2010 O-Line Help in Draft? Unlikely
by dmnw2013 on Nov 6, 2009 12:45 AM CST
36 comments
If nothing else, JA and the gang have demonstrated a reliance upon the draft to build the team and are not always the first to scour the free agent market to find talent. Given recent history this almost goes without saying for our organization these days, and sticking with the current front office likely means a continuation of the building-through-the-draft mentality.
Which brings me to a small problem we are all reminded of come april. Trading for Cutler killed this year's high draft picks, and with the aquisition of Gaines Adams, who may be a steal from the Bucs perspective, we'll begin next year with round three yet again. Obviously, there are still many talented players to be found at that stage of the draft, but in terms of Offensive Lineman, we'll likely be out of luck. JA will characteristically address the position through the draft, and may land a solid player or two for the line, but offensive line talent decreases dramatically after the second round.
Since the 1999 draft, no offensive lineman taken third round or later has made the pro bowl. Two undrafted players have, Kris Dielman in 2003 and Brian Waters in 2001, but banking on hitting a home run post-draft is hopefully not the strategy for next year. As far as I'm concerned, we'll likely continue to be "content" with the players we have and do little in free agency after the season, and retain this current group of stars. Unless, of course, we hit next year's free agency as hard as the bulls think they might want to. (They're still a little unsure about moves that involve spending money)
As such, Jay Cutler can look forward to another 27 games of poor protection.
I'm in college, and when I bought my laptop I declined the accident protection plan. This has worked out fine so far, but if I knew for sure that I'd be knocking it to the ground on a weekly basis, I think its reasonable to assume that I would have paid a little extra to keep the investment safe. And not just a cheap loophole protection plan, which looked interesting but was outdated, or one that never really protected a laptop in Carolina, but a plan that would get the job done regardless of cost.
For that matter, if the accident protection plan wasn't available and I knew I'd be tossing my laptop to the sharks, I don't think I would have bought it in the first place. Can't use something thats broken.
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you can usually draft good guards in the 2-4th round
pro-bowlers, sometimes, but certainly starters. tackles, you really need to grab in rounds 1 and 2. but given that williams is probably our LT next year and maybe omiyale is our RT (yeah, i know, he was awful at guard, but that’s partly because he’s a tackle, not a guard, and has a different set of skills), i think if we draft a guard in the 3rd or 4th round (or both) with the intention of them starting, we’ll be okay. beekman is also pretty likely to take over for kreutz when he hangs them up, which should be one of these seasons.
by guy incognito on Nov 6, 2009 1:23 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
we need a road grader of a guard.
by Fridge72 on Nov 6, 2009 3:57 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i want someone nasty and mean
i really wanted to otah because he plays tackle likes it meant to be mean and physical not finesse like williams.
honestly i really want to see how shaffer does at either left guard or either tackle
garza has been the only guy thats been decent
by Bear Lovin 21 on Nov 6, 2009 8:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Though the line has been neglected,
I think we will be alright. While JA hasn’t done a lot of building of our line through the draft. He has shown decent ability of picking up O-lineman, Omiyale not included, through free agency. Curious to see what would happen this year with Chris Williams put at LT, Omiyale and Schaffer competing for playing time at RT. Omiyale seems to be decent at pass protection and the skinny on Schaffer is that he excels at run blocking, Pace is done. Offensive Line speaking, it’s not like we have anything to lose mixing it up?
Offensively, our greatest need is a road grading guard and Offensive Coordinator, IMO. We are also going to have to address D-line Tackle and FS position. We seemed to be blessed with more than a couple passable SS, we need a legitimate FS, and a true shut-down corner. Possibly if Daniel Manning is kept at FS, he seems to have the physical skills to develop. Funny that the cure to DMS could be just leaving Daniel Manning there. Kind of like a vaccine, you have to have some of the original to make it work. Wonder what would have happened if the coaches just put him in a position and left him there to start with. He could have been a little Ronde Barber-ish? Maybe?
Totally done with this small and fast experiment at D-Tackle too. I miss the days of Tank Johnson, yeah I said it, and Kieth Traylor and Ted Washington. That isn’t going that far back for me, get it done Lovie!!!
by Fridge72 on Nov 6, 2009 4:28 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
+1...
This team need to upgrade talent on both the O-and D-lines. The small and quick crap only works if all the players are freakishly athletic. Force=Mass X Acceleration. Thus, less mass = less force when acceleration is is limited by short distances on the line. This is the key to the 3-4 allowing for only 1 giant guy in the middle and using undersized DEs and LBs to bring pressure (force) by being able to move around and get enough distance to increase their acceleration and thus force! Adding to the 3-4 the fact that acceleration is a vector (which means that it has 2 components value and direction) which plays to the ability of blockers to get fully squared up to counteract the force fully. It’s like hitting a nail at an angle, much of the force of the hammer is wasted if the force isn’t direct.
To summarize, get bigger guys on the lines because it is more applicable to the field on which the Bears play at least 8 games every year. Small and fast was fine for the Rams defense on the dome turf in STL, but the Bears play on actual grass where the speed (acceleration) part of the force equation is reduced by friction anyway. Didn’t the Ted Washington/Keith Traylor experiment provide enough evidence for that hypothesis? Then Urlacher was able to use his speed (acceleration) to take on o-lineman and backs with more force and win those battles more often than not!
When you find yourself in a hole, STOP DIGGING!!!
by LostInSTL on Nov 6, 2009 7:32 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Good point,
Wondered for a while why we continuously build a speed team for our frequently sodden sod field.
by Fridge72 on Nov 6, 2009 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Lets run the Wildcat!
Remember, Finch wouldn’t block to save his life… So Coach McGrath came up with the brilliant plan to trip his big ass, landing him on top of the opposing defenders. It went for a touchdown! I’d say Omiyale and Finch are similar in size… After all, it is a copycat league.
by rdent4hof on Nov 6, 2009 7:37 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Ha Awsome,
I love the ‘Wildcats’ reference.
by Fridge72 on Nov 6, 2009 12:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
O Line
Pace will be one and done in Chicago after this year. WIlliams will move over to LT. Omiyale most likely going to RT.
I don’t see them drafting many, if any, OL in the 2010 draft. Hopefully JA will land 1-2 lineman in free agency.
by boondock_saint812 on Nov 6, 2009 8:47 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
This sure does look like a familiar topic :)
But anyways, I like the laptop insurance analogy. I agree 100%… we finally got the QB, but had a huge “swing and a miss” on our OL FA acquisitions this year. You can bet that JA and company are already looking at 2010 FA linemen.
By the way, you said that since 1999, no offensive linemen drafted in the 3rd round or later has made the Pro Bowl…
Dan Koppen- 2003 Draft- 5th Round- Center- Patriots
Nick Hardwick- 2004 Draft- 3rd Round- Center- Chagers
Also, Jason Peters (OT from Arkansas) was undrafted in 2004, and made 2 Pro Bowls so far with the Iggles.
You listed Brian Waters as undrafted in 2001, but he was an UDFA in 2000.
Sorry to nitpick.
You are all gentlemen (and ladies) and good judges of cheap whiskey.
by Dane Noble on Nov 6, 2009 9:03 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
If you go back to 1998, Jeff Saturday was an undrafted FA signee
And I believe he’s been to the Pro Bowl 3 times.
Bottom line, you never know where you’re gonna find find good offensive lineman. It takes a solid personnel and scouting department – from top to bottom, as well as coaches who know how to put together a system that best utilizes the players’ skills.
"Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking." - Jim McMahon
by JimmyMack on Nov 6, 2009 1:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
ah knew I’d be off on something.
didn’t mean to copy your post if you recently said something about this, sorry
by dmnw2013 on Nov 6, 2009 6:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the info ...
Still … you have to admit 4 in 10 years is not much … but then I am not sure Pro Bowl credentials really say anything about linemen. Unlike QB, RB and WR where stats help guide the selection the trend for linemen seems to be based more on a reputation.
by Hank44 on Nov 7, 2009 6:58 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
And, to follow up
The 2010 draft class is extremely deep – granted, OL isn’t the deepest out of all, but there are some quality prospects to be had.
I'M A MAN! I'M 23!
by ChiFan13 on Nov 6, 2009 9:08 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Lance Louis
What’s going on with his arraignment? Is he going to serve any time?
Seems to me he’s just using up a roster spot. If our line is so bad I don’t understand why they are keeping him. Truthfully is he was any good he’d playing at guard by now.
by boondock_saint812 on Nov 6, 2009 10:03 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
I wonder
if they are not putting him in because they fear he will be a fix to the guard problem only to be saddled with a suspension?
Unreasonable people make life difficult...
by WisBearsFan34 on Nov 6, 2009 10:35 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
He had an injury during this past spring that may have set him back a little
and he was really not much more than a project to begin with. The Bears could have easily released Louis and re-signed him to the practice squad to make room for Gaines Adams, but keeping Louis says that they think they might still be able to develop him.
As far as the legal side goes, you may be right. Louis pleaded not guilty to the assault charge, and his next court date is in December. If he is suspended by the league (which he may very well be, since the charges weren’t filed until after he signed his contract), it will likely only be for a game (or games) in 2010.
You are all gentlemen (and ladies) and good judges of cheap whiskey.
by Dane Noble on Nov 6, 2009 11:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I knew about the injury...
which got me thinking. Didn’t he have a injury prior to the draft that he didn’t disclose to teams? I couldn’t find any information on that, but I remember reading that.
by boondock_saint812 on Nov 6, 2009 11:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
He had an injury in 2005 where he missed 4 games
and missed all of 2006 with a torn ACL. I don’t remember ever hearing though that something wasn’t disclosed.
You are all gentlemen (and ladies) and good judges of cheap whiskey.
by Dane Noble on Nov 6, 2009 11:41 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
that doesn't matter
JA always picks up damaged goods that other teams are smart enough to pass on.
by TrialsBass on Nov 6, 2009 6:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
That's funny.
I used to be the dude that always picked up damaged goods that other guys were smart enough to pass on.
by rdent4hof on Nov 7, 2009 7:25 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
a very unlikely scenario
would be to package 3rd round pick plus a young non-sucky player (like afalava or something along those lines) to move up for a low 2nd/high 3rd round pick if it means the bears could draft one of the top10 ol prospects next year. before the usc game i would have said sam young but no.
maybe turner is saving louis for the first snow game at soldier field this year and uses him as a blocking fullback.
by reefermadness3 on Nov 6, 2009 4:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
No trading Afalava!
He’s the only DB we have that is worth a darn. He’ll make the Pro Bowl next year.
As far as LL goes, he converted from TE in college, so maybe a 300 blocking FB, or he checks in as an eligible receiver on the goalline?
Maybe Turner reads WCG, and he’ll get some of our astute ideas!
You are all gentlemen (and ladies) and good judges of cheap whiskey.
by Dane Noble on Nov 6, 2009 5:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Pause yourself, grasshopper.
I'M A MAN! I'M 23!
by ChiFan13 on Nov 6, 2009 5:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
are you crazy!!!
Afalava is an emerging star!
by Zoro on Nov 6, 2009 5:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
what kind of logic is that?
Afalava was drafted in the 6th round – he was a steal. You’re going to trade a 3rd round and a 6th that has performed above anyone’s expectations for a pick that JA would likely waste.
by TrialsBass on Nov 6, 2009 6:54 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
well
i meant any promising young player really, i like al just fine and enjoy some of the hits he’s been putting on people this year. all i’m saying is that it seems apparent to me that the biggest issue with this team by far is the generally poor play of the o line and even though it would be very unlikely i would like to see some real effort made to bring in some new/better blood over the offseason.
by reefermadness3 on Nov 6, 2009 7:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I want bears to trade for duke robinson
from the panthers.
by Zoro on Nov 6, 2009 5:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
One thing to remember
is that it is possible to get -line help in FA. John Tait.
by Jhitt81 on Nov 7, 2009 12:32 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Unless The Bears Find A Way
Of addressing the Offensive line issues, they will stay murked in the reality of a Sub .500 Team for Years to come.
by Gesiakob on Nov 8, 2009 12:05 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Gee ya think?
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Nov 8, 2009 10:03 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
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