Chalk Talk about Bears Draft Projections

Well it’s another slow news day for all the teams that won’t be playing in Super Bowl XLII, so once again we turn to trusty Chalk Talk for a dose of Bears insight.  This week’s questions deal with Arkansas running back Felix Jones (their other 1,000 yard rusher) and whether or not the Bears might take him in the draft, Brian Urlacher’s Pro Bowl snub and whether or not the Pro Bowl voting should be held later in the season, and how many former Bears are playing in this year’s Super Bowl.  The answer to that last question is one.  One former Bear - Giants special teams and defensive standout R.W. McQuarters - will actually be playing in Super Bowl XLII.

I’m not high on Felix Jones as a running back prospect for the Bears.  Jones isn’t exactly a between the hash marks runner, and I think the Bears need to add power - not finesse and athleticism - to their run attack.  While Jones is an outstanding prospect, I believe the Bears need to get tougher on the ground, because their approach this year was just not getting it done.  As for Urlacher, I do believe the man is one of the best linebackers out there, despite his decline in production this year.  He was playing injured, but at the time of the Pro Bowl voting, he just didn’t have the numbers to get in.  Maybe next year.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 31, 2008 - Post a comment

Drew Rosenhaus Speaks

It’s the offseason, and that means that Drew Rosenhaus will start rearing his greedy little head to create news for the next few months in the NFL’s universe.  This time, Drew Rosenhaus sent a text message to his three Bears.  Rosenhaus has some solid quotes as well, as it pertains to linebacker Lance Briggs, who will be missing the Pro Bowl, and Bernard Berrian.  Both men are slated to become free agents this offseason, and there has been talk that the Bears might slap the Franchise tag on Berrian.  Of course, this would likely make waves with Rosenhaus.

Many people will recall last year’s Rosenhaus/Bears franchise tag debacle featuring Lance Briggs.  Briggs held out for almost the entire offseason before finally signing with the Bears on the condition they wouldn’t franchise tag him this year.  Now, it would appear that Bears fans could be in for round two of Rosenhaus v. Bears.  Rosenhaus knows the wide receiver market is thin this year, especially with Randy Moss looking to re-sign with the Patriots.  If the Bears franchise tag Berrian, it would severely cripple his long-term earning potential.  This one should be fun to watch this offseason.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 30, 2008 - Post a comment

Comparing Eli to Rex

There’s a very interesting article out of the Chicago Sun-Times today making the case that if Eli Manning can turn his play around and lead his team to the Super Bowl, then there is still hope for Rex Grossman.  The article is a well-written piece of “wait and see” logic.  It makes the case that Eli Manning’s career has seen the same ups and downs that have led to Grossman falling out of the good graces of Bears fans everywhere.  However, I can’t particularly say that I agree with the assertion that Eli Manning’s awakening has a quarterback means that there is hope for Rex.

Rex Grossman has already been to one Super Bowl.  He played extremely badly, and likely cost his team the game.  Now, it appears that this poor performance has carried over.  Grossman did not seem to have made progress during the 2007 season.  If anything, it seemed he regressed.  Grossman has also never been the type of quarterback to perform as well in the clutch as Eli Manning has played in these playoffs.  I believe it’s time for the Chicago Bears to go ahead and let Rex Grossman go on his way and start anew with a different QB.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 29, 2008 - Post a comment

Urlacher Custody Issues Resolved

According to reports from the Chicago Tribune, a resolution has been reached over the issues concerning custody of Brian Urlacher’s son.  Urlacher has been granted more time with his son and more freedom with that time, and he now has to pay child support and the medical expenses of the 2-year-old boy.  The full details of the agreement were not disclosed, but it is being reported that this deal was reached outside of the court system, with Urlacher and his ex-girlfriend and mother of his son, Tyna Robertson, choosing to sit down with just themselves and their lawyers present.

Though an agreement has been reached and the case against Urlacher has been dropped, it still seems that this story could be far from over.  Both Urlacher and Robertson had more than a few choice words for one another in the press after reaching their agreement.  Urlacher insinuated that Robertson was just trying to get more money out of him and Robertson took issue with the fact that she never got her day in court.  Both parties made it clear that they don’t like each other.  However, it seems they were able to settle their differences and put what was best for their son first, which is the most important thing.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 28, 2008 - Post a comment

Harris to Miss Pro Bowl

The Bears’ Tommie Harris will sit out the Pro Bowl with a knee injury, according to reports out of the Tribune today.  Harris wasn’t sure if he’d be able to travel to Honolulu this year, and now it appears that he has made his decision to err on the side of caution.  In his place, Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett will appear in his first Pro Bowl.  Congratulations to Mr. Dockett, who joins Larry Fitzgerald as a representative of the Cardinals in Hawaii.  No word in this report on the extent of Harris’ injury, but I imagine if it was terrible they would have said so.

This just goes to show how silly it is for the NFL to even have a Pro Bowl game.  I know it’s a great time for everyone, and it’s a trip to Hawaii and all, but a lot of the best players are just too banged up at the end of the year for this game to truly be have an All Star atmosphere.  I certainly don’t have the answer for how the NFL could get more people interested in their version of the All Star game, but they are definitely lagging behind baseball and basketball in terms of keeping interest up.  But more and more great players decline to make the trip every year, thus diminishing the prestige of the game.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 25, 2008 - Post a comment

Bears Questions Answered

In yet another slow news day for the Chicago Bears, we’re going back to our old failsafe, the Chicago Bears Chalk Talk.  Today’s questions once again deal mostly with what the Bears are going to do to get geared up for a rebound year in the 2008 season.  The first question actually has the audacity to question whether or not Darren McFadden could fall all the way to the Bears.  Larry Mayer is quite kind in his answer, but I would have basically told the questioner there was absolutely no freaking way that Darren McFadden was going to the Chicago Bears.  He might slip that far in the draft if he loses an arm or a foot, and even then I’m not 100% sure.

The other questions involve whether or not the Bears will try to pick up Chris Simms from the Bucs.  This is a terrible idea, because replacing a bevy of subpar quarterbacks with a guy who ruptured his spleen on the playing field is not an upgrade, no matter how guy Simms feels now.  The Bears can get a top tier franchise guy in the first round of the draft.  They should do that, not go after a QB with a ruptured spleen.  The last question deals with the Bears strength of schedule last year.  Bears fans will be happy to know the the Bears had the third toughest schedule, so maybe the football gods will be kinder to them next year.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 24, 2008 - Post a comment

Bears Analyzing Talent

The Chicago Bears haven’t been doing much lately except analyzing talent at the Senior Bowl, or so the print media would have us all believe.  Today the best I could find in terms of Bears news is another article detailing the Bears search for a new quarterback.  This article takes a slightly different slant.  It takes a broader look at the Bears’ situation and wonders aloud what they will do to solve their quarterback conundrum.  The article also mentions that the Bears were not just scouting quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, and for some reason it lets us all know that Lovie Smith has grown a goatee.

Smith’s attempts to remain “hip” notwithstanding, the story of the Senior Bowl for the Bears is quarterbacking.  The Bears need a quarterback.  People will get tired of hearing this.  I’ll likely get tired of typing it as Bears news dries up.  I’ll have to keep harping on this same point over and over.  But just because it gets repetitive doesn’t make it any less true.  The Chicago Bears do not have a quarterback and until they get one, they have no chance to win in the NFL.  Look for them to use their first round draft pick on one of the many stellar QBs on the board this year.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 23, 2008 - Post a comment

Bears Checking Out Quarterbacks

That may be one of the most impressively obvious headlines I’ve ever written.  But yes, the Chicago Tribune is running a story about the fact that the Chicago Bears coaching staff attended the NCAA Senior Bowl, and yes, they were looking very hard at senior quarterbacks.  Of course, there are the four most obvious choices - Andre Woodson from Kentucky, Colt Brennan from Hawaii, John David Booty out of USC, and Chad Henne out of Michigan.  All of those quarterbacks are names you expect to see in any article talking about quarterbacks entering the NFL.  However, there was one name I’d never heard before.

The name is Joe Flacco, a quarterback out of Delaware who stands 6′6″ tall and was apparently very impressive in the Senior Bowl.  I’ve never heard of the guy, to be honest, and I’m not the only one.  Flacco played in the Football Championship Subdivision in D-1, so very few college football fans have likely even seen him play a game, outside of Delaware.  However, apparently this guy is a big deal, so you’ll be seeing him in the NFL soon.  I, for one, am not sure that the Bears should be taking chances on FCS kids after the QB fiasco recently, but this is what they do.  Guess we all just have to roll with it.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 22, 2008 - Post a comment

Draft Needs for the Bears

It’s absolutely no secret that the Bears have more than a few needs to assess in the offseason.  Of course, one of the very best places to fill these needs is in the NFL draft.  If you don’t believe me, then just ask Bill Parcells.  The man has been the architect of more than one NFL organization, and he loves to build through the draft.  Having said that, it appears that Brad Biggs feels the Bears’ front office could use a little help on draft day, so he has ranked the Chicago Bears’ draft needs.  The ranking is certainly subjective to Mr. Biggs’ opinions on the game, and may not reflect actual draft day activity.  Still, it’s a solid little read.

When looking at the list, it’s easy to fall into the pit of despair.  It seems the Bears have an insurmountable summit to tackle if they wish to make it back to the top of the NFL anytime soon, but in reality, the Bears aren’t nearly so far as people think.  They will certainly have to look to free agency and a possible blockbuster trade if they want to make the quick jump back to the top of the NFC North, but they should be a much-improved team next year.  They certainly will have plenty of freedom in the draft to make some key acquisitions.  Right now, the Bears’ 2008 season hinges directly on how smart their offseason moves turn out to be.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 21, 2008 - Post a comment

Looking for a New Running Back

There’s definitely an air of desperation wafting over the Chicago print media.  This article details some of the running backs in playoff games the Bears should pursue in the offseason.  First of all, are we really giving up on Cedric Benson already?  Shouldn’t he at least be given one season with a real quarterback before the whole city of Chicago starts turning on him?  I mean, yeah, the guy couldn’t get it done or deliver when it mattered, but he was playing with a rather high degree of difficulty, when you think about it.  This team had nothing that remotely resembled a pass attack all year, so cut Benson some slack.

Having said that, three out of the four running backs mentioned in this article are available, and I believe they would all sincerely offer an upgrade from Benson.  Michael Turner will be a starter anywhere else in the league, unless the Chargers actually decide to pay him starter money to stand on the sidelines, which is unlikely.  Julius Jones is a solid running back, as is Derrick Ward.  Here’s the problem though: I don’t see the Bears going after any of these guys.  I think the Bears will give Benson another year to prove himself, no matter how much Bears fans feel they should make big changes.

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Permalink - Posted in General on January 18, 2008 - Post a comment


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