Dan Pompei's Mailbag; Q&A with Bears Fans................
Reader Q&A: Dan Pompei's Bears mailbag
The Tribune's Bears columnist answers readers' questions about everything from Henry Melton, the salary cap, the draft and possible trades.
By Dan Pompei, Tribune reporter 11:38 p.m. CST, February 19, 2013
Is Henry Melton viewed as a system player, only effective as a three technique? Would this keep his price down in free agency? -- Chris Jensen, from Facebook
Melton would be coveted by any team that runs a four-man front. He wouldn't have the same kind of value to a 3-4 team. But he is a good, young football player who would draw many suits and command top dollar on the open market. He has improved every year and still should continue to improve. And there are very few players in the NFL who can provide interior pass rush like Melton can. For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus, the analytical website that general manager Phil Emery referenced in his season-ending press conference, rates Melton as the second best potential free agent at any position, behind only Joe Flacco. After reading that, Emery might not be citing PFF in the future. I can't see the Bears letting Melton's contract expire. They will either sign him to a new deal or put the franchise tag on him, I believe. And signing him to a new deal is what makes the most sense.
Dan, what kind of impact will the salary cap have on the Bears' spending plans for the 2013 season? A few of our guys are due some big money. -- Peter Gallanis, Crystal Lake
The Bears won't have carte blanche in signing players. They are believed to have about $10.5 million of cap space at this point. That puts them at about the middle of the pack in the NFL. I suspect they will clear some cap room by doing some restructures. There are ways around the salary cap. But the Bears also have to re-sign a number of their own players with expiring contracts, most notably Melton. If they have to franchise him, that will eat up $8.3 million of cap space. That would limit their flexibility to sign other players.
For a team who has brought in unconventional Bobby Douglass and Doug Flutie, why not Tim Tebow? This may work with Trestman, certainly not Lovie or any other defense-oriented coach. He compares Tebow with his own Montreal quarterback, Anthony Cavillo. -- Roger Kaba, Downers Grove
I'd be surprised if Tebow were Chicago-bound, though his position coach with the Jets, Matt Cavanaugh, now is coaching Bears QBs. Cavanaugh spoke highly of Tebow last week. But he also made a point of saying Tebow is the type of quarterback who needs to start to be at his best. And Tebow is not going to start on the Bears. Asked about using a special package for Tebow, Cavanaugh said, "Why doesn't New England do it? Why doesn't Denver do it? Why doesn't New Orleans do it? They don't want to take those guys off the field. We were probably less convicted about how much we wanted to get (Mark) Sanchez off the field to do that. So it was something we toyed with. But to be fair to Tim, we didn't use it enough to let him be productive in it. So you better be sure when you decide to do it."
Any discussions about free agent TE Jared Cook? -- @RickVanAntwerp, from Twitter
The Bears are likely to look hard at all of the available free agent tight ends, including Cook if he makes it to the open market. There has been talk that he is asking for quite a bit of money, and the Titans may put the franchise tag on him. NFL front office men love Cook's talent, both as a receiver and a blocker. But he hasn't always shown that talent consistently. His production has not been steady. Cook is a little like Jermichael Finley in that regard. But Finley has been playing with a great quarterback. Cook has not. His best season was in 2011 when he caught 49 passes for 759 yards. He has potential to be better than he's been, and he is going to be paid for what he can be, not what he has been. Given the money he will likely be offered, whoever signs him will be taking a bit of a leap of faith.
Do you think Evan Rodriguez might be the pass-catching tight end the Bears need? They seemed so high on him in that role after the draft, but it never materialized during the season after they moved him to fullback; why didn't they try him at TE last season? -- Ed Siora, Auburn, Alabama
This is a good question, given the change in coaching staffs. Rodriguez still could be in play at fullback, and there likely will be a fullback on the roster. It's just a matter of which position he fits best at in the estimation of the coaching staff. I don't think the Bears will go into next season pinning all their hopes on Rodriguez being their pass catching tight end. I think they will acquire another one. It would be asking a lot of Rodriguez to come in, learn a new offense, learn a new position and be a big producer quickly. That isn't to say they won't see him as more of a tight end and less of a fullback, however. If Marc Trestman wants to go with a lot of two tight end personnel packages, Rodriguez might be a candidate for the No. 2 tight end.
Lots of mock drafts are saying D.J. Fluker to the Bears. Isn't guard a bigger priority than RT? Aaron Kromer valued guards higher with the Saints. -- @JoeRingblum, from Twitter
First, understand that Kromer was not in charge of player acquisition in New Orleans, and he isn't in Chicago, either. Emery is. And based on what we know now, I think if he takes an offensive lineman in the first round he will take the highest rated one, regardless of position. Left tackle always is your first choice. Guard would be the next highest priority only if you have complete faith that Gabe Carimi can return to form at right tackle. Remember, Jonathan Scott at this point is going to be a free agent. If you have any doubts about Carimi, right tackle would be the next highest priority. Fluker is a fine player, but probably is a right tackle only. If the Bears drafted him, they probably would move Carimi to guard permanently.
With left tackle being premium position and the Bears drafting 20th in the first round, wouldn't drafting a left guard or center be a greater value pick in first round of the draft? -- John, Verona, Wis.
It's possible, depending on how the board breaks. If a guard or center is on the board with a much higher grade than the remaining left tackles, it would be foolish to take the left tackle. And Emery wouldn't do it. He won't force a pick to fill a need. He is much more inclined to take the player he thinks can have an impact on his team quickly. The scenario you present is entirely possible. The Bears could end up with an interior blocker such as Jonathan Cooper or Chance Warmack as their first round pick, though Mike Mayock, who does excellent work for NFL Network, is touting Cooper and Warmack as among the best four prospects in the draft. They may be, but history says they will not be picked anywhere near that high. Guards as a rule get pushed down the board.
I can see at least 20 new players on the roster next year including four or five new offensive linemen. What are your thoughts? -- Dave Comiskey, Chicago
I think your estimate probably is a little high but not far off the mark. My guess is there will be 17 new players on the opening day roster and three new offensive linemen. Some or it depends on whether or not the Bears can re-sign their own players. Some will depend on injuries. And some will depend on if the new coach makes a lot of changes based on system fits.
I have not seen anywhere what kinds of contracts (terms and money) the new Bears staff were given. It was always well known what the terms were on Lovie Smith's deals. How long of a deal does Trestman have? -- Mark Zuccarello
Trestman signed a four-year contract with the Bears. That puts him on the same timetable as Emery, who signed a five-year contract last year. As for the money Trestman will make, that has not yet been made public.
You wrote about some of the best trades in Bears history. What were some of the worst? -- Joe, Chicago
There are some doozies in Bears history. Let's start with this one. The Bears gave up their 1999 first-round draft pick in exchange for a cadre of draft picks from the Redskins. This is how it turned out: The Redskins chose future hall of fame cornerback Champ Bailey. The Bears netted Cade McCown, D'wayne Bates, Warrick Hodman, Jerry Wisne and Dustin Lyman. Two years earlier, the quarterback-desperate Bears gave a first round pick to the Seahawks for Rick Mirer and a fourth. Two years before that, the Bears traded defensive end Trace Armstrong for second and third round picks. Armstrong had 64 of his 106 career sacks in his remaining nine NFL seasons, and he led the AFC in sacks in 2000. In 1949, the Bears traded future hall of fame quarterback Bobby Layne, who was disgruntled about sitting behind Sid Luckman, to the New York Bulldogs for a first round pick. They traded away another quarterback bound for big things in 1962 when they shipped Don Meredith, who would play in three Pro Bowls, to the Cowboys for a third round pick. A year later, the Cowboys picked the Bears' pockets again when they gave up a second round pick for linebacker Chuck Howley, who subsequently was voted to six Pro Bowls.
I know this is not a normal question, but is there any chance that the Bears could get a new stadium or renovate Soldier Field so that it could fit more fans? -- Pat, Chicago
Soldier Field was just renovated nine years ago. I do not believe it will be touched again for a long, long time. It took the Bears and city about 18 years to get it renovated the last time from the point the Bears started squawking about it. In terms of a new stadium, the Bears would have a hard time getting out of their Soldier Field lease, which runs until 2033. And unless you and I and the rest of the citizens of Illinois are footing the bill, there will be no new stadium in the Bears' future. Would you like to make the first donation, Pat?
dpompei@tribune.com
Twitter@danpompei
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