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Originally Posted by
lklrlolnlilklsox 
You're not wrong at all, and it would be great to walk away from FA with an OL or two.
Good OL are extremely cost prohibitive in FA, though, and controlling Chance or Coop cheaply for years is a win-win situation considering the fact that both are going to be better than anyone out there in no time (Levitre included). I don't spend anywhere near what Levitre is going to command, and the only LTs we'll have a shot at are going to be guys like Bushrod who graded out basically the same as Webb even though he has a few more season under his belt. If we can sign a guy like Vasquez on a value deal, I would be absolutely ecstatic, but I doubt he turns out being much more cost effective than Levitre or Moore who is looking for a retirement contract. Maybe Donald Thomas or Schwartz can be had on the cheap, which would also be nice -- but with the latter I'd have to hear the parrot squad tell me he's too tall to play OG even though there are numerous guys across the league succeeding there at 6'6"+.
In the end, we also have a hugely valuable DL to retain in Melton (I don't want to call people stupid for saying we should move on because we're going to the 3-4 and he doesn't fit, but I will call them dumbasses) and that is going to drain our cap space whether or not we re-structure Peppers.
The one thing working for us is that we are a couple years from clearing an absolute ton of space, and deferring guaranteed money could even the playing field a bit.
Given the cap situation and the number of our own FA left to re-sign I think you're right. This isn't a good time to be a buyer of FA OLineman. I also believe that it will turn out that the number of players in the pool and their talent level won't be all that great anyway. We can draft players like Warmack and Cooper or maybe even Johnson and spend no more over four years than a top FA will cost us for one and any one of those guy will be a better pro that any top tier guy we could sign.
The number of starting OGs in the NFL who go 6'7" or more is pretty small but I'll be happy to review the list with you after you post it sox. Come on man nobody knows any better than you how the NFL has it's "prototype" standards for positions. For ever 5'11" QB like Russell Wilson who succeeds there are at least a dozen more who'll never even get a shot because they don't fit the profile. There may be a few 6'7" NFL OGs who start but you and I both know that standard "prototype" calls for 6'3" to 6'5". I may try the guy who's 6'6" or 6'7" if he weighs 350lbs but most of the debate around here was centered on Carimi who played at about 308lbs last year. Sorry but a 6'7" OT like Carimi is a lousy choice as far as trying to make on OG out of him.
But I'm happy to report we're in complete agreement on those last two issues. I have yet to figure out where this idea of a 3-4 comes from except inside someones head. It's gotta be nothing more than someone personal preference based God knows what because we're not even close to having the personnel for one and as successful as our defense has been why would we even want to make that change? How well does that 3-4 work up in "Cheeseland".
Yep, it goes without saying that if an opportunity exists to push some of this years cap $$$ back another year or even two then we should be doing it. A while back someone (can't remember the source) estimated our 2014 cap excess to $40 mil plus. I have my doubts on the accuracy of that number but even if it's only twice as much as we go into this year with we've got some room to spare. With Pep, Tillman, and Jennings alone we should be able to gain around $10 mil and then another $3-4 mil cutting some dead weight.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Originally Posted by
draw2anderson35 I don't think Te'o has that high of a ceiling as a pro player... his speed that he showed in college will look average at best when playing against higher caliber players on Sundays. Also Alabama put a big mean NFL sized oline in front of him and they pushed him out of gaps all night. He might he a day one starter, but he still has a lot of developing to do and I can't see Emery gambling again on a defensive player in the first-round in a draft where he's down a pick already.
And speed and range is something the Bears defense values in it's LBs. The bottom line is that for us he's poor fit for replacing a guy like Urlacher whereas for a team like Baltimore he's a pretty good fit for replacing Lewis. Te'o may turn out to be a decent pro but he's a long way from being a Willis or a Kuechly so all this drooling for the guy just isn't warranted. He's nothing all that special.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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Originally Posted by
soulman And speed and range is something the Bears defense values in it's LBs. The bottom line is that for us he's poor fit for replacing a guy like Urlacher whereas for a team like Baltimore he's a pretty good fit for replacing Lewis. Te'o may turn out to be a decent pro but he's a long way from being a Willis or a Kuechly so all this drooling for the guy just isn't warranted. He's nothing all that special.
I agree.
It doesn't seem like a great draft year for top-tier linebackers. I'd hate for force the issue and spend a precious top draft choice on the "Chris Williams" equivalent, in a LB this year. As much as we need to upgrade at LB, maybe we'd be smarter going for gold NEXT year. I don't like the situation, because we do need to invest in the LB corps. But maybe is just wasn't meant to be this year.
The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking Te'o would not be in our best long term interests. He's just be like some of the other mediocre 1st rounders we wasted picks on under Jerry Angelo. Let's not continue down that road.
Trestman - Kromer - Tucker - DeCamillis
I'm looking forward to seeing these guys coach. Hope they're good.
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Originally Posted by
JustAnotherBearsFan99 I agree.
It doesn't seem like a great draft year for top-tier linebackers. I'd hate for force the issue and spend a precious top draft choice on the "Chris Williams" equivalent, in a LB this year. As much as we need to upgrade at LB, maybe we'd be smarter going for gold NEXT year. I don't like the situation, because we do need to invest in the LB corps. But maybe is just wasn't meant to be this year.
The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking Te'o would not be in our best long term interests. He's just be like some of the other mediocre 1st rounders we wasted picks on under Jerry Angelo. Let's not continue down that road.
I think that's a great analogy 99 because that's how I see Te'o. It's not that he stinks but I think he's rated much higher than he deserves and Alabama kind of proved that. They owned him in that BCSC game.
If we want to go for a guy who only has Nick Roach kind of size but has the speed and range we look for then Arthur Brown would be the guy and if we were to take a LB in the second to replace Roach if we decided not to pursue him then a guy like Brown would be a good pick for a SLB now who may be able to slide to the middle post Urlacher.
It's really not like we need a run stuffing MLB. Urlacher was never any good at that himself. His game was pursuit and coverage and if we're replacing him the next guy should have similar traits. JMHO
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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the more I think about it the BETTER it is to bring in the next ILB in now this year. He would play next to Briggs and Urlacher most of the time.
He wouldn't be forced to be the leader from day 1 and being that great. As of today, we have 1 starter under contract with Costanzo and DeCicco as backups.
Guy was a beast all year long and seen as Top10 pick until that hoax and the Bama game. He played a good/great season and just looks like the next great D leader for the team that gets him. That's something we will need soon when you look at the age of our D and the age of the leaders. Most D starters are UFAs this or next offseason. We have the need too.
I know that we have to worry about the OL and I wouldn't be against a Cooper or a Johnson, but we have to take the best player available for the positions we have needs. If the best pick would be a TE, we have to pick him. If a player falls to us like Milliner, we have to pick him (or trade down 1-2 spots to get an additional 5th).
Our OLine has to be improved by coaching, a better scheme and Free Agents with 1 high pick at best.
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Originally Posted by
GermansbombedPH yes please. Te'o at #20 would be great value. OL won't help us much at that pick. Won't fix the LT via draft and OC will not get drafted in the 1st round. Still have Cooper or maybe even Warmack, but there is a lot of depth in the Draft when it comes to OL.
Still talk about that Bama game? Ever thought about that Te'o has had no help all game long? he was bad, but still better than his teammates. In all the other games, he was great.
Teo @ 20 would be a disaster for us. He doesn't have the speed our system requires and frankly if he wasn't the face of Notre Dame's "football renaissance" (ND is so over hyped and over rated), he wouldn't sniff the first round. Especially after getting completely schooled by Bama's OL. Pass big time.
OL will help. We definitely need a LG and a C would be good too.
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Did some research on the top C's and top LG's, only articles I could find were from 2010, but I looked at where the top 10 from each position were drafted, and the majority are late 1st's-3rd. You did have some early-mid firsts, but you had just as many coming from the later rounds 4-6 or UDFA.
If the team does choose to go LG/C in the first I hope they trade back and get a later 1st and a 3rd out of it. Hell outside of the top 2 C prospects none of the rest of the top 5 are expected to go in the 1st two rounds; and even they(according to walter football) could go in the 3rd. Top 4 LG's are expected to go in rounds 1-3, rest should go rounds 2-6. Again I'd be okay w/trading back to pick up a 3rd if we are going to draft a LG late.
Meanwhile your top ten MLB's, almost all were 1st round picks(top10-late 1st), 1 2nd round and 1 UDFA. Reality of the situation is your best MLB's almost always come out of the early rounds, and don't last into the middle rounds, while your best G's/C's are all over the board, 1st-UDFA.
To act as if it's going either LG or C w/the first two picks is the best option is to ignore how teams draft positions. most teams will let the best interior OL'men slide to the early mid rounds more often then the best MLB's.
I dont' think anyone thinks the team is going to draft a TE or DE or anything else with either of the 1st two picks so I only centered on the MLB/LG/C. More to, and back on point, I wouldn't hate to see us take a MLB at 20. Ecspeically depending on how FA goes. If the team can take care of LT and TE and then resign BU and HM then it opens the door to go bpa all the way through the draft, which is the best way to secure needs and develop depth; both of which are needed.
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Originally Posted by
GermansbombedPH yes please. Te'o at #20 would be great value. OL won't help us much at that pick. Won't fix the LT via draft and OC will not get drafted in the 1st round. Still have Cooper or maybe even Warmack, but there is a lot of depth in the Draft when it comes to OL.
Still talk about that Bama game? Ever thought about that Te'o has had no help all game long? he was bad, but still better than his teammates. In all the other games, he was great.
The ONLY real nfl quality talent he played all year, and he was worthless as bama has their way doing whatever we want
And a backup MLB is a better value than a starter on the OL? Help at the position that costed us the last 2 seasons is less valuable then a guy who will be thrown into the positional strength of our team? Intesting evaluation.
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Originally Posted by
MPBears68 Teo @ 20 would be a disaster for us. He doesn't have the speed our system requires and frankly if he wasn't the face of Notre Dame's "football renaissance" (ND is so over hyped and over rated), he wouldn't sniff the first round. Especially after getting completely schooled by Bama's OL. Pass big time.
OL will help. We definitely need a LG and a C would be good too.
This^^
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Originally Posted by
GermansbombedPH the more I think about it the BETTER it is to bring in the next ILB in now this year. He would play next to Briggs and Urlacher most of the time.
He wouldn't be forced to be the leader from day 1 and being that great. As of today, we have 1 starter under contract with Costanzo and DeCicco as backups.
Guy was a beast all year long and seen as Top10 pick until that hoax and the Bama game. He played a good/great season and just looks like the next great D leader for the team that gets him. That's something we will need soon when you look at the age of our D and the age of the leaders. Most D starters are UFAs this or next offseason. We have the need too.
I know that we have to worry about the OL and I wouldn't be against a Cooper or a Johnson, but we have to take the best player available for the positions we have needs. If the best pick would be a TE, we have to pick him. If a player falls to us like Milliner, we have to pick him (or trade down 1-2 spots to get an additional 5th).
Our OLine has to be improved by coaching, a better scheme and Free Agents with 1 high pick at best.
Item one is Te'o and the girlfriend thing is much ado about nothing. That will virtually be forgotten by the time the draft rolls around. It's yesterdays news. However the "Bama" game will not be forgotten. That will be seen as Te'o's best example of how he plays against the best. In the NFL he'll face teams every week that are as good or better than Alabama was and he didn't look very good.
He's just another "Domer" guy like Michael Floyd was last year. Not a bad player but somewhat over rated based on his college play against less than the best. It seems we have these debates about an ND guy every year and last year it was Floyd. He had a so so year and nothing to reinforce that he was worth the #13 overall pick in the draft. We spent far less to get Jeffery in two and I think he'll be a much better football player for us.
In all likelihood the best player available will be a guy like Cooper or even Warmack who ranks in the top five overall but won't go that high due to the position he plays. Lane Johnson won't rank as high but I believe he'll be drafted before him because he's a LT prospect and a very good one. Fluker might be in the mix here too but I doubt it since it doesn't appear he can handle LT.
Milliner is the top CB prospect in the draft and those guys seldom make it beyond the top ten. It's not likely he'll be around at #20 and we don't ordinarily draft CBs that high because of the defense we play. Other than that we simply don't have an immediate need for a CB and there will be more just like him next year and all the years thereafter. Right now we need linemen.
I suppose TE is a possibility if any OL we want is gone and we trade down but I would not take and TE at #20. Both of the top guys are Greg Olsen types who catch well but aren't known for their blocking prowess. IMHO they're late round firsts just like Olsen was. You can get guys who are close to their level of play in FA or later in the draft and develop them. TE is one of the least expensive FA positions to sign and I'd look for us to find one there before that draft assuming we part company with Davis.
G there is no way that conventional wisdom leads anywhere but to a OLineman with that first pick. The only exception to that would be if Emery allows Melton to become a non-exclusive FA and if he signs elsewhere then we use one of the two first round picks we get for him on a DT to replace him but the other should still be an OLineman. Of course the likelihood of any other team giving up two firsts to sign Melton ranks right up there with me waking up with a naked Kate Upton in my bed tomorrow morning. 
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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