adam

Two of the games have exact dates, its the games at Soldier Field that only have windows:

I agree, almost every acquisition filled a need, replaced a player who departed, or was an upgrade for that position. What more could Emery have done? Marshall obviously fills one of the team's biggest needs and is the biggest upgrade for this team. We might have overpaid for Campbell, but he is a starter-caliber QB on a one year deal. Bush not only can be the change of pace back if Forte is starting, but can come in and start if Forte holds out or is injured. Costanzo replaces Graham on SP, Weems replaces Knox on SP and can fill in at the bottom of the WR corps, if needed. Thomas is a league minimum pickup who can also play SP and WR if needed. So the Bears can now go into the draft targeting OL, DL, DB, and pickup a LB and some other roster fillers.

I think almost all offensive skill players will benefit from having Marshall out there. Bennett, Davis, Hester, they are all going to have more open looks and space to work in.

We had 6 last year (Knox, Williams, Bennett, Hester, Sanz, and Hurd), we lost Knox, Williams and Hurd - and gained Marshall, Weems, and Thomas. So we are still at 6.

What would've been our record if we had Campbell and Bush last year with the same team? 11-5 at least? The point is, we aren't as bad off as some are making us out to be. Hell, with Marshall alone we probably would've won 2 more games than last year. Each player that has been brought in is essentially better than the player they replaced. Campbell > Hanie, Bush > Barber, Weems/Costanza/Thomas > Graham/Knox, and obviously Marshall > entire Bears Receiving Corps. So the offense and special teams should be better with those acquisitions, and that is all you can really ask for. Looking at some of the contracts handed out, we could've probably gotten maybe one more major acquisition, but it would've sacrificed 3-4 of the other pick ups. Now if we add OLine and defense in the draft, we can cover the other areas of need and also get younger on defense which is becoming critical at this point.

Who are the scrubs, and who are the backups?

Yep, and it is better to be able to narrow down BPA to only a few positions. It sort of makes the picks a little easier, and if a few are available at each pick, we could always look to trade down a few slots, gain a pick, and still get the guy we wanted. I really like our position heading into the draft.

I'm content with our signings. We are now in a better position to target specific positions in the draft.

Broyles is a risk after the knee injury and I don't think we have the luxury to pickup someone like him unless it was more of like a 6th or 7th round pick.

You really can't blame him for not getting much action at WR on the Giants, they were pretty deep this year. Looking back to his last year in Washington, he was 4th on team in catches and yards for a WR. Jason Campbell was his QB that year.

Is she alluding to the fact that you can pleasure yourself?

I had to laugh at that one. I like the move. He still has potential.

I don't see TE as a need. Davis has shown decent skills as a pass catcher and is a good blocker. There doesn't seem to be much value in bringing in another TE as the upgrade would be marginal at best. I would say OL, CB, DL, WR are the biggest need areas.

I agree. I just didn't think there would be anyone in those two categories that would be available at 19 unless Richardson or Tannehill slipped. If that happened, it would be hard to pass on Richardson, and there would have to be some takers for 19 if we did not want Tannehill. I would say we are a year or two off (at least) from drafting a QB in the first or second round.

I think we just need to go BPA at #19, and more than likely that will be an upgrade regardless of position.

Did Ray Rice get a new deal after being tagged? Ray Rice is better in basically every single stat and has outproduced Forte over the last 4 years even though he was not starting that much in his first year. I would take what Rice gets, then subtract about 10% since Rice is younger. If Rice is not complaining, then Forte is really coming across as whining. Also, I think this has more to do with the new franchise tag values than anything else. The Bears have to maximize their cap space, and if Forte's cap hit is going to exceed the franchise tag, then the Bears should not offer him a deal that does.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=nfp-...all_for_nothing This is hilarious, to think that no one contacted the Dolphins about Marshall except for the Bears. I can think of at least 5-6 teams that would've taken the "risk". The best part is that Miami would have just released him. That would've created an even bigger firestorm and would've been a horrible move. The Dolphins would still be on the hook for the rest of the guaranteed money and would've had a residual cap hit. That would've went over really well in Miami. It seems like Ross is just trying to save face and show how good of a negotiator management is by getting 2x 3rd rounders for someone they were going to release anyway. However, by saying that is what they were going to do makes the organization look even more inept than before.

Didn't Corey Dillon have something like 1,500 yards in 2005? Also, I know there are at least 4-5 1,000 backs on that list.

For their careers, both RB's (Forte and Bush) have the same YPG (4.2) and rushing TD's (21).

Can't wait to see what the players get. Favre always has to be in the news, the hit on him was some of the evidence: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/...ay-me-my-money/

I am sure Mark Sanchez is loving this. First it was possibly Peyton Manning coming to NY, now he has to deal with Tebowmania all the time. I can just see the fans calling for Tebow after the first 3 and out or INT.

Bush had almost a 1,000 yards rushing and caught 37 balls out of the backfield for over 400 yards, and that was sharing carries and reps with McFadden for 6 games. He is probably one of the best complimentary backs in the NFL.

The best out of division opponents for this year are SF, HOU, DAL, and TEN, and none of those are really scary teams. 11-12 wins seems fairly reasonable to me. Home Seattle Seahawks St. Louis Rams Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Carolina Panthers Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings Away Arizona Cardinals San Francisco 49ers Jacksonville Jaguars Tennessee Titans Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Minnesota Vikings

March 26-28, 2012: NFL owners' meetings , Palm Beach Fla. Late March: Compensatory draft picks announced. April 2 -- Clubs that hired a new head coach at end of '11 regular season may begin offseason programs. April 16 -- Clubs with a returning head coach may begin offseason workout programs. April 20 -- Deadline for signing of offer sheets by restricted free agents. Late April: 2012 NFL schedule is announced. April 26-28, 2012: NFL draft, New York May 16 -- Except for a three-day minicamp held within 15 days of the draft, this is the first day that players eligible for the 2012 draft are permitted to participate in minicamps or meetings. If final examinations at a player’s school conclude after this date, the player is prohibited from participating in any activities until after the player’s final day of examinations. If the player has left or leaves school, he is prohibited from participating in any club activities until after the final day of examinations at his school. May 21-23 -- NFL Spring Meeting. July 22: Deadline for unsigned UFA to sign with new clubs. July 22: Deadline for transition players to sign with new clubs. Late July: Training camps across the league begin. Aug. 4, 2012: Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony Aug. 5, 2012: Hall of Fame Game: Arizona vs. New Orleans, Canton, Ohio, 8 p.m. ET Aug. 28: Roster cutdown to 80 players Sept. 2: Roster cutdown to 53 players. Sept. 5, 2012: Regular-season opener, hosted by New York Giants

Manning to Moss would've been pretty cool though.