jason

I just phrased it that way because it was shoving the square peg into the round hole, and it reminded me a lot of how the whole fiasco with Chris Williams took place.

Obviously not. But I don't believe he, or many others, are thinking outside the box in an attempt to fix the OL problems. I think it's especially true for most sports reporters who cover Chicago sports. The only guy who was hard-hitting was hated by many (Mariotti). They're all sycophants hoping to get their sideline passes, rub shoulders with players, and use it as a potential stepping stone to Sportscenter or whatever their dream job is.

Maybe because of the competition each has at their prospective positions? Maybe because they dicked Carimi around last year and tried to turn him into an OG (something he's never played)? I just don't think he was comparing the two players against one another. His comment may be an indication of how their respective status is at their assigned position, but it wasn't an either/or comparison.

But his supporting cast, his teammates, will also be NFL players. That's the difference.

Yeah, but to be fair, Alabama has become an NFL-factory over the course of the past few years. Their OL last year is probably the best OL in collegiate history. Think about that for a moment. Best in history. Two 2013 1st rounders (Warmack, Fluker), One borderline 2013 1st rounder with incredible flexibility (Jones), and Two 2014 1st rounders (Kouandijo, Steen). Add that to the fact that their RB (Lacy-1st/2nd), QB (McCarron), four WRs (Bell, Norwood, Cooper, Jones), and TE (Williams-4th/5th) will all be drafted, some fairly highly. Te'o did pretty well against the collegiate teams he played against. Against entire NFL offenses? Well, you saw the championship game.

No. He insinuated Webb would be more likely to keep the job. That has nothing to do with whether one player is better than the other. There are a variety of things that could be embedded in that comment, the least of which are: salary, injury history, favor amongst the organization, coachability, fit with a new system, popularity in the clubhouse, etc.

Did Te'o's horrible 40 time just make this possible? Not that I necessarily want it, but if the Bears could trade down and get a third rounder? The delta on a trade-down from 20 to the late 20's yields a third rounder in terms of the draft value chart. I wouldn't be completely upset with a draft if it went Eifert, Te'o, Kyle Long, Braxston Cave.

Agreed wholeheartedly. The LBs with skills this year all have flaws, whether they be personal or on the field.

You're right on the first and the second part. I'm a shade under 40, and just out of high school I was in the very low 4.5s. I'm still very fast. I officiate football and regularly keep up with D1 athletes. There are a few SEC skill players (the ones I was privileged enough to officiate) who did not outrun me to the goal-line on breakout touchdowns. I would smoke Te'o in a race. And that is not good for his draft prospects.

I ran a half marathon Saturday, so I'm pretty confident in my statement.

The points about Webb and Carimi are completely different. I don't see how you are equating the two. You're saying Webb needs a stud LG next to him, and I'm saying Carimi should get a shot at LT since that's the position he played in college. I don't disagree with the thought that a stud LG would also make Carimi better, which is kind of another reason Carimi is a better selection at LT. It wasn't like he was supported by an all-pro RG when he was being tossed to the wolves at RT. You admit your 13 out of 16 reference is nearly pointless because you bring up the problem with just sacks. But if you're talking about JUST sacks, then, sure, Webb had 13 good games and 3 bad ones. But that's like saying if you only look at the games where the Bears won, then Lovie and Tice had 10 good games and 6 bad ones. It's far too simplistic. As for Jeff Dickerson, I was watching that chat too. He's a schmuck who never answers the tough questions, and his "analysis" on the tackle situation is just as incomplete as using sacks for OT performance. Next chat send him the following question: "Is Webb better than Carimi?" He won't answer it. And he didn't answer it in today's chat.

I'm fairly certain I could run a 4.81 right now, in work clothes, without any preparation. Running that slowly shows an alarming lack of awareness and preparation right before the draft.

I smile because I know Lovie is no longer in charge of the team. He'd have out a tube of Jergens preparing for the DL combine drills. Hell, he's unemployed and still probably trying to sneak in a back door or peak through a crack in a window to watch DL drills.

I agree completely. Whenever I see or think of Spaeth, I picture a defense that is allowed to creep that much closer to the offense. And when I think of the philosophy of which you speak (i.e. if the TE goes out, he occupies a defender one way or the other), I picture the brilliant quick pass Cutler made to Olsen against the Cowboys when he shot through the middle for something like a 50+yd TD. All of the above is why I think the starting TE we need is already on the roster.

Dude. Stop. Put down the keyboard. Adding an stud LG next to any LT makes the LT better. Period. It's a moot point. It's stupid. I would absolutely suck at LT in the NFL for a variety of reasons, but put someone like Carl Nicks next to me and it might look like I had a few good plays. It's a stupid argument. My pfffft comment was in regard to your love of PFF and the fart sound their acronym so closely resembles. Just because Webb got destroyed in 3 games doesn't mean the others were good. This is not some sort of this or that comparison. There is a broad range of production between "absolutely horrendous, how did this dude get into the NFL" to "good."

If these dudes are in the NFL, the concept of protection packages shouldn't have been new to them. Period. The fact Tice didn't install them only shows how stupid Tice was/is.

Perhaps, but I also believe the notion that LT and RT are largely becoming indistinguishable in the NFL because of the exotic rush/blitz defenses being run. The only major issue is blindside. Sure, the LT protects the blindside, but when I really think about it I see the following... If Carimi's familiarity with LT improves his pass blocking even a smidgen (you'd have to figure it would), and his injury even hindered him the smallest amount (you'd have to figure it did), then when he gets a full offseason to dedicate towards LT he will be as good or better than Webb at pass blocking, with a much higher ceiling, a much better pedigree, and infinitely better run-blocking ability. It's a gamble, for sure, but the dice have been rolled on Webb for three years running; it's time for a new shooter. Add that to the fact it potentially solves a glaring hole, and fits so well otherwise... -Best FA OG? Probably Levitre. Guess which side? LG. Right near Carimi. -Most likely draft scenario? All three top LTs are gone, but the best RT (Fluker) is probably there. -Best OL talent pool in the draft? OG is absolutely loaded through the top 6 prospects. One could easily be had in the second...or fourth if the reports on Barrett Jones are to be believed. -Coaches most likely target for OL considering their history/philosophy? OG. Add all that to this final thought...if a freaking 7th rounder can be moved from one bookend to the other, and basically given the job because he supposedly has the ability/body/whatever for the position, and that same player was originally slotted by the coaches for the other side, then why the hell can't a first rounder with much more talent make the same type of move?

I can see your optimism; it's something Chicago fans have in excess. And he may be a matchup nightmare. The idea of having a stable of stud WRs is something I've been talking about for years (why I wanted TO and Moss the FIRST time they became FAs). I just don't see it working unless Cutler is protected.

But another early WR? Are there enough balls to go around? I don't think so, at least not until the OL gets fixed.

Yes. Stupid iPad autocorrect. The answer is easy. I think he will be better at the position with which he is most familiar: LT. Go look up how many years he played it in college. That is his position. Add in the injury and no wonder he hasn't lived up to expectations.

A STUD OG MAKES ANY OT BETTER. It's a moot point. I know what we should do, let's sign Andre Johnson and Megatron and that would make Cutler better! C'mon man. And don't fool yourself, if Webb starts as LT it will be a mistake, again, and he will hinder the offense, again. 75%. The only reply is one you seem to really value, but I will add a letter or two: PFFFFT.

You take Austin over Cooper? No way. That would be horrible draft pick usage for the Bears.

Yes. I've long been a proponent of playing people in the pros at the position in which they excelled at college. ,I hate the notion that they were great there before, but don't get a shot once drafted. It's entirely possible he would play better at LT than RT, that he would be more comfortable and confident, and it would be a draft choice worthy of the selection. And,yes, in my scenario both Webb and Scott probably sit the bench.

He wasn't the worst, but you can't use others' failures as his successes. He wasn't good either. And BTW, I would say Garza and Louis easily had better years than Webb. And Carimi, overall, was pretty damn close to Webb...it's just that Carimi was Jekyll and Hyde between tuna dn pass blocking.

Address what? A long, drawn out comment from some one (not sure where the comment originated) whose opinion differs with the vast majority of people who watched the Bears play football last year? I don't give a damn what PFF rating he has. He is not average. At best last year he was below average. And that's at best. This revisionist history shit has to stop. It happens every year. It is almost like we need a separate part of the board that tracks a game by game board consensus for archival purposes whenever we get to the offseason, because this happens every year. During the season? Virtually no disagreement that he falls somewhere between horrible and below average. But afterwards, some schmucks at PFF put out a rating scheme and all the sudden the dude is average? BS. Can he improve? It appears so. But I once worked really hard to dunk a basketball and never got much further than grabbing the rim. All indications were that my progress would lead to a dunk, but it never did. Webb could be at his dunking potential, and I don't like the idea of sacrificing Cutler for a FOURTH year in a row on a pet project 7th rounder just because he didn't suck bad enough to make us literally puke...like previous seasons.