According to what research I've done, Colston has been far more consistent at receiver than either Jackson or Bowe. I think from what I've read, he's only had one year in his career where he's failed to reach the 1,000 yard mark in receiving yards. In Chicago, I think he can have career years since he would get majority of the catches from Cutler.Originally Posted by soulman
Just an article from the Bears site about Steltz. Obviously he's a guy we should be keeping as a backup at Safety and as a ST guy. Great tackler but weak in coverage because of lack to speed.
January 13, 2012 Steltz hopes valuable experience pays dividends
By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 1/13/2012 8:43 AM
Bears safety Craig Steltz can’t be very happy about his alma mater’s 21-0 loss to Alabama in the BCS Championship Game. But the former LSU star certainly has reason to be positive about his NFL future.
Steltz, who is due to become an unrestricted free agent, performed well as a starter late in the season after injuries knocked first Major Wright and later Chris Conte out of action.
“It was an exciting last couple of weeks being able to get out there and be on defense,” said Steltz, who made four of his five starts of 2011 in the last four games. “You need some experience; I think that was the big thing I was lacking. Getting the experience of being in different situations, I think it paid off.
Bears safety Craig Steltz tackles Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant.
“We wish we could’ve won some more ballgames; it’s frustrating not finishing up in the playoffs. But we finished strong against Minnesota and hope to build on that.”
Inserted on defense after Wright injured his shoulder Dec. 4 in a loss to the Chiefs, Steltz recorded 37 tackles in the final five games, third on the Bears behind only Pro Bowl linebackers Brian Urlacher (44) and Lance Briggs (41).
Asked what he proved with his performance, Steltz said: “The biggest thing I think is just having game experience. You can do things at practice all the time, but everyone who’s played the game knows that game time is totally different. "Things move a lot faster, situations change. Being able to get out there and play in game-type situations has helped out. It’s exciting.”
Steltz forced fumbles in back-to-back games against the Chiefs and Broncos, the second coming on a sack of quarterback Tim Tebow that turned into a takeaway when defensive end Israel Idonije recovered the loose ball.
Steltz also ranked fourth on the Bears with 12 special-teams tackles despite seeing little if any action on special teams after moving into the starting lineup over the final quarter of the season.
Steltz joined the Bears in 2008 as a fourth-round draft pick. Prior to this season, he had appeared in 32 games with just two starts—both of which came in 2009.
As Steltz looks ahead to free agency, he really isn’t sure what to expect. “It’s a whole new thing, my first time really going through it,” Steltz said. “When you come out of college, you really don’t have a choice. So it’s going to be something I talk over with the family and make the best decision.”
Regardless of whether Steltz remains with the Bears or joins another team, he’ll continue to live out his fantasy.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” Steltz said. “You dream about it as a kid. To be in any situation in the NFL is a blessing, so I’m excited.”
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Steltz really impressed at the end of the season and surprised to the upside IMO. He's never gonna be a star but is valueable on ST and can backup S in a pinch. I can't imagine he'd be very expensive to re-sign so it's a no brainer...it's not like we are drowning in depth in the secondary.
As for WR, I'd rather have VJax over Colston cuz of his height advantage but I could live with MC if saving some $ there was used/needed to shore up other holes in FA. Either of those guys would be a huge upgrade and either of them could put up big numbers for us...assuming Jay isn't getting pummelled from the blind side every other play.
While both Colston (injuries) and VJax (PED issues) have their issues, the reason why I said I would rather have Colston is because of his consistent year-in, year-out performance. From the research I did, he had over 1,000 receiving in each season of his career except for one, which must have been when he was injured. I'm not concerned about the height so much because VJax is only one inche talleer than Colston (VJax is 6'5" while Colston is 6'4"). Also, Colston is about three years younger than VJax. I think Jackson was drafted into the league in 2003, while Colston was drafted in 2006. Unlike Jackson, Colston has experience playing in championship scenarios, having played in two NFC Championship Games (2006 and 2009) and on one Super Bowl winner in 2009. He can perform under pressure and knows what it takes to win, a trait which I fear our team has little to no knowledge about.
Thanks for that, Dags. For some reason, I though MC was shorter than 6'4" (I admit I didn't look it up, just was my inaccurate impression). You do bring up a good point about the playoff experience and age gap things too. One thing you can definitely say about the Chargers is that they have a well deserved rep for underperforming and choking, esp. with the weapons thay have on O. That's probably more on Norv and Rivers than anyone else like Vjax.
Either of these guys would be huge for us IMO. VJ put up huge numbers on Peanut this year and MC was pretty impressive in the stretch run and the POs from the games I saw. As Colston would probably come cheaper and is younger, I have no problem with that if we use the savings to fund other FAs we need. Nitpicking about VJ vs. MC vs. Bowe is almost looking a gift horse in the mouth at this point. We aren't going to be the only team going after a marqui FA wideout and we just have to get SOMEONE to stay competitive next year with GB and Detroit...no more JA dumpster diving for has-beens and "projects".
What bothers me about Bowe is his wrap sheet as a player who failed a drug test. He took a diuretic that apparently could be used to hide the use of steroids in his system. Bowe is the youngest of all of them, but he's also the shortest receiver of the three at 6'2". I personally want to see a receiver who is at least 6'3" if not taller. That's why I think the best value would be Colston. He is two or three years younger than VJax, is 6'4", and doesn't have a wrap sheet of failed drug tests. He's also not a drama queen and is as close to blue collar as one will get these days at the WR position. He would fit in with the Bears locker room very well.
This comes down to almost the same kind of decision tree we have in hiring a GM. Just get anyone besides who's there now. There isn't one top tier FA WR out there who wouldn't offer some improvement over the status quo. You could virtually toss the names in a hat and pick one and zap, we're better already.
Most of these guys have some kind of baggage or an injury problem they're dragging around with them but despite that they're all better than who we have. We just have to make certain we get one of them.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
I'd prefer one with no disciplinary issues.
We already have enough of those. Gimme' and axe murderer who can get open and catch a football.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap.
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
Do you have fantasies of sleeping with Lizzy Borden, soul?We already have enough of those. Gimme' and axe murderer who can get open and catch a football.
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
