Forget almost everything I said about the Bears in my last post because they went and traded for Jay Cutler the very next day. Sure they gave up a nice size chunk of their future for him—but he is a legitimate quarterback with a legitimate arm and opposing defenses will finally have to respect the Bears passing game, opening up things nicely for their running attack.
Welcome to my newest feature here at Yo: If I ran the…, In which I will detail what I would do a GM of various teams around the league. Honestly, this is my way of auditioning for any and all GM positions around the league–even the Lions. But for now, I’ll start with the team closest to my heart, Da Bears.
First of all, I’d pull Lovie Smith into my office and tell him he gets one more year–no playoffs = no new contract. If there’s a problem with that I’ll fire him and hire Ron Rivera as head coach and Mike Martz as offensive coordinator. Otherwise, Smith gets one more year to prove himself. And I’d still “encourage” him to bring back Rivera as defensive coordinator, Da Bears defense just hasn’t been the same since he left.
Smith (Left) and Rivera back in the day.
On offense, I’m sticking with Kyle Orton. While I might inquire about what it would take to get Jay Cutler from Denver, chances are it’s more than I’d like to give up. Orton has shown enough to earn him another shot as starting QB.
However, I am going to make that call about WR Anquan Boldin of the Cardnials.
If I could get him and maybe a 4th or 5th round pick for our 1st round pick (18th overall), I’ll jump all over it. The Bears desperately need a legitimate number one receiver next to Devin Hester and Boldin is a proven talent. Sure, we could use that 1st round pick on a WR that could be great, but Boldin is great—and he’s great right now. History has shown us that receivers drafted in the first round are anything but guaranteed—for every Marvin Harrison and Calvin Johnson, there’s a J.J. Stokes and Reggie Williams.
Speaking of Harrison, he’s still unsigned. So is Tory Holt. So if I can’t get Boldin, I’m going to sign one of those guys (preferably Holt because he seems to have more gas left in the tank). Then I’ll take a receiver in the first round. A future hall-of-famer like Holt or Harrison would be a key asset in a group of young and talented receivers like Hester, Earl Bennett and whomever we draft.
We’re also going to need help on the offensive line, so I’ll sign Orlando Pace to a one or two-year deal. That adds some depth and leadership to go with second-year man Chris Williams and new acquisition Kevin Schaffer. We’ll figure out who starts where in training camp, but for now, we can all sleep soundly knowing we have at least 3 potential bookends on our O-line to keep Orton on his feet. Then I’m definitely going to spend at least two draft picks on depth in the offensive trenches. You never know when there will be an injury and it doesn’t hurt to start cultivating tomorrow’s starters today—I mean, Olin Kreutz can’t play forever.
Defense is where the Bears need the most help. I want the Monsters of the Midway to be the most feared defense in the league again.
First things first, I’m going to tell Lovie to call his buddy Derrick Brooks and tell him there’s a one-year deal waiting for him in Chicago.
He’ll have to play strong side, but teamed with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, Chicago will have possibly the most lethal linebacking core in the entire league. Hunter Hillenmeyer and Jamaar Williams provide excellent depth and WIlliams has potential to be a future starter–he has Briggs’ speed and he hits like Urlacher.
Defensive line is tricky–it looks better on paper than on the field. Mark Anderson and/or Alex Brown need to produce more sacks, period. I’ll give them one more year before making any drastic changes at defensive end, but I might use a late-round pick on some fresh blood in the rotation.
Also, we need another legitimate tackle next to Tommie Harris. He’s one of the most talented defensive tackles in the league, but he can’t do it alone. We need to get an enormous run-stopper to help plug the holes and get Harris out of some double-teams. Dusty Dvoracek is decent, but I’d look at some veterans who will get cut after the draft and maybe pick up some mid-round talent as well.
The secondary was a major problem for the Bears last year. Cornerbacks, safeties, everyone of them got smoked more than a few times last year. Remember Andre Johnson’s wide-open touchdown catch in the last game of the season?
Mike Brown is gone. His leadership will be missed, but his lack of cover skills won’t. Why don’t we try Charles Tillman at free or strong safety?
He’s one of the hardest-hitting cornerbacks in the league but he’s also one of the slower ones too. Doesn’t it just make sense to at least try it? So it will leave an opening next to Nathan Vasher at corner, but maybe I’ll sign free agent (and former punching bag) Ken Lucas and draft someone in the first or second round. I really like the raw potential of local product Vontae Davis from Illinois, and it’s looking like we could even trade down in the first round and still get him. Plus, let’s not forget about second-year man Zackary Bowman who showed flashes of brilliance before an injury prematurely ended his rookie season.
Overall, the Bears have a lot of great things going for them on both sides of the ball. I didn’t even mention the running back position because Matt Forte is outstanding and Kevin Jones, Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe are capable backups. With this solid running attack, and the improvements I want to make to the offensive line and receiving core, a better system will be in place for Kyle Orton to improve at quarterback.
If Orton improves and the defense has a return to dominance, the Bears will be back in the playoffs in 2009.
Check back soon for the next installment of If I Ran the… Not sure who it’ll be, but I’m sure it’ll be good.
Back in the days when I was young—I’m not a kid anymore—but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again.
Because when I was a kid in the early 90′s the Denver Broncos were amazing. Sure they didn’t win a Super Bowl until the late 90′s, but the near-winners of the beginning of the decade had more personality. From Steve Atwater to Karl Meklenberg, John Elway to David Treadwell–the orange and royal blue were an underdog worth rooting for against the unstoppable 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV.
Steve Atwater was way cooler than John Lynch or Brian Dawkins.
Fast-forward to the shameful 2009 Broncos organization. They’ve changed their logo and color scheme won a couple Super Bowls. They ran Jake Plummer out of town and experimented with Javon Walker. I’m a little ashamed to have ever rocked a bright-orange Broncos crew-neck sweatshirt.
This off-season has been worse than the last several years combined. Since losing a win-and-in battle with the Chargers in week 17, Denver has fired head coach Mike Shanahan–the longest-tenured coach in the NFL. Then, despite having one of the most dismal defenses in the league, they hired offensive “guru” Josh McDaniels to be head coach.
This move naturally ruffled the feathers of young Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, who had become quite comfortable in Shanahan’s system. But then rumors surfaced that Denver contemplated trading him and bringing in McDaniel’s former protogé Matt Cassell.
My question to the Broncos is: why turn your best asset into your worst liability?
Cutler was the cornerstone of the franchise. Really, the only thing going for them, except for Brandon Marshall (who was relatively dependent on Cutler for his success anyways).
Would Brandon Marshall still thrive with a different QB?
Now they probably have to trade their franchise quarterback–and every day they wait, his value drops. It’s too late to get Cassell, and it seems as if they’ll barely be able to get a second round pick for him. Then they’ll be left with Chris Simms at quarterback and the fans will have to dig deep to cheer for “key” off-season acquisitions like Brian Dawkins and J.J. Arrington.
Unless John Elway is coming out of retirement, it could be a long few years for the fans in Denver.
T.O. Joins the Buffalo Bills
While other teams around the league are cutting costs (See Orlando Pace, Marvin Harrison, Derrick Brook, Ken Lucas, etc…), the Buffalo Bills decided to do a little low-risk investing by snagging T.O. to a one-year $6.5 million deal.
Brilliant!
Granted, it is T.O., but it’s a one-year contract. Owens is always stellar in his first year with a new team and if he’s a problem, they can just let him go at the end of the year. Any team without two elite corners to cover Owens and Lee Evans should be very worried if they have to face the Bills.
Numerous sources are reporting that the Dallas Cowboys have cut ties with Terrell “Crying Game” Owens. Despite his negative presence in the locker room, the move still seems like a bit of a head-scratcher to me considering that he’ll count for about $9 million against the salary cap this year.
Well, looks like Jamarcus Russell will have a new target in Oakland this year. Or maybe Jason Campbell in Washington. Or maybe the Toronto Argonauts…
Welcome to free agency 2009 where, just like in every other job field, you’ll find plenty of experienced veterans looking for work and even more teams looking to cut costs at every turn. Company loyalty will get you nowhere. Just ask Marvin Harrison, Fred Taylor and Derrick Brooks.
Let’s review some of the key signings thus far.
Chiefs trade second round pick for Matt Cassell and Mike Vrabel.
This was a goo move for both sides. The Chiefs get proven leaders on both sides of the ball and the Patriots, one of the best drafting teams over the last decade, now have four draft picks in the first two rounds.
Haynesworth to D.C., where they love to spend money.
Fat (Pockets) Albert
No, it’s not a reference to his 6′ 6″ 320-lb. frame. It’s the fact that he’s football’s newest $100-million dollar man.
Let’s face it, the ‘Skins defense just hasn’t been the same since Sean Taylor passed away so they needed to add some intensity. Although adding Haynesworth doesn’t make them an immediate playoff contender, it does put a lot of pressure on Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo who they will face a combined six times this year.
Rams Make Jason Brown the Highest-Paid Center in the League
At $37.5 million for 5 years, they overpaid, but so what? When’s the last time you saw Marc Bulger vertical? Or a Steven Jackson touchdown run? Those moments were few and far between last year.
Pardon the cliché but games are won and lost in the trenches so if you’re going to overpay, why not overpay the guys who protect your quarterback and open holes for your running back—both of which are also overpaid.
T.J. Gets the F*ck Out of Dodge…or Ohio
Breaking away from the Bengals too.
Remember that one season where the Bengals were good? They made the playoffs? TJ and Ocho Cinco were just unstoppable? Well those days have been over for a while, and Houshmanzadeh knew it, so he bolted to Seattle—another team trying to recapture the glory days of a few years ago.
While I question the move of giving number one receiver money to a number two receiver, I do like this move—if Seattle still drafts Michael Crabtree with the fourth overall pick in the draft. TJ and Crab (new nickname, you heard it here first) together have the skills to wreak havoc on the pillow-soft secondaries of the NFC west. Otherwise, Mr. Houshmanzadeh will be seeing a whole lot of double-teams this year.
Denver’s D-List
Operating on the philosophy that different must be better, Denver is signing anyone and everyone they can afford. I wouldn’t count on seeing major production from JJ Arrington, Correll Buckhalter, Andra Davis and 35-year old Brian Dawkins. Coupled with the Jay Cutler trade rumors, I’m not sure what Denver’s trying to do.
New York D’s Up
Both New York teams made major strides on defense so far. The Giants added some depth to their defensive line with Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard and some much-needed speed to their linebackers with Michael Boley.
The Jets new coach Rex Ryan has been dipping into his former player pool in Baltimore by adding Bart Scott and Brian Leonard for some much-needed intensity on defense. Trading for former Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Shephard to pair with Darrel Revis could prove to be a brilliant move.
Follow-trough.
That’s the key thought heading in to 2009 at the Yo! Football Radio blog.
Last year there was a serious lack of follow-through. The YFR season started with pre-season power rankings and ended shortly thereafter. But this year’s going to be different. And not in a Detroit Lions going to be different kind of way.
Keep an eye out. My free agency update and commentary is coming soon.
Reports are swirling that Brett Favre will come back for one more season with The Pack. ESPN reported that Packers cornerback Al Harris “said the quarterback said, ‘I got the itch.’”
Hold up, “Harris said the quarterback said…”? Sounds like some hearsay.
So not only is the time between mini-camps and training camp the “slow time” for players, it’s also the slow time for the media. The Jason Taylor saga must not be newsworthy enough anymore.
So the bottom line is, of course Favre has “the itch” to play again. So did Chris Carter. Favre will most likely not come back and the media will rip apart any team chemistry the Packers had when he left.
Good luck Aaron Rogers. You probably don’t want to piss off the fans again.
The Bears have re-signed defensive tackle Tommie Harris to a 4-year contract extension. This was a good move for many reasons.
First of all, Harris is a freak. He’s probably the best tackle in the league. He has a unique combination of power and speed that sets him apart from the rest of the league.
Second, it sends a message to the locker room about the Bears commitment to rewarding their own players. While the Jets and Browns are throwing money at Kris Jenkins and Shaun Rogers, respectively, the Bears know they have a proven leader who will bleed navy blue and orange.
Finally, they’re sending a message to Brian Urlacher. They let him know that, despite being the team captain, he can’t just get new contract whenever he feels like it. He has to wait his turn.
Now they just have to take care of Devin Hester’s extension, and figure out their running back situation, and their quarterback, and…
Ah yes, Bears fans must remember it like it was yesterday:
“With the 4th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select, Cedric Benson, Running Back, out of the University of Texas.”
It could have been worse. There were so many other great options on the draft board. Pac Man Jones was there, so was Troy Williamson and Mike Williams.
But, as they say, all things must pass and Mr. Benson has now been relegated to Mike Williams status as he has cleared waivers and not a single team will touch him—not even The Cowboys!
So Mr. Benson, the next time some racist Texas cops have a vendetta against you, DON’T GO DRINKING AND DRIVING!!!
