2009 Draft Scenarios

[jason]

Right now there are eight teams that are guaranteed to be ahead of the Bears in the draft:

Seattle, St. Louis, Detroit, KC, Oakland, Houston, Cincinnati, and Cleveland

 

There are five other teams that could arguably be ahead or behind the Bears:

SF, GB, SD, Jax, Buffalo

 

So, that means the Bears will draft between 9 and 14.

 

Players who are probably going to be off the board:

Stafford - QB

Brian Orakpo - DE

Michael Oher - OT

Andre Smith - OT

Taylor Mays -S

Eugene Monroe - OT

Ray Maualuga - LB

Michael Crabtree - WR (if he comes out)

Terrence Cody - DT (if he comes out)

Chris Wells - RB (someone is gonna do it)

 

Scenario #1 (realistic)

Unless Oher or Smith drop, I love the idea of a Oklahoma combo for the #1 and #2 picks.

1 - Duke Robinson - OG - I keep hearing Duke Robinson described as a road-grader, and that's exactly what the Bears need. Maybe then Turner's favorite FB Dive play would work.

2 - Phil Loadholt - OT - The Bears brought back Fred Miller for goodness sakes. He starts opposite of Williams, whichever way that works out.

 

Scenario #2 (joking)

The Bears go for the all-Islander draft...those guys always seem to play with fire.

1 - Rey Maualuga, ILB, USC

2 - Fili Moala, DE/DT, USC

3 - Fenuki Tupou, OT, Oregon

 

Scenario #3 (interesting possibility)

Matthew Stafford (GA), Colt McCoy (TEX) , Tim Tebow (FLA) , and Sam Bradford (OK) all enter the draft. Suppose Detroit does something smart for a change and grabs one (Stafford). Other teams who might grab one: KC, SF, PHI, MIA...what do the Bears do if one of those guys falls to them?

[flea]

Personally I want a WR seeing as we have NONE

[Connorbear]

So, that means the Bears will draft between 9 and 14.

So, you're assuming we don't win any more games this yr. Please don't be so positive.

 

Peace

[Iguana]

I want Duke!

[ChileBear]

Personally I want a WR seeing as we have NONE

Not in the firt round, please. No oline=no passes. It all starts up front.

[artbest]

The Bears have too many acute needs to address exclusively via the draft. Jerry Angelo has to supplement the draft with key FA acquisitions. The most pressing needs for the Bears, IMHO, include:

 

1. Wide Receiver. The group he put on the field in 2008 is one of the worst we'll ever see. Angelo needs to fix this - a combination of the draft and FA seems warranted here not unlike what he tried to do in 2005 (Moose and Bradley).

 

2. Offensive line. Don't look for Angelo to spend a 1st round pick here - he may look for a FA guard and perhaps take a right tackle in the first 4 rounds. Few GM's in recent memory are as shortsighted and wrong-headed about the importance of building a strong offensive line.

 

3. Defensive line. The Bears have a desperate need for a pass rushing LDE. They also need a nose tackle to potentially replace Dusty Dvoracek, who should be ushered out of town following his latest injury. Marcus Harrison seems better suited to be a 3-technique ala Tommie Harris, but he should be tried at the nos as well. Look for Angelo to draft 2+ defensive linemen next April.

 

4. Safety. Other than Chris Harris, whom he unwisely jettisoned, Angelo has not been able to draft safeties - but he continues to try. Danneal Manning is a bust as a free safety, Kevin Payne can't cover a bed whether he's playing FS or SS and we don't know a thing yet about Steltz. This remains a need.

 

5. Cornerback. Vasher may be done. Graham shows promise. Bowman should, arguably, have made the team over the game but small and slow Trumaine McBride. He is, however, injury-prone. Tillman is having a poor year and may be better suited to FS at this point in his career.

 

6. Quarterback? So much depends on Orton's performance in the last 4 games of the season. If he continues to embarass himself the way he did last night, the Bears will have to find bona-fide competition for him. If he rediscovers his accuracy and decision making in the next 4 weeks, the Bears more likely be looking to find 'another Orton' - i.e. a QB who previously had a high rating but who fell into rounds 4-6 or so. With Grossman being shown the door at season's end, the Bears will add a QB - whether it will be a serious addition or simply another body holding a clipboard will be determined by Orton's play over the last 4 games of 2008.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

I honestly can't type the great things I have to say about Mays. He is similar to Urlacher as Mays isn't a great fundamental S and Urlacher isn't a great fundamental LB, but both guys are super quick and both can hit hard.

[flea]

Tebow, we need a FB

[DaBearSox]

Please no Tebow....

 

Not another Florida QB....

 

Shane Matthews counts too...I am talking bout the state here

[jason]

The Bears have too many acute needs to address exclusively via the draft. Jerry Angelo has to supplement the draft with key FA acquisitions. The most pressing needs for the Bears, IMHO, include:

 

1. Wide Receiver. The group he put on the field in 2008 is one of the worst we'll ever see. Angelo needs to fix this - a combination of the draft and FA seems warranted here not unlike what he tried to do in 2005 (Moose and Bradley).

 

Here are the problems I have with that:

1) What about Bennett? He never sees the field. He may already be the stud the Bears need. I know I saw more than a few of his games at Vandy, and the dude looked like a beast. (i.e. coaching)

2) MuhMuh, Berrian, Wade, Gage, Bradley - All seem to do fairly well elsewhere. Perhaps it's not a WR we need; perhaps it's what is around the WR that we need. (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

3) Devin Hester appears to have the talent to get open; it's plainly obvious that no person in the NFL can really stay with him when he's cutting and juking in one-on-one coverage, but for some reason he's rarely on the field. And when he's on the field he's rarely open. (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

4) Rashied Davis is a very competent possession WR. And that's all the Bears need from him. He just rarely seems to be getting the ball while finding the gaps in the zone that every other team seems to find against the Bears (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

5) On a purely athletic-based concept, there is no reason Greg Olsen doesn't get five catches per game. (i.e. coaching)

 

Why draft a WR when there are so many unknowns otherwise? Until the Bears get a new set of coaches - or at least a competent offensive mind - and a combination of OL/QB that can deliver the ball, getting a WR seems like a waste, IMHO. What's the point of getting the talent if it won't be used? Seems to me this offense is better suited with fixing the OL, which will allow #3-#5 a higher chance of success.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Everyone-

 

Watch the Big12 title game Saturday. Check out #72 (Robinson) for OU. You'll like what you see throughout the game.

[AZ54]

How many times must we see this team fail at 3rd and short or 4th and short because we cannot run when we must run? This has been a constant problem for the offense all season long. I know we need WRs but bite the bullet and draft the Oline talent we need. Then everyone else will appear to be a better player, including Matt Forte who already looks pretty good.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

How many times must we see this team fail at 3rd and short or 4th and short because we cannot run when we must run? This has been a constant problem for the offense all season long. I know we need WRs but bite the bullet and draft the Oline talent we need. Then everyone else will appear to be a better player, including Matt Forte who already looks pretty good.

Amen. I'm not sure- to me, Williams seems like a bust. He's very athletic but I'm not sure- he looks like he's gentle almost, like a big teddy bear. He has injury problems.

 

In my mind, we must draft an OG in the first 2 rounds and an OT in the first 4.

[BearSox]

Give me the Duke. Also, from watching our games this year, FS is as big of a need as either WR or DE, IMO.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

Right now there are eight teams that are guaranteed to be ahead of the Bears in the draft:

Seattle, St. Louis, Detroit, KC, Oakland, Houston, Cincinnati, and Cleveland

 

There are five other teams that could arguably be ahead or behind the Bears:

SF, GB, SD, Jax, Buffalo

 

So, that means the Bears will draft between 9 and 14.

 

I guess we will picking 12th

 

1-12 Brian Orakpo DE Texas - Drafting at 12 left the Bears in position to take BPA w/ need. 3 OT's are already taken along with Mays at S and Maualuga at LB, so the Bears grab the top DE off the chart. Orakpo uses his strength to bull rush OT's to create pressure on QB's, thats something the Bears didn't see much of in 2008.

 

2-44 Herman Johnson OG LSU - The Bears tried multiple times to pound the ball up the middle to either cross the goal line or get a first down and have failed miserably. It almost seems like they've set a record for failed attempts. In order to increase that success rate, the Bears need to get bigger in the middle and Johnson will help in that area.

 

3-76 Phil Loadholdt OT OK - " see above "

 

3-97comp Curtis Taylor FS LSU - With the compensation for losing Berrian, the Bears get basically a 4th RD pick that they use on Steltz's old team mate Curtis Taylor.

 

4-108 Michael Jones WR Arz St. at 6-4 205, Jones will give the Bears a big target to work in at WR. Right now, Rideau is the tallest WR at 6-3 and everyone else on the roster is 6-0 and under.

 

5-140 Curtis Painter QB Pur - Even though Painter was benched, so was Kyle Orton. The Bears hope the two Purdue alum can develop into the Bob Griese mold and lead the Bears to a Superbowl victory.

 

6-182 Jasper Brinkley ILB S. Car - Brinkley suffered a nasty injury and missed the 2007 season. At 6-2 275, he has plenty of size to hold down the middle and his 40 time is about 4.6 - 4.75 pretty close to Briggs.

 

7-214 BPA

[nfoligno]

1) What about Bennett? He never sees the field. He may already be the stud the Bears need. I know I saw more than a few of his games at Vandy, and the dude looked like a beast. (i.e. coaching)

 

Hey, I saw Chester Adams at Georgia, and he at times looked like a beast. Even more. I saw Barton at Ohio, and he looked like a hell of a lot more than a 7th rounder. Maybe we shouldn't draft OL? As you know me well enough, you know I am being sarcastic. The point is not that we don't need OL. The point is I don't think you can look at some rookie who hasn't played and think he is the answer. Many, myself included, thought Dusty would be solid, but what have we seen? Just because you saw Bennett in a couple games in college doesn't mean he is the answer, nor does it mean we should count on him.

 

2) MuhMuh, Berrian, Wade, Gage, Bradley - All seem to do fairly well elsewhere. Perhaps it's not a WR we need; perhaps it's what is around the WR that we need. (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

 

First, I would argue Berrian did as well, or better, here than in Minny and is not really a factor in your argument. Moose? Sure. Part of it was a crappy OL, QB and RB, but lets be honest. Even now, he isn't exactly great. He looks better than w/ us, but far from great. Wade? Is he really that much more today than he was w/ us 3 years ago? Gage? As I recall, part of the issue was injuries, and guess what. He has injuries again.

 

Have some of our WRs gone on to look better w/ other teams than w/ us? Sure. And your point is? We had Rex Grossman, Benson and no OL. Is that a surprise? But Orton is an upgrade from Rex and Forte an upgrade from Benson. You watched the game, right? Orton was hitting our WRs in the hands, and they were dropping the ball. That's the fault of coaches? OL? QB? At some point, can we point the finger at the receivers?

 

3) Devin Hester appears to have the talent to get open; it's plainly obvious that no person in the NFL can really stay with him when he's cutting and juking in one-on-one coverage, but for some reason he's rarely on the field. And when he's on the field he's rarely open. (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

 

I'm sorry, but Hester has sure not seemed the great WR you seem to want to make him out. I have watched CBs blanket him FAR more often than I would have expected this year. The hester you describe is the Hester who returned kicks last year. Not the Hester we have seen at WR this year. And as for saying he is "rarely on the field"? Are you kidding me? While I am not sure if he is a starter or not, I will say he seems like he is on the field as much as any other WR on our team.

 

The Hester I have seen runs very sloppy routes. He has not shown the speed or burst I have seen in the past. I believe I have seen him run the wrong route, and other times simply stop his route or slow down. Oh yea. And how about the drops. While I am FAR from writting him off, lets not pretend he has shown the signs of a stud being held back. While there may be times I agree surrounding talent hinders other talent, I am simply not sure Hester can say the same.

 

4) Rashied Davis is a very competent possession WR. And that's all the Bears need from him. He just rarely seems to be getting the ball while finding the gaps in the zone that every other team seems to find against the Bears (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

 

Really. Seems like Orton has found him in the gap plenty of times, and Davis has decided to not make the catch. Come on. You damn near blow your argument when you try to make out like Davis is a "very competent WR".

 

5) On a purely athletic-based concept, there is no reason Greg Olsen doesn't get five catches per game. (i.e. coaching)

 

Okay. I can go along w/ this one.

 

Why draft a WR when there are so many unknowns otherwise? Until the Bears get a new set of coaches - or at least a competent offensive mind - and a combination of OL/QB that can deliver the ball, getting a WR seems like a waste, IMHO. What's the point of getting the talent if it won't be used? Seems to me this offense is better suited with fixing the OL, which will allow #3-#5 a higher chance of success.

 

One. There are always unknowns. Rarely do you have an ideal situation. Just because you don't have the ideal QB and OL doesn't mean you ignore WRs.

 

Two. Hey, I want new coaches too, but doesn't that mean we simply quit until that happens? Do you believe our current staff does a good job developing QBs? Assuming the answer is no, I guess that means we should not draft a QB as he would go to waste? Hell, w/ my opinion of the staff, I guess that means we shouldn't draft any positions.

 

Three. I agree w/ fixing the OL, but please stop pretending our WRs are good otherwise. Why can we not fix the OL and WRs at the same time? Both suck and both need to be fixed.

 

Four. Final point to think about. Before the draft, you and I screamed we should not draft a RB as he would go to waste behind our OL and in our system. Well, I have to say, it sure looks like we were wrong. I still believe we need to build the OL, but that doesn't mean we do it to the exclusion of the rest of our team. Improving the OL will improve our WRs. Sure? But IMHO, they may improve to no more than mediocre. The reality is, our WR corp simply is not good. We can improve all the rest of the part, but then we will still need to improve the WR corp.

 

You and I have always seen eye-to-eye w/ regard to the OL. I still feel fixing the OL is priority #1, and goes beyond just adding one player. At the same time, this season has really shown me just how mediocre our WRs are. It is simply amazing how sloppy the routes can be run, and how many drops our WRs can have.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

The Chiefs have 6 or so sacks on the year. I think Orakpo will go to them, and if not, Houston, Green Bay, and San Diego could all use a DE.

 

I wouldn't mind Michael Johnson at 12. Also, 12 could mean we could still be in contention for Mays unless Al Davis goes "Fastest Player Available" like the prick always does and we miss out on him.

[jason]

I guess we will picking 12th

 

1-12 Brian Orakpo DE Texas - Drafting at 12 left the Bears in position to take BPA w/ need. 3 OT's are already taken along with Mays at S and Maualuga at LB, so the Bears grab the top DE off the chart. Orakpo uses his strength to bull rush OT's to create pressure on QB's, thats something the Bears didn't see much of in 2008.

 

2-44 Herman Johnson OG LSU - The Bears tried multiple times to pound the ball up the middle to either cross the goal line or get a first down and have failed miserably. It almost seems like they've set a record for failed attempts. In order to increase that success rate, the Bears need to get bigger in the middle and Johnson will help in that area.

 

3-76 Phil Loadholdt OT OK - " see above "

 

3-97comp Curtis Taylor FS LSU - With the compensation for losing Berrian, the Bears get basically a 4th RD pick that they use on Steltz's old team mate Curtis Taylor.

 

4-108 Michael Jones WR Arz St. at 6-4 205, Jones will give the Bears a big target to work in at WR. Right now, Rideau is the tallest WR at 6-3 and everyone else on the roster is 6-0 and under.

 

5-140 Curtis Painter QB Pur - Even though Painter was benched, so was Kyle Orton. The Bears hope the two Purdue alum can develop into the Bob Griese mold and lead the Bears to a Superbowl victory.

 

6-182 Jasper Brinkley ILB S. Car - Brinkley suffered a nasty injury and missed the 2007 season. At 6-2 275, he has plenty of size to hold down the middle and his 40 time is about 4.6 - 4.75 pretty close to Briggs.

 

7-214 BPA

 

If the draft went this way, I don't think anyone could complain. And if the first three rounds fall like that, it means the football gods like the Bears and feel the Bears' fans have suffered enough.

[Iguana]

Amen. I'm not sure- to me, Williams seems like a bust. He's very athletic but I'm not sure- he looks like he's gentle almost, like a big teddy bear. He has injury problems.

 

In my mind, we must draft an OG in the first 2 rounds and an OT in the first 4.

 

I'm not sure how you can tell Williams is a bust when he's not even playing. Let the guy actually play before calling him a bust.

[jason]

1) What about Bennett? He never sees the field. He may already be the stud the Bears need. I know I saw more than a few of his games at Vandy, and the dude looked like a beast. (i.e. coaching)

 

Hey, I saw Chester Adams at Georgia, and he at times looked like a beast. Even more. I saw Barton at Ohio, and he looked like a hell of a lot more than a 7th rounder. Maybe we shouldn't draft OL? As you know me well enough, you know I am being sarcastic. The point is not that we don't need OL. The point is I don't think you can look at some rookie who hasn't played and think he is the answer. Many, myself included, thought Dusty would be solid, but what have we seen? Just because you saw Bennett in a couple games in college doesn't mean he is the answer, nor does it mean we should count on him.

 

True, college talent doesn't always turn into pro talent. However, if the WRs are as bad as so many think they are, then there is no reason Bennett isn't seeing playing time. He'd have to be damn-near braindead or have a serious injury to not get on the field. Unless of course the coaches...

 

2) MuhMuh, Berrian, Wade, Gage, Bradley - All seem to do fairly well elsewhere. Perhaps it's not a WR we need; perhaps it's what is around the WR that we need. (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

 

First, I would argue Berrian did as well, or better, here than in Minny and is not really a factor in your argument. Moose? Sure. Part of it was a crappy OL, QB and RB, but lets be honest. Even now, he isn't exactly great. He looks better than w/ us, but far from great. Wade? Is he really that much more today than he was w/ us 3 years ago? Gage? As I recall, part of the issue was injuries, and guess what. He has injuries again.

 

Have some of our WRs gone on to look better w/ other teams than w/ us? Sure. And your point is? We had Rex Grossman, Benson and no OL. Is that a surprise? But Orton is an upgrade from Rex and Forte an upgrade from Benson. You watched the game, right? Orton was hitting our WRs in the hands, and they were dropping the ball. That's the fault of coaches? OL? QB? At some point, can we point the finger at the receivers?

 

The common component to the previous problems and the current situation is a bad OL. Perhaps Rex and Benson wouldn't have been so bad behind a stellar OL? True, Orton > Rex, and Forte > Benson. But, once again, perhaps the inadequacies of the OL displayed the faults of the previous two a little more? Who's to say that an OL with a different set of faults wouldn't display Forte's faults, but would accentuate Benson's positives?

 

3) Devin Hester appears to have the talent to get open; it's plainly obvious that no person in the NFL can really stay with him when he's cutting and juking in one-on-one coverage, but for some reason he's rarely on the field. And when he's on the field he's rarely open. (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

 

I'm sorry, but Hester has sure not seemed the great WR you seem to want to make him out. I have watched CBs blanket him FAR more often than I would have expected this year. The hester you describe is the Hester who returned kicks last year. Not the Hester we have seen at WR this year. And as for saying he is "rarely on the field"? Are you kidding me? While I am not sure if he is a starter or not, I will say he seems like he is on the field as much as any other WR on our team.

 

The Hester I have seen runs very sloppy routes. He has not shown the speed or burst I have seen in the past. I believe I have seen him run the wrong route, and other times simply stop his route or slow down. Oh yea. And how about the drops. While I am FAR from writting him off, lets not pretend he has shown the signs of a stud being held back. While there may be times I agree surrounding talent hinders other talent, I am simply not sure Hester can say the same.

 

You misunderstood me. Hester is not a great WR, and I see the same faults you do. However, we all know his combination of speed, strength, dexterity, pure athleticism, and SPEED is probably a combination that no other player in the NFL possesses (with the exception of maybe the Viking's version of AP). The problem here, once again, is coaching.

 

4) Rashied Davis is a very competent possession WR. And that's all the Bears need from him. He just rarely seems to be getting the ball while finding the gaps in the zone that every other team seems to find against the Bears (i.e. coaching, OL, QB)

 

Really. Seems like Orton has found him in the gap plenty of times, and Davis has decided to not make the catch. Come on. You damn near blow your argument when you try to make out like Davis is a "very competent WR".

 

We'll just disagree here. The guy has looked solid for more than one year. This has been a down year for him.

 

5) On a purely athletic-based concept, there is no reason Greg Olsen doesn't get five catches per game. (i.e. coaching)

 

Okay. I can go along w/ this one.

 

GOOD!

 

 

Why draft a WR when there are so many unknowns otherwise? Until the Bears get a new set of coaches - or at least a competent offensive mind - and a combination of OL/QB that can deliver the ball, getting a WR seems like a waste, IMHO. What's the point of getting the talent if it won't be used? Seems to me this offense is better suited with fixing the OL, which will allow #3-#5 a higher chance of success.

 

One. There are always unknowns. Rarely do you have an ideal situation. Just because you don't have the ideal QB and OL doesn't mean you ignore WRs.

I don't want to ignore WRs. That was never my point. I just don't like the idea of a 1st Rd. WR.

 

Two. Hey, I want new coaches too, but doesn't that mean we simply quit until that happens? Do you believe our current staff does a good job developing QBs? Assuming the answer is no, I guess that means we should not draft a QB as he would go to waste? Hell, w/ my opinion of the staff, I guess that means we shouldn't draft any positions.

Completely in agreement with your sentiments here.

 

Three. I agree w/ fixing the OL, but please stop pretending our WRs are good otherwise. Why can we not fix the OL and WRs at the same time? Both suck and both need to be fixed.

We can fix both, but I believe the OL fixes will make the WRs we have much better. I don't believe the reverse is true to nearly the same extent.

 

Four. Final point to think about. Before the draft, you and I screamed we should not draft a RB as he would go to waste behind our OL and in our system. Well, I have to say, it sure looks like we were wrong. I still believe we need to build the OL, but that doesn't mean we do it to the exclusion of the rest of our team. Improving the OL will improve our WRs. Sure? But IMHO, they may improve to no more than mediocre. The reality is, our WR corp simply is not good. We can improve all the rest of the part, but then we will still need to improve the WR corp.

I don't think it means we were wrong. I think it is more a testament of how darn good Forte is, because the OL still sucks. The Bears definitely don't need a RB now, but if they drafted one and he turned out to be the next Barry Sanders, we still wouldn't be wrong about the priorities of the team being confused.

 

You and I have always seen eye-to-eye w/ regard to the OL. I still feel fixing the OL is priority #1, and goes beyond just adding one player. At the same time, this season has really shown me just how mediocre our WRs are. It is simply amazing how sloppy the routes can be run, and how many drops our WRs can have.

Sloppy route running is for the most part on the coaches...drops are obviously on the players.

[nfoligno]

I would complain, for three reasons.

 

One. I do not want to draft defense in the 1st round. Yes, I have seen our D play this year, but still believe the issue is far more coaching than personnel. We have invested so much (money and picks) on our defense, I believe it is about time we began to invest in our offense.

 

Two. I do not know whether Orton is our QB of the future, whether we intend to draft one, sign one or trade for one. What I do know is that if we enter next year w/ our OL so weak and WRs who belong on special teams more than offense, it likely won't matter. We drafted a RB who looks like he may be special. How about we help him out, and whoever the QB will be, and start to build the offense.

 

Three. I do not want anyone from the University of Texas. I watch most Texas games. I went to college about 20 minutes from there, and cheered for them starting nearly two decades ago. I think Mack has done a great job recruiting, and built one hell of a college program. But as much as I believe all this, at the same time I also believe Texas does VERY little to develop their football players off-field. Very little is done to mold boys into men.

 

This may not hold true across the board, but I think it most seems to hold true w/ players who are stars while at Texas.

 

I am not just talking about the sort of off-field issues that deal w/ the police, but character issues. Too often you read about these guys having a lack of motivation or work ethic. Being lazy and/or sloppy in their practice habbits. To me, it is like they were stars in college, and thus believe stardom is a God given right, as opposed to something you must work hard at. Some example:

 

Vince Young - Do I really need to say anything here?

Michael Huff - I have not heard too much, but I could swear I recall reading articles questioning his work habits at Oakland.

Benson - See Vince Young.

Derrick Johnson - Exception to the rule.

Roy Williams - Prima Dona WR who was considered a locker room cancer and shipped out of town.

Mike Willaims - Lazy OT who didn't put in the work to develop in the NFL.

Quinten Jammer - I think he finally became a good CB, but not until he grew up, which took a while.

Leanord Davis - Supposed to be an Orlando Pace tier LT, and was eventually moved inside, and there were plenty of reports questioning his work habits.

Ricky Williams - See Benson.

 

There are players from Texas who I would take, but the "stars" rarely seem to make it in the NFL, whether due to over-rated talent or due to character flaws. I think I would prefer to simply take a pass.

[nfoligno]

True, college talent doesn't always turn into pro talent. However, if the WRs are as bad as so many think they are, then there is no reason Bennett isn't seeing playing time. He'd have to be damn-near braindead or have a serious injury to not get on the field. Unless of course the coaches...

 

As bad as players in front of him may be, that doesn't mean he automatically should be in. How do we know how he looks in practice? If he is struggling to learn plays, or runs poor routes, or drops the ball in practice (as I too often saw in camp) then while the WRs in front of him may not be that good, it doesn't mean he is automatically a better option.

 

The common component to the previous problems and the current situation is a bad OL. Perhaps Rex and Benson wouldn't have been so bad behind a stellar OL? True, Orton > Rex, and Forte > Benson. But, once again, perhaps the inadequacies of the OL displayed the faults of the previous two a little more? Who's to say that an OL with a different set of faults wouldn't display Forte's faults, but would accentuate Benson's positives?

 

I would argue that two years ago, we had a damn solid OL. Individual talent may not have been great, but as a unit, they played very well. In that year, the year we went to the SB, Rex started out strong, but then showed his true colors. And Benson? Even behind that OL, w/ TJ running so well, did he ever look great. Maybe for a play here and there, but you never saw the consistency we saw from TJ.

 

And you didn't seem to touch on the main point. How many drops have we seen from our WRs? When the ball bounces off the WRs hands, how can the QB or OL be blamed?

 

You misunderstood me. Hester is not a great WR, and I see the same faults you do. However, we all know his combination of speed, strength, dexterity, pure athleticism, and SPEED is probably a combination that no other player in the NFL possesses (with the exception of maybe the Viking's version of AP). The problem here, once again, is coaching.

 

Don't get me wrong. I think you know well I am not a fan of our coaches. At the same time, that doesn't mean every player is coachable. Miami tried Hester at WR, but he failed to develop there. We have tried it, and we are seeing many of the same things we read about him struggling w/ at Miami. He may have all the athleticism in the world, but that does not mean he can become a WR. Personally, I think he can become a good, or even great, slot WR. But I simply question whether he will ever become a consistent enough WR that he should be considered a starter, and further, question whether he could ever be a #1 WR. I know you say you are not calling him a great WR, but that is sort of the point. When I look around the league, and look at the better or best offenses, most have a legit #1 WR. I struggle to find a great #2, much less a #1 on our team.

 

We'll just disagree here. The guy has looked solid for more than one year. This has been a down year for him.

 

I just don't understand how you come to this conclusion. In his previous 2 seasons as a WR, he had 17 and 22 catches. When was he ever solid?

 

GOOD!

 

This is in regard to our agreeing about Olsen. At the same time, should our TE be our best weapon, and by a long shot? Few teams in the league get by w/ a solid TE and weak compliment WRs.

 

I don't want to ignore WRs. That was never my point. I just don't like the idea of a 1st Rd. WR.

 

It has never been my focus either, but:

 

One. In the past, I felt a stud WR would go to waste in our system. I am not so sure anymore. As bad as our OL is, I think Orton does a good job (usually) of making them look better. Further, I think if he had a legit weapon at WR, things could really go up.

 

Two. I look around the league and see what upper tier WRs can do, and how they can help average QBs, and just salivate at what a stud WR could do for Orton.

 

Three. While there are plenty of 1st round busts at WR, if you look at the top WRs in the league, the majority were 1st round picks, and most of the rest were 2nd round picks. Few WRs drafted after the 2nd round have become elite.

 

While I am not saying we have to take a WR in the 1st, my key argument is that WR should be #2 after the OL. If we are not going to draft OL in the 1st, WR would be at or near the top of my list. I would still prefer OL in the 1st, and then maybe a WR in the 2nd, but if there is a stud WR in the 1st, or we are simply not going to draft an OL in the 1st, I am not sure any position would help this team more than WR.

 

We can fix both, but I believe the OL fixes will make the WRs we have much better. I don't believe the reverse is true to nearly the same extent.

 

By and large, we still agree here. If you can develop an elite OL, everything else looks good. But again, what if OL is not the 1st pick? IMHO, getting stud WR would benefit our team more than any other, non-OL, position. Further, I look at this year. I think you would agree we do not have a good OL. Even w/ that, IMHO, if we had an upper tier WR, our offense would really be capable of taking off. In this last game, how many drops did we have. How often were our WRs simply unable to get open. If you throw in a stud WR, how much better might Orton have looked?

 

We simply do not have a go-to WR. One who gets open and can be relied on to run their route and catch the damn ball. Even w/ our OL, if we had that, I believe our passing game could really take off. Further, how much would our other receivers benefit from having a stud WR lining up on the other side. Our WRs are so poor, that I often have seen defenses matching up DBs and double coverage on our TEs. That is sad.

 

I don't think it means we were wrong. I think it is more a testament of how darn good Forte is, because the OL still sucks. The Bears definitely don't need a RB now, but if they drafted one and he turned out to be the next Barry Sanders, we still wouldn't be wrong about the priorities of the team being confused.

 

The point is though, we argued that we could draft a pro bowl caliber RB, and he would still bomb behind our OL. But, the reality is, a good RB can in fact help make the OL look better. I would further argue Orton (minus the Minny game) has done the same. Often this year I have heard people say our OL is better than expected. IMHO, that is more a matter of Orton and Forte making them look better than they are. Further, if you were to add a stud WR to the mix, I think our OL would simply look that much better.

 

Again, this is not to say we should ignore OL. That is still my #1 priority. Heck, my #1 and #2 priority. But at the same time, I no longer believe that improving our OL is enough. I simply now believe that, even if we build a great OL, we will still have very mediocre WRs.

 

Sloppy route running is for the most part on the coaches...drops are obviously on the players.

 

No question I question our coaching. At the same time, I also believe a coach can only do so much. You can coach a player day and night how to run routes, but it is still up to the individual to execute. You can coach a player how to best gain separation, but ultimately, it is on the player to get off the line and get open. You can throw a thousand balls at a player during the week, but he still has to catch the damn ball on game day. I look at our WRs, and simply see very little for the coaches to work w/. Davis and Hester are our starting WRs, and IMHO, neither are better than slot WRs.

 

Many of our coaches, I am happy to blast, but I most blast coaches (position) who fail to develop solid talent. I look at our DL, and see plenty of talent. So when they fail to perform, I can easily rip the coaches. At WR though, I simply do not think we have very good talent. I still am fine blasting the coach, but the reality is, I don't think a coach has a lot to work w/ at WR.

[flea]

Jason not gonna quote all again, but you say Hester has size, speed strength etc. But does he have the mentality more than once I've seen him drop to the turf instead of taking on a DB

[BearSox]

I would complain, for three reasons.

 

One. I do not want to draft defense in the 1st round. Yes, I have seen our D play this year, but still believe the issue is far more coaching than personnel. We have invested so much (money and picks) on our defense, I believe it is about time we began to invest in our offense.

 

Two. I do not know whether Orton is our QB of the future, whether we intend to draft one, sign one or trade for one. What I do know is that if we enter next year w/ our OL so weak and WRs who belong on special teams more than offense, it likely won't matter. We drafted a RB who looks like he may be special. How about we help him out, and whoever the QB will be, and start to build the offense.

 

Three. I do not want anyone from the University of Texas. I watch most Texas games. I went to college about 20 minutes from there, and cheered for them starting nearly two decades ago. I think Mack has done a great job recruiting, and built one hell of a college program. But as much as I believe all this, at the same time I also believe Texas does VERY little to develop their football players off-field. Very little is done to mold boys into men.

 

This may not hold true across the board, but I think it most seems to hold true w/ players who are stars while at Texas.

 

I am not just talking about the sort of off-field issues that deal w/ the police, but character issues. Too often you read about these guys having a lack of motivation or work ethic. Being lazy and/or sloppy in their practice habbits. To me, it is like they were stars in college, and thus believe stardom is a God given right, as opposed to something you must work hard at. Some example:

 

Vince Young - Do I really need to say anything here?

Michael Huff - I have not heard too much, but I could swear I recall reading articles questioning his work habits at Oakland.

Benson - See Vince Young.

Derrick Johnson - Exception to the rule.

Roy Williams - Prima Dona WR who was considered a locker room cancer and shipped out of town.

Mike Willaims - Lazy OT who didn't put in the work to develop in the NFL.

Quinten Jammer - I think he finally became a good CB, but not until he grew up, which took a while.

Leanord Davis - Supposed to be an Orlando Pace tier LT, and was eventually moved inside, and there were plenty of reports questioning his work habits.

Ricky Williams - See Benson.

 

There are players from Texas who I would take, but the "stars" rarely seem to make it in the NFL, whether due to over-rated talent or due to character flaws. I think I would prefer to simply take a pass.

I really don't care about any of that stuff. If we have the chance to get Brian Orakpo, you pull the trigger. I am with you on offense first, but Orakpo is a great football player. He has a tremendous work ethic and is simply a stud in the weight room. And unlike a lot of workout warriors, Orakpo is also an excellent football players and just shows such good ability on the field. We won't be picking in the top 5 where Orakpo will likely go, but if he for some reason fell to us, I don't care what school he went to, you better pull the damn trigger.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I really don't care about any of that stuff. If we have the chance to get Brian Orakpo, you pull the trigger. I am with you on offense first, but Orakpo is a great football player. He has a tremendous work ethic and is simply a stud in the weight room. And unlike a lot of workout warriors, Orakpo is also an excellent football players and just shows such good ability on the field. We won't be picking in the top 5 where Orakpo will likely go, but if he for some reason fell to us, I don't care what school he went to, you better pull the damn trigger.

 

Below is were the "experts" have Orakpo going so far, also included Bears pick:

. drafttek.com #6 to Oak (Bears select #14 Greg Hardy DE ---> Sam Brafford and Taylor Mays go right after)

. walterfootball.com (1) #2 KC (Bears select #19 Everette Brown DE)

. walterfootball.com (2) #12 GB (Bears select #19 Greg Hardy DE)

. fantasyfootballjungle.com #3 Cin (Bears select #17 Colt McCoy QB -->Author thinks Orton is FA)

. huddlegeeks.com #13 GB (Bears select #20 Brian Cushing OLB)

. thehuddlereport.com #12 Buf (Bears select Eugene Monroe OT)

. nfldraftsource.com #12 GB (Bears select #17 Darius Heyward-Bey WR)

. footballsfuture.com #7 Oak (Bears select 19 Jeremy Maclin WR)

 

As the Texas hype builds, so will Orakpo. He is going anywhere from 2-13 and has been climbing recently.