The Chicago Bears’ draft started before most of the NFL teams. The Bears shocked the football world when Jerry Angelo made a bold play to acquire frustrated QB Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos.
Once Cutler became available, the Bears ended up offering the best package to Denver: Two first-round picks, a third-round pick, QB Kyle Orton for Cutler, and a fifth-round draft pick.
On paper, it looks like Denver may have stolen a lot. Kyle Orton has an above 500 record, as a starter while Cutler is under 500. But let’s be real, which team had a better defense? Also, the Bears were wise to deal for this because they have struggled with No. 1 picks lately, and a franchise QB is rare in this league.
That being said, let’s take a look at the draft picks.
Third Round
68th Overall: Jarron Gilbert, DT, San Jose State
Need Level: Six out of ten
Value Level: Nine out of ten
Gilbert was one of the more intriguing prospects in this draft. He is the only prospect who can jump out of a pool. Just YouTube it.
He is an exceptional athlete who is extremely quick off the snap. Tommie Harris hasn’t been himself for the last two years, and the rotation is solid at best.
The 2008 pick Marcus Harrison has shown potential, but the Bears know that you can never have enough pass rushers, especially for a team who struggled getting to the quarterback.
99th Overall: Juaquin Iglesias, WR, Oklahoma
Need: Ten out of ten
Value: Nine out of ten
Iglesias was one of Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford’s favorite targets, catching 74 passes and 10 TD’s.
The Bears love Oklahoma products but hope he’s not like the last OK WR they took.
He’s quicker rather than fast, but he’s tough and intelligent. Iglesias was low second/high third, so it’s a good value. He has a great chance to compete for the No. 2 spot and is at the very least a great No. 3.
Fourth Round
105th Overall: Henry Melton, DE, Texas
Need: Nine out of ten
Value: Six out of ten
Melton is far from a polished product, but his upside is amazing. A former RB, Melton made the switch to DE, two years ago. He has incredible size and explosion, and it helped for him that Brian Orakpo was on the other side. He was under the radar because he’s far from finished but opened up people’s eyes with a 4.65-40 at the Texas Pro Day.
119th Overall: DJ Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
Need: Seven out of ten
Value: Ten out of ten
It’s becoming very clear that the Bears LOVE Vandy players. Obviously, there is no reason to not like outstanding value. I’m glad he can’t run a 40 well, because he’s one of the better corners in this draft. He does everything well, and is a perfect fit in the Cover-two defense. Vasher has been hurt lately, and while the depth is good, a player this talented and productive shouldn’t be here.
Fifth Round
140th Overall: Johnny Knox, WR, Abilene Christian
Need: Nine out of ten
Value: Seven out of ten
He’s definitely not ready to be a full-time starter, but his speed is very hard to match. He has solid size and is pretty well all-around. Right now, his best spot in this offense may be as a No. 4 option, and if he gets matched up with a safety, it may be time to go up top.
154th Overall: Marcus Freeman, LB, Ohio State
Need: Six out of ten
Value: Ten out of ten
LB is a bigger need than people may have thought. Brian Urlacher is getting long in the tooth, and Hunter Hillenmayer is solid, at best. Freeman may be on the smaller side, but he’s athletic and can break down in space. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to crack the starting line up in a couple of years.
Sixth Round
190th Overall: Al Afalava, S, Oregon State
Need: Seven out of ten
Value: Seven out of ten
He has one of the coolest names ever. He played on a pretty good Oregon State team and was a three-year starter. He is a reliable open-field tackler and could be a core special team player.
Seventh Round
246th Overall: Lance Louis, G, San Diego State
Need: Six out of ten
Value: Four out of ten
What can you expect in the seventh round? Louis is a converted TE, so you know he’s athletic. On the flip side, he’s raw and unpolished. I’m not sure if he’ll make the roster, but we’ll see.
251st Overall: Derek Kinder, WR, Pittsburgh
Need: Seven out of ten
Value: Eight out of ten
He had a good year in 2006, but tore his ACL in 2007, and was a product of a run-first team in 2008. He has potential because of his size, ball skills, and ability to separate. However, what guy are we getting in Kinder? He has potential, no doubt.
Grade for this draft: A
It seemed like there was a lot of urgency in this draft, but as the Bears traded back and made some really value and upside picks, it’s hard to say that I’m not excited for these guys. Plus, you factor in that the Bears FINALLY have a franchise QB, this has been a very productive draft.
The Cleveland Browns and their new Head Coach, Eric Mangini, created quite a stir last weekend by trading the fifth overall selection in the NFL Draft to the New York Jets for three players and the 17th pick in the first round.
Mangini, 38, brokered the deal with the Jets less than five months after New York’s hierarchy rightfully terminated the stoic and uncharismatic disciple of New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick.
In three unappealing years, Mangini transformed Gang Green into the NFL’s most paranoid organization while “leading” the Jets to a below average regular season record of 23-25 and nary a victory in the playoffs.
Last year, despite starting an impressive 8-3 and having a league-high seven Pro-Bowlers on their roster, the Jets floundered down the stretch and suffered the most embarrassing collapse in the history of their wretched franchise.
Besides their injured geriatric, quarterback Brett Favre, no single individual was more to blame for the Jets demise than Mangini.
“The Mangenius” coached timidly down the stretch and many of his in-game decisions made onlookers suspect the graduate of Wesleyan University possessed an extra chromosome.
Immediately following a dreadful loss to the Miami Dolphins, The Penguin was fired as “HC of the NYJ” in late-December.
Inexplicably, regardless of his lackluster credentials, the Browns hired Mangini one week after he was dismissed from the Big Apple.
Mere days after Mangini again found undeserved employment, former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel agreed to lead the Las Vegas franchise of the newfound United Football League this coming October.
Fassel, 59, the 1997 NFL Coach of the Year who led an average Giants team to an improbable appearance in the 2001 Super Bowl, has been unable to secure a head coaching position in the professional ranks since he was controversially fired in Gotham at the conclusion of the 2003 season.
There is zero dispute that a trend has developed among NFL owners who are seeking younger and younger coaches in favor of more experienced, veteran types.
Still, how can a mediocre coach like Eric Mangini find work in seven days when a successful leader of players like Fassel (60-56-1) has been unable to in six years?
In the autumn of 2000, Fassel, a onetime tutor of legendary quarterbacks Phil Simms and John Elway, made an impassioned public speech to the media that many credit with helping propel the Big Blue to the championship game.
“I am raising the stakes right now,” said the quarterback selected by the Chicago Bears in the 7th round of the 1972 draft.
“If this is a poker game, I am shoving my chips right in the middle of the table. I am raising the ante. Anybody who wants out, can get out. This team is going to the playoffs. OK? This team is going to the playoffs.”
Fassel frequently helped ordinary Giants teams advance “to the playoffs.”
Mangini failed to get a decidedly talented 2008 Jets squad “to the playoffs” and he has done nothing to earn a head coaching position this fall.
“I am raising the ante,” it is an unfair disgrace that Eric Mangini is a head coach in the NFL and Jim Fassel is not.
“I am shoving my chips right in the middle of the table,” NFL owners now discriminate against veteran coaches.
This sad fact of prejudice is clearly exemplified by the opposite plights of Mangini and Fassel.
The draft has now concluded and the Kansas City Chiefs finish with only one first-day pick. That pick was defensive end Tyson Jackson.
Jackson is the third LSU Tiger drafted by the Chiefs in a row. The first being WR Dwayne Bowe who has been very productive as the No. 1 wide-out.
Second is DT Glenn Dorsey, who had an average rookie season, so it’s hard to tell how good he will eventually be.
Jackson quite frankly was the best fit for KC. They get a guy that will work his hardest and has the talent to get to the passer and cause havoc consistently.
Some, including I, thought drafting Jackson was a bit of a reach. But after thinking about it, who really wanted to trade with them?
Sure, QB Mark Sanchez and WR Micheal Crabtree were still on the board, but nobody wanted to trade up to spend millions on a guy who hasn’t ever suited up in a NFL uniform.
So the Chiefs didn’t really have a choice. Jackson is made to play the 3-4. He is a very big DE with some speed and the ability to disrupt the backfield. He only had 4.5 sacks last season for LSU, but he did have 10.5 tackles for losses.
Now it looks like the defensive front will consist of DE Tyson Jackson, DT Glenn Dorsey, and DE Tamba Hali. All three of those players are former first round draft picks of the Chiefs, which is another positive sign that they are building through the draft.
One guy to watch is third round pick DT Alex Magee from Purdue. Magee is a guy that can plug up the middle of the line weighing 295 pounds. If Glenn Dorsey does not live up to expectations Magee could fill in and be productive if needed.
Magee didn’t put up any great numbers for the Boilermakers, he had 28 total tackles with three sacks in 10 games played.
Another notable draft pick is OT Colin Brown. Talk about a monster! Brown is 6′8″ weighing 335 pounds. He was a force at Missouri. You must note though, he was a fifth-round pick for a reason.
He is sometimes slow coming out of his stance and some good pass rushers will be able to get around him with ease. He may have to move inside the line where he won’t have to be relied on as much with the speedy pass rushers.
There is a lot of promise now for the Chiefs. They bulked up on the defensive line with their first two picks and added a huge lineman later in the draft to go along with their other picks. So all there is left to say now is…Go Chiefs!
Most draft experts agree that the Falcons did well for themselves in this past weekend’s NFL Draft.
With seven of their eight picks the Falcons addressed their defense, but it was a move they made the week leading up to the draft that may have the biggest impact in 2009—especially from a fantasy-football standpoint.
Atlanta sent a 2010 second-round draft pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is a 10-time Pro Bowler who has spent his entire 12-year career with the Chiefs. He is coming off a season in which he had 96 receptions for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns. He enters the 2009 season as the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, yardage, and touchdowns for a tight end.
From a fantasy football standpoint, Gonzalez should once again be a top-three tight end.
He may be hard-pressed to put up the huge overall numbers he did with Kansas City in 2008, but he will be a threat to put up double-digit fantasy football points week in and week out. And, he will make the entire Atlanta offense better.
In 2008, the Falcons did not have a threat at tight end; starter Justin Peelle had just 15 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Gonzalez not only makes a nice safety valve for Matt Ryan in the passing game, he is also a threat down the field and over the middle. He is a solid blocker who will help open holes for Michael Turner in the running game. The addition of Gonzalez also draws coverage away from the Falcons’ top wide receiver, Roddy White.
Finally, Gonzalez may be one of the classiest players in the NFL. He held a press conference in Kansas City this week to say goodbye to the Chiefs’ fans. He said that if he is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (he should be a lock-in), he will definitely go in as a Kansas City Chief.
He also stated that his only regret in leaving Kansas City is that he was not able to bring the team and its fans a championship.
Maybe the addition of Gonzalez will be enough to bring the Atlanta Falcons their first championship.
Read more Bruno Boys content here: Bruno Boys Fantasy Football
Patriot Pat says…
If you haven’t noticed, I end all of my articles with: Andrew Cahill is a true Boston sports fan.
Let me set the scene.
It was late March, 2003, late at night, and I couldn’t sleep because my heart was racing from the noise of helicopters that I had been hearing for hours.
I could hear them flying back and forth over us—they were Blackhawks running medevacs, since Task Force Tarawa was getting their ass handed to them just north in Nasiriyah, Iraq.
We knew it was a matter of time until we were sent up to help, and everyone was pretty restless.
It had been four days since we had crossed the border from Kuwait, and had hardly had any contact with anyone, let alone anyone we could assume an enemy.
We got the order to move up, but had it become morning by this point. The Marines of Alpha Company, First Reconnaissance Battalion took the lead as we moved forward into the ongoing battle.
If the First Reconnaissance Battalion sounds familiar, you may have heard of us if you watched Generation Kill on HBO or read the book.
We passed burned-out Humvees, and Marines desperately digging themselves into fighting positions.
The sky is completely clear, and it is comfortably warm even though we are all wearing our chemical protective suits.
I’m standing behind my teams’ .50 caliber machine gun while we start to see the city through the palm trees.
As we arrive at the outskirts of the city, it starts.
We line up along the bank of the Euphrates river and begin scanning for targets.
We find them.
We officially begin engaging in combat.
Snipers prosecute targets across the river as I provide suppressive fire for the light armored vehicles of the First Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
An F/A-18 screams by really low above us, and rocket propelled grenades sail at Cobra attack helicopters flying above the war-ravaged city.
Then First Sergeant Bell casually walk up behind me.
“You guys need more ammo?” he yells at us.
I look over at one of my Marines, L.Cpl. Terrian, and tell him to shift right along the wall he was covering behind, as bullets start to rain in from behind us and hit where he had been kneeling.
It was friendly fire from the grunt battalion who had dug themselves in behind us—bastards. We shoot up red signal flares, so they know to stop shooting at us.
Mortars start to come in on our positions, so we start to shoot at potential forward observers, and I’m thinking to myself: “Man, I really hope the Patriots can get Ty Warren at pick 14.”
Andrew Cahill is a true Boston sports fan. Check out his website, Patriot Pat’s Patsies.
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If you want a guy to feel enormous amounts of pressure, try giving him $41.7 million guaranteed before he’s taken one NFL snap. Oh, I almost forgot, the notoriously terrible Detroit Lions did give their No. 1 draft pick, Matthew Stafford, that type of loot.
Am I bitter he got millions before he’s played one NFL game? No, although I believe the NFL, like the NBA and MLB, should cap rookies salaries. It’s almost ironic that guys in the NFL that prove themselves year after year have to fight to get contracts like rookies drafted in the top ten. Makes no sense at all.
Hopefully the NFL’s Players Association will get owners and the league to change this practice. In most professions you’re giving an entry level salary, and in time, if you succeed and your performance is solid, then the big bucks start rolling in. Obviously the NFL has never observed that practice.
Stafford may be a great quarterback in five years or he could be another Joey Harrington, Alex Smith or David Carr. Who knows? Stafford started nearly 40 games in his collegiate career and the Lions have decided to make him their savior on that basis.
Is Matt Millen a consultant for the Lions? Because this is exactly what he would have done, and recent history has proven that Millen-type decisions lead directly to failure.
*No Guts, No Glory is a Sports Jabber contributor
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Yesterday I was sitting around with my dad watching the replay of Paul Pierce draining four straight jumpers from the foul line over John Salmons. My dad who is an avid Boston sports fan frequently asks me sports questions like I’m the human equivalent of the latest sports encyclopedia. Yesterday was different, yesterday he opened up my eyes to something.
The conversation went from the Celtics to the Patriots. We were talking about how Brady would rebound when gold came out my father’s mouth.
He said that the New England Patriots defense isn’t old anymore. Actually its the complete opposite.
Gone are the days of having multiple linebackers being over 30 years old. Gone is the safety that is older than the stone ages. It seems like after this draft Bill Belichick has loaded up his roster with nothing but young players.
For starters the Patriots traded away one of the oldest players on the roster, Mike Vrabel. Even though he was one of our best players he was on the decline in terms of his pass rushing abilities.
Two other players whom the Patriots let go are Safety Rodney Harrison, and Deltha O’neal. Harrison is over 30 years old and is rendered ineffective due to the multiple knee injuries he has had over the years.
O’neal was horrible in the season that he was here. Some college corners could have played better than he did last year. I was glad that the Pats let him go.
To counter those moves the Patriots acquired free agent Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain, drafted Patrick Chung (Oregon) and Darius Butler (UConn) in the second round. Banta-Cain is a good pass rusher who had played for them from 2003-07.
Chung is a hard hitter and can play well enough in pass coverage to contribute immediately next year. Butler is a near perfect fit for the Patriots because his skills are very similar to Asante Samuel who was a Pro Bowler while he was here.
The Patriots dont have many guys over the age of 30 on the roster any more. It seems like they are trying to weed out the older guys on the roster.
Guys over the age of 30 left on the defensive roster are Adalius Thomas, Teddy Bruschi, Rosey Colvin, Junior Seau, and Shawn Springs.
With all that said the Patriots are considerably younger than they were a year ago. The young players aren’t as flashy as the other younger defensive players in the league, but with how Belichick likes to coach, stars will come sooner or later.
On Tuesday night, the New York Jets released quarterback Brett Favre from their retired-reserve list.
Favre is now an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign anywhere he wants with no penalty towards the Jets.
Despite his adamant dedication to his retirement, speculation is unavoidable for the former NFL superstar. Favre has gone on the record saying “At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football.”
But whether you believe that or not is a different story. It was around last May that Brett Favre made the Packers aware of his desire to return, and it was around last June when he went public with those feelings.
So, Favre’s statement aside, the question is, who would sign the most prolific quarterback in NFL history if he chose to come back?
The answer is, simply, nobody.
There is not a team in the NFL that would entertain the idea of signing the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer.
What about the Vikings, you say?
No, the Vikings have already stated that they have absolutely no interest in signing Favre. Minnesota’s GM said, “Maybe if it was 15 years ago, but at this time, we have no interest in signing Brett Favre.”
But surely the quarterback-collecting Buccaneers?
Not them either. With a new coach in town, there is no real pressure to win immediately.
Jon Gruden wanted Favre because he knew that he needed to win or lose his job. While Favre would be a great teacher for future quarterback Josh Freeman, it is likely Tampa Bay would not spend money or time on a quarterback who will only play one year.
Every other team in the NFL either has a stable starter or a young quarterback that they are committed to.
Even if Brett Favre wants to come back, it is likely no team would want him. The only team I could possibly fathom taking Favre would be…
The Buffalo Bills. Still, a very, very long shot.
When Michael Jordan was recently voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he said it was a bittersweet honor.
While every player aspires to one day be enshrined with the all-time greats, Jordan explained, the Hall of Fame announcement was a drop-dead confirmation that his career was, indeed, finished.
So it goes with great athletes in the weeks, months, and in some cases, years after their retirement. Logically, they know they’re too old to run with the kids anymore.
But on some days, they wake up with an extra spring in their step, or they’re playing catch with their kids and the ball pops out of their hands the way it used to, or the jumper falls eight or nine times in a row, and the athlete begins to think, “Hmmm…”
This, I believe, is what is happening to Brett Favre. He still wants to play, and many of us football fans still want him to play. So, when the Jets gave Favre his outright release Tuesday, football “experts” and fans immediately began speculating, not on whether the QB would come back, but where he would end up.
The consensus seems to be the Minnesota Vikings, where an above-average quarterback could mean a deep playoff run, and where Favre wanted to go once his divorce with the Green Bay Packers appeared to be final.
I don’t profess to know Brett Favre any more than you do, but make no mistake: Favre wants to play.
He loves the game, and frankly, he doesn’t know anything else. He’s been a quarterback for about 30 years. He would also love to wave away the stench of his brief tenure with the New York Jets.
Last season, Favre was rarely spectacular, often mediocre, and sometimes flat-out awful. Several knowledgeable NFL people said he was obviously hurt in some way, and they turned out to be right: Favre had a torn tendon in his right biceps.
But the off-again-on-again Favre has had some time to heal. He can probably still wing the ball.
And whether he says so or not, the prospect of sticking it to the Packers twice a season is enough to at least make him pick up a football, toss it around his back yard, and think about things.
Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, says his client has no interest in playing football again, and that he simply obtained his release so he could retire as a Green Bay Packer.
Sounds perfectly logical, except for two things: One—sports agents are hardly known as champions for truth. And two—if Favre isn’t at least considering returning to the game, why does he still have an agent?
There is a contingent of sports fans who are sick to death of hearing and reading about Brett Favre, and wish the guy would just fade away and make room for a new and exciting generation of players.
These folks have a point. But who are we, really, to tell him that his time is up? Who are we to say that he doesn’t have every right to squeeze every single drop out of his athletic ability, then make his own decision to retire?
That decision lies with Favre and Favre alone, and regardless of his maddening indecision on the matter, we should just mind our own business and let him work it out for himself.
Favre—or at least his agent—is saying all the right things. But what do you bet that Favre picked up a football sometime today, twirled it around in his hands, and thought, “Hmmm…”
With the draft over, everyone has had time to look over their picks and the list of undrafted free agents. So now the question becomes, which rookies will stick, which will get cut, and what poor, unsuspecting veterans will be handed their papers before the September 13 kickoff with the Green Bay Packers.
The drafted rookies who will be on the roster come the start of the season:
Jarron Gilbert, Juaquin Iglesias, Henry Melton, Johnny Knox and probably D.J. Moore.
This is for obvious reasons. Any player taken in the first four rounds is almost always promised at least a year (Gilbert, Iglesias, Melton and Moore). Knox was taken in the fifth and with the lack of depth at wide receiver and his blazing speed, he will stick.
The drafted rookies who have to do some work:
Marcus Freeman, Lance Louis.
Freeeman had durability questions coming into the draft and thus why he fell to the fifth round. He is versatile enough to play all three linebacker positions, which should help his chances. But with Briggs, Urlacher, and Roach starting, and Hunter, Jamar Williams and Joey LaRocque backing them up, he will have to show something to the coaches on special teams.
Louis is a sort of renaissance man. He is 300 pounds yet he played tight end. He could also be a guard on the offensive line. Again, versatility makes a player harder to cut in camp. As long as he can demonstrate the talent to play either or both of those positions, he should make the team (although being a seventh rounder, he is an inexpensive gamble.)
The drafted rookies who are going to need a break:
Derek Kinder, Al Afalava
Since Kinder will be fighting with eight other receivers on the roster (Hester, Bennett, Iglesias, Knox, Davis, Rideau, Broussard, and Aromashodu) for probably five roster positions, his chances would look bleak.
Add in the fact that he is trying to shake off an injury and will have pressure from both undrafted free agents and practice squad players, odds of him dressing in a Bears uni appears to be astronomical. His best chances are if he gets put on IR for a year.
Afalava has a better chance of making the team now than Kinder strictly based upon position need. With the release of Mike Brown, there is a huge hole at the free safety position. The battle will come down to Craig Steltz and free agent pick up Josh Bullocks. (Neither inspires confidence). Also jockeying for playing time is Glenn Earl and ::Cough Cough:: Danieal Manning (who should never see the field as a safety ever again… EVER).
The other option that has been bouncing around on blogs and in the media is the shifting of either Nathan Vasher or Zachary Bowman to the safety spot. While it might take some time for either to learn the position, they both have shown great instincts and are known as ballhawks.
Afalava will have to show the same instincts AND an improved ability to wrap up a ball carrier if he is to make this team, much less see any playing time.
All of the undrafted free agents will probably not make it, but the most likely one to stick would be:
Will Ta’ufo’ou, a fullback from Cal.
Ta’ufo’ou is solid and strong. According to fellow BleacherReport writer Jake Perper, he received interest from a number of different teams but chose the Bears due to the fact he could compete for the starting position right away.
And frankly, I think a change is needed. Jason McKie has been a decent option at fullback for a number of years, but never exceptional. Expect Ta’ufo’ou to make a strong push for not only a roster spot, bu a starting role.
(Read Jake’s complete breakdown here.)
The Dark-horse to make the team:
Eric Peterman, Wide Receiver out of Northwestern.
Peterman is a sure-handed, speedy player. He will come in and make a positive impact in terms of receiver competition and on special teams. While there is a log jam of unproven talent at receiver, do not be surprised if Peterman comes out alive not only due to his skill but also to his great character.
In a league that has been known for too much negative publicity, Peterman is a quality, stand-out individual both on and off the field.
The veterans that need to be looking over their shoulder:
DT Dusty Dvoracek, CB Nathan Vasher, OT Cody Balrog, OG Dan Buenning, DT Matt Toeaina, CB Marcus Hamilton, FB Jason McKie and previously mentioned WR Aromashodu and John Broussard.
With two receivers taken in the first five rounds and the odds that Angelo attempts to sign a veteran being fairly high, look for a couple of them to be cut and another few to be relegated to practice squad and/or IR.
Also with two more defensive lineman taken expect the pressure to be on oft injured tackle Dusty Dvoracek and career back up Matt “Big Toe” Toeaina. Add in the slew of free agent offensive lineman the Bears signed and a couple unproven players could be running out of time.
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