jason

All true, but the possibility of having the same guy as a bookend for 10 years on your franchise is almost impossible via FA.

I happen to think he still has sufficient lateral quickness to make tackles, but the problem of the past few years has been that Lovie & Co. have used Urlacher too much in that "lame float him in the middle every play"-mold. They need to let him attack the ball more often. Hell, if he weren't running backwards and defending passes 25-30 yards downfield, he would never have been hurt in that end zone play.

See, you of all people shouldn't take this route. You're forever the "locker room"-guy. You've been opposed to just about any player who is not a choir boy. You should know that someone like Urlacher, while not as good as he once was, still provides a ton of value in terms of leadership, intelligence, role modeling, etc. I'm not saying he's kept around purely for sentimental value, but that has to factor into it somewhat when signing a veteran player who has given their entire career to your franchise. This is especially true with how players talk nowadays. The players talk, and one of the things about Lovie Smith - despite how much I disliked his coaching - was that his players stuck up for him, recruited for him, loved him. Simply dumping a guy because he isn't an allpro any more may work in some regards, but it's also a quick way for you to lose potential free agents.

Yawn. How many times does it need to be said? It's infuriating for someone to post such nonsense, yet it happens year after year after year. You're just following in the long line of this topic. Sacks do not equate to how well an OLineman performs. The measure of his performance is also not just sacks+hits+pressures. As for the ratings, I'd say they are pretty well done considering the Bears are near last. But I don't see where it's broken down play-by-play, other than where they tell you they did it. I'd be willing to bet that one could easily refute or scrutinize their methodology for capturing the data. This is apparent in the fact that when I did the play-by-play breakdown during the preseason (and charted it in Excel), I came up with a rating that several others (who did not do a play-by-play breakdown) disagreed with.

It's a sad state of desperate affairs when Bears' fans are supporting a guy who is below average in his best year, and has actively participated in potentially ruining the best passing QB the Bears have ever had.

This has been gone over before. Why does nobody have a memory on this board. YES. EXACTLY LIKE THOSE GUYS. And nearly every single one of those guys looked like a fish out of water in the new uniform. Nearly every one of those guys caused their fans a bit of disgust every time they were seen in the different uniform. And you're being ridiculous with the league minimum stuff. He wasn't a dominating force this year, but he's much, much better than league minimum.

I think you just wrote what I wrote but reworded it. Trending up? Agreed. But it's hard to go down from "pretty much the worst starting offensive lineman in the NFL." He was horrible; now he's below average. That's pretty much what I said. I still dislike him as a player though because I think he's been given all the opportunities in the world when others have not. It was one of the things that bugged me about Lovie and staff. Webb never should have been starting to begin with, much less handed the LT role before training camp. Having said all that, he's trending up, but he still needs a replacement. He's a good backup, not a guy you want protecting your franchise QB.

I'm shocked at the willingness some of you have to just let him go. You don't do that to franchise players like Urlacher. He should retire a Bear.

I think the implication is that good OLs that are sustainable for multiple years are the ones that are drafted. The fact that one can be pieced together is out there, but it's one that needs constant attention at least every couple years. For the record, there has to be a cutoff point in terms of NFL draft talent evaluation that divides what used to be done from what is currently done. There were more rounds, less sophisticated everything, and much better likelihood of finding a late-round gem 20+ years ago.

I disagree with the notion that Webb was anything better than below average this year. Maybe on the verge of average, but not really. The metric they use is not explicitly broken down, but one can assume that Webb's score of -0.8 is 0.8 worse than average. And that does not "deserve" a spot on the OL. That's what Bears fans have become - ready to reward below average or average because we're so used to seeing complete garbage from the OL.

It's good to know you have all the inside knowledge on this case and are intimately involved with all parties. It's a wonder you didn't break the story first, and there's obviously no reason for Tuiasosopo to do the interview with Dr. Phil since you have it all figured out.

Agreed. Good extension.

Agreed. But I still believe he has world class speed in the open field. That's why I've been wanting to see Hester on longer developing routes like drag routes or double moves. Both, unfortunately, require ample amounts of time in the pocket...a luxury Jay Cutler has not had.

My favorite pick from this draft is probably Schwenke. He showed some skill in Mobile this past week. I don't think he'll be there in the 6th, but if he is, I could see him as the Bears center for years to come.

I just read a few pages of his twitter. I don't see it. Point us all to where he isn't a great guy with experience, graciousness, and professionalism.

Suppose instead of taking this to court, and continuing to exist in the spotlight, they want it to quietly go away? My experience with folks from that area (i.e. Pacific Islanders [PI] from varying sources) is that they are somewhat shy, reserved, forgiving, and thoughtful. Sure, they'll let you into their world because of graciousness, but there is a cultural connection and loyalty they share and fiercely protect. It's very likely Te'o's family just wants this to go away. It's also likely they don't want to drag another PI family through the mud over this.

Please refer to the previous analogy of sex. Just because you did it poorly the first two times doesn't mean you should stop.

DING! DING! DING!

I'd say D+ for the exact same reasons Mel gave, but an extra mark downward because the TE need was there, Rodriguez was drafted, but he was moved out of that role. I don't see that as a positive. I see that as sort of a wasted draft pick. A blocking FB/HB hybrid could have been drafted later or picked up in FA. Of course, it's still too early to tell. Alshon could make the jump in year 2 or 3. It wouldn't be uncommon. And maybe McClellin will benefit from a defensive change.

We do?! 2012 says: 2011 says: I don't think it's a guarantee the Bears have a top-10 defense if left alone.

I don't like that saying when applied to this defense. However, if you must... It may not be broken, but it's breaking. With all the early turnovers, this year was an aberration (almost 5 more points a game over the second half of the season). Include the last couple years for a better sample size. There is only so long that one of the fastest MLB's in NFL history can cover the deep middle. There is only so long the best ball-stripper in NFL history will be playing CB. There is only so long one of the best DEs in NFL history will be there to collapse the edge. If there ever was a time for a change (if the front office wants one), now is it. Waiting for it to become a major problem is not what the Bears should do.

I'm mixed on this. I like the attention to the OL, but disagree with who would eventually end up starting. You simply can't give up on Carimi already. That's crazy. And I'm also not keen on a TE in the 4th, particularly when the Rodriguez is a TE who was drafted in the 4th. I'd prefer to see LB in the 4th, Rodriguez playing TE, and Carimi in the OL starting lineup.

Dude. That's weak. The 9 defensive TDs are much less about the system ran and much more about the players in the system. I don't give a damn if you run a 2-6-3 or some random, oddball, pee-wee league formation on defense. You put Charles Tillman in that defense and you're going to get turnovers.

Maybe he doesn't care about the person, but is interested in someone not being rail-roaded without all the facts? That's my stance. I honestly don't care what happens to Teo, but I happen to think the whole angle of "disgusting human being" was incredibly premature and incorrect. ESPECIALLY when this thread was started.

Why not?! It's a matter of numbers, and you absolutely can blitz a LB every play. It's just a matter of scheming it and being deceptive.