AZ54

I'm sure the Patriots are worried about the exact same thing as they have a history of letting good players leave when they wouldn't pay their contract demands including the current battle with Wes Welker. Miraculously they still have good vet FA willing to play there, often bargain prices, just for a shot to win a ring.

I view this more as do the Bears (or we) think Forte will be highly productive for 3 years? More realistically if I take Forte's side on a 4 or 5 year deal can we get three of the four years at a high level of productivity, assuming one of those seasons will be marred by injury. Forte's arguing he will be the Bears don't want that commitment. I understand Forte's demands but from a business standpoint and that of what helps us keep the best team on the field long term I side with the Bears. If Forte is unwilling to accept less guaranteed than his reported demand of $20mil then I'd do the back-to-back franchise tags (if he's healthy and performing) and then move on.

Speed in the NFL is not a huge factor. You have to have it to compete in on the field but there are so many fast players in the league it doesn't guarantee success. If things go well it seems a player will get just a few chances to showcase their speed on a play. Then there's the whole team aspect of the game. How far from his coverage will Hester get before some DE runs past Webb into Cutler? That's where coaching and play calling comes into play....they have to scheme correctly to get more opportunities for players to use their abilities.

I never viewed Wootton as the type of quick twitch player we need at DE. He seems to fit more of a two gap style defense. I'd love to see him have a good year but I don't have high hopes. Izzy isn't either so I think the best we could expect is for Wootton to display enough to look like a solid 3rd DE for our roster and end up as a replacement for Izzy.

Bears concerned how 28-year-old running back's knees will hold up. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...,4014548.column I think this sums it up for the Bears. Why is this out now? Bears releasing information to soften Forte's stance? Or is this Haugh doing some research on his own to find out why the two sides are so far apart and have remained that way through two GMs?

Don't get me wrong, I like having Hester and too agree that he should be able to thrive better now with two serious threats on the outside. Teams will have to respect the fact that Jeffrey and Marshall can break one tackle and then they are gone. It's not necessarily their speed that causes defenses to align differently. That should open things up inside for Hester, or even make it easier to work underneath outside routes. IMO this just means Hester will be more effective for us on a per snap basis, not necessarily that he'll be the focal point of the offense. I am not surprised at the fact Hester is having a great camp. He's a workout warrior and the last couple years has found the right balance in strength vs speed/quickness. The fact he's making plays all over the field is not only good sign how hell be as a receiver but also for his punt returns. I also have to think some of the reason for this is Tice scaling back what he has to do. Over the years we've said we'll have Hester line up all over the field, now is it just scaled back so he has 10-15 things to focus on and do well? It's not just for Hester either, several offensive players have already spoken up about how things were simplified and it will be easier to play faster.

Hester having the best camp. Marshall is learning a new offense. Jeffrey (who I think some are anointing to a starting role bit too quickly) is trying to figure out why there are so many pages in the playbook. Weems is a KR. The dude from NY hasn't been much of a WR either in his career and both of these special teamers are learning a new offense. That means Hester in the first 2 (yes 2) practices is performing better than Mr. Utility Earl Bennett (and I like Earl a lot but that is what he is).

That generated a lot of excitement.

Can Winslow block? Serious question if anyone knows. If he's just another Greg Olsen I prefer to keep our Davis and Spaeth and let the new kid fill the downfield WR role. If Winslow is mostly just a pass catching threat then I pass at any price. If he can block decently then he might be worth a shot but with bad knees it's hard to invest too much into him when he can't practice. We'll have to offenses version of Tommie Harris....all "if". Oh and the reason for the blocking question is that I value Cutler's health and I don't trust our Oline to keep him that way.

Plenty of $$$ available to grab a good vet FA if one should become available.

I agree and I know it's not that simple but after working a 14hr shift I wasn't going to type out all the variations, just saying I'm not a big fan of putting all our apples in one RB basket and I think that extra money is better spend elsewhere across the offense's roster. By the way it's the same with the QB...you pretty much have to draft them and then you have to pay the going rate. Rarely do guys like Cutler hit the market.

Given the high injury risk and short "peak" career years I prefer to build a roster with the 2 RB approach and focus more $$ on the oline since they can do double duty in protecting the QB and opening the holes for RBs. Give me 2 Michael Bush types for $7mil/yr versus one Matt Forte and one Michael Bush for (based on current contracts) what will end up being over $11mil/yr. Reality is we still have to have depth at RB. I take my extra $3mil and apply it to one LT position and instead of getting an average LT at $4-5mil/yr I can afford a top 10 LT at $7-8mil/yr. Emery's approach to the roster and Forte's contract indicates to me that he feels the same. That's why I said months ago when it was clear Forte's demands for $20mil guaranteed likely meant the club would take him one season at a time on the franchise tag and spend the same money. If he's hurt seriously this season (I hope not) they have hedged their bets. I hate to say it but it's a business and that is how all GMs have to approach the product on the field. The way they'll have to find common ground would be wrapping in more pay in performance bonuses and significant roster bonuses payable early in the offseason. Team still has some way out without committing all that money upfront yet Forte still has reasonable assurance he'll get paid as long as he continues to perform. I don't know if they'll find that common ground, it doesn't appear they will.

SMC having 4 sacks in the preseason.

3rd Rd talent is different from 3rd Rd draft pick in the sense that the people who have to cut the checks and commit a lot of time and effort to getting them ready to play must consider the intangibles on the player. Will he work hard? Drug use going to get him suspended? A player is worthless when he can't take the field because he's sitting on his 3rd Rd talent at home. I like the idea of giving the kid a chance at minimal risk thought while we took someone else with a higher probability of helping the team in the 3rd Rd.

I'm very impressed with how he adjusts to the ball and going low on those end zone catches in practice was impressive for such a tall guy. That showed up in game tape against Iowa State where he adjusted his route and came behind the DB to make a catch. He is not very quick off the line, not very fast overall but neither is Spaeth. Can he block at the NFL level? He is someone to watch in camp.

No way can Izzy compete with Paea at DT, especially not at his DE weight. Izzy might end up in the DT rotation if that fits best but he is still a better DE IMO and I'd rather have him there and as emergency backup at DT.

I'm sure Rashaan Salaam won't knock him for it either. http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/313698...-to-dec-28-2008 "He revealed to the website that he "has stopped smoking weed" and has some regrets about his situation with the Bears.

I was surprised not at his height but his bulk. Usually players his height look a lot leaner. Sounds like he can block, can he run routes and catch? Perfect practice squad candidate for this year. If Kellen Davis doesn't step up he might find an opportunity next season, or possibly replacing Spaeth.

Cutler may have alluded on this when he said there were a lot of holes on the Oline to fill. He had to be talking about much more than just LT which has been our main topic this offseason.

No mention of Hester in the slot? Or does SI prefer Sanzenbacher over Hester?

I expect item 1 to happen no matter what but we did well in hedging our bets so I don't think the drop off will be as bad as expected. Plus the improved WR corps will do much to mitigate any reduction in Forte's productivity and may actually help it. Item 3 Marshall being suspended was just debunked today and will be official by the end of the week. Item 4 ....Melton has had a full year to settle into his new weight and now a full offseason to work on his technique. Paea is now more than year removed from knee surgery. Both will be improved and SMC is better than any DE we had opposite of Peppers in terms of rushing the passer. Greater concern for me is the lack of depth behind those guys.

Williams is in the competition at LT. Brown is being tried out at both OT and OG. We have a good competition now for Brown to make the roster. He could end up a backup OT or backup OG (take Rachal's spot) or on the practice squad. As far as the 420 friendly types...this stuff kills motivation and anyone saying otherwise has never been around a bunch of stoned people. Occasional use is one thing but chronic use is totally different, much like alcohol. Brown's response to the question of his drug use and if it affected his draft status was indifferent IMO considering the amount of money he gave up by going undrafted versus the second round. That attitude is not one of someone who is ready to commit to hard work but reminds me of past friends who smoked weed almost daily. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0,2938546.story Scouts from three organizations told the Tribune that marijuana was an issue for Brown and that led their teams to remove his name from their draft boards. When asked if he wanted to address the matter, Brown said, "Could be something to that. "I don't really want to address it. I don't have any knowledge of exactly what went on (with other teams).""maybe". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If a shot at earning millions of dollars by being an early draft pick can't motivate him to quit then why should we assume he will be motivated to do so now for even less money? Whether or not we agree on the dangers of marijuana use is irrelevant because it is not allowed in the league's collective bargaining agreement, and it is also illegal in most states (unless prescribed as here in AZ). That is the standard he has to meet. Until he proves he gets it and has met that standard for a significant length of time I'll remain skeptical but optimistic on Brown.

I agree. The Bears have left the door open to sign a good FA if some vet gets cut this summer or even early in training camp.

Absolutely.

I'd be shocked if he ended up as our starter at LT. He isn't that athletic to begin with and he's making a huge jump up in competition level. For all the talk of Webb's issues he still knows the system and the competition in the NFL and that's a huge step up over a rookie UDFA. If Brown is good enough to earn a spot as our backup OT then I'd be very happy but I want him to earn it and not just get it due to lack of competition. That means Chris Williams should still be in the discussion at LT or backup OT if he's our starting LG.