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#Post#: 111869--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: yapper Date: January 3, 2013, 10:54 pm
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Barrett Jones is intriguing. He needs some work as a C but he
could plug in at LG from Day One and replace Garza at C in 2014.
He's also wicked smart and off the charts as far as character.
#Post#: 111881--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: joki13 Date: January 4, 2013, 2:22 am
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I'm with the jokeman as being on board for Eric Fisher OT. On
video he looks very smooth and holds up well against the rush.
As for Carimi I'm not giving up on him as we was coming off a
season ending injury. I'm not sure that didn't have an impact on
his game. Give him an another off season to rest and rehab and
we'll see. I thought we would have drafted a LB to replace
Urlacher last year,but,I think we need to address that in the
upcoming off season. I still believe the Bears may move
McClellan into the LB slot,whether that is MLB or SLB I couldn't
say.
If you go to the website draft breakdown they have loads of
video on all the top draft choices.
#Post#: 111882--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: Grizzlybear34 Date: January 4, 2013, 4:58 am
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[quote author=yapper link=topic=85.msg111866#msg111866
date=1357273936]
Long scares me too.
We've got a long history of expensive OTs getting hurt. Why
tempt fate with a guy that's already well down that path?
As far as an OG at 20... Chance Warmack from Bama would be worth
it. Dude is a straight beast.
[/quote]
Yapps or anyone - Who will be available as a free agent that
fills the left tackle position? Long may come free, who else?
If not, we may have to trade for a viable one. Who may be on
the trading block?
#Post#: 111887--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: Grizzlybear34 Date: January 4, 2013, 5:54 am
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Also regarding injuries to our draft class, I don't know what
you can do. Alshon Jeffrey broken hand and knee scope. Neither
of those were lack of strength/training injuries.
I can't remember Rodriguez injury (hamstring?) but that happened
in preseason/early in season and put him behind the rest of the
year.
Hardin? Poor tackling technique put him out. Also came with
injury history.
McClellin? This one was my biggest beef. The coaches kept him
on special teams through the season and I'll be that each injury
occurred on that duty. Concussion on opening kick-off against
Texans, I know at some point he also tweaked a hamstring (there
I could give it to you but it was probably injured covering a
kickoff) and then knee against the Vikings during a kickoff that
caused him to miss almost the entire game.
None of the injuries were severe enough to put him down for a
length of time, but enough to take him out of probably 4 games.
At times, he showed enough on the pass rush that he could be
something and then a little nick would come along and knock him
back to the sidelines. I was po'd about the coaching staffs
intent on putting him on the kickoff coverage team. IIRC, this
was the same issue we were having with Wooten, and was no doubt
a product of special teams.
Hard to put this on the training staff...
#Post#: 111891--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: davebear Date: January 4, 2013, 8:06 am
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I mentioned Jake Long because he's probably the only younger
accomplished LT that could possibly be available.
The alternative is a rookie who may not be a whole lot better
than Webb the first year.
#Post#: 111893--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: yapper Date: January 4, 2013, 8:17 am
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Yapps or anyone - Who will be available as a free agent that
fills the left tackle position? Long may come free, who else?
If not, we may have to trade for a viable one. Who may be on
the trading block?
A few thoughts/scenarios:
1) If Clady, Albert and Bushrod all get re-signed but Long comes
free that's gonna drive his price through the roof and that will
be a problem. He will almost certainly be overpaid by some team
in that scenario.
2) I'd be fine with trading our 1st rounder for an established
(but young and healthy) LT. I'd even throw Hester into the
deal... but not sure what team would bite on that as teams
don't just give away good young LTs and our 1st rounder is
rather low this year.
3) Another option I've seen floated is to draft our LT in the
1st, and then buy the best available FA LG out there who may be
Andy Levitre, a pass blocking stud from Buffalo. The thinking
being that a strong veteran LG may be able to help a rookie LT
in the transition. The Central Michigan kid (Fisher) is a name
being connected to the Bears a lot. He has good feet but is
barely 300 lbs at 6'8 and has trouble keeping on weight. Small
school competition is a consideration too. On the plus side he
has played both OT positions as well as OG. Barrett Jones from
Bama is another guy to watch. He is on most draft boards as a C
(where he played this year) but he actually played LT earlier in
his college career and did extremely well there against top SEC
competition. If most teams project him an interior guy and not a
LT he could easily slide to 20 and at that point it would be
Emery's call as to whether the guy can actually play LT at the
NFL level.
I trust Emery to do the right thing as far as LT -- as long as
it's not bringing Webb back for another go-around there -- but
he's got a tough job ahead of him there.
#Post#: 111896--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: yapper Date: January 4, 2013, 8:47 am
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I also think some Bears fans are thinking we're better off at
our G and C positions than we actually are. Pressure up the
middle was pretty common last year (especially in the gap
between Webb and the LG), and the ability to open inside running
lanes and get push in short yardage running situations was
inconsistent and sometimes nonexistent (Seattle game).
LG - was a void all year with neither Spencer, Ed Williams or
James Brown showing me much there.
C - I've made my feelings on Garza known before... no longer
starting caliber, might be worth keeping through the rest of his
contract as a backup.
RG - Lance Louis was our best O-Lineman before he got hurt but
will he come back 100% or will we have another Carimi situation
on our hands? Definitely need some insurance there (and an
underweight Carimi playing out of position ain't it).
Bottom line is that we can't get so caught up in the LT dilemma
that we lose sight of the interior. Whether through FA, draft
or a combination we need at least two solid additions between
the G and C positions.
#Post#: 111905--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: yapper Date: January 4, 2013, 9:50 am
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Here's another possible scenario.
Rather than blow a truckload of money on Long, spread it out
over a lower-priced LT and an upper-end LG. Branden Albert and
Andy Levitre, for example. Then draft the versatile Barrett
Jones who in the best case scenario would upgrade our C position
from Day One, or at minimum provide solid backup pretty much
anywhere along the OL until his best position becomes apparent.
I'm pretty sure Emery gets that you can't just constantly buy
veteran O-Linemen away from other teams every 2-3 years. It's
expensive, and you never develop the continuity that all the
great OLs have. At some point you have to draft and develop your
own. But with the urgent need to shore up our pass protection, a
completely new offensive system to learn and only 5 draft picks,
he may need to lean heavily on FAs this year to buy time until
he has the draft picks needed to get young guys in the pipeline.
#Post#: 111914--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: yapper Date: January 4, 2013, 10:37 am
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FWIW, Walter Football's latest Mock Draft has the Bears
completely ignoring OL in the top half of the draft.
1st Round - Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
2nd Round - Joe Fauria, TE, UCLA
#Post#: 111917--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2013 NFL Draft
By: Dave23 Date: January 4, 2013, 11:03 am
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If we were able to upgrade the OL thru FA, Ogletree would be a
fantastic addition...
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