Barrett Jones or Manti Te'o

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Originally Posted by MPBears68

Great breakdown, Soul, and we see things similarly. Maybe I'm being too
optimistic but I'm not ready yet to write the epitaph on BU's career as a Bears MLB. He had 2 knee procedures last offseason, missed the entire preseason program, and clearly was hobbling the first 4-6 games or so. After that, I saw a slow, gradual, but noticeable improvement in him as the year wore on. I gotta believe that a full offseason of recovery time will let him squeeze out 1-2 more years as a productive player. I gotta believe, Lovie or no Lovie, that he would prefer to play our his career as a Bear. I gotta believe that he and Emery will find common ground on a ~ 2 year contract that pays him less but still enough.

If so, then draft a SLB in round 2 or so assuming Roach leaves in FA. If that guy or DeCicco can't take over MLB for the future, then we can target that in round 1 of the 2014 draft. I see our MLB scenario as "urgent" but not as desperate as others may think right now. The O and OL in particular is indeed "desperate". That's what cost us games and made the difference between us being a legit contender and just a marginal playoff team.

Barrett Jones, and I'm not saying he's "the only guy", seems like a damn good step in that direction at OC. In addition to a FA LT, we really need another starter on the interior. Garza is slipping and he can be a backup or spot starter OC/OG next season. Brown, a FA, Garza, or another draftee can battle it out for the starting LG job. Louis is good at RG if healthy and Carimi can battle it out with Webb/Scott for RT. That's a helluva lot better OL that gives us a shot at having a decent overall offense next season IMHO.

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This^^ you summed it up greatly

The defense could survive with Briggs, Roach and Hayes as starters. Just saying...

Drafting a LB this year wouldn't even be a priority. Concentrate on that God damn offensive line which has been the WORST over the past 6 years, then we can talk about the linebacker position.

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Originally Posted by little bear

The defense could survive with Briggs, Roach and Hayes as starters. Just saying...

Drafting a LB this year wouldn't even be a priority. Concentrate on that God damn offensive line which has been the WORST over the past 6 years, then we can talk about the linebacker position.

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you say we should reach and left a few good players on the board just to draft a OL in round 1?


Emery has to bring in the best player available to make our team better. Unless you get a guy like Luck, that 1st rounder will not make or break the next season for you

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Originally Posted by GermansbombedPH

you say we should reach and left a few good players on the board just to draft a OL in round 1?


Emery has to bring in the best player available to make our team better. Unless you get a guy like Luck, that 1st rounder will not make or break the next season for you

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I would say the failed first rounders of Angelo have set us back and broke us

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Originally Posted by GermansbombedPH

you say we should reach and le
ft a few good players on the board just to draft a OL in round 1?


Emery has to bring in the best player available to make our team better. Unless you get a guy like Luck, that 1st rounder will not make or break the next season for you

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Ok, Warmack would be a STEAL at 20 not a "reach" he's prolly not making it past 17

And a guy who has won awards at EVERY position on the OL in the sec is not a "reach" either

Hell I hope teams undervalue jones and we can net an extra 2nd to nab him on a trade down

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Originally Posted by Grizzblue

Ok, Warmack would be a STEAL at 20 not a "reach" he's prolly not making it past 17

And a guy who has won awards at EVERY position on the OL in the sec is not a "reach" either

Hell I hope teams undervalue jones and we can net an extra 2nd to nab him on a trade down

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Easy to forget that this isn't shaping up to be a "typical" draft. It's a very weak QB class (a position that gets over drafted in the 1st traditionally due to importance) and a very strong OL class at the top. The Alabama OL alone may very well have 3 guys drafted in the 1st, two of which aren't OTs. I don't see an interior OL as a #20 "reach" at all if the guy has the resume and the tape to back it up.

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Originally Posted by Grizzblue

Ok, Warmack would be a STEAL at 20 not a "reach" he's prolly not making it past 17

And a guy who has won awards at EVERY position on the OL in the sec is not a "reach" either

Hell I hope teams undervalue jones and we can net an extra 2nd to nab him on a trade down

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I don't see PIT taking Warmack after DeCastro last year so he would make it to #18 ;-)


Jones plays a position that won't get taken this high unless you get that great possible ProBowler as Rookie. Is Jones that? If you think No he would be a reach ;-)

I only saw the steelers play a few times this year. The Steelers O-Line didn't look all that good either.. Also, I think DeCastro suffered a season ending injury, Pit could quite easily go for an O-lineman.
It's still so early, no real way to tell..

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Originally Posted by inchibearfan

This is why Lovie Smith was fired. There isn't enough cap room to sign good offensive lineman in free agency. At least 4 of our offensive lineman need to be replaced this year. With the way the we have not replaced the talent on the offensive line we almost need to spend every pick in the draft on it (won't happen). If Jones falls to us or is there he needs to be picked. If Garza is good enough for another year Jones could play left guard and then shift to center when Garza retires.

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I doubt you'll see them replace four starting lineman. Looks good on paper but it's not as practical as it seems.

A LT is a given, quite possibly a guy like Branden Albert from KC if Emery believes he's an upgrade and can help. Of course KC won't just let him walk without trying to keep him so $$$ may come into play.

Once you get a better LT we have three guys now who could play RT including Webb and assuming the resign Scott which they should. With his showing some improvement in his pass blocking, how difficult it is to find big OTs like him and the fact that he has a year left on his rookie deal for short money we may as well keep Webb around. So you have Webb, Carimi and Scott vying for RT and the backup swing OT spot. You can always let one go next year if no one gets hurt but I'd at least go to camp with those three and a replacement LT provided we can get one in FA.

Louis is solid at RG as long as his injury doesn't linger or cause problems so that leaves us with needs at LG and OC. If we draft Jones and if he can start at OC then we have Brown, Garza and EWill all with starting experience at LG and we have a couple on the PS to compete and we still have the draft. So I'm thinking we may get two new starters out of the draft and FA and an outside chance of three but four? No, not gonna happen.

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Originally Posted by little bear

Draft Jones in the first, best available offensive tackle in the second, then sign LG Andy Levitre from Buffalo.

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Maybe Levitre for LG or maybe Branden Albert for LT but I doubt we get both. That would be a real coup but I don't think it's affordable as it stands now.