Position Switching and the Bears

[dawhizz]

Even as early as it is in the offseason, the Bears have "committed" to at least three position switches that I've seen: Frank Omiyole from OT to OG, Zackary Bowman from CB to FS, and Israel Idonije from DT to DE. While I am aware that often a position switch is both natural and logical (like the move from safety to MLB for Urlacher when he came into the league), it seems to me the Bears make their positions switch decisions based on the present shape of the roster and trying to find a cheap way to solve problems without any real eye towards what is best for the player. Thinking of position switches in recent years for this team, the vast majority of those that were effective were done right out of the draft and were somewhat natural (Urlacher, Rosevelt Colvin, Jerry Azumah, to a lesser extent). I generally have no problem with this, and a certain amount of it is expected as a part of effective scouting (moving a college OT to OG because of mobility concerns, moving a college DE to LB because of size concerns, moving a college CB to S because of speed concerns, etc.).

 

However, despite those successes, the vast majority of position switches this team has attempted have been miserable failures, or only successful insofar as they corrected an earlier position switch mistake. The ones I could think of (and feel free to add to these if possible):

 

Qasim Mitchell - Moved from OG to LT and had limited success before becoming an abject failure and perhaps one of the more reviled Bears offensive linemen in recent memory. He was tried at LT, correct me if I'm wrong, simply because we needed a LT, not because that was necessarily the best place for him.

 

Dustin Lyman - College LB drafted to play TE (in the third round!) despite the fact that he was widely considered a legitimate LB prospect. Never a factor.

 

Michael Haynes - Moved from DE to DT in his later years in a vague attempt to scrounge some value out of a bad draft pick. It made no difference and he was cut.

 

Rod Wilson - Moved from S (where he played in college) to LB. Didn't make much difference, but this was a pretty natural change given the Bears scheme calls for smaller, faster LBs.

 

Danieal Manning - Has shifted between safety and CB several times and while he has had his moments, he has been unable to stick at one position.

 

Israel Idonije - Has shifted from DE to DT several times, which requires him to bulk up and slim down at the whim of management.

 

Rashied Davis - Played WR and CB in college, but was a productive WR in Arena Football. The Bears signed him and immediately moved him to CB, where he was unremarkable. They moved him back to WR, where he became a relatively productive WR.

 

Devin Hester - See Davis, Rashied (without the Arena football sidebar).

 

I guess my point is, the majority of the position switches the Bears have made were made for one of two reasons: 1) We need a guy at "x" position, maybe we can get this guy who plays "y" to do it, or 2) This guy is really bad at "x" position, maybe if we move him to "y" he won't be so terrible. Which, it seems to me, is the wrong reason to move someone. You move someone because you legitimately think they would be better there. And when you move them, you should committ to them at that position. Israel Idonije might be a good DE, but I'd never know because he's been shuffling between DT and DE too much to establish any consistency. How much more developed would Hester be now if we hadn't wasted time trying to make him a CB? Would Daniael Manning be a better safety if he was allowed to concentrate on only playing safety, instead of jerking him from CB to S? Now, I certainly understand that a player is essentially the team's property and should move if it is what's best for the team and the player. But the track record for the Bears shows that, more often than not, it is rarely what's best for the team and even more rarely what's best for the player. Zackary Bowman hasn't done anything in the last month that makes him a better candidate for FS than he did the previous seven. He's not moving there because it's what's best for him, because if it was what's best for him, he would have been moved there as soon as they drafted him. He's being moved there because 1) The Bears have a need at FS, and, most importantly, 2) THEY ARE TOO CHEAP TO GO OUT AND SIGN A FS. By the same token, Idonije is moving to DE because it's cheaper to demand a player slim down to play DE than to actually sign a DE who could help.

 

I really am sorry to ramble and rant like this, and it's very likely that I am blowing this out of proportion, it just seems like this is indicative of the larger problem many have posted about that this team appears largely unwilling to spend money to improve this team this offseason. Essentially, the Bears are saying "Why spend money on a FS and a DE when we have players we can just move, regardless of whether it is actually the right position for them to play?" I sincerely hope we see Bowman starring at safety for years, and Omiyale locking down the LG position, and Idonije providing the pass rush we need at DE. But, based on this team's record with these kind of moves, I'm not counting on it.

[madlithuanian]

Great post dawhizz!

 

While I kind of like the possibility of Bowman moving, on paper, I do see the trend you mention...and it is a bit disconcerning.

 

Even as early as it is in the offseason, the Bears have "committed" to at least three position switches that I've seen: Frank Omiyole from OT to OG, Zackary Bowman from CB to FS, and Israel Idonije from DT to DE. While I am aware that often a position switch is both natural and logical (like the move from safety to MLB for Urlacher when he came into the league), it seems to me the Bears make their positions switch decisions based on the present shape of the roster and trying to find a cheap way to solve problems without any real eye towards what is best for the player. Thinking of position switches in recent years for this team, the vast majority of those that were effective were done right out of the draft and were somewhat natural (Urlacher, Rosevelt Colvin, Jerry Azumah, to a lesser extent). I generally have no problem with this, and a certain amount of it is expected as a part of effective scouting (moving a college OT to OG because of mobility concerns, moving a college DE to LB because of size concerns, moving a college CB to S because of speed concerns, etc.).

 

However, despite those successes, the vast majority of position switches this team has attempted have been miserable failures, or only successful insofar as they corrected an earlier position switch mistake. The ones I could think of (and feel free to add to these if possible):

 

Qasim Mitchell - Moved from OG to LT and had limited success before becoming an abject failure and perhaps one of the more reviled Bears offensive linemen in recent memory. He was tried at LT, correct me if I'm wrong, simply because we needed a LT, not because that was necessarily the best place for him.

 

Dustin Lyman - College LB drafted to play TE (in the third round!) despite the fact that he was widely considered a legitimate LB prospect. Never a factor.

 

Michael Haynes - Moved from DE to DT in his later years in a vague attempt to scrounge some value out of a bad draft pick. It made no difference and he was cut.

 

Rod Wilson - Moved from S (where he played in college) to LB. Didn't make much difference, but this was a pretty natural change given the Bears scheme calls for smaller, faster LBs.

 

Danieal Manning - Has shifted between safety and CB several times and while he has had his moments, he has been unable to stick at one position.

 

Israel Idonije - Has shifted from DE to DT several times, which requires him to bulk up and slim down at the whim of management.

 

Rashied Davis - Played WR and CB in college, but was a productive WR in Arena Football. The Bears signed him and immediately moved him to CB, where he was unremarkable. They moved him back to WR, where he became a relatively productive WR.

 

Devin Hester - See Davis, Rashied (without the Arena football sidebar).

 

I guess my point is, the majority of the position switches the Bears have made were made for one of two reasons: 1) We need a guy at "x" position, maybe we can get this guy who plays "y" to do it, or 2) This guy is really bad at "x" position, maybe if we move him to "y" he won't be so terrible. Which, it seems to me, is the wrong reason to move someone. You move someone because you legitimately think they would be better there. And when you move them, you should committ to them at that position. Israel Idonije might be a good DE, but I'd never know because he's been shuffling between DT and DE too much to establish any consistency. How much more developed would Hester be now if we hadn't wasted time trying to make him a CB? Would Daniael Manning be a better safety if he was allowed to concentrate on only playing safety, instead of jerking him from CB to S? Now, I certainly understand that a player is essentially the team's property and should move if it is what's best for the team and the player. But the track record for the Bears shows that, more often than not, it is rarely what's best for the team and even more rarely what's best for the player. Zackary Bowman hasn't done anything in the last month that makes him a better candidate for FS than he did the previous seven. He's not moving there because it's what's best for him, because if it was what's best for him, he would have been moved there as soon as they drafted him. He's being moved there because 1) The Bears have a need at FS, and, most importantly, 2) THEY ARE TOO CHEAP TO GO OUT AND SIGN A FS. By the same token, Idonije is moving to DE because it's cheaper to demand a player slim down to play DE than to actually sign a DE who could help.

 

I really am sorry to ramble and rant like this, and it's very likely that I am blowing this out of proportion, it just seems like this is indicative of the larger problem many have posted about that this team appears largely unwilling to spend money to improve this team this offseason. Essentially, the Bears are saying "Why spend money on a FS and a DE when we have players we can just move, regardless of whether it is actually the right position for them to play?" I sincerely hope we see Bowman starring at safety for years, and Omiyale locking down the LG position, and Idonije providing the pass rush we need at DE. But, based on this team's record with these kind of moves, I'm not counting on it.

[Pixote]

I remember getting pissed because the Bears swithed "Big Cat" from DE to OT. Guess that worked out ok.

 

A lot of teams do position switches. I think the move of Bowman to FS (he did play the position in college) makes sense.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Roosevelt Colvin and Brian Urlacher are two good examples of moves. I know you had mentioned them but its hard to ignore both of there successes following the change. Azumah was a darn good CB and probably wouldn't have made it as an RB. Hester was primarily a CB in college, yet in the NFL he looks like he'll be a pretty solid WR and the Bears weren't cheap by giving him big bucks with the hope that he'll fully develop into a top flight WR.

 

I actually think its a credit to the scouts and coaching staff that the team is able to identify guys and turn them into a successful player at another position. These are guys that probably wouldn't have made it in the NFL had they stayed at there original position.

[madlithuanian]

They have made some good ones, but there are as many bad ones. I recall guys like Dustin Lyman and others that never really worked out. I know there are more, but I htink I've tried to eliminate those from my memory banks!

 

I wouldn't give them credit for Hester... When he was drafted, pretty much every expert said he was position-less and was pretty much a return man.

 

In all honesty, our succes rate probably mimics the NFL. Some work, some don't... I just think in Bowman's case, too many recall the Danieal Manning failed attempts and have concern.

 

Roosevelt Colvin and Brian Urlacher are two good examples of moves. I know you had mentioned them but its hard to ignore both of there successes following the change. Azumah was a darn good CB and probably wouldn't have made it as an RB. Hester was primarily a CB in college, yet in the NFL he looks like he'll be a pretty solid WR and the Bears weren't cheap by giving him big bucks with the hope that he'll fully develop into a top flight WR.

 

I actually think its a credit to the scouts and coaching staff that the team is able to identify guys and turn them into a successful player at another position. These are guys that probably wouldn't have made it in the NFL had they stayed at there original position.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Lyman wasn't a high pick though, I think he was a 3rd rounder at the earliest. They liked his athletism and gave him a shot there. In the case of others, you could make a case that the position changes might have been due to them not being able to pick it up at a more difficult position or the more needed position and than they moved them to another similar position.

 

FOr example, at the tackle spot, its not that difficult for a tackle to become a guard so I don't see that as being an issue. You typically start guys at tackle and if they don't make it move them to guard, however, in certain instances you already have enough tackles so you'll start a guy at guard and if things go well and the tackle spot opens you might ultimately move them to guard. Omilaye probably fits better or projects better as a guard so the Bears will use him there unless they have to use him at tackle (clearly a plan B or C at this point).

 

Idonijie could play both positions. The Bears ultimately felt it was best for him to be able to play on special teams and the line and to do that they felt he would be best suited as DE, imo, as opposed to a DT since at that size it was tougher for him to really be a valuable special teams player and regardless he's a bench guy.

 

In the case of Bowman, there isn't a huge difference between CB and Safety. Sure there are tackling differences and obviously CB is the tougher of the two positions, but if a guy can tackle, there is really little reason that a CB couldn't transition over to FS. Bowman is far down on the depth chart but the Bears like his ability enough to try him at free safety, not a big deal, imo.

 

As a whole I think the Bears have done a pretty good job and there has typically been a pretty good reason for the switch, imo. CLearly you'll have failures but I can't think of a ton. Heck, look at Haynes, you could say that was a failure, but the Bears tried to move him to another position when the first one didn't work to try and save face (obviously neither ended up working, but you can't blame them for trying to get him in at multiple spots).

[Connorbear]

Lyman didn't make it in the league because he could not stay healthy.

 

Haynes was simply a bad pick (where is he now?).

 

Idonje should have been left at DE because he is a much better ST player when he is slimmed down.

 

I think Bowman will be fine at safety (if he can stay healthy which has nothing to do with the position switch).

 

Peace

[bradjock]

I'd counter your argument with this: Good players are going to be successful no matter where you play them. Heck, Urlacher would have been the greatest safety the NFL has ever seen. And he'll make the hall of fame as a linebacker.

 

Q-Mitchell would have sucked where-ever you put him. He sucked at guard so we moved him to tackle? That was one of the most insanely idiotic ideas ever. It would be like if we said, Jon Quinn sucks as the #2 QB so lets make him our starter.

 

As for the 3 you mentioned:

Omiyale: Being moved to LG is a demotion of sorts. My guess is that damn near every LT in the league would make a kick-ass LG. But you move a LG to LT, and it's a recipe for disaster. Assuming we sign St. Clair & draft another OT fairly early, it's a good move.

Zack Bowman: We didn't move Peanut to FS since we were too considered about injuries . . . so we're moving Bowman there? What REALLY scares the hell out of me is that this indicates we're not that concerned about upgrading the safety position. Yet, the only time our defense has been great under Lovie, is when Mike Brown was rolling. To me that's proof grabbing a top safety in the 2nd round of the draft is a priority.

Idonije: The complaint should have been last season when we moved him to DT. The guy is ok at both positions, but good at neither. I'm just hoping that moving him back to DE will help our special teams. He'd be the #4 or #5 DE or DT either way, so what difference does it make?

 

 

 

 

Even as early as it is in the offseason, the Bears have "committed" to at least three position switches that I've seen: Frank Omiyole from OT to OG, Zackary Bowman from CB to FS, and Israel Idonije from DT to DE. While I am aware that often a position switch is both natural and logical (like the move from safety to MLB for Urlacher when he came into the league), it seems to me the Bears make their positions switch decisions based on the present shape of the roster and trying to find a cheap way to solve problems without any real eye towards what is best for the player. Thinking of position switches in recent years for this team, the vast majority of those that were effective were done right out of the draft and were somewhat natural (Urlacher, Rosevelt Colvin, Jerry Azumah, to a lesser extent). I generally have no problem with this, and a certain amount of it is expected as a part of effective scouting (moving a college OT to OG because of mobility concerns, moving a college DE to LB because of size concerns, moving a college CB to S because of speed concerns, etc.).

 

However, despite those successes, the vast majority of position switches this team has attempted have been miserable failures, or only successful insofar as they corrected an earlier position switch mistake. The ones I could think of (and feel free to add to these if possible):

 

Qasim Mitchell - Moved from OG to LT and had limited success before becoming an abject failure and perhaps one of the more reviled Bears offensive linemen in recent memory. He was tried at LT, correct me if I'm wrong, simply because we needed a LT, not because that was necessarily the best place for him.

 

Dustin Lyman - College LB drafted to play TE (in the third round!) despite the fact that he was widely considered a legitimate LB prospect. Never a factor.

 

Michael Haynes - Moved from DE to DT in his later years in a vague attempt to scrounge some value out of a bad draft pick. It made no difference and he was cut.

 

Rod Wilson - Moved from S (where he played in college) to LB. Didn't make much difference, but this was a pretty natural change given the Bears scheme calls for smaller, faster LBs.

 

Danieal Manning - Has shifted between safety and CB several times and while he has had his moments, he has been unable to stick at one position.

 

Israel Idonije - Has shifted from DE to DT several times, which requires him to bulk up and slim down at the whim of management.

 

Rashied Davis - Played WR and CB in college, but was a productive WR in Arena Football. The Bears signed him and immediately moved him to CB, where he was unremarkable. They moved him back to WR, where he became a relatively productive WR.

 

Devin Hester - See Davis, Rashied (without the Arena football sidebar).

 

I guess my point is, the majority of the position switches the Bears have made were made for one of two reasons: 1) We need a guy at "x" position, maybe we can get this guy who plays "y" to do it, or 2) This guy is really bad at "x" position, maybe if we move him to "y" he won't be so terrible. Which, it seems to me, is the wrong reason to move someone. You move someone because you legitimately think they would be better there. And when you move them, you should committ to them at that position. Israel Idonije might be a good DE, but I'd never know because he's been shuffling between DT and DE too much to establish any consistency. How much more developed would Hester be now if we hadn't wasted time trying to make him a CB? Would Daniael Manning be a better safety if he was allowed to concentrate on only playing safety, instead of jerking him from CB to S? Now, I certainly understand that a player is essentially the team's property and should move if it is what's best for the team and the player. But the track record for the Bears shows that, more often than not, it is rarely what's best for the team and even more rarely what's best for the player. Zackary Bowman hasn't done anything in the last month that makes him a better candidate for FS than he did the previous seven. He's not moving there because it's what's best for him, because if it was what's best for him, he would have been moved there as soon as they drafted him. He's being moved there because 1) The Bears have a need at FS, and, most importantly, 2) THEY ARE TOO CHEAP TO GO OUT AND SIGN A FS. By the same token, Idonije is moving to DE because it's cheaper to demand a player slim down to play DE than to actually sign a DE who could help.

 

I really am sorry to ramble and rant like this, and it's very likely that I am blowing this out of proportion, it just seems like this is indicative of the larger problem many have posted about that this team appears largely unwilling to spend money to improve this team this offseason. Essentially, the Bears are saying "Why spend money on a FS and a DE when we have players we can just move, regardless of whether it is actually the right position for them to play?" I sincerely hope we see Bowman starring at safety for years, and Omiyale locking down the LG position, and Idonije providing the pass rush we need at DE. But, based on this team's record with these kind of moves, I'm not counting on it.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I like these moves their making. I don't think these moves are cheap, just trying to get guys who deserve some playing time an opportunity to compete.

 

Bowman-would've been buried at CB and probably wouldn't dress for games. Move him to a position that lacks depth and is open for competition and maybe we have a star looking for an opportunity to shine. Bowman made the most out of his oppotunity at CB, and even though he went down with injury, he showed enough to warrant the Bears to give him a bigger role.

 

Omiyale- When he was brought in, the Bears said right off the bat that he would get a first look at G. When we were talking to him before he decided to sign, it had to be brought up about the position switch. If the Bears and/or Omiyale didn't think the move was for the best, he wouldn't be here. In the little time he did get to play, he has shown he can play with the big boys and should be a upgrade over Beekman who also did fairly well as a first year starter.

 

Idonje-With a crowded DT class and all but Dvorecek coming back 100%, Idonje would be with Adams wearing street clothes on Sundays. Moving him to DE gives him an oppotunity to dress on Sundays. Idonje always seems to make plays and was a stud on the ST's. Depending on who we draft, Idonje should have a good chance on being the 4th DE and blowing up wedges on ST's again.

[dawhizz]

I do agree that great players will (within reason) be great no matter where you play them (Colvin would have been a good DE, Urlacher would have been a good S). The problem is that when you are dealing with very good, good, and decent players, I think it's the organization's responsibility to put them in a position where they can be the best players they can be. And those players have much less margin for error than the great players, because they depend on getting reps at a constant position to be able to prove themselves. I mentioned Manning and Idonije originally. I don't think anyone would argue either are great players. But if you put Idonije at DE only, instead of forcing him to fluctuate weight to play DT and DE, I think you get a better overall player. The same thing with Manning if the Bears had put him at safety and kept him at safety. And I certainly understand that there is, as many have said, "not much difference" between some of these positions. But for very good to average players, those subtle nuances are the difference between being in position to make a play or allowing a touchdown. They depend on those repeated reps at one position to learn from mistakes, and putting them at another position can often slow that learning curve in a way that doesn't help anyone.

[Wesson44]

I fully understand about the players being moved to different positions because it happened to me in high school and in college. But enough of me Bowman will be better at FS beacuse he can use his speed to get to the ball and run players down. At FS you don't really have to cover a person but rather a zone most of the time.

[BearSox]

Omiyale is a best fit at G in our blocking scheme.

 

Bowman is moved to FS because we wanted him to get some work in, and CB seems pretty crowded with Peanut, Vasher, McBride, Graham, and Manning.

 

Idonije should have stayed at DE.

 

I really have no idea what you're complaining about. You acting as if we just moved Tommie Harris to OG or something.

[nfoligno]

Totally agree w/ the basic premise. Examples can be made for either side. You have the success stories, as well as the awful ones. But I agree w/ the general idea that moves should be made because there is a legit belief it is the role the player would do best in, rather than simply trying to force a move out of need.

 

You mention Idonije. I have little issue moving him back to DE. The issue was the attempt to make him add 30lbs and play DT, which was based out of need.

 

I know many are arguing the Bowman move is a good one, but I really just have to question it. If he was considered a better FS prospect than CB, then we didn't we look at him like that last year? I am not saying he can't or won't play well as a FS, but if the staff honestly felt he could be such a good FS, why wait until year 2 to look at him there. Why spend a year playing him as a CB? That is a year of wasted opportunity for him to practice, learn and develop at FS. To me, the move is far less about Bowman and far more about our depth chart. Heck, I believe even Angelo (or Lovie) said they were moving him because they felt it would offer him a better chance to make the roster due to depth at CB. Well, if he is the CB we thought when we drafted him, then he should have no problem earning a spot.

 

Specific examples aside, I simply agree w/ the idea that position changes in general are not bad, but a move should be based more on simply what position a player is believed best at, rather than moving players around to try and fill needs.

 

To me, that is like seeing a major reach in the draft. We need this position, thus we move this 2nd round prospect up on our boards to draft in the 1st, based purely out of need.

 

Even as early as it is in the offseason, the Bears have "committed" to at least three position switches that I've seen: Frank Omiyole from OT to OG, Zackary Bowman from CB to FS, and Israel Idonije from DT to DE. While I am aware that often a position switch is both natural and logical (like the move from safety to MLB for Urlacher when he came into the league), it seems to me the Bears make their positions switch decisions based on the present shape of the roster and trying to find a cheap way to solve problems without any real eye towards what is best for the player. Thinking of position switches in recent years for this team, the vast majority of those that were effective were done right out of the draft and were somewhat natural (Urlacher, Rosevelt Colvin, Jerry Azumah, to a lesser extent). I generally have no problem with this, and a certain amount of it is expected as a part of effective scouting (moving a college OT to OG because of mobility concerns, moving a college DE to LB because of size concerns, moving a college CB to S because of speed concerns, etc.).

 

However, despite those successes, the vast majority of position switches this team has attempted have been miserable failures, or only successful insofar as they corrected an earlier position switch mistake. The ones I could think of (and feel free to add to these if possible):

 

Qasim Mitchell - Moved from OG to LT and had limited success before becoming an abject failure and perhaps one of the more reviled Bears offensive linemen in recent memory. He was tried at LT, correct me if I'm wrong, simply because we needed a LT, not because that was necessarily the best place for him.

 

Dustin Lyman - College LB drafted to play TE (in the third round!) despite the fact that he was widely considered a legitimate LB prospect. Never a factor.

 

Michael Haynes - Moved from DE to DT in his later years in a vague attempt to scrounge some value out of a bad draft pick. It made no difference and he was cut.

 

Rod Wilson - Moved from S (where he played in college) to LB. Didn't make much difference, but this was a pretty natural change given the Bears scheme calls for smaller, faster LBs.

 

Danieal Manning - Has shifted between safety and CB several times and while he has had his moments, he has been unable to stick at one position.

 

Israel Idonije - Has shifted from DE to DT several times, which requires him to bulk up and slim down at the whim of management.

 

Rashied Davis - Played WR and CB in college, but was a productive WR in Arena Football. The Bears signed him and immediately moved him to CB, where he was unremarkable. They moved him back to WR, where he became a relatively productive WR.

 

Devin Hester - See Davis, Rashied (without the Arena football sidebar).

 

I guess my point is, the majority of the position switches the Bears have made were made for one of two reasons: 1) We need a guy at "x" position, maybe we can get this guy who plays "y" to do it, or 2) This guy is really bad at "x" position, maybe if we move him to "y" he won't be so terrible. Which, it seems to me, is the wrong reason to move someone. You move someone because you legitimately think they would be better there. And when you move them, you should committ to them at that position. Israel Idonije might be a good DE, but I'd never know because he's been shuffling between DT and DE too much to establish any consistency. How much more developed would Hester be now if we hadn't wasted time trying to make him a CB? Would Daniael Manning be a better safety if he was allowed to concentrate on only playing safety, instead of jerking him from CB to S? Now, I certainly understand that a player is essentially the team's property and should move if it is what's best for the team and the player. But the track record for the Bears shows that, more often than not, it is rarely what's best for the team and even more rarely what's best for the player. Zackary Bowman hasn't done anything in the last month that makes him a better candidate for FS than he did the previous seven. He's not moving there because it's what's best for him, because if it was what's best for him, he would have been moved there as soon as they drafted him. He's being moved there because 1) The Bears have a need at FS, and, most importantly, 2) THEY ARE TOO CHEAP TO GO OUT AND SIGN A FS. By the same token, Idonije is moving to DE because it's cheaper to demand a player slim down to play DE than to actually sign a DE who could help.

 

I really am sorry to ramble and rant like this, and it's very likely that I am blowing this out of proportion, it just seems like this is indicative of the larger problem many have posted about that this team appears largely unwilling to spend money to improve this team this offseason. Essentially, the Bears are saying "Why spend money on a FS and a DE when we have players we can just move, regardless of whether it is actually the right position for them to play?" I sincerely hope we see Bowman starring at safety for years, and Omiyale locking down the LG position, and Idonije providing the pass rush we need at DE. But, based on this team's record with these kind of moves, I'm not counting on it.

[nfoligno]

I'd counter your argument with this: Good players are going to be successful no matter where you play them. Heck, Urlacher would have been the greatest safety the NFL has ever seen. And he'll make the hall of fame as a linebacker.

 

Disagree. You mention Urlacher, but remember, he was originally played at SLB, where frankly he stunk. You can say he would have developed and dominated, but the aspects of his game which have always been questioned are aspects of the SLB position that would be exposed. How great would Urlacher have ever been at SLB w/ his questionable ability to shed blocks? I don't think it is accurate to say a good player will be succesful no matter where you play them (w/in reason).

 

Imagine you have a stud SS, and yet have a young SS who also looks great, and thus you move your stud to FS. Does that mean he will be succesful? Just because he could play inside the box, does that mean he can cover downfield? How did that work for Green, Harris, Payne and others.

 

Also, you use Urlacher as an example, but is he a "good player". Urlacher is an all-pro player. It is more likely he would be successful at other positions, but simply stating "good" players are capable of making the transitions is another thing all together, IMHO.

 

Zack Bowman: We didn't move Peanut to FS since we were too considered about injuries . . . so we're moving Bowman there? What REALLY scares the hell out of me is that this indicates we're not that concerned about upgrading the safety position. Yet, the only time our defense has been great under Lovie, is when Mike Brown was rolling. To me that's proof grabbing a top safety in the 2nd round of the draft is a priority.

 

Agreed, and I would add this question. If our staff truly feel FS is Bowman's best fit, why did we not place him there last year? Why spend a year trying to teach him and develop him at CB if we thought his best fit was FS. To me, this move simply screams desparation.

 

Idonije: The complaint should have been last season when we moved him to DT. The guy is ok at both positions, but good at neither. I'm just hoping that moving him back to DE will help our special teams. He'd be the #4 or #5 DE or DT either way, so what difference does it make?

 

Agreed. For purposes of the initial argument, last years move inside fit much better. His move back to DE simply "rights the ship".

[BearSox]

don't forget, none of these position changes are set in stone. Idonije will likely stick at DE but Bowman could very well be moved back to CB at OTA's. It's ridiculous to complain about these moves. How can anyone complain about playing Omiyale at LG? No one has ever seen him play, and quite frankly, a OT in a ZBS is likely a better fit inside for most other schemes. If we should complain about anything concerning Omiyale, it should be that we signed a guy who has started a total of 1 game in his career to a 4 year 16 million dollar deal (or something like that).

 

Bowman never got to develop at any position because he was always injured. He barely developed at all as a CB, and quite frankly, there isn't much of a shot for him to succeed at CB with all the depth ahead of him. Right now, moving him to FS will give us another option if he shows he can play it at all. THIS IS MINICAMP! This isn't the end all be all. And also, we didn't decide not to put Peanut at FS because of injuries but rather because it'd be insanely idiotic to move our best CB to FS.

[lemonej]

Guys position chnges are an NFL way of life and once again this is mini camp more than a month before the draft.Why not see what versatility your roster has before you make a final evaluation on players you have targeted in the draft.

 

Bowman during his Senior Year was injured which is why he was a 2nd day draft pick last year.He spent the beginning part of the season on the practice squad and was activated for the Minnesota game when both Vasher and Tillman had injury issues.Since he was on the practice squad maybe they were giving him reps at FS on Scout team.Either way he played the one game and got injured for the season. To me when players are being asked to switch positions sometimes its a message being sent to current players at those positions. Like maybe Stelz and Manning for instance at safety. At DT moving Idonije back to DE only maybe a vote of confidence for Anthony Adams and a slap at Mark Anderson who has been invisible since his rookie year.

 

I think desperation would be moving Manning to WR.