AZ54

We're talking about him falling to late 3rd round. I don't see that because he was too productive at a good program in a good conference. If he is there in the early 3rd and we haven't grabbed a DT yet then the Bears need to consider moving up to draft him. Everyone knows the teams we need to get ahead of to do that and it appears there's only two of them.

IMO the NFLPA was more concerned about managing fan sentiment during the negotiating process than it was with actual negotiating. They lost a bit today when the judge held off on making a decision for a couple weeks and asked them to again go back to the negotiating table. Now that the union has decertified who exactly are the owners supposed to negotiate with? And if the union negotiates it just proves what we already know...that the decertification was nothing but a scam. Because of that this situation puts the owners in the driver's seat. Even if they were to lose this case they'd have evidence needed to file an appeal. Will the players bite on this? I know the judge told them doing so wouldn't hurt their position. I'm not a lawyer but logically I'm not so sure she's right but then there are a lot of things wrong with our laws.

This was done with the Bears, at times, inept offense over the last few seasons. From the Bears website: http://www.chicagobears.com/news/ChalkTalk...p?story_id=7716 I keep hearing that Greg Olsen is no longer a threat in the passing game. But didn’t he lead the Bears in receiving touchdowns again in 2010? Roger W. Iowa Yes, Greg Olsen tied Johnny Knox for the Bears lead with five touchdown receptions in 2010. Olsen also topped the Bears with five TD catches in 2008 and eight in 2009. Olsen’s 20 career TD receptions are the second most by a Bears tight end, trailing Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s 34. Olsen’s 18 touchdown receptions the past three seasons rank sixth among NFL tight ends, trailing Antonio Gates (26), Vernon Davis (22), Tony Gonzalez (22), Visanthe Shiancoe (20) and Dallas Clark (19).

Sherrod doesn't get much coverage on this board for our first pick This is shaping up to be an interesting draft from the OT perspective because both Solder and Sherrod could be there when we pick. It seems Sherrod is the better player right now but Solder has higher long-term potential and perhaps more importantly better athleticism to anchor the LT position for the future but might struggle this year.

This is one year I'd gladly accept the HoF game. Among all the other positions getting extra practice time, perhaps most importantly would be to let our backup QB situation get settled better by giving Hanie and his competition more reps in game situations.

As much as I'd like to see our defense return to bad-ass status if those options are there then I say we have to protect our franchise QB. Without Cutler we aren't going anywhere. Solder seems like more of project than I'd like but apparently has all the athleticism you want in an OT. He might end up the only OT on our roster who can protect a 7-step drop. But then what will we get out of the running game behind him?

I get the same impression about the talent level in those picks. There are going to be some players that fall out of the top 20 that teams really want. You see guys like Carimi going anywhere from mid-teens to late first, among other Oline prospects. QBs are going to shape the late 1st and early 2nd Rd too because a lot of teams need QBs, three of them will go in Rd 1 but then when it comes to guys like Ponder and Mallett, plus Dalton is getting talked up more too. There's a big drop off after those guys so I expect some movement in the late first to get one or two of them. However, our needs are very acute on Oline and DT and if our guy is there when we pick, just grab him. I think there's a chance of a very good player at one of those positions being there. We can't afford to lose the right fit for our biggest needs in order to get a similar talent-level player somewhere else on the field.

I know there's a thread for workouts attended by the Bears but this one impacts the first round and I think merits it's own place. Lovie in attendance and Marinelli running the workouts. Watching the NFL Network it seems there's a lot of consensus that Austin has worked his way back into the first round. If that's true we have to start thinking he could end up on our roster. I've read where he was supposed to be a top 5 talent before the suspension. Now the flip side of having another guy enter the first round talent wise is that it makes it more likely an offensive player we like falls to us too. Naturally the coaches watched Greg Little workout too. I didn't hear of anything in the way he would have really helped himself so he remains a late 2 to 3rd Rd selection.

He's rated as the top WR for 2012. Two DUIs while in college is not a good sign of maturity, or an ability to learn from mistakes.

Nice to see the Bears website put up a little tribute video of Dave Duerson. http://www.chicagobears.com/multimedia/mul...lip=Y&rn=13

Physically LIttle appears to be the perfect compliment to our WR corps the problem is he is not that great of a route runner. He's not likely to have a big impact in Martz' offense in his first year and might be one of those typical 3 yr WR projects.

I can live with that but for the union to undertake the scam of "disbanding", and act like they'll be more than happy to come back and play football this year without a new collective bargaining agreement as Jeff Saturday said yesterday on NFL Network is a blatant lie to the fans. The lockout is no different than a strike it's just the other side saying it's time to renegotiate. So negotiate, man up and hold your ground if you feel you are right, however long it takes. Also there are individual players who are making clear threats of hazing for rookies who attend the draft. Saturday said he didn't condone that and he'd basically accept the rookie as a teammate there to help them win. He wasn't that convincing IMO. Pressuring people who are not in the union and have no say over the next agreement is wrong. Not to mention my previous point of why deny a guy and his family one of the best moments of their life? Welcome them with open arms into your union right after they are drafted. Seems like a better approach to me but then I'm not treated like a slave at work. Overall, I can see your point about the owners proving they need to adjust the profit sharing setup, I don't condone the players actions at all. They are acting like a bunch of spoiled brats in their approach to this. I think there is some responsibility on the owners to prove their point. I still think they all have too much to lose and a deal will get done.

Yes, Jerry Jones has more side deals than any other owner and opening the books is likely to cause as much contention among owners as it is between players and owners.

I actually think this will improve the effectiveness of guys like Hester on kickoffs. I know most of the kickoffs will be touchbacks, the league estimates 70%. With less returns teams coverage units, especially those with good kickers, won't have much coverage practice. Fact is if almost all of your kick coverages are just running down to see a guy take a knee it's easy to get complacent. What happens on the one time he runs it out? Also, with less of a return threat coaches are more likely to keep better players off the coverage units so they are more effective with the offense/defense. I think we''ll see a lot less returns but of those KOs that get returned a much higher percentage will go for TDs, and/or big runbacks to midfield.

When people criticized Cutler at the end of the season I simply asked them to name another QB who could have gotten our team that deep into the playoffs behind that Oline. There's a few out there but it's a very short list. Ironically I'd put Aaron Rodgers at the top of that list over Manning and Brady because of his mobility. I think the love of Hanie (as our #2 QB) has as much to do with the hate of Collins and how inept Collins was. At least Hanie looked like he wanted to win while Collins looked like he wanted to wet his pants every time he dropped back to pass.

Ted Phillips indicated the Bears have every intention of being active with free agents as soon as the lockout is resolved because he expects there to be a lot of FA available. No doubt some of that is us trying to keep our own playes but I get the feeling they not looking to make a big splash ala Peppers but we might be seeing a key group of several tier 2 type FAs joining the roster. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...-like-star.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- “I don’t see us, right now, just putting our resources into one high-profile player,” Phillips said. “But I do see our budget being set up where we can have an impact in free agency to fill some needs and to re-sign some of our players.” Phillips and Angelo said there could be a larger than usual pool of free agents on the market. “Normally in free agency, there are a handful of players,’’ Angelo said. ‘‘Then there are maybe two or three [players] that people are saying are special. And there will probably be a dozen paid like they’re special but they’re not really special, based on the value of their positions.’’

The players are doing a lot of damage control with their recent appearance on ESPN asking us fans to support their lawsuit as it will force the owners to forego the lockout. That in itself is an interesting tactic because essentially it's a judge forcing a business to open up and run like normal. How do you make someone open a business if they don't want to? I can see where the league will lose it's antitrust exemption. Again, that too would hurt the players long term as the mage contracts the stars sign would likely be reduced if there is more competition for the football $$$. So the players took a middle ground and I'm curious to see how this plays out. Also, the players have now changed their position, based on their interview, where they said they'd also like to be at the draft to welcome the new players into the league. Clearly fan opinion has a big effect on both sides. Hopefully that gets them back to the negotiating table.

I understand the players wanting to see the books but to me the entire decertification and the way it was all handled was a total sham. Then we have players telling us they are slaves and now HH telling us how great it would be to work for Southwest Airlines. Hunter...you have the option to go work for Southwest or any other publicly held company but YOU chose to work for a privately held company where you don't get to see the books. If you want to negotiate as a union, then fine, holdout and negotiate. It is your prerogative and if the consequences of that action cause the league to lose revenues then you too are assuming that risk. Same goes for the owners and their choice to lockout players. Both sides are assuming the risk. Now your actions as players of forcing this into federal court are wasting tax payers' money solely for your own "private" benefit and there is no public need for the NFL. We make private decisions to support the league. Man up HH, AP, Mendenhall, Manning, Brees, et al...if you don't like the offer of the league don't accept it but spare me the expense of paying for you to prove your point.

I also think the players asking the college guys to skip the draft is very selfish move. Why would you not want a guy who is going to join your ranks to celebrate one of the best days of his life with his family and friends on that stage? Few people get that opportunity in life and to try to deny them that experience solely for your own priorities is wrong. I realize negotiations will affect them but they have no control over it whatsoever. IMO they should be encouraging them to enjoy that moment and welcoming them with open arms into the union.

Very nauseating.

I'm going to have to re-evaluate my opinion on this matter. I didn't realize the millionaires were being held in slavery. AP: It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. As a regular guy working a regular job I don't feel I entered into slavery. I agreed to do work for what I felt was a reasonable.wage. If I choose I can leave and pursue working at another place. So can Adrian Peterson.

I will add that I think decertification is a stupid maneuver on the players part. Then they turn around and the richest players, whose argument I can't understand, sue the league because it's a monopoly. Sue the monopoly for which you have agreed to take part and which made you incredibly rich? If it's such a moral high ground why didn't they sue years ago before they signed those huge contracts? I don't recall them clamoring about how they couldn't get into the XFL years ago, nor do I see them bolting to Canada to exercise their free agent rights. Are they really dissolving their union in the hopes that another football league starts up so there is more competition? Are they no longer going to negotiate with the owners? Who negotiates since D. Smith no longer works for the players? It seems clear this really was the intent of the players all along as those lawsuits ALL hit at the exact time the union dissolved and so they had no intentions of negotiating an agreement. In fact, they sat down at the negotiating table with the owners even after they had filed the decertification papers in court. That is clearly not good faith at the negotiating table and in fact it's deceitful. It seems clear the players just agreed to the negotiating delays solely so they wouldn't appear to be the bad guys but in the end just did what they wanted to do from the beginning. The whole court BS is just a sideshow way of forcing the owners to open up their books and D. Smith feels his White House connections will only help him in this cause. That's ok but if that's all they wanted up front then that's what they should have pursued from the beginning instead of deceiving fans into thinking they were serious about negotiations the last few weeks. Now we wait to see if the legal process forces the owners to open their books. I'm not necessarily supporting the owners but I can definitely say I no longer support the millionaire players at all now. To me their recent behavior just makes them look like spoiled brats. I just want football back and even though I still believe this will get solved before the season starts I'm more prepared now to move over to college football if this continues. Probably still watch my Bears but all those other games...not so much. I'm starting to think that the fans need to begin discussing a boycott and the most effective way IMO is to boycott Monday Night Football. It's just one game but it's the easiest way to tank the TV ratings and drop ad revenues which affect both parties. I think the MNF contract is a pretty big revenue source for the league.

I'm in the millionaires vs. billionaires club for the most part. However, I do think a lot of those perceptions of owners are misleading. Simply put the Bears family (McCaskeys) make a nice living via the Bears but to imply they are billionaires solely because of the football team is misleading. The could be if they sold the team. It is the same with the Bidwill's out here in AZ. While everyone sees this as simply the players vs. owners everyone is forgetting about all the other costs a team must finance: coaching staff, scouts, front office, etc. and many of those positions have gone way up in salary and/or added positions. Most teams now have so many specialty coaches it's crazy. That said there's plenty of money for everyone to be happy and I believe both sides know this. A lockout really hurts some of these owners too. I can't imagine Jerry Jones knows how to pay the mortgage on his brand new stadium with 8 less football games. He was already in trouble financially before it was even completed. On the players side they know the average career is just 3 years so losing 1 season is a huge deal for a lot of these guys. With incentives like that on both sides I believe a deal will get done.

I think it points out again just how important the QB is in this league. When you have the QB position set it makes every else appear to be a better player. Indy, NE, NO, SD, GB, and yes the Bears. You have to consider how far we got with so little talent on offense, in particular the Oline. All of the above teams have had the advantage of not having to devote early picks to the QB position for years. It also frees up scouting resources to focus on other positions. We are just entering that phase since we gave up so much to get Cutler.

Talent without heart. At least once again the Bears are showing this offseason, like last offseason, they are no longer hanging onto "hope" with players and making decisions based on performance.