Solving the Pass Rush Question

I was trying to determine how it is best to solve the pass rush question and to improve the team.

*Let me start by saying that if we could get Mario Williams I would, but my plan requires some money for the WR position.

Re-sign

Izzy Idonije [3 years 9 million/4 guaranteed]

The guy is a great depth guy and a locker room leader that the Bears should keep as a back up. He is also very good against the run and can contribute on special teams.

Sign

Kamerion Wimbley [5 years 35 million/13 guaranteed]

I know he has not been released yet, but he or a guy like Jeremy Mincey, could come in much cheaper than Williams and Avril and he can be a disruptive starting force across from Peppers especially considering he would not be facing the double teams. Lovie loved this guy when he was in the 2005 draft and again when he was traded to Oakland.

Draft

2[50] DE Chandler Jones [Syracuse] 6'5" 266lbs. [35.5" Arms, 4.87 40, 22 reps, 35" vert]

I would pick Nick Perry or Melvin Ingram at 19, but once we get past those 2 guys I do not see a lot of difference between the Mercilus, Branch, Curry and Jones group. Jones looks like the type of guy that Lovie loves, Jones is tall with long arms and a good burst.

Our DEs played way to many snaps last season and as the Giants showed we need to send waves of pass rush at people constant pressure on the tackles.

Depth Chart

RE: Peppers, Jones

LE: Wimbley, Idonije

Windy I've already given you an example of how we might sign MWill if he's willing to leave Houston and his first year cap is less than $10 mil. Much less. So why would you want to sign Wimbley who isn't even half the player and spend just as much cap space on him this year as MWill.

For some unknown reason you seem to not want to accept that so you come up with a half assed Jerry Angelo approach with a guy who now plays LB and a rookie DE who can only run a 4.9 40. Dontario Poe ran that well or better at 350 lbs and top guys like Perry and Mercilus ran 4.6's are Chandler's size. That's fine if you want another Izzy but I want another Pep.

If we structure his contract right we can sign MWill and WR talent. It doesn't have to be either or. They aren't mutually exclusive.

I know people are looking at him as a 3-4 OLB spect mostly, but the one second round DE whose tape is most impressing me right now is Shea McClellin.

I'm still waiting for Julian Miller to regain some of his prior status and move up draft board, because when looking at WVU games to see Bruce Irving's 4-3 DE ability, Miller ended up being the one to really stand out and shine for me. Kid might be my favorite sleeper spect next to Brandon Brooks, who I loved at the Shrine game.

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Originally Posted by soulman

Windy I've already given you an example of how we might sign MWill if he's willing to leave Houston and his first year cap is less than $10 mil. Much less. So why would you want to sign Wimbley who isn't even half the player and spend just as much cap space on him this year as MWill.

For some unknown reason you seem to not want to accept that so you come up with a half assed Jerry Angelo approach with a guy who now plays LB and a rookie DE who can only run a 4.9 40. Dontario Poe ran that well or better at 350 lbs and top guys like Perry and Mercilus ran 4.6's are Chandler's size. That's fine if you want another Izzy but I want another Pep.

Ifwe structure his contract right we can sign MWill and WR talent. It doesn't have to be either or. They aren't mutually exclusive.

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That's the kick I have been on for a while now. Imho, there is NO OTHER FA PLAYER that is clearly the "bpa" or "best sign" or "best place to spend money" for the Bears than Mario Williams. He is...(probably) available, fills a huge position of need, isn't inter-changeable with anyone we might reasonably be able to draft, not the kind of player that gets to the open market often, is affordable this year (if done right), in the prime of his career age-wise, and would have both immediate and future huge impacts.

I wouldn't blame Emery if he tried hard and failed to land him, but I will blame him if he doesn't try or puts in a half-ass, JA-like effort (see Bushrod last year). This guy, more than VJax or Carr or Finnegan or Avril or Bowe or anyone else, MUST be our #1 FA target if/when he hits the open market. The BPA draft possibilities opened up this way (no DE pick longer necessary) are immense. No other FA acquisition offers this blend of benefits.

Mario Williams + Wayne/Meacham +/- Royal in FA makes the draft almost easy and "gravy".

You're 100% right. On this team Mario Williams will be the biggest difference maker we could sign in FA and I mean on this team. If we ran a heavily pass oriented offense then maybe spending $$$ on VJax would make sense but I don't believe he would be the playmaker, or the difference maker that MWill would be.

I'll back that up by saying look at how much signing Pep added to the defense in 2010. Would we have made the NFCC Game without him? If he does hit FA he's an opportunity to catch lightning in a bottle again. If we can line up Pep and MWill at DE and Melton keeps improving his pass rush we could have 3 guys putting up double digit sacks and all kinds of pressure. The guy we have to beat is Aaron Rodgers and every time we play that bastard he escapes what should be sure sacks. NY took those escape routes away with their DE's and if we're smart we'll do the same.

As long as we have Cutler and Forte the passing offense can survive and improve just by upgrading what we have. To me we'd be far better off looking for the WR version of a baseball player with a good OBA than the home run king. We need to spread the ball around and not let teams focus on any one guy and there are FA's out there who can upgrade with. The entire receiving core doesn't need to be replaced and we'll get a lot more mileage out of spending the big bucks on MWill and looking for good value at WR.

I think guys like Royal, Meachem and Wayne fit into the category where we could probably get two of them for the price of VJax alone. At least this would be my approach to FA.

Definitely do-able options, though I would worry a little on how well Wimbley transfers to pure 4-3 front and how much money he's looking for. What receivers do we get via FA?

I think in my dream off-season we would grab Mario Williams and couple that signing with Wayne and Royal. The Mario William benefits have obviously been discussed and there's no need to echo that. I like the upside Meachem brings to the table but with Wayne we have a proven commodity who could be a stop gap for a couple years. With Royal we bring in a speedy version of Bennett** and someone who will immediately connect with Cutler, giving us production much faster then most other targets of his caliber. Royal also comes in with the chance of returning to the form he was in with Cutler at QB, making him a possible steal FA pick-up.*

With our pass-rush fixed CB still needs to be addressed but it will no longer be as much of a liability because of the Peppers/Williams attack. With the defense improved and the passing game improved I think it enables us to go BPA via draft which plays into the "building through the draft" vision that Emery brings to Chicago. Since we are no longer handcuffed by our needs we can load the roster with the very best talent available throughout the draft.

** In terms of a slot type guy who has a chemistry with Cutler

Well put Chi. Wimbley as and has always been a rushbacker playing off the line in a 2 point stance. Playing on the line with your hand on the ground as a rushing DE is another skill in and of itself. 3-4 OLB's don't necessarily make good DE's. That's part of the problem with this years draft class. Other than Coples who's Pep's size the rest of these guys, Perry Upshaw and Ingram are "tweeners". Even Mercilus who is a pure 4-3 end or 3t tackle is all that big. They're 250-270lbs guys who may do better in a 3-4 as a LB than as a 4-3 DE.

There are some issues with all four of these guys that need to be considered. Perry played at 250lbs at SoCal so can he maintain the 270lb he goes now. Can Upshaw play with his hand in the dirt. Ingram is a better candidate for a 3-4 LB than a 4-3 DE and Mercilus is a 265lb one year wonder with super physical skills but will those skills be as productive in the NFL?

They've all been very productive college players but so was Vernon Gholston. If we need a DE to rush opposite Pep I want a guy we're 100% sure can do it.

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Originally Posted by lklrlolnlilklsox

I know people are looking at him as a 3-4 OLB spect mostly, but the one second round DE whose tape is most impressing me right now is Shea McClellin.

I'm still waiting for Julian Miller to regain some of his prior status and move up draft board, because when looking at WVU games to see Bruce Irving's 4-3 DE ability, Miller ended up being the one to really stand out and shine for me. Kid might be my favorite sleeper spect next to Brandon Brooks, who I loved at the Shrine game.

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Cool. This year especially, the Bears might do okay to get a 3-4 OLB. If the lad is good, he can play SLB (at least some) and DE on nickle downs (again, on some). If we get lucky, he either turns into a probowler level pass rusher OR a probowl level LB (of the future ... which we need). Kind of give him two opportunities to find his niche.