Windy Mock Offseason [Post Combine]

Free Agents

DT Brandon Mebane [Seahawks] 5 years 32.5 million/ 14 guaranteed

Mebane provides the Bears with the interior pass rush that the defence needs to collapse the pocket. Ruskell drafted Mebane in Seattle and Mebane had 5.5 sacks in 2009.
http://prod.static.seahawks.clubs.nf...e_580_1000.jpg

OT Ryan Harris [Broncos] 5 years 20 million/8 guaranteed

The Bears need competition at LT to solidify the pass protection for Martz’s offense. Harris is an athletic pass protector that can man the blindside.
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...ILb5l/610x.jpg

Draft

1[29] OG Marcus Cannon [TCU] 6’5” 360lbs. 33 [225], 5.26[40], 8.9’ Broad, 30” Vert.

Cannon is an athletic marvel for a 360lbs. man and looked great recently running and moving at the combine. Cannon has the power and feet to provide the Bears with a potential dominator inside. In a division that features Suh, Williams and Raji Cannon is a potential answer to those problems.
http://images.onset.freedom.com/odes...iegostate3.jpg

2[61] WR Randall Cobb [Kentucky] 5’10” 191lbs. 16 [225], 4.46 [40]

Cobb does not have the size that the Bears want. But what Cobb has has solid speed and hands and he runs sharp routes. Cobb reminds me of a Martz WR as he does not wow you with his physical ability [Tory Holt], but they get to the spot they need to and catch the ball.
http://pathtothedraft.com/wp-content...-stiff-arm.jpg

3[93] CB Jalil Brown [Colorado] 6’1” 204lbs.

Lovie recently hinted that Tillman might be moving to safety and that leaves the Bears needing depth at CB. Brown is a physical cover CB that can come up and tackle. D.J Moore looks like the nickel back, but the Bears need a bigger CB and Brown brings the size.
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...0A5Xt/610x.jpg

4. C Tim Barnes [Missouri] 6’4” 300lbs.

An athletic pass blocking center that has solid size and can develop behind Olin Kreutz for the next year before taking over.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedi...tim-barnes.jpg

5. NT Ted Laurent [Mississippi] 6’1” 303lbs.

Laurent is a stout physical presence in the middle of the defense. Losing Anthony Adams to bring in the more dynamic Mebane is tough, but Laurent has a similar physical make up.
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...4A88V/610x.jpg

6. LB Akeem Dent [Georgia] 6’2’’ 233lbs.

Dent does not have a long resume at Georgia, but he is a physical thumper that can fit in on special teams while providing depth at LT.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1084/...e2f43f30c0.jpg

Depth Chart

QB: Cutler, Hanie, UDFA
RB: Forte, Taylor, Bell
FB: Unga
TE: Olsen, Davis, Manamuluna
WR: Knox, Bennett, Cobb, Hester, Davis
LT: Harris, Omiyale
LG: Williams, Louis
C: Kreutz, Barnes
RG: Cannon, Garza
RT: Webb

RE: Peppers, Wootton
DT: Mebane, Harrison
NT: Toenia, Laurent
LE: Idonidje, Melton
SLB: Tinaisamoa, Roach
MLB: Urlacher, Dent
WLB: Briggs, Iwuh
CB: Bowman, Jennings, Brown, Moore, Moore, Graham
FS: Tillman, Wright
SS: Harris, Bullocks

Think this may be your best pass at FA guys yet Windy. The NT pick seems solid and given the way the draft may break around the OT's on the board this may be the route to go.

If we can't get Carimi then I'd rather take a chance on converting Harris from RT to LT than to pick Sherrod who I think will disappoint whoever picks him. That still gives us three guys (CWill, Webb, Harris) who get a shot at LT. I do believe that Harris would be an upgrade over Omiyale (who wouldn't be) and that allows us to leave Williams at OG and JWebb at RT. Now sign a FA OG and draft a mid round OG/C. Let Tice have his way with them and may the best 5 win.

The only thing you overlooked in FA is a WR. We need a guy to start now and we won't get that in the draft.

Now for your draft picks;

Don't think Cannon is our guy. We can get an OG in FA and another in the mid rounds of the draft. If we sign Ryan Harris in FA that allows us to use that first pick on a 3t DT like Liuget (move up?) or Paea/Nevis ( move back into 2nd round?).

Forget a WR in the second and use it for whichever spot (OT or DT) we don't fill with our first pick. If we want a WR of that type then go after Santonio Holmes in FA.

Jalil Brown doesn't rate as highly as Jimmy Smith but he's a good pick in the third round since we do need add another CB into the mix. Peanut is aging, Jennings needs to go back to a spare CB/NB, Bowman and Moore are question marks but Graham may finally get his chance if he stays around. We could also use a LB around this spot since we cut Hilly and it looks like Pisa may not be around either.

Barnes seems like a fit around this level but we also need a LB here if not in the third so this is where it becomes top player on the board time. Casey Matthews comes into play around here as does U of W OG John Moffitt.

Past this point I have no idea except to fill out the picks with guys who can become ST standouts.

Good workup!

To me Cannon brings more value to the team then a late 1st round DT. Cannon brings the size that Tice wants and is a unique physical specimen.

Cannon already has the feet to be a great pass protecting OG and if Tice can get that 360lbs, moving forward it could be impressive.

We need mulitple new starters on the OL and simply bringing in Harris and a mid round OG will not be enough in my opinion.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WindyCity

To me Cannon brings more value to the team then a late 1st round DT. Cannon brings the size that Tice wants and is a unique physical specimen.

Cannon already has the feet to be a great pass protecting OG and if Tice can get that 360lbs, moving forward it could be impressive.

We need mulitple new starters on the OL and simply bringing in Harris and a mid round OG will not be enough in my opinion.

---

I agree with you and that's why I said that we should sign an OG in FA. They're pretty plentiful this year and that, along with a new CBA cap limit, should keep their prices down.

The problem with Cannon and others his size is that while he may be a very good lineman while he's young his weight will be more of an issue as he ages ala William Perry and many others. You always have to fear guys like him out eating their usefulness not to mention the difficulty of recovering from a leg injury when carrying that much weight around.

Windy the guy may be great but I just don't like the risks involved with guys his size. Besides we already have one monster 360lb OG on the roster for Tice to build with. If he can make an effective starting OG out of Herman Johnson then he can all the 360 lb guys he wants. I like to test the water temperature before I jump in the shower.

LOL @ Cobb. We already have three Cobbs on this roster and don't need another undersized speed guy at WR. Of all our needs, I would put WR at the very bottom when it comes to urgency and grabbing a Cobb in the second would be downright retarded. Give me a guy like Toliver or Adams late, but not before we address just about every other need we have.

The rest is fine by me as I'm a big Jalil Brown fan and Barnes is a solid fourth rounder (and the biggest Combine snub in a long time). I really liked what I saw out of the Slippery Rock kid yesterday, Brandon Fusco, and he looked very good upon second review of the Senior Bowl (I popped it in just to see him). Hard to argue with his list of accomplishments regardless of division when you look at the athleticism he showed off this weekend.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

LOL @ Cobb. We already have three Cobbs on this roster and don't need another undersized speed guy at WR. Of all our needs, I would put WR at the very bottom when it comes to urgency and grabbing a Cobb in the second would be downright retarded. Give me a guy like Toliver or Adams late, but not before we address just about every other need we have.

The rest is fine by me as I'm a big Jalil Brown fan and Barnes is a solid fourth rounder (and the biggest Combine snub in a long time). I really liked what I saw out of the Slippery Rock kid yesterday, Brandon Fusco, and he looked very good upon second review of the Senior Bowl (I popped it in just to see him). Hard to argue with his list of accomplishments regardless of division when you look at the athleticism he showed off this weekend.

---

I do not see WR as not being a need like you. Not wanting Cobb is okay and I agree that he looks a lot like what we have, but WR to me is our 2nd biggest need.

We gave up the world for a QB and we give him the WORST WR group in the NFL.

Earl Bennett is our best WR and he is a undersized slot guy, Knox causes as many negative plays as he does good plays and Hester is Dante Hall with better kick returns.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WindyCity

I do not see WR as not being a need like you. Not wanting Cobb is okay and I agree that he looks a lot like what we have, but WR to me is our 2nd biggest need.

We gave up the world for a QB and we give him the WORST WR group in the NFL.

Earl Bennett is our best WR and he is a undersized slot guy, Knox causes as many negative plays as he does good plays and Hester is Dante Hall with better kick returns.

---

Our second biggest problem? Did you bother watching our interior DL getting ZERO pressure all season? How about the incredibly overrated Tim Jennings getting raped all season when he wasn't getting away with insane PI? How about the fact that our third down HB is a joke who struggled to get anything more than 1 YPC 90% of the season and has no speed left in him? We COULD get ourselves an immediate upgrade at WR via FA, but grabbing another guy in the Knox/Hester mold is not a solution to any problem we have. In fact, outside of two WRs we wont have a shot at, I don't see anything I would find as our solution to fill the need of big veteran receiver. Frankly, I would prefer we grab ourselves a stud like Sturdivant to play SLB for a while season and learn from Brian instead of grabbing anything but a sure big at WR.

MAYBE a guy like Little early would make me slightly less pissed, but I think you are vastly overrating the value of a young WR to our team with as many holes as we have. Frankly, I see this DL as a huge problem for us next year. We can hide our other needs there behind a solid group, but we would be very fortunate to get away with zero interior pressure like we did last season. Our starting DTs right now are Melton and Toeaina, which is just pathetic, and re-signing Adams only makes it slightly less pathetic. The C2 just can't survive that long with those types of tools up front.

Also, as for equating Knox's negative plays as being "as many" as his good plays, bullshit. he's not a go up and get it guy and he doesn't fight for the ball, but he's a playmaker.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WindyCity

I do not see WR as not being a need like you. Not wanting Cobb is okay and I agree that he looks a lot like what we have, but WR to me is our 2nd biggest need.

We gave up the world for a QB and we give him the WORST WR group in the NFL.

Earl Bennett is our best WR and he is a undersized slot guy, Knox causes as many negative plays as he does good plays and Hester is Dante Hall with better kick returns.

---

I don't disagree that WR is a need Windy, although maybe not more so than Oline and DT, but we can sign a WR in FA that both meets our needs and is ready to go now. You won't get that out of a draft pick so if we do take one it shouldn't be until after we get some other needs met.

Our WR's aren't the worst in the NFL but I'd agree that we do need a true #1 guy. Knox would be great if he were lined up with anybody but Hester at the other spot. Hester should be used to back Knox as a speedy downfield guy or in the slot where he's gonna face coverage that won't match up well with his speed. Bennett is far from being undersized for a slot guy and tough go to 3rd down receiver. He's about the same size as Hines Ward and nobody ever accused him of being undersized.

Add a guy like Sidney Rice, Malcom Floyd or even Santonio Holmes to this group and I'll bet you'd think different about the group as a whole.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

Our second biggest problem? Did you bother watching our interior DL getting ZERO pressure all season? How about the incredibly overrated Tim Jennings getting raped all season when he wasn't getting away with insane PI? How about the fact that our third down HB is a joke who struggled to get anything more than 1 YPC 90% of the season and has no speed left in him? We COULD get ourselves an immediate upgrade at WR via FA, but grabbing another guy in the Knox/Hester mold is not a solution to any problem we have. In fact, outside of two WRs we wont have a shot at, I don't see anything I would find as our solution to fill the need of big veteran receiver. Frankly, I would prefer we grab ourselves a stud like Sturdivant to play SLB for a while season and learn from Brian instead of grabbing anything but a sure big at WR.

MAYBE a guy like Little early would make me slightly less pissed, but I think you are vastly overrating the value of a young WR to our team with as many holes as we have. Frankly, I see this DL as a huge problem for us next year. We can hide our other needs there behind a solid group, but we would be very fortunate to get away with zero interior pressure like we did last season. Our starting DTs right now are Melton and Toeaina, which is just pathetic, and re-signing Adams only makes it slightly less pathetic. The C2 just can't survive that long with those types of tools up front.

Also, as for equating Knox's negative plays as being "as many" as his good plays, bullshit. he's not a go up and get it guy and he doesn't fight for the ball, but he's a playmaker.

---

I watched our defense with no interior pressure and Tim Jennings struggling end up ranked #4 in pts/gm.

watched our defense with no interior pressure and Tim Jennings struggling allow 38 points in 3 games to the Green Bay Packers.

Johnny Knox is a nice deep threat, but his poor routes and not fighting for the ball cause a lot of negative plays. ESPN Radio was talking about how he was the WR in the NFL that had the most interceptions from passes targeting him, which I believed numbered 11.

Jay Cutler threw for 4,526 yards and 25 TDs when he had weapons.

Can someone name a worse WR core in the NFL because I am not convinced that the Rams is worse across the board after Mark Clayton looked solid and Danario Alexander started to develop?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

Our second biggest problem? Did you bother watching our interior DL getting ZERO pressure all season? How about the incredibly overrated Tim Jennings getting raped all season when he wasn't getting away with insane PI? How about the fact that our third down HB is a joke who struggled to get anything more than 1 YPC 90% of the season and has no speed left in him? We COULD get ourselves an immediate upgrade at WR via FA, but grabbing another guy in the Knox/Hester mold is not a solution to any problem we have. In fact, outside of two WRs we wont have a shot at, I don't see anything I would find as our solution to fill the need of big veteran receiver. Frankly, I would prefer we grab ourselves a stud like Sturdivant to play SLB for a while season and learn from Brian instead of grabbing anything but a sure big at WR.

MAYBE a guy like Little early would make me slightly less pissed, but I think you are vastly overrating the value of a young WR to our team with as many holes as we have. Frankly, I see this DL as a huge problem for us next year. We can hide our other needs there behind a solid group, but we would be very fortunate to get away with zero interior pressure like we did last season. Our starting DTs right now are Melton and Toeaina, which is just pathetic, and re-signing Adams only makes it slightly less pathetic. The C2 just can't survive that long with those types of tools up front.

Also, as for equating Knox's negative plays as being "as many" as his good plays, bullshit. he's not a go up and get it guy and he doesn't fight for the ball, but he's a playmaker.

---

I also have us making our biggest free agent signing at DT.