State of the Bears: Week 2

Uhhhhggggggggh

I...

Really....

yeah.

Ok, that game sucked, now, understand I fully expected to see that kind of game from the Bears at some point this year, and I fully expect to see more of them, but when you lead 17-3 going into the 4th quarter, you're supposed to win.

Blame whoever you want. In the end, this loss fell squarely on the Bears complete inability to develop an NFL caliber passing game. Bad quarterback, bad wide receivers, bad offensive team.

Until the Bears can consistently throw the ball with some degree of success, they will never win a Super Bowl.

State of the Bears: Week 1

Well... nobody saw that coming.

Not only did the Bears go down to Indy, while they were opening their new stadium, and beat them, they flat out kicked the Colts asses for 60 minutes.

The Bears defensive line was dominant. I'm sure the loss of Jeff Saturday had a lot to do with this, but no matter who the Bears rotated out there, they pressured Manning and stopped Addai. The Bears also did a lot of cool stuff strategically. Lots of different looks, lots of fronts, they walked the safeties up, they backed the LBs off, they stunted... they did everything possible to try and throw Manning off his game and I think they succeeded as much as one can against Peyton. This was the first time this Bears defense has been healthy since the San Diego game last season and it showed. It's a lot easier to blitz when you can trust a cornerback to be ok with only one guy over the top.

The most shocking aspect of this performance was the fact that the Bears, honest to goodness, outcoached the Colts. Babbich and Lovie came up with a way to beat that crusty old troll Tom Moore, which is more than most can say.

On the other side of the ball, it's all about Matt Forte, and that's both good and bad. I love this kid, and really, how can you not? Vision, moves, speed, durability. Four things this kid has in droves that have been hard to find in the Bears backfield recently. You can't really fault his performance. The problem is, there's not a whole lot else to be happy about. Yes the tight ends are good, but the quarterback isn't, and I don't believe either TE will be utalized nearly as often as they could or should be because of the guy behind center.

As for the guys on the ends, well... it doesn't get much worse than the 6 they trot out there on a weekly basis (though Seattle is going to give them a run for their money.) The Bears WRs caught a grand total of 6 balls for 50 yards. If I'm John Fox, I put eight in the box on every play against Forte until Orton finds a way to move the ball on his own, and if eight isn't enough to stop him, I'll go with nine. I have zero confidence in the Bears passing game, in any form, until they prove otherwise, which is why I'm still picking the Panthers this weekend.

So all in all... the state of the Bears is a hell of a lot better now than it was just last week. I still don't think this is a playoff team, but I do think we're now trending much closer to 'best case senario' than anyone could have predicted.

Preseason Week 3: 49ers @ Bears

Chicago Bears Dead Blog

Grossman bad, Orton bad, O line awful, defense not terrible, Hanie in with the 2nd string, bad bad bad bad.


Listen to me now, believe me later, this team blows. Bad bad bad smelly old dunk tired weird and bad.

Bears vs Chiefs - Orton Starts

Bears Release Cedric Benson

Old news at this point, if you want the story, you can find it in a multitude of places. That's not why I'm posting this.

Just because the Bears released Benson does not mean they're going to sign another running back.
Just because the Bears released Benson does not mean they're going to sign another running back.
Just because the Bears released Benson does not mean they're going to sign another running back.
Just because the Bears released Benson does not mean they're going to sign another running back.

Understand something. The Bears, and the vast majority of the rest of the teams in the NFL only carry THREE running backs. It was HIGHLY likely that the Bears were going to cut Benson anyway, the DUI just accelerated the process. There are currently three on the roster in Forte, Peterson, and Wolfe.

In order for the Bears to carry 4, the Bears need to carry one less backup at another position. It is possible that position could be wide receiver. Last year, the Bears kept six on the roster. Berrian, Muhammad, Bradley, Davis, Hester, Hass. Muhammad was cut, and replaced with Booker, Berrian was not resigned. The Bears promoted Mark Bradley into Berrian's role, and signed Brandon Lloyd to replace Bradley (ostensibly in the role of fast guy with so-so route skills who always gets hurt.) The Bears resigned Davis, Hester's not going anywhere. The Bears drafted Earl Bennett, which means that Hass will be cut.

The only other guy that might get cut among that group would be Lloyd, but it's unlikely as he's one of Turner's guys, this STILL doesn't account for Marcus Monk, who'd probably get plucked off the practice squad. It also doesn't account for the possibility of the Bears carrying an additional offensive linemen to help compensate for the youth of the line.


Just because the Bears released Benson does not mean they're going to sign another running back.

So please don't piss and moan if they don't go out and sign Shaun Alexander, who'd almost certainly be bad.

Macro Implications of the Bears 2008 Draft

First round #14 Overall: Chris Williams, Tackle, Vandy
Other options: Jeff Otah, T Pittsburgh, Brandon Albert, T/G Virginia, Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois.

It’s pretty obvious to me the Bears were never going to take Rashard Mendenhall at 14 after falling in love with Matt Forte, who they knew would be there in the 2^nd round. Mendenhall will have trouble NOT producing big numbers in Pittsburgh, but I don’t know how well he would have succeeded here, especially with the bears offensive line in shambles. I can’t help but believe that was the same logic the Bears used when deciding to go with a tackle, and there were three great options on the board when their turn to pick came around.

Otah and Albert are very similar players, except Albert was a guard in college who played a total of two games at tackle. If he pans out at tackle, the Chiefs stole him, and he might prove to be the best of the bunch. If he only plays guard, it’s still highly likely he’ll be an excellent player, but one generally doesn’t spend a top twenty pick on a guard.

Nevertheless, both guys are road graters, plow horses, drive blockers, call it whatever you will these are guys that excel at engaging defensive linemen and pushing them back, opening holes for running backs. Guys like that usually project to right tackle in the NFL, but it’s significantly easier to run block than it is to pass block, which is why left tackle is the most important position on the field after quarterback. They protect the quarterback’s blindside from the outside of the line, blitzing OLBs, and defensive ends and other large, nasty men that will come and eat you. Guys like Freeney, Strahan, Julius Peppers, all the premiere pass rushing specialists are usually matched up against the left tackle on the offensive line. Williams is a finesse guy, the type of guy built to play on the left side of the line and pass protect.

I am certain that Jeff Otah will play at a pro bowl level on the right side of the line in the NFL, if the Panthers try to play him on the left side, I think he might struggle. An ass kicking right tackle would improve the Bears running game immensely, and probably would have made more of an impact in 2008 than Williams, but understand this, if nothing else: GREAT right tackles are easier to find than GOOD left tackles, and Williams could be better than good on the left side. Guys like Walter Jones, Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace don’t hit the free agent market. The Bears see Williams in that mold. Even if he’s not quite that good, he’s worth the investment of the 14^th overall pick.

Second Round #44 Overall: Matt Forte, Running Back, Tulane
Other Options: Brian Brohm, QB Louisville, Chad Henne, QB Michigan, Any other RB or any WR still on the board.

I’m sure a lot of scouting and research went into this pick, the Bears had a lot of options on the table in front of them when #44 came up, but everything else aside, this pick should indicate two very specific things:

1) The Bears are admitting made a major mistake by picking Cedric Benson

2) The Bears view Benson, and the entire running back corps, as far more detrimental to the team than the Grossman and Orton.

There were two highly rated QBs on the board, and the Bears passed on both. It’s quite possible that they didn’t think highly of either, but I find it hard to believe as Brohm is pretty much the prototypical west coast quarterback and Henne had “future Chicago Bear” written all over him. He just “feels” like a Bears QB. I know that’s not an analytical statement in any stretch of the imagination, but I can’t qualify it more than that. If you're a Bears fan, you probably understand.

Once the bears identified improving the running game as the most important option in round two, the WRs were eliminated from contention too. Sweed, Kelly, and Jackson were the best options on the board at the time, but all of those guys fell to the back end of the second round, and the Bears addressed the position just a few picks later at the top of the third.

The Awesome Sauce would be much better equipped to explain why the Bears went with Forte rather than another RB like Rutgers’ Ray Rice, Central Florida’s Jamaal Charles, Steve Slaton, Tashard Choice, etc. etc. but I do know that Forte was graded out as a third rounder by most scouting services and the Bears reached slightly, so it’s pretty clear they weren’t going to go with anybody but Forte in the 2^nd.

Third Round, First Pick #70 Overall: Earl Bennett, Wide Receiver, Vandy.
Other options: Guard, Quarterback, Defensive Tackle, Safety.

I was shocked when I saw the Bears grabbing a WR with their third pick, but it doesn’t mean I wasn’t very happy. The Bears lost two wide receivers this season when they cut Moose and lost out on the bidding for Berrian, a few days before the draft, they resigned Rasheed Davis.

Moose’s replacement is obviously Marty Booker and for better or worse, Mark Bradley is slated to replace Berrian. The Bears also signed Brandon Lloyd, essentially to replace Bradley on the depth chart. I’m not saying that makes sense from the perspective of talent evaluation, but that’s how the Bears think.

One of the most important things to realize when trying to figure out who your team is going to draft is that when someone is taken as high as the third round, he’s pretty much guaranteed a spot on the roster. That means someone who’s currently occupying a roster spot is going to get cut. Last year the Bears kept six wide receivers on the roster. Moose, Bradley, Berrian, Davis, Mike Hass and Devin Hester, who… kinda counts, but not really.

Mike Hass is going to be cut, but going into the draft, I assumed they would use that roster spot for the running back they’d undoubtedly draft and go with four running backs (Draftee, Peterson, Benson, and Wolfe) meaning that there wouldn’t be room to fit another wide receiver on the team.

Adding Bennett means Benson is likely done as a Bear, or it could also mean the Bears are going to have Brandon Lloyd battle it out with Davis for the last spot on the team and just eat one of their signing bonuses.

Bennett is much more of a possession receiver than a burner/big play guy. If he reaches his full potential he could be Hines Ward. He’s the guy I’ve been clamoring for the bears to add for the past three years: the kind of guy who, on 3^rd and 10, will run eleven yards, and catch the ball (when I say this, I usually add “and then fall down” but I have hopes that maybe Bennett can be a little more than that.) Again I’ll defer to TAS to explain why the Bears specifically went with Bennett over one of the other WR options.

I'm going to say I'm a little disappointed the Bears didn't grab a guard here. There were two on the board I really liked in Roy Schuening and Michael McGlynn, but both of those guys ended up going way later, and Bennett could be one of the best WRs in this draft. There really weren't any safeties worth taking at this point, and I'll address quarterback at the end of this post.

Third Round, Second Pick #90 Overall: Marcus Harrison, Defensive Tackle, Arkansas
Other Options: Guard, Quarterback, Safety

Going into the second day of the draft, I was confident the next to picks would be spent on a guard and a defensive tackle in some order. Here, the Bears proved me half right.

I know the knee jerk fan reaction to this draft may have been not to take a single defensive player, but DT was a major need. Defensive Tackles are so important to the bears one gap scheme and while Tommie Harris -when healthy- has been a dominant, pro bowl caliber player, the Bears have struggled to find someone to put next to him. Tank Johnson couldn’t stay out of Jail, and wasn’t very good near the end of ’06 (and completely shat himself in the Super Bowl.) Dusty Davorchek has played one half of football in two seasons. Ian Scott is a solid journeyman but nothing special.

The same can be said of Alfonso Boone and Anthony Adams. Darwin Walker looked like the perfect option and last summer it seemed as if the Bears stole him from the Bills. Unfortunately, Darwin Walker’s a giant pussy and will probably be out of the league if he doesn’t make a major change to his attitude in his next stint with the Panthers. Matt Toeaina... who knows.

Point is: Defensive Tackle was a major need, and the Bears addressed it with Harrison. He's had some issues, both with the law and with his knees, but he was a first rounder before the legal troubles. After the Tank Johnson situation I'm sure the bears have done extensive research into his character, and Harrison's issues (he was pulled over and cops found weed and extacy in the car) are nothing compared to Tank's. Hopefully he's straightened out both his life and the ligaments in his knee.

Fourth Round, #120 Overall: Aaron Rowand Craig Steltz, Safety, LSU.
Other Options: Guard, Quarterback, Fullback.

Everything I wrote about the defensive tackle position can be applied to the safety position. Mike Brown can't stay healthy, and most of the guys the Bears have brought in to play the other position (Brown has played both Free and Strong) have been bad. Safety was a major need and the Bears appear to have addressed it here. TAS loves this guy, I haven't seen enough to judge, but he seems to be a sound tackler and can cover tight ends. Scouting reports say one of his biggest weaknesses is that he doesn't have the speed to play on an island, but fortunately safeties are almost never asked to do that in the Cover 2.

The Bears had pick number #110 and they traded back twice, first to #115 and then again to #120. They may have been outflanked. One of the best guards in the draft, Michael McGlynn, went to the Eagles at #109. It's possible that once he was off the board, there was a clump of 7 or 8 guys the Bears wanted equally, and rather than take one they decided to move back and pick up more selections. It's also possible the Dolphins (who moved up to #110) just had to have Shawn Murphy, another guard, and the deal was too good for the Bears to pass up (the same logic can be applied to the Bucs and Dre Moore) but what it definitely says is that while the Bears liked Steltz, they obviously weren't so enamored with him that it wasn't worth the risk to move back. I'm still a little disappointed the Bears didn't go guard, Roy Schuening was right there for the taking, but maybe they thought he'd be there in the 5th...

Fifth Round, First Pick, #142 Overall: Zach Bowman, Cornerback, Nebraska.
Other Options: Guard, Quarterback, Fullback.

My first "WTF" moment of the draft. With the possible exception of defensive end, there's no other position on the team that the Bears are better stocked at than Cornerback, and adding another at this point made no sense to me. Tillman and Vasher are both top-20 at their position in the NFL. McBride looks to be a legitimate player, Graham can contribute, RMJ... well he can't start, that's for sure, but he excels in the Nickel.

Bowman is a guy who didn't play much in college. Pretty sure either Jerry, or Bears Director of College Scouting Greg Gabriel, or Lovie/Babbich fell in love with this guy and just had to have him. Everything I read says he's really talented, and he's very tall. If you agree with the scouts that think he can play like a first rounder, then I guess risking a fifth round pick isn't too bad. Still, it's the definition of a luxury pick and it reeks of the Bazuin/Okwo/Williams "redshirt" picks.

Making those picks makes me itchy when the team finishes 11-5 or 13-3, but when there's so many holes to fill, I really, really don't like taking a guy who probably won't see the field this year and has such a high bust potential. Oh well, Roy Schuening's still on the board and will still be there for the Bears to grab at #158, right?

Fifth Round, Second Pick #158 Overall. Kellen Davis Tight End/Defensive End, Michigan State.
Other Options: Aww fuck.



Ooops. Schuening went one pick earlier to the Rams. Generally, I don't really expect the Bears to be targeting the same guys that I want, but Angelo had been using up about half of his five minutes with all the previous day two picks, here, he used the full five. I think he may have gotten too cute and lost out on his guy, and then was desperately trying to move down again before taking his second option.

As for Davis, the Bears parted ways with John Gilmore and were in need of another tight end. Unlike many, I fully expected them to draft one. The third tight end in the Ron Turner offense is basically just another offensive tackle. Davis is a giant and fits that mold. The fact that he played both ways in college is intriguing. I don't really have a problem with this pick, in this position, but it feels like they rolled the dice by taking Bowman and lost.

The rest of the picks, and the absence of a quarterback.

I don't know who any of these guys are, and once you get past the 5th round (hell, some would say the 3rd) the draft, which is already a total crapshoot, breaks down even further into a random lottery where your taking shots on guys hoping they can add something to your team. Once or twice a decade, somebody drafts a Tom Brady or Terrell Davis, but those are literally one in a thousand or one in fifteen hundred. If one of those late round guys becomes a starter, the picks were successful. TAS loves Marcus Monk (I always like receivers) and I've heard a lot of good things about Kirk Barton (I also like Tackles, especially tackles that can play guard) but I'm not going to claim to be able to analyze these picks, because the teams barely know themselves.

The last thing I want to address is the lack of a Quarterback. There have been a lot of rumblings in the papers, on sports talk radio, and elsewhere on the internet that the Bears draft was a failure because they didn't take a quarterback.

This is asinine, for a multitude of reasons. First of all, the Bears quarterbacking situation is bad, but it is subject to a ridiculous amount of hyperbole. In my football world, NFL QBs fall into four groupings

Tier 1) Manning and Brady
Tier 2) Romo, Palmer, Brees, Healthy McNabb, Bulger with talent around him, Favre if he plays, Hasselbeck, and, very begrudgingly, Roethlisburger
Tier 3) Guys who have shown flashes, but for whom the book is still out on, Rivers, Cutler, Gerrard, Anderson, and Eli.
Tier 4) Everyone else. And yes, for one game, I'd rather have a guy like Jon Kitna or Kurt Warner than Rex Grossman, but who knows. Quarterbacking is hard, and good ones are rare, there's a big pile of dreck in the NFL. If he were cut today, Rex Grossman could compete for the starting job in Tampa Bay, Carolina, Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, Minnesota, Detroit, Green Bay, Oakland, Kansas City, Houston, Baltimore, Buffalo, Miami, and the Jets (but not Benny.) Orton could say the same for any of those jobs. If these guys grew on trees, everyone would have one, the Bears aren't the only team with major issues at the position.

(Anyone who says "WHAT ABOUT VINCE YOUNG" is getting punched in the balls. Shut up. Playing Madden and watching Sports Center does not give you license to talk about football with adults. Go back to your hole, you fucking cretin.)

I no longer believe that Rex Grossman is the long term answer at QB. I don't believe Orton is a viable option either, but both guys took the Bears to the playoffs. I want the Bears to get better at the position. All Bears fans want the Bears to get better at the position, but it's going to take a few years of development to get there, and, quite frankly, after Flacco and Brohm, I think most of these guys (Dickson, Johnson, Brennan, Booty, Woodson) suck. It seems the Bears agree. The Bears took fliers on two quarterbacks as undrafted free agents: Nick Hill from SIU and Caleb Heine from Colorado State. I fail to see the difference between taking a flier on someone in the 5th or 6th round and taking a chance with a UDFA, and I think writing off the entire draft because it lacks a QB is childish.

Overall, I only have two complaints about this draft. The lack of a guard in the first 5 rounds, and the lack of a true blocking fullback to replace Jason McKie. I think the Bears may have screwed up a little on the guard, but I'm not sure they have any intention of replacing McKie. I've never been more impressed with the overall strategy of a Bears draft, it seems like they went in with a very solid plan, stuck with it, and executed it to near perfection. Whether it was successful or not will take at least three years to determine, but I'm more confidant that the majority of the picks in this draft will make sense three years from now than I have been in a long time.

Chicago Bears NFL Draft 2008

How fast was that? Years in the past it has felt like it's taken a whole month for the draft to happen, but not this year. Thanks to Roger Goodell and the new time changes, it made for a very watchable and enjoyable experience. Overall I think the Bears did a decent job in this year's draft. Now before I talk about the last few drafts for the Bears, I just wanna say one thing -- Jimmy John's delivery sucks. Yea, freaky fast my ass. They only deliver to a 6 block radius. Lame. Seriously, lame. All I wanted to do was order way too many sandwiches, and sit around with my girl and watch the draft (she brought the idea to me, it was originally gonna be party subs...for 2 people. Isn't she great?), but nooooooo. I actually have to put on pants (I was actually already wearing pants, but thats not the point, its about principle here people) and leave the house to go pick up the too many sandwiches and barely make it back in time for the first pick (was anyone else crazy shocked when the Dolphins took Jake Long? I had no idea).

OKAY, back to the Bears. Here are the 2005-2008 drafts.


2005
#4 Cedric Benson - RB - Texas
#39 Mark Bradley - WR - Oklahoma
#106 Kyle Orton - QB - Purdue
#140 Airese Currie - WR - Clemson
#181 Chris Harris - FS - Louisiana Monroe
#220 Rod Wilson - LB - South Carolina

First four picks on offense. Benson's a borderline bust; Mark Bradley has been on and off IR, and is now off of it and is planning on contributing this season until the dreaded, yet expected, day comes when he blows out his knee for the twentieth time; Kyle Orton is a career 62.2 QB rating with 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions (that's good, right?); After two trips to the IR in two years, Airese Currie is now on IR for the British Columbia Lions; Chris Harris started at free saftey and strong saftey, and then was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a 5th round draft pick in the 2008 draft; After an injury plagued rookie season, Rod Wilson has bounced back and contributed on special teams and as a back-up linebacker.

2006

#42 Danieal Manning - SS/CB - Abilene Christian
#57 Devin Hester - CB/KR - Miami
#73 Dusty Dvoracek - DT - Oklahoma
#120 Jamar Williams - LB - Arizona State
#159 Mark Anderson - DE - Alabama
#195 J.D. Runnels - FB/RB - Oklahoma
#200 Tyler Reed - OG - Penn State

This was a defense heavy draft, however the Bears received a gem in Devin Hester, who may contribute a lot on the offensive side of the football, one day.
Danieal Manning is a starting safety in the NFL, even if he doesn't always know where he's suppose to be; DEVIN HESTER, YOU ARE RIDICULOUS; Jury is still out on Dusty Dvoracek, he's gonna have to play more than one game in a row without getting injured first; I think Jamar Williams is going to be a good linebacker in the NFL, hopefully the Chicago Bears think that too; Mark Anderson...was he a one year/rookie phenomenon? please prove me wrong and show me that you can defend against the run too; I think JD Runnels is awesome, however JD Runnels' knees hate him, hopefully he'll be healthy and will get some playing time this season; Tyler Reed is on the Bears' practice squad, where he will stay until he stops playing football professionally


2007
#31 Greg Olsen - TE - Miami
#62 Dan Bazuin - DE - Central Michigan
#93 Garrett Wolfe - RB - Northern Illinois
#94 Michael Okwo - LB - Stanford
#130 Josh Beekman - OG/C - Boston College
#167 Kevin Payne - FS/SS - Louisiana Monroe
#168 Corey Graham - CB - New Hampshire
#221 Trumaine McBride - CB - Mississippi
#241 Aaron Brant - OT - Iowa

5 Defense, 4 Offense

Great pick at #31 with Greg Olsen, he will be one of the best tight ends in the NFL; Dan 'Buzz' Bazuin has yet to see a down in the NFL after being placed on the IR in early September with a knee injury; Garrett Wolfe is very, very little, but who knows, maybe he's got a big heart....and that heart will help him grow 5 inches and gain 40 pounds; Michael Okwo was a very good linebacker at Stanford, and I think he will be an average to above average lineback in the NFL, barring injury, which is something that kept him from playing last season; Josh Beekman will be a starting offensive guard in the NFL, he should win a starting job with the Bears this season at some point; Kevin Payne is basically the awesome, and I can't wait to see him on the field, fully healthy; Both Corey Graham and Trumaine McBride contributed last season, as soon as they get the hang of NFL receivers and NFL speed, they will be no worse than average corner backs; I don't even know who Aaron Brant is.

2008
Finally its back to 2008. The Bears took twelve players in this years draft, and here they are - -

#14 Chris Willaims - OT - Vanderbilt
#44 Matt Forte - RB - Tulane
#70 Earl Bennett - WR - Vanderbilt
#90 Marcus Harrison - DT - Arkansas
#120 Craig Steltz - SS - LSU
#142 Zack Bowman - CB - Nebraska
#158 Kellen Davis - TE/DE - Michigan State
#208 Ervin Baldwin - DE - Michigan State
#222 Chester Adams - OG/OT - Georgia
#243 Joey LaRocque - LB - Oregon State
#247 Kirk Barton - OT - Ohio State
#248 Marcus Monk - WR - Arkansas


Chris Williams has been a true left tackle since his junior season at Vanderbilt and started all 24 games over his final two seasons. He has great feet and phenomenal technique, however he does lack the upper-body strength that a left tackle would normally possess. Hopefully he'll be able to overcome his lack of physicality, and will use his feet and technique to his advantage. When the Bears selected him, I literally fell off the couch. It was the perfect pick for this team. Chris Williams is also a perfect character guy and he's very smart (engineering major at freakin Vanderbilt). Oh, and yes, I'm aware they didn't take Rashard Mendenhall, and yes, I'm aware he played for Illinois, and yes, I'm also aware he went to Niles West in Skokie...If you think the Bears' running game was worse than their offensive line, I would recommend you learn more about football and never talk to me again.


The Bears agree that their running game is more important than their passing game and they select Matt Forte in the second round. In his first three seasons, he started 18 games and ran for 2,138 yards with 16 touchdowns. As a senior he started all 12 games and rushed for 2,007 yards (second in the nation) with 22 touchdowns on 336 carries (thats a 6 yard per carry average). Basically, dude's a beast. He's big, he's strong, he runs downhill and leans into his runs. I'm excited.


As a true freshman, Earl Bennett started in 7 games finishing with 876 yards and nine touchdowns, in 2006 he had 82 receptions for 1,146 yards and six touchdowns. Last season he finished up with 75 catches for 830 yards and five touchdowns. Bennett lacks breakaway speed, but makes up for it in his exceptional route running abilities and his physicality allowing him to produce after the catch. Some say he's the next Hines Ward, others (mainly Bellwether Meltdown) say he's the next Bobby Engram. Either way, we'll see production out of him, how much is yet to be seen.


Ok, so Marcus Harrison... This guy has first round talent. He is a top 10 defensive tackle in the nation... However, he has 3 injuries under his belt, and some say he has character issues. I really hope that this was a steal here at pick 90. He only played 10 games his senior year, but finished the year with 50 tackles, seven for losses. If this turns into another Tank Johnson situation, this was a waste of a pick. That being said, I'm glad the Bears made a gamble with this guy, he has a lot of talent and upside.


Holy freakin crap do I love Craig Steltz. So will the city of Chicago. Big hitter, good vision, good against the pass, even better against the run. He will start this season at strong safety. He's a way more talented Adam Archuletta. His senior year he had 101 tackles with one sack, three forced fumbles and six interceptions. He's awesome, he's a grinder, and he's Chicago - I mean look at all those consonants in his last name. He's gonna hit people and eat polish sausage. Awesometown.



Zack Bowman and Kellen Davis are the two 5th round picks. No compute. Everything was going so well until now. A corner back? Really? Alright, fine, one of the best defensive backfields gets better, I guess. Bowman's had a bunch of injuries, but is very athletic and as long as he's healthy, he's a good addition to any team. Kellen Davis... Ok, so I understand the Bears cut tight end John Gilmore, but our two starters will be Des Clark and Greg Olsen. Are the Bears planning on running a three tight end set? Is Des Clark on his way out? Or did the Bears just not realize they could pick up a serviceable tight end in free agency and not waste a fifth round pick on an above average, six foot seven, two hundred and seventy pound tight end (he's a giant). Maybe a nuclear winter is coming and in the 'new world' good tight ends will be used as currency. Until that happens, I won't fully understand this pick.



Now for the four hundred seventh round picks the Bears had this year... Ok, so it was only 5 picks, but still, thats a lot of 7th rounders. My philosophy with this is if the Bears got one good player out of these five, then it was worth it. Hopefully they got more than that. Alright, lets start with the defensive players taken in this round, Ervin Baldwin, defensive end out of Michigan State and Joey LaRocque, linebacker out of Oregon State. Baldwin had a breakout season last year, and is a decent pass rusher; His run defense however is skeptical at best. Joey LaRocque is very smart, but is slow and not super athletic, he's a nice addition to the practice squad...



The offensive linemen that were taken here are solid seventh round picks, which basically means they're good at one thing, and maybe they'll learn how to do everything else (but probably won't). So, let me get this straight Sauce, you're telling me that they couldn't learn how to be a complete player at their position during their four years in college, but now that they're playing among the best in the world, they will suddenly learn and perfect their craft? Yes, that's what I'm telling you. Hey, it's happened before. No, seriously, I swear it has... Chester Adams, guard, Georgia. Not strong enough to play guard in the NFL. Not strong enough to drive defensive tackles off the ball. Probably better suited to be a (below average) offensive tackle. Kyle Barton, right tackle, Ohio State. Has a history of knee problems already. Was consistent at his position when playing, and is fundamentally sound. Many have said he has a 'mean streak,' I'm almost 100% positive that will make up for his lack of speed and strength...<===sarcasm.


Marcus Monk. What a steal with the Bears final selection in the draft. THIEVERY! This guy is a beast. He had a couple injury problems last season, but I wouldn't be worried. Also his '07 numbers weren't as good as they should have been because Arkansas focused their offense on some running back, some McFadden guy. Whatever, in 2006 he had 50 catches for 962 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's 6'6, 220 and has big play potential (anyone remember Bernard Berrian?). As long as his knee injury isn't an issue going into next season, Marcus Monk will play a big part in the passing game.... As long as the Bears have a passing game.

So that's the 2008 draft this year for the Chicago Bears. They upgraded at most of the positions they needed. They drafted at least 4 starters, maybe 6, and added good help on special teams and in back-ups.

Hey, the season starts next week, right? No? Oh... I have to wait through a whole baseball season first you say? Alright, I can do that...

MmmmmBearsssssss!!!