Carimi is a bear

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Apparently Cutler was the first Bear to text Carimi welcoming him to Chicago.

 

Also, Carimi's first tweet was something like "Can't wait to meet the organization, players, and fans. Can't wait to block for Cutler!!" Oh, and he told Brad Biggs he's going to "work his buns off" to block for Cutler.

[Connorbear]

Agreed. And Carimi being there at 29 is all the more surprising given the news on Angelo's blown attempt to trade up. I think Angelo needs to be sat down and read the riot act, after we give our 4th rnd. pick to the Ravens. Luckily for JA both us and the Ravens ended up with the guy they wanted. But still, JA is gaining a history of these "little" gaffes that any professional at his level should not have.

 

And I love the pick!

If this played like it sounds, the Bears will need to do something to make amends for this gaffe. The league will most likely not make the Bears give up the pick but they should consider making good on the deal they made. All you have is your word.

 

Peace

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Not to say he's lying but what else was he suppose to say? "Yeah actually I wanted to get Baldwin at that spot, but I couldn't get the trade done in time, so we settled for Carimi."

Every insider within the NFL who works for tv/radio is reporting that it was what the Bears were doing and that was before Angelo's comments.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

I think he starts at LT. I can't really see moving JWebb over to the left side and I don't think Chris Williams is better at LT than Carimi. I prefer JWebb's size at RT over Chris Williams. I think the best bet is to leave Williams at LG and let him develop there. Draft a rookie to challenge for the RG spot.

 

That should leave us with Omiyale as our backup OT, plus we'd have Williams available in an emergency. Assuming Webb improves in his second season that's pretty good depth at OT.

 

The big question is if the Bears really think Edwin Williams can be a starter at C. If not, then we're going after a starting center in this draft moreso than an OG. I hope that's not the case and we can focus on OG.

My question would be, why did we draft a RT to play LT? Why wouldn't we let him settle into the position he is set to play and let him play there for the next 10 or 15 years. I don't want another Williams situation where we are constantly moving the guy to the point that he may never figure things out on the line (and yes, injuries were a factor and the fact that we had pure crap on our line also was a factor since it meant we had to really move guys to different spots to try to put together our best oline).

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Agreed. And Carimi being there at 29 is all the more surprising given the news on Angelo's blown attempt to trade up. I think Angelo needs to be sat down and read the riot act, after we give our 4th rnd. pick to the Ravens. Luckily for JA both us and the Ravens ended up with the guy they wanted. But still, JA is gaining a history of these "little" gaffes that any professional at his level should not have.

 

And I love the pick!

When was the last gaffe? I don't recall us ever not pulling the trigger on a deal before. And from what I heard from NFL Networks analyst they indicated that it was more timing than JA doing anything wrong. There just wasn't time to get the approvals from both teams.

[madlithuanian]

Agreed

 

 

OT was the way to go.... bowers is too big a risk plus doesn't really fill a need.... i like our DEs... next pick pending what bigtime player may fall should be an UnderTackle..... I think we will sign a WR when FA begins

 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Wow, after seeing this stuff this morning, sounds like it was a pretty bad goof by the Bears. I'd be ok if they decided to move there 4th rounder to move up in the 2nd round as a way to save "face".

 

I'm happy either way. We got our guy Carimi.

[madlithuanian]

I love the guy already!

 

Apparently Cutler was the first Bear to text Carimi welcoming him to Chicago.

 

Also, Carimi's first tweet was something like "Can't wait to meet the organization, players, and fans. Can't wait to block for Cutler!!" Oh, and he told Brad Biggs he's going to "work his buns off" to block for Cutler.

 

[madlithuanian]

Screw that. Last I checked Chicago is still in Chicago. Baltimore can go F itself...and ponder how they jacked the Bi-queens a few years ago...

 

Everyone in the league knows we are run by a bunch of twits. If there was face to save, I'd say you're on to something.

 

 

Wow, after seeing this stuff this morning, sounds like it was a pretty bad goof by the Bears. I'd be ok if they decided to move there 4th rounder to move up in the 2nd round as a way to save "face".

 

I'm happy either way. We got our guy Carimi.

 

[DABEARSDABOMB]

I'll at least give JA credit for handling it classy, but man, those two guys that didn't make that phone call are idiots. And quite frankly, it just seems like a horribly unlucky sequence of events, but who knows.

 

For now, I'll ignore it, but it could have been a complete and utter disaster where we ended up not getting our guy. Chiefs grab him and we are shit out of luck. It does say something to me that we liked him that much that we would move up though.

 

 

[balta1701-A]

"Jay Cutler sent me a nice text," Carimi said Friday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "He was actually one of the first people to send me a text. I think he was No. 3, so he must have really known I was going to get selected right there.

 

"I reached back out and told him I was so pumped to be a Bear and to be able to give him the time he needs."

 

Considering Cutler was sacked 56 times and missed a game after a concussion last season, it's no surprise he was so eager to welcome the tackle from Wisconsin.

 

Carimi joked that Cutler said: "Concussions really suck Gabe, I don't want any more."

[DABEARSDABOMB]

If Cutler really said that, hillarious, haha.

[Lucky Luciano]

My question would be, why did we draft a RT to play LT? Why wouldn't we let him settle into the position he is set to play and let him play there for the next 10 or 15 years. I don't want another Williams situation where we are constantly moving the guy to the point that he may never figure things out on the line (and yes, injuries were a factor and the fact that we had pure crap on our line also was a factor since it meant we had to really move guys to different spots to try to put together our best oline).

 

i agree totally. if the guy is a good RT let him PLAY right tackle. keeerist, didn't we learn anything from john tait?? we wasted his entire above average career as a RT in chicago playing him out of position!!!

 

now we just need a good guard in the 2nd or 3rd round and pick up that CB asouhmuga, or whatever his name is, in free agency and this would be one of the better drafts/offseasons on paper in decades.

[rockren]

i agree totally. if the guy is a good RT let him PLAY right tackle. keeerist, didn't we learn anything from john tait?? we wasted his entire above average career as a RT in chicago playing him out of position!!!

 

now we just need a good guard in the 2nd or 3rd round and pick up that CB asouhmuga, or whatever his name is, in free agency and this would be one of the better drafts/offseasons on paper in decades.

 

Why is everyone so quick to move Carimi to the right side? He blocked Kerrigan, Clayborn and Heyward just this last year....all players who went in the 1st Round yesterday. As a Madison resident- I'm very happy to remind everyone the Badgers beat all of those teams last year.

 

Yeah the Badgers ran a lot, but they threw A LOT as well (or at least a lot more than they should have). I thought Carimi was outstanding in pass protection on the left side as he didn't win the Outland Trophy for nothing. In the run game....he destroyed people.

[selection7]

Um, Carimi is a LT. He said he has some experience at right because at Wisconsin they forced them to cross-train, but ultimately, playing him at RT would be a position change. The things I'm reading say he's got plenty of athleticism to play LT, his natural position. There's seems to be very little downside to this pick other than debatable other guys we could have selected.

[fudgeripple2000]

protection for cutler will be great. But the best protection for a quarterback is a productive running game and that is what having a right tackle from wisconsin will provide.

[rockren]

Um, Carimi is a LT. He said he has some experience at right because at Wisconsin they forced them to cross-train, but ultimately, playing him at RT would be a position change. The things I'm reading say he's got plenty of athleticism to play LT, his natural position. There's seems to be very little downside to this pick other than debatable other guys we could have selected.

 

I believe this pick to be similar to that of Tommie Harris years ago- where this was the guy the Bears wanted and would have taken him much higher had they had a higher pick.

 

...And yeah...Carimi is a LT....a really good LT.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

Ok, I like it even more. IF he's a natural LT that would be phenomenal.

[lemonej]

I don't mean to toot my own horn but on a post on Feb 9th I predicted that the Bears would draft Carimi in round ! and I said it would be with the idea of moving him inside and moving Williams back outside where I think he belongs. During the workout season Carimi has done some work inside but at 6-7 315 inside doesn't seem like a good idea. So since I'm 1 for 1 I'll ressurect the rest of my weird mock.

 

2.Ras- I Dowling CB Virginia 6-2 200

 

3.Stephen Schilling OG Michigan 6-4 302

 

4. Greg Little WR North Carolina 6-2 220

 

5.Greg Romeus DE Pittsburgh 6-5 270

 

6. John Clay RB Wisconsin 6-1 248

 

This was done before the Combine and obviously my 4th rounder will be long gone before that round based on what is being said now.

 

The thread was started by Stinger 226 and he also did a mock and he has a very good shot at getting the 2nd rounder right with Aaron Williams the CB from Texas. He had Sherrod at number 1 but he has Austin at RD #3 and Linkerhol in RD 4. If this pans out I'd be happy.

[AZ54]

Ok, I like it even more. IF he's a natural LT that would be phenomenal.

 

Yep. He may not be an elite LT but he's better at that spot than anyone else we have on the roster. Plus moving him requires moving JWebb to LT and/or Williams back there again.

 

I suppose in an ideal world Williams would finally have his act together and be ready to hold the LT spot and we could put Carimi at RT. Kick JWebb inside and have Omiyale as backup OT. Grab a OG to fill in the LG spot and voila we have a new Oline. If we had JWebb next to Carimi on the right side that would be some serious muscle on the right side of the line. Hard to have confidence that will work out.

[jason]

Stupid ass pick. Bowers is going to be a beast and would be dominant next to Peppers. JA Screws up again. Whats new...

 

After reading the thread, I can't believe you're serious. The OL was the #1 and #2 need going into this draft. Carimi was great for where he was picked (because the Seahawks screwed up). PERFECT pick.

[Bears4Ever_34]

After reading the thread, I can't believe you're serious. The OL was the #1 and #2 need going into this draft. Carimi was great for where he was picked (because the Seahawks screwed up). PERFECT pick.

Bowers next to Peppers would have been epic. We could have went OL in FA if we really wanted to.. Whatever. It's over and done with.

[AZ54]

Bowers is believed to need microfracture surgery. To my knowledge no pro athlete has ever returned to perform close to the same level after that surgery. If his knee is already that bad it's a huge risk. Even if he ends up not needing the microfracture surgery the fact remains he has a serious knee issue.

 

 

 

[balta1701-A]

Gabe Carimi started 49 games at left tackle during his career at Wisconsin. He is 6-foot-7, has 35-inch arms (and we all know how important arm length is) and has the intelligence to recognize complex NFL blitz packages.

 

It all sounds like a perfect combination to crown him the Bears' long-term answer at left tackle.

 

Game. Set. Match.

 

Right?

 

For a number of reasons, Carimi's short- and long-term destinations fall somewhere short of certain. The Bears' offensive line remains an unfinished puzzle, and in the immediate aftermath of the draft, coach Lovie Smith wouldn't even commit to whether Carimi will play tackle or guard. Offensive line coach Mike Tice acknowledged it is more likely that Carimi ends up playing tackle -- "I think he's an outside player, personally," Tice said -- but made clear that the full picture won't be visible for a while.

 

"We do want to keep our options open," Tice said. "I've been known to move guys around a little bit. We want to ... figure out what's going on with some of our players that are free agents and get to that part of the offseason also. ... We'll make sure that the day that he walks into the building and we put him in a spot that that's going to be the spot that he's going to play at for many years to come we hope. So we'll work our way through that."

 

Let's stop the insanity right now.

 

Unless the Bears sign a veteran free agent specifically to play left tackle, Carimi has to be the guy. The alternative is moving Carimi to right tackle and choosing a left tackle from a group that includes J'Marcus Webb, Frank Omiyale and Chris Williams. But left tackle is one of the most difficult positions to fill in the NFL. There aren't many players equipped to do it, and if you have three possibilities on your returning roster, the reality is probably none of them are up to the job. To massage the old cliche: If you have three left tackles, you've got none.

 

Don't take my word for it. I reached out to Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson, who has been highly critical of the Bears' offensive line personnel all offseason. He and I are on the same page: Based on the Bears' current personnel, Carimi is the best option for left tackle. In the long-term, Carimi might ultimately be a better right tackle. But if Carimi proves to be the Bears' best tackle, doesn't he have to be placed on quarterback Jay Cutler's blind side?

Link. Longer article at link.

[AZ54]

I agree with that. It might not be his ideal spot but he's better there than any of our other guys. However, I can see the logic where the club thinks he'll be rock solid at RT and can handle that spot with zero help. If that's true then you put JWebb, Williams, on the left side and tend to roll your help to the left side (i.e. TE lines up there more often than not). If you can set up the line so that you only have one weak spot (ok this doesn't resolve the OG issue) then it's easier as a team to mask that problem rather than trying to plug occasional leaks across the line.