jason

Interesting. I can't say I'd be happy with a draft that starts out with two LBs, but the end result of the draft wouldn't be horrible. I'd rather see one of those LB positions a G/T selection, and your Bakhtiari selection could be the other LB (if you just happen to need two LBs in your draft).

I'm not trying to be a smart-ass, but for you to even ask the question makes me wonder if you know what the whole "Technique"-verbiage means. They obviously didn't play the 5-technique. For the life of me I can't find it, but I could swear you said somewhere that Williams could play the 5. That is simply untrue. He can't do it. He's not mobile or agile enough. If you are saying now that he is not capable of playing that way, then I'm fine with it. He could range anywhere from 0-1-T. Period. But given Paea, I don't know why the Bears would draft another 1-T NT/DT.

I was doing research on him and saw the 4.6 numbers. I hadn't seen the confirmed 4.51 numbers.

So if you acknowledge he is a NT, then why are you so insistent that because he played a few snaps at 5-technique he can do it now? Dude is a NT, does not rush the passer, does not have the lateral burst/quickness to attack gaps. It's a bad fit for the Bears.

1. Alec Ogletree – LB – Georgia 2. Justin Pugh – OT/OG – Syracuse 4. Brian Schwenke – OC – California 5. Ryan Swope – WR – Texas A&M 6. Mitchell Gale – QB – Abilene Christian I guess the answer is yes, although Swope probably won't last that long.

Now that we are close, and some more tidbits about player positioning are floating around, I'm posting my final dream mock draft. 1. DJ Fluker, RT, Bama - Immediate starter. Puts Webb on the bench where he belongs. 2. Alec Ogletree, MLB, UGA - His draft stock slipped recently, but his athleticism didn't. 4. Travis Frederick, C, Wisc. - Trains for one year, starts for a decade afterwards. **Alternate - Ryan Swope, WR, TX A&M - If he falls this far it's probably too much to pass up. 5. Ryan Griffin, QB, Tulane - I'll let this article speak for me. 6. Stansly Maponga, DE, TCU - He's got the kind of skills you look for in a late round pick. He'll play behind, and learn from Peppers. I really hope the Bears trade down and pick up an extra 2nd or a 3rd, but I would be pretty happy if the draft played out like this.

My slowness comment was directed at Banks, not Ertz. I don't want TE in the first, but I think Ertz is like you said, fast enough. Banks is not fast, has poor mechanics, and will not be good in the NFL IMHO.

Same draft I posted in another thread.

To that I'd say... Yes, Paea is a NT. He hasn't worked out well thus far. Williams is very similar. And I'm pretty sure you would agree that Alabama did pretty well in the past 4 years or so, meaning they appear to know what they are doing. There is a reason Williams moved inside from the 5-technique. He wasn't fast enough to be a 5-technique. He was suited very well for the 0 because it put him dead center and limited his need for mobility, to shoot gaps, or to crash the pocket.

In general, I wasn't excited about the Bennett move. I think he's relatively unproven (only one good year), and I would rather have seen the Bears figure out what they have with Rodriguez, who gave every impression of being an Aaron Hernandez clone. If they decide he's good, the TE problem is solved and a FB can be signed whenever they feel like it. If not, then it's the same scenario and TE is targeted in the draft like you propose. As for Williams, I live in Alabama, saw every game, and he may have some fooled with straight-line 40 speed, but he's not an explosive rusher or anything close. He's a NT. It would take a Kafka-esque metamorphosis for me to believe in Webb like you do. I'm surprised you haven't already posted a photo of the two of you hugging. You love that dude more than his mother loves him.

Easy. Neither Tice nor Lovie knew/knows a damn thing about how to run a successful offense. Why he is not being given reps at TE now, however, is beyond me.

1. Jamar Taylor, CB, Baylor 2. Alec Ogletree, LB, UGA 4. Brian Schwenke, OG, Cal. 5. Ryan Otten, TE, San Jose St. 6. Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon I'm not sure how I feel about this draft. Don't like the start of it, but Ogletree in the 2nd would be a steal. Virtually everyone here like Schwenke in the 4th, but then Otten ruins the momentum in the 5th. Finishing with Barner would be very nice, since the Bears could use a breakaway threat at RB (6th round pick on a guy who could end up being the best RB in the draft).

I obviously don't like it. In fact, I hate it. 1) With Bennett on the roster, picking a TE early is just a waste in my opinion. 2) His slowness scares me. 3) Despite your man-crush, Williams is a NT in a 3-4, period. He doesn't have refined pass rush ability or the speed to collapse a pocket. 4) Don't like the Fragel pick either. Aside from it being far too late for OL help (we disagree), I'm just not a fan of his, or of the fact that he was a late convert to the position. I don't mind the other players that much. Love the Zaviar Gooden pick; I think he'll be special, and a steal.

What is the best website that covers the salary cap, players' contracts, etc.?

I think the proof you seek is not available to those of us not working for Wonderlic. But, quite simply, from the website, "Critical thinking, comprehension, learning ability, and decision making are a few of the valuable skills and abilities measured by the Wonderlic test." If someone bombs the Wonderlic, it's either ignorance, genuine stupidity, or apathy. None of those are positive attributes, particularly when it's for a test that is incredibly easy, requires minimum preparation, and is widely regarded as a mental measuring stick. If I'm doing the hiring, I'd prefer guys who aren't complete dumbasses. As for proof, this is the best I could do on short notice, "strongly associated with overall intellectual functioning".

For me, Fluker+Brown > Ogletree+Warford

So you think they are of no value. Got it. The NFL teams all apparently think the tests are worthwhile, along with various government and private organizations. The tests must have some validity to possess that type of spread.

Too bad. Considering JA's track record with the draft, you were finally right.

I suspect it has to do with Lovie's laissez faire attitude, a soft approach that has been mentioned numerous times on this board. It's one of the reasons the players loved playing for him; the accountability for their screw ups were severely lacking.

Apparently Schefter just threw crap against the wall and hoped it would stick. Either that or his "sources" are crap.

If that's true, scratch his dumb ass off the list.

Or Ron Turner, or Mike Tice. The fact remains, Cutler has been destroyed every year he's been in Chicago. Like I just replied to scs...I hope you're right.

And every year for the past 6 or so I've said the same thing when an eternal optimist like yourself says what you have said. I hope you're right. If you are right in 2013, it will be the first time I have been wrong about the OL in that same time period. You can understand why I won't hold my breath waiting on OL success until it's given a serious look and upgraded significantly.

I don't disagree about the snowball, which is why I don't talk often about the FA moves I could have made if I were GM. Sometimes. But the problem is we will never know what would have happened if someone else were in charge. There are some things that would have unequivocally changed the course of the franchise. For instance, I was crazy about Moss in 98, and absolutely hated the Enis pick. I was adamant about trading down several spots and getting Moss. That would have undoubtedly turned out better for the Bears than what actually happened. BTW - I was a huge fan of Hines Ward that year also. Imagine that, a WR corp of Moss and Ward. That would have set the Bears up for years. Also agreed that it's a moot point, but that's the point of this board. We discuss and debate moot points because we obviously aren't in the organization. That's why the "go get a GM job" thing pisses me off; it's a moot point about a moot point.

Week 1: (Sun., Sept. 8) Bengals at Bears, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 2: (Sun., Sept. 15) Vikings at Bears, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 3: (Sun., Sept. 22) Bears at Steelers, 8:30 p.m. - LOSS Week 4: (Sun., Sept. 29) Bears at Lions, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 5: (Sun., Oct. 6) Saints at Bears, 1 p.m. - LOSS Week 6: (Thur., Oct. 10) Giants at Bears, 8:25 p.m. - LOSS Week 7: (Sun., Oct. 20) Bears at Redskins, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 8: BYE Week 9: (Mon., Nov. 4) Bears at Packers, 8:40 p.m. - LOSS Week 10: (Sun., Nov. 10) Lions at Bears, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 11: (Sun., Nov. 17) Ravens at Bears, 1 p.m. - LOSS Week 12: (Sun., Nov. 24) Bears at Rams, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 13: (Sun., Dec. 1) Bears at Vikings, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 14: (Mon., Dec. 9) Cowboys at Bears, 8:40 p.m. - WIN Week 15: (Sun., Dec. 15) Bears at Browns, 1 p.m. - WIN Week 16: (Sun., Dec. 22) Bears at Eagles, 1 p.m. - LOSS Week 17: (Sun., Dec. 29) Packers at Bears, 1 p.m. - WIN I see 10-6. The Steelers are always a tough game, especially in Pittsburgh. The Saints are nasty, and will just outscore the Bears. Same for the Giants, but add in a probable beating for Cutler. Monday nighter against the Packers? Yeah, that one is easy to predict. Ravens lost a lot, but they're still very good. And I just don't see the Bears ripping off 6 straight wins to finish the season, so the game at Philly seems like the most likely hiccup.