jason

Good question. Which is why I still have an inkling of hope that it's Scherff. I think I'd still rather have Collins, but Scherff would make me happy. Bushrod - Slausson - Montgomery - Scherff - Long Great running on the right side.

This is based on what I think the Bears will do, which is based on the FA moves and talk of pure BPA. With the 7th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Bears select Amari Cooper, WR, Bama. Atlanta (Stinger) is on the clock.

The Tennessee Titans select Leonard Williams, DE, USC. Jacksonville (Ashkum) is on the clock.

I was also troubled by that game, and initially doubted him afterward, but felt like the body of work outweighed a single bad game.

First, I compared the time Cutler had vs. the time the other QBs had, which is a completely valid point. Second, regarding the Rodgers red herring, it was pointed out during those previous discussions that Rodgers may have been harassed, but his harassment was more often in the form of blown up plays. Many guys doing things wrong simultaneously. Cutler, on the other hand, had to endure his OL taking turns, so that there was virtually never any certainty about remaining upright. In other words, Rodgers got 2 or 3 guys who screwed up in one or two plays, then had outstanding protection for several other plays, which is more a sign of miscommunication than anything. Cutler had 4 or 5 guys mess up in 8 or 9 plays, where it was almost impossible to predict or correct the failure, and multiple drives were hindered. You're right, however, about the OL during Long's rookie year. Imagine that, the offense did VERY well that year. Then the OL regressed in 2014, the offense couldn't carry a horrible defense, and the coaching staff got fired. Third, a discussion about the OL need not include your hatred for Cutler. Nobody will disagree with the notion that McCown looked like a superstar within the offense...which was in 2013, BTW. Why that is so makes this a much more complex debate. But since you brought in other players, consider this: the offense had the same weapons in 2013 and 2014, yet the OL performed different from one year to the next. If skill players made more difference, then the offense should have been much more productive last year despite the OL. Right? Finally, I'm throwing out the OL point since everyone is clamoring for BPA. I don't even really want him drafted at #7 if Collins is there. Or a trade down for either Scherr or Collins. That's who I'd prefer at this moment. Right now, it's very difficult to tell which way this team is going. But I know one thing to be true, the two positions the Bears have had a lot of trouble with for years, and years, and years are OL and S.

I guess it's just a difference of opinion. I think he's a special player, and could solidify the defensive backfield for years.

If the Bears ever fixed their OL it might change. The simple fact is, however, that the weakness of the OL has hindered this team offensively for a decade. The fact that the Bears always seem to be near the bottom in protecting their QBs, and near the top in allowing sacks would be one thing if they ran great, but they are also perennially near the top in the number of running plays where the RB is hit behind the LOS. We don't know the potential of the offense until it has time to start, use all its weapons, and progress forward. Give you less than three seconds in a car and you never get to feel 5th gear. Same thing here. Ever notice how it seems like guys like Brady, Romo, Rodgers, Brees, and Manning have all day to throw in the pocket? Ever notice how this is not the case on 95% of the Bears' passing plays? At MAX, Cutler gets to his second read before getting planted. Hell, even the incoming staff realized Cutler got rattled during his stay in Chicago thus far. Until this team prioritizes OL, it will have offensive inefficiency, and won't be consistently good.

Depends on where you read. Top 10 - http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2015/1/31/794...on-scherff-iowa Early 1st? - http://fanspeak.com/nfldraft/2015/03/04/br...couting-report/ Top 20 - http://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2015bscherff.php Late 1st? - http://withthefirstpick.com/2015/01/31/bra...uting-report/4/

I don't care how it happens. Move him inside and keep Long where he is, or flip-flop, but these two together would dominate. He is NASTY, and plays with a serious mean streak. Completely rag-dolls opponents.

I still think Landon Collins' is a FS candidate, and at worst he becomes an all-pro SS in a few years.

I don't think it's that clear cut. The Bears lost Marshall, but they added Royal. Not the same player, but the Royal-Jeffery combo looks more like what Fox has had before. As we get closer and closer to the draft, I think more and more that the Bears should select the safety Collins out of Alabama. 1. Rolle is older, will need a replacement sooner. 2. Some have mentioned Collins is a SS instead of FS, which would work just fine since the Bears need a SS too. People have made a big deal out of the Ole Miss game, but each time the flaw had less to do with ability and more to do with eye discipline. Collins was clearly peaking on the first one, and just got caught. On the second one he was switching WRs while trying to read the QB's eyes, and there was a great pass. 3. Collins would immediately come in and get tons of playing time, but a rookie WR might not see as much time behind Jeffery, Royal, and potentially Wilson. Aside from that the Bears still have the Unicorn and Forte to feed on offense, which means minimal rookie touches for a WR.

You're probably right, which is fine with me. The guy I like a lot this year is Hroniss Grasu, but he's more of a finesse player. I'd rather have a bull on the OL than a quick-footed guy. Put him next to a beast OG, then put Long at RT, and you pretty much can guarantee a first down every other play when running to the right side.

Interesting quotes considering the other notes about him being a stop-gap.

Exactly. I'm figuring this means the Bears will push for Wiz.

Meh.

Hard to say. Could be NT, since some don't believe the guys we have fit the bill. Could be OT, since neither guy did well last year. Could be S, since last year's guys sucked, and we're not sure what to expect out of the FAs. It's surely not WR, however.

It is sort of comical. There is no way in hell the Bears draft Beasley, Ray, Fowler, or Dupree in the first round.

The only return player I care about is Peanut.

I'm just not a big fan of WR in the first for this team. Much bigger needs. Still great players available at #7.

I noticed, and I didn't really like the moves in terms of personnel usage. It essentially says, "Hey, we're throwing a few of the guys we have on roster in the trash can."

Drafting a RB at all this year would be stupid unless Gordon is available in the 5th (not happening).

I guess I'm just thinking of a non traditional way to use 3-4 DEs. I don't want them to be space eaters who take up OL. I want them to attack so the O doesn't know where the next blitzer or player is coming from.

Would any of these drafts be somewhat acceptable? ALL BAMA DRAFT 1 - Amari Cooper, WR 2 - Arie Kouandjio, OG - Backfills for Long's move to OT 3 - TJ Yeldon, RB 4 - Austin Shepard, OT 5 - Xzavier Dickson, OLB 6 - Trey DePriest, ILB ALL FSU DRAFT Trade down for an extra third and X 1 - Eddie Goldman, DT 2 - PJ Williams, CB 3 - Rashad Greene, WR 3 - Mario Edwards, DE 4 - Josue Matias, OG 5 - Nick O'Leary, TE 6 - Karlos Williams, RB ALL OREGON DRAFT Trade down for an extra second and X 1 - Arik Armstead, DT 2 - Jake Fisher, OT 2 - Hroniss Grasu, C 3 - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB 4 - Erick Dargan, SS ALL AUBURN DRAFT Trade down for future picks 1 - Sammie Coates, WR 2 - Reese Dismukes, C 3 - Gabe Wright, DT 4 - Cameron Artis-Payne, RB 5 - Nick Marshall, CB 6 - CJ Uzomah, TE ALL LSU DRAFT Trade down for an extra second and X 1 - La'el Collins, OT 2 - Danielle Hunter, DE 2 - Jalen Collins, CB 3 - Kwon Alexander, OLB 4 - Terrance Magee, RB 5 - Jermauria Rasco, DE ALL WASHINGTON DRAFT Trade up with whatever scenario works 1 - Danny Shelton, NT 2 - Shaq Thompson, OLB 2 - Marcus Peters, CB 3 - Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB Honestly, I'd be pretty happy with that Bama draft. I'm not a big fan of Shepard or Dickson, and I would like a DB in there somewhere, but overall that's not bad. Pick up Blake Sims after the draft for shits and grins.

I can envision a scenario where Allen or Young as 3-4 DEs would create confusion on the offense. They'd have to account for a rarely seen speed from 3-4 DEs. Will they go in or out? Will they crash the B-gap hard, or try a spin move? To be honest, gap pressure is gap pressure. It causes offenses to play defensively. Well, pressure does that. And that's what Allen/Young/etc. do. You're telling me that Allen and Young are suddenly ineffective because they move slightly to the side? That's just nonsensical to me. With an effective defensive plan, particularly one where the LB blitzes are unpredictable, that minimal strength difference is negated.

I just don't agree. A front 3 that lacks size can be utilized differently, with the same principles as a 3T DT in the 4-3. Instead of holding ground, he can be asked to attack more often. This leaves the LB, particularly the OLB, responsible for gap discipline and edge coverage. I don't see any issue, however, if the Bears trotted out a front three of Allen-Rat-McDonald then followed it up with a rotation of Houston-Ego-Sutton/Jenkins. If the front seven is moving around harmoniously, I don't think the size is as big of a deal. In fact, 3-4 defenses tend to cause more confusion because of that exact fluidity - it feels like there are more players on D than there really are. Personally, I'm kind of hoping for that to be honest. I'm hoping speed wins out in all positions other than the NT, and the defense, while light, flies all over the place making huge hits. I much prefer an attacking defense like the Eagles ran for years than a flaccid D that holds ground and lets the offense pound into it for minimal gain (i.e. the Lovie special).