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#Post#: 4215--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: WshflThinking
Date: April 28, 2011, 7:34 am
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Bears need better defensive picks with Ruskell in foursome
BY MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan@suntimes.com Apr 28, 2011 02:12AM
After reclamation project with Bucs, Angelo and Ruskell reunited
with Bears Don’t look now, but the Bears’ version of the Tampa-2
defense has transformed into a Tampa-4, at least in terms of key
decisionmakers in the draft. General manager Jerry Angelo and
coach Lovie Smith added Rod Marinelli, now the defensive
coordinator and assistant head coach, a couple of years ago.
Personnel boss Tim Ruskell came on board nearly a year ago.
Ruskell will be helping run the draft for the first time this
weekend.
Here’s hoping he’s the missing ingredient in helping improve the
Bears, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Despite
running a scheme that has fallen out of favor leaguewide, which
means the Bears are looking at a different pool of talent than
other teams, the strike ratio during the Angelo/Smith
partnership has been awful. Oddly, Angelo was a better at
drafting defensive players before Smith arrived despite the
seeming advantage the two should share by working off a
different blueprint than other teams.
Together, the two men have selected 34 players, with just 12
remaining on the team. That dozen includes Chris Harris, who was
drafted here, but traded to Carolina before being brought back
for last season; Devin Hester, drafted as a cornerback, although
he’s really a return ace turned wide receiver, and all three
guys from last year’s rookie class — Major Wright, Corey Wooten
and Joshua Moore.
Most damning is that just two of the aforementioned 34 players
were primary starters last year. The starters were the safety
tandem of Harris and Danieal Manning, who could be an
unrestricted free agent, depending on the outcome of the court
cases revolving around the lockout.
Can a guy like Ruskell, who has been removed from Angelo for
nearly a decade, but was trained by the Bears boss, bring a
fresh set of eyes and ideas to the process?
‘‘We had a sign in the draft room for all of us to look at. It
said if everybody is thinking alike, there’s not much thinking
going on,’’ Angelo said. ‘‘The goal isn’t to get people to
patronize your thinking. The goal is to stimulate your thinking,
get honest opinions, independent thinking, but obviously based
on research. We’re not poll takers. We feel good about that.
We’ve been together a long time. .  .  .
The commonality, it helps.’’
Ruskell said the Bears’ brain trust doesn’t always see things
the same way and that helps in the discussion of individual
players.
‘‘No, we don’t,’’ Ruskell said. ‘‘That’s been what was great
about when Jerry and I worked together before, and working with
Lovie and working with Rod. But it’s done in such a professional
way. Everybody has their say, and we’re open to: ‘OK, I didn’t
look at it that way, let’s look at the film again with that
perspective.’
‘‘I think that’s healthy, and that’s a good thing. That’s where
our success in Tampa came out of. A lot of adversity early. A
lot of things didn’t go our way. As Jerry likes to say, we
survived our mistakes. But we learned from them. When we finally
got together with the coaching staff and implemented that
philosophy with what we were trying to do personnel wise, the
thing kind of took off.’’
Everyone knows the Bears are in dire need of help on the
offensive line, especially if they want to open up the their
offense with the five-step and seven-step drops that Mike Martz
likes to employ. The Bears may take the best tackle they can
find at No. 29,
but they don’t really need a right tackle. They have players who
can line up at that position. They need a left tackle, maybe two
of them if they want to open up the passing game.
One league source with a stellar track record for predicting the
Bears’ drafts said the defensive coaching staff will be
pressuring Angelo and Ruskell to take a cornerback. But if it is
not an offensive tackle, the Bears will be content to select a
defensive tackle, perhaps after trading down into the second
round. The guys they are projected to be considering come with
risks. Marvin Austin missed a season after being caught in the
middle of the NCAA investigation into illegal inducements from
agents, including taking trips arranged by former assistant
coach John Blake. Temple’s Muhammad Wilkerson didn’t play
against top-level talent.
If the Bears do decide to trade down, they won’t be talking to
teams until about five picks before their No. 29 selection. They
might not have an offer they like until they are on the clock.
The quarterback class will be key to what they do because the
more who are taken, the more likely the Bears will get a player
the want at that spot.
#Post#: 4219--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: yapper
Date: April 28, 2011, 8:35 am
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- Carimi is a pipe dream. If the Giants don' t take him, the
Colts, Chiefs, Eagles, Falcons or Pats will.
- Austin is a high-risk pick, but could be justified if all
solid OL prospects are off the board.
- Jon Baldwin, Brooks Reed or Aaron Williams would be disastrous
wastes of a 1st round pick on positions of secondary need.
IMO the only way Marvin Austin, Derek Sherrod or Danny Watkins
are not our pick is if they're all gone. At which point a
tradedown may be the sensible option and we have to wait till
tomorrow.
#Post#: 4221--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: yapper
Date: April 28, 2011, 9:00 am
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Wow... this would cost the Patriots a fortune:
HTML http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/28/patriots-have-spoken-with-browns-about-sixth-pick/
But, if there's any team with the firepower to do it, it's them.
Wonder who they could be so hot on that they'd go all the way up
to #6 to get him?
#Post#: 4222--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: yapper
Date: April 28, 2011, 9:02 am
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Put this guy on the list of "disaster" picks as well:
HTML http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/28/report-jimmy-smith-failed-three-drug-tests-admitted-abusing-codeine/
#Post#: 4238--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: boogie
Date: April 28, 2011, 10:22 am
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Mayock has us taking Pitt WR Baldwin with our first pick.
Really?
HTML http://www.nfl.com/draft/2011/mock-drafts/mike-mayock/60103?campaign=Twitter_draft
#Post#: 4239--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: yapper
Date: April 28, 2011, 10:26 am
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--- Quote from: boogie link ---
>
> Mayock has us taking Pitt WR Baldwin with our first pick.
Really?
>
>
HTML http://www.nfl.com/draft/2011/mock-drafts/mike-mayock/60103?campaign=Twitter_draft
>
--- End Quote ---
I saw that too. That would be a horrific mistake. Baldwin is a
possession-plus WR at best and you can get those guys in the 3rd
round. He's also got a bit of diva in him. No thanks.
Mike Mayock is one of the better talent evaluators, but I
certainly hope his mock doesn't come to pass.
#Post#: 4240--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: boogie
Date: April 28, 2011, 10:28 am
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Yeah, but everybody we have talked about is off the board. In
that case I hope we DO trade down.
#Post#: 4249--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: yapper
Date: April 28, 2011, 11:07 am
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--- Quote from: boogie link ---
>
> Yeah, but everybody we have talked about is off the board. In
that case I hope we DO trade down.
>
--- End Quote ---
Agreed. Reaching on the 4th best WR, the 6th best CB or the 7th
or 8th best DE with our 1st round pick is not the way to go.
#Post#: 4278--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: boogie
Date: April 28, 2011, 1:20 pm
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Checking some mock drafts and we are all over the board.
Austin, Wilkerson, Baldwin, Sherrod, Carmimi, trade up for
Castanzo. Either Watkins is gone before our pick or nobody
thinks we will take him. Makes me want him more.
#Post#: 4280--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2011 NFL Draft
DIR By: Bears4Ever
Date: April 28, 2011, 1:30 pm
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The draft. I wonder what what Jerry & Co have in store for us ?
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