2012 WCG Awards: Chicago Bears Rookie of the Year
by Steven Schweickert on Feb 1, 2012 9:00 PM CST
in 2012 WCG Awards
Email
PrintThis year, we decided to get the Windy City Gridiron Writers' Association together for another series of posts, this time handing out awards to the team's most deserving players. If you couldn't tell by the title, we'll be starting by awarding the Bears' Rookie of the Year. Follow us past the jump and we'll get to each writer's pick for the award...
Lester's Pick: Chris Conte - It was almost comical reading the comment threads after he was drafted, just because no one heard of the kid, the pick was bashed. Many scouts had him rated pretty high, and none of the "experts" thought it was a reach. Honorable Mention, Stephen Paea.
TJ's Pick: Chris Conte - Ended season on IR, but was the most consistent player at a weak position for the Bears.
Dane's Pick: Chris Conte - Chris Conte, duh. He even made some all-Rookie team that someone published somewhere.
Sam's Pick: Chris Conte
Pete's Pick: Chris Conte - Third round, played 14 games, started 9; 47 tackles, 1 pick. 2011 All-Rookie Team as chosen by Pro Football Weekly and Pro Football Writers Association of America. 1st Rounder RT Carimi showed promise but injured early, placed on IR. 2nd Rounder DT Paea found his way into DT rotation, TBD. 5th Rounder QB Enderle developmental at best, never saw the field. 6th rounder LB Thomas red-shirted. So Conte was a mild surprise but gets this honor by default
Kev's Pick: Chris Conte - Conte, rookie by default.
Steven's Pick: I guess this makes it unanimous. Chris Conte.
So, with all that said, the Bears' Rookie of the Year is safety Chris Conte. What do you think of the pick?
45 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
had Carimi played all year...
he might have won it, but Conte would have still been #2 easily (if not #1); and maybe both would have made that random PFF all rookie team.
Not bad for the 3rd round pick that everyone hated on draft day. Paea seemed to pay off some in rotation and rated really well too. If Carimi does come back healthy, the ironic part may be that Angelo got fired after his 2nd best draft for the Bears…Too little, too late :)
"just as Gary Fencik will go down as the last person to catch a Joe Namath pass, Wootton will be remembered in NFL history as the last player to sack Brett Favre." - John "Moon" Mullin
HEY NOW!
I never hated him.
I may have been the only one who had actually watched him play live and knew what he could (and still can) do
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders
It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!
~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders
At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool
Didn't hate the pick.
Didn’t like it in the third round when most had him at 5th or later.
Above all; keep 'em guessing, never let them lose their sense of confusion.
you don't see many 5th or 6th round picks play that well as rookies.
They must of took him in the 3rd because they didn’t think he would last until they picked in the 4th. Perhaps they were right perhaps not, but after seeing him play I wouldn’t say he was a wasted draft pick.
. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank
Totally agree
but hindsight is always 20/20.
Above all; keep 'em guessing, never let them lose their sense of confusion.
He gets the award by default...
But that shouldn’t take away from the fact that he had a pretty decent year, at least by rookie standards.
by Joeb'n777 on Feb 1, 2012 9:12 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Chris Conte
Granted, he was the only early round rookie from the draft that became a regular starter, given the injury to Gabe Carimi. But, he was also perhaps the best safety on the Bears’ entire roster. In a position that rivaled the OL in total number of changes made to the starting lineup, he was the one safety who earned and kept his spot. And, considering that many fans were against the selection to begin with, he deserves the award on the grounds of Proving the Most People Wrong.
Jay Cutler is our QB, and I for one am proud of that
by Erik Christopher Duerrwaechter on Feb 1, 2012 10:22 PM CST reply actions
I remember when I first found out we drafted a safety in the 3rd
It was the next morning and I didn’t have Internet so I KGB’d it. I was mad at first when I saw it was another safety but after I read their short description of him: “A more athletic version of Craig Steltz” I was both content and intrigued by the pick.
by Joeb'n777 on Feb 1, 2012 11:15 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Conte.
No Contest. I’d be even more curious to see what your 2nd year or 3rd year players of the year were. www. Wright, Webb or Wooten? And Melton over Knox and Louis? Yep, that’s pretty much all there is from the last three drafts. Moving forward, there are some good pieces there. But definitely not three whole draft’s worth.
Bearsh!tt!n It ain't obscene- I'm a Bears fan that likes hittin and exclamation points.
You have to take into consideration the fact
That we didn’t have a 1st or 2nd round pick either of those two years.
by Joeb'n777 on Feb 1, 2012 11:23 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I was taking that into consideration.
And also that the 1st and 2nd round picks this year contributed nowhere near the level that Conte did. Moving forward, there are some good pieces there. But there were still two wasted 3rd round and two wasted 5th round picks out of those two drafts. Throw in Cutler and maybe you have an argument, but I still don’t think it’s cut and dry.
Bearsh!tt!n It ain't obscene- I'm a Bears fan that likes hittin and exclamation points.
To be fair to Melton
he had eight sacks and was a Pro Bowl alternate. Yes the guy still has room to improve but if he takes another step next year he is going to be a beast.
anyone else REALLY ffffing tired of seeing the masked guy in his underwear painted all over their computer screen?
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders
It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!
~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders
At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool
by suckmyditka on Feb 1, 2012 11:15 PM CST reply actions 6 recs
I approve of this comment.
I don’t care how funny the show is or isn’t. I’m creeping out people at work even more than usual. And the girlfriend also has some particularly hilarious (in her mind) things to say about it. Then again, she also goes after the Bears Den picture, too… I guess that’s what I get for going out with a lions-sympathizing michiganderite.
Bearsh!tt!n It ain't obscene- I'm a Bears fan that likes hittin and exclamation points.
Break it off.
Took the 'G' out your waffle, all you got left is your Ego.
Editor at windycitygridiron.com | @Kev_WCG
man...
I really want to make a joke about upgrading the position. Draft vs. free agency, etc… but I’m not that dumb, am I?
Bearsh!tt!n It ain't obscene- I'm a Bears fan that likes hittin and exclamation points.
Ummm yeah its a bit creepy .....
" Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth. " ~
Mike Tyson
by MidWayMonster54 on Feb 2, 2012 1:02 AM CST up reply actions
it's really hard to WCG at work with a half naked masked guy on the screen
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders
It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!
~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders
At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool
But half naked ladies...
No problem? Amirite?
Five foot three seems to thrive on his misery...
by awfullyquiet on Feb 2, 2012 10:30 AM CST up reply actions
At work it is a problem
They should stick to advertising beer and sports drinks like usual
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders
It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!
~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders
At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool
I just noticed it while eating my lunch
Not good for the appetite.
"Brian Urlacher, coasting down the right sideline. A Sunday stroll into the endzone."
He's a dutchman...
735 + 6 hours = 1:30pm…. he’s in the same time zone i am.
So, breakfast should be like 1:30am? That’s about right.
Five foot three seems to thrive on his misery...
by awfullyquiet on Feb 2, 2012 10:36 AM CST up reply actions
I eat my lunch at around 530 am
But I work a weird shift
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders
It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!
~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders
At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool
Yes
I won’t watch shows if they blatantly advertise obnoxiously.
"I'm sore and I'm pissed off. I'm a baller. I want to feel the leather. I love thumb wars. 6-8 weeks? 6. follow me for healing, Jay Cutler does" - Jaysthumb twitter acct
Children's Hospital was pretty good.
Five foot three seems to thrive on his misery...
by awfullyquiet on Feb 2, 2012 10:36 AM CST up reply actions
Guys, Sanenbacher totally should've won this.
"You have a young group and if they start feeling too good about themselves, that’s not a good thing. So it’s my job not to let them. So probably they will hate me. But that’s OK too. My wife hates me and she’s still married to me." - Mike Tice
no
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders
It's all about THE []_[] baby!!!
~"Smile when u being attacked,laugh when they talking boutcha,wave when they hating on u and Pray when they leave u alone Somethings wrong!"~ Deion Sanders
At least FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER before you judge me fool
hopefully we have seen the last of him.
. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank
guess I should read the site more often
I hadn’t realized that I wasn’t a writer on here any more :D
My vote? Nathan Enderle. Why? Because his status as a Martz “project” player who wasn’t able to outplay a bum backup and a high-school football coach was one more nail in the Martz coffin. I can cheer for that. In terms of actually “playing” on the “field,” though, I vote Conte.
You should probably read your email more often too. ;)
-------
cheekymonkeyart.com | Follow me on: twitter | facebook | tumblr
Buy my work at zenfolio
embrace your hate ... it makes you strong
I don’t know about the part of being a High School Football coach making someone a bum, but embrace your hate.
. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank
Try again.
The bum and the back-up are two different people. And even if they weren’t, he never said anything about being a HS coach makes someone a bum.
Definitely not one of your finer moments…
I'm a ninja.
only by you lofty standards your blogholiness
. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank
I have no standards
when it comes to you correctly interpreting what someone else is saying. Usually, you do. This time, you didn’t. And it has nothing to do with me, Mr. Snarky Pants.
I'm a ninja.
Snarky Pants!
oh…. you’ll pay for that one!
. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank
Uhhhh
embrace your hate … it makes you strong
Who are you Ed, Emperor Palpatine?
by frenchbears113 on Feb 3, 2012 9:31 AM CST up reply actions
I was being sarcastic, everyone knows Palpatine is one of the Grammar Nazis.
. "Most football teams are temperamental. That's 90% temper and 10% mental."
--Doug Plank
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
Related FanPosts on Windy City Gridiron
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
