AZ54

Some folks need to go back and look at all the INTs Culpepper has thrown before jumping on his bandwagon. He hasn't played well since he played with Moss. I never liked Simms coming out of college and I see no reason to like him now. What did he do on the field that Rex or Orton haven't done? The others are all KNOWN future backups which is not what we need right now. Our 3rd QB slot needs to be someone that still has the "P" word attached to them (starter potential). For the moment we're better off with the 2 UDFA's. By next year that will change one way or another as either Rex or Orton will be gone and possibly both UDFAs.

I see Bowman listed as having chronic tendonitis in his knee (or knees) during training camp and going on IR. I just don't think his knees are ready for an NFL season, not even playing on special teams. He'll go through training camp though because that's valuable experience for him.

IIRC someone posted an article about the wonderlic scores of various positions on an NFL team. LT was very high. Clady scored a 13, Williams a 31 (or something like that). Clady also said to need at least a year to get the strength to play the position, no real surprise he came out as a junior. Not that he won't start this year but he has work to do. Athletically I don't think there's any doubt that Clady is better than Williams but who will be better at reading blitzes? Who will be better at understanding his opponent's strengths and weaknesses and taking advantage of them?

1 Marty Booker 2 Mark Bradley / Devin Hester (in on the plays he knows) 3 slot Earl Bennett / Rashied Davis 4 Monk backup to Booker if he shows enough in camp otherwise I agree he gets a redshirt year.

With all the talk about how we can't draft a QB, please tell me who can? I can think of one guy I'd trust about selecting a QB and that was Bill Walsh, and he's no longer an option. The entire NFL is littered with draft busts at the QB position in all rounds and UDFA's like Romo (who was signed because he made a good impression throwing the ball at the scouting combine) and Warner show up out of nowhere. NFL teams spend millions of dollars on the scouting process yet still fail at this. Why? I think the reasons go beyond just being able to pick a QB in the draft. You have to pick a QB who fits your system. These days teams change head coaches every 3, ,4, or 5 years. With that comes a new system. Or in our case Lovie has changed his OC bringing in a totally different system from what he started with. All that is going on behind the scenes of a job where the learning curve is widely recognized as being at least 3 years and possibly 4. Look at the Steelers and their approach to head coaches. They've had a lot of success with this model over the years. In a copy cat league why isn't this more common?

As I heard it the rumor was he had issues with his neck but there's no evidence of any injuries like that. Bears basically said they felt it was two teams spreading that rumor hoping Williams would fall to them and that they felt they knew which teams.

Why are we forced to give Ced carries this year? I could see that as it happened last year when we basically set him up to be the man but not this year.

With all the cap space we still have I see no reason not to cut Ced this year if he's not recovering from his injury well enough. Give him an injury settlement and move on or let him finish his rehab then cut him. Having said that I think we go into training camp expecting him to compete for a roster spot. Either Ced gets cut or AP gets cut. With another special teams ace just drafted (Steltz) please don't tell me we won't cut AP because of his special teams play. AP wins a spot as a RB or he's gone.

I'll agree with everything HoofHearted said about Williams. I'll pass on Mr. Hanie.

Bennett is the type of WR who becomes a QBs best friend. Always runs the route correctly, good hands, goes after the ball in traffic. As a QB you always know where he's going to be and if your throw is off he'll protect you from the INT. On top of that he has good character, solid teammate, and is willing to work hard. You are right, he's exactly what we needed. Here's Berrian's stats from the last 3 games: rec yards 2 23 2 17 3 28 Although they are different style receivers I think Bennett has the ability to match that production. If not this year then certainly next year and for a lot less than $7mil/yr.

Davis has the big body you need to block but yes he has to improve in that area. I'm surprised at all the love for Brohm and this is the first time I recall anyone on this board calling him a franchise QB. I certainly was interested in him in Rd 2 and definitely Rd 3. There was talk of his loose joints leading to lots of soft tissue injuries but I figure with Harrison drafted right behind him he can show him how to roll a tighter joint.

I think KC did well but I"m not sure about Pitt. I'll see what the PItt fans says back at work tomorrow but going into this weekend they wanted an OG early and didn't get one. Big Ben was constantly chased last year and while they have Mendenhall without a good Oline he's not gonna look so good.

That's an awfully positive outlook from you Terra. You sure you're ok after 14 hrs of drafting?

Don't underestimate the improvement our Oline just had. I know many here wanted another OG early to help out but honestly St Clair played well there last year. I have no problem with him playing there in '08 and still being our backup OT. Beekman should be able to challenge Garza more so than last year. Regardless we have in Williams our best pass protecting LT we've had in a long time, he'll be better there than Tait was last year and Tait is a big upgrade over Miller at RT. Improvement at holding off the edge rushers will make it easier for the interior guys to pick up the blitzes better including the RB. Figure at least 1 more second if not 2 for a QB to make a read and throw. Last year i was not happy with Moose at all and think he was more of a liability than help (except in run blocking). Berrian was good at times but never displayed enough effort to be great when being pushed around. I think a combo of Bradley and Hester or Bennet will replace his productivity. Booker can replace Moose and catches much better than him. While we have questions marks at WR I really don't think it'll be worse than last year and should be better. Forte can actually run a pass route and catch the ball. He has more speed and quickness than AP and there's no reason to compare him on this to Ced who is kinda stiff when catching. We still have guys like Olsen and Clark who played well last year and with a bit more pass protection will be more effective as they'll have more time to get upfield. Bottom line on the O is that I think we can get back to being average which would be a big jump up. The D needs to stay somewhat healthy but we shouldn't see a reapeat of last year. We finally have a guy who can spell Tommie Harris and give us a similar 1-gap pass rush. Dusty should be back and I think Adams will play better having been around all summer with Rusty. This could be our best DT rotation we've had under Lovie. DE will be average or slightly above average with the return of Bazuin and the push by the rookie for playing time. I'm wondering if we'll be trading a DE during camp this year. Gotta see 'em play first but still we have a lot of bodies at this position. LB finally has the best depth we've had under Lovie with Okwo and Williams behind Url/Briggs/Hunter. CBs could have the best depth we've had in years too with McBride (who covers better than RMJ but not as good in run support), Graham and Bowman. The big question is S and we still won more than 5 games with a lot of turnover at that spot last year. I can't see it being worse this year with Steltz on board and Payne back in action. Arch should be gone shortly. Special teams will be special again this year as we have a lot of guys who can play it and enjoy doing it. We still have Hester and Gould. I see at least 10 wins and maybe more if we're healthy.

I hear ya. I think it was ESPN that did a nice little piece on him today. He's a young man with a lot of positive attributes for kids to look up to.

I'm not too worried about Steltz injury since he's a safety nor anyone else in Rd 7 since that is where you take a chance on a guy like that. I am concerned about the DT and CB. I actually like our first 3 picks and think they'll all contribute significantly this year. Williams should be a solid LT for us and possible Pro Bowl player down the road but his floor IMO is pretty high. I know this much...we will find out the first time we play Minn and Jared Allen (if he isn't already suspended). The more I read about Bennett the more I like him and I think he'll quickly become a fan favorite. Sounds like this guy does a little of everything well even if he doesn't have blazing speed. We don't need that speed because we have Hester on teh other side to threaten teams deep. Forte seems like another hard working blue collar type that Bears fans should come to appreciate. Overall with the first 3 picks I feel we've done a good job upgrading our offense. With two of the next 3 picks (Harrison/Bowman) we can either win really big and might look back on this as a great draft or these guys could flame out and fade away. I love their talent but will we see it on the field after these injuries? That will likely take a year since full recovery won't be this year. Steltz doesn't thrill me either way. I like him as a player but I don't see much upside at the moment but he can be a contributor on this team. That means my hopes go back to Kevin Payne stepping up big time this year. I want to know more about the UDFA QB we signed, Hill. Normally these guys are just camp bodies or practice squad players but I think given our QB situation he has to be considered in draft evaluations.

Anybody seen this guy play? There must be a Saluki among posters. Maybe some of the Flacco supporters watched Hill against Delaware in the playoffs? Suntimes says he was a former basketball player at Western Kentucky so I figure he's a pretty good athlete mobility wise.

I think the plan is to go after the Cards 3rd string QB. (Anquan Boldin)

2008 starting Oline: Willaims LT, St Clair LOG, Kreutz, draft pick #70 or 90, Tait RT. I think St. Clair played well enough at LG last year that he gets another shot there to start the season. Keeping him at LG means you have a veteran next to Williams to help out. Not that StClair has tons of experience there but he's better off than a rookie OG. Garza goes to the bench and we insert rookie OG next to Tait. Backups are Garza and Beekman and probably another OT prospect with a late round pick.

The quality of our pass protection just increased significantly. Tait at RT won't get beat each and every play to the outside like Miller did. Williams is a much better athlete than Tait and can handle speed rushers that gave Tait trouble at LT. Watch some of the videos of Williams and you can see how well he reads stunts and blitzes. This guy has good vision and feel for what's going on during a play and reacts quickly to it. We're not used to seeing that on our Oline and hopefully that ability will help whoever plays OG next to him. For sure I want Williams to get stronger but that should happen over the next two offseasons. In the meantime I think he'll be good enough to handle a RDE long enough for Forte or Wolfe to get around him. Ced might be a different story.

The worst part about your post is that you have Metcalf listed at LG. Not that it's your fault but he doesn't belong on the Bears roster. Draft his replacement with our first pick tomorrow then we can say the Oline has improved significantly.

I think we're going to like the fact he can run a pass route and catch the ball at the same time. He can add some YAC too.

Forte was a bit of a reach but I felt he was the best all-around RB left so I'm ok with the selection. If Benson can't beat out AP for a roster spot he's gone. And AP plays specials teams well so Ced has an uphill battle. Picking Williams was a no-brainer IMO. He was worthy of a mid-1st pick and he met our biggest need. Dan Connor...I believe he was the LB they were talking about who can get in on many tackles but always seems go backwards when he makes a tackle. If he's going backwards in college he's not what you want and he won't replace Urlacher.

I've been reading CBS' player profiles for years and generally felt they were the accurate after seeing our draftees play. They have a lot of good things to say about Forte that make me think he can be a good 3-down RB for us including blocking and pass catching ability. Had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99 of 314 non-touchdown runs. Plus note the high character comments about working out on his own. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/draft/559687 Analysis Positives: Has a well-built frame with thick thighs and calves, V-shaped upper torso with muscular arms, tight abdomen and broad shoulders … Shows good initial quickness and adequate elusiveness for a rare sized halfback … Has the ability to take a hit and keep his feet to break arm tackles … His catching ability is above average, as he is sudden out of his breaks and shows good hand extension to catch outside his frame … Has an adequate burst of speed, but is precise in his cuts and hits the holes aggressively, squaring his shoulders to execute through trash … Shows good vision and field awareness, as he is developing into an efficient cut blocker … Does a good job being patient and waiting for blocks to develop and has the vision to easily locate the cutback lanes … Is very decisive through the holes, picking his feet well while displaying the body lean to fall forward and gain additional yardage after the initial hit … Is very alert to stunts and blitzes, doing a nice job of facing up to the defender in pass protection … His effort and drive is good taking the ball up the middle and also demonstrates the second gear to elude along the perimeter … Runs hard and ends most of his carries going forward … Is an adequate in-line blocker, but shows good effort to sustain and control, keeping his hands active and with proper placement … Hard worker on and off the field and is the type who plays until the whistle … Not a real vocal guy, but is very good leader by example … Can be relied upon to get his workouts done without being watched and usually does extra work in the training and film rooms … Shows good ability to hit the hole hard and getting up to full speed in a hurry once he clears the line … Runs with good balance and does a fine job of setting up his blocks … Does a good job of seeing the field and locating coverages to settle underneath in passing situations … Has good strength and power and has become more of a bruiser when running the ball during his senior year … Consistently finishes his runs going forward and shows the ability to consistently break tackles, even when he has to power through the pile … Has vision and quickness to make first person miss and builds his acceleration nicely, reaching full speed when turning the corner … His body control and balance are evident by his ability to make hard cuts and get defenders off balance … Had some fumble issues in 2007, but generally does a good job of protecting the ball in traffic … Used mostly on controlled routes and screens, but has the moves and route running ability to go up the seam for the long throws … Doesn't shy away from contact and is very good at squaring up to mirror defenders or make cut … Has steadily improved his ability to create separation between him and the defender as a senior, keeping his pads low and showing very fluid cutback agility, showing no ill effects from 2006 knee surgery … Comes out of his stance with good hip snap, doing a nice job of locating the cutback lanes … Is a load to bring down in isolated coverage (had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99-of-314 non-touchdown runs in 2007 and on 53-of-155 carries in 2006) … Has also become an efficient in-line blocker, keeping his hands within his framework to latch on and sustain … Drives hard with his legs in limited attempts as a lead blocker, squaring his shoulders well to widen the rush lanes. Negatives: Does a good job hitting the hole and reading his blocks, but isn't the type of player who can suddenly explode past the smaller defenders (better moving the pile than trying to elude. Does have the hip swerve to quickly redirect to the cutback lanes) … Lacks the sudden burst to hit the corner, but builds his acceleration nicely, using his power rather than a second gear to break long runs … Has very good hands as a receiver, but the system does not call for him to be split out, nor is he expected to run wide-out routes, but you can see on film that he has the vision and hand extension to catch outside his frame. Compares To: EDGERRIN JAMES-Arizona … Like James, Forte' might lack explosive speed, but his lower body strength, balance and body control allow him to shift his weight, sink his pads and drive through arm tackles. He is an efficient receiver out of the backfield and adds to his resume as a gunner on special teams. Like James, he quietly goes about his job and is slowly developing into a solid cut blocker. He seems to get stronger as the game wears on and has made steady progress recovering from late 2006 knee problems.

Stupidest thing I ever heard. Everybody has one limb (or limbs) longer than the other. Humans are not symmetrical. This certainly sounds like some teams are spreading some "downside" rumors hoping to have someone drop to them.