jason

Looks like a mixed bag here. I am on the side that thinks this was an unnecessary move. Sure, it was predictable and expected, but unnecessary. As I said before, this reeks of the Jauron years (edited: accidentally typed Wanny). Bad coaching that had nearly everyone against him, calling for his head, and then POOF!, a great year. Contract extension followed, and we know how the rest played out. Let's hope it's not a repeat.

For the record, I actually agree with more with you than not, but I included WR and S in there because several others have mentioned it. Personally, I want the following positions to be addressed: OT, DT, OG, C, DE, P, Backup QB...and I wouldn't be terribly upset if it happened in that order.

Agreed. But I hope that's a good sign that everyone agrees, for the most part, on what the Bears need: OL, DL, S, WR. Expect it to get louder around the draft, and a hell of a lot louder if the Bears' management doesn't follow the agreed upon needs.

That's my exact point. I'm not talking about breaking the bank. I'm talking about getting a guy, taking a flyer on him, hoping that he's beyond the injuries and close to his former dominance, and inserting a bunch of incentives into the contract. Win-win for the Bears.

If he signs for close to the minimum, and even if he's only available for 8 games, I still think he's worth it. That's 8 games of clutch plays, bone-jarring hits, and potential game-changing decisions that could be the difference between missing and making the playoffs.

I don't know about that. Even if he's available for 8 games next year, he'd be the best Safety on the Bears' roster for those 8 games.

Honestly, I'd take the Bears' trio Knox > Berrian Hester > Harvin Bennett The improvement from Berrian and Harvin to Knox and Hester is about the difference between Bennett and Rice, IMO. Factor in Harvin's migraines, and I'd rather have the Bears' WRs.

Basically what I've been saying for a while. The WRs are not bad. They are above average, a pretty good group. The OL is just so shitty that the team can't implement the proper offensive gameplan and run routes that take more than 2 seconds to develop. An offensive game plan is severely limited with an OL that can't run or pass block very well, and all pass routes are essentially limited to a 3-step drop if any semblance of success is desired.

He was a stud...and could be again if he could get past the injury bug. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6135553

Wow. I'm completely in shock.

Dead on accurate...and it speaks volumes in many ways. Tice took potentially the worst OL in NFL history, a verifiable flaming pile of shit, extinguished the flames, and sprayed enough perfume on it that at least it didn't smell as bad as it looked. That's why he's getting attention. In the hands of most OL coaches, this OL probably would have paralyzed Cutler instead of just allowing him to get concussed and a torn knee ligament.

I don't understand all the hype over Sidney Rice. He's had a single good year, and that was when Farv was playing out of his mind. He's only been a starter for a year and a half. And on top of that the guy wasn't nearly as good or explosive after coming off of his hip injury and the concussion. I'm definitely not in favor of that signing, because it would cost more in FA than he's worth.

HAHA! That's awesome. Others can use BS can call themselves "America's team," but the Bears are the "World's Team!"

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2011/1/24/1952...-nfl-soap-opera I especially liked the ending.

Yes, that's a whole lot of wasted picks. Which is why they could have been spread around and used on a few OFFENSIVE linemen. It's impossible to know what could have happened if that happened, and there is nowhere near enough data to show whether or not JA and crew have a keen eye for picking something other than disappointing defensive linemen. Right back to the original purpose of this thread. Why hasn't it been done?

Let me get this straight... 1] You note that the Bears draft DL every year 2] You note that the Bears have had success in 2, if not 3, out of 4 picks 3] You note that the Bears have done better in FA than in the draft 4] You say the same practice wouldn't have worked for the OL? Huh?

Loved this portion.

That's not a good enough reason for me. There should have been second rounders used on OL if the first rounders weren't available.

Drunk Bomber calls for a first round OL fenom hopes the Bears move UP in the first round for OL Connor says we should spend our first two picks on OL Everyone chimes in: Butkusrules declaring OL as the #1 priority, balta calls for 2 or 3 OL draft prospects, Pix says the other positions don't matter if the OL sucks, RME and Drunk Bomber make OL at least 1A or 1B Bearsox flat out rejects anything other than OL with the first pick And, finally (because I looked through a few pages and that's enough), a poll... 27 out of 36 votes believe that OL needs to be the #1 priority So, here's what I'm thinking... 1. If we all thought it then, and 2. The Bears thought it as well (drafted Chris Williams), and 3. Chris Williams has not turned into a quality OT much less the stud we were hoping for, WHY IN THE WORLD AREN'T THEY STILL DRAFTING OL?! It's truly baffling and infuriating. BTW - If you want to have some fun, go back in the beginning of these boards, just after the change, and look for some of the things people said. Stuff like the Cedric Benson or Mike Williams discussions are interesting.

I disagree. St. Claire is without a doubt better than Omiyale. He would make the Bears immediately better. How much better I can't say, mostly because St. Claire isn't exactly a stud, but he is definitely a step, or more, up from Omiyale.

It's nice to see a legit former star say something we've been saying all year. Knox is directly responsible for about 5 or 6 interceptions this year, but everyone seems to blame Cutler.

You mean like how Aromashodu deserved to sit on the bench all year? Let's face it, Lovie has a history of poor personnel moves...and the fact that Wolfe could never get a legit chance when the RBs in front of him weren't exactly tearing up the league says more about Lovie and staff than it does about Wolfe.

One has to actually conduct ample tests in order for an experiment to exist. The sample size for Wolfe's contributions is insufficient because he's never been given a shot. Odd then that he seems to break plays fairly frequently when he does get his chance. You're right...he'll probably be gone, but nobody in Chicago knows what they did or didn't have in Wolfe.

The system and teams play on a percentage of the equation. I know, FOR A FACT, that Taylor was met in the backfield more often percentage-wise than Forte was. I saw it with my own eyes; the guy got hit after getting the handoff an obscene amount of times. This leads me to one of a few possibilities: 1. The downs and distances in which Taylor was inserted were more likely to be running downs 2. The play calling during the downs were plays in which the OL did not excel 3. The play calling during the downs were incredibly predictable 4. The limited number of carries increased the likelihood of running into one of the horribly busted plays, while Forte's extensive carries decreased this risk (while also providing the possibility of infrequent longer runs) By no means did I crunch any numbers, but I know what my eyes saw. The man had no chance. Do I care what happens with him? No. Backup RBs grow on trees in today's NFL more than any other position with the possible exception of LB.

It has nothing to do with the system. It has to do with the OL. Far too often he got the ball and was hit in the backfield. I don't care if the dude leaves or stays, but let's be real. The number 1, 2, and 3 reasons why he didn't succeed is the OL.