AZ54

Tice is saying he likes his guys, they have all bought into his system, and he doesn't want to bring in a vet. I know that would be different if there were a high caliber veteran available but there isn't. His opinion seems to be why bother bringing in a subpar vet when he's already got plenty of those to deal with?

Compliment for Martz while slamming Turner without calling him out...he should be in politics. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/...tz-offense.html Asked about Martz's notoriously extensive playbook, Forte said, "It's not intimidating, it's actually exciting. It's keep the defense on their heels. They're not going to know what we're going to do just by studying what formations we run our plays in or trying to (key) on our tendencies. They're not going to be able to pick up things easily." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's kinda what I was thinking...how much was Holmgren and how much was Ruskell. Just like our debates on how much influence Lovie has had since the Superbowl. It's an odd hire from Ruskell's point of view seeing as JA is near the end of his rope but maybe his deal is guaranteed.

Most hated: So many options to choose from but I'll give two Rick Meier, Cade McClown, The first time I saw them play I was like WTF? (to borrow a phrase from my daughter) Most loved is hands down Walter. Never saw a player give more on every single play than him and he kept coming back for more.

In a league awash in parity this makes a lot of sense.

That pickup would make sense to me too.

I agree we need a 6th WR and it should not be someone named Rashied. I admit that I'm not that enamored with a 4.7-forty WR who can be run down by Lance Louis and it's hard to imagine him doing anything more than underneath routes and quick slants which makes him but we'll see what he's got. He sounds like the second coming of that WR (Bilentnikof award winner from Oregon) who could never get off our practice squad..I think it was Mike Hass. Same type of WR, would catch anything he could get his hands on but too slow to be effective. Aside from Barnes the other guys on the roster are Greg Mathews from Michigan. We know how Michigan WR turn out. Antonio Rboinson out of Nicholls State...he didn't even excel there so I find it hard to project anything out of him at all much less in his first year in the NFL. Eric Peterman....second year with the team has the full benefit of the offseason work, ran a sub-4.5 forty in pre-draft workouts. Went to Northwestern so he should have the smarts to figure out Martz' offense fairly quickly. If I have to guess right now I say he ends up the 6th WR on our roster, however, I wouldn't be surprised at all if we add a veteran who gets cut later in the offseason.

I think this was an excellent deal. We had too many LB and one of them was going to get cut and it wasn't going to be Shaw who is likely our special teams leader this year. We traded away a player who might have been cut and filled a definite need position with a proven player who already knows our scheme.

You clearly don't watch many Cardinals games. There's a reason he was traded.

He's also joining his former OC in Whisenhunt. If they haven't done so the Cards will now be actively working to trade Deuce Lutui. We could sign him and have him practice everyday against Harris just to see if Harris is "stable". I don't see a reason for us to trade for Deuce, he's limited in his pass blocking but is a decent run blocker. If he were a FA and we needed help he's worth a look. Right now it seems to me that Tice likes what we have or we'd have made a bigger push for Faneca. $2.5 mil isn't all that much.

Have you been talking with Belichick?

If the big hit means the ball falls to the ground then I'm all for Major Wright. I can ignore a few missed INTs if we finally get a FS who makes WR worry about going across the middle. Maybe he can light up some of these Packer WRs after their quick inside slants. I'm not holdling out hope he can start but OTOH considering our lack of depth at FS who is he competing with?

I suspect you are not alone in your thoughts. He will never get away from picking Tebow in Rd 1. Essentially he traded Cutler for Orton and Tebow. I know there is more to it than that but in the end that'll be how fans see it.

The market just got smaller so if there is still demand the price has gone up. There's no reason to give up Olsen for a 5th Rd or even 4th Rd pick, he has more value to us on the roster. If we get into the top of the 3rd Rd along with a late round pick maybe the Bears pull the trigger but I still prefer to keep him. If it's a second round pick and one of the top FS is still there I pull the trigger.

I said last year that sometimes coaches come out of "systems" but dont understand the nuances of it. McDaniels so far seems to fit this mold where he believes it's the "system" that wins and not the players. Ultimately it's always the players that win games and a good coach never forgets that. The system just puts them in the right position to win but you need guys who can execute and you must have some "blue-chip" players out there than can still execute when the system breaks down. Without those guys your system gets you an average team, perhaps a good one, but not a Superbowl winner. McDaniels has given up two blue-chip players, at least based on their on-the-field performance.

It's nice when the newspaper comes to the rescue. It appears Lovie has been fairly influential on draft day. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/be...mully19.article ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Manning -- a second-round pick (42nd overall) in 2006 out of tiny Abilene Christian and the first player from a non-Division I school taken that year -- is what NFL scouts call a ''trait player.'' He's a phenomenal athlete. Smith has said it would be between him, Devin Hester and Johnny Knox in a race to determine the fastest player on the team. Manning came to the Bears raw and has barely improved since his rookie year as a starter because he has been moved in and out at safety so many times. First he's a safety, then a cornerback or nickelback, then back to safety and back to nickel, then back to safety ... you get the idea. Insiders say Smith's obsession with the traits has been a hindrance. He has to be really sold on a player who doesn't have elite athletic ability. Smith, who was a linebackers coach with the Buccaneers, holds a lot of sway over what the Bears do at that position -- and they don't do well. Since the Angelo-Smith partnership started, the Bears have taken a linebacker every year. Leon Joe (fourth-rounder, 2004), Michael Okwo (third, 2007) and Marcus Freeman (fifth, 2009) were flat-out busts. Rod Wilson ('05) and Joey LaRocque ('08) were seventh-round picks who didn't really have careers, but can a seventh-round pick be a bust? Sometimes trait guys lack football instincts. Jamar Williams, a fourth-rounder in 2006, remains with the Bears and is a solid backup and special-teams player." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Still unclear is how much influence Lovie has had over personnel decisions since the Superbowl. We know he got a contract that gave him much more influence than he had prior to the Superbowl but who were his "guys". In the last two offseasons as Lovie has faded in reputation our front office has made more bold moves. Sure JA is on the hotseat and deservedly so but I don't think the inevitable offseason personnel discussion can be done without weighing Lovie's influence and/or spreading the accountability to him as well. Just a couple examples: Wasn't it Lovie who Kept Booker at the expense of developing Bennett even when Booker looked horrible during the preseason? I know Bennett had to learn all three WR positions but that's something Booker wasn't required to do. It was Lovie who promoted his BFF Babich to DC which was an absolutely complete failure.

The problem is now I have to tune in to the draft on Friday night. I think this rumor is somewhat good news in the sense that we seem to still be marketing Olsen around the league. We know he has some value out there and it seems like more than one team has a bit of interest. If we're going to make a deal having more than one potential suitor only helps us get better value.

Looks like Harrison is taking this offseason more seriously than last. Judging by the picture here he's in better shape than anytime I saw him last season. It's still early in the offseason and there's still a lot of weight lifting to be done and a lot of biscuits to pass up. http://www.chicagobears.com/photos/index.asp?SECTION_ID=340

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I have a feeling McDaniels is going to learn this lesson very soon.

Prediction: Brandon Marshall will get suspended before the end of the season. Miami rewarded his bad behavior and there is no way he's not out partying all offseason....and down at Miami Beach!

That's funny as hell. Now Henne goes from throwing to Ginn to throwing to Marshall. He's smiling, as long as Marshall isn't in jail.

Pass and I'll add that Defiant perfectly stated the reasons why.

Bingo has been called and both additions should have made Cutler smile. At least it's nice to see someone confirm my sentiments about Forte's blocking last year. He was better his rookie year but didn't seem to have the right attitude for blocking last year.

Seems like that positive attitude and work ethic just showed up: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2010/04/ol..._has_no_is.html Olsen breaks silence; has no issues By Sean Jensen on April 9, 2010 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0) Greg Olsen broke his silence on his personal Twitter account. "So far I have a great feeling about my role this year," he wrote. "I have no desire to play anywhere but in Chicago. That was purely media speculation." He added he would put his pass blocking against any other tight end. "Those reports have been blown out of proportion," he wrote. Olsen said Brandon Manumaleuna a was a great addition, noting how well he complemented Antonio Gates. As for his goals: "Win division and make deep playoff run to SB. finish in top 5 in catches and TDs." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------