jason

It does seem semi-pointless. Several other positions are needed before backup running back. Hell, that may be one of the very last positions of need.

Exactly.

What I'm saying is, they have already made a big move for WR. They also have a few pieces at WR. They still aren't a collection of all pros at WR. But at the same time, attention is required elsewhere. To go out and grab another big name FA WR is a bad move, and more in line with fantasy football than what a team trying to win should actually do. You know, because most fantasy leagues don't have to worry about signing individual talent on defenses, and no fantasy league allows you to draft an offensive lineman. What you seem to fail to grasp is that by focusing all that attention on WR, you actually are saying they should ignore the other positions. Two FA (well, now three) AND the first rounder? Too much focus on one position. Remind me again about why Peyton, in all his greatness, has one ring (against our team)? Oh right, defensive and running game flaws. Remind me again why the Packers didn't win last year with their collection of WRs? Oh right, horrible defense and running game flaws. Having good weapons: Good. Having good weapons at the expense of the other positions and the salary cap: Bad.

Gimme a break dude. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/footb...0,6928167.story SPECIAL TEAMS ACE. The guy got signed as a deep roster WR and a ST standout. Not a starting WR. They are filling the gaps now. Do you honestly not see the difference?! If not, you can't be helped.

See, I don't mind agreeing. Anyone who didn't know OL/WR were the top two needs doesn't know a thing about what the Bears did last year (and years before). And once one was/is addressed (it has been), then the other should be the #1 priority. And since Winston is the only legit OT out there, it makes sense for the Bears to give him a look. If they think he can do nothing but RT, and Carimi can't be moved to LT, then it's probably not a great move. If that's the case, then the first round draft pick absolutely has to be a LT (provided one of the four makes it to the Bears). If one doesn't make it to the Bears, then they should go BPA at a position of need. I would love to see a Madden team out there for the Bears, but that's just not realistic. Investing in a first round WR is fine, provided they didn't just get Marshall. Marshall is the the first rounder. Focus is needed elsewhere.

Bears need to add depth on the OL. You KNOW I don't disagree with that. A lot of things made it difficult for the OL to succeed last year. Sure, I can buy that. But at the same time, the OL just sucked on their own, even when not hindered by other considerations. While Winston/Carimi might not be the incredible upgrade the Bears would like to have at LT, going from an F to a C+ (and potentially much better) is a considerable upgrade nonetheless. I'm 200% confident that neither of the guys being discussed (i.e. Winston/Carimi) can be worse than Webb. In fact, I think there are very few OTs in the NFL worse than Webb, and luckily the Bears got rid of one of them in Omifail. Rather than finding depth to replace Omifail, I'd prefer they moved Webb to backup as his replacement and just get Winston or a LT in the first round of the draft this year. Either move makes so much sense it's not even worth saying. It's like saying the sun is hot.

No, dude, we know that. Webb was the worst LT in the NFL last year. Even if you don't agree, by any approximation he was one of the bottom two or three. There is no way in hell a first round talent like Carimi (who has been slotted at RT because that's where he best fits, not where he only fits) or a guy like Winston who has produced consistently well in a powerful offense in the NFL over the past few seasons can be worse than Webb. No freaking way. We may not know how well they'll do, but we unequivocally know they won't do worse than Webb.

Maybe. But they (Winston and Carimi) are still leaps and bounds better than freaking Webb.

Thank you. Enough of this fantasy football, Madden stuff where the Bears trade for and/or sign two FA WRs and still use a first round pick on WR. Enough. It's stupid. It's one or the other. There are other positions on the team, and one position (LT) that is still a greater need than WR (just like it was when Free Agency started).

You're probably right, but the following still looks pretty decent: Winston - Williams - Garza - Louis - Carimi Carimi - Williams - Garza - Louis - Winston As long as Louis keeps progressing (he's the obvious weak spot), that's potentially a solid OL.

Winslow can kiss my ass. I would HATE that move.

I'd prefer they spend in order of need, to be quite honest. 3M is not bad for a solid backup QB, but I'd prefer more spending on the OL so the Bears never get to the #2 QB like they have the past two years. Then the money for #2 can be a little less...or a rookie draft pick with promise can be given time to truly develop.

Bingo. Not great, not bad, good solid backup that would have won one or two of those games, got the Bears in the playoffs, and given Cutler just enough time to come back and deliver.

Wow. Nicks and Winston would be a major coup. That would allow the Bears complete freedom in the draft because they'd have shored up the primary problems. The following OL (or variation thereof) would be unbelievable: Winston - Nicks - Garza - Williams - Carimi

What this should mean: First round OT. If not, we finally get to answer the age-old (at least on this board) question about whether adding a true #1 WR without upgrading the OL will provide massive dividends.

Even though I love the trade, that article pisses me off because Glazer says the Dolphins fired the first shot of the FA period. Um, sorry, but this is the Bears firing the first shot. Getting an all-star, dominant, game-changing WR who would be drafted in the first round if the future could have been predicted, is much better than two 3rd rounders who may not even crack the starting lineup.

Williams would provide a greater impact. That makes the Bears a top 5 defense immediately. Makes the DTs, CBs, and Safeties better immediately. The Bears don't have to depend on another player to create Mario Williams opportunities. VJax could still disappoint if the OL can't protect Cutler long enough to throw the ball.

LOL. You made me laugh with the truth.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I.HAVE.WOOD.

Agreed. If all that happens, I'd like the draft to have offense in the first three rounds.

Valid worry. I share it. Then we go back to a QB drought for 20 more years. It's baffling that the Bears finally got a franchise QB, we finally got a guy to cheer, and the team just won't support him. Would I love to see Williams crash in the OL and meet Peppers in the backfield for a QB sandwich? Yes. At the expense of the massive holes on offense? IDK. It's definitely a gamble. The only way this would make sense would be if the Bears pretty much devoted the rest of the offseason and draft to the Offense.

HELL YES.

All of that may be true. If so, he can take a hike.

10/1000 was mentioned as what I thought he could do with the Bears (because of the lack of surrounding WR talent), not on other teams. He most likely will not get those numbers with the Niners because Alex Smith sucks, and they're a running team.

You don't understand that the Bears don't have the OL any of the other QBs have. Particularly Manning or Brees. Rodgers had a below average OL, but still better than the Bears. Also, you have to factor in the offense they play is considerably different than the Bears, one that actually utilizes quick-slants. We all should know since that pattern has absolutely destroyed the Bears for over a decade when playing the Packers. In an ideal world, spreading out the D with a 5-WR set creates a favorable mismatch for the offense because someone slower on D ends up covering a WR. But that's an ideal world. The problem is, either the #1 option has to get open a very large percentage of the time, or the OL has to hold up long enough to get to option #2. Which is, surprise, surprise, why the Bears need a #1 WR and OL help. Neither of the situations were true, and 5-WR sets resulted in Cutler getting his ass handed to him.