Interesting faces at Halas Hall

Free agent offensive tackle Orlando Pace and free agent cornerback Ken Lucas both visited Halas Hall today. Pace has been in negotiations with Baltimore, but reportedly took a physical today for the Bears. 

Is Jerry Angelo set to make a splash? Or is this just smoke and mirrors?

Pace has a lot of miles on him, and some injury history, but could be an option for a couple of seasons. He played in 14 games last season with St. Louis. 

Signing both these guys would probably take OT and CB out of our draft plans, at least in the early rounds. WR? DE? Or, and I hesitate to even put it out there, but, could he be thinking of trading that 18th pick ... say for a certain disgruntled Bronco?

As much as it pains me to admit it, I like what Angelo has done in free agency so far. He's been surprisingly aggressive without overspending. 

Let's see where he's going with this.

Dream day 1 Bears draft scenario: Maclin falls

1. (18) Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

2. (49) Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma

3. (85) Derek Pegues, S, Mississippi State

3. (99) (compensatory) Rhett Bomar, QB, Sam Houston

1. I don't believe Maclin will fall ... but it could happen. A Cutler trade could make it happen. Someone could fall in love with Heyward-Bey or one of the other receivers. There could be a run on QBs and OTs ... Maclin would instantly be our best offensive player.

2. The guy is huge at 6'8 332 pounds. You could plug him in at RT for a long time. 

3. This may be a little high for Pegues. He's a little bit of a tweener, lacking ideal size (5-10 199) for a safety and ideal speed (4.54 40) for a corner. But he's played all over the field and been successful everywhere. He's a playmaker. Could start at FS for the Bears.

3. (compensatory) I just like the name. Rhett Bomar. The Bomar. Hey, Bomar.  

Ask and you shall receive

Michael Crabtree from Texas Tech and Jermey Maclin from Missouri are the two best receivers in the draft. If either one of these guys should, by some miracle, fall to the Bears at 18, Angelo & Co. should snatch that man up and immediately fall to their knees and thank god. 

Even if those two are, as expected, long gone at 18, there will be plenty of stud wide receivers left on the board worthy of that pick. This class is extremely deep at receiver.

Here are some options for wide receiver in the first two rounds of the draft.

Darius Heyward-Bey, Maryland 

See what I had to say about Heyward-Bey here. He's was on a real rise, continuing to impress scouts with his size and speed, until he hit a small bump in the road when the results of his Wonderlic Test were leaked to the press.

The Wonderlic is reportedly a 50-question, 12-minute intelligence test administered to prospective players at the NFL scouting combine. A score of 20 is said to be indicative of average intelligence. 

Heyward-Bey scored a 14. If you put that into context with what some of the other receivers scored, that may not actually hurt him.

Percy Harvin, Florida

Percy Harvin (5-11 195) is perhaps the most explosive, exciting player in this draft. The man most compared to the Bears own Mr. Devin Hester. They're comparable in their explosiveness and also in the fact that neither was a "true" receiver in college. Harvin was used as a running back fairly extensively in college, and even lined up as quarterback on occasion. 

I'd say Harvin is definitely a more polished receiver coming out of college than Hester was, but he will have some work to do with his route running. The main knock on Harvin,  however, may be his durability. He's had some ankle issues, missing five games in three years and being limited in several more. Ankle issues aren't a good thing when you make your living running faster than everyone else.

And his score of 12 on the Wonderlic didn't help him either.

Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina 

Hakeem Nicks (6-1 212) is a physical receiver with fantastic hands. He runs better than timed (4.51 40-yard time at the combine) and is able to break tackles with his size and athleticism to gain yards after the catch. 

He's been rising on lots of draft boards and the Bears are thought to like his game. They recently had him in for a private workout.

Once concern about Nicks is his weight. There are reports floating around out there that Nicks was 14 lbs heavier at the North Carolina pro day workouts than he was at the combine a month earlier. And another concern: Hicks scored an 11 on the Wonderlic.

Kenny Britt, Rutgers

Kenny Britt (6-4 215) has the sort of size that scouts covet at wide receiver, making him a delicious red-zone option. He showed up at his pro day reportedly five pounds lighter than listed here and proceeded to run a 4.40 40, improving from his time of 4.56 at the combine. 

The Bears had Britt in for a private workout earlier this week. Britt is another player who's stock has been rising, and a case could be made for him at 18, but that may be a bit early.

Britt was said to carry a bit of a primadonna label, and was suspended for a game by the Scarlet Knights last season for violating a team rule, but he reportedly worked hard to dispel that reputation at the combine.

Britt's Wonderlic score has not been leaked to my knowledge. 

And, as a footnote, I'm not overly concerned about these Wonderlic results, but it does have to give you pause. If Vanderbilt's Earl Bennett couldn't make his way onto the field for a catch in his rookie season because he had trouble learning the playbook, how will a guy like Hakeem Nicks do? 

He sure looks like a lineman

The Bears signed 29-year-old offensive tackle Kevin Shaffer to a three-year deal today. Shaffer was not retained by his former team, the Cleveland Browns, who instead opted to sign former Bears OT John St. Clair. 

Funny world, ain't it?

The 6-5, 315 pound Shaffer is a seven-year veteran, drafted out of Tulsa by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 2002 draft. He started 39 games for Atlanta before signing with the Browns in 2006. He started 47 out of 48 games for the Browns over the last three seasons, playing left tackle in 2006 and right tackle in 2007 and 2008.

Terms of the his deal with the Bears were not disclosed. 

Shaffer is expected to compete for the starting right tackle spot, and should give the Bears some flexibility in the NFL Draft, now just one month away. One also wonders if we'll see newly signed offensive lineman Frank Omiyale moved back to guard after sliding over to tackle during the Bears minicamp last week.

 

While not exactly reeling in the marquee names (unless hell freezes over and Jay Cutler is under center for the Bear in 2009), nobody can accuse Jerry Angelo of not being active in free agency. 

Is this a signal that the Bears may go for a wide receiver in the first round of the draft? 

Bears awarded three compensatory picks in NFL draft

The Bears were awarded three compensatory picks in next month's NFL Draft, including a third round pick, number 99 overall, the third highest choice awarded. The Bears also will get two seventh round picks, 246 and 251.

Under the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team losing more or better free agents than it signs in a year is eligible to receive compensatory draft choices. Last season the Bears lost Bernard Berrian, Brendan Ayanbadejo, and John Gilmore without adding any free agents.

The Bears now have nine picks in the upcoming draft. 

Teams are not permitted to trade compensatory selections. 

It's on like Donkey Kong

The first game of the Bears 2009 season will be at Lambeau Field against the Pack in prime time, Sunday, Sept. 13. 

The Bears/Packers tilt is the longest-running rivalry in the NFL, with the Bears holding the edge in the all-time series 91-80-6.  I just like to point that out. 

It will be interesting to see the Packers deploy their new-fangled 3-4 defense upon the NFC North. Freshly-hired Packers Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers is a dirty, tricky schemer, and he should give that shiny new Bears offensive line some real problems. 

The 3-4 is all the rage these days. The cover-two is last year's girl. The top two defenses in the league last year were Baltimore and Pittsburgh, both 3-4. The top two defenses in sacks were Dallas and Pittsburgh, both 3-4 teams. The Patriots have been awfully successful running a 3-4. 

Now the 3-4 comes to the NFC North. Well, bring it on, Packers. As long as Brett Favre remains retired, I'm fine with that. You don't scare us. 

Not anymore.

Safety option

The Bears threw another body at the safety problem today, signing Glenn Earl (6-1 215) to a one-year contract. Out of Notre Dame (and Naperville North), Earl last played in the 2007 season with the Houston Texans. He suffered a Lisfranc separation on his left foot after a collision with (drumroll please) ... Cedric Benson in an exhibition game.

Earl, who played for new Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke at Houston, was invited to participate in the three-day minicamp this week, and passed a physical Thursday. He made 31 starts in his first three seasons with the Texans and had a career high 74 tackles in 2006.

A tale of two tackles

With the exodus of our starting offensive tackles from last season (John Tait to retirement and John St. Clair to free agency), the Bears will be looking for an OT on the first day of the draft, possibly in round one. It is, as it was last year, a very deep and talented class at tackle. 

Two names that will likely still be on the board at 18 are Arizona junior Eben Britton and UConn's William Beatty. I like 'em both.

The 6-6, 310 pound Britton has good size and is a good athlete (5.16 40-yard dash) who has played both tackle positions and started 37 consecutive games for Arizona. 

Beatty also has good size (6-6 , 307), and athleticism (5.12 40-yard dash). He played LT last year, but for a lefty QB, so he wasn't a true blind side tackle. That's not a knock, the guy is a beast.

I would be happy with either one of these guys in the first round. Chris Williams last year, another tackle this year ... it would be awfully nice to be set at tackle for a while. 

Then your second and third round picks have to be about wide receiver and safety.

That could set us up. A lot of "ifs" but that could do the trick. 

John St. Jerk-Face (or Cleveland Browns find new way to suck)

The Trib's website is reporting John St. Clair signed a three-year deal with the Cleveland Browns today, reportedly worth $9.1 million with $1.25 million guaranteed. The Bears offer was $4 million for three years.

That hurts, but there's no way you can pay St. Clair that kind of money. No way. 

Get ready to take a tackle early in the draft. And we should probably quit screwing around with newly acquired Frank Omiyale as a guard and slide his substantial arse over to the RT spot. You don't have the luxury to play with him at guard anymore.

And please. Sign another free agent. How 'bout Torry Holt?

Prime Cutler

This is killing me. It's cruel and unusual. I've been waiting for this story to finally go away and die. But it just keeps coming back. It hurts.

Pro Bowl quaterback Jay Cutler wants out of Denver. Multiple media outlets are reporting that his destinations of choice are Tennessee or Chicago.

I found myself starting to believe today. It could happen. Trade our first round draft pick plus a couple of players ... maybe Vasher? Urlacher? Maybe you have to toss in a high pick from '10 too. But you'd have your guy.

Jay Cutler. There's a marquee player. There's a guy to build around. He went to college with Bears OT Chris Williams and WR Earl Bennett. He grew up a Bears fan in Indiana. He wants to come play here.

And he's the player we've always wanted at quarterback. He makes plays, he's got the arm. He's a big, tough kid. He's only played three years in the league. You're getting him right as he is poised to be a superstar.  He threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.

If there's a package out there that would pry him away from Denver, you have to investigate it.

But it's never going to happen, Bears fans. 

Right?

Feeling defensive

How will the Bears defense return to its former glory? Some young players are going to have to progress, some older players are going to have to step up. And Lance Briggs, Alex Brown, and Charles Tillman have to at least maintain their level of play from last season.

Young guys who need to keep progressing:

Corey Graham, CB

Is Corey Graham a legit starter in this league? Nathan Vasher has disappeared the last two seasons. Depending on what "The Interceptor" does this year (and what the Bears do in the draft), Graham could be starting at corner from week 1.

Kevin Payne, S

Now that Mike Brown is gone, there's a void to fill. Payne has looked good, especially against the run, and he hits like a ton of bricks. 

Marcus Harrison, DT

He has the skills and measurables to dominate. May be better suited to play the gap than the nose, but it will be interesting to see what Rod Marinelli can get from this kid.

Veterans who need to step up:

Tommie Harris, DT

Tommie Harris is the engine that makes the Bears' cover-2 defense run. When he's not right, the defense isn't right. When he is right, he may be the best in the game. He certainly wasn't that last year.

Adewale Ogunleye, DE

Didn't do much last season. Everybody knows we have to get pressure on the quarterback. 'Wale is supposed to be the guy to supply that pressure. That's why he's here. If he can't supply the heat, we need to get him the hell out of the kitchen. 

Brian Urlacher, LB

The center of the cover two has to be strong. DT, MLB, S. If those three positions are weak, your defense will be weak. Urlacher doesn't need to be the player he was at his peak, but he needs to be more of a force than he was last year. Urlacher just disappeared last season for alarmingly long stretches. 

Wildcards:

Free Safety

Can Josh Bullocks be the guy? Will they draft someone? Will Steltz step up to be an NFL-caliber free safety. None of those are great bets. Best bet is probably Bullocks. 

Lovie Smith

Can Lovie handle taking over the play-calling on defense and being head coach? Something has got to give, right? Maybe. 

Bears sign safety Bullocks, finally release waste of space Terrence Metcalf

Bears GM Jerry Angelo must have read the Bear Down Chicago Blog posting yesterday, because he went out and did what we asked him. At least in part.

The Bears signed fifth-year free safety Josh Bullocks to a one-year deal today. Bullocks (6-1, 207) is a gifted athlete who started 51 games in four years with the New Orleans Saints. He was supplanted as a starter at the beginning of last season by veteran Kevin Kaesviharn, reportedly due to the fact that he was inconsistent, especially in deep pass coverage (is it me or does this guy sound a little bit like Bears nickel back/safety Danieal Manning?). Bullocks was pressed back into a starting role in the last month of the season after Kaesviharn was injured, and ended up with an interception against the Bears in the Dec. 11 contest at Soldier Field (a game the Bears won in overtime).

Bullocks is expected to compete with second-year man Craig Steltz for the starting free safety job.

The other move the Bears made today was to release seven-year veteran guard Terrence Metcalf, who, it's safe to say, never really lived up to expectations. A third round draft pick in 2002 from Mississippi, he mostly languished on the bench, unable to crack the lineup. By far his best season was in 2005, in which he started 13 games on a team that went 11-5. Last season he was suspended four games for violating the league's policy on banned substances.

The fact that the Bears are willing to release any offensive linemen could signal that they are close to a deal with John St. Clair.

Orlando Pace available, Jerry Angelo shrugs

The St. Louis Rams released seven-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Pace today. The 33-year old Pace, who played 14 games last season for the Rams, will likely be ignored by Jerry Angelo and the Bears, who have shown zero interest (at least publicly) in any veteran free agent other than the guys who played for them last season (Kevin Jones and the still unsigned John St. Clair), and offensive (maybe) guard/tackle Frank Omiygale. While Omiygale looks like a good prospect, he has started exactly one game in his four-year career, but was given a four-year contract by the Bears. 

Why not take a look at Pace? How about free agent WR Torry Holt, Pace's teammate in St. Louis? 

The Bear's just can't bring themselves to do it. They are committed to their off-season strategy, which seems to be revamping their defense and maximizing the talent they've already paid for by bringing in defensive line guru Rod Marinelli and new defensive backs coach Jon Hoke, and by head coach Lovie Smith taking over the defensive play calling from Bob Babich. They've also made it clear they are going to focus on the draft to fill roster vacancies at safety, wide receiver, and offensive line. 

I don't think that strategy is necessarily a bad one, but I think we're putting an awful lot of pressure on this draft panning out really well for us. 

Why not take a little of the pressure off and bring in a Torry Holt? And why haven't we made a move for a safety? The draft is thin at safety again this year, particularly guys who can cover. Do you really want to find yourself in a situation where you start Craig Steltz at safety? At free safety? 

Because that's where you're steering this thing, Jerry Angelo.

QB conundrum

The Chicago Bears and quarterbacks. It's been stormy. 

The keys to the franchise have been handed to some world class strokes over the years. We all know the sad litany of names. Cade McNown, Kordell Stewart, Shane Mathews, Peter Tom Wilis, Rick Mirer, Moses Moreno, Jonathan Quinn, Chad "Hutch" Hutchinson. 

Rex.

Sure, we've had the occasional Eric Kramer or Jim Miller blow through town. There's nothing wrong with those guys. Jim Harbaugh may have developed into a good Chicago Bears quarterback if Ditka hadn't broken him so badly with the psychological torture and constant abuse. But mainly it's been disappointment, failure, and ineptitude under center. 

Enter Kyle Orton.

The then beard-less kid from Purdue started 15 games his rookie year, and while he didn't look great, he led the team to a winning record at 10-5 before being replaced by Grossman. That's second-best since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 for rookie QBs (behind Ben Roethlisberger's 14 victories in 2004). 

The kid's got moxie. We like moxie.

Orton took a back seat for a couple of seasons to let the Rex Grossman drama play out, then got another chance last year. We all know the story last season. Orton looks like a hero the first part of the year, hurts his ankle against the Lions in week nine, and comes back and looks bad. 

So which Kyle Orton shows up this year? Can he be the guy we're looking for? Do the Bears need to go out and make a run at another quarterback?

There's a couple of intriguing names out there in free agency. There will also be QBs available at 18 in the NFL draft. USC's Mark Sanchez could fall to them, especially now that the Chief's made their move for Matt Cassell and will not be looking for a QB with the second overall pick. 

Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo famously said the team is "fixated" on getting the quarterback position right. Does that mean the Bears should make a big move on QB right now?

The Bears don't have the luxury of fixating on the quarterback position this season. There are too many other holes to be filled on both sides of the ball. Kyle Orton may or may not develop into the QB Angelo is looking for, but he has definitely shown enough that Angelo probably believes the Bears can win with Orton under center. 

If Mark Sanchez is there at 18, trade down out of that pick. Someone will overpay you for the right to draft Sanchez, who reportedly did not help himself at the combine with a pedestrian performance in the position drills. Bring in another QB through free agency or later in the draft. Someone to add depth and develop. 

We need WRs and DBs. We need offensive line. We could probably use some defensive line too. Maybe a linebacker? This isn't the year to fixate on quarterback.

For better or for worse, Orton's the starting QB for the Bears this season.

Bears ink RB Kevin Jones to two-year deal

The one-two punch of Matt Forte and Kevin Jones never really materialized last season, with Jones only carrying the ball 34 times in 11 games. But the Bears outbid the Buffalo Bills for Jones' services today, signing him to a two-year deal worth a reported $3.5 million.

Jones is now expected to be the primary backup to Forte, with Garrett Wolfe coming in as the change of pace/third down guy. 

Despite his lack of production last year after recovering from knee surgery in January 2008, Jones provides proven, veteran help to the offense and a good presence in the locker room. Jones lobbied the coaches to let him play special teams late last season so he could see increased playing time. He has also been vocal about the fact that he wanted to return to Chicago, citing the quality of the organization and his belief in the staff and players as his reasons for wanting to do so. 

Those are the guys the Bears want.

This should take running back out of the equation on draft day. It will also be interesting to see how this move affects Adrian Peterson's roster status. With Wolfe's strong play on the kick coverage units and Jones' willingness to play special teams, can the Bears afford to keep another halfback on the roster?

Bears Hall of Famer George McAfee dies

George Anderson McAfee died yesterday at the age of 90. He was with the Bears eight seasons, playing on three championship teams  (1940, 1941, 1946). 

The second player picked overall in the 1940 draft, McAfee played halfback, defensive back, and returned kicks and punts. He was one of the most dangerous offensive weapons of the day, considered a threat to score every time he touched the ball. He was also the most dangerous kick returner of his era. As a defender he recorded 25 interceptions, none perhaps more famous than the 35-yard interception return for a touchdown he scored in the 73-0 rout over the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Championship Game.

His playing career was relatively short at just eight years, interrupted by his service in World War II. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966.

T.O.? NO.

The Bears need a receiver. Terrell Owens, just released from Dallas, is a great one. Some in Bears nation are clamoring for Jerry Angelo to go out there and slap the orange and navy on Owens.

I don't see Angelo doing it. And I agree with him.

I know all the things there are to love about T.O. Even though last season was considered a down year, the man still went over 1,000 yards. Only once in the last nine seasons has Owens failed to go over the 1,000-yard mark, and he put up 763 in just seven games played that year ('05 with Philly). 

He is a beast. 

But signing him would be contrary to everything Jerry Angelo & Co. have proven to be about. They are not going to go out there and overpay for veterans in the tail end of their careers. The Bears have shown that their philosophy is to build through the draft, add depth through free agency (see offensive lineman Frank Omiygale, the Bears lone free agent signing thus far), and not panic even when it seems like the wheels are coming off.

Owens, while still formidable, is 35. How many more years can he play at the same caliber? He needs to go to a team built to win it all now. A team with a veteran QB who's already won and won't fall prey to T.O.'s power plays.

That ain't our beloved Bear.

Watch him go to New York and replace Plaxico. T.O. on Broadway. Let Eli Manning deal with him. Kyle Orton has enough to worry about next year without T.O.

Hey, hey, Heyward-Bey

Most of the mock drafts out there have the Bears selecting Maryland receiver Darius Heyward-Bey with the 18th pick in the first round. There's no question the Bears do need a receiver, and Heyward-Bey is an electrifying prospect. 

He has terrific size (6'2", 210 lbs) and speed (4.3 40-time at the combine—tops for WRs). With Devin Hester on the other side, the Bears would certainly have their vertical passing game back. Those two WRs would scare defenses into defending deep, then those Bear tight ends and Matt Forte could feast underneath. With that kind of size he would make a nice target for QB Kyle Orton in the red zone too.

As much as I like Heyward-Bey, I do worry about taking a WR in the first round. There is a high bust-to-success ratio for early round receivers. Think David Terrell, Mike Williams, Troy Williamson, Matt Jones. Think Ashley Lelie. 

Conventional wisdom says tackle would be the safer pick. It would be the third or fourth tackle off the board, but the draft is deep at tackle. You could get the second cornerback, the first safety. One of the top rated QBs could slide.

But if Heyward-Bey is there I would have a real hard time not pulling the trigger. You need a receiver. He looks like a good one. You'll never know what you have in Kyle Orton if you don't give him some more weapons. 

With Heyward-Bey and Hester on the outside, and Forte and Greg Olson underneath ... if the offensive line comes together you have yourself a unit that strikes fear into people.

Fixing a hole

Well Bears fans, we find ourselves with some significant holes to fill on the ol' roster before the start of the '09 campaign. Tackle. Receiver. Safety. How about a backup QB? Corner? Defensive line?

I do like the new guy we signed the first day of free agency, offensive lineman Frank Omiygale. He ain't sexy, but he has some upside. He is touted as versatile (tackle or guard), young (26), and meaty (6'4",  310 lbs.). All good. We just got bigger and younger on the offensive line. This is a good move.

Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo says Omiygale projects at guard. Tackle, on the other hand, is the bigger need right now. With only unproven newcomers Chris Williams (projected as starting left tackle) and ... ummm ...gulp ... Cody Balogh (projected as practice squad meat for Marinelli's guys) manning offensive tackle, the need for another starter quality player there should be apparent.

John St. Clair, last year's starting left tackle, is reportedly the Bears first choice. St. Clair was a trooper last year starting 16 games, but he looked bad in pass protection against top-tier talent. 

Whether or not St. Clair returns, and I hope he does, the Bears still need to add another starting quality tackle. You've got one guy in St. Clair who may or may not be on your roster who has even really played tackle in the NFL. And he didn't exactly light it up. 

So why so little interest in Kalif Barnes? Kawme Harris? You don't like Marvel Smith? I like Marvel Smith.

And why aren't we looking at Wide Receiver? Their are tackles out there. There are WRs out there. There are backup QBs and safeties out there. Don't pin all your hopes on the draft, Jerry Angelo! Bring in some guys through free agency. Get some competition going then make some cuts in pre-season. 

Give yourself the freedom to draft guys you like and not just have to reach for guys to plug the holes.