Bleacher Bums Forum

Re the potential FA WR crop...  I don't have any insight into Emery's thinking but if I had to speculate on his wish list it would look like this:

1) Bowe
Positives
  - Emery knows him very well from their days in KC; assuming Emery liked him there, this would be the most comfortable pick
  - He has experience being the #1 guy with mediocre to terrible QBs (Cassell, Orton, Palko)...  good potential to take his game to the next level if paired with an elite QB
  - Durable; has only missed 5 games in a 5-year career

Negatives
  - Only average measurables (6'2, 221) relative to guys like Vincent Jackson and Colston.  Will not dominate a game from a physical standpoint; will not always command a double team as he can be contained 1-on-1 by better CBs
  - Has never broken the 1,200 yard barrier in his career
  - Coming off a very poor 2011 season for scoring (only 5 TDs) (though this could be a positive if he uses it as motivation with his new team)
  - Has played his entire career in a conference (AFC West) with notoriously bad defenses; will his production translate against the big-boy defenses in the NFC?

2)  Colston
Positives
  - Real nice blend of size (6'4, 225), speed and hands; a very tough cover
  - No big character concerns
  - Has been very well coached in New Orleans and would bring a winners mentality into the locker room

Negatives
  - How much of his production has been attributable to the system, playing in a dome, and Drew Brees?
  - Has never really been a true #1 but a complementary piece to their other WRs and Jimmie Graham;  are we looking at an Alvin Harper here? 

3) Vincent Jackson
Positives
  - Game changing size (6'5, 230) and speed; he has the physical tools to take over a game and demands double teams, especially in the red zone

Negatives
  - He has two DUIs and if he messes up again he is facing serious legal repurcussions not to mention a big-time suspension from the league;  if Emery is as big on character as I suspect, this factor alone may take VJ off the list
  - Has never had a season with double-digit TDs
  - Reputed to be a bit of an odd duck personality wise (much like Cutler)
  - Same questions as Bowe re level of competition
  - Has played on teams that have chronically underachieved...  is that the kind of background you want to bring in?

4 DeShaun Jackson
Positives
   - Blazing speed
   - Return threat
   - A logical replacement for Johnny Knox if his career is over

Negatives
   - Extremely small (5'10, 175). As a returner, basically a skinnier Johnny Knox.  As a WR, really wouldn't bring us anything we don't already have with Hester
   - Character/ego concerns; ran his mouth a lot before last season regarding his contract
   - Coming off a sub-par year (only 4 TDs) with a team that underachieved badly and had a ton of on- and off-field dysfunction
   - Is probably going to expect a far bigger contract than justified by his "specialist" skill set and the fact that his tiny frame will probably mean a shorter than average career;  I see a Bernard Berrian situation big-time when I look at this guy
 

Depends on the amount of money but Vincent Jackson seems like the guy you want

Lotsa talk about FA WRs and rightfully so, but PFT points out the list of CBs who may hit the open market:

Stanford Routt (cut today by the Raiders)
Cortland Finnegan
Brent Grimes
Brandon Carr
Tracy Porter
Carlos Rogers
Terrell Thomas
Eric Wright
Aaron Ross

At least a couple of those guys are likely to get tagged and/or re-signed to their current teams, but still.  Pretty much any of them would be an instant upgrade over Tim Jennings at the #2, it's just a question of how much we want to spend, and if they're willing to play in our scheme (which doesn't give CBs a lot of highlight reel opportunities).

Interesting article.

I still think a lot of the "experts" are continuing to assume our defense is better than it actually is, though.

I think we're gonna need to average about 30 points a game this upcoming season to be a legit playoff contender. We've got an outdated scheme with well-known inherent flaws. Marinelli as a DC is average at best, and we have some decent players but not enough guys that come up with game-changing plays or key stops when they have to.  On top of which, Peppers and Urlacher are both dealing with knee issues, Briggs isn't happy with his contract and there are a lot of questions (health- and performance-wise) surrounding 3/4 of our D-Backfield (Conte, Wright and Jennings). And with the needs we have at WR and the OL, I think our chances of adding any impact players to the D this offseason are slim at best. 

I see our D being very middle-of-the-pack this year -- far from the elite defensive units like the Giants, Niners or Ravens -- so our O will need to improve accordingly to cover for them.

Bleacher Report article speculating on the fate of the Bears FAs:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1060750-2012-nfl-free-agency-predicting-who-from-the-bears-will-stay-and-who-will-go

From the Bleacher report that Yaps posted, I love this evaluation of Stelz...

Craig Steltz, S

Steltz had a fine year last season in the Bears' defensive backfield when he got a chance to start. Steltz is a great player to be a back up, but he's not the worst guy to plug into the starting role either. He was on a pace last year to post 100 tackles if he had played the entire season. Obviously that doesn't necessarily mean he's a great safety because Charlie Peprah had 94 tackles last season in 15 games for the Packers, and Peprah sucks. However, Steltz still played a solid safety for the Bears and should be brought back.

The line about Peprah is classic...  Stelz is a very solid safety that will be a good third safety or plug in starter.  Perhaps with a better cast around, he would be very serviceable

Maybe the move was mutual. Maybe he got in trouble because he couldnt put Forte and Cutler back together fast enough for Bear management.