AZ54

This could be an indication the Bears liked what they saw out of Bowman at FS in minicamp. That's not a lot to go on and I don't want to imply that Bowman will be our starter. Rather he might be our backup and they feel comfortable leaving him at FS thus leaving an opening at CB. I expect we'll draft another FS and then let the 3 compete for the two jobs. Lucas would be some good insurance in case Vasher or Graham don't step up.

I said it before and I'll say it again: there isn't a single player on the Bears roster that is off-limits when it comes to making this deal. That includes Hester, Forte, Harris, Urlacher, and Briggs, Tillman, whoever. I don't look at this solely as a draft pick bonanza because proven players put fans in the seats just as well and they play better right away. That might be a bigger factor for McDaniels and Bowlen in helping them to save face. I really think this all comes down to two things: Who do they get to play QB this year followed by who plays the position down the road. Right now it appears Sanchez will be gone by the time Denver picks in the draft. At least that's a big enough risk I don't think they'd trade Cutler and take a chance on not getting him. That leaves one other guy...Josh Freeman http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1123282. If Denver has decided that either Freeman or Sanchez will be successful in their system then a deal is on. This is the week scouts were supposed to return home and teams begin building their draft board. Now today Denver confirms they'll trade Cutler. I'll act like I can read tea leaves and say they'll take one of these two to be their QB of the future. That leaves this year's QB up in the air. I think this is key with either Sanchez or Freeman as both have limited experience. I doubt they'd rely on Simms this year. If they think Orton can step in and run their system then it might help our cause. Beyond Orton I have no idea what players Denver might have interest in. In a past thread many felt they wouldn't be interested in Hester. Their defense has been bad for years so I could see us giving up a CB or DT or both plus some picks all depending on the talent of the players we give up.

Some good info on Nicks I hadn't read. That does mitigate the low Wonderlic score. This is where scouts earn their pay, they have to get the scoop on a player from the locker room, weight room, and film room.

I like the fact we're talking to him. I like even more the prospect that this could be a signal we're serious about going after Cutler, something I hadn't even thought of until reading this thread.

If I'm in JA shoes looking at getting production on offense out of my #1 pick I'd have to pass on Nicks after his low Wonderlic score. Of course that type of decision also has to take into acount the interview (if they did one) and background on the guy. Is he a player who studied film a lot in college or did he just rely on his athletic ability to make plays. If he doesn't have those habits now he's not likely to have them in his first year of the NFL and that would push me more towards grabbing a guy like Britton.

JA does not want to be answering questions about him at press conferences so we won't see this happen. Does Jones face any league suspension time?

I'm wondering if the OTs will see the same kind of a run that there was last year where 8 were taken in Rd 1. I can't see that happening two years in a row but if panic sets in why not. If it does it seems more likely a WR we like will fall to us in Rd 2, of course I'm assuming we're one of the teams that take one of the OTs.

Kruger doesn't have the explosiveness Lovie wants in his DE. He'll be a good player in the league but I don't see him fitting in our scheme. At least not when finding a DE who can get to the QB is the top priority. If we had the pass rushers but lacked some strength in run I could see it but as our roster is today Idonije fills this spot at DE and he's already proven as a special teams player.

I wouldn't mind at all if we did that. Grab Britton and Duke and ride that Oline for the next 6-8 years. Buening and Garza and Beekman can compete for backup roles. Grab a WR or FS in Rd 3. There's just no way I see JA doing this. If we're lucky he'll grab one of OT/OG in the first 2 rounds. The other is either WR or FS (in Rd 2). I have a suspicion the hole at FS is a bigger need in the coaches eyes, bigger than a WR. The reason...because few people are talking about it and in typical JA fashion he likes to hide his true intentions. If we have a shot at one of the top 2 FS in Rd 2 I think that's our pick. OL/WR in Rd 1, FS in 2, OL/WR in Rd 3. I'd like to see JA approach this like a 3 pick draft and not worry about the late rounds. We don't need the depth and/or special teams players. Trade down/up to get 3 picks early enough in the first two rounds to get the three players we need.

I agree in spots we've taken athletes vs. production/football player (Hester, DManning, Bradley) but with those picks not being terribly productive it would be nice to see a learning curve here and go after a football player in Rd 1, especially at WR. I hope we pass on DHB in Rd 1. Nicks, Robiskie, Britt all fit better what we need now although they aren't all worthy of #18. Trade down seems like the best course of action but who would want to trade up and why? I think we're stuck at #18 and will just have to take the guy we think works best for us.

I can see Loadholt being there in Rd 2. How many teams are going to take an OT with their first pick? Loadholt seems to be rated highest here on this board than anywhere else. I've heard more often of him going in Rd 2 or even Rd 3. http://cdsdraft.com/mocks/round-2.html http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospec...p;start_row=451

Without Duke or similar Rd 2 OG/OT talent I see some upgrade but not the type of upgrade that would give me confidence that we'll be able to dictate to teams what we want to do on offense. That's a bit of an over the top statement and I don't presume for our offense will suddenly become top 5. Rather just that it would be nice to see us able to do one of these two: run the ball effectively against an 8-man front (say consistent 3+ yard gains) or when we pass not to always see someone forcing Orton to move around the pocket. To get that now we have to add some elite young talent early in the draft. Add Britton and you can probably feel confident in our pass protection. Add Duke and you can probably hang your hat on consistency in our running game. At this point I'd take either.

We still might get our wish of Oline early in the draft but I think now there's a good possibility it's an OG in Rd 2. Williams is an unknown but by the second half of the season should be better than St Clair, Omiyale at LG, Kreutz, Duke, Shaffer. I think across the board the line is better than what we started with last year. On top of that there are now realistic options at depth. Omiyale can still be our backup OT with Beekman stepping in for him. Garza coming off the bench doesn't bother me much either. He's not great but as a backup I like him. On the flipside we could now add a starting caliber WR in RD 1 and possibly a true FS in Rd 2. Pick up the backup RT in Rd 3. Overall we should have upgraded all our key positions of need and be starting the season with an Oline that has much more depth than what we had last year and with these guys we should be able to open some good holes for Forte.

I guess you guys watched every Cards game last year like I did, and have watched most of them for the last 7 years of Boldin's career too. A couple years ago I said Boldin and Fitz were the top WR duo in the league and most on the board laughed with the typical "come on it's the Cards". Now everyone wants to give up the farm for him when I say he's slowed down. You can't argue the injuries because that's a statistical fact but I've watched this guy since his first year and he does not get the separation from DBs like he used to. I stated that he is still a very good WR and he would definitely help the Bears, and I love the way he plays the game. He was a bit of lockerroom cancer and isolated himself from his teammates during the Superbowl run. Is that what we want from our WR leader who we just gave a $20mil bonus too and gave up 1st Rd pick for? It's too much for the return on investment we'll see. I'm not saying that a team won't give up a 1st Rd pick for him just that we shouldn't. On the way home sports radio was talking about the KC offer to trade Gonzalez and a 2nd Rd pick for Boldin plus another player (not named). Of course the Cards fans say it's too little but IMO that's in the ball park of the value I was proposing. Tony Gonzalez is nowhere near what he used to be. I'll wait this one out. because it seems clear the Cards will trade Boldin, almost for sure before the draft.

I like this signing because we needed some decent depth. The Bears didn't promise him a starting role either so he knows he has to work for it. Add Britton in Rd 1 and we have the makings of a solid Oline with good depth. Find a starting caliber OG and we could get over the top, finally!

I would say Boldin is past his prime. See my post in the "no stinking draft" thread for details as to why.

Boldin's market/trade value is very similar to Brigg's situation. What would you guys give up for Steve Breaston? A younger guy who put up similar numbers to Boldin. Point is when Boldin went down due to injury, both in the regular season and in the playoffs the offense kept on rolling. Breaston ended up with 77 rec for 1008 yards. Boldin had 89 rec for 1038 yards. More rec equates to less ypc. The Cards run a pass happy offense so how do those stats likely translate to a Bears offense which spreads the ball around including to their RB....maybe 70 rec and 800 yards. How many realize Boldin has only had two full 16 game seasons in his career? This is a guy who is a physical runner, doesn't have great quickness or speed and relies on his size and strength to gain separation as well as yards after the catch. Those injuries take a toll and after 7 years he's slowing down and wearing down. He's still got a few good years in him though. Look at all the crap Bears fans give players who get injured every year. It won't be long before Boldin hears that. Is that worth $8mil/yr? Now we expect GMs to jumping all over him to give him $8-10 mil/yr and give up a 1st Rd pick. Why when you have a solid draft for WR all the way into the 3rd Rd? We are one of a few teams with a high need for WR help but the other teams might view themselves in a more of a rebuilding mode and prefer to invest in younger talent. Beyond that other teams might have just one hole at WR with a couple capable vets and would also prefer to bring in a younger guy to set themselves up for the future. You also have to consider the fact of Boldin's selfishness. Contrary to what most might think, the Cards have treated him outstandingly well IMO. They tore up his rookie contract after only two seasons and gave him what at the time was a high dollar deal. That has only happened to a handful of players in NFL history. Now the market has exploded and suddenly Boldin is demanding a new contract last offseason. The Cards tried to take the high road in negotiations but Boldin pretty much dragged them through the mud. The Cards were clear they had other priorities last year and they'd be willing to address his contract this year. Late in year Boldin pulls off the same selfish crap once he's injured in playoffs and starts whining on the sidelines, and starts bringing up the contract stuff again. You have to take a long hard look at how much of a team player Boldin is because it seemed clear he burned some bridges in the locker room during the playoffs. I like the way he plays the game, I'd like him as a Bear because I know he'll help us but he's not "the answer" on offense for us. He can help us just don't expect #1 WR performance. I'll stick with my offer of a 3rd Rd pick with a max of that plus swapping 2nd Rd picks although I prefer to give a conditional 2nd day pick in next years draft depending on his performance this year.

Gruden is a prick and while I think he has a great football mind his arrogance gets in the way of his own success. Stay away until the "golden boy" aura wears off.

I'm going to join the "out of my mind" group, and apparently fly solo on this one. There is no way I give up the #18 pick in the draft for Anquan Boldin. I will give up our 2nd Rd pick for him and if I can get it, preferably our 3rd. I said it weeks ago. Boldin is often hurt I can't recall the last season he didn't miss games due to injury. Yes, he's a great WR and I love his toughness; he'd be a great Bear. He's just not worth the #18 pick no matter how desperate we are. If all the Cards are asking for is a 1st Rd pick then that's their starting point. In my mind that equates to pick #32 and I'd counter with a 3rd Rd pick. My goal would be to get them to take our 3rd Rd pick and swap picks in the 2nd Rd. Then I'm taking Britton in Rd 1 and in Rd 2 will be a FS/OG and Rd 3 will be the opposite FS/OG. Best available after that.

They say very few people answer all the questions (50 questions in 12 min) so typical scores included a lot of unanswered questions.

You only got 5min to take that mini test. Score is simply the number of answers you got right in 5min. For those who ran through the sample questions keep in mind we did that cold. The players have agents who are giving them prep sessions with sample questions so it's safe to assume they are as prepared as they can be to take the test. If they sat around for a couple months and didn't prepare that's just as a bad an indictment on their work ethic ala Andre Smith.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0,7151782.story ===================== Offensive tackles: None of the tackles were too far off the acceptable mark. Andre Smith of Alabama scored 17, which is borderline. Faring much better was Arizona's Eben Britton with 31. Others: Eugene Monroe of Virginia had 24, Jason Smith of Baylor 23 and Michael Oher of Mississippi 19. Wide receivers: NFL teams would like for receivers' test scores to be about 18, but several of the top prospects fell below that mark. Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech scored 15, Darrius Heyward-Bey of Maryland scored 14, Percy Harvin of Florida scored 12 and Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina scored 11. The test result is particularly interesting in the case of Harvin, who will have more learning to do than the others based on the offense he played in at Florida and the fact he could be used in multiple roles. Jeremy Maclin of Missouri was outstanding by comparison with a 25 test score. ===================== DHB's score concerns me if we were thinking about taking him at #18. Below him is Hakeem Nicks is way down in DT territory with an 11! We just spent a season watching Bennett struggle to learn our playbook and quite honestly Hester has struggled to do the same. Some background: http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020228.html Charlie Wonderlic Jr., president of Wonderlic Inc., says, "A score of 10 is literacy, that's about all we can say." If that's the case, more than a few pros are being delivered the Books-on-Tape version of the playbook. Each year, about 2.5 million job applicants, in every line of work, take the Wonderlic. The average NFL combiner scores about the same as the average applicant for any other job, a 21. A 20 indicates the test-taker has an IQ of 100, which is average. And if you want to take the test go here: (it's an old link) http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020228test.html

deleting double post

Outside of running a 4.3 forty DHB hasn't really done much of anything. He seems destined to be this years combine stud who turns into a dud. I hear absolutely nobody talking about anything he's done in college, just that he's fast and tall. Watching his highlight videos, many of the plays they show are him catching a short route and running the distance. That doesn't impress me as far as translating into an NFL WR. Then I keep hearing how he was limited because the coaching staff reigned in the offense and the QB was limited. Maybe, but part of the reason the coach did that could have because DHB wasn't that good running routes, or because of his questionable hands? Right now I want a WR not a track star.

Again, another good special teamer and another reason I think AP finds new home this year.