Thread: Matt Bowen's Report on the Bears Wide Receivers............................

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

Where should the Bears send Jay's remains?

Five players, all playing in a new position from last year (right?)
How many new starters this year? Two or three?

I fear for Cutler's life

So do I Benji but it's run what ya' brung time in Chicago. At some point in time they had to stop doing what wasn't working, namely renting vet Oline talent (?), and begin to develop one internally from the draft. That's where we sit today and the only way we're ever gonna know if these guys can play is to play 'em. There is no other way, sorry.

At least both the level of talent and their experience is slightly better than it was a year ago and that's about it but I can't see anyway that it could possibly be worse this year than last and we still got to the NFCC Game with them. At least we don't have to start OMG.

I think we're better by about 20% if you count the TE and power backs. The O line is bigger, younger and most guys have another camp in under Tice. Add in some playoff experience to those like Webb and if worse comes to worse at least we can run better (I hope). Really hoping to see more GL punch compared to the futility of last season.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

Is it really better when all five starters are at a new position this year?

It's really not as bad as all that. Webb was a LT all four years in college including sometime as a starting LT at the U of Texas before getting lost out at West Texas A&M. Like many rookie LT's he played one year at RT before taking over the blindside. No big deal. Tice says he has the goods to play LT so for now I'll believe him.

Carimi played 4 years at U of Wiskey as a LT but like Webb he goes to RT as a first year NFL starter. Again no big deal because he's a monster run blocker and we'll run right behind him. He worked out at both OT positions in college and many scouts had him pegged as a better RT anyway so maybe that will always be his home.

Louis started the season at RG in 2010 but never played like he practiced so he got yanked. Now he's back RG again but it's not a postion change for him since Tice has had him at RG all along. CWill spent the majority of the 2010 season at LG so that's not a position switch either.

Actually Garza is the only one playing seriously out of position and he may remain there only as long as it takes for Spencer to get up to speed with the offense and the blocking schemes.

I'd say they're a woefully inexperienced bunch but, with the exception of Garza, they're not exactly in foreign positions.

For all intents and purposes, regardless of other defeciencies, we MUST draft o-line 1st next year as well...

Originally Posted by Henry Burris

For all intents and purposes, regardless of other defeciencies, we MUST draft o-line 1st next year as well...

Yeah I'd agree with you on that Henry although I don't know that I'd use the 1st round pick on it unless someone like Carimi falls to us again and it's just too good to pass up. A lot depends on how these guys play this year but at the very least we'll need some depth both at OG and OT. That type we should be able to get in the middle round I would think and now that we signed Spencer and the two rookie UDFA's those guys along with EWill should leave us with an OC or two.

Nobody is gonna want to hear this but I think next year we have to focus on the defense again with the higher picks. Three guys are getting to the point where we need younger guys to apprentice with them. Urlacher, Tillman, and Peppers and I think at least one of our first two picks needs to go for a LB, CB or DE. Don't get me wrong, I do think we need to keep restocking the Oline through the draft but we can't ignore that need to get younger on defense either. JMO.

Originally Posted by 4th and 26

Relay this message over to Jerry Angleo and maybe he will start focusing on the OL instead of drafting the DL.

LOL, he has but the problem is that two of the starters were 7th rounders so we're not giving them much chance of succeeding when it's possible that both Louis and Webb may do just fine. The other two were 1st rounders but one's an unknown and the other has been the man without a position until late last year so he's still an unknown too.

No doubt we need to keep drafting Olineman every year instead of more undersized DE's and maybe now that Tice is around we'll start doing that. Just like you I'm convinced that JA has absolutely no skill or talent whatsoever when it comes to drafting for the Oline.