jason

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.

I recently spoke to a CFL executive about Trestman's offense, and he described it as aggressive in the passing game with a tendency to go 15-18 straight plays without a rushing attempt. Assuming Trestman stays true to his CFL principles in the NFL -- and all indications are he will -- passing volume is going to be at an all-time high in the Windy City. That's scary. For Cutler's health.

Eifert might make the catch over Hayward, but is unlikely to break away. A smaller, faster guy like Rodriguez might catch the pass in stride and never get touched. If all passes are jump balls or fade routes, sure, go with the taller player. Otherwise, it's but one measurable to consider.

I know, I know, I know. This infatuation with height. Again. Just like last year. The Bears should not sign any WR or TE from here on out unless that dude is 6'6" or taller. But since you and many others are such a fan of the two TE system, here's an interesting comparison (measurables from wikipedia): Aaron Hernandez - 6'2", 245lbs = Evan Rodriguez - 6'2", 239lbs Rob Gronkowski - 6'6", 265lbs = Martellus Bennett - 6'6", 265lbs That is downright uncanny.

Completely agreed. It's just one of the reasons I hate the idea of Tavon Austin to the Bears in the first round.

I don't disagree with a thing about the "your job" vs. "your opinion on a message board" thing, but my entire point is exactly what you wrote (bolded). I'm not saying any single person on this board could have done better than the upper echelon of GMs in the NFL (as a board collective I still think we'd have a shot), but I am saying many individuals could have done just as good of a job as the Bears' leaders (and several other teams')...something you appear to agree with. BTW - I think your point is interesting, and it's even more interesting considering the chances that JA and Lovie took. You'd think since their jobs were riding on it they'd take fewer flyers on mid-round guys from West Appalachian State A&M and use those picks on guys from the 4 or 5 major conferences because, those guys played against better competition and more future NFL players. If my job were directly related to it, you can guarantee a guy would have to be Randy Moss nasty before I started to seriously consider drafting him over someone from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, WAC, etc.

I think you should quit being an antagonistic, sycophantic lemming who, out of one side of your mouth, questions the decisions of a franchise by posting and speculating on a message board about what the franchise should do, and out of the other side of your mouth make statements about us fans not being able to have informed opinions that could potentially be better than those in a position of influence. The fact that their inside knowledge doesn't produce consistent, successful results is enough to question them. You're falling into what's called the fallacy of the undistributed middle. The simple fact is, if you go back on this board you will find a litany of good and bad choices/decisions/draft pick scenarios made by board members. And the success rate - based upon the careers of those players on other teams - wouldn't be that different from the Chicago Bears over the same time period. And please, quit with the dumbass "you should go apply" line. It's been used before and it's completely unfeasible. Had I thought about it before, when I was younger and didn't have a career and/or family, I would have probably tried to do something in sports. As I'm sure many on this board would have. But the next guy without connections who decides midway into his 30s, "You know what? I'm going to go work my way up through and organization and become a GM!" will be the first guy to do it.