Bears sign Brandon Lloyd

[Bears4Ever_34]

Isn't alligator arms I mean Floyd that 49'ers receiver that was so worried about taking a hit he kept short arming and dropping passes against the Bears a few years ago?!? Hope not but I if my memory serves me right he is...

 

Haha yeah! I remember that too, I think Mike Brown was coming after him.

[Connorbear]

1. I am all for re-signing and exending our own. At the same time, we went into FA w/ $30m in cap space, and all we are doing is extending the status quo.

 

2. While I agree it is a solid draft for OT, it is also a solid draft for RB and WR too. Those are needs as well. And hey, we need to draft a QB. So my point is, we have needs at just about every position on offense. All those needs are solid in the draft, but only ONE was solid in FA. And we show no interest in that one?

 

3. Angelo is on record that he believes OL is one of those positions that take longer to develop in FA, and that is why he prefers FAs, which is evidenced by how he has handled our OL since coming to Chicago. So now, when we are in dire need for immediate upgrade on the OL, we are suddenly going to plan on rookies?

1. I agree. Look for Gould and Harris to be signed in the near future.

 

2. I think we will sign a vet for RB. Look for Chris Brown as a possibility. Unsure if we go after a WR very high. Maybe with one of the 1st 3rd round picks. I think we go OT and QB in the round 1 and 2 (in that order).

 

3. I think St. Clair is our starting LG next yr. The tackle that is drafted will most likely play RT this yr. I still think we will sign a OT as a backup (someone like Olivea).

 

Peace

[nfoligno]

To begin where you finished.

 

3. I think St. Clair is our starting LG next yr. The tackle that is drafted will most likely play RT this yr. I still think we will sign a OT as a backup (someone like Olivea).

 

First, if St. Clair is starting for us, I will be sick. He wasn't awful last year, but also was replacing Miller, than Metcalf, so my grandmother would have looked like an improvement, and she passed away several years ago. He wasn't horrible, but was not that good either. Sorry, but if he was starter grade, he would be starting for us. It isn't like he is some untested guy. He was a starter for StL, then demoted and allowed to leave. We brought in him, but soon after sought his replacement. Is he like wine and gets better w/ age, or are we simply so used to drinking Boone's that he looks like an upgrade.

 

Second, if we sign Olivea, he will be a starter.

 

1. I agree. Look for Gould and Harris to be signed in the near future.

 

I want to lockup Gould, but how soon Edinger bombed after we re-signed him scares me a bit. Regardless, I would like to lock him up. Harris on the other hand? Though we have plenty of coin, it will make me sick if we hand him $30m guaranteed.

 

2. I think we will sign a vet for RB. Look for Chris Brown as a possibility. Unsure if we go after a WR very high. Maybe with one of the 1st 3rd round picks. I think we go OT and QB in the round 1 and 2 (in that order).

 

I remember thinking Brown LONG ago, but at this point, I think we will wait until after the draft. If we sign Brown now, we are not going to draft a RB, and while opinions vary on whether we should or not, I would argue that w/ a class as strong and deep as this one, I would hate to close off such an option.

 

I agree OT/QB in the first two rounds makes the most sense. Then again, that likely means we will draft CB followed by DT.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

To begin where you finished.

First, if St. Clair is starting for us, I will be sick. He wasn't awful last year, but also was replacing Miller, than Metcalf, so my grandmother would have looked like an improvement, and she passed away several years ago. He wasn't horrible, but was not that good either. Sorry, but if he was starter grade, he would be starting for us. It isn't like he is some untested guy. He was a starter for StL, then demoted and allowed to leave. We brought in him, but soon after sought his replacement. Is he like wine and gets better w/ age, or are we simply so used to drinking Boone's that he looks like an upgrade

.

 

St. Clair was solid for a guy that spent the entire season preparing to fill either tackle spot in a pinch. When he played at guard, I didn't notice him make any mistakes, but I didn't see him blow anybody up either. St. Clair at G may be alright for a short term answer as I don't think he'll be a liability there (like Metcalf)

[bradjock]

That was pretty much the same thought w/ Briggs, and it worked out fine. Yea, he is gone, but he played for us last year w/ no problems.

 

Yes Briggs looked great and made the pro-bowl again. Yet our defense went from being among the best in the league to damn near the worst in the league. We franchised Briggs and had bad immediate team results. This is from a team-player who rarely misses a game or a tackle. Franchising a guy like Berrian would have brought too much damn turmoil. It was more ok with Briggs, because he's not as good as Urlacher or Tommie Harris. He's not better then Wale or Mike Brown. He may or may not be a step above Vasher, Tillman, Alex Brown are all damn good.

 

If Berrian was franchised, doesn't that sort of place him as being the most valuable piece of our offense? It's nice to have a "pecking-order."

 

I was for tagging Berrian, though I didn't want to keep him. I wanted to tag him and trade him, and frankly, I think we could have easily gotten a 3rd for him. Look at the demand for him in FA. Tag him and trade him. Better than letting the only good offensive player Angelo has ever drafted for nothing.

 

What team would have given a 3rd for Berrian AND over-paid for him? We wouldn't have made that deal with Minnesota. Washington wanted Briggs, but they're retarded. I'd rather let him walk then over-pay.

 

I was fine w/ doing nothing more than keeping Rex and extending Orton. The market was sad.

 

I was fine w/ adding Booker as our big name FA, and then throwing in Lloyd as a free side. Again, the market was sad.

 

Not thrilled w/ no activity at safety, yet also understand because once again, the market is sad.

 

The market was not sad at OT though. Faneca, Bell, Scott and others were available. No, they were not cheap, but if we are going to cheap everywhere else, can we not afford to drop a little extra at our top need position?

 

As long as we extend Tommie Harris & add one offensive lineman, I'll be happy as hell.

[nfoligno]

I have no problem w/ St. Clair as a short term starter. That is exactly what you want in a backup. At the same time, he is still a backup. I like him as a backup, but if we enter the year with him as a starter, that is a problem.

 

To me, that is like going into the year w/ AP as our starting RB. I like AP as a backup. I think AP can come in and do well enough as a short term starter. I do not want to start the year w/ him.

 

These guys are backups for a reason.

 

As for starting St. Clair this year and getting a replacement later, why? This FA had numerous OGs, and we had plenty of money.

[nfoligno]

Yes Briggs looked great and made the pro-bowl again. Yet our defense went from being among the best in the league to damn near the worst in the league. We franchised Briggs and had bad immediate team results. This is from a team-player who rarely misses a game or a tackle. Franchising a guy like Berrian would have brought too much damn turmoil. It was more ok with Briggs, because he's not as good as Urlacher or Tommie Harris. He's not better then Wale or Mike Brown. He may or may not be a step above Vasher, Tillman, Alex Brown are all damn good.

 

Okay, hang on now. Briggs had little to nothing to do w/ our defense sucking this year, so I am not sure why you even made the comment.

 

The point is, there was plenty of expectation for turmoil after tagging Briggs, and there was none. You say he wasn't as good as all those others. While I personally tend to agree, at the same time, it should be pointed out that he is a pro bowler, while the rest... Further, has Berrian even been an alternate? So if our pro bowler didn't create the expected issues, why would Berrian?

 

If Berrian was franchised, doesn't that sort of place him as being the most valuable piece of our offense? It's nice to have a "pecking-order."

 

Huh? You listed nearly the entire defense as "who is better than Briggs", and yet he was tagged. So if we tag Berrian, he is supposed to be our best offensive player?

 

Does that mean the TE in Indy is their best offensive weapon, since they tagged him?

 

What team would have given a 3rd for Berrian AND over-paid for him? We wouldn't have made that deal with Minnesota. Washington wanted Briggs, but they're retarded. I'd rather let him walk then over-pay.

As long as we extend Tommie Harris & add one offensive lineman, I'll be happy as hell.

 

Did you see how GB tagged some DT no one has heard of, and got Cle to give up a 2nd for him? Berrian was the best WR on the market. If we tagged him, it would not have killed interest in him. Hell, even if it did, then we remove the tag. Sorry, but Berrian would not have simply signed his tag, which means we could talk trade, then remove the tag anytime we wanted.

 

And by the way, I do not want to re-sign Harris. Maybe if he comes at a deal, great. But IMHO, he is no where near the value he thinks he is. DTs are raking it in right now, and if average guys are getting $20m guaranteed, he for sure will command $30. W/ his injuries and 2nd half disappearing acts, no way do I believe he should get $30m guaranteed.

[Connorbear]

And by the way, I do not want to re-sign Harris. Maybe if he comes at a deal, great. But IMHO, he is no where near the value he thinks he is. DTs are raking it in right now, and if average guys are getting $20m guaranteed, he for sure will command $30. W/ his injuries and 2nd half disappearing acts, no way do I believe he should get $30m guaranteed.

Thinking about this, I agree with you here. If he unwilling to move down from 30 million guarenteed then don't extend him. We can always tag him later. He needs to be reasonable understanding the injury situation he has been in over the past few yrs.

 

Peace

[bradjock]

Okay, hang on now. Briggs had little to nothing to do w/ our defense sucking this year, so I am not sure why you even made the comment.

 

I can't prove it, but I get the sense that Briggs might have somehow messed with the defensive chemistry. It's just a hunch. All I know is, no matter how many players were injured, there is no way in hell our defense should have been that bad. And christ almighty they were bad. All I know is that we hoped to keep him for one more year and make a run at the Super Bowl, and it didn't work.

 

Huh? You listed nearly the entire defense as "who is better than Briggs", and yet he was tagged. So if we tag Berrian, he is supposed to be our best offensive player?

 

Berrian would have become the highest paid player on offense. Then you have John Tait & Kreutz, and nobody else on offense is even remotely close. It's tough to pay a guy a boat-load of money who probably isn't better then Marty Booker, Devin Hester, or possibly even Brandon Lloyd.

 

Does that mean the TE in Indy is their best offensive weapon, since they tagged him?

Did you see how GB tagged some DT no one has heard of, and got Cle to give up a 2nd for him? Berrian was the best WR on the market. If we tagged him, it would not have killed interest in him. Hell, even if it did, then we remove the tag. Sorry, but Berrian would not have simply signed his tag, which means we could talk trade, then remove the tag anytime we wanted.

 

First, to your 2nd statement, I don't think Angelo would remove the tag unless a guy does something extreme to embarrass the organization. As for the first part, maybe we strike a deal, but I doubt it. Minnesota wanted him bad, and we wouldn't trade with them. It's all speculation. I might live to regret saying this, but at this point I feel we're much better off having moved on.

 

And by the way, I do not want to re-sign Harris. Maybe if he comes at a deal, great. But IMHO, he is no where near the value he thinks he is. DTs are raking it in right now, and if average guys are getting $20m guaranteed, he for sure will command $30. W/ his injuries and 2nd half disappearing acts, no way do I believe he should get $30m guaranteed.

 

Disagree. He's a gamble since he's not healthy that much, but he's arguably the best in the league when healthy. Pay the man.

[brletich]

Berrian would have become the highest paid player on offense. Then you have John Tait & Kreutz, and nobody else on offense is even remotely close. It's tough to pay a guy a boat-load of money who probably isn't better then Marty Booker, Devin Hester, or possibly even Brandon Lloyd.

 

Ok...I drink as much kool-aid as the next guy in the off season but to say that Berrian isn't better than Booker, Hester, or Lloyd would take more kool-aid than I could stomach. Is Berrian a top 10 WR? No. Should we have paid him like one? No. Is he better than anything else we have? Abso-frickin'-lutely! He was our most consistent and best WR, and him being overpaid doesn't change that. I'm not saying I wanted to franchise him either, I could have gone either way with it, but saying he isn't better than those 3 tells me I think you need to lay off the kool-aid for a few days...

[nfoligno]

I can't prove it, but I get the sense that Briggs might have somehow messed with the defensive chemistry. It's just a hunch. All I know is, no matter how many players were injured, there is no way in hell our defense should have been that bad. And christ almighty they were bad. All I know is that we hoped to keep him for one more year and make a run at the Super Bowl, and it didn't work.

 

Maybe, but in terms of chemistry, I think it was more than one player. Alex Brown was demoted, and upset w/ his contract situation. Harris began last year talking about his belief he should be among the top paid defensive players. We traded away Harris. The two guys who did get paid both suffered injuries. Point is, while Briggs may not have been a happy guy, I think there were more involved than just him.

 

As for why our D stunk, I agree it was not just injuries, but I also do not think it was so much Briggs. I have said it before, but I believe it had far more to do w/ Babich. I remember toward the end of the year hearing that Babich was going to take the reigns off Urlacher, so to speak, and allow him to free lance more outside the system. And how did he look that last month? I just believe Babich was the reason, more than contracts, chemistry or injuries, to our defense going from elite to sorry so quickly.

 

Berrian would have become the highest paid player on offense. Then you have John Tait & Kreutz, and nobody else on offense is even remotely close. It's tough to pay a guy a boat-load of money who probably isn't better then Marty Booker, Devin Hester, or possibly even Brandon Lloyd.

 

Sorry, but Berrian being the highest paid would have far more to do w/ how weak the rest of the offense is/was than Berrian himself. As for the belief Berrian is not as good as any of the WRs you listed, I just do not know what to say. I frankly do not even know how you can make that argument.

 

First, to your 2nd statement, I don't think Angelo would remove the tag unless a guy does something extreme to embarrass the organization. As for the first part, maybe we strike a deal, but I doubt it. Minnesota wanted him bad, and we wouldn't trade with them. It's all speculation. I might live to regret saying this, but at this point I feel we're much better off having moved on.

 

If he was tagged because we wanted to keep him, then no, the tag would not be removed. But that isn't what I am talking about. If you are content to let him leave, you can tag him and then see about trade offers. I don't think Minny would have given us much of anything for him, but (a) inter-division trades is far from unheard of and ( Minny was not the only team looking hard at him.

 

I would simply say this. Look at the market he generated. That is evidence how much in demand he was. I think it VERY likely a team would have offered us a pick in compensation. I think we could have gotten a 3rd for him, but let's say it was lower. So what. Isn't that better than nothing?

 

Disagree. He's a gamble since he's not healthy that much, but he's arguably the best in the league when healthy. Pay the man.

 

We simply disagree. It isn't that I want to lose him, but I do not believe he has proven himself worthly of $30m guaranteed, and if that is his demand, I take a pass. I would rather keep him this year, and tag him the following, than simply fork over the coin today. Is it really too much to ask for a 16 game season from him. Not simply in terms of playing, but playing at the pro bowl level he starts the year w/.

[Connorbear]

Maybe, but in terms of chemistry, I think it was more than one player. Alex Brown was demoted, and upset w/ his contract situation. Harris began last year talking about his belief he should be among the top paid defensive players. We traded away Harris. The two guys who did get paid both suffered injuries. Point is, while Briggs may not have been a happy guy, I think there were more involved than just him.

 

As for why our D stunk, I agree it was not just injuries, but I also do not think it was so much Briggs. I have said it before, but I believe it had far more to do w/ Babich. I remember toward the end of the year hearing that Babich was going to take the reigns off Urlacher, so to speak, and allow him to free lance more outside the system. And how did he look that last month? I just believe Babich was the reason, more than contracts, chemistry or injuries, to our defense going from elite to sorry so quickly.

Sorry, but Berrian being the highest paid would have far more to do w/ how weak the rest of the offense is/was than Berrian himself. As for the belief Berrian is not as good as any of the WRs you listed, I just do not know what to say. I frankly do not even know how you can make that argument.

If he was tagged because we wanted to keep him, then no, the tag would not be removed. But that isn't what I am talking about. If you are content to let him leave, you can tag him and then see about trade offers. I don't think Minny would have given us much of anything for him, but (a) inter-division trades is far from unheard of and ( Minny was not the only team looking hard at him.

 

I would simply say this. Look at the market he generated. That is evidence how much in demand he was. I think it VERY likely a team would have offered us a pick in compensation. I think we could have gotten a 3rd for him, but let's say it was lower. So what. Isn't that better than nothing?

We simply disagree. It isn't that I want to lose him, but I do not believe he has proven himself worthly of $30m guaranteed, and if that is his demand, I take a pass. I would rather keep him this year, and tag him the following, than simply fork over the coin today. Is it really too much to ask for a 16 game season from him. Not simply in terms of playing, but playing at the pro bowl level he starts the year w/.

Since we haven't signed any high priced FA from other teams, it is likely we will get a comp pick for Berrian.

 

Peace