Thread: Bears Bring OT Cory Brandon Back.......

Originally Posted by short faced bear

Yes. I'm just saying as a long term strategism not to over-rely on this type of thing. I think we will need a OG, LT (FA), and Garza's eventual replacement. I think we cut ties to Spencer after this year as well.

Oh yeah, Spencer isn't coming back. In fact given what we're paying him to sit I'm surprised we didn't release him instead of CWill but that just indicates how bad off CWill's relationship with Tice must have gotten.

Garza strikes me as a guy who is kind of ageless and he could well play a while longer yet and of course there's EWill waiting in the wings learning the position so we may be OK there shorty. I'd still be looking for good interior lineman to upgrade with but I wouldn't spend a high draft pick on an OC.

I think we're set on the right side with Louis and Carimi. There's a ton of talent, youth and upside over there. As usual it's the left side we need to keep and eye on. Rachal has a ton of talent too but no one has been able to extract it so far. Maybe this is his turn around season. Obviously Tice likes the guy and we all know what that means.

We really won't know what we have as far as this line goes until closer to the end of the season. We may be far better off than we think right now or we may be in exactly the same boat we were last year. I'm hoping they can pull it together because I'm not a big believer in spending high draft picks on OLineman unless they're top ten picks and if we get a top ten pick next April somebody is gonna be in real trouble.

Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

I've often wondered if they are giving Carimi this year to get his feet wet, and see how good he is over the course of his first full season, with the idea of moving him to LT next year. Carimi is the "real deal" as a lineman, but you don't throw him into the LT slot right off the bat. Let him get a year of NFL starting experience at RT first. Then if he still looks like a quality LT starter for next year, then pull the trigger in 2013.

Carimi was a unanimous All American LT at Wisconsin & started 49 games there at LT. Wisconsin is one of the top 5 programs for offensive linemen (this isn't like Webb's colleges of Navarro College and West Texas).

He was awarded the Outland Trophy his senior year as the nation's best offensive linemen.

The Best.

It's easier to find a RT than LT. We could then get a quality RT in the draft, and maybe a center too. And move Webb to swing tackle (where he probably belongs). And maybe one of our two PS guys will be ready to step up at that time too, in case our young rookie draftees are not immediate starting material.

If Carimi could be a quality LT, then we can add 2 more high quality guys in the draft. Surely, Emery & Tice together could grab a REAL talented oline guy in the early rounds of the draft.

^This +1.

I think it is a good idea to actually have a fair competition at LT. Getting another RT would be far cheaper and easier. If Carimi did earn the LT position the offense could be better off as less chipping and resources scheming a weakness on that side could no longer be.

Garza has been inconsistent and I don't want to see a Kreutz like decline. I don't want a high draft pick OC but I don't want to dumpster dive either, Ewill isn't a long term OC answer. Pretty sure Spencer will be gone. Plus we don't know if Brandon or Brown will stick.

But at least now guys are being shuffled in and not more arena league DE's. So I do think there is progress, I just don't want it to be a pretext to not drafting or going FA.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

Benji stop posting Omiyale's team pic. He's gone now.

Originally Posted by JustAnotherBearsFan99

I've often wondered if they are giving Carimi this year to get his feet wet, and see how good he is over the course of his first full season, with the idea of moving him to LT next year. Carimi is the "real deal" as a lineman, but you don't throw him into the LT slot right off the bat. Let him get a year of NFL starting experience at RT first. Then if he still looks like a quality LT starter for next year, then pull the trigger in 2013.

Carimi was a unanimous All American LT at Wisconsin & started 49 games there at LT. Wisconsin is one of the top 5 programs for offensive linemen (this isn't like Webb's colleges of Navarro College and West Texas).

He was awarded the Outland Trophy his senior year as the nation's best offensive linemen.

The Best.

It's easier to find a RT than LT. We could then get a quality RT in the draft, and maybe a center too. And move Webb to swing tackle (where he probably belongs). And maybe one of our two PS guys will be ready to step up at that time too, in case our young rookie draftees are not immediate starting material.

If Carimi could be a quality LT, then we can add 2 more high quality guys in the draft. Surely, Emery & Tice together could grab a REAL talented oline guy in the early rounds of the draft.

I think the issue with Carimi is and may always be that he just doesn't have the "feet" and lateral movement for LT at this level. Tice may have said it best when he told us after we drafted him that, "he can play LT but he'll be an All Pro RT. He was pretty firm about that too.

Unless I miss my guess Tice won't play him at LT unless he's forced to because of injuries. The thing is Webb is the perfect physical specimen for a LT. He's got the size, great natural strength, decent athleticism, and the wing span of a 747. If he had a head for the game like Carimi does he could be an All Pro prospect too but he doesn't so he's gonna need to learn it.

I'd be willing to bet that Mike Ditka will swear off cigars before they'll willingly move Gabe Carimi to LT. If Webb can't get the job done then we should go out and buy ourselves the best LT in FA we can get. We need one now....hell we needed one yesterday, and even if Carimi could move to LT he'd go through the same growing pains there as any other inexperienced guy would. LT in the NFL isn't the same as it is in the Big Ten.

If Webb doesn't work out I don't want to see anymore experiments over there and neither does Jay Cutler. Give him All Pro pass protection on his blindside and he becomes an All Pro QB. If not we continue to get exactly what we have been getting.

Originally Posted by short faced bear

^This +1.

I think it is a good idea to actually have a fair competition at LT. Getting another RT would be far cheaper and easier. If Carimi did earn the LT position the offense could be better off as less chipping and resources scheming a weakness on that side could no longer be.

Garza has been inconsistent and I don't want to see a Kreutz like decline. I don't want a high draft pick OC but I don't want to dumpster dive either, Ewill isn't a long term OC answer. Pretty sure Spencer will be gone. Plus we don't know if Brandon or Brown will stick.

But at least now guys are being shuffled in and not more arena league DE's. So I do think there is progress, I just don't want it to be a pretext to not drafting or going FA.

I agree.

Even great centers can be had in the 2nd and 3rd rounds (most years). Olin Kreutz was a 3rd round pick. A solid center to anchor our oline would be a fantastic asset that would pay dividends for several years. I'd love to see us get a great one.

We don't need to have the entire oline built with high draft picks, but it would be great to have 3 guys who were not dumpster dive projects like we have now. Build around Carimi and Lance Louis.