Peter King Explains Bears and Ravens Non-Trade

Peter King led off his article today discussing the Bears and Ravens trade that didn't happen.

Chicago, picking 29th, and Baltimore, at 26, finalized a trade that would have had them switch slots, with the Ravens getting the Bears' fourth-round pick in return. Chicago would take Wisconsin tackle Gabe Carimi, and the Ravens, if Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith was still on the board, would take Smith at 29. With two minutes left in the Ravens' period, the deal was done.

Under NFL rules, each team has to report the trade to NFL draft headquarters at Radio City Music Hall. The Ravens called it in. They assumed Chicago called it in, but due to a miscommunication in the Bears' draft room, no one from Chicago ever called the league. As the clock ticked down to zero, and with Chicago on the phone with Carimi to tell him he was going to be their pick, Baltimore noticed no one at the league had announced the trade and Chicago's pick of Carimi. Meanwhile, Kansas City, with the 27th pick, rushed its card to the desk at Radio City, taking Pittsburgh wideout Jonathan Baldwin.

Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, on an open line to New York, demanded to know why the trade hadn't gone through. Chicago never called to confirm it, Newsome was told. Baltimore was infuriated. The league didn't allow the trade. The Ravens picked Smith at 27 (not 26; Kansas City was awarded the 26th pick and took Baldwin, because the Chiefs got the pick in before the Ravens did), and the Bears got lucky, getting Carimi at 29.

"Whatever you hear, Baltimore did everything the right way," Bears GM Jerry Angelo told Chicago media. "There were a lot of things happening in the draft room. We were getting a lot of calls, we just ... dropped the ball. I dropped the ball. I can't say anything more than that."

All's well that ends well, you say? Not so fast. Angelo called Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti to apologize, but Bisciotti wanted the fourth-round pick anyway, claiming it was part of the deal they'd agreed to. In fact, I'm told Bisciotti today will push to get the fourth-round pick, or to make the situation right in some way.

The league is under no obligation to do so, because the trade was never official. And maybe all's fair in love and draft-night trades, but as far as Baltimore's concerned, I don't think this one's over. I think the Ravens will ask the league to award them some compensation from Chicago before the draft resumes at 6 p.m. Eastern today. Stay tuned.

Noffke’s NFL Draft Round 1 Recap

Before I dive too much into this I first have to state I really don’t like instant analysis on the draft. Really we should wait a year or two to analysis who had a good draft. Too often I hear, “You know who had a good draft? The Patriots! They got good players, and filled some needs.” Well yeah, when a team has 6 picks in the top 90 I hope they have a good draft. So I don’t want to hear any of that crap. I am just going to go through some quick thoughts.

Cam Newton being the #1 pick: I think he could be good, but I don’t trust him. He was a 1 year wonder, and he has a very checkered past. He got in trouble while at Florida or he never would have left, then he “shopped” around for a new team to play for, but didn’t know about it. Great. I just heard Mike Lombardi from the NFL network say, “With one year guys, you don’t look forward, you look backwards. You look at what reasons made the guy a 1 year wonder.” I think that’s the case here, let’s see why he wasn’t better longer.

Also, TMQ brought up an interesting point. Look at BCS winning quarterbacks in the pros? Here’s a list of the 12 BCS winning QBs who have played in the NFL.

1. Tee Martin – Tennessee: Never did anything in the pros
2. Chris Wienke – Florida State: Never did anything in the pros
3. Josh Huepel – Oklahoma: Never did anything in the pros
4. Ken Doresy – Miami: Never did anything in the pros
5. Craig Krenzel – Ohio State: Started a few games for the Bears
6. Matt Mauk – LSU: Never did anything in the pros
7. Carson Palmer – USC: Good NFL Career with multiple pro bowls.
8. Vince Young – Texas: Started off promising, but didn’t sustain his level of play
9. Matt Lienart – USC: Never did anything in the pros
10. Chris Leak – Florida: Never did anything in the pros
11. Matt Flynn - LSU: Never did anything in the pros
12. Tim Tebow – Florida: Won two games as a rookie in limited action.

We’ll let Tebow be TBD and not count him. So 1.5 out of 11. Not a high success rate. These guys had great players around them which helped them thrive. Brees carried Purdue around for 3 years. Tennessee was good, not great when Peyton was there. Brady had great players around him at Michigan, but had to constantly fight with Drew Hensen for a starting job. These players learned how to play in tough situations which made them better. So needless to say, I’m penciling in Newton as a mediocre, but never great player.

While we are in Auburn, let’s talk about Nick Fairly to Detroit. Instantly everyone is excited to see Fairly play with Suh. I don’t think Fairly is anywhere near as good as Suh, and I am not convinced he’s going to be a good player in the NFL. He’s a one year player, and let’s take Lombardi’s advice and look back. He had to go to Jr College for 2 years before he could get into to Auburn cause he didn’t have the grades (think about that). He plays very high and tries to avoid contact, neither of which you want to see out of an interior lineman. If he plays high, the O-line will beat him up which could lead to injuries. He has to engage a player (or two) and then beat them to help the linebackers stay clean and flow to the football. He has a questionable work ethic, and we know how that turns out right after you pay that type of player a lot of money. I am predicting a very short NFL career for Mr. Fairly.

The Cardinals were smart, there was an obvious need for this team at QB in a very winnable division. However, they saw this draft had quarterback depth and didn’t value any of the top guys as high, so they took the best player in the draft in Patrick Petersen. I think Petersen is going to be a star, and playing inside can only help him utilize his speed. I see them grabbing Dalton or Mallet with their 2nd round pick.

The more amusing parts of the night came when the Falcons traded a whole bunch to get Julio Jones. Way to hold the Jersey the right way buddy. I can’t understand trading that much to get a WR. WR are a benefit, not a need. A smart d coordinator can eliminate a WR’s impact on the game easier then any other position. Unless they feel this guy is going to be a Randy Moss like talent (he’s not) or a Jerry Rice like work ethic (he won’t’) then I can’t see him making a big enough impact to warrant trading as much as they did. As ACSS draft expert Ryan Parrent pointed out, the Bears traded less for Jay Cutler, a proven NFL player. I don’t get it.

The dumbest part of the night came when the Vikings selected Chris Ponder with the 12th pick. I thought I had blacked out for 24 hours and it was the 12th pick of the 2nd round. I was just dumbfounded by this pick. I saw him play live against a very sub-par Boston College team, and I was not impressed. He doesn’t have the arm strength necessary to throw the 15-20 yards out which are necessary for playing in the NFL. He also has not proven to be durable, missing time in his final two years at FSU. While I am glad the Vikings took him, so they can waste 3-4 year figuring out he’s not that good, I don’t understand the pick.

Finally to the Bears. I think the trade they were trying to get through with Baltimore was to get Smith from Colorado, I don’t see any other reason why they’d try to move to that spot. Taking Camri at 29 is a good choice. He’s a solid offensive lineman who can play either tackle or either guard. I think they are going to try to get him to start at LT, but if he can’t beat out Williams or Omieyle then they can play him somewhere else until he gets the confidence and the ability to make that spots his a year or two down the line.

Looking at the Bears line I see positives and negatives now. The positives are we have 3 guys who can play both guards and both tackle spots (Omieyle, Williams and Camari) along with Garza who can play either guard, Webb who proved he can at least hold his own for a full 16 game season, and one last run for Kruetz (still think the Bears should get an interior lineman 4th or 5th round to be his eventual replacement). So the Bears will have depth and flexibility on the line that will give Mike Tice the ability to find the best fit for the team. The problem with all this flexibility is there are no players who own the position. Knowing from day 1 where they are going to play and building together from there. I think if Tice gets these guys in defined roles early in Camp (if there is one) it will be better for the team as a whole.

Bears Sign Free Agent Rookies: Some Good Names In There

Christmas Three has come and gone, and I feel like the Chicago Bears did okay. Major Wright may or may not be the answer at free safety, but getting an actual position-appropriate guy late in the third round is a pretty serious achievement for Jerry Angelo, who seemed to be under the impression for the last four years that strong safeties were all you needed.

Obviously I love the Corey Wootton pick, especially getting a first-round calibre talent in the fourth. The last defensive end I was excited about in the fourth? Alex Brown, who also dropped because of non-football concerns. Though in his case, it was more marijuana than a leg injury. Either way, I think Corey will do well.

Anyway, let's get to the point. After the draft, the Bears went shopping for guys who didn't get picked, and I think they may have found a few gems, especially in Bowling Green wideout Freddie Barnes and Nebraska defensive end Barry Turner.

Barnes was probably the best wide receiver in college football last year, but fell because of a lack of measurables and elite speed. However, he's a polished player and I think he has a good chance to stick. I expect Mike Martz to give every WR on the roster a shot to compete this year. Oh, and he played his high school ball at Homewood-Flossmoor!

Turner had the benefit of playing alongside blue-chipper Ndamukong Suh on the Cornhuskers defensive line, but is it possible that Suh also benefited from Turner? Watching Nebraska last year, I saw a whole lot of Turner in opposing Big Twelve backfields, alongside his superstar line mate. I'm excited to see if Suh's dominance may have masked a good talent in Barry. He had some legal trouble, but also sixteen tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

There were several other signings that were relevant to our interests here at the Armchair. Indiana LB Matt Mayberry will be coming to camp with a contract, joining fellow Big Ten alums Lawrence Wilson (LB from Ohio State) and Greg Mathews (WR from Michigan). All three were productive collegiate players and I think have a chance to make the roster.

Non-signed free agents are also coming to camp, and include even more names that get my attention. Zeke Markshausen, with his difficult-to-spell name and Wes Welker-esque game, had himself a great year at Northwestern, and will join Eric Peterman, also a Wildcat, in a Bears uniform. Juice Williams, the erstwhile Illini QB, will be scrapping for a shot in the league, but I don't think he has much of a chance.

I think it's crucial for the Bears to find some of these guys who can excel on special teams. Having lost most of our quality gunners, tacklers, and return-blockers in the past couple years, I think our return game would greatly benefit from an infusion of new talent, guys that are hard workers and can make their mark under Dave Toub.

Mayberry, Wilson, and Turner could fit that mold. So could any number of other rookies. The full list of minicamp attendees is here, at the Tribune.

Jerry Angelo's Poker Face for the Draft

So, I was thinking about this year's draft and wondering if the Bears are going to stay pat, or make a move. It seems like Jerry Angelo is keeping his cards, as usual close to his chest. Will we move up? Will we trade our 3rd round pick for more picks? Will we stay pat?

Moving Up

In order to move up we would have to trade someone. I guess the leading candidate happens to be Greg Olsen. How far could that move us up? Probably a mid-to-late second round pick. However, with Santonio Holmes only garnering a 5th it may hurt Olsen's trade value. With that said, Marshall did go for 2 2nd Round picks, which was more than I had him pegged for. I had him going for a 2nd and a 4th earlier this year. Who would Olsen go to? Perhaps the Patriots who have 3 2nd round picks. But the Patriots did just sign Alge Crumpler, so I am not too sure they are in the market for a Greg Olsen anymore. My guess is we do not move up. If we do though, I think you have to look for a quality RT in the second round. Schaffer played okay, but he certainly isn't any sort of answer at RT.

Moving Down

In order to do this the Bears would have to trade their early third round pick, and probably move it to the latter part of the third round. Maybe they'd get an extra 5th or 6th round pick. I do not really think it is worth it. There may be someone who drops from the second to the early third round that can help you immediately. Remember this years first two rounds are generally more talented than other years because of the potential of a lockout and a rookie salary cap. So, I would not want the Bears to trade out of their current position to later in the draft because of the chance of missing out on a potential first round talent in any other draft slipping to the early third.

Staying the Course

This is the Bears best option in my opinion. However, you never know, Jerry does have his poker face on. I think the Bears should remain in their position and draft either the best guard or FREE safety, unless of course someone really drops like a rock. I capitalized free safety because it seems like the Bears have done nothing but draft strong safeties the last few years: Craig Steltz, Al Alfalava, and Kevin Payne. I mean it's pretty clear that Daniel Manning sucks at free safety, which really stinks because he has all the tools to excel at the position. Elite speed, great hands, and he can make tackles. He just can't cover worth crap and is constantly out of position.We haven't had a viable option back there since Mike Brown pre-injuries. I say pre-injuries because let's face it, he was getting injured every year and we could not count on him.

(Jerry's Pokerhand)

So, to sum it up I say that the Bears stay pat and draft either the best available free safety or guard in the third round. With the obvious caveat that if someone drops like a rock for no explainable reason, we take them. Here is to hoping that happens!

Chicago Bears Shopping List

Every offseason NFL teams use free agency and the draft as ways to build their teams and begin their quest for the Lombardi trophy. There are three main categories teams fall into during this time:

“Shoppers” – These teams spend heavy dollars on a free agent spending spree that would make Johnny Weir jealous. They go for the big splash to re-ignite a dwindling fan base or live up to demanding fans expectations. Teams like Washington, Vikings, and Cowboys typically fall into this category.

“Drafters” –These teams have established an identity and are adept at scouting and drafting players that will thrive in their system. The Colts and Patriots are two of the best at this. They draft players that most teams view as late round talents but are able to develop these players into every-down contributors at the NFL level. Their free agency spending is usually minimal and used only as a way to deepen the current roster.

“The Lions” – This one is self explanatory. Two words: Mike Williams…two more words: Charles Rodgers…

Typically the Bears fall into the second category as Drafters. Jerry Angelo prides himself on his drafting ability – which for the most part has been successful, but seems to have fallen off in the past couple years. Last year the Bears made headlines by mortgaging their future and trading a slew of draft picks for Jay Cutler. While I still think this trade will be looked upon in the future as a success, it left the draft pick cupboard bare for 2010. With no draft picks until the third round this year, the Bears are going to have to take a new “Spenders” approach for this offseason to be a success in the fans’ eyes.

The 2010 offseason is going to be an interesting one to follow as the NFL prepares to enter into an uncapped season due to the owners opting out of the collective bargaining two years early. There are quite a few intriguing free agents out on the market who will incite some serious bidding wars – and I fully expect the Bears to kick the tires on at least a couple of them.

Without further ado I give you what should be the Bears 2010 offseason shopping list. If August rolls around and the players below are in Bourbonnais for Bears camp the offseason will have been a huge success.

1a) Julius Peppers – One of the most athletic defensive ends in football, Peppers will command an 8 figure salary but would be well worth it. The Bears sorely lacked a consistent pass rush last season and Peppers would provide immediate help. If the Bears aren’t able to sign Peppers look for them to make a serious push for Aaron Kampman who would be a decent pick up in his own right.

1b) Antrel Rolle – News broke today that the Cardinals will release Rolle to avoid paying the $12M total he would be owed this season. It’s not very often that a 27 years old play-making free safety finds himself on the open market like this – He should immediately be a target for the Bears. The secondary was a bit of a mess last season and signing Rolle would be a giant step in the right direction. Zachary Bowman and Peanut Tillman are a solid corner duo who paired with Rolle and Al Afalava would make a talented secondary.

2) Brian Westbrook – Last year the Bears running game was non-existent. Matt Forte followed up his sensational rookie year with a sub-par sophomore campaign. His YPC number dropped from 3.9 to 3.6 and he had two 100 yard games – both against the Lions…not the type of stats you are looking for from your starting RB. Westbrook would be a great pick-up for the Bears. Getting him 10-15 touches a game in a Martz run offense would bring a whole new dimension to the Bears.

Any of the three free agents mentioned above would be a great fit for the Bears. There will be some less significant signings due to the lack of draft picks; however I don’t think that the Bears will use free agency to sign any more starters. They are also all but out of the running for any restricted free agents without picks to trade.

As for the draft itself, unless you get paid to follow the hundreds of draft eligible prospects like Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, it is pretty much a crapshoot from rounds 3-7. I glanced through the current ESPN/Scouts, Inc player rankings and put together a quick Bears draft that I would call a success.

3rd Round, Pick 11: Zane Beadles (OG, Utah) – A tough run blocker who could provide depth for the Bears aging offensive line.

4th Round, Pick 11: Tyson Alualu (DT, Cal) – A high motor player who might not be around at this point in the draft, but if he is the Bears will consider him. DT is a definite position of need this year.

5th Round, Pick 10: Jeff Byers (C, USC) – Olin Kruetz is getting older and looked the part for much of last season. Replacing a perennial pro bowler will not be easy, but Byers has some potential.

6th Round, Pick 12: Adam Ulatoski (OT, Texas) – A massive tackle at 6’8” has room in his frame to fill out. Could use an NFL “redshirt” year to bulk up but could potentially anchor the right side of the line with Chris Williams manning the left side.

7th Round, Pick 11: Clifton Geathers (DE, South Carolina) – Like Alualu above, Geathers might not be available at this pick. He is a physically imposing DE whose raw abilities have not led to on field production. Worth a 7th round flyer if he’s out there.

UFA: Ray Fisher (CB/KR, Indiana) – The obligatory Hoosier on the list. Fisher would bring some speed to the return game if the Bears are unable to retain Danieal Manning. He also showed flashes at CB this year, the only season he played it while at IU.

The Bears have plenty of holes to fill on both sides of the ball but the offseason outlined above would go a long way in filling them. The McCaskey’s have never been one to open up the checkbook to lure in the top free agents; I’m looking for this year to be different. Bears fans: Who do you think should be at the top of the Bears shopping list? What would be a successful offseason in your eyes?

NFL Combine Starting Now!

It's another one of my favoritest times of the year, along with the NFL Draft, the NBA Draft, March Madness, and New Years Day college football.

Forty-five minutes north of Bloomington, almost every decent NFL prospect is gathering in Indianapolis to be interviewed, weighed, measured, evaluated, worked out, and ogled by the cabal of creepy old men we know as "general managers" and "scouts." Stocks will rise, stocks will fall, and Mel Kiper Jr...

...won't sleep for days.

Four IU football players are making the trip; tackle Rodger Saffold, who was impressive at the East-West Shrine game and has seen his stock rise, defensive ends Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton (Kirlew projects as a LB, Middleton projects as an underachiever), and safety Nick Polk (ask Shark what he thinks of Polk in the NFL).

I'm a little surprised not to see Matt Mayberry's name on the list, or Ray Fisher for that matter! Still, every year non-combine invitees make rosters around the league. One side note: With all that defensive talent, how were we so godawful on defense last year?

Northwestern, meanwhile, is sending three players to Indy: QB Mike Kafka, corner Sherrick McManus, and defensive end Corey Wootton, who projects as a 1st-2nd rounder.

Last year, NFL.com really stepped their game up with awesome coverage of the combine on their website and TV channel. Just great TV if you've got nothing to do at four in the afternoon. You can peruse their highly informative website here, and celebrate the fact that you're not paying ESPN Insider rates for the exact same information.