AZ54

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.

Flynn played one game and now gets $8mil/yr for 3 years. That's a good deal for him but I think Seattle overpaid just the Cards overpaid for for Kolb last year (and again this year). QB desperation and for once I can actually say I like our backup more than their starters. Who would have thought that would happen.

No doubt if we go all in on having Webb as the answer then there's an evaluation problem with this organization. I scanned some mock drafts last night. At this point I doubt Martin drops to us. That leaves Adams as the LT opportunity in Rd 1. Other options might be DeCastro but he should be gone or Glenn to beef up the inside. All of those options would help. At this point I suspect we're going DE in Rd 1 and then offense in Rd 2 and Rd 3 (Oline, WR) and back to defense in Rd 4/5 with CB and LB.

Last offseason it was reported that Steve Smith has two knees with no cartilage so they are bone on bone when he runs. He can't even practice and that's why the Giants let him go. IMO he is not an option for us.

I agree with the fix but disagree on Tice. I believe Tice put the best combination of 5 Oline out there. He played the hand he was dealt by JA and looking back on it I think his main focus was on protecting Cutler up the middle first. Did he overestimate Webb? Maybe, maybe not but we really don't know Tice's true sentiments on Webb just assumptions based on what was in the media. Again, I can't expect a coach to come out and say publicly that "this guy doesn't have what it takes to play" if he is the best option he's got. Fast forward to this offseason and he's seen Spencer play well at OG, and to a lesser extent Edwin Willams, and now Chris Williams is being talked about moving back to LT. Why would that be out there if Tice had so much confidence in Webb? Not only that our new GM, who says he won't tip his hand on needs, has openly come out and said we need more depth on the Oline. We all know where the weakest link was and I think it's clear we want to upgrade at LT.

I thought he wasnt going to tip his hand on any personnel issues. Soumds like we go defense in rd 1.

Does that number include the cap hit for Forte under the franchise tag? If so, I think we're holding out hope for Wimbley or we'd have been more active on the CB market. Anyone know the status of Wimbley? I thought the Raiders had to make a decision by Friday.

If we add another WR like Robinson then IMO we should go after other needs. While i would love to get Martin I would even take DeCastro if he is there and put Chris Williams back at LT. Other options for first pick are CB, DE, LB, TE, or even LB to get ready for the future. For the first time in years we are headed toward a draft where we can take best availabe in Rd 1. However expect at least one of these needs to be covered via FA very soon.