Alaskan Grizzly

Right but that's for ILB, not OLB. I think he should be re-evaluated in that position. And whether its worth considering, he was alleged to have been thought as a round 2-3 talent but had some drug issue pop up just before the draft. Hence why they think he went undrafted.

Below is an article I found that was written about Jones coming out of college. Makes for a great read especially if you look at it with the Seattle Seahawk consideration the author gives at the end. In a nutshell, Jones hasn't really had an opportunity to play what amounts to his 'natural' position. In fact coming out of High School he was a 5 star prospect playing OLB. And according to the article both his brother and dad (Willie who played for Oakland) played OLB and did pretty good doing it. Like someone mentioned I think Jones has enough raw talent that with McPhee, Young and Houston all on the roster he could at least contribute for depth. I'd rather not see a draft spot be used if we already have a player of Jones' potential on the roster. http://thesidelineview.com/columns/draft/c...christian-jones

Saw Hicks do an one-one interview the other day on ITB. Have to say from what I heard he seems like a great character guy. Not that it and skill are related but I at least know he won't be a distraction in the locker room. In listening to him he said his mom is from South Chicago and has been a lifelong Bears fan and that she's thrilled to be able to go and cheer her son at the games. That too me is pretty freakin cool.. Good luck to you Mr. Hicks. I look forward to seeing what you can do.

I think in all fairness he (Jones) hasn't really been evaluated by a legitimate DC until last year. Before Fangio came along Mel Tucker was the one calling the shots and well, we know how that ended up. JOnes must have had some relevance if he was still on the team last year. Granted Timu started seeing the field late in the season but again that was more in the ILB position. Perhaps Jones could play OLB? He has the speed and range so why not give it a shot? If Fangio sees it as a possibility I'm good with it.

Just last week I was reading where NFL.com did their 4.0 mock and had the Bears picking Floyd at 11. At the time I was trying to make sense of it. But perhaps its not all that far fetched. As you pointed out he's really small (in overall weight) but could put on some weight and be the 'Von Miller' type we need? Wasn't Fox in Denver when they drafted Miller? Probably would know what to look for if that were the direction the team was going. Although after some of the discussions we've seen where the team tried, and failed, to land CJ Anderson, makes you wonder if they aren't looking at an RB in the first 2-3 rounds.

And oddly enough he went to a pretty decent team in the Jets. They played tough last year and are on the edge of making a run. I think they need Fitz back to make it work..odd as that sounds. Agree he'll probably last a few years longer than most think.

Second tweet down. Kyle is impressed. https://mobile.twitter.com/ChicagoBears?ref...7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Interesting side note if you look at the retweet originally from Lester Witfong (about 8th down) says Mariani had no drops last season. 33 targets and 22 catches. So if I'm reading that right it means the other 11 (about 1/3) were misses? Ergo Cutler bad throws?

Tell it to the experts at NFL.com. I was just repeating what they wrote and trying to figure out why so many get excited about Hicks. The fact he's rated lower than some 'has beens' should make you pause.

So what about this Rob Housler guy currently on the roster? He's relatively young and had a year or two of semi productive play. Although in my reading up of him I can't tell if he's on the roster or a FA.

Again (about history with Pace) I ask why does the history matter? He wasn't a starter in NO just a fill guy. Pace hasn't been proven right with him yet. If he had anything to do with him to begin with. And as far as how he (Hicks) compares to Raji and Knighton I just read what NFL.com posted. Again there were more pass rushers (not just pure DLmen) listed ahead of Hicks. The troubled Aldon Smith (59) and long in tooth Chris Long - no pun intended (25). I also should mention that the aforementioned Nick Fairley (26) is still available who is listed as a simple DT.

So Freeman is that good eh?

Every one of those you guys listed; Jefferey, Royal, Wilson and White were hurt at some point in the last year or two. I'd say at least 50% of that group will be hurt again. Smart insurance signing. He's clutch and reliable.

This appears to be the situation on Jenkins. And Hicks.... https://mobile.twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/s...415899250720768

The more I read on Hicks, the less I'm enamoured with him. The fact that he still hasn't signed makes me think he's either overrated or has a high opinion. And that they just resigned Unrein makes me less wanting him. He's definitely not a "must sign". On NFL.com and of the 'top 100 FAs available he's listed as #82. As far as just defensive tackles go he's listed behind my personal fav Knighton at #56 and BJ Raji at #48. If we're in the market for a pass rushing type DL there are even more of them listed ahead of Ayers. Must get - no. If we get, maybe.

So not sure if this is a good place for this but saw on NFL.com did their 4.0 mock and for the Bears picked OLB Leonard Floyd from Georgia. ?????? Does that make sense to anyone? Here's a quick draft analysis. The NFL network should replace Mike Mayock with this person:

If he signs any chance we could get him to yell: "This is Chicago!!!"

Trying to get Hicks makes more sense now.

Or Pace is bound and determined to prove that he was right about Hicks in NO. Given he came from a relative unknown school in Canada. (I read the story why he ended up there, no fault of his - should have been at LSU). Anyhow... Perhaps I'm slanted to having someone like Trevathan who has starting experience in a Fox led team versus a guy who has no starting experience. I understand the "similarities" you and others are trying to make between he and McPhee but still am not convinced. After its all said and done if he's signed, great. If not I won't be heartbroken.

A couple years ago shortly after Fox and Pace took over (John Fox: "I look forward to working with Jake.") there was much discussion of a trade to Tenessee in hope of maybe getting a deal for their 1st or something comparable. It didn't work for whatever reason. We know there was a shopping of Cutler if not overtly. I suspect the Titans realized that Cutlers contract was above and beyond what they wanted or could afford. Secondly and as TD has said, Cutler really hadn't proven himself to have earned the much, let alone the title "Franchise QB". Osweiller is sorta similar in that so far he's played 7 games and had one where he threw for more that 300 yds. The Texans are banking on that seven game performance to translate to long term Franchise QB. Many teams have made similarly poor choices in QBs after seeing them do a 'one hit wonder'. Matt Flynn and the Seahawks, Derek Anderson and the Browns, Matt Cassell and the Chiefs and our very own Bears with their putrid deal for Rick Mirer (or was it the Flutie deal that stunk more?). The very fact that Cutlers deal was so expensive for at least the first two years was a large, if not only, reason they weren't able to unload him. There is confidence (I suspect not as much as they're letting on) in Cutler at least playing the game manager role like he started to last year. And in essence be a placeholder until a legitimate QB comes along. Will we see who that is this year? Maybe.

Soo....to play devil's advocate. What is the draw for Hicks? I don't quite understand all the hype...am I missing something? When in New Orleans he played with Junior Galette and Cam Jordan and was credited with a fair number of tackles and 4.5 sacks his second year. But last year went to the Pats and was relegated to a back up role until injuries put him in the starting lineup. Now, NE doesn't seem interested any more. Makes me want to ask why? Is he a value FA or are we just excited about him because he once played for NE? I know part of the draw for him is that Pace is 'familar' with him. But from what I've read (mostly NO fans of the past) weren't all that enamored with him. IMO, if we're simply looking for a value FA choice for DT we should consider someone like Terrance Knighton. Someone who is familiar with Fox's defensive scheme and has proven effective while doing it.

Fair enough but I was thinking more with the Bears and somewhat qualified it with 'much'. Since on the subject, same could be said about Jaquizz (injury history)...

Sure, doesn't mean our team should disregard the idea of drafting an RB. That's all I'm saying.

I think it would be a wise investment. Not much injury history and shown he could be a good slot receiver. Probably not much use as a STeamer though. Considering that Thompson showed some promise in the return game, is younger and they just resigned Bellamy could make Mariani expendable.

Is it April 1st yet cause otherwise that's a cruel joke? ????

In another post I agreed with Bradjock that the Bears could still look to draft an RB. Probably not in the early rounds (although I wouldn't totally hate it). But I'm not sure that going after an RFA on the offensive side is a good idea. If they do that it should be for another key piece to the defense.