Could you do better than Angelo?

[jason]

Seriously, could someone on this board be a better GM than Angelo when it comes purely to talent evaluation and drafting? With regards to the salary cap, let's just pretend that someone else is handling it on the team (even though I think LT2 could do a better job than anyone on the Bears). In regards to the draft only, do you think that someone from the board would have done a better job than Angelo since he's been with the Bears?

[madlithuanian]

Bait taken! I could "probably" do better...

 

I honestly believe that. I'd have passed on Hester for sure, but we'd have Derrick Johnson instead of wasting Benson. We'd have Mendenhall over Forte. And I think Loadholt. Possibly Zbikowski. Definitley not Bazuin, Owko, Melton, etc...

 

Seriously, could someone on this board be a better GM than Angelo when it comes purely to talent evaluation and drafting? With regards to the salary cap, let's just pretend that someone else is handling it on the team (even though I think LT2 could do a better job than anyone on the Bears). In regards to the draft only, do you think that someone from the board would have done a better job than Angelo since he's been with the Bears?

 

[adam]

I said probably because I don't know all the inner workings or constraints put on the job.

 

I just think Angelo got cute in the draft going for those value and sleeper picks. You can only go to the well so often.

['TD']

I think my 6 year old niece could take the scouts info and go eeny, meeny, miny, moe and come up with similar results.

[fudgeripple2000]

Today no. By January 1st, probably. By next years draft yes. The key to any successful business owner is to have a clear vision of what you want. Know what you need to get it done, then hire the right people that can help you get there. With Angelo, he seems to have a clear vision: On defense it is to run cover two. An obviously antequated and useless defense that is more dependent on help than football players making football plays individually while working in the team concept. On offense there is no clear vision. We are a running team that can't run. We have a gunslinger but limited weapons. My point is that as a manager, the people he has hired aren't getting it done. We are fans, he is a business man. Granted I don't want Mark Cuban. He is a huge fan but can't buy a championship.

[chitownman]

I am pretty sure that I would be able to do a far better job at evaluating player talent and the person directly. I know that there is limited time at the Scouting Combine every year however, one should be able to see the results from all the testing and in a personal interview a GM should be able to come away with a clear idea of how much heart a player has for the game and the talent that is getting that player to the next level. There also has to be a reality of what type of free agents that are out there and are available.

 

Do you take someone who is injury prone and well past their prime (Pace) or do you look for a younger guy who shows heart and determination. Give me someone that has the heart like Rudy Ruettiger did at Notre Dame and I'll give them every opportunity to show what they may have. Enough trading away pics for suspect talent or just because you do not think someone is worthy in the first round to select and you trade down. Find scouts who know how to find players who really care about the game and will give it their all 100% of the time and not a half ass effort every day. Eliminate the Prima Donas and the contracts that go with those types of so called players. I personally still want to see incentive contracts that makes a player earn the higher end salaries and not given carte blanch based on projections.

 

Find scouts who understand the philosophy of having heart and respecting the game they play and what it means to be a team. Then you have to find the right coach who knows truthfully what the hell they are doing and will not get to far away from the overall goal that starts each season, which is winning a Super Bowl. The NFC North division is supposed to be the "Black & Blue" division or as Chris Berman usually states the "Norris" division, then start acting like that is the case. Anyone is able to screw up once in a while however, in the case of Angelo it has been far too often without being accountable for the bad decisions he has made.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Seriously, could someone on this board be a better GM than Angelo when it comes purely to talent evaluation and drafting? With regards to the salary cap, let's just pretend that someone else is handling it on the team (even though I think LT2 could do a better job than anyone on the Bears). In regards to the draft only, do you think that someone from the board would have done a better job than Angelo since he's been with the Bears?

 

Most definitely not. Angelo has been very good for the most part and I think the Bears problems lie more in the lines of coaching that anything else. Sure, Jerry has had his stinker picks but he's also had plenty of good picks and shrewd cap moves.

 

Basically put, I think Jerry is in need of a better coach, if he gets that coach, Jerry will ultimately get a contract extension in time, imo. I really think Jerry is a great talent evaluator, however, i think the Bears would be well suited if they could get a very good offensive coach as there HC who can evaluate offensive talent.

[madlithuanian]

You're far too kind...

 

I fear JA... Too many errors.

 

1. Not checking the box and missing out on a pick early in his tenure here

2. Too many draft reaches

3. Too many draft busts

4. Too many bad FA pick-ups and let-go's

5. Signing off on the Smith contract extention

6. Allowing Smith to hire bozos

7. Allowing Smith to play musical chairs with players and putting them in the wrong positions

 

I feel that for every good move, he's done a bad move. To me that's just mediocre. I think we could do better.

 

I'd settle for JA to make a strong move and bring in a Cowher or Shanaham, etc... But, I'm not sure that's waht will be done.

 

 

Most definitely not. Angelo has been very good for the most part and I think the Bears problems lie more in the lines of coaching that anything else. Sure, Jerry has had his stinker picks but he's also had plenty of good picks and shrewd cap moves.

 

Basically put, I think Jerry is in need of a better coach, if he gets that coach, Jerry will ultimately get a contract extension in time, imo. I really think Jerry is a great talent evaluator, however, i think the Bears would be well suited if they could get a very good offensive coach as there HC who can evaluate offensive talent.

 

[lemonej]

I voted I could do about the same. The reason I go with that is because the staff he has developing his picks are getting rid of guys who are having some success in the league.

Examples:

1. The Bears stuck with Grossman and his injuries and errors longer than they stuck with Colombo who is a fixture on the Cowboys powerful line.

2. Justin Gage has flourished in Tennessee and was often inactive on game days while here and seeing him make 2 magnificent TD catches Sunday under scores that point.

3. Chris Harris made less mistakes than both Daniel Manning and Kevin Payne but was deemed expendable.The team hasn't forced as many turnovers since his departure. He and Tillman formed a good tag team when it came to stripping the ball from opponents.

4. Most of us on this board think that Beekman is a much better left guard than Omayale but this staff keeps putting him out there.

 

These are just a few of the reason why I could only do as good as Angelo because of the coaching staff he has.

 

For the past 5 years I have researched and produced a generic draft guide based on what I have seen of the players I have listed in games during the regular season and bowls, allstar games and workouts. I have watched the Combine for the last five years and have taped it to zero in on a few things like QBs throwing mechanics etc. I watch Senior Bowl practice during the week and the game. I usually ignore some of the pro days because the workouts are slanted toward the players who attend that particular university. I usually don't list more than 10 players per position just for conserving ink cartridges purposes. Last year I listed 131 players total and 103 of them were drafted. Now I don't know what a scout does completely but I believe they gather data about certain players, make an assessment and turn it over to a GM. That part I think I could do. I believe the key to any organization is to once you have a system in place to draft players that fit that system. So if my hands were tied as a GM and I was stuck keeping Lovie I would look into programs that run a defense that has players that could transition easy to Lovie's system. Like Tennessee for instance has an old Tampa guy as their DC Monte Kiffin both JA and Lovie should be interested in what he thinks about a player on his team we are interested in.

[jason]

You're far too kind...

 

I fear JA... Too many errors.

 

1. Not checking the box and missing out on a pick early in his tenure here

2. Too many draft reaches

3. Too many draft busts

4. Too many bad FA pick-ups and let-go's

5. Signing off on the Smith contract extention

6. Allowing Smith to hire bozos

7. Allowing Smith to play musical chairs with players and putting them in the wrong positions

 

I feel that for every good move, he's done a bad move. To me that's just mediocre. I think we could do better.

 

I'd settle for JA to make a strong move and bring in a Cowher or Shanaham, etc... But, I'm not sure that's waht will be done.

 

Ooooh. I forgot all about the check-box F'up.

[jason]

I voted I could do about the same. The reason I go with that is because the staff he has developing his picks are getting rid of guys who are having some success in the league.

Examples:

1. The Bears stuck with Grossman and his injuries and errors longer than they stuck with Colombo who is a fixture on the Cowboys powerful line.

2. Justin Gage has flourished in Tennessee and was often inactive on game days while here and seeing him make 2 magnificent TD catches Sunday under scores that point.

3. Chris Harris made less mistakes than both Daniel Manning and Kevin Payne but was deemed expendable.The team hasn't forced as many turnovers since his departure. He and Tillman formed a good tag team when it came to stripping the ball from opponents.

4. Most of us on this board think that Beekman is a much better left guard than Omayale but this staff keeps putting him out there.

 

These are just a few of the reason why I could only do as good as Angelo because of the coaching staff he has.

 

For the past 5 years I have researched and produced a generic draft guide based on what I have seen of the players I have listed in games during the regular season and bowls, allstar games and workouts. I have watched the Combine for the last five years and have taped it to zero in on a few things like QBs throwing mechanics etc. I watch Senior Bowl practice during the week and the game. I usually ignore some of the pro days because the workouts are slanted toward the players who attend that particular university. I usually don't list more than 10 players per position just for conserving ink cartridges purposes. Last year I listed 131 players total and 103 of them were drafted. Now I don't know what a scout does completely but I believe they gather data about certain players, make an assessment and turn it over to a GM. That part I think I could do. I believe the key to any organization is to once you have a system in place to draft players that fit that system. So if my hands were tied as a GM and I was stuck keeping Lovie I would look into programs that run a defense that has players that could transition easy to Lovie's system. Like Tennessee for instance has an old Tampa guy as their DC Monte Kiffin both JA and Lovie should be interested in what he thinks about a player on his team we are interested in.

 

And I was screaming the entire time that Gage needed to be in the game more. Him and Bradley.

 

Dez White was hindering progress the first year, but the offensive scheme and QB really blocked progress during Gage's entire time in Chicago.

 

 

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Mendenhall over Forte? I'd love to try to watch him run behind this pitiful OL.

 

Last year, when the OL was halfway decent, Forte had 1200 rushing yards. It's all in the OL.

 

However, once again, on paper it may look like we made bad decisions. "Look we could've had but instead we drafted ". In the end, those current stars may not have succeeded here.

[madlithuanian]

As an accountant myself, that one makes me livid! Any fool and check a box off!

 

Ooooh. I forgot all about the check-box F'up.

 

[madlithuanian]

Yep. I think, for his career, Mendy will be far better. He is a natural runner. Big and fast.

 

It's not all in the OL. Forte is getting tackeld by showlaces. I'm not willing to give up on him yet, but I am super concerned.

 

Hindsight is always 20-20...but as many here know, I clammored for Mendy something vicious. Last year, I looked the fool. Now, not so much. But it is a marathon, not a sprint. I hope Forte can win the marathon...as long as he's a Bear that is.

 

 

Mendenhall over Forte? I'd love to try to watch him run behind this pitiful OL.

 

Last year, when the OL was halfway decent, Forte had 1200 rushing yards. It's all in the OL.

 

However, once again, on paper it may look like we made bad decisions. "Look we could've had but instead we drafted ". In the end, those current stars may not have succeeded here.

 

[AZ54]

I say about the same but I don't do his job fulltime so it's hard to know. I tend to agree with the post above that points out how poorly we develop players, and will add how poorly we utilize them. Nothing was clearer than Moose getting about 40% more yards receiving after he left here and we all said he was washed up. On the other hand we do things like demoting Alex Brown for Mark Anderson. All I know is that something is clearly wrong with this team. The players are selfish (much like their head coach) and they don't have their heart in the game.

 

From a raw talent standpoint I don't think our players are that bad. I said before, if we have average players we should be an average offense and defense. You can argue all the individual spots some are better (Briggs) some worse (Omiyale). Clearly JA should be doing better in his talent evals but being a coach is all about maximizing the players you have and we don't come close to that. In fact we minimize them.