Another One Bites The Dust, Seattle Signs Julius Jones

by Adam T on Mar 7, 2008 10:07 PM CST in News

I can't begin to wrap my head around what Jerry Angelo's plans are heading into the draft. Maybe he has a masterpiece of a move up his sleeves and is just waiting for the right time to give us the big Ta Da! He is just going to open the empty box and miraculously Marion Barber III steps out.

What I do know is that between the Bears offensive line and running back combo, we are in a state of disarray. We have an aging line that doesn't seem able to open any holes except to let the defense through. And our running backs...where do you start? Cedric Benson is never going to be a great back until he can drop this sense of entitlement he has. Adrian Peterson isn't likely more than a special teams ace and third down back and Garrett Wolfe is nothing more than a trick play, change of pace back.

All that said the competition that Angelo promised us is slowly disappearing. Dallas Cowboy free agent running back Julius Jones has signed a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. The deal is for a reported 4 years at 12 million. Jones hasn't been able to duplicate his rookie success, but does have ability and with the right line and offense may still be a player, just not for the Bears.

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i dunno

on the one hand, 4 years and $12m isn't much, so i certainly think we could have easily afforded jones. on the other hand, he hasn't looked that good in general, minus the one really good year he had. throw in the fact that he had a good o-line and a dynamic offense in big d, and i start to think how he'd do much here if he couldn't succeed there. also, look, i wouldn't have drafted benson at #4 - not because of his talent, but because we already had a good RB, and drafting RBs and WRs in the top 5 is always risky, considering how many good ones go later. but, until this past season, i saw no real reason to think he was trash. and last season, defensive players were able to tackle him consistently behind the line of scrimmage. no RB, except maybe barry sanders, can succeed in those situations. i'm not saying benson will be great, but he played very well the previous year when he had a decent line to run behind. i don't think we need an expensive fix to our RB problem. i think benson is the RB that will work - or, whoever gets drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round. but, this all depends on us fixing the line. nobody's succeeding w/ the line we had last year. hell, we can't even honestly evaluate our two main positions, RB and QB, as well as we'd like to because they were under duress pretty much non-stop last year. i'm fine w/ us not signing a FA RB. take care of the line first. sign a good FA guard and draft a tackle in the first round. RB is the last thing on my mind in terms of offense. we need a better line, and one more WR - hopefully, johnson, so long as he doesn't demand a preposterous contract.

by guy incognito on Mar 7, 2008 11:24 PM CST reply actions

Amen, brother

If JJ couldn't do well behind that OL, he'd suck awful behind St. Clair, Metcalf & Co.

If Angelo takes anyone but a lineman with #14, he should be run out of town on a rail.

Cowher in 2009!

by garsky on Mar 8, 2008 11:08 AM CST up reply actions

kind of seems like wcg

is all about signing a "big name player" just for the sake of signing one. i am actually pretty happy with the moves we have made thus far, keeping ourselves in good cap shape to be able to extend tommie harris is important for me and there are still a few young lineman on the market in olivea from san diego and scott from indy. signing a free agent running back wasn't huge for me, i want mendenhall but i wouldn't mind improving the line and running benson and peterson again this season, i think behind a good line they will be top 15 in the league, but i've always been the guy who believes that a good line makes the running back look better and not a good running back makes a line look better.

by lopey986 on Mar 8, 2008 12:54 AM CST reply actions

I don't specifically need

a big name player, but we have all these big holes and the only guy we went after is Lloyd, a virtual nobody. There are plenty of oline out there, why aren't we talking to them?

Why will we not bring Johnson in to talk, but we will sign Lloyd?

The draft is not going to fix all of our problems.

by Adam T on Mar 8, 2008 7:44 AM CST up reply actions

"Why aren't we talking to them"

Just because we don't announce we're talking to them doesn't mean we aren't talking to them.

Did you see anything about us talking to Booker or Lloyd before they signed?

Patience is a virtue.

by mikebdot on Mar 8, 2008 12:05 PM CST up reply actions

Well

we did about Booker.

Still why Booker and Lloyd?

If you are to hide us talking to people, fine go for it. Just make sure they are guys that upgrades.

by Adam T on Mar 8, 2008 12:39 PM CST up reply actions

yeah i do

find booker and upgrade over moose. obviously lloyd is a step down from berrian, but i wouldn't neccessarily say by much. and who knows what kind of contract bryant johnson is looking for anyway? the bears have always seemed to be pretty good at being tight lipped and i'm sure that is just continuing this year.

by lopey986 on Mar 8, 2008 1:57 PM CST up reply actions

I agree, sort of.

On one hand, I absolutely abhor what they've done with the receiving corps. While it has the potential to be league average, I also think it has the potential to be shite. I think a quatro of Berrian, Bradley, Olsen and Hester could be the best group in the NFL under-27*, but getting rid of the only guy with any "proven" production is scary. It's pretty much a giant fucking gamble.

OTOH, I believe Angelo has to have a plan, and I can't imagine completely whiffing on that plan. He's been way better than most the past few years so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Part of me wants to believe that he's going into semi-rebuilding w/o actually saying that and w/o tanking.

Save cap room to extend (Harris) or re-sign (Briggs) the guys that are proven to be amongst the best in the league. I'm going to pretend they're in talks with Olivea. This is an amazing information right here:

San Diego Chargers

Since being drafted in 2004, Olivea started 31 of 32 games in 2 seasons for the Bolts. In August of 2006, The Chargers rewarded Olivea with a 6-year, $20 million extension. The deal made him the sixth highest-paid right tackle in the NFL at the time. Due to his performance and his low draft position, Olivea is now considered to be one of the biggest draft steals in recent years.[3]

On February 28, 2008, Olivea was released by the Chargers.

If they get Olivea and Otah/Clady/whomever, I'll be happy. As with you, I think an o-line as a whole is much more important than RB. Add to the fact that I believe Benson is a running back that is as good as his line**, I like the move. I expect them to sign Olivea or Scott and then draft: 1-OT, 2-QB, 3-WR/RB, 4-RB/WR.

*I have no idea about this as I'm too lazy to check through every roster.

**Benson seems like a back with above-average skills at most areas but without anything outstanding. Let guys get to him behind the line, and he'll never make them miss. Let him have a hole and he'll find it and hit it hard. He doesn't have great athleticism, but he's had enough production (#4 all-time and single-season in TX HS football history and 4-year starter at a perrinial Top 10 college program) that he knows how to play the position.

by tyger1147 on Mar 8, 2008 8:26 PM CST up reply actions

You think JJ wanted to play in Chicago?

After the way his brother left, you think he wanted to share a locker room with Benson? And F JJ. I never wanted him on the Bears and would rather see AP carry the ball.

GIMME MENDENHALL!!!!!

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 8, 2008 3:27 AM CST reply actions

I keep waiting

for Angelo to do something big here. Jake Scott is still available. He plays guard, an obvious need for the Bears. Angelo saw up close how Indy ran rough-shod over the Bears. He'd make a great fit and we'd be able to cross-off one of our many, many, many needs.

by Mike Mueller on Mar 8, 2008 10:04 AM CST reply actions

ex-Indy OLs

I think there's a perception out there that OLs who do well in Indy tend to get worse once they leave. Don't know if it's because of a specialized blocking scheme they employ, or because Manning tends to get rid of the ball a lot faster than most QBs, but I've read that in more than one place.

WalterFootball, which seems fairly authoritative, likes Shane Olivea a lot. He lost his starting job on the line last year, but Walter seems to think it was due to injury.

Cowher in 2009!

by garsky on Mar 8, 2008 11:05 AM CST up reply actions

Former Indy O-linemen

who are those guys that left indy? I am not doubting you, I am claiming ignorance to any of those players.

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 8, 2008 1:15 PM CST up reply actions

ex-Indy OLs

Without doing a little research--no time for that now--here's what Walter says about Ryan Lilja:

Ryan Lilja's more valuable to the Colts than anyone else, as Indianapolis linemen have struggled when removed from their system.

Cowher in 2009!

by garsky on Mar 9, 2008 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Jones...

This is just crazy. We are in trouble here at nearly every position on offense. I am glad we aren't like the Redskins and just throw money at every FA on the market, but we aren't going to fill all the wholes we have in the draft this year. Period.

I haven't totally given up on Benson but the last 3 years we've payed this guy 13.5 million dollars and for what? We needed to bring in someone like Jones to get some performance out of the backfield. But do we? No.

Same with the WR corps (with apologies to our two most recent signings) and the OL.

I don't understand how anyone can feel comfortable about how this off-season has been going thus far. We are around $20 million under the cap for the upcoming year. We should have the ability to bring in a player like Jones.

This is just crazy.

by sethneal on Mar 9, 2008 12:15 PM CDT reply actions

your saying this

like jones was going to make a difference. he wasn't especially not with the line we have. if we're gonna give a guy like benson that much money, we might as well let him earn it. it's not like jones has been great through out his career. i'm pretty sure he's only had a thousand yard rushing season once, and that's not a good sign considering he had an above average line and he had a great passing game to take the pressure off the running game. the worst part is that he coudn't even keep his starting job. i am sick and tired of people talking about him like he could have been the answer. he's wasn't going to be and i'm glad we didn't waste our money on him.

I am like your Dan Aykroyd and biglow would be Jane, the ignorant slut. -Chad

by thecoolest on Mar 9, 2008 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Mendenhall...

has gonna on record of saying that he hopes the Bears draft him, b/c thats where he and his family want him to play.

This being said, why not draft him at #14 if he's there, I realize we really need an O-line, but Mendenhall is the best RB in the draft, forget McFadden, I think Mendenhall is better. We can address the O-line in the 2nd or either of the 2 3rd's, I mean if anything trade away our 2 3's and get a 2 back for it, Im not sure if it evens out, if anyone knows keep me updated.

by DaNate23 on Mar 9, 2008 1:45 PM CDT reply actions

thats

what i hope we do. but i doubt it will come to fruition.

I am like your Dan Aykroyd and biglow would be Jane, the ignorant slut. -Chad

by thecoolest on Mar 9, 2008 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Can you think of a time

when the Bears got the guy you wanted them to get?

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 9, 2008 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions

true

sad, but true

I am like your Dan Aykroyd and biglow would be Jane, the ignorant slut. -Chad

by thecoolest on Mar 9, 2008 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions

brian urlacher and greg olsen

-leopoldjones

by leopoldjones on Mar 9, 2008 5:17 PM CDT up reply actions

you really wanted Urlacher pre-draft?

you knew who he was? When the Bears picked him, I had no idea who he was. Then I saw some tape on him and looked him up and was confused to what position he would play.

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 9, 2008 5:35 PM CDT up reply actions

com'on

I totally agree with Chad, no one scouted Urlacher as a fan and knew exactly what they were getting. I mean he was what a Safety, Tight End and Linebacker?, Theres no way we knew we were getting a HOF Linebacker...am I wrong?

by DaNate23 on Mar 9, 2008 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions

It was an almost known

fact that the Bears were taking Urlacher. Every mock draft you read had it down, so it wasn't a surprise.

It might not have been who you wanted, but you were almost talking yourself out of the obvious.

by Adam T on Mar 9, 2008 6:26 PM CDT up reply actions

well for my defense

I was about 15 when they drafted him and I guess I wasnt as in depth back then. But kudos for calling me out on that. But looking back on that draft year, wasnt he the best thing to come out that year anyways. I mean there were good players lk Burress, Alexander, Bulger, etc. But we got Brian and Mike Brown that year...and we got a wide receiver named Chuck Norris...how cool is that?!

by DaNate23 on Mar 9, 2008 7:13 PM CDT up reply actions

so stupid of me

I forgot about Tom Brady..

by DaNate23 on Mar 9, 2008 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions

I lived in the southwest then

-leopoldjones

by leopoldjones on Mar 9, 2008 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions

well...

touché!

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 9, 2008 8:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Actually...

I wanted Greg Olsen last year and when they drafted him I was pretty pumped. Also Im sure if anyone knew who Hester was in college we'd be excited bout his pickup. But lets as Bears fans pray that Angelo drafts Mendenhall, itll make Chicago fans sleep a little easier.

by DaNate23 on Mar 9, 2008 3:25 PM CDT reply actions

OK

I'll give you Olsen. Good call there. But that guy fell into the Bear's laps.

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 9, 2008 4:00 PM CDT up reply actions

Lets face it tho

As much as I and many of you would like to have a playmaker like Mendenhall, we're most likely gonna get a OT or trade our pick for later picks, I mean in all reality its prob a good idea seeing as how much Im sure they still owe Benson and as stingy as they like to be with the money I doubt theyll be paying big money to 2 RB's w/ so many other needs, hopefully theyll just trade away Benson, like the Bulls did w/ Wallace, just to get rid of him. Who knows tho, I dont think Ive ever predicted what the Bears do in the draft except for the fact that I hoped for Olsen. Lets just wait and see....and is there anyway we can get a discussion just mainly on possible draft picks and needs?

by DaNate23 on Mar 9, 2008 4:20 PM CDT reply actions

you forget...

Benson may never play again. IIRC, he has a plate in his leg right now.

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 9, 2008 4:45 PM CDT up reply actions

i don't see

him ever being a productive back with something like that inside of him. probably not even the same, but i broke my femur and have a titanium rod in my right leg and i gotta tell ya, just running hurts pretty good even after a year of rehab. seems unlikely a guy can be productive in the nfl after something like this.

by lopey986 on Mar 9, 2008 5:35 PM CDT up reply actions

this is exactly what i'm saying

i like benson. i thought he was going to develop into a productive quality back. but now, I have doubts he'll ever be healthy enough.

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 9, 2008 5:39 PM CDT up reply actions

hafta say

I am a Texas college fan and when the Bears got Benson I said hooray finally we have the next franchise running back, he was gonna be the next Ricky Williams w/out the baggage and although its still not too late, I think calling him a bust is pretty much the only thing you could say. Alot of people bitched that werent die hard football fans when T.Jones left. So I said watch, Jones was good but this Benson is gonna be a beast, thinking I know more than these other people, but I obviously was wrong and could still be right, but I highly doubt it. Maybe all he needs is another quality back to share carries and he can be a decent #2.

by DaNate23 on Mar 9, 2008 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Come on...

I can't see how anyone thinks drafting a RB in the 1st round is a good idea. Especially for us. Let see, first round busts that I can think of just off the top of my head... Benson, Enis, Salammi, Brad Muster... the list goes on and on (was the A-train a first round pick?). But yea, we should probably blow our 1st round pick on Mendenhall... he's the next Neal Anderson or Walter Payton! Granted, there there are proven and, lets be honest, cheaper options out there in FA but now I can see it. What was I thinking?

by sethneal on Mar 9, 2008 11:39 PM CDT up reply actions

what are you talking about?

You are saying because the bears have drafted first round busts that they should no longer draft running backs?

That makes no sense. Almost every NFL team drafts with the idea that you pick the best available athlete and you don't draft for need.

And if Mendenhall is available, he maybe the best available athlete on the board and the Bears should take him.

by Chad @ Windy City Gridiron on Mar 10, 2008 1:12 AM CDT up reply actions

A-train was 2nd round

Same year we took David Terell in the first round. This is why I get a little worried when I hear we want Henne. We just don't seem to do well with Michigan prospects.

by rob in iraq on Mar 10, 2008 1:50 AM CDT up reply actions

a-train

was not a bad running back imo, i think people just expected a little bit more than what we got out of him. i mean, he twice posted 1000+ and averaged over 4 ypc plus scored over 6 tds each of his first 3 years here. i mean, he wasn't incredible but i'd trade our benson/peterson combo this past season for those numbers.

by lopey986 on Mar 11, 2008 12:55 AM CDT up reply actions