Thread: Second-year impact players MAJOR WRIGHT

Originally Posted by dabears54

Steltz is fine for SS back up duty, not sure comfortable with him at FS backup duty.. then again "IF" a back up had no holes in game, he'd be a starter- so very rare to ever find a back up that is good at all.. and if is that good, he isn't back up for long : )

The problem with Steltz is that he seems to have everything else but the required speed. He may have some of the best instincts in the secondary because he's always around the ball but never seems to close quite in time for a pick or to dislodge a catch. He tackles well but whenever he has deep coverage responsibility I cringe. Chris Harris can sometimes be a little slow reacting on those plays but Steltz moves like a glacier. As long as you can play Stelz "in the box" or not ask him to cover deep or run with TE's on seam routes he seems to do fine but whenever they challenge his speed he's beat.

I really don't feel comfortable with letting both Harris and Manning go in the next year or so. If we could keep Manning, I'd be glad to, but not if he's overpriced. I think continuing to have those 2 rotating with Wright would be the best way to go.

Originally Posted by Henry Burris

I really don't feel comfortable with letting both Harris and Manning go in the next year or so. If we could keep Manning, I'd be glad to, but not if he's overpriced. I think continuing to have those 2 rotating with Wright would be the best way to go.

We still have a choice as to whether to offer Harris an extension or not after this year. As for Manning we've already made him a 3 year offer and he's turned it down. He wants to shop himself as a FA so there's really nothing we can do. If he doesn't get any better offers he'll probably return.

I hope they do offer Harris an extension because he's given us some leadership in the defensive backfield again. The main issue with him may come down to price. He may be in a similar position to what Manning is in and would want to shop himself for a bigger deal. All the Bears can do is to make the offer.

One of the reasons for drafting Wright and Conte in the last two drafts was the knowledge that both Manning and Harris were going to be out of contract by 2012.

Originally Posted by soulman

We still have a choice as to whether to offer Harris an extension or not after this year. As for Manning we've already made him a 3 year offer and he's turned it down. He wants to shop himself as a FA so there's really nothing we can do. If he doesn't get any better offers he'll probably return.

I hope they do offer Harris an extension because he's given us some leadership in the defensive backfield again. The main issue with him may come down to price. He may be in a similar position to what Manning is in and would want to shop himself for a bigger deal. All the Bears can do is to make the offer.

One of the reasons for drafting Wright and Conte in the last two drafts was the knowledge that both Manning and Harris were going to be out of contract by 2012.

But what I don't get is why in the hell the Bears even bothered bringing Chris Harris back to Chicago if they didn't plan on keeping him for more than two years. That's just stupid and a big waste of cap space.

On a personal note, Harris is a nice guy and is good for this team. I can say this because he actually replied to a message I wrote him once, encouraging me to stay in school and to continue working hard to reach my goals. He is a classy guy, and I hope that the Bears opt to keep him simply for that reason once his contract is up.

Originally Posted by Dagan81

But what I don't get is why in the hell the Bears even bothered bringing Chris Harris back to Chicago if they didn't plan on keeping him for more than two years. That's just stupid and a big waste of cap space.

On a personal note, Harris is a nice guy and is good for this team. I can say this because he actually replied to a message I wrote him once, encouraging me to stay in school and to continue working hard to reach my goals. He is a classy guy, and I hope that the Bears opt to keep him simply for that reason once his contract is up.

I'd say they did it for the same reason they went after Peppers. We needed a good DB with leadership skills to play a position we didn't have the talent for so we traded Jamar Williams for him. We had enough LB depth but we needed a FS and since he was already a known quantity he was a good fit. It wasn't a waste of cap space at all. The guy was a big difference maker last year and good enough to get all-pro consideration and the price was very reasonable. We should make trades like that every year.

I'd like him to stick around too but once he becomes a FA you can't count on the fact that somebody else will offer more. My guess is that much like they did with Manning they will offer him an extension and see if he agree to it. If not he'll most likely move on. I hope we can keep him and his leadership. We haven't had that back there since Mike Brown left. Harris seems to like Chicago so maybe he stays if he's wanted and finally gets to participate in another Super Bowl.

I'm gonna say that D.J. Moore is more likely to have a breakout year...

Originally Posted by Henry Burris

I'm gonna say that D.J. Moore is more likely to have a breakout year...

I thought he already did last year. That's the best play we had out of a NB since RMJ. I like the way DJ breaks on the ball and the way he hits and tackles. For his size he's very physical and seems to have the short field quickess to play real well against slot guys. I doubt we'll ever see him as a number one CB though. There his lack of size hurts whereas at NB is doesn't. He was a nice pick.