I'm all for drafting a QB, but not until there is a line that is ready.  Why waste the pick unless the guy in like a Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer coming out of college that you rarely have the opportunity to grab from a draft.  Almost every year there are Henne's & Flacco's & Brohms you can draft.  QB first rounders, second rounders, third and so on are so unpredictable.  Just because you draft one doesn't even mean the guy will be valuable to the team. 

The reasons you draft QB are this:
- Your offense has an above average receiving corp and a solid line
- There is a once every 3-5 years QB available
- You have a pick to spare
- A QB has slid so far that there is a huge value pick available

None of these were our situation. Bears scouts felt these guys were all mediocre which to me says, they aren't real confident the guys will be valuable short or long term to our team.  On the contrary the guys we picked up instead of a QB in rounds 2-4, they feel will make it and play right away and even start in this year or next.

This draft scenario may have been the only one that would improve our team as dramatically as it did for this year.  Had we taken RB in round one, like Mendenhall (whom I love), chances are that we would have missed out on OL who would start from day 1.  In round two it was either QB on the bench or RB on the field.  We could not afford another 3.4 ypr next year. These two pics were the only scenario where we draft potential starters this year for both positions.  Round 3 we drafted a receiver who will strongly increase competition at the position and has a good possibility of becoming a starter this year or next.  In this round we also strengthened depth at DT.  This guy as many of you know is first round talent that we picked up late in the 3rd.  I think the Bears believe they have learned enough from the Tank situation that they can put in an accountability system that will keep this guy out of trouble.  Everyone here knows that this is still a risk, but if the guy is that good, late third round is a place to take that risk.  The fourth round is where the Bears had the biggest decision to make at QB. Here Angelo mentioned someone he felt he could have taken there, which had to be Booty.  Instead,

Grossman and Orton both will be better QB's with a better line.  If you really broke down what happened on most of the offensive plays last year you will see that QB's were getting hit often and very quickly.  Nearly all of Grossman's bad stats last year came from the first three games of the season where he was outright pummeled by defense lineman.  On top of that he also didn't get any run support and his receivers were dropping touchdown passes.  That will hurt you.  In his return, he was hit, half as much and looked dramatically better.  The stats looked ordinary, but if you look at the plays one at a time, Grossman was decisive, accurate, and protected the ball very well.    I was very impressed with his ability to zing the ball into the flats so quickly and accurately.  The one big concern was his lack of pocket presence.  He was aweful in that category.  A good line will help and that is a trait that still can develops with time and consistency at OL. 

Orton also did some good things.  His arm looked stronger.  He moved well in the pocket.  He made some clutch throws and did an excellent job of protecting the ball.  Some of the areas that were a concern with him started with accuracy.  He still had a tendency to miss a guy by a lot from time-to-time.  He also tended to lock in on one receiver from the snap.  This is something should improve with more playing time and confidence.  He also needs to work hard on throwing the out route in the flat.  His ball took an ion to get there and will be picked off for TD's if it doesn't improve.

Yet is the key word.  This year we will make final decisions on both Rex & Kyle.  If one of them plays exceedingly well, we may not even be looking for a starter next year and will have a veteran QB.   If neither is cut out for the job, here's what else we will know.  Benson will have his last chance to prove himself with hopefully (fingers crossed) and improved line.  Should he fail, we have a good plan B in Forte.  We also have a lot of receivers competing for 2 or 3 spots.  One of those is Devin Hester who could be ready to be a full-time starter by the end of the year.  Throw in a pair of excellent TE and one of our wild card WR's (Booker, Bennet, Davis, or Lloyd) surprising us and you have a decent WR group.  This year we have the chance to become a decent OL, a decent WR group, and maybe a team that can run the ball again.  This is the type of offense that is ready draft a QB. We also could sign an average proven free agent QB (great QB's never make it to FA), or trade for a QB. 

The Bears Are Back Now! With the defensive talent we already had, we really only need an average offense to make another run. Even with a battered secondary and DT group and 28th defensive rank, we still were only one game below .500 for the year (7-9).  Depth to DT and safety were the keys to us returning to a top 10 defensive club or better.  Plus, we not only added depth, but I believe we struck gold at those positions. 

On offense I expect the offensive line to be improved some, maybe a lot, but definitely some.  This should help the QB play and the running game.  The running game will be better this year by default because they can't be worse.  WR is going to be a curious group, but there are plenty of guys with the potential that you hope someone jumps up and becomes a quality player.  Really I think we need about 20 points a week from this team and Hester on returns and our defense should help this offense do it.

Why not to draft a QB... Yet?
- Because we can compete this year.
- Rex or Kyle may break out this year (neither had a fair shake last year with time in the pocket, a respectable running game,  WR's that played hard, ran the correct routes, or even caught the ball, or a decent offensive coordinator).
- A rookie QB wouldn't have an offensive group that he would even be able to succeed with this year or next year.  Get the group ready first and let a vet go through the hard times, then give a young guy a shot with a solid group of players.