Thread: 2011 bear udfa wish list for camp

Originally Posted by soulman

What do you mean it's not hard to figure out. Apparently it is from your point of view. We have only two QB's from last year and one reject from the Pats in reserve. Cutler will be the #1 unless he gets his legs shot off or something so the open position is #2. As of right now Hanie's earned it and he should confirm that once camp starts.

But suppose that either he or Cutler goes down. Then who becomes #2, Gutierrez or Enderle. If there's no competiton for spot #2 then there certainly needs to be for #3 because we had to reach that far into the bag last year. You've already read that Martz said they didn't draft Enderle just to be a 3rd string clipboard carrier so he believes there'll be competition and he'll be the one conducting it.

I grant you that we'll have more spots to compete for along the Oline, especially the backup spot, but that competition is no more important than that of the backup QB's. I love Hanie and I hope he's a Bear until he retires but that doens't mean I don't think he shouldn't be butting heads with his competition every year. It will do both him and his competition good.

I am not sure how to tell you this, but if Cutler goes down, the season is over. So the OL is more important than drafting a QB who, as most of you have said, will be the third string QB.

We needed another QB to compete, this is true, but I just disagree with the picking of one in the draft.

Originally Posted by soulman

Well I hate to tell you this but even if Cutler does go down NFL rules say that we have to play out the schedule and if your not planning on having Gabe Carimi take snaps from Olin Kruetz then I think we'll need a couple of spare QB's. If you don't have at least two active every week then Earl Bennett becomes your wildcat QB when both go down.

I would have liked to have gotten another Olineman in the draft too but it seems like there were none left who fit the bill. If you've been following along Benji you can see that three or four of the OC's (Barnes, Taylor, Kirkpatrick, O'Dowd) mentioned as 4th or 5th round picks in Windy's mocks are still UDFA. So is one of the OT's, Jarriel King.

Benji we took a BPA QB in five and we still have a shot at any of the aforementioned in FA. Have you and others gotten so hung up on this 5th pick thing that you're overlooking the fact that the guys who were forecast to go thereabouts are still free for the pickin' as soon as the lockout lifts? Should we have taken Tim Barnes there and then signed a lesser QB from the UDFA pile just so people wouldn't complain about the pick?

Man this arguement is getting old. Doesn't the fact that those 5th round Oline prospects are still out there register?

I was as annoyed as anyone with the 5th pick (which I also saw as a "wasted pick at a position of far lesser need"), but in the cold light of a new day I do see it differently now. Thanks for that, Soul.

I had assumed that we would take a player at a position of "greater need" in the draft and pick up a QB3 in FA. Instead we did the opposite and went BPA @ QB in the draft and now have to look at FA/UDFA's to fill other needs and wants (both immediate contributors and developmental prospects respectively).

Whether by plan, hope, or just dumb luck, a fair number of interesting potentials fell out of the draft, especially at C/G so I hope our phones will be running hot as soon as the lockout ends. Bring in a couple of OLs, a WR, and maybe a CB for a long-shot lookover and let's see what sticks...

Originally Posted by MPBears68

Yeah, you're are so right, DB. The draft broke awful for us in terms of our positional needs between the Paea & Conte picks. So many potential OG, WR, & CB prospects failed to fall to late-3. Guess we can't complain since we were so fortunate beforehand. It's human nature to always find something to whine about though lol. Assuming we sign (as we must) a starting-caliber OG and a Floyd-like WR in regular FA, I see the following as attractive options for UDFAs:

1. A developmental C--fortunately there are quite a few options to bring into camp, hopefully one of them impresses.
2. A developmental big target WR--a few options are available, probably won't work out but worth a look. I guess if we sign a young guy like Sidney Rice that this would be far less of an issue.
3. CB depth--do you agree that this position is the "least deep" one on our defensive roster? Again it prob won't pan out, but I'm assuming that JA is not going to sign a vet CB given the bigger needs on O we have above.

yeah sometimes draft go like that- and like you, just glad the first and 2nd brke right for us : )

On the CB depth, think its actually the opposite, we have good depth, but not sure have another good starter after Tillman. I like what saw in DJ moore at the nickle last year, players like graham, jennings and bowman good in dime, but none give me that much confidence when started, and that's IMO the problem at CB, we need a top End CB, and not likely to find later in draft or in UDFA.

Yeah Rice would solv our #1 WR problem- but more and more do not see a new CBA and 4 years to F/A this summer

Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

I can't agree with this. 3/4 this year was a great big-fast CB area. A lot of guys like House, Chekwa, Allen, Curtis and Jalil Brown went in that area after us. McCarthy and Wright were both solid picks for the future of our LB corps and they were there. Then there was Boling or Brewer who boosts our need for talent on OL who went in the following picks. I wasn't a fan of Durham (though the way he stood in for Green was impressive) and Doss, but they were legit prospects there who filled a need at big WR. So, I won't say the pick was out of the draft falling poorly for us, I just think we legitimately had Conte that high on our board.

Think We can agree after OT/DT the next biggest needs were WR and OG, and the top guys at those positions went before our Pick. I like boling, but didn't think was worth a 3rd round grade( thought if we had a 4th that would be a place for him- alas we didn't). I do think it was A Concious decsion to take Conte over the Cb's though. House,allen , brown IMO more of the same of what we have in moore/graham/bowman, guess with potential but most likely not starters but nickle and depth guys, and we have enough of those- think they are going to wait until 2012 and go CB at top or 2nd to get that Starting CB

Originally Posted by soulman

At least one OC should be a given and in my mind Barnes would probably top the list. Guys like O'Dowd, Taylor, or Kirkpatrick could also fit the bill. I'm guessing that Tice has his eye on one or two of them in particular. I'd love to see us develop another Jay Hilgenberg out of FA.

We always bring WR's to camp but so far we've had little or no success with any of them. Is Daryl Drake that bad of a coach or do we just not pick the right guys? We have to find a taller vet WR in FA this year but another one or two who are the size of that kid Fantuz would be good. We need another guy of size in the development hopper.

I know they'll find a CB to invite since we didn't draft one and the vet FA cupboard is pretty bare but the one guy I really want is Herzlich. He may be the perfect guy to grow into the MLB spot and he get's to study and learn from one of the best. Right now he's about Hilly's size but he may be able to add 10-15lbs without losing his athleticism. I'm not really hoping that an UDFA could ever fill Uralcher's shoes but this guy may well have been a high draft pick if not for his illness. Even if we got nothing more than we got from Hilly we'd have made a good choice signing him.

Somebody just needs to go out and convince him that he stands a chance of becoming one of a long list of pro-bowl LB's if he joins the Bears. Guys like him are a tradition and he's worth a FA shot.

Yeah- how Drake has survided this long one of the mysteries of the world ,imo. I do not get it, it not that he's awful, but he's also not done anything very good either, and after 6 years of not much, hard to understand not changing just to try something different as have done as basically every other Position coach.

And agree aboit herlich- like his play and will give the lazy writers easy stories all summer ..lol

Originally Posted by MPBears68

I was as annoyed as anyone with the 5th pick (which I also saw as a "wasted pick at a position of far lesser need"), but in the cold light of a new day I do see it differently now. Thanks for that, Soul.

I had assumed that we would take a player at a position of "greater need" in the draft and pick up a QB3 in FA. Instead we did the opposite and went BPA @ QB in the draft and now have to look at FA/UDFA's to fill other needs and wants (both immediate contributors and developmental prospects respectively).

Whether by plan, hope, or just dumb luck, a fair number of interesting potentials fell out of the draft, especially at C/G so I hope our phones will be running hot as soon as the lockout ends. Bring in a couple of OLs, a WR, and maybe a CB for a long-shot lookover and let's see what sticks...

Exactly, 80% or more of the Line players people wanted in 5th still Available, so do not understand the whining either. I was also in the get another lineman( center/guard) in 5th and Qb in UDFA.. but as it has turned out getting the BETTER Qb in 5th and having almost all the lineman people were looking at STILL available, it worked out fine and if looking at it ojectively and not emotionally, was probably the nestter choice going qb in 5th when look at it now