By Brad Biggs
When Jerry Angelo called hiring the next offensive coordinator the most important decision for the Bears since Lovie Smith was brought on board six years ago, he wasn't kidding.
To that end, the general manager and coach figure to keep their focuses on the ongoing coaching search as draft preparations begin to gain momentum this weekend.
Angelo is expected to head to Orlando, Fla., for the East-West Shrine Game after the funeral of Gaines Adams on Friday in Easley, S.C. He remained at Halas Hall during the week while much of the team's college scouting department was at the East-West Game conducting interviews and watching practices. The game will be played Saturday afternoon.
When Jerry Angelo called hiring the next offensive coordinator the most important decision for the Bears since Lovie Smith was brought on board six years ago, he wasn't kidding.
To that end, the general manager and coach figure to keep their focuses on the ongoing coaching search as draft preparations begin to gain momentum this weekend.
Angelo is expected to head to Orlando, Fla., for the East-West Shrine Game after the funeral of Gaines Adams on Friday in Easley, S.C. He remained at Halas Hall during the week while much of the team's college scouting department was at the East-West Game conducting interviews and watching practices. The game will be played Saturday afternoon.
Angelo and Smith both are expected to remain at Halas Hall next week
when the Senior Bowl is taking place in Mobile, Ala. They might be more
productive working in Lake Forest because the Senior Bowl is an
informal job fair for out-of-work coaches and Angelo and Smith wouldn't
be able to get far without someone asking them about one of the four
remaining openings (offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator,
quarterbacks and tight ends).
The Bears, like other teams, will begin interviewing players at the Senior Bowl on Sunday night, the first of four busy nights when they work to get to know more about the prospects.
The Bears have had success in the past scouting the Texas vs. The Nation game played at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Angelo, who does a significant amount of college scouting during the season, has attended that in the past, and it's unknown if his travel plans will take him there in advance of the Feb. 6 game.
Last year, the Bears drafted wide receiver Johnny Knox and defensive lineman Henry Melton, players who were at the game. In the past, they've done work on Caleb Hanie, Ervin Baldwin and Chester Adams. It's the third of the three all-star games in terms of prospects, but pulling Knox out of there was a big move and the Bears have high hopes for Melton.
The scouting combine takes place in Indianapolis late next month. Check back here all next week for updates from the Senior Bowl.
The Bears, like other teams, will begin interviewing players at the Senior Bowl on Sunday night, the first of four busy nights when they work to get to know more about the prospects.
The Bears have had success in the past scouting the Texas vs. The Nation game played at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Angelo, who does a significant amount of college scouting during the season, has attended that in the past, and it's unknown if his travel plans will take him there in advance of the Feb. 6 game.
Last year, the Bears drafted wide receiver Johnny Knox and defensive lineman Henry Melton, players who were at the game. In the past, they've done work on Caleb Hanie, Ervin Baldwin and Chester Adams. It's the third of the three all-star games in terms of prospects, but pulling Knox out of there was a big move and the Bears have high hopes for Melton.
The scouting combine takes place in Indianapolis late next month. Check back here all next week for updates from the Senior Bowl.
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Bill, sorry - I missed the name on that one. My bad.
Shoulda said to bears in 2017
Ironditka, here! here! exactly!
Ironmike, I agree on Cutler, it is the GM I disagree with.
Really we have some pieces but we need to add some quality players/Coaches, now how hard is that?
btw Ryans are in full force in the league, w/o the bears. durn
the bears should bring back doug flutie as the qb coach flutie has always played for hall of fame coaches he might have learned something give shot.
Hopefully someone can by the Jaguars an AFC team, and send them to Chicago. We would be happy to have them. The McCaskey family needs competition before they will do anything. They will always fill that stadium and get the TV revenue. The team is their main source of income. They treat this like a family run corner store. It is a billion dollar franchise!!!
I wonder if the Bears have the nerve to throw a 'draft party' ? Maybe Phillips/Angelo/Lovie can pull the wool over the McKaskeys' eyes....but Bears fans are not quiet as guillable. The Bears have not have had a real football guy incharge since Micheal McKaskey got his white gloves and silver spoons on the Bears. Micheal wants accountants running the team...and talking heads like Lovie that are well versed in never saying anything negative. Ditka spoke his mind and Mikey did not likey---lets fire the big bad football player.I will be honest-I have been a Bears fan for 30+ years....I won't be back until their are new owners-I feel like I am rooting for IBM or Xerox when I root for the Bears....Go Saints !!! I might as well root for the Naperville guy and Brees who is a class act unlike Cutler.
oh yeah,
Hey Brad!
I came over here as the blogs are lame over there. This is good posting article. also if you say cra$$ on that blog they dont post - what a load.
But its the same everywhere there are bears fans that think the bears never had a bad drfat and will win it all nextr year. kinda like the lottery lol
It took me over 40 years of watching the bears lose and other teams fans laughing when I tell them I am a bears fan., to finally figure out - I AM a bears fan for life but that doesnt mean I have to wear blinders all the time.
Ironmike;
This year should have been do or die for at the least the GM. Look at Jerry's draft record! Look at what the Bears did since they LOST the SB. They actually went backwards. and also ask yourself why we went to the SB? BC we had a strong defense and Jerry got a couple good free agent Olinemen. He did not draft those Olinemen. and now we STILL need Olinemen even after he supposedly fixed it last year. Imagine signing a OT to play OG? Now that is just plain good GM work there. So... you would stay the course with the same guys that put us in this hole? The NFL is about change, did anyone see the 46 D before Buddy came here? Please tell me how Jerry's Offenses worked out in Tampa! The man can NOT draft. as I said to Bill, please look at Jerrys draft history with no excuses. Rex/Hyanes worked out real good right? and Jerry traded our first so he could waste 2 firsts? uh thats not the concept of tradng Iron. I am so happy that we dont have any firsts for Jerry to throw away this year!!!!
Bill;
how could you even say that? Please dont make me post all the bears draft picks under Jerry. Please look them up yourself (all of them) as I will if I have to. And then ask yourself which of those firsts are better than Cutler?
geez Bill do some homework before posting dude.
You will see that Angelo can not draft to save...well the bears.
yeah, Angelo basing his draft off the Texas game hhhmmmm right - that leaves how many college players he doesnt look at? And EVEN try to say he looks at the other players or we would have some draft at soome point in time actually work out right. Angelo is the WORST!!! NFL drafter I have ever seen. doh bears are what everyone thinks they are. A franchise that cant draft, wont spend money on Top Free Agents and wont spend money on Top Coaches.
The Bears preparing for the draft? This article ought to be in the comic section. I guess it is not that big of a disaster not having a first and second round pick. Angelo would not know what to do with them anyway. This is pathetic. Angelo should have been fired when he gave away Thomas Jones.
All this talk about cutler not the problem, when was the last qb to play all 16 games ?????years. lets work on the other problems first o-line
any true fan knows cutler is def the best qb the bears ever had and hes young last yr o- line sucked no run gm no urlacher . . juquin iglesias didnt play and aromashodu 6'3 beast didnt play till the end of the yr the bears are comin back hard u need to see it ..
REMEMBER THIS: Real organizations draft well in the first round. I.E..please see Indianapolis and the Steelers! Jerry Angelo is the problem. It all starts (or doesn't) at the top!
"if we could get back the draft picks we threw away on Cutler, we could build a real team in a draft like this, and then go out and get a QB."
Hey bears in 2017, How would you get those picks back? Magic? Voodoo? And the whole "go out and get a QB"???? You act like that is so easy. How has that worked for the Bears over the last 60 years? Face the fact that Cutler really is the most talented QB we've seen in a Bears uniform in most of our lifetimes makes the idea of getting rid of him absolute nonsense. The idea is to carefully choose the next guy that will run the offense and develop the youth that is already on that side of the ball.
Its not even the lack of first round pick that galls me. But the trade for Gaines Adams (may he rest in peace) was ridiculous. Adams was showing all the signs of being a bust. Even if you saw him as a developmental prospect then Bears should have paid at the most a 3rd or 4th round pick for him.
Here are the opportunities Bears have missed:
1> The draft in 2010 is supposed to be the deepest in years. Players with talent good enough for first round picks in other years are expected to get pushed to second round.
2> Arizona Cardinals are rumored to be ready to move Anquan Boldin for a second or third round pick since 2010 is the last year of his contract.
If Anquan Boldin can be had for a second round pick then how was Gaines Adams worth it with that pick?
Trade Cutler for a second round pick, before his value is completely gone? You obviously don't watch the game. I bet Mike Shanahan (and 26 other teams) would jump on that. Then you could watch Cutler light up the NFC under a real coach for the next 10 years and complain.
Iron Mike, while I agree with your general assessment of Bears first round picks, besides Payton and Urlacher, they also drafted Hampton (79). Wilson (80), Van Horne (81), McMahon (82), Covert (83), Marshall (84). These guys were all key to the 85 Superbowl... to your point, their picks have pretty much done very little since Jerry has been here: Terrell (01), Colombo (02), Haynes (03), Grossman (03), Harris (04), Benson (05), Olsen (07), Williams (08). Oh and in 2006, 2009 and 2010 - NO first round picks... Dump Jerry!!!
I like turtles!!!
The Bears will trade their 3rd round pick for a 5th and two 7th rounders. Then we can draft even more crappy DBs , WRs and D-Line.
Jerry Angelo is a CLOWN!!!!
Seriously, the bears can't draft in the first two rounds anyways, so who cares. Let Jerry find more Abeline Christian players in the 3rd - 7th rounds. If it is such a deep draft, good scouting will yield good football players in these later rounds, maybe a good cornerback (so Tillman can move to safety, the smartest move of the offseason) and maybe a couple TALL receivers (see San Diego...no more tiny WR's, go get some 6'3" guys)..
BESIDE IRON MIKE AND REAVER does anyone here know football?
I can't wait to see which QB Angelo drafts in the 3rd round; seeing as he never drafts what he (WE) need with his first available pick?
Are there any Offensive coordinators or Defensive coordinators available in this years draft?
Anybody who says "trade Cutler now" is an idiot. The Bears have done nothing with their first round picks (except for Payton in '75 and Urlacher in '00) since they took Butkus and Sayers in 1965, so let's not hear ANYTHING about "lost 1st round picks." Except for the picks, Cutler had a good year. With all the inexperience at the skill positions and injuries, the Bears weren't going anywhere in 2009 anyway. PLUS now we find out Forte was hurt most of the year, which accounts for why he was slow to hit the hole. The Bears have "cleaned house" on the Offensive coaching side of the house. Let's let the dust settle on that before we disrupt things any more. 2010 will be an important year, but it still shouldn't be "do or die" for the QB or for the head coach/GM.
Black Jim"This is supposed to be the deepest draftin30years" This is exactly why we should find a "diamond in the rough" or two in the later rounds
Trade Cutler? WOW! What a bunch of Football retards!
Cutler still threw for 27 TDS and for 3666 yards passing with the worst blocking, and dumbest WR's in the league.
We all should pack these retards to Denver, with no return shipping!
Whats the use we would still miss the playoffs with all the busts at the 1st and 2nd round, and poor Kyle Orton would break his ankle again, and Bears still miss the playoffs!
Cutler is the best QB we ever had, all he needs to cut out the INTS which will happen with better blocking, and more Devin. A. at WR.
What draft?? WE HAVE NO PICKS!!!!!....JACKASSES!
You know, it is pretty simple to walk through a job fair and control how much you get harassed. You simply say to the prospective coach, "Have we contacted you yet?" When the answer is no, you follow it up with, "well, if that changes, you'll be the first to know" Then you move on and start scouting players. This is getting absurd....Not only are they afraid to upset underperforming veterans, they are afraid to upset coaching candidates that AREN'T EVEN CANDIDATES!!!
But on the plus side, perhaps the absence of Angelo from the practices will allow the scouts to make more objective assessments, and maybe reduce the likelihood of drafting stiffs who have one good week in the right environment, and Jerry falls in love with them(Adams, Baldwin, Baziun, Okwo, Knox, Melton, and a cast of others). This could be our winning formula...Keep Jerry at a distance during the advance scouting process, and let him do interviews at the Combine and on visits once they set up the preliminary draft board. Restrict him to film evals, and leave the scouting to scouts....
"Last year, the Bears drafted wide receiver Johnny Knox and defensive lineman Henry Melton, players who were at the game. In the past, they've done work on Caleb Hanie, Ervin Baldwin and Chester Adams."
Hmmm....well, 1 hit out of 5 ain't bad. Makes me all giddy with Angelo in charge of the draft, once again.