adam

Yeah, I saw him too, and he would definitely add another element to the offense that we do not have right now.

In the Hester thread, I thought that the Bears wanted to maximize their roster spots and go with someone who is more than just a returner, and Dexter McCluster seems to fit that role. I still believe we have a good chance at landing Bennett. Emery wants to make this his team, so I have a feeling that Tillman is gone.

Hester only had 18 punt returns on the entire season, a career low. Not too hard to take any good returner out of the game by not kicking to him. 11 other players had a Punt Return TD last year, and many play another position: Dexter McCluster Micah Hyde Jeremy Ross Antonio Brown Keshawn Martin Tandon Doss Tavon Austin Marcus Sherels Travis Benjamin Trindon Holliday Dwayne Harris Hester had the most KO returns and did not have a single TD. 6 players had a KO TD. Cordarrelle Patterson Quintin Demps Jacoby Jones Trindon Holliday Jeremy Ross Knile Davis Hester is the oldest of the bunch. The team may be looking at bringing in someone who can fill multiple roles and not be an exclusive returner.

Yeah, but I am sure he has a number and it doesn't necessarily have to be the biggest number. scs787 is right, hard to go from Seattle to a bottom feeder team.

Michael Bennett set to test free agency: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap200000033...est-free-agency If he doesn't go back to Seattle, Chicago seems like a logical destination with his brother's campaigning. Obviously money will be a factor, but if we cut Peppers, and with the increased cap, there should be money there this year to make a run at him.

I assume he will end up in TB if he is truly gone. I would've liked to have seen at least a one year incentive laden deal.

Woo hoo, here we go, dead weight, waste of salary cap space, and bad punting. We just got better.

From all the stories about him in TB, I would pass on Freeman. I would rather trade down in the first to pick up an extra pick or two, then take a mid-round QB with the exta pick.

I agree, I hope #1 is a fact since the draft is fairly deep, we need more than one impact player and we can pick up an extra pick or two moving down only a couple of positions. For #2, I hate this one as I love Peanut, but it is reality. Emery does not spend for aging veterans. Someone is willing to overpay for someone like Peanut. For #3, I think it is time to draft a legit prospect this year. If McCown is going to cost more than we can afford, I could see someone like McCarron in the middle rounds. We could even use the pick we picked up if we traded down in the 1st. #4 is fiction, but I hope for our sake it is a fact. If he was a first round caliber athlete, there has to be some place where he can at least play a the NFL level.

Funny stuff, we will see if it works.

Not this year, we can't afford to give up the picks.

I am sure Emery gave his agent something, but just like Urlacher, Emery does not really tie loyalty to financials. So more than likely, the contract terms are going to be less than Tillman can get elsewhere (Tampa?).

https://twitter.com/mikecwright/status/436992648398647296 I would really like to see Ratliff back. He will only get better.

I don't mind the picks, but I doubt Ealy makes it to 19. Also, Miami has as many needs as us (maybe more due to Incognito/Martin), so I can't see them trading up.

Bennett's choices will probably come down to: 1. Stay in Seattle for the least amount of money but best chance at another SB 2. Come to the Bears and play with his brother for more money than Seattle, but less than other clubs 3. Go to another team with more cap space and get the largest contract possible So if playing with his brother is worth a $1 or $2 million a year, it is possible, but unlikely.

Yeah, that doesn't sound promising.

At least he admits his mistake, both Jones and Mercilus would've been better picks.

I am confused, you freed up $13.75 million with those players and we already had around $13.5 under the cap. So we are starting with over $27 million. Also, Emery has a bunch of those conversion contracts (Cutler, Gould, Jennings, Slauson) where he can convert current salary into a bonus. So he can take $14 million for Cutler this year and spread it over the life of the deal reducing this year's hit by $12 million. So we have as much room as we need.

So you are saying there's a chance!

I would just say any offensive player unless it was OL from the top 10, if Matthews or Lewan dropped (doubtful), it would be hard to pass that up unless there was a comparable defensive player that was more of a need. I would be happy with DL and DB in the first two picks (any order). We really need DT, DE, S, and CB in the first 4-5 rounds unless there is another player there that is too good to pass up.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/goodell-made-...44098--nfl.html I wonder what the salary cap is for the league office? How about you take $12 million and give each team an extra $1 million in free salary cap paid by the league. Only 8 CEO's made more in salary in 2012, and a bunch created the companies: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2012/12/ceo-co...on-12_rank.html I know the NFL makes a ton of money, but damn, $44 million for the commish?

True, but we do not know what style of defense we are going to run, and I can't see investing in another DE in the 1st only 2 years removed from taking SMC. I know that technically doesn't matter because you fill a need with BPA, but I still think someone like Dix would be the biggest upgrade at any one position on the team. So if Nix, Ealy, Jernigan, Dennard, and Dix are there at 14, you go with Ealy?

It almost seems like our first 4 rounds will come from those 2 groups with needs at Safety, DT, DE, and CB. It would be great to get all 4 players from the groups in bold. Safety seems to be the thinnest group, so Clinton-Dix in the first would seem to net the most value unless someone from the top 10 drops.

Defensive backs Mo Alexander (SS), Utah State Ricardo Allen (CB), Purdue Dion Bailey (SS), USC Deion Belue (CB), Alabama Bene Benwikere (CB), San Jose State Nat Berhe (SS), San Diego State Tre Boston (SS), North Carolina Bashaud Breeland (CB), Clemson 6-0, 185 Terrence Brooks (FS), Florida State 5-11, 197 Deone Bucannon (SS), Washington State 6-1, 216 Travis Carrie (CB), Ohio Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (FS), Alabama 6-1, 208 Ross Cockrell (CB), Duke Aaron Colvin (CB), Oklahoma Chris Davis (CB), Auburn Darqueze Dennard (CB), Michigan State 5-11, 197 Pierre Desir (CB), Lindenwood 6-1, 195 Ahmad Dixon (SS), Baylor Brandon Dixon (CB), Northwest Missouri State Jonathan Dowling (SS), Western Kentucky Antone Exum (CB), Virginia Tech Kyle Fuller (CB), Virginia Tech 6-0, 194 E.J. Gaines (CB), Missouri 5-10, 195 Phillip Gaines (CB), Rice Justin Gilbert (CB), Oklahoma State 6-0, 200 Demetri Goodson (CB), Baylor Dre Hal (CB), Vanderbilt Victor Hampton (CB), South Carolina 5-10, 202 Marqueston Huff (FS), Wyoming Bennett Jackson (CB), Notre Dame Kendall James (CB), Maine Stanley Jean-Baptiste (CB), Nebraska 6-3, 215 Dontae Johnson (CB), North Carolina State LaMarcus Joyner (CB), Florida State 5-8, 190 Kenny Ladler (FS), Vanderbilt Nevin Lawson (CB), Utah State Isaiah Lewis (SS), Michigan State Craig Loston (SS), LSU 6-1, 214 Dexter McDougle (CB), Maryland Keith McGill (CB), Utah 6-3, 214 Terrance Mitchell (CB), Oregon 6-0, 190 Jabari Price (CB), North Carolina Calvin Pryor (FS), Louisville 6-2, 208 Loucheiz Purifoy (CB), Florida 6-0, 190 Keith Reaser (CB), Florida Atlantic Ed Reynolds (FS), Stanford 6-2, 206 Rashaad Reynolds (CB), Oregon State Marcus Roberson (CB), Florida 6-0, 195 Bradley Roby (CB), Ohio State 5-11, 192 Daniel Sorensen (FS), BYU Dez Southward (FS), Wisconsin Vinnie Sunseri (SS), Alabama Jemea Thomas (CB), Georgia Tech Brock Vereen (FS), Minnesota Jason Verrett (CB), TCU 5-10, 176 Jimmie Ward (SS), Northern Illinois 5-11, 191 Todd Washington (CB), Southeastern Louisiana Jaylen Watkins (CB), Florida 6-0, 194 Lavelle Westbrooks (CB), Georgia Southern * Players in bold projected in first half of draft (w/ Ht and Wt)

Defensive linemen Jay Bromley (DT), Syracuse Ryan Carrethers (DT), Arkansas State Will Clarke (DE), West Virginia Jadeveon Clowney (DE), South Carolina DeAndre Coleman (DT), California Scott Crichton (DE), Oregon State Aaron Donald (DT), Pittsburgh Kony Ealy (DE), Missouri Dominique Easley (DT), Florida Kasim Edebali (DE), Boston College Justin Ellis (DT), Louisiana Tech IK Enemkpali (DE), Louisiana Tech Ego Ferguson (DT), LSU Dee Ford (DE), Auburn James Gayle (DE), Virginia Tech Ra'Shede Hageman (DT), Minnesota Taylor Hart (DE), Oregon Kerry Hyder (DT), Texas Tech Jackson Jeffcoat (DE), Texas Timmy Jernigan (DT), Florida State Anthony Johnson (DT), LSU DaQuan Jones (DT), Penn State Howard Jones (DE), Shephard Zach Kerr (DT), Delaware Demarcus Lawrence (DE), Boise State Aaron Lynch (DE), South Florida Eathyn Manumaleuna (DE), BYU Cassius Marsh (DE), UCLA Kareem Martin (DE), North Carolina Josh Mauro (DE), Stanford Daniel McCullers (DT), Tennessee Tevin Mims (DE), South Florida Zach Moore (DE), Concordia (Minn.) Jonathan Newsome (DE), Ball State Louis Nix III (DT), Notre Dame Jeoffrey Pagan (DE), Alabama Tenny Palepoi (DT), Utah Mike Pennel (DT), Colorado State-Pueblo Kelcy Quarles (DT), South Carolina Kaleb Ramsey (DE), Boston College Caraun Reid (DT), Princeton Michael Sam (DE), Missouri Chris Smith (DE), Arkansas Marcus Smith (DE), Louisville Shamar Stephen (DT), Connecticut Ed Stinson (DE), Alabama Will Sutton (DT), Arizona State Robert Thomas (DT), Arkansas Khyri Thornton (DT), Southern Mississippi Stephon Tuitt (DE), Notre Dame George Uko (DE), USC Brent Urban (DT), Virginia Larry Webster (DE), Bloomsburg Ethan Westbrooks (DE), West Texas A&M Chris Whaley (DT), Texas Kerry Wynn (DT), Richmond * Players in bold projected in first half of draft