Bears Draft Preview

What's that you say, the Cubs have lost Derrek Lee for 8-10 weeks? The Bulls are in the playoffs? The White Sox have a chance to win 120 games?

So what! It's NFL Draft week.

Like the old phrase goes, hope springs eternal every year. Come April in NFL Land, every team's players and fans have the opportunity to dream about adding that one player who can carry the team over the top to the Super Bowl (or if you are the Cardinals, to a .500 record). David Carr can dream about offensive linemen (not likely).....Rex Grossman can dream about receivers (possibly).....and J-E-T-S fans can dream about quarterbacks (at least according to Mike Greenberg).

So, as I promised, here is my assessment of the Bears' priorities in this week's annual cattle call.

High Priority:

Defensive Back (Safety and CB)

Medium Priority:

Tight End (starter)
Linebacker (depth)
Offensive Line (depth)
Wide Receiver (depth/starter)

Low Priority:

Defensive Line (depth)
Quarterback (depth)
Running Back (depth)

So, do I think the Bears will pick a defensive back in the first round of the draft? Maybe. If you believe the reports from Halas Hall, the Bears will select the best available player who fits their perceived needs. In my opinion, that player should be a safety. Chris Harris is an up and comer who will only improve during his second year in the league. Mike Brown is considered by some to be the heart of the defense. That's fine, but he has a problem the other parts of his body, like his knee, ankle, ribs, etc. Todd Johnson is fine hitter, but he is slow in coverage and thus a liability in a Cover 2. At least the Bears no longer have to call Mike Green's name anymore. Ricky Manning, Jr. is most likely going to be either the starting CB opposite Nathan Vasher or the starting nickel back. The bottom line, in the defense the Bears play the team needs more talent and depth at the safety position.

Who is likely to be available to the Bears at safety? The two most likely players are Jason Allen (Tennessee) and Donte Whitner (Ohio St.). Look for their names on draft day. If both of them are available when the Bears select, look for them to trade down to add the pick they forfeited by signing Manning.

What else am I looking at?

The media has created the perception that WR is a position the Bears need to address via the draft. Are the Bears' WR's great? NO! Are they serviceable? Sure, you bet. Muhsin is getting older, but I cannot see him getting any worse than last year. Mark Bradley should be completely healthy coming off his knee injury and he was starting to have some break out games last year. Bernard Berrian and Justin Gage are entering their 3rd and 4th year in the league. Most experts believe that a WR's 3rd or 4th year is a make or break year. Many WR's see huge jumps between their 2nd and 3rd year once they learn how to run routes correctly and play against bigger, more physical DBs. Plus, we apparently have the world's fastest man returning from injury in the form of Airese Currie. In other words, if we can get a WR that is an immediate starter that would be great, but we have stronger needs in other positions and we do not need another #2 receiver.

As for TE, due to the Bears style of play they have historically undervalued the TE in the passing game (with the obvious exception of Da Coach). However, to make their passing offense less predictable (slant right, WR screen left, repeat) they need another threat to spread the defense. At the end of last year you saw LB and S jumping the Bears' routes since they had seen them so frequently. A TE with speed and good hands would definitely help combat that problem. Marcedes Lewis from UCLA is an attractive option for the Bears in the 2nd round. Trivia - in what 80's movie was a character named after a Mercedes?

Linebacker and O-line are similar positions from a needs perspective. If everyone stays healthy, we should have no problems for 2006. However, both positions lack a reliable back up at key positions and none of the stalwarts is getting any younger. Plus, I am a big fan of building a team from the inside-out, so having good O-linemen in the developmental pipeline is crucial. If the Bears can resolve the Briggs contract this week it will move this position down slightly, but they could still use some quality depth.

As for the final 3 positions, I am fairly confident in the Bears' rotation at D-line, RB and QB. We have 6 quality defensive linemen who found a terrific rhythm last year in their rotation. The RB position has widely publicized depth with all 3 of the "major" contributors returning from last year. Finally, the Bears seem committed to the 3 QBs they will bring to camp in July. I can only see them selecting one if they thing he can replace Orton, which is unlikely given his success last year. Of course, there is always room on the practice squad/NFL Europe to develop a young player who is a borderline talent but possibly worth the risk.

Let me know if you agree or disagree with my assessment of the Bears' needs and strengths.

I Refuse to Rule Out Broccoli

Alright folks, time to exercise the legal/political side of the brain and offer a political tangent today rather than focus on the potentially dire news about Derrek Lee's wrist......

In my on-going disgust with the mass media I would like to offer a critique of the Washington press which has created its own news story out of some non-news. In light of Iran's declaration that it intends to enrich uranium, a member of the press asked the President if he intends to invade or bomb Iran. In response, Bush said that every option is on the table. The press picked this up and ran with it. It was a lead story on news broadcasts and was on the front page of many national papers. My question is - so what!

This is not news. Excuse me, but if Bush is going to start negotiating against himself by voluntarily and publicly removing any leverage we have then he is even dumber than I think he is. I am not one to support him, but you would have to be pretty stupid to make a public declaration of your foreign policy strategy in this context. Next thing you know the press will ask him if he has directed the White House chef to avoid serving any vegetables. I can see the headline now, "Bush Refuses to Rule out Broccoli!"

Guilty Until Proven Innocent (and then you're still guilty!)

Two Duke University men's lacrosse players, Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, have been indicted for various forms of sexual assault against a young women which allegedly occured at some form of house party. Pop quiz! Does anyone notice the name of one young man who is notable absent from the indictment????

That's right, Ryan McFayden. He is the lacrosse team member who has a terrible sense of humor (at best) whom sent an e-mail describing how he intended to kill some strippers or prostitutes. Well, when the subject e-mail came to light the whole world was ready to convict him without any further inquiry. Duke University went into full spin mode and immediately suspended Mr. McFayden for an indefinite period of time. The administration did everything possible to distance the University from Ryan and basically smeared his name to anyone who would bother to ask.

Now, I do not know enough about the facts of the case to make an informed decision. However, I do know that the press clippings are by definition incomplete and motivated as much by the goal to increase circulation as the search for the truth. I also know that in order to gain an indictment the grand jury gets to hear only one side of the case - the prosecution. The defense has no opportunity to provide reasonable doubt. Heck, the standard for obtaining an indictment is not even as high as that required to gain a conviction. In any event, it is a completely one-sided affair.

What's my point? Let's not be in a rush to judgment. I would be the last person to defend someone who actually did commit the crimes which have been alleged. But one young man's life has already been irreversibly stained by the stigma arising from these allegations - perhaps erroneously. Is there any means to cure that kind of injury? Is there any way to remove the lingering suspicion that will follow Mr. McFayden even if he ends up being exonerated? I hardly believe that Duke University will issue a public retraction and fully reinstate Mr. McFayden if there never exists any other evidence even remotely tying him to the alleged crime. No, instead Duke will continue to spin as long as it is necessary to try and remove the stain that this episode has placed on the University's reputation and public standing. Likewise, the press will continue to publish rumor and speculation as a substitute for facts just so that it can compete in the 24/7 news cycle.

Do you have any comments? I welcome a healthy debate on this topic.

Of the Bulls and the Playoffs

Alright, I did not think this was in the best interest of the team, but I am willing to drop that debate since we cannot undo what has been done - the Bulls have clinched a playoff birth. Quite impressively, actually. They beat the Heat, the #2 seed in the East, by 24 points. So what if Shaq only played 20 minutes (partly as a result of fouls), this game has to give the Bulls confidence that they can make a series against the Heat if they end up as the #7 seed. Heck, the Bulls match up well with both the Heat and the Nets (#3) based on recent results. In fact, the two teams who have given the Bulls the most trouble are the Pistons (#1) and Cavs (#4). As it stands now, the Bulls are in a 3 way tie for the 6th seed (Indy & Milw) and are one game removed from the 5 seed (Wash). I am not sure who holds the tie breakers, but the Bulls have a pretty good chance, based on their remaining schedule, to remain as high as #6. Just pray they do not end up the 8th seed, since that would almost certainly doom this team to a short playoff ride and very little to learn from for next year.

Looking towards next year (the Bulls aren't going to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy anyway), I will give me 2 cents towards the biggest debate surrounding the Bulls: to trade Ben Gordon or not. For me, I am against it. Yes, he is undersized. Yes, he is seemingly unable to put 3 20-point games in a row. However, if the Bulls do what everyone expects and get a strong post presence either through free agency or the draft, Gordons size will be less an issue. A team with a strong post defender and which plays good team defense can sacrifice size on the perimeter. Gordon is improving his footwork on defense and shows the potential to at least be competitive on this end of the floor. A strong post offensive threat will also take some of the pressure off the Bulls backcourt and create more open shots. Right now, every team plays tight perimeter defense against the Bulls since they know the Bulls have no one to provide a consistent inside threat. If Gordon continues to display the work ethic he has demonstrated and is the beneficiary of an A-list post player, I think he can be very valuable to this team.

Draft Clock: 13 days!!! I will post my preferences for the Bears' selections in a forthcoming article later this week.

And now, for Random Thoughts fans, this weeks gratuitous photo of Jessica Alba:

You're welcome!

Subscribe to The Bearister Report!

Good news Bearister Fans!

You can now subscribe to The Bearister Report absolutely free - all you have to do is click on the link in the right column and select the newsreader you use. Then, everytime I update the blog you will automatically be notified. Lucky you!