jason

Bingo. Wade Phillips was able to make the defense just that much better. And this is the second year Von Miller and Demarcus Ware were together, so they had a little bit better connection. Add in small/big improvements from multiple other players on defense, and you have a SB champ.

I was cheering for the Broncos because I like defense and dislike Scam Newton (Auburn).

I have thought of the same thing. Suppose Fox just says, "I want my guys. I don't want any previous regime guys if they're going to complain at all." That could mean franchise+trade Alshon, because he figures the Bears could replace him with White, and the passing game will improve if the other WRs like Royal are healthy. That could also mean a trade of Bennet, who probably wouldn't fetch that much in the open market, but could yield a pretty good amount at draft time.

I watched him a few times and thought he faced a ton of opposition attention. He got double-teams, and they went away from him. And Ole Miss was basically playing against the NFL minor league on a daily basis. I figure if he's supported by legit talent he will be able to display his elite athleticism. On top of that, I think the defense needs an infusion of athleticism in general. Adding a guy like Nkemdiche who has very quick twitch reactions would help the defense on the whole. Last but not least, probably most importantly, I think he's a perfect 5T for a 3-4. His frame, long arms, lateral quickness, ability to control blockers without being controlled, and sure tackling is exactly what is needed in a 3-4 DE. His job isn't to be a 20 sack per year guy. His job is to be scary enough that the OL has to focus on him, which allows the OLBs to wreak havoc. He's one of those glue guys who doesn't get noticed enough for being so dangerous the offense has to gameplan for him.

In that case, no. The Bears aren't there, even with a stud on D. But, then again, there are only 4-5 teams each year that are contenders. Others are pretenders who get thumped in the playoffs. As for your last paragraph, you know I'm fine with the philosophy behind taking a few steps back to take a giant leap forward. I just don't think picking a QB in the first is the correct path for the current Bears. I believe they are small moves away from playoff hunt, and one or two player personnel breaks from contention. And that's with Cutler. Imagine if just the following happens: 1. WRs stay healthy, Alshon continues to dominate, Kevin White shows why he is a monster and 1st round worthy, Royal is a consistent slot threat. 2. Bennett and/or Miller provide a consistent threat over the middle 3. Long improves or moves back to OG, Leno takes a step forward, and the Bears solidify the group with a FA and/or Draft Pick If JUST that happens, the Bears offense takes a momentous leap forward. Cutler, who went for 3600+/21TDs/11INTs likely increases yards, TDs, and the INTs will be similar because not only does the system stays the same for a change, but the talent will spread the opposing defenses more. That would take Chicago from 21st in total O to somewhere close to top 10, and it's not that big of a stretch since it's just a matter of healthy WRs and a slightly improved OL. And that's just offense! If the Bears hit on a 1st round defensive stud, maybe hit on another defensive pick later, that would be all it would take to put Chicago into contention.

I enjoyed it, but not as much as I was hoping. I thought Mongo stole the show. I had never heard the story about Butthead telling his wife they had to reschedule the wedding. That was funny. Overall, however, I didn't like the sentimental, if not sad nature of the entire thing. I thought they spent a lot of time on CTE, an ailing Buddy Ryan, McMahon's injuries, and glossed over far too much. Adding in information about the multiple years in the future also sucked because that was time that could have been spent enjoying the 85 season and its dominance. If they were going to spend that much time on the future, especially of McMahon, then they should have showed how he wore the Bears jersey to the White House as a member of the packers. I wish more people had been involved. I would love to have heard if Wilbur Marshall thought the FA move was good. Or whether he did it purely because of Buddy Ryan's departure. I wish they would have talked to Willie Gault about things; he always seemed sort of an odd fit in that group. And Matt Suhey got far too little screen time. He should have dominated the screen during the portion about Sweetness. One of the things that I was really disappointed with was how quickly they glossed over the supernatural nature of the Bears' playoff run. The wind blowing the Giants punt away made it feel like it was supposed to be. Barely mentioned. Then when the snow started in the Rams game, people were cheering for the snow. We all knew it was destiny for the Bears to make it to the Super Bowl. That was also somewhat ignored. Just mentioned that it was snowing. The thing I hated the most was the Dolphin game. I don't even think they mentioned that McMahon played a fraction of the game. And that, aside from that fluke-ass ricochet to Clayton for the TD, the Bears figured out the Dolphins in the second half and shut them down. With a healthy McMahon, the Bears win that game. Overall, I liked it, but I felt it missed a lot and told the story without details and in the wrong way at times.

FWIW, if the draft played out this way, I would just say, "Screw it. Fangio, here are your guys. Do your magic. If you're as good as everyone says, this is going to build your resume and lead to an eventual head coaching job." 1. DeForest Buckner, 34DE, Oregon - Perfect fit for Fangio's 34 2. Jarran Reed, 34DE, Alabama - See Buckner 3. Noah Spence, 34OLB, EKU - Great, explosive edge rusher 4. Tyler Matakevich, ILB, Temple - Great tackler 5. Tyler Johnstone, OT, Oregon - Fills a need, learns from Long 6. Dak Prescott, QB, Miss. St. - Great talent this late in the draft 7. Roberto Aguayo, K, FSU - Points and field position

Here is the link. The picks: 1. Robert Nkemdiche, 34DE, Ole Miss 2. Shon Coleman, OT, Auburn 3. Noah Spence, 34OLB, EKU 4. Tyler Matakevich, ILB, Temple 5. Jarron Jones, 34DT, ND 6. Cyrus Jones, CB, Alabama 6. Jordan Lucas, SS, Penn St 6. Nila Kasitati, OG, Oklahoma 7. Keyarris Garrett, WR, Tulsa Honestly, I can't complain much. I would have done it a bit different given the breakdown of where players went, but to start with an ultra athletic DE in Nkemdiche, steal Spence in the 3rd (seems unrealistic), and pick up Matakevich in the 4th, that's tough to beat. I like OT in the second, but I'm not a big fan of Shon Coleman's ability. The Auburn blocking this year was wretched. Comments on this one?

This is pretty much my answer. With a few breaks, White playing like a first round WR, Alshon or any other WR being healthy, and one defensive stud to make a few big plays each game, this team is absolutely in the playoff hunt. That's why I have floated the idea of just letting Fangio have a defense-heavy draft.

Feb. 4 update: 1. Ronnie Stanley, OT, ND 2. Austin Johnson, DE/DT, Penn St. 3. Cardale Jones, QB, Ohio St. 4. Rashard Higgins, WR, Colorado State First round looks good, after that I hate it.

And after the first year they suck because there is a QB controversy on a team that is missing a first round impact player, then the next year when the 2nd year rookie puts in his nearly guaranteed subpar season? Back to casual?

I'll start: QB. Any QB.

We can pretty much close this thread. I was the driver of the "Trade Bennett & Start Miller"-train, and even I have jumped off the bus. He's crazy if he thinks he deserves $5M a year after the first healthy season of his career, in which he wasn't even the full time starter the entire year.

Greedy bastard.

If there was doubt before, there isn't now. Jeffery is getting tagged.

Who really knows? But I was flabbergasted he had to share the MVP, and it had to feel disrespectful to him.

1. Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame 2. Vadal Alexander, G, LSU

We'll know if Jaylon Smith is the pick at 11 because there will be two cameras in the Bears war room, one for the reaction, and one under the table to see their huge balls. I just don't see how the Bears could risk a #11 pick on an injured ILB who will miss half the season when the previous year's #1 didn't even get on the field in his rookie year.

Are you talking about Vernon Butler out of LaTech? If so, no thanks in the 2nd round. In general I'm not a fan of spending high picks on guys from lower/weaker conferences unless those guys absolutely dominate. And Butler didn't dominate. He was really good, but he didn't dominate. One really good weekend at the senior bowl doesn't change much in my mind. I really hope the Bears don't become the franchise who puts in work during the year evaluating a player only to be swayed significantly by the senior bowl or the combine. I've seen Jarran Reed drop to the high second in some mocks. Buckner / Reed work for you?

I think you're right about improving his draft stock, but I think it would be a horrible pick for the Bears. If the Bears were in a position for BPA that would be one thing, but they are not. And like it or not, the best players on the defense are pretty much all at the OLB position: McPhee, Houston, Young. Throw in Goldman wherever you'd like among the three. So, with that said, OLB is a bad pick for the Bears at 11. Especially when the starting ILBs are Christian Jones/SMC/John Timu, and the DEs are Jenkins/Ratliff/Ferguson/Sutton.

Regarding the bolded part, I still say Barry retired because he felt disrespected by the league. The year he went over 2K in yards he had to share the MVP with Brett Freaking Farv, a guy who didn't even go over 4K that year in passing yards. One year after being disrespected, Barry retires. Another reason to hate farv.

I've seen some drafts that start the Bears off with two DEs. I've seen some drafts that start the Bears off with an ILB and then another later. Which do you prefer? Suppose the Bears could get one of the following: OPTION 1 1. A'Shawn Robinson, DE, Alabama / DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon 2. Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor / Shilique Calhoun, DE, MSU / Jonathan Bullard, DE, Florida OPTION 2 1. Reggie Ragland, ILB, Alabama / Jaylon Smith, ILB, Notre Dame / Myles Jack, ILB, UCLA 2. Scooby Wright, ILB, Arizona Any other combos like those you prefer? Would you hate either? The way I see it is, the team's two starting DEs are serviceable at least. The two ILBs are not. But seeing a DE combo back-to-back would be a declaration of commitment to the pass rush game.

You can pretty much book the Lions into Corey Coleman, WR, Baylor in the first round.

That would be incredible, especially if someone like Jaylon Smith falls to #22. Pick him up late then package a slew of the late rounders into another 2nd or 3rd. Get multiple impact players in one draft.

No thanks. Forte, Langford, Carey. --OR-- Langford, Carey, late pick/UDFA I could be on board with something here if it turns out the Bears don't like someone in the draft. Hell no. Either stay with Bennett & Miller... --OR-- Trade Bennett, start Miller, pick someone in the draft