AZ54

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." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I agree with you (and Nfol dammit). TE was a position of strength on the roster no need to go out and spend that cash when it could have gone to other needs. If the Bears truly were as cheap as many have said it would have been quite reasonable for the owners to say no to that deal and just stopped at the bonus for Peppers. In retrospect I have to wonder if Martz was forced to start certain players in the past even if their skills didn't fit what he needed. I'm thinking in particular about Wendell Davis TE in San Fran. It wouldn't be the first time a GM, owner, or even HC says "hey I'm paying him huge $$$ or he has too much talent he needs to be on the field. Martz..you are the offensive genius you make it work." I highly doubt Marinelli ever gave him a constraint like that in Detroit. Not so sure about their former GM, he wasn't too smart.

I agree Olsen is lacking in blocking skills but we have to cut him a bit of slack on this because it's the coaches choice on how a guy is used. There are only so many practice reps and meetings to go around. TEs are required to attend meetings with the WRs and meetings with the Oline. Likewise they have to split their practice reps. Over the last couple years Lovie and Turner decided to use Olsen as a: TE, H-back, FB, and WR. That means he had to split his practice reps between a lot of positions. Exactly how many practice reps did Olsen get to work on his blocking? I like Olsen and I like his work ethic. He's done everything the Bears have asked him to do and he has been a good player for us. I see lots of posts about how Martz will use Olsen and hoping he won't just keep him in to block. After thinking about it, I have to say keeping Olsen as just a TE (leave out the WR responsibilities) could be the best thing for him. I think the H-back role is going to be part of his job too. Go ahead and let him take half of his practice reps learning how to block better. I think if he's challenged and given the time to work on it he will improve quite a bit in his blocking skills. We already know he can run pass routes.

I have no concern here. The entire world knows FS is our #1 target at this point in the offseason. There's no reason to attempt to hide it and it's better to do all the necessary research to make sure we pick the right guy, especially if we are going to attempt to trade up to make it happen. I'll never believe we intend to trade up for a FS until I see it happen.

Needs are FS, OL, CB in that order IMO. I see all the holes at DT but quite honestly we've spent picks there and those guys have to get a chance to step up (Gilbert) while others like Harrison get one more shot at being a "pro". While those bodies are ??? at FS we have nobody. Unless we believe in the miracle of Tice the ??? on OG/OT are bigger than at DT. CB has few players (literally 3) but behind them nobody.

Also on the NFL Network they said Flozell was cut with nobody behind him. If you are playing so poorly that a team prefers to cut you and go with whoever they pick up in the draft that's not a good sign. I think we can pass.

Picking him up for a 5th Rd pick would make me smile. We still have the 3rd and 4th Rd picks to do something at FS and CB.

He's available because he's bad.

Maybe Detroit is interested maybe they are just trying to bait us into paying a higher price. I agree, stay out of a bidding war over this guy. While he's likely better than what we have he can't be all that good if they only want a 4th.

Seems like a lot to give up for a 2nd Rd pick. I suspect JA is trying to do something with a package deal like that and for sure Brown is involved and I'm sure he'll listen to offers involving Olsen. I just prefer to keep Olsen around.

That sums it up!

Curious who told Vasher it was ok to miss tackles?

Bazuin hurt his knee in the first minicamp with the Bears or something like that and he was never the same. Not that we even know what he was before the injury.

I am not comparing Melton to anyone else's ability just making a statement that his lack of height in and of itself does not mean he can't rush the passer. Does his body type fit more in line with the typical 3-4 LB, absolutely. Am I expecting anything out of Melton this coming year, nope.