AZ54

Something isn't right if this guy is getting cut so quickly. Pass.

No way the Bears are too cheap to pay a coach that much.

Defenders do have a choice in how to cover Hester because he still struggles with CB who jam him at the LOS. Sometimes all you have to do is upset the timing of the play to force the QB to look elsewhere. And if they have a safety playing over the top it's not a concern about the deep threat.

I dno't see that much for Knox, I agree he might see 25 receptions but not for 500 yards. If he can get on the field I'd say 300-350 yards is more likely. This kid is seeing such a huge step up in competition and complexity of plays and coverages that I think it's going to take him at least a year to adjust. However, I can easily see Garrett Wolfe getting those 25 rec with a 10 yd/rec average. You are only talking about 1.5 rec/gm.

We said the same thing last year.

Somewhat left out of the debate, or minimized, was the value that Wolfe gives us a cover guy on special teams. He made some outstanding plays for us last year. We can debate the value of the third RB but the fact is a good KR/PR cover guy is worth a lot in this game and he will be in for a lot of plays. Perhaps we could have a better pure RB at the third slot but if he can't play special teams like Wolfe then the overall value to the team for 16 games drops. If he did play special teams and couldn't tackle well you'd be giving up yards on returns and that alters field position. As far as AP goes, I think it's entirely likely we could keep a guy on the practice squad that had equally good RB skills. He might not be as good in pass protection since he wouldn't have the practice but as Nfol pointed out and I agree, AP was pretty bad in that role last year. Having a QB like Cutler who can get rid of the ball quicker means we don't necessarily have to go to deep drops, we can also go the other direction and use more of a spread offense. With players like Hester, Bennett, Wolfe, Olsen I think we could make it work for a few games. No matter what, if you lose your top two RBs you are signing players to fill the void.

Standby --- we're going to have more micro-analysis of OTA videos on this board than ever before.

I'd wait and see on both players. Ogun definitely needs to show something during the season. Idonije has some competition and needs to make the team. I think that's very likely but regardless it's best to let things sort themselves out. If he's still playing at the level we need then I suspect he'll get a new deal early in the season if not soon after the final cuts are made.

In the past it has been the Bears style to allow 2nd tier players to visit other teams first and JA let's the agent know they have significant interest and to call them before agreeing to a deal. They can see if they get an offer and then the Bears can choose to be in the game and bring the player in for a visit. If we like him offer a bit more, or if it's too much for us thank them and move on. On the flipside is the visit to the Bears when they don't get a contract offer from the other team. Now at this point we have negotiating leverage and if we like the player we bring them in and if they check out we offer the contract that day and have a good chance of signing them. Ask Michael Gaines about this process. At this time of year players are nervous about having a job. It's a bit of a risky strategy in that you can lose the player if they get a great deal but if we weren't willing to give them a great deal it probably wasn't going to work out anyway.

I like the fact that we've drafted WR who are known for their ability to catch versus the "athletes" we've brought in over the years and then hoping they'd improve as a WR. We still have two of them on the roster in Davis and Hester. It looked like we might be doing that same old thing with Massaquoi who is not known for his hands and to be honest I wouldn't have minded drafting him in the third either.

Wolfe was significantly outperforming AP on special teams last year. With Kevin Jones as our backup RB keeping Wolfe around instead of AP, who is a similar style runner albeit with less ability and who now has less value as a special teamer than Wolfe, makes a lot of sense. Keep another young RB on the practice squad (or raid a guy off someone else's practice squad) in case injuries take a toll on Forte and Jones.

On passing downs Dusty just stood there and looked at the offensive players in front of him. He made zero effort to get to the QB. He seemed to start the season well but faded very quickly and it was surprising it took Babich and Lovie so long to get him off the field, especially considering that Adams had played well for us the year before.

Horrible idea. Trade an up and coming TE for WR who's on the downside of his career, whines like a high school girl who got dumped at the prom, and wants more money on a contract he just signed a couple years ago (i.e. he's greedy). On top of that it's esentially giving up a 1st and 2nd Rd pick for Boldin which is even more than the Cards are asking for but I'm absolutely certain they'd make the deal.

Bring him on. I think he's better than either of their two QBs. However, he's not nearly as mobile as he used to be and more importantly, when he was with the Jets he acted like the prima donna he is. He didn't hang out with his teammates at all, didn't spend extra time watching film, etc. He just showed up for practice and the mandatory stuff and then left the scene without hardly talking to anyone. They said he had his own office and spent most of his time in there alone. There's a reason Thomas Jones called him out at the end of the season. If he goes to Minn he'll take the same approach because everyone is going to call him their saviour. I don't mind that dissension in the Viking locker room.

Phenomenal. Thanks for posting the article.

That's assuming at least one and likely two of our young WR step and play well: Bennett, Iglesias, Knox, Kinder.

That's assuming at least one and likely two of our young WR step and play well: Bennett, Iglesias, Knox, Kinder.

I have to wonder if that was that because he was off the juice?

As Peyton would say...sweeet!

I think the guy stepping up will be Bennett. However, let me add here that if he does become our reliable underneath receiver it will help Hester in a big way. Point is Hester could end up with the bigger numbers because of his deep speed but Bennett could be the guy that makes it all work with reliable short routes and consistent hands. WR corps in 09: Bennett Hester Davis (will stick because of experience) Iglesias Knox (unless he is a total bust and deserves to be cut he won't stick on the practice squad without someone else picking him up). Kinder to practice squad I don't see Bears keeping 6 WR especially with our DB situation so unsettled. Players like Melton and Louis could also force an extra lineman on the roster compared to what he carried last year.

He has serious character issues. Maybe he's been humbled, who knows but I think it's worth giving him a tryout so we can get to know him a bit better with no risk.

nor anyone else

I don't think Mike Doss was ever any good, except maybe in college.

I'd be more than happy to see Davis move on after what he did last year. However, what worries me is that he was considered to be playing great during training camp and was expected to have a breakout year. Then he dropped key pass after key pass. Point is that he might be a great practice guy but terrible on game day. Other guys can be the opposite. If that same scenario happens this year will the coaches put more stock in what they see in preseason games versus the practice video?

Don't forget our backup RB is Kevin Jones who should be much improved with another offseason to recover from his knee injury. I also think he'll be back at a lighter weight and we'll see more explosiveness from him this year.