adam

Yeah, It is really hard for me to see the Bears fitting Urlacher into the cap if we re-sign Melton and sign a FA OL. It only seems like we can do 2 of those.

Would it free up that much? I thought it was around half that.

5th Highest Offense salaries? Wow, sort of skewed by Hester's cap hit though.

It might also be due to Marshall and Jeffery. Hester is now 4th or 5th on the depth chart, so he is obviously not going to get the looks he wants. To me, he is shooting himself in the foot with these comments.

I would just like to see an exciting game with a close finish. These teams are pretty evenly matched, but SF has the wild-card in Kaepernick. Baltimore would seem to have the tougher task, having had to beat Indy, Denver, then NE to get here. If they win, it was due to Deer Antler Spray.

Don't forget a draft pick, if we can get Bushrod for LT, and a G in the first or second, that line would look even better. Jones would be a nice flex pick because he could slide to Center when Garza retires.

At this point, we just need to address the OLine, regardless of how or when we do it. I can't really complain of drafting a Guard in the 1st if he improves the line and the dude is solid contributor for a decade, as long as we sign or draft a tackle as well.

Next important dates: Feb. 23-26, 2013: NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis March 12, 2013: Free agency starts (3 pm)

The first rule of the Guy Code is: you do not talk about the Guy Code.

http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1...a4-54920f468e1a Excited about Trestman and the direction of the organization, and will be working with Jeffery starting on Monday. That mentorship is great to see.

Urlacher was essentially playing hurt most of the year after that late knee surgery, so any assessment on his decline is sort of skewed. The deciding factor is going to be money anyway, everyone knows he can still play, and an average Urlacher is still a pretty damn good MLB and leader.

I would think we could sign him to a 2-yr deal and draft a MLB in the first 2 rounds next year, then have the rookie learn from Urlacher in his first year before taking over for him the next year.

Urlacher makes a pretty strong case to re-sign him. I thought his wording was interesting. He seems to understand that to stay on this team, he is going to have to take a pay cut. I wouldn't mind bringing him back for a 2-year incentive laden deal. This would allow us to focus the draft on other needs. More at the link: http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/...n-chicago-bears

I would be happy with Johnson and Long anchoring our line for the next decade. Instead of going WR in the 5th, I would look to go TE instead, especially if we didn't sign one in FA. TE seems to be more of a need than WR3 or WR4.

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he and a draft pick or someone like Keller were the top 2 TE's entering the season with Davis and Spaeth gone.

Yeah, I am not complaining how that traded ended up, getting Marshall using the same pick was a nice deal. Hardin was picked with the Bears original 3rd rounder.

True but you have to take the entire body of work, and if he is going to want Pro Bowl type money, then we will probably not acquire him. I do like the Kromer connection though, and if that helps reduce the price, then I wouldn't be against it.

The Jon Baldwin of 20 receptions and 325 yards? That would be their #1 if they let Bowe walk. I just believe they will do everything in their power to keep if. If they can't work out a long term deal, the franchise tag is a distinct possibility. I would say he is more valuable to them than Albert is at this point.

With so many teams using 3 WR's, having 3 top CB's is almost a must. This year would be the logical year to lock Tillman up for his last contract. If we can save $1 mil a year, that would be a bonus.

I don't think they will lose Bowe though. With Reid there now, he is not going to let Bowe just walk. They will try to re-sign him, and if they have to, franchise him. Name one of their other regular WR's.

Jared Cook, he is 17th on the FA list for TE's. Just knowing that Emery is using these metrics, it is hard for me to see him paying a guy who is league average at best when a 4th round pick will cost a lot less and have comparable production.

Myers was the worst rated TE according to PFF: https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/...ent-tight-ends/ There is no way Emery is going to pay for him. He was the garbage time king. Raiders down big, opponents playing prevent, and Myers boosts his numbers. Half of his receptions and yards occurred in the 4th quarter as well has 3 out of his 4 TD's. Keller is the only one that interests me in the FA market. I would rather grab a young TE from the draft.

PFF OT Rankings: Ryan Clady LT 5 DEN UFA +26.9 Andre Smith RT 4 CIN UFA +26.9 Gosder Cherilus RT 5 DET UFA +23.5 Will Beatty LT 4 NYG UFA +22.4 Sebastian Vollmer RT 4 NE UFA +21.5 Phil Loadholt RT 4 MIN UFA +15.9 Branden Albert LT 5 KC UFA +13.8 Sam Baker LT 5 ATL UFA +11.6 King Dunlap LT 5 PHI UFA +7.1 Ryan Harris RT 5 HOU UFA +4.3 Bushrod was ranked 14th, and if Emery is using any of these metrics, he is not going to pay for Bushrod. The LT top tier seems to be Clady, Beatty, Albert, and Baker.

44th in Receptions and 42nd in Yards for all TE's, and he was the starter. The 2nd TE on about 10 teams out-produced him as the starter. You are right, someone will pick him up, but probably for the league minimum and to ride the pine. I don't think he will ever start again.

Based on his last contract, and his current cap hit of $8 million, there seems to be some savings in there.