Thread: Bears #1 Priority in the Draft Still a Mystery?.....................

Originally Posted by BearStuff

I'll add secondary to that list. My god we need a good CB who can tackle. Dre Fitzpatrick is who I'd like to see most, but I could settle with a very good DE.

I think Kirkpatrick is a great fit but as a first rounder I don't see us doing it. They re-signed Jennings who's small but a tough little cookie who can tackle well and they picked up Hayden whose played a few years in Cover-2 and a guy we looked at last year. We could use another guy but Lovie doesn't usually place first round value on a CB.

If we'd been able to get Mincey (MWill was never a possibility once Buffalo got into the mix) I think there's a chance we may have looked at him, same with Kuechly, but you hit the nail on the head. Based on the other priority we didn't fill in FA ya' gotta think a DE will be in the draft.

Originally Posted by motownbear

I dont think we have the luxury to move up and use draft picks that way. We are two years away of cleaning up JA mess to get us to that level where we can trade picks to move up.

BS= you are right it would be nice to add a good DB but they re-signed Jennings for two years and already got a ST db so my guess other then S it wont be a priority unless something unexpected happens of course

soul we got to build both lines into solid units. The who part we probably all have our favorites but we all recognize the obvious needs. The only OL talent I would be happy out of the first round are Kalil, Reiff, and Decastro and Glenn I would be cool with but not jumping for joy type moves. DE there are many many many options I just dont know what they want a 3 down guy or a situational guy. If they are leaning situational it better not be a first round pick lol. And I agree there are allot of good G in this draft and I hope we get one of them on board but Im still hoping to stare at Coples or Reiff when pick 19 is up.

They won't take 3rd down pass rusher like Irvin in one. He's guy you hope may slide enough to get him in the third where he might be a real steal. He's not really and experienced enough LB in either run or coverage from someone to see him as anything but a guy to develop in that regard but as a day one playmaker off the edge I see a Javon Kearse type of guy. I just wish we still had that higher 3rd round pick we got for Olsen.

Nah, if we take a guy in the first he's somebody we see as being able to play more than just 3rd down. That's where Coples is the guy is he falls and then I'd say Mercilus. Not big but he's athletic as hell, knows how you rush and looked good enough in his LB drills that the 3-4 teams are looking at him too. I hope not but we may get busted on both of them. If so then I think we don't take another DE at #19 but maybe a DT or we trade back in one and use the extra pick to trade up in two.

There's some very good football players to be had in round two so if we did move up we'll have a better chance at a guy like Zeitler and maybe we take a "tweener" type DE like Perry later in one or we look at those second tier DE guys in two and we draft Zeitler later in one. He's been moving up. Somewhere in those first two rounds we're gonna get two good football players and I hope they're both lineman. But Reiff and/or Coples are but a dream IMHO.

I just wanted to repost this interview with Emery as much as anything to emphasize why another WR in the first round makes no sense. This is in addition trading for Marshall, the fact that we're paying Bennett $4.5 mil per year to be our #2 guy now and we re-signed Kellen Davis for $3 mil per year to be an all around TE who will be thrown to.

Emery shares thoughts on newest Bears

By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 4/5/2012 4:51 PM


During a conference call with Bears season ticket holders Wednesday night, general manager Phil Emery offered his take on the six new players the team has added since the outset of free agency.

Bears general manager Phil Emery poses with new additions Brandon Marshall and Jason Campbell.

In the last three weeks, the Bears have acquired receiver Brandon Marshall in a trade with the Dolphins and signed backup quarterback Jason Campbell, running back Michael Bush, linebacker Blake Costanzo and receivers Eric Weems and Devin Thomas.

Marshall is a three-time Pro Bowler who joins the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald and the Falcons’ Roddy White as the only NFL receivers to compile at least 1,000 yards in each of the last five seasons. (And all while being thrown to by pretty mediocre QB who fall far short of what Cutler is capable of)


“I’m very excited to have him here,” Emery told the season ticket holders. “He’s what we were looking for in a wideout: 6-4, 230 pounds, a great ability to adjust to the football. Unusual ability to run routes for a man his size. There’s no stiffness to him. He’s a very loose and limber athlete.


“The size is a tremendous advantage. The other thing is how skilled Brandon is at adjusting to the deep ball and adjusting not only to the flight of the ball and his location but adjusting relative to the defender, which is a lot harder than maybe even I would perceive it.”


While Marshall is expected to make the biggest impact among the new players, Campbell will provide much-needed insurance that the Bears lacked last season when they dropped five straight games after losing starting quarterback Jay Cutler to a broken thumb.


“We want to go into the season knowing that if something were to happen to Jay that we have a quarterback … that we can still win a championship [with], and we really believe we have found that in Jason Campbell,” Emery said.

Michael Bush

Bush joins the Bears after spending his first five NFL seasons with the Raiders. The 6-1, 245-pounder rushed for 2,642 yards and 21 touchdowns on 256 carries while playing in 61 games with 19 starts. He also caught 91 passes for 879 yards and 1 TD. (Another back who can take part in the passing game as well has score TD on the goaline)

Emery explained that the Bears were looking to acquire a complementary back with a different running style than starter Matt Forte to keep defenses off balance.


Costanzo has appeared in 61 NFL games as a reserve and special teams contributor with the Bills (2007-08), Browns (2009-10) and 49ers (2011), registering 71 special teams tackles with four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.


Last season Costanzo ranked second on the 49ers with 17 special-teams tackles and led San Francisco with four stops in the playoffs. In the 49ers’ post-season win over the Saints, he forced a fumble on a punt return and recovered a fumble on a kickoff return.


“He couldn’t be a more interesting individual and a more fired up guy,” Emery said. “He will provide leadership to our [special] teams. He will [bring] an added energy to our overall squad. He’s just a very upbeat, pleasant football guy. He personifies ‘football guy.’ He’s all in. He would have been great at anything that was combative. He chose football. That’s his thing. And he really adds to what we have.”

Eric Weems

Weems spent his first five NFL seasons with the Falcons after signing with Atlanta in 2007 as an undrafted free agent out of Bethune-Cookman University. The 5-9, 195-pounder was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2010 as the NFC’s special teams representative. In 55 career games, Weems has recorded 41 special-teams tackles and averaged 25.6 yards on 113 kickoff returns with one touchdown and 10.6 yards on 77 punt returns with one TD.

“Persistence is what he’s about,” Emery said. “He’s also got a good skill level. He can cover kicks, he can return kicks, and he’s a good wideout. He will balance out our depth at the wideout position, he will add to it, he will improve us.” (Sounds like we added another slot guy here and not just a ST guy)


Thomas spent his first four NFL seasons with the Redskins (2008-10), Panthers (2010) and Giants (2010-11), catching 43 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns while appearing in 55 games with 11 starts.


The 6-1, 221-pounder won a Super Bowl ring with the Giants last season, contributing primarily on special teams. He recovered two fumbles in the NFC title game, including one that set up the winning field goal in overtime.
“I really feel good about him, adding to our wideout depth and being a special teams player,” Emery said. “We think that maybe he’s at a spot in his career where he’s ready to move forward. I think he sees this as a great opportunity to move forward in his career; get more involved, get more catches.” (Doesn't sound like they plan to limit him to just returning of covering kicks either)


Even if Knox can't return in 2012 or ever we've added guys who can give us better depth at WR than Hurd or Sanz and we've added Marshall plus retained Bennett and Davis as our frontline guys. Knox is 50-50 for 2012 but I still think Sanz will develop into a good NFL WR if he's given more shots. So we can surely wait to take a guy in the middle rounds and let him understudy Marshall. This draft has good value at WR in the middle rounds.

‘The more information you put out . . . the more advantage you give your opponents to outdo you in the draft — jump in front of you, understand where you’re going,’’ Emery said. ‘‘We don’t ever want to put ourselves in that position.’’


THIS is probably the #1 thing Phil has over JA