Other NFC North Teams upgrading at WR

[bradjock]

PFT just announced the Detroit Lions signed Bryant Johnson for 3 years 9 million. Yesterday, David Haugh reported Johnson was a guy the Bears might be interested in. So he's off the board.

 

T.J. Housh is flying to Minnesota today or tomorrow to talk with them. How damn good will that offense be if they can sign him?

 

Meanwhile the Bears, who have the worst group of receivers in the NFC North (or possibly in the league for that matter) don't appear to be interested in bringing anyone in.

 

In Angelo's defense, getting rid of Engram helped pave the way for Booker. And in 2006, I was screaming for the Bears to sign a #2 WR, and not doing so helped open up the door for Bernard Berrian to shine. So it is possible that 2009 will be Earl Bennett's year. Yet at the same time, you really can't make the comparison since Booker and Berrian were both entering their 3rd seasons in the NFL, and both had shown flashes of brialliance previously. Although Bennett did look fine on special teams this year, and he might have caught the one pass Orton threw his way if it hadn't been 5 feet over his head.

 

Either way, with only 3 viable WR options on the roster, (Bennett, Hester, & Davis) it's pretty damn important we sign a veteran to add to the mix, even if we plan on drafting a guy in the first round.

 

It's always tough to be patient this time of year . . .

[BearSox]

I don't see us targeting WR early as they take time to develop. I was really hoping for Bryant Johnson, but a guy similar who I wouldn't mind bringing in is Mark Clayton. I think he could potentially be the no. 2 opposite Hester.

 

Also, I would not be surprised to see us trade a 4th, maybe a 3rd, for Torry Holy.

[jason]

The more I think about it, I'm not sure it matters who the Bears sign or draft at WR.

 

The guys they sign will have to fight for minutes with people who don't deserve minutes.

The guys they draft will sit on the bench behind the guys fighting for minutes, and the guys who don't deserve minutes.

[bradjock]

The more I think about it, I'm not sure it matters who the Bears sign or draft at WR.

 

The guys they sign will have to fight for minutes with people who don't deserve minutes.

The guys they draft will sit on the bench behind the guys fighting for minutes, and the guys who don't deserve minutes.

 

Basically you're saying that whoever we add at WR will suck, which is perfectly understandable, especially after seeing what Marty Booker didn't do for us this past season. But I do have to wonder, how much of his crapiness had to do with the fact he was hampered by injuries most of the season?

 

Either way, as of right now, we're apparantly planning to start Earll Bennett. Does he deserve minutes?

 

Michael Jenkins from Atlanta caught for 772 yards last season. He's 26 years old and is a former first round pick. You wouldn't love to see a guy like that added to the Bear's roster?

[Wesson44]

I don't see us targeting WR early as they take time to develop. I was really hoping for Bryant Johnson, but a guy similar who I wouldn't mind bringing in is Mark Clayton. I think he could potentially be the no. 2 opposite Hester.

 

Also, I would not be surprised to see us trade a 4th, maybe a 3rd, for Torry Holy.

 

It won't be Clayton he re-signed with the Bucs

[jason]

Basically you're saying that whoever we add at WR will suck, which is perfectly understandable, especially after seeing what Marty Booker didn't do for us this past season. But I do have to wonder, how much of his crapiness had to do with the fact he was hampered by injuries most of the season?

 

Either way, as of right now, we're apparantly planning to start Earll Bennett. Does he deserve minutes?

 

Michael Jenkins from Atlanta caught for 772 yards last season. He's 26 years old and is a former first round pick. You wouldn't love to see a guy like that added to the Bear's roster?

 

I just am far too pessimistic, and a Bears fan for far too long, to think that adding a FA WR will create aerial greatness. I'd be happy that the team attempted to address the weaknesses, but I am completely convinced that this staff would waste, either through negligence, stubborness, or utter incomptence, any WR talent brought to this team.

 

As for Bennett deserving minutes...we sure don't know since he never saw the field. But it's hard to imagine him being worse than the performances given by the WRs who were on the field last year. And that doesn't speak well for the Bears' coaches.

[nfoligno]

But if that is the attitude we are going to take, how many positions/things are we going to give up on?

 

We do not seem to do well in the 1st round of the draft. Give up?

 

Our success in finding a QB is worse than WR. Give up?

 

We have not done too well at DE. Should we quite?

 

I think you get the point. We have not done too well at WR, but why does that mean we give up? Hell, if we go off your logic, does that not mean we also toss out the idea Bennett can play. I mean, if what you say is correct, (a) we don't have the staff to find anyone good and ( we don't have the ability to develop anyone.

 

Two things I would throw out there.

 

One. While he may have never reached the level we all wanted, I would argue Berrian did in fact develop pretty well for a 3rd round pick.

 

Two. If you believe our coaches are so lacking in ability to develop, would that not indicate we should look more at finished products rather than young players who need to be developed? In a WR like TJ Hous, we would be adding a finished product. A player who does not rely on the staff to take him game to another level. Is that not better than expecting our staff to develop a WR?

 

You can I have always been on the same page when it comes to the OL. Right now, I am utterly sick at what I am seeing us do in FA at OL. However, at the same time, I also believe we need to upgrade our WR corp. I have never understood the argument we had to focus only on one area. I see no reason we can not upgrade both. It's too late, but I see no reason we could not have added, for example, Brandon Moore AND TJ Hous, while then focusing on the OL during the draft.

 

I just am far too pessimistic, and a Bears fan for far too long, to think that adding a FA WR will create aerial greatness. I'd be happy that the team attempted to address the weaknesses, but I am completely convinced that this staff would waste, either through negligence, stubborness, or utter incomptence, any WR talent brought to this team.

 

As for Bennett deserving minutes...we sure don't know since he never saw the field. But it's hard to imagine him being worse than the performances given by the WRs who were on the field last year. And that doesn't speak well for the Bears' coaches.

[madlithuanian]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

 

But if that is the attitude we are going to take, how many positions/things are we going to give up on?

 

We do not seem to do well in the 1st round of the draft. Give up?

 

Our success in finding a QB is worse than WR. Give up?

 

We have not done too well at DE. Should we quite?

 

I think you get the point. We have not done too well at WR, but why does that mean we give up? Hell, if we go off your logic, does that not mean we also toss out the idea Bennett can play. I mean, if what you say is correct, (a) we don't have the staff to find anyone good and ( we don't have the ability to develop anyone.

 

Two things I would throw out there.

 

One. While he may have never reached the level we all wanted, I would argue Berrian did in fact develop pretty well for a 3rd round pick.

 

Two. If you believe our coaches are so lacking in ability to develop, would that not indicate we should look more at finished products rather than young players who need to be developed? In a WR like TJ Hous, we would be adding a finished product. A player who does not rely on the staff to take him game to another level. Is that not better than expecting our staff to develop a WR?

 

You can I have always been on the same page when it comes to the OL. Right now, I am utterly sick at what I am seeing us do in FA at OL. However, at the same time, I also believe we need to upgrade our WR corp. I have never understood the argument we had to focus only on one area. I see no reason we can not upgrade both. It's too late, but I see no reason we could not have added, for example, Brandon Moore AND TJ Hous, while then focusing on the OL during the draft.

[nfoligno]

Yes.

 

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

[chwtom]

Basically you're saying that whoever we add at WR will suck, which is perfectly understandable, especially after seeing what Marty Booker didn't do for us this past season. But I do have to wonder, how much of his crapiness had to do with the fact he was hampered by injuries most of the season?

 

Either way, as of right now, we're apparantly planning to start Earll Bennett. Does he deserve minutes?

 

Michael Jenkins from Atlanta caught for 772 yards last season. He's 26 years old and is a former first round pick. You wouldn't love to see a guy like that added to the Bear's roster?

 

I was hoping Jenkins would be available, but he resigned with Atlanta a month or so ago. It kind of slipped under the radar.

 

I wouldn't mind the idea of using a second round pick on a guy like Nicks, Iglesias, Britt or Robiskie, then sending a late round pick to the Rams for Holt. Holt is severely on the decline, but he's one of the best route runners and students of the game, so if he could be even semi-productive (like 40-50 catches and 4-5 TDs) while mentoring Bennet and the new guy, I would enjoy that..

[chwtom]

Basically you're saying that whoever we add at WR will suck, which is perfectly understandable, especially after seeing what Marty Booker didn't do for us this past season. But I do have to wonder, how much of his crapiness had to do with the fact he was hampered by injuries most of the season?

 

Either way, as of right now, we're apparantly planning to start Earll Bennett. Does he deserve minutes?

 

Michael Jenkins from Atlanta caught for 772 yards last season. He's 26 years old and is a former first round pick. You wouldn't love to see a guy like that added to the Bear's roster?

 

I was hoping Jenkins would be available, but he resigned with Atlanta a month or so ago. It kind of slipped under the radar.

 

I wouldn't mind the idea of using a second round pick on a guy like Nicks, Iglesias, Britt or Robiskie, then sending a late round pick to the Rams for Holt. Holt is severely on the decline, but he's one of the best route runners and students of the game, so if he could be even semi-productive (like 40-50 catches and 4-5 TDs) while mentoring Bennet and the new guy, I would enjoy that. He only has, i believe, one year left on his contract, so he'd be a relatively low-risk addition. Rumor is they will cut him if they can't trade him, so if we offered a 6th round pick for him, the Rams could bite on it, and we could avoid competing with anyone else to land him, and could avoid adding years to his deal.

[bowlingtwig]

Yes.

 

 

Yeah, very shortly after. Just ask the Germans lol.

[bradjock]

I was hoping Jenkins would be available, but he resigned with Atlanta a month or so ago. It kind of slipped under the radar.

 

I wouldn't mind the idea of using a second round pick on a guy like Nicks, Iglesias, Britt or Robiskie, then sending a late round pick to the Rams for Holt. Holt is severely on the decline, but he's one of the best route runners and students of the game, so if he could be even semi-productive (like 40-50 catches and 4-5 TDs) while mentoring Bennet and the new guy, I would enjoy that..

 

Damn, I'd missed that! Whatever site I'd been looking at the time must not have updated. ESPN has a good free agent tracker, and you're definitely correct, he's gone:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/fa?sort=gra...mp;positionId=1

 

They list the best available UFA not named Marvin Harrison as D.J. Hackett. He sounds good, but he's constantly injured. Either way, I'd rather have a veteran with the potential to be great, then just keep adding rookies.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

If the organization is worried that WR's take too long to develop, then we're in for a rocky next decade. Sure, they do. But while our window may seemingly be closing, it really isn't. Plenty of our good players are either very young, young, or right in their prime (Tillman, Briggs, Harris, Harrison, Alex Brown, Beekman, Forte, Orton, Hester, Olsen) and we still have plenty of more good years ahead with the right offseasons. We need to go WR in the first 2 rounds this year and maybe another in rounds 5-7 and that's the bottom line. We didn't try for Bryant Johnson and like BearSox said, I wish we would have. Had we offered him a 3-9 deal like Detroit did, he probably comes here over the Lions. Instead, we must go into the draft in late April and get a playmaker, whether the front office feels that's Maclin, DHB, Britt, Nicks, or Robiskie.

 

Luckily for us, IMO we're still in the thick of the race for a division crown next year. Minnesota's secondary is still absolutely awful as is their QB situation, Green Bay is switching defenses and hasn't added anyone, and Detroit is...well...Detroit. While I could see Green Bay trying to get Peppers, switching to a 3-4 in 1 year is still tough whether you add Joe Pro Bowler or Joe Schmo. Peppers will make them a nice defense but that defense will still struggle in year 1. We didn't add much either, but last year we won 9 games with no OL, a shakey QB for the 2nd half of the year, a rookie RB, a god awful WR corps, and a pass rush then can cram it for all I care. Have a draft that gets 2 (or more) playmakers in here right away and we win 11 games. In 3 years, maybe we get 4 nice players out of that draft and our window is huge.