Thread: Eric Steinbach worth a look?

I agree, he's a good guard, but what kind of back surgery is it?

On J'Marcus Webb, most in here want him replaced/given serious competition, and I think statistically, he was the worst LT, somebody had a good link on it.

Originally Posted by BigBadPapaBear

The Bears have so many Guards that it doesn't make sense to me why they would have interest in him.

You are right, we do have many Guards, but none of them are very good. Now, I think Chris Williams is good, but as many, including myself, have suggested, Williams should replace Webb at LT. He was given a bad rap (IMO) at LT when he got his limited chance there, and even at his worst, he was better than Webb. Now, if you move him back to LT and keep Garza at Center, then who are our Guards? Chris Spencer, Lance Louis, Edwin Williams and then we have relative unknowns (Ricky Henry and Reggie Stephens). Chris Spencer did not play well for us last year and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he was playing with a broken hand through most of the season, but he was a below Average Center for the Seahawks so how much benefit of the doubt do we give him? Edwin Williams is a solid reserve, but he is not a starting caliber OG in the NFL. Many people like Lance Lewis because he has shown "flashes", but he has had more bad games than good and these games have come AFTER the flashes which show regression. So, yea, we have a lot of Guards, but it's a patchwork of back-ups at best outside of Chris Williams. I can't speak for everyone that wants us to pursue Guards, but that is my rationale.

With all that said, I certainly respect you opinion BigPapa as you always make some very good points, and you are just as apt to be right than me. After all, we all just watch from a fans perspective and I will openly admit that I sometimes place too much importance on O-Line. I have no idea if Steinbach is healthy enough to play at previous levels, but when he was healthy, he was one of the best in the league. Depending on how much this injury slows him down (and I admit, it could be completely over for him), Eric Steinbach at 80% is still much better than Lance Lewis at 100%, which he never is beyond game 2. Let's keep in mind that we just signed Kelvin Hayden whose neck problems were of more concern to us last year as we passed him up.

Steinbach would be ok if we got him for the veteran minimum

Originally Posted by mancunian

Steinbach would be ok if we got him for the veteran minimum

Well...maybe your right.

My thought has two potential senarios.

1. If he's healthy, then he is worth FAR more than the Vet minimum, and he will get far more than the vet minimum. If healthy, he is an admitedly aging Pro Bowl OG, but still, at 32, there are still some years there. At least 2 or 3. If he's healthy, he would automatically be the best OG we've had in Chicago since Reubin Brown.

2. If he's not healthy (especially considering it's a back issue), then he isn't worth the roster spot, much less the cap space to grab him at even the vet minimum.

Food for thought, but you could be right manc.

nothing to lose by bringing him in during camp and assessing the guy

Originally Posted by mancunian

nothing to lose by bringing him in during camp and assessing the guy

Yea, it might be the only way to assess his true health.