AZ54

We just fired or demoted our entire defensive staff, don't be shy about leaving the coaching criticism to just the offensive side of the ball

Seems like an act of desperation to me.

Hester will be alright as our #2 but we need someone opposite him to take some pressure off. Even if it's a guy who's just another #2 type who is consistent will help.

I like the Sanchez pick but I'd have taken Loadholt in Rd 2 and I like picking up Moore in the 3rd.

Where's the 33 drops he had last year (2nd in the league)? How does that help our offensive offense? How baliistic is he going to get when Orton throws to Davis and Davis drops the ball? Or when Orton misses Hester on a deep route and Owens was open underneath? This would be a huge boost for Orton's confidence. JUST SAY NO!

I disagree. I think a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. In other words sign St Clair. Of course if he's on the roster it does shape our draft in a different way because we don't have to be so desperate for an OT and it allows us to wait a bit and pick one up in Rd 2 or 3. However, I don't view that problem being JA as much as the fact there is no way to know how the draft will play out. If we knew going in that we'd get one of the top RTs at #18 then no problem but if they are gone do we want to be forced to grab a guy really early? I prefer to keep our options open in case there's a WR we really like at #18, or say a QB like Sanchez. It also keeps the door open for drafting Duke Robinson in Rd 2 instead of an OT, or a FS like Delmas in Rd 2. I have some thoughts on the St Clair negotiating process too. St Clair said he wants to be a starter. I think we've offered him a fair deal but JA did not guarantee him he'd be a starter. We want him back and will allow him to compete for a starting job. I think this was more clear when we signed Omiyale, a guy who looked decent in his one start at LT last year, and then said we want to move him inside. I don't think he was signed for the reason at all, instead I think that's a ploy to let St Clair think he'll have a better shot at starting RT for us. St Clair has proven he has value playing inside as well so I prefer him for that role (backup or starter) moreso than Omiyale. In the end it's the sum of the parts that makes the best team and as badly as I'd like to have a guy like Oher at #18 we might not get that option. Instead of reaching big time to fill a hole I prefer to keep some options open.

I like the signing and I think this completes our RB trio for the year. Why we would keep AP around anymore is beyond me. Take the roster spot and use it on a real hard hitting FB. If you get a FB with the right mentality he'll be a wedge buster too. We have Garrett Wolfe who was more effective on special teams than AP last year and then Kevin Jones did some special teams coverage and did well too. AP is what he is and IMO he's not quite as good as he used to be. I'm not saying there's been a big dropoff in his performance but it was never that high to begin with.

Hakeem Nicks and Robiskie were impressive. Nicks Reminds me a lot of Anquan Boldin and he seems to be the perfect fit for what we need, a big possession type WR who always catches the ball. However, I'm not sure what he ran at the combine and I don't know about his intangibles...character etc. Whereas Robiskie seems much more of a sure thing. ...it seems Nicks ran a 4.54 at the combine.

I used to enjoy watching Cowboy games and all the hype the announcers gave Roy Williams, only to see him make some real boneheaded plays that cost the game for his team. Anyone that can help the Cowboys lose is ok by me but if they are doing it from within I don't want him on my team (same goes for TO).

Same reply as I've had for the last 4 or 5 years...no.

I prefer to take an OT with our first pick but if it ends up being Maclin I'll be happy, as long as we get our RT in Rd 2.

After all we spent on our own players last year I'm not buying it. We might have problems in revenue going forward due to the economy but I'm not going to fault Bears ownership over that. There are many owners of pro sports teams who are cutting back now. I will add that the cap has expanded at such a rate that certainly owners like the Bears will have trouble keeping up with the Snyder's of the world. Yet spending money hasn't translated to wins. New England and Pittsburgh have been called cheap for years and they win year after year. Washington has spent tons and they lose. Maybe if there's a lesson here it's that money spent on draft evaluation is worth far more than money spent on FA.

It is possible but not probable simply because we have too many holes and fortunately a couple of those holes happen to be where there is good depth...OT and WR. However, since you are talking about first day picks that means 1st and 2nd Rd. If we end up with another 3rd Rd pick I could see us packaging our 3rd (can't trade a comp pick) with a 4th to try to get back up into the 2nd Rd. That might give us a shot at grabbing OT/WR/S or DE on day one. We could come back on day 2 with a late 3rd Rd pick to address S or DE that we missed on day one and then drop to the 5th Rd for BPA. As far as cap space I don't see us using up all our cap space this year for a simple reason....we don't yet have the talent that demands it on offense and our defense has already been paid; nor was that kind of talent available in FA although I think we could have done something better at RT. Whether or not Orton sticks around next year our QB slot is going to have a much bigger cap hit in 2010 so that space needs to be held back now possibly for an extension mid-year.

I wasn't expecting a big splash but I was expecting more interest in some the FA OTs. I still expect St Clair to come back to the Bears because that is likely his best option for getting playing time either at OG or OT. He already knows the system and we have needs. Yet waiting on him to accept that offer without even talking to any of the others is unsettling to me.

Maclin. We can survive quite well with Hester on one side, Maclin on the other, and Bennet working the slot. If/when we need a bigger WR we still have Greg Olsen who should be even more effective with two speed guys on the outside. I have no problem adding a bigger WR later in the draft this year or just wait until next year to fill that role. (gotta have a longer perspective on this one).

If Cutler is available we go get him. Pointing out his mistakes is fine but he's still young and he's better than Orton. It's true that franchise QBs don't come cheap but in Chicago they don't ever show up so IMO the price is worth it.

I've said it before but I'd be glad to have him back as our #2 RB because I think he'll be much better this year than last. I still want to see Garret Wolfe getting 5-7 carries and/or catches per game but there's no reason we can't use Jones for 7-10 carries too. Keep Forte to around 20 touches per game (he gets a fair amount of receptions too) and then let it play out throughout the year balance wise as guys get injured.

For some reason I can't help but feel that Barnes is a younger version of Fred Miller. That's not all bad as long as he signs for a reasonable price but on the other hand it's not quite the line upgrade I'd like to see us get by grabbing a guy like Oher in Rd 1.

I'd like to take Maclin but I'm going with Rey (which means king in spanish) Maualuga because Urlacher is in the tail end of his career. Nothing better than continuing the Bears great MLB tradition. Rey starts on the SLB spot for year and takes over the middle next year (we trade Url). In contrast we do have a quick fast WR in Hester and so I push the choice of WR to the 2nd Rd with Robiskie and pick up the RT Fenuki in the third and I should have clicked on Byrd with pick 3b.

St Clair is getting no interest and the teams that are signing RTs are being taken off his list too. Expect him to be back at Halas Hall very soon before their offer comes off the table.

Wow, what took so long for this team to acknowledge Garza was playing poorly? I see a ray of light at the end of the tunnel.

I can only hope our biggest problem on draft day is deciding between Oher and Andre Smith at #18. Attitude issues clearly affect your decisions on a top 10 pick because you must get some value for the money. But an elite talent like Smith at 18 you gamble on. Most young kids go through a spot of immaturity. If you have a good backup like St Clair on the roster you might be able to let Smith sit for a year to figure out what it takes to be a pro. I just can't see passing up a blue chip prospect like him at #18 especially when our need is so glaring.

I don't hate Garza but I'd like him better if he could actually move someone out of the way for Forte.

Laurinaitis 4.8 forty is going to see him drop a lot further than 18.

Assume they know which QB they want. If someone else falls in love with the other guy and they don't know which guy Detroit wants then perhaps Detroit can trade down with them. Two, talking with both sides is often used as a negotiating ploy. Now it's way too early to be talking about contracts but this may be just the beginning of Detroit planting some doubt in the minds of the agents they'll be dealing with. They can choose any player they want at #1 so they have nothing to lose by hyping up someone else's value prior to the draft.