Mongo3451 Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 Kevin Jones hosted a workout for NFL suitors and only four teams showed up. Just so the suspense does not kill anyone, the Bears were not in attendance. Strangely enough, the steelers were there. I found that odd after they just let go of Davenport. Here's the link. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3465537 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo3451 Posted June 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 OK, I have to answer my own post, because the more I sit here and think about it, the more it ticks me off. I really hope they reconsider bringing in another back to compete with Forte. I don't want another rookie annointed the starter on this team without legitimately earning it. Peterson or Wolfe can not push Forte. AP doesn't have the talent and, other than college, Wolfe has not shown he's an everydown back. If we wait too long, we don't get our pick. If we lose Forte, the price skyrockets. This could be the last straw in the stubborn streaks of JA and Lovie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azbearsfan Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 OK, I have to answer my own post, because the more I sit here and think about it, the more it ticks me off. I really hope they reconsider bringing in another back to compete with Forte. I don't want another rookie annointed the starter on this team without legitimately earning it. Peterson or Wolfe can not push Forte. AP doesn't have the talent and, other than college, Wolfe has not shown he's an everydown back. If we wait too long, we don't get our pick. If we lose Forte, the price skyrockets. This could be the last straw in the stubborn streaks of JA and Lovie. The only part I disagree with is that Wolfe has not shown he can't be an everydown back or that he can't share the load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongo3451 Posted June 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 name='azbearsfan' date='Jun 30 2008, 12:25 AM' post='41127'] The only part I disagree with is that Wolfe has not shown he can't be an everydown back or that he can't share the load. There is a difference between someone who has proven they can't vs one who hasn't shown they can. There is no hope for one and guarded optimism for the other. I like Wolfe, I just don't trust him with the load yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabears33 Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 The only thing I can take out of this is that Lovie and Angelo seem to really like Forte. If they have that much faith in him to not even check out the possible competition for him it definatly shows how much potential he has. I can't wait till the preseason to see how good he really is. They see a lot more than we do, so I trust their judgement, but I also want to see for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixote Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 The only thing I can take out of this is that Lovie and Angelo seem to really like Forte. If they have that much faith in him to not even check out the possible competition for him it definatly shows how much potential he has. I can't wait till the preseason to see how good he really is. They see a lot more than we do, so I trust their judgement, but I also want to see for myself. I agree that Forte must have convinced the staff he is capable of being a starter who can carry the load, 25-30 reps per game. The thing is if he gets injured, who carries the load? I am not convinced in my mind either Peterson or Wolfe can do so. That is my concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabears33 Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 That's a good point, but if he does go down, then we would have a mad scamble and pick one of those 4/5 RB's that are out there. I just think that it's not a big hurry to grab anyone. If there is an injury then we can go to the FA pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkBomber Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 This headline is deceiving when viewed from the home page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkBomber Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 I agree that Forte must have convinced the staff he is capable of being a starter who can carry the load, 25-30 reps per game. The thing is if he gets injured, who carries the load? I am not convinced in my mind either Peterson or Wolfe can do so. That is my concern. Thats not a concern, thats a fact. I think they might wait to see what happens in the preseason before bringing someone else in. We all know our coaching staff overrates AP but most of us realize his role. Hes an excellent third string back and special teams player. I know a few of you guys like Wolfe but hes a joke. He will be out of the NFL in a few years. I would be a big fan of bringing in Jones, but him only really out of the bunch. We dont need another mediocre back but Jones hasd a much bigger upside and is capable of being a good change of pace back to split carries because of the varied styles of him and Forte. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DABEARSDABOMB Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 I agree that Forte must have convinced the staff he is capable of being a starter who can carry the load, 25-30 reps per game. The thing is if he gets injured, who carries the load? I am not convinced in my mind either Peterson or Wolfe can do so. That is my concern. I'll go one farther, Peterson and Wolfe have proven they aren't capable of carrying that load and as such the Bears are making a massive mistake by not bringing in a back-up who is capable of such. Its one thing if you do it in basketball or baseball, but in the NFL, a league where injuries are plentiful it is just flat out inexcuseable to not have a solid backup at your key offensive positions (ie, QB/RB). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkBomber Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 I'll go one farther, Peterson and Wolfe have proven they aren't capable of carrying that load and as such the Bears are making a massive mistake by not bringing in a back-up who is capable of such. Its one thing if you do it in basketball or baseball, but in the NFL, a league where injuries are plentiful it is just flat out inexcuseable to not have a solid backup at your key offensive positions (ie, QB/RB). Well theres the issue we have though. The Bears wont admit those guys arent capable of carrying the load so they dont feel they need to bring someone else in. I think parting ways with Wolfe would be huge because it opens a lot of doors for us to bring in other guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ54 Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 First, just because the Bears were not in attendance at Jones' little demonstration does NOT mean they are not interested. It does NOT mean they are interested either. If they do have interest, showing up there would only hurt their bargaining position. None of us know if the Bears have told them to contact them if they get an offer and give them a chance to match. Secondly, I'm sure Jones' agent has floated around a contract/bonus he'd like to see. If they want a signing bonus (I expect he would) that's probably keeping us out of the negotiations right now. We still have a bunch of rookies to sign, and Hester and Url we like to extend contracts on. Having just cut Ced I doubt we have the room or willingness to make that committment right now. I suspect the Bears might have interest if it's more of a contract they can get out of this year but Jones won't be interested in that right now. If he sits on the shelf for a bit his asking price will come down. Third, I'm still wondering if the Bears aren't feeling as if one of the depth guys on the roster can contribute if one of the top 3 get injured. This thought doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling but the silence on their part about adding more veteran competition for camp is surprising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkBomber Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 First, just because the Bears were not in attendance at Jones' little demonstration does NOT mean they are not interested. It does NOT mean they are interested either. If they do have interest, showing up there would only hurt their bargaining position. None of us know if the Bears have told them to contact them if they get an offer and give them a chance to match. Secondly, I'm sure Jones' agent has floated around a contract/bonus he'd like to see. If they want a signing bonus (I expect he would) that's probably keeping us out of the negotiations right now. We still have a bunch of rookies to sign, and Hester and Url we like to extend contracts on. Having just cut Ced I doubt we have the room or willingness to make that committment right now. I suspect the Bears might have interest if it's more of a contract they can get out of this year but Jones won't be interested in that right now. If he sits on the shelf for a bit his asking price will come down. Third, I'm still wondering if the Bears aren't feeling as if one of the depth guys on the roster can contribute if one of the top 3 get injured. This thought doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling but the silence on their part about adding more veteran competition for camp is surprising. Didnt the Bears say publically that they arent looking to bring in any other backs yet? At least at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ54 Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Or maybe this is why weren't not interested yet: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3465537 "Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery on Jones' right knee in January and told him it would take up to 10 months to get back on the field. Jones, though, expects to go through non-contact drills during training camp with the team that signs him." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkBomber Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Or maybe this is why weren't not interested yet: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3465537 "Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery on Jones' right knee in January and told him it would take up to 10 months to get back on the field. Jones, though, expects to go through non-contact drills during training camp with the team that signs him." Thats definitely not gonna help his case at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 With regard to Wolfe, a couple comments. One. I disagree when you say he has "proven he can not carry the load". I do not think he can. I do not think he was even drafted for such a role. But I disagree w/ the statement that he has proven he can't when he has not had an opportunity to prove anything, either way. Two. If he can not carry the load, so what. Do you think he was drafted for that purpose? Does every RB on the roster have to be capable of carrying the load? Many teams have a 3rd back who is not considered capable of carrying the load, but serve a purpose just the same. I essentially agree, and have said as much plenty of time as well. Our roster lacks both depth, and a RB capable of competing w/ or pushing Forte. We have a rookie who we HOPE can be a #1, and two #3s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 Are you so sure Wolfe is the one that "should" go? IMHO, AP in many ways is the problem. To me, AP is not that different from Ayenbedajo. Stellar special teams player who simply doesn't bring that much to the table in offense/defense. Maybe AP brings a bit more in that regard than Ayen, but at the same time, Ayen was a better special teams player. I think you agree AP is not a #2 RB. So just take special teams out of the mix for a moment. If it were between he and Wolfe for the #3 role, which do you think brings more to the table. IMHO, it very well may be Wolfe, though he still has more to prove. But in Wolfe, I think you have more of what you look for from a #3 back. IMHO, AP is simply a lesser version of Forte, or what we hope Forte is at least. He is a very average runner. He is a weak blocker. As a receiver, he has solid hands, but at the same time, nothing electric after the catch. Wolfe is a prototypical speed back. He has the speed to turn the corner and break a long run. He, per the scouting reports, has excellent hands (wasn't he considered one of the best receiving RBs in the draft?) and has the speed and quickness to not only run routes, but pick up significant YAC. So IMHO, Wolfe potentially brings an added dimension to the table as a #3 RB, where as AP offers little more than depth in case your starter goes down w/ injury. But if you had an upgraded #2 RB, then you would not need your #3 RB to fill in for that role. That is why I like Wolfe as the #3 over AP. But then there is the special teams aspect. I still believe 4 RBs is the way to go, though I just do not believe the staff would ever do it. What I would do is go w/ 2 TEs and 4 RBs. Our 3rd TE is little more than a special teams specialist anyway. We have two very solid TEs who do not have a history of injury, and thus the need for added depth there is less. On the other hand, we are very unproven at RB, and the need for depth is greater. I would keep AP as a 4th RB looking at him more like the 3rd TE, as a teams specialist. I would have a 3rd TE on the practice squad just in case, but feel the need for a 4th RB is greater than the need for a 3rd TE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 But that was also the point of the workout for teams. If he shows himself healthy, or ahead of schedule, then it is a totally different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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