adam

He seems better when he can freelance and when playing CB you are mirroring someone elses moves. Hester has awesome field vision and seems to know where the players are going to be when he gets to a certain point. All he needs is one or two blocks and he is gone. The PB return was sweet, he did his little pause thing, then cut in both directions a few times, then found the seam and darted thru it for 40 more yards. He returned it for 60, but he probably ran more like 90 yards. I think you will see teams kick away from him a lot more next year. I don't think there is a way to stop him because he doesn't seem to use the same technique each time.

I updated my first post with about 10 Mock drafts from around the internet, and will continually update with more drafts and updates as they are posted. Hopefully the summary of picks will give us an idea on where they think the Bears will go with their picks. Once we know this, we can assume the Bears will do something else.

I just saw a couple of Pro Bowl highlights on ESPN. Hester had a crazy run back of like 60 yards with basically no blocks and made 5-6 different AFC players look silly. The bad part was he limped off the field after it, hopefully he is not hurt. Gould had a nice onside kick that the NFC recovered. I didn't see any other Bears highlights, but Brees dislocated his non-throwing elbow which is making me believe that he is going to end up like Kurt Warner - a couple of really good seasons, then done.

I assume the higher numbers are based off projections for 2007 with the new cap money. They never are exact. Anything over $20 million is a nice cushion. That gives the Bears some huge flexibility to sign some players in the last year of their contract and even extend a few if needed. Some teams in great position for next year are the Bears and Saints in the NFC and the Pats and Chargers in the AFC. They were all playoff teams that will have over $20 million available in cap space next seaspn. Teams sucking are the Panthers, Redskins, Steelers and Broncos, they all missed the playoffs and they have little or no cap space. Sucks to be them.

He could have pleaded not guilty and fought it, but I am sure it would have lasted longer, or he did a plea deal with the judge to avoid major jail time.

Here is a list of Mock Draft picks from around the internet. FINAL UPDATE - 27APR07 SI.com - Dwayne Jarrett - WR - USC http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...art3/index.html Scout.com - Lawrence Timmons - LB - FSU http://nflexperts.scout.com/2/637844.html ESPN.com - Jarvis Moss - DE/LB - Florida http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft07/news/story?id=2848586 Fox Sports #1 - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6735038 Fox Sports #2 - Greg Olsen - TE - Miami http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6746858 Fox Sports #3 - Greg Olsen - TE - Miami http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6746878 CBS Sportsline - Arron Sears - OT/OG - Tennessee http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9961542 CBS Sportsline #2 -Ben Grubbs -OG http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9999771 CBS Sportsline #3 -Jon Beason - LB http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9999370 Yahoo Sports - Robert Meachem - WR - Tennessee http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jm-m...o&type=lgns NFL.com - Brandon Meriweather - S - Miami http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/10149495 USA Today - Justin Harrell - DT - Tennessee Justin Harrell - DT - Tennessee Ben Grubbs - G - Auburn Dwayne Jarrett - WR - USC Justin Blalock - G - Texas Dwayne Jarrett WR - USC Lawrence Timmons - LB - FSU http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/dr...-mock-draft.htm ------------------------------------ Fantasy Tailgate - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.fantasytailgate.com/NFL_DRAFT.html Junkyard Jake - Justin Blalock - OT/OG - Texas http://www.junkyardjake.com/NFLDraft/index.htm Sports Outlaws - Ben Grubbs - OG - Auburn http://www.sofantasyfootball.com/mockdraft.html Inside the Eagles - Tony Ugoh - OT - Arkansas http://www.insidetheeagles.com/2007mockdraft.htm Draft Connection - Lawrence Timmons - OLB - FSU http://www.draftconnection.com/nfl/mock-dr...ftb.php?id=1098 East Coast Sports News - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.eastcoastsportsnews.com/2007draft.html Fantasy Football Extreme - Quinn Pitcock - DT - Ohio St http://www.fantasyfootballxtreme.com/profi...asyfootball.php Football.com - Ben Grubbs - OG - Auburn http://www.football.com/cgi-bin/posters/pr...aft_blank.shtml Draft Tek - Paul Posluszny - OLB - Penn State http://www.drafttek.com/firstround.html Walter's Football Site - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://walterfootball.com/draft2007.php War Room Report - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.warroomreport.com/draft/mockdraft.htm FF Toolbox - Ben Grubbs - OG - Auburn http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/2007/mo...pson.cfm?page=2 Draft King - Justin Blalock - OT/OG - Texas http://www.draftking.com/nfl/2007/mockdraft.shtml Scouts Notebook - Arron Sears - OT/OG - Tennessee http://www.scoutsnotebook.com/modules.php?name=mockdraft0607 Huddle Geeks - Michael Griffin - S - Texas http://huddlegeeks.com/NFL_Draft/mockdraft.htm Mock Draft City - Quinn Pitcock - DT - Ohio St http://mockdraftcity.com/NFL/nflmockdraft.htm NFL Draft Countdown - Dwayne Bowe - WR - LSU http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sub/mockdraft.html QI Sports - Lawrence Timmons - LB - FSU http://www.qisports.com/nfldraft2007.html MTs Mock Draft - Ben Grubbs - OG - Auburn http://mtmock.blogspot.com/ D&J Mock Draft - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.djnflmockdraft.com/mock.htm The War Draft Room - Ben Grubbs - OG - Auburn http://www.warroomdraftguide.com/mock_drafts/ Football Futures - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.footballsfuture.com/2007/nflmockdraft.html Football Expert - Justin Blalock - OT/OG - Texas http://thefootballexpert.com/buresmockdraft.html DRU FFB - Lawrence Timmons - LB - FSU http://www.drufantasyfootball.com/ FF Cheat Sheets - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://ffcheatsheets.com/nfl-mock-draft.htm Sports Nutz - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.sportznutz.com/nfl/draft/2007/mock_draft.htm Saturdays 2 Sundays - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.saturdays2sundays.com/mock.htm Draft Ace - Ben Grubbs - OG - Auburn http://www.draftace.com/draft2007/mockdraftround1.htm Ask the Commish - Michael Griffin - S - Texas http://www.askthecommish.com/2007nfldraft/ On the Clock - Greg Olsen - TE - Miami http://www.ontheclockdraft.com/mock NFL Draft Forecast - Justin Blalock - OT/OG - Texas http://www.nfldraftforecast.com/mock/boyer/round1.shtml The Phinsider - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.thephinsider.com/story/2007/3/21/0143/22304 Draft Season - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://www.draftseason.com/Lupagus NFL Draft Dog - Greg Olsen - TE - Miami http://www.nfldraftdog.com/2007_Mock_Draft.htm Consensus Draft Services - Jon Beason - LB - Miami http://condraft.com/mocks/round-1.html 53 Mock Drafts Jon Beason - LB - Miami - 14 (26%) Ben Grubbs - OG - Auburn - 8 Justin Blalock - OT/OG - Texas - 5 Lawrence Timmons - OLB - FSU - 5 Greg Olsen - TE - Miami - 4 Dwayne Jarrett - WR - USC - 3 Michael Griffin - S - Texas - 2 Arron Sears - OT/OG - Tennessee - 2 Justin Harrell - DT - Tennessee - 2 Quinn Pitcock - DT - Ohio St - 2 Paul Posluszny - OLB - Penn State - 1 Robert Meachem - WR - Tennessee - 1 Brandon Merriweather - S - Miami - 1 Dwayne Bowe - WR - LSU - 1 Jarvis Moss - DE/LB - Florida - 1 Tony Ugoh - OT - Arkansas - 1 By Position LB - 20 (38%) OL - 16 DL - 5 WR - 5 TE - 4 S - 3 By School Miami - 19 (36%) Auburn - 8 Texas - 7 Tennessee - 5 Florida St - 5 USC - 3 Ohio St - 2 Penn St - 1 LSU - 1 Florida - 1 Arkansas - 1

Most NFL QBs make beautiful throws when they have time. Grossman seems to be a mini-Bledsoe/Favre hybrid. He has a great arm when he has decent protection, can make gunslinger throws on the button, but folds in the pocket under pressure while looking completely lost under center. Your right about the height issues too, those will never go away unless he wears some larger insoles. The best thing Rex has going for him is the confidence of his Head Coach and the rest of his team. I don't think I ever heard any of the players questioning him, which has to be a confidence booster.

The "first full year" thing is used a little too much IMO. Even though this was his first full season, he has been around since 2003! He will definitely improve next year, but as a full time starter, his numbers can't be that much worse - he was 2nd to last in QB Rating for QBs that started every game - and that was with 7 games over a 100 QB rating and 1 with a 98.6. If he starts every game next year, I think he will have numbers like this (a slight improvement in most areas): 80.0 QB Rating (6 games over 100, and 2 games under 40). 3400 YDS 24 TDs 16 INTs 20 Sacks 4 Fumbles Lost Throws off back foot 8 less times

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Asfc...p&type=lgns

I am so torn between Good Rex and Bad Rex. The Good Rex is probably one of the best QBs in Bears history and the bad Rex is one of the worst. There is a huge difference. That is one of his weaknesses, inconsistency. I would rather have a guy put up an 80.0 QB rating every game instead of a +100 one game and a -40 the next. At least you know what you are going to get. He knows the Bears system as good as anyone, so I would also add that to his strengths. A new QB will have a much steeper learning curve. The only problem I see is this guy has been playing QB for most of his life, so certain changes will be very hard to do. I can see picking up the blitzes or making the reads, because those come with experience, but some of the other things seem to be ingrained in his head and more habitual. I really believe his injuries have a lot to do with him throwing off his back foot and not stepping up into the rush. Also, even though his accuracy can be a strength, I also saw him totally miss easy dump offs to Jones and McKie on a regular basis, or throw completely behind receivers. So I think more than any one thing it comes down to consistency. When he is on, he is making reads, throwing crisp accurate passes, leading receivers, etc - and when he is off, everything goes into the shitter. I really hope he can fix that.

He is definitely not going to Dallas with Phillips there sticking with the 3-4. Chisoxfn is probably correct. He will hang around with the Bears and try to build his resume even more, and will probably leave within the next few years.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2758164 Cowboys hiring Wade Phillips instead. They want to stick with the 3-4, and not move to the 4-3, which Rivera is familiar with.

The good thing is if the Bears were interested in Garcia, this would seem to allow them to get him for a cheaper price. Players are more apt to take less money to go where they want. Garcia might not care about the money if he can get to a SB - and the Bears are one of the best teams in the NFC. Also, Garcia played in some harsh weather in Philly, which would translate well to Chicago in December.

I don't think Briggs is a must-have player. He is an upper tier LB without Urlacher but Chaos is right - Urlacher takes a lot of pressure off Briggs. The Bears cannot tie up too much one in one position. Unless they can get him to sign an incentive laden contract with a large signing bonus and smaller salary, he will be hard to resign.

I think that all the coaches along with the player play a part in their success and failure. Only true superstars can overcome bad coaching and bad schemes. The on thing I read about Grossman is that he never had a mentor, or at least someone to sit behind for a year or two and learn the ropes. Guys like Rivers -Brees, Palmer-Kitna, Young-Montana, etc. A bunch of the better QBs sat for a year or two behind a solid QB learning the ropes and just observing. Rex never got that opportunity. That does not take the blame off of him. The coaches are not the ones just throwing the ball up, making bad reads, or just folding in the pocket. That is mainly on Rex. I just wish the Bears had more quick decisions. Don't hold the ball. Either a 3 step or 5 step drop and release. Read and react. It seems like all his troubles come up when he has to hold the ball longer and go thru progressions. The other thing is his height seems to limit his throws directly over the D-Line (in front of the ump). Teams seemed to play off this later in the year.

David Carr seems like the only logical choice from those above. Also, if you have seen some of the Texans games, most of Carr's sacks are not because of him. His offensive line may be one of the worst in history, especially his rookie year. The easy way to tell if he is mobile is to look at his rushing yards. He averages about 250 yds per year on the ground from scrambling, to include 8 rushing TDs in his career. Compare that to Grossman's 2 rushing yards in 2006.

I would love to see Carrr in a Bears uniform. He is really under-rated. He has played with a horrible O-Line for most of his career, and has really only had one legit receiver - Johnson. He is also 2 inches taller than Grossman, which actually makes a huge difference in the pocket. Sacks by year: Rookie - 76 2nd year - 15 (in only 12 games) 3rd year - 49 4th year - 68 5th year - 41 Those are a ton of sacks. That is averaging over 3 sacks a game for a career. Here is an interesting snippet from Houston: Just think, they basically passed on Vince Young because they locked up Carr last year.

His official title was "Assistant Head Coach/Defense" and they already had a Defensive Coordinator. If he would take the position on the Bears as Defensive Coordinator, that would be sweet.

The best part was it was different t-shirts, probably from the different years they lost. LOL.

Wow, I can't believe this debate is still going on. It is really hard to compare second tier guys like this on different teams, different offensive lines, etc. These guys are all pretty comparable.

That makes sense, anyone in a contract year willing to risk injury in the Pro Bowl is pretty stupid.

Yep, they have been doing this for years with all sports. I remember seeing a special about Africa and their were a ton of kids running around with Buffalo Bills World Champions T-shirts on.....

Rex is not the only one to blame, but as the QB he is inherently responsible for what occurs on the offensive side of the ball. I am curious about audibles. Is Rex allowed to call them? Those Turner trends are interesting and I am sure other teams have a lot more information than that. However, even if you know a pass or run is coming, you still have to stop it. I don't know about Grossman improving very much. I think his reads have improved, but it has been awhile since I saw a QB just crumble in the pocket like he does, and the throwing off the back foot kills me. There is no way to get anything on the ball when you are doing that. That is a basic mechanical movement that should've been corrected along time ago. I will look for the stat, but there was something out there about Rex's throws and how several catches could easily have been INTs if it wasn't for the WRs making highlight reel catches. Basically a ton of his better games had "lucky" throws in them that masked his other throws. Rex is still young, so he gets a second chance next year.

I don't think the loss of Rivera would be too big of a deal as long as Lovie can get someone that he can work with.

Wow, I didn't realize how many TJ haters were around. His numbers have been solid every since he arrived in Chicago: 948 yds, 56 receptions, over 1350 total yds 1335 yds, 26 receptions, over 1470 total yds 1210 yds, 36 receptions, over 1360 total yds He is also a decent blocker out of the backfield. For the price, he has been a bargain for the Bears.