposite Brandon Marshall.

Okoye was boom or bust. On some pass plays he'd blow up the middle. On most run plays he was blown out of the play often by as much as 5 yards back from the LOS. He's not on my short list of must sign players.

TDs are missing (Foster 10, Gore 8, Forte 3) so yep, that's how I see it. If the premise is that Forte is an elite back and the excuse is that Forte is taken off the field in short yardage situations so he can't get TDs then we have to ask why he is taken off the field. I'm pretty certain Lovie wants to win football games and wants his best players in for each situation. How many complete seasons has Forte had?

Yep, it couldn't have been for nothing. We'd have been giving him a huge signing bonus and all the long term cap ramifications that go with it. He'd still be worth it but now for a couple third round picks we get a 1 to 2 year test drive for a mere $10-20mil but if we decide to we can move on with no long term hit. I like our risk vs. reward scenario a more than what Tampa has with VJack.

I still prefer to add either DE or Oline in Rd 1.

THe news on Martin after his recent workout is that he's dropping to a late first round pick. Reiff is supposedly dropping too. It is possible one of these guys is there for us but of the two I prefer Martin who has the better feet to play LT. I believe Martin is coming out a year early so while there are questions about his strength in a long term perspective that is correctable.

Are the Bears and Forte that far apart? Yes Is Bush a backup or insurance? Both I understand you say the Bears should pay the man but you have to pony up with what salary you think he's worth. The Bears have offered him a good deal with I believe over $15mil guaranteed and in the area of $30mil total but I can't recall if that was for 4 or 5 years. From there they should be able to negotiate something similar to what Gore or Lynch has. I think Forte wants the deal Arian Foster got but I don't see him in the same level as Foster. I don't see him as a good as Gore either.

I definitely want Forte signed to a reasonable contract long term. It seems clear to me that Forte is basing his demands on the fact he is 50% or thereabouts of our total offense and the Bears are basing it on his peers. Simply put he is more Lynch than Foster and thats where the contract should be. As much as I like him you just cant overpay for a RB. If someone dropped a first round pick on us for him then I'm good with it and go build an oline anyone can run behind.

Martin hands down. Coples isnt an ideal fit for us since we have Peppers and i think we need to add a true speed rusher. I think Martin can hold down the left side fpr a decade and Im good with that.

Sean Payton was caught with this bounty program years ago and was told to make sure it didnt happen again. Sean Payton had an email from a convicted former agent stating he had offered Williams $5000 for a player to take out aaron rodgers. Afterwards Payton lied to the commish about knowing anything of the bounty program. Payton lied to his boss and the owner and then when this was all breaking early in the year he went around to his team telling everyone what say to coverup the bounty program. Sean Payton just lost $7million. Drew Brees called Payton a great man yesterday. I have no longer have any respect for Drew Brees.

Good, coaches are losing millions of dollars for their part in leading this scheme. Message sent.

I don't see us spending the money and the pick on Wallace. Wright makes more sense then at least we'd have cash left over to bring in some FA Oline. THere should be more cuts after the draft.

I must be in minority because I liked Louis at RG. He didn't play well as RT (but a heck of a lot better than Omiyale) but after a rough start early in the season he was getting pretty good at RG before the switch. You have a detailed eye for Oline play so what is it you don't like about Louis at RG and why don't you think he'll improve there?

I wouldn't assume because he's not 100% that he's not rehabbing as much as possible. I've heard NFL players say they need 8-12 weeks of rest for their bodies to recuperate and heal before they really hit the workouts hard. We are just about to enter that window.

I'm not a big fan of Hester as a RB. Too small and it keeps him inside where it's easier to defend him. I also don't like seeing him take hits from Dlinemen. He needs space and Brandon Marshall should be the right person to create that for him.

I don't think Carimi's knee issue is that bad. I read up on the surgery and it seemed fairly routine with a high likelihood of return to full strength and full range of motion. I thought I read recently he said he was pain free.

During the interview with Cutler and Marshall, Jay mentioned that having Jermemy Bates here installing some of the things they did in Denver was going to be big for him and Brandon since they both are familiar with the system. I can't say I watched too many of Denver's games back when Cutler was there so I don't know exactly what this means for our passing game. Perhaps some of the folks here that are more football savvy can explain what we're likely to see in our passing game this year. Interview link: http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/mul...clip=Y&rn=2 I just watched the interview with Emery and he said "people will be surprised how Tice's new offense will utilize Hester." I hope this doesn't mean the Wildcat remains in the playbook because I hate taking the ball out of Cutler's hand. In any case, there is now talk about using our players strengths as opposed to just fitting them into the offense as an X, Y, or Z.

...and the Chicago Bears have decided they can get similar or better talent at #19 for a lot less money plus the usual "upside". I thought the Bears would be in the running for Wimbley but the fact they didn't even kick the tires a bit tells me they are ready to get DE help early in the draft.

After picking up Marshall, in this scenario I"m taking Coples. DE is now more of a need than WR and solving that will help the rest of the D.

I realize LTs make the big money and that's because those that can handle the edge singlehandedly, especially with blitz pickups, are worth it as it frees up another blocker (i.e RB or TE focus elsewhere). However, I'd say to a QB protection up the middle is more important. Even for LTs the most frustrating part is when they get beat to the inside as it gives a short path to the QB. At least if the LT is beaten off the edge and there is room to step up the QB can do that. I'd say if we got a stud OG on the inside with Williams at LT we'd be much better as a line in pass protection and better in the run game than we were last year. As a side note, at 5'10" I"m guessing my arms shouldn't be longer than Chris Williams' but they are and having a wingspan over 6'6" definitely helps me in basketball.

Jeff Saturday is the key for the Oline and expect him to be signed soon in Denver.

I remember watching Harrell throw pass after pass in the dirt at either the Senior Bowl practices or somewhere else. These weren't difficult throws, just some 20 yard routes and he didn't have the arm strength to even get the ball there. I"m sure he can throw a football 50 yards because even a scrub like me used to throw about that. However, try to put that pass on a line and it won't happen. In college he was a good quick read QB in a spread offense and IIRC most of those routes were sit down types so he wasn't hitting guys on the run. I'm sure Harrell has improved arm strength and likely his mechanics (if that were needed) but I'd love to see him on the field against the Bears instead of Rodgers.