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Bears Pulsetm
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Bears Draft Recap: Go BIG or Don't Go At All! |
The Bears offseason approach can be described as fairly passive. There were no big trades. In fact, there were no trades! No big RFA bids. And no plans for any post-draft big name FA signings. Rather, the Bears approach was to secure most of their own players, putting them in the position to not reach or target specific positions in the draft.
The Bears have always been a team to steer away from "creating a hole to fill" on draft day. And once again this year, they were content just to sit and let the draft unfold.
When preparing for the draft, a simple approach was to target only players that fit the system. As one example, the Bears do not like to start any offensive linemen that does not weigh at least 320 lbs. Imagine their surprise when mammoth 394lb, Corey Koch fell slipped through the draft and landed in the Bear's lap.
1.25 RT - Corey Koch: Standing 6'8" and weighing in at 394 lbs., Corey Koch certainly has the frame of a mauler and his attributes seem to support this as well. Pre-draft ratings of 97 STR, 57 AGI, and 87 ACC at his size puts him in the IHOP category from the start. His detractors will point to his below pedestrian, 49 SPD, but the Bears place their heavy emphasis on WGT, STR, AGI and ACC. "We feel that SPD is much more important on the guard position. Speaking of which, the Bears are growing more and more fond of the prospect of keeping Koch at RT, and playing him next to 6'7", 367 lb Woolford.
When in Rome ....
2.25 C - LeRoy Sawyer: As the pick rolled around in the second round, several targets fell off the board, the Bears turned their attention to the prospect of once again adding a piece to the "expanding" size of their offensive line. While Sawyer pales in comparison to the size of Koch and Woolford, at 6'6", 321 lbs. he is about as big as centers get in this league. What's more, he has the other attributes to be a viable option this season on the line. His pre-draft AWR of 74 certainly makes the proposition more palatable.
I think we may have a pattern developing here ...
3.25 TE - Jeff Spires: Again, as the 3rd round unfolded, several tagetted players fell off as the pick approached. Again, not having a specific agenda let the Bears select the higest rated player on their board at the time. And it just so happens, that 6'6, 271 lb TE, Jeff Spires fit into the developing theme of taking BIG players for their positions. Although, his AGI is not desirable, the proper skew will have this large tight end starting this year as well. The Bears current starting tight end, Randall Bradley also has low AGI as well. If Spires cannot wrestle the starting job from Bradley, he will most certainly man the #2 TE, and with the Bears planning on many 2 tight end sets, he will see plenty of time.
What happened here?...
4.25 HB - Sedrick Johnson: At 5'9, 203 lbs, Johnson is not a slight man in terms of the everyday Joe, but as a HB in TWR, he is undersized, if not downright small. However, in the 4th round, it was impossible to not give this guys consideration. With a pre-draft 76 STR and 84 BTK, the Bears believe that Johnson can compensate for his "slight" frame. With 97 AGI and 99 ACC, he certainly has the ability to get through those quick developing cracks, where his size may work to his advantage. With Dunn entrenched as the starter, Johnson will be relegated to the #2 role. A role that last year was filled by vet Mike Rice (still on the team) who at 5'9, 194 lbs is even more slight than Johnson, but still managed 4.89 yards per tote and 4 tds in that role last season. |
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Forum Discussion
(by B_Brown on 02/18/2009)
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Replies - 2 :: Views - 34 |
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Bears Draft Recap |
1.14 HB - Marc Dunn - In 2012, the Bears selected HB Joe Nixon in the 4th round, and while Nixon's attributes are inferior to Dunn's, Nixon posted impressive rookie numbers to the tune of the NFC OROTY. For the first 7 years of TWR, bulldozer TJ Duckett, terrorized defenses. In his prime, TJ measured 6'0 @ 254 lbs with 86 SPD, 78 STR, 80 AGI, 89 ACC, 99 CAR, 58 CTH, 92 BTK. Dunn's unoffcial attributes are: 89 SPD, 76 STR, 83 AGI, 97 ACC, 99 CAR, 65 CTH, 90 BTK. At 6'0, 240 he looks to compare very favorably with Duckett's. We are thinking that this is a good thing ... a VERY good thing.
2.14 MLB - Dexter Holmes - Much discussion in the War Room when this pick rolled around. There were plenty of worthy players available including CB, WR, OL, all of which were considered, but management felt strongly that the player from the 2nd selection needed to start this year. As the team is committed to the 3-4, the selection of Holmes will push Derek Bailey, a 3rd Rnd selection in 2012 to the bench. At 6'0, 238 he mirrors the size of last year's #1, MLB Juan Buchanan who will no doubt be in the running for the NFC DROTY. While these guys are not of the prototypical size to play in the 3-4, their SPD should allow them to fly around to the ball. Another attribute that is emphasized throughout the Bear's defense is CTH. At 69 and 73, both are vary capable of racking up picks. This defense will be premised around linebackers making plays and Holmes is very capable of that. Besides ... with a name like Dexter Holmes ... he just has to be goode!
... 3rd and 4th round in a bit ... |
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Forum Discussion
(by B_Brown on 07/14/2008)
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Replies - 1 :: Views - 20 |
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At A Glance
| NFC North |
| RNK |
TEAM |
W-L-T |
PCT |
DIV |
| #9 |
 Bears |
3-1-0 |
0.750 |
1-0 |
| #12 |
 Lions |
3-1-0 |
0.750 |
0-0 |
| #25 |
 Packers |
1-3-0 |
0.250 |
0-0 |
| #30 |
 Vikings |
1-3-0 |
0.250 |
0-1 |
| BEARS SCHEDULE |
| WK |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
TIME/RESULT |
| 1 |
Sun |
at Vikings #30 |
|
| 2 |
Sun |
at  Dolphins #3 |
|
| 4 |
Sun |
vs  Buccaneers #23 |
|
| 5 |
Sun |
vs  49ers #17 |
|
| 6 |
Sun |
vs Packers #25 |
1:00pm |
| 7 |
Sun |
vs  Rams #28 |
1:00pm |
| 8 |
Sun |
vs  Patriots #10 |
8:30pm |
| 9 |
Sun |
at Lions #12 |
1:00pm |
| 10 |
Sun |
at  Seahawks #24 |
4:15pm |
| 11 |
Sun |
vs  Bills #13 |
4:00pm |
| 12 |
Mon |
at  Redskins #22 |
9:00pm |
| 13 |
Sun |
at Packers #25 |
4:00pm |
| 14 |
Sun |
vs Lions #12 |
4:00pm |
| 15 |
Sun |
at  Jets #4 |
1:00pm |
| 16 |
Sat |
vs Vikings #30 |
1:00pm |
| 17 |
Sun |
at  Cardinals #7 |
8:30pm |
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#9 Chicago Bears