Thread: Bears sign TE Martellus Bennett

Originally Posted by Riczaj01

Rog, it's a contract year regardless of age.


Again he might well end up being the guy he was in NY, but don't be suprised if he doesn't flake out like in Dallas. The guy is now secure for the next couple years.

The differences is, one player is at the tail end of his prime and either had a fluke season or "figured it out" late and is unlikely to duplicate his great year because his body is on the way down. Bennett was 25 years old, just entering his prime, and he just so happened to have his best season in year five when he was finally given a chance to start. There was enough info on Moose to know that his big season was a fluke. Four years of Bennett ages 21-24 aren't enough to judge that last season was a fluke for him. Sure, he could end up sucking with the Bears, but there's a huge difference between a guy having a huge season at 25 or 31.

Originally Posted by soulman

I have a lot of confidence in Phil Emery. The kind of confidence I never had in Jerry Angelo.

Yep, me too. In total honesty, I have far more faith/trust in Phil Emery because at least he has TRIED to do something about our offense. That alone makes me like him WAY more than I ever liked Jerry Angelo. Even if none of Emery's initial moves pan out long term, let no one say he hasn't tried A LOT in a very brief amount of time. I'll post my feelings about the noteworthy offensive players Emery has brought in (even the ones who didn't work out so well).

- Emery just signed former Pro Bowl level talent @ LT. In doing so, he may have brought aboard the best o-lineman this team has had since Tait. In the VERY LEAST, Bushrod is average to slightly-above-average, he stays healthy and he'll bring consistency to the OT position. Bringing Bushrod aboard allows us to move some guys along the line into positions they may be better suited for as well (Webb comes to mind immediately here, as I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for him to become a very solid RT for us). Let's not forget that bringing in a LT, as well as the next guy I'm going to comment on, through FA, will allow this team to attack draft day with an entirely different strategy either. Before it's over, Phil may well have us in a position where BPA in the 1st this year is do-able. So far, you gotta give the guy an A for effort anyway. A lot of fans saw our cap situation and gave up on noteworthy free agents before anyone even hit the market. Phil not only brought in 1 noteworthy FA at a position of need, he brought in 2......in a matter of hours.....which leads to;

- Emery just signed a TE who has all the potential in the world. Martellus Bennett has the build of a Rob Gronkowski....even if he doesn't have the ability. Even if MB never improves upon the player he was in 2012, he's still light years ahead of any contracted TE we've had on our roster since we parted ways with Greg Olsen. ....and if I'm being honest, I see MB as having WAY more potential than a Greg Olsen anyway. Bennett allows us to part ways with a pair of lackluster TEs who, together, or separately for that matter, were being paid WAY too much for next to no measurable offensive production. MB is not without his flaws, but neither is the next guy I'm going to mention.

- Emery, in a move that brought smiles to the faces of even the most jaded Bears fans, traded for an elite wideout who's still in the prime of his career. The cost? A pair of 3rd round draft picks. You simply can't make things like this up, guys. Phil Emery gave this team a freak of nature who commands CONSTANT defensive attention right out of the gate. Marshall is the team's first 1k yd receiver since Marty Booker, who accomplished the milestone pretty much a decade prior. The Chicago Bears went from having one of the NFL's sorriest WR corps to having a group of players that could blow the hell up.....in an instant. I don't believe JA would have sealed the deal for Marshall. Hell, I'm not even convinced JA would have seen Marshall as an option for the price of 2 3rd round picks. After all, we're talking about a GM who gave TB a 2nd for an underachiever who ultimately died before ever getting his shot at redemption in the NFL. Nobody can faulty JA for making a trade for a man who'd later die, and I'm not insinuating that anyone should. However, I am willing to make the insinuation that if JA had to give up a 2nd for that underachieving Tampa Bay Buc....maybe he NEVER would have even thought he could have landed B Marsh for a pair of 3rds. Nobody will ever know if that's true, thankfully....because we no longer have to worry about JA or his often idiotic "moves" or acquisitions.

- Emery took Alshon Jeffery in the 2nd rd of last year's draft. Alshon's a receiver who, by most accounts, would have been off the board by midway through the 1st round at latest had South Carolina not imploded at the QB position during his final year playing NCAA ball. Alshon has all the physical attributes you want in a WR who lines up on the outside (great size, slightly deceptive speed, the ability to create a little separation and the jumping ability to attack the football at it's highest point). If the injuries don't continue to pile up, I believe Jeffery will emerge as a more than adequate "#2" sooner rather than later. It's just a hunch, I know...but Alshon's rookie campaign would have been a helluva lot more impressive had he not missed 6 games due to injuries. Those 6 games could have come and gone with no amazing moments from Jeffery, I know, but there's a possibility the breakout I just predicted for him could have happened during that time span, too. I REALLY believe Alshon Jeffery becomes a household name in 2013. One thing's for sure, Jeffery won't have to be the overnight statistical second coming of Julio Jones in order for that to happen now. The addition of Bennett could reduce the pressure for Alshon to become "polished" so quickly....and give him the convenience of taking the 2-3 seasons to make the NCAA to NFL leap that most WRs have needed, traditionally speaking of course. At any rate, would a single fan on this board find a prediction of 50-55 receptions, 800-ish yds and 5-6 TDs to be out of the question for Jeffery during his sophomore campaign? If he can come away with numbers like those, he'd be a fan favorite FOR SURE.

- Phil Emery brought in a guy who was widely believed to be the NFL's best backup RB when he inked Michael Bush. Granted, Bush didn't make our running game explode the way many fans thought he would, but that can still happen. With improved linemen, a legitimate threat at the TE position, Cutler and Marshall now being surrounded by offensive minded coaches and the days of Mike Tice and Mike Martz being FAR behind us....RBs should benefit. I could easily see the Bears being top 5 in rushing yds for 2013....and I think Matt Forte will regain his position as one of the league's premier pass catching RBs after being misused and/or hurt several times throughout 2012. Forte AND Bush are good. In fact, they're REALLY good. The more I think of the MB signing, the happier and more enthusiastic I become. Adding a middle-of-the-field threat is going to force defenses to play more "honest"....which, in turn, should allow our tandem of RBs to set the world on fire. Man, it's good to be a Bears fan right now.

- Jason Campbell. After the Hanie travesty, that ultimately cost our previous GM his job, the new guy brought in a player who should have been the NFL's most solid backup QB. Turns out, Campbell was far from special last year, which is unfortunate, but you never really WANT to see your backup QB taking snaps anyway. This move was heralded as genius by many analysts and fans coming into the 2012 season, and maybe JC should have performed better while Jay was hurt, but sometimes things just don't work out. Nobody bats 1.000....

I'm tired of typing now. I really don't know if these long posts are due to me staying away from Bears forums for the most part recently, or if they're just a way for the excitement I feel for the team to escape a little. All I know is this feels pretty good. I wish I was this optimistic in all aspects of life... lol