Iron Mike returns to the windy city!

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Free Agency Recap

The Chicago Bears have released the following players:

DE Israel Idonije - 1 sack in three seasons, with none in the last 2.
DT Anthony Adams - signed to fill the void by Tank Johnson's suspension, he graded out poorly against both the run and the pass.
OLB Darrell McClover - strictly a special teams player, he had no shot at contributing on defense.
RB Adrian Peterson - a general utility running back, he was already 4th on the depth chart behind Benson, Williams and Wolfe.
OG Terrance Metcalf - strictly a salary cap move.

The Bears also were involved in a few trades:

2009 5th round pick to the Jaguars for WR Troy Williamson. Williamson, a former 7th overall pick, wore out his welcome in Minnesota and was traded to the Jags just a few days ago. The Vikes got a pick in this year's draft, and the Jags get a slightly better pick in next year's draft. The Bears get a potential deep threat to replace Bernard Berrian.

2008 5th round pick to the Eagles for LT Winston Justice. Only 22 years old, Winston has a chance to develop in the rough and tumble trenches of the NFC North. Chosen in the 2nd round, Winston was plugged into the Eagles starting lineup as a rookie was abused by several teams. Winston had a 1st round pedigree, so the chance to get him for a 5th round pick is worth the risk.

2008 7th round pick and 2009 3rd round pick to the Cowboys for OL Pat McQuistan. Pat, 24, is a tall, young, powerful OL with a chance to help bolster the OL of the Bears.

2008 6th round pick and DE Alex Brown to the Oakland Raiders for OL Paul McQuistan. Pat's twin brother, the McQuistans will anchor the right side of the Bears line for (hopefully) the next decade. Alex Brown, a former starter, was due to fall back into the rotation with the emergence of DE Mark Anderson, and instead he'll add some teeth to the Raiders pash rush.

So far, the Bears have signed 4 OL who are 25 or younger, and 3 are projected to start.

In addition, the Bears signed Rosevelt Colvin, OLB, to a 2 year deal. Colvin was drafted by the Bears, and played for them from 1999-2002. Last season Colvin played for the Patriots, and it's hopeful he'll be more than a capable replacement for Lance Briggs. (It has been confirmed Briggs signed with the New Orleans Saints.)

The Bears also signed SS Sammy Knight to compete with Adam Archuleta. Knight was signed as an UDFA by Coach Ditka when he was coaching the Saints, and said he owed it to the man who gave him a chance in the NFL to come here in whatever capacity and help him get back on top.

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Lastly, the Chicago Bears made the biggest deal of the free agency period by trading their 2nd round picks in 2008 and 2009 to the San Diego Chargers for QB Philip Rivers!!!!

Here is part of the press conference where Coach Ditka announced the deal:

"Look, the simple truth of it is the San Diego Chargers didn't want Philip Rivers. They never wanted him. They wanted Manning's little brother. Philip is an outstanding quarterback. He gets his team 14 wins and how do they reward him? They fire his coach. He gets them another 11 wins... back to back playoff appearances and his new coach makes it seem like's just a polished turd. They think they can win without him? Well, I'm more than happy to take him off their hands. Hopefully one day soon I'll get a chance to show them how stupid they are."

As we head into the NFL draft, here's the quick crunch of the FA season:

2 additions/12 losses
Current roster is 41 players
Cap room is $15.7 million
Restricted FA gained/lost: 0/0 (this means WR Rashied Davis will be back with the team.)

What does this mean for QB's Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton? I'd say it means they'll both be looking for new homes this season.

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2008 NFL DRAFT FIRST ROUND RESULTS

2008 NFL Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Dolphins	Jake Long	OT
2	Rams	Vernon Gholston	OLB
3	Falcons	Matt Ryan	QB
4	Raiders	Glen Dorsey	DT
5	Chiefs	Chris Long	DE
6	Jets	Keith Rivers	OLB
7	Patriots	Leodis McKelvin	DB
8	Ravens	Sedrick Ellis	DT
9	Bengals	Jerod Mayo	OLB
10	Eagles	Derrick Harvey	DE
11	Eagles	Ryan Clady	OT
12	Broncos	Chris Williams	OT
13	Panthers	Duane Brown	OT
14	Chicago	Dominique Cromartie	DB
15	Patriots	Darren McFadden	RB
16	Cardinals	Sam Baker	OT
17	Chiefs	Jeff Otah	OT
18	Texans	Rashard Mendenhall	RB
19	Saints	Mike Jenkins	DB
20	Buccaneers	Dustin Keller	TE
21	Redskins	Brandon Albert	OG
22	Cowboys	Kentwan Balmer	DT
23	Steelers	Gosder Cherilus	OT
24	Titans	Antione Cason	DB
25	Seahawks	Felix Jones	RB
26	Jaguars	Aqib Talib	DB
27	Chargers	Joe Flacco	QB
28	Ravens	Lawrence Jackson	DE
29	49ers	Phillip Merling	DE
30	Packers	Chris Johnson	RB
31	Rams	Tracy Porter	DB
32	Dolphins	Kenny Phillips	DB

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First round reactions:

Dolphins: Jake Long: No argument here. The offensive line is the key to any team's success; and taking the best player - a guy who can be a 15 year starter - is a no brainer.

Rams: Vernon Gholston. I'm not sure how wise it is spending the 2nd overall pick on a guy you want to convert to a position he's never played before. Going from DE to LB isn't easy, especially if you've never even tried it before in college. Off the line, Gholston is a dynamic pass rusher...dropping back into coverage? Not sure he can do it.

Falcons: Matt Ryan. The loss of Michael Vick shattered the Falcons season. They tried to recover, but quarterbacks like Leftwich and Harrington couldn't do much to keep the Falcons winning. Now they're both gone, the coach is gone; and they are turning to Matt Ryan to be the face, and the future, of this franchise.

Raiders: Glen Dorsey. A strong D-line can help set a tone, and help hide weaknesses elsewhere. On paper, a front four of Burgess, Dorsey, Kelly and Richardson looks pretty solid.

Chiefs: Chris Long. It must have broke Howie's heart when his son was drafted by the Raiders hated rival. The Chiefs, however, get a hell of a player - though he's undersized if they want him to stay at DE in their base 3-4.

Jets: Keith Rivers. This was a home run for the Jets. Rivers will be a terror on the outside for the Jets attacking linebacker corps.

Patriots: Leodis McKelvin. Leodis is a great cover corner, and can return kicks when needed. Maybe getting burned by Tyree, and then the touchdown by Burress has them thinking they need even more help in the secondary.

Ravens: Sedrick Ellis. This was an interesting pick, as they don't need a tackle since the have Ngata there, however, Ellis has the ability to play end in the 3-4, and it's possible they'll make that move. If they do, it could be a tremendous addition to one of the best defenses.

Bengals: Jerod Mayo. The Bengals brought back Takeo Spikes, and his primary job will be to mentor Mayo and mold him into an elite NFL player. The tools are there.

Eagles: Derrick Harvey. Many considered this a shock seeing the Eagles trade up for a DE that excels against the pass but has never shown much against the run. The Eagles must have been watching the Giants use a heavy line rotation as the weapon to bring down the Patriots and must realize Harvey could be a key piece in their own rotation.

Eagles: Ryan Clady. People were even more shocked to see them trade back up AGAIN and take Clady. The Eagles gave up on LT Winston Justice, shipping him to the Bears, and drafted Clady to replace him. Most experts believe that Clady has a mean streak that is suited to the tackle position, something that seemed to be lacking in Justice.

Broncos: Chris Williams. Williams, along with Long and Clady, was one of the top tackles available. It's smart for the Broncos to strengthen that offensive line.

Panthers: Duane Brown. Another tackle off the board, and another solid pick. Brown should be able to add protection to the Panthers pass game, plus he's a mauler in the run game.

Bears: Dominique Cromartie. Nathan Vasher and Cedric Tillman are the starters, and have mega-contracts to show for it; but injuries plagued Vasher last year, and he missed 10 games. At the very least, they have a lightning quick playmaker at nickel. At the most, they have a guy who can step right in and start if someone goes down. The Bears know it's a passing league, and you need strong depth to keep pace.

Patriots: Darren McFadden. This might be an example of simply taking the best player available. Lawrence Maroney was the 21st overall pick of the Patriots 2 years ago, so taking another back in the first round seems crazy. The Patriots, however, are coming off a 16 win season, so they must know what they're doing. The tandem of Maroney and McFadden might be too much for opposing defenses.

Cardinals: Sam Baker. This was a bit of a reach, as most people had Baker as a 2nd round talent. The run on left tackles, however, left Baker as the only one left viewed as a probable week one started. The Cardinals need to make sure that Warner stays upright and healthy, so grabbing the last truly solid player left to protect his blindside was really the only pick they could make.

Chiefs: Jeff Otah. With their 2nd pick in the first round, the Chiefs added a guy to the other line this time. Otah looks like he'll be the starting right tackle, and he's a monster run blockers - which has to have Larry Johnson foaming at the mouth to hit the field.

Texans: Rashard Mendenhall. The Texans had some struggles with the run game last year, and they signed Ahman Green to help with that. Green, however, is 30 years old and they really raved about his 3rd down ability. Mendenhall should take the wear and tear of the tough grinder yards and form a solid one-two punch with Green.

Saints: Mike Jenkins. Jenkins is like a strong safety playing cornerback. Fast and strong, he excels and man coverage and punishing receivers. Labelled as a head case, however, a draft day slide was expected, though no one believed he'd fall out of the first round.

Buccaneers: Dustin Keller. The Buccs have been quietly assembling some solid skill position players for Coach Gruden, and by adding Keller, a fast, playmaking tight end, they now have a dangerous pass catching end in the mold of Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen.

Redskins: Brandon Albert. Clinton Portis is the focus of the Redskins offense, and solidifying the interior of the offensive line is only going to help him be even more successful. Albert also got top marks in pass protection as well.

Cowboys: Kentwan Balmer. Balmer is tall, lean tackle who knows how to work his way through a line, and get his hand up when the quarterback is looking to throw. This may go down as one of the best picks the Cowboys have made in recent years.

Steerlers: Gosder Cherilus. The Steelers are known for running the ball behind a punishing offensive line. Cherilus is a monster run blocker, through they better be prepared to eat a few penalties, as he has a mean streak a mile long.

Titans: Antoine Cason. The Titans went with a solid corner with Cason. Quicker than he is fast, Cason is a smart ball player and can trick a quarterback into throwing his way, believing the receiver is open when he's not. Cason has good hands too, and will pick off more pass than he'll drop.

Seahawks: Felix Jones. McFadden's running mate at Arkansas, Felix is built a lot like Fred Jackson, and if he has even half the career Jackson has had, the Seahawks will be winning a lot of games. Much faster than Shaun Alexander, his predecessor, though not as physical, Felix opens up a few new options for the Seahawks offense.

Jaguars: Aqib Talib. Aqib is a physical corner in the mold of Mel Blount. He plays like a linebacker, but has good cover skills. Not a burner, he still has the speed to keep up with most receivers out there. How he matches up with the elite like Terrell Owens or Randy Moss has yet to be seen.

Chargers: Joe Flacco. Flacco is a big, physical, cannon-armed quarterback from FCS Delaware. The former Blue Hen has the physical tools to separate himself from any other QB in the draft. The question will be how fast he can get up to speed coming from an FCS school. Replacing Philip Rivers won't be easy - and if they whiff on Flacco after ditching Brees, losing out on Manning, and giving up on Rivers - the Chargers faithful could be looking at several years of futility. Having the top running back and tight end in the league will definitely help, however.

Ravens: Lawrence Jackson. The Ravens don't keep their desire to have the league's top defense a secret; and spending 2 first round picks on the defensive line is a bold statement indeed. Jackson figures to be primarily used in passing situations, possibly alternating with Ellis.

49ers: Phillip Merling. The 49ers had several options here, and chose Merling, who is well regarded as a strong run defender. The hope here is that he can add some muscle to the short yardage defense.

Packers: Chris Johnson. The man who set the 40 record at the combine is headed to frozen tundra to hopefully add a home-run threat to the Packers offense. In this, the first year without Favre, the entire offense is hoping Johnson can quickly establish himself as a key piece of the puzzle.

Rams: Tracy Porter. The Rams need help everywhere, and grabbing a corner who understands zones and reads will hopefully help take the pressure off this struggling team.

Dolphins: Kenny Phillips. Phillips is unquestionably the top safety in the draft and a playmaker in the mold of Ed Reed, only bigger and stronger. If he develops as expected, he could end up in the Hall of Fame. If he can't keep his head in the game, he'll be gone before you know it.

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Side note: I have to mention the Jaguars used back to back picks (same round anyway) on RB's Ray Rice and Jamaal Charles. They already have possible HOFer Fred Jackson and dynamic back Maurice Jones-Drew... why spend 2 3rd round picks on more running backs? I get it Fred won't be around much longer, but both picks on backs? I'll be curious to see what their depth chart looks like on week 1.

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The Chicago Bears 2008 Draft Results

Chicago Bears 2008 Draft
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
1-14	Dominique Cromartie	Tennessee State	DB
2-45	James Hardy	Indiana	WR
2-54	Malcolm Kelly	Oklahoma	WR
3-70	Kevin Smith	UCF	RB
4-107	Frank Okam	Texas	DT
4-115	Tony Hills	Texas	LT
5-146	Jacob Tamme	Kentucky	TE
7-208	Lex Houston	Arizona	DE
UDFA	Marcus Monk	Arkansas	WR
UDFA	Alex Harper	St. Augustine's	DE
UDFA	David Roach	TCU	FS
UDFA	Barry Booker	Virginia Tech	DT
UDFA	Dan Michaels	Florida	C

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Draft recap and reactions:

1. Dominique Cromartie. The younger brother of Chargers CB Antonio, Dominique is taller than most corners (6' 1") but blazing fast. Able to return kicks as well as cover, he's known to be a risk-taker in coverage, which could be problematic if he doesn't get up to speed quickly. Hopefully he'll be able to make our nickel corner position dangerous and unpredictable.

2. James Hardy. James is a tall (6' 6") receiver we think is going to give us an edge in the run game and in the red zone. Currently, our projected starters are Bradley and Williamson, but both are 6' 1", and our other wideouts (Hester and Davis) are bother 5' 9" speedsters. Hardy adds a physical dimension we desperately need.

3. Malcolm Kelly. Also 6' 6", Malcolm Kelly is more of a rebounder than a physical receiver, but when he's on the field with Hardy, there aren't a pair of corners who can handle both wideouts leaping ability. We traded starting LT John Tait to get this pick, leaving only Roberto Garza as the remaining starter on the O-line from a year ago, and there is a youth movement behind him already. Giving up a starting, All-Pro tackle for a receiver is a huge risk, but we think Kelly could be a key piece of the puzzle and able to give us an edge no other team will be able to replicate.

4. Kevin Smith. Our GM tried for 3 picks to get us to take a running back, apparently he's not as convinced Benson is ready to step up. Wiliams is 30, and Wolfe was amazingly productive in college, but pretty small by NFL standards, and looks to be a receiver/returner. Kevin is a nasty runner who is going to push everyone to be better, or push them out of the way.

5. Frank Okam. A behemoth from Texas, Okam will command double teams, which will hopefully free up Pro Bowler Tommie Harris to be even more disruptive. Banged up in college, if Okam can stay healthy, he's going to make an immeasurable difference on our defensive line.

6. Tony Hills. Okam's teammate at Texas, Hills is going to have a chance to learn both tackle positions as he competes with Winston Justice to be the next man up in the rotation. This pick was made to help our line, as well as find out what we really have in Justice.

7. Jacob Tamme. Jacob is more a receiver than blocker, but hopefully he'll evolve into a strong counterpart to Olsen. We need a blocking tight end, but we'll have to look at the cast-offs for one.

8. Lex Houston. Lex spent 2 years in Arizona, after 2 years at a JUCO. Off the field problems derailed much of his college career, but he was a force when he was on the field. With Alex Brown and Israel Idonije gone; and Dan Bazuin a question mark to return from a devastating injury, Lex has a golden chance to emerge as a valuable player for the Bears.

9. Marcus Monk. A 3rd WR who is 6' 6", Monk couldn't seem to live up to his physical talents at Arkansas. Of course, with a three-headed monster at running back (McFadden, Jones and Hillis) in front of him, no receiver was really needed too much for the Razorbacks. Still, he has a basketball player's hands, and if he, Kelly and Hardy can develop, the Bears will have a unique three-headed monster of their own in the red zone.

10. Alex Harper. A productive rusher at tiny St. Augustine's, Harper started his career in his homeland of Canada, but the desire to play NFL football led him to the States, and the only college willing to give him a scholarship: St. Augustine's. If his game can translate from Canada and St. Augustine's to the NFL, being a part of the Bears d-line will be a dream come true for Harper.

11. David Roach. TCU is well known for it's tough defense, and Roach was a key part of that defense before his attitude and a knee injury kept him in a backup role. Now that he's graduated, he's put enough on tape to be worth a flier on, but not enough to know if he's ever going to develop.

12. Barry Booker. Barry was a forgotten man at Virginia Tech, and people said his game was elevated because of the talent around him. (DE Chris Ellis and DT Carlton Powell were both drafted ahead of him.) He has a strong motor, and good physical tools. Time will tell if he has what it takes to stick on a roster.

13. Dan Michaels. Dan was the starting center for the Gators National Championship team, and a 2-time All SEC player runner up. Despite his size, he plays smaller and stiffer than you would think, and hopefully the trainers at the NFL level can get him to reach the next level.


Side notes:

The GM called for us to draft Jacob Tamme. We did, and got an approval of 28%. OUCH. Our best-received pick was Frank Okam, with an 89% approval. (they wanted us to take DeMario Pressley, but I wanted a big, strong mountain there to play off Harris, and Pressley is smaller and more of a rusher, IMO.) Also, we took Hardy, which only had a 51% rating, and then next guy we took was Kelly - who got us a 73% approval. Go figure.

[bodiefrog]

Love this so far. Can't wait for the next update.

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Thanks! Should be getting the updates from the preseason up here today and get ready to get slaughtered by the Indianapolis Colts in week one!

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Quick Preseason recap.......

I sim the preseason games, FYI...

Game 1: Kansas City 5, Chicago 3
First time a game ended with a 5-3 score.

8 days before the game, FB Jason McKie destroyed his hamstring and will miss 5-9 weeks. Good think we had 36 year old Cory Schlesinger! The old iron man will fill in nicely.

Frank Okam strained his hamstring during the game and will miss 2-5 weeks.

Hunter Hillenmeyer had 3 sacks (rookie Alex Harper and Brian Urlacher each had one), and rookie FS David Roach had 2 INTs!

Both rookie punters outkicked 37 year old Josh Miller; and he was cut post-game. After Roach's performance we also cut FS Vincent Fuller. We got one of those "Coaching Retreat" game changers. Those 5 skill points will really help. (sarcasm)

Game 2: Seattle 13, Chicago 6 We doubled our scoring output! LOL!

Rookie Lex Houston had 2 sacks. Matt Flynn threw a pick, post game we cut him and signed Erik Ainge. Dragosavich out punted Larson 42.7 to 39.6.

Right before the 3rd game, Rosevelt Colvin bruised his hip and will miss 2-3 weeks.

We were finally able to trade Bernard Berrian. He went to the Titans in exchange for a 6th rounder in 09 and a 5th rounder in 10. I think he was worth more but I tried all offseason and during the draft to move him and this was the first time someone reached out for him!

Game 3: San Francisco 38, Chicago 7

We got crushed. I know it's preseason, but I thought our defense was better than that. It was only San Francisco.

Rookie rb Kevin Smith had 72 yards, 59 coming on a 3rd quarter score. So that was nice, at least.

The rookies on the Dline are still getting sacks though, this time Booker and Houston each had one.

Dragosavich again out-punted Larson, 45.5 to 42.0 It looks like he's going to win the job. Drago has also made 3 field goals in the preseason.

We also decided to cut 2007 5th round CB Corey Graham. He was a good fit for the tampa 2 zone that the Bears had before, but he doesn't have the skills for man coverage it seems. I'm going to go with (game made up) rookie Lee Parker, who at 5' 7" is tiny for a cb, and is just about the shortest person in the league. He's been handling kicks though to keep Hester and Cromartie healthy. (I like to pick one of the game-generated rookies each offseason that has some weird quirk to him to see how it goes.)

Game 4: Cleveland 24, Chicago 3

Not how we wanted to end the preseason, especially only scoring 3, 6, 7, and 3 points. Makes me look foolish promising a winning record, even though ownership expects me to finish below .500

Final cuts:

Dan Michaels, C. UDFA 2008
Marquis Cooper, ROLB
Joe Toledo, RG (gave up 5 sacks in one game, was going to be a reserve anyway.)


2 things:

Got the Wyoming/McCoy draft class

Rex Grossman has disappeared. He was signed by the Jags and was backing up Quinn Gray. I looked to see where he and Orton ended up and he was just gone.

Finally, I like to look and see how the starting QB's shake out for week one - here's the interesting ones:

The Bills are starting Daunte Culpepper over Trent Edwards (2007 2nd rd)
The Browns are starting Derek Anderson over Brady Quinn (2007 1st rd)
The Cards are starting Warner over Leinart
The Chargers are starting Quinn Gray over Gus Frerrotte and Billy Volek. They spent a first round pick on Flacco and he isn't even in the top 3 on the depth chart? Some times this game just makes me shake my head.
The Dolphins are starting John Beck over Ken Dorsey and 2nd rounder Chad Henne
The Falcons are starting Trent Green (but he's injured) so Matt Ryan is starting.
The 49ers are starting Byron Leftwich over Alex Smith.
The Jets are starting Kellen Clemens over Pennington and TJ Ostrander (rookie)
The Packers are starting Joey Harrington over Aaron Rodgers
The Panthers starting QB Jake Delhomme is hurt, so Matt Moore is starting
The Raiders are starting Andrew Walter over JaMarcus Russell!
The Rams are starting Bulger. Kyle Orton is the backup, along with rookie Josh Johnson
The Ravens are starting Kyle Boller and brought back Trent Dilfer to be the backup. Troy Smith is 3rd.

Other rookie QB news:

The Cowboys have Sam Keller -3rd string
The Bengals have Dennis Dixon -3rd string
The Lions have Kevin O'Connell -3rd string
The Cardinals have John David Booty -3rd string