[CBFF] Bears' strategy raises eyebrows

[Tom Shannon]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/bears/cst-spt-mully01.html

Bears' strategy raises eyebrows 

May 1, 2006

BY MIKE MULLIGAN Staff Reporter 




A question keeps biting at the back of the mind when considering the Bears'
2006 draft: Can they really afford this type of arrogance?

Perhaps arrogance is too strong a word, but what else do you call it when
you go into the self-professed most important player-procurement phase of
the year and do nothing to upgrade the NFL's No.29 offense?

The Bears picked up Sunday where they left off Saturday, using their draft
picks to improve a defense that was ranked No. 1 in the league much of the
season before slipping to No. 2 after conceding the finale at Minnesota.
After drafting a safety, a cornerback and a defensive tackle on Day 1, the
Bears followed with a linebacker and a defensive end, which means they
addressed every defensive area in their top five picks.

If you factor in the fact that the Bears sacrificed two other picks to add
veterans, then the draft bounty includes nickel back Ricky Manning Jr.,
acquired for a third-round pick as a restricted free agent from Carolina,
and linebacker/special-teams ace Brendan Ayanbadejo, who came from Miami
last year for a seventh-round pick.

One-sided affair



That's seven defensive players. The Bears picked up a fullback and a guard
in the sixth round, but by then it was obvious that any improvement in next
season's offense would have to come from within. If the team is going to
field a dynamic playmaker on offense, it will have to be Mark Bradley,
Airese Currie or someone else who makes an unexpected jump.

Fans are bound to be disappointed by the team's inability or unwillingness
to draft a tight end. The position is one where the Bears clearly can use
some help, and the tight end class of 2006 was regarded as one of the best
in years. Eight were taken on the first day and two more went off the board
before the Bears picked in the fourth round. Seventeen were selected
overall, the most since 23 were taken in 2002.

General manager Jerry Angelo said the Bears have created competition all
over the field with the exception of tight end, but he cautioned a small
group of reporters still in the building near the end of Day 2 not to
overvalue the position.

''Don't get so fixed on this tight end because you're looking for holes,''
Angelo said. ''Every team has holes. Every team has an area which they need
to address and get better at. We've done as good a job as you can possibly
do at doing that. But we will address the tight end.

''Let's not get fixated with this tight end. I mean, we haven't seen a tight
end here since [Mike] Ditka, so I don't want to say we haven't been able to
play without one. Somehow, some way, we still line up and we're going to
have to find ways to win ballgames. So let's not make that the bull's-eye.''

QB is the real issue anyway



The bull's-eye on offense is the same as always: the quarterback. The Bears
remain convinced that Rex Grossman will be the answer, but they have covered
themselves with free agent Brian Griese and still have last year's
fourth-round pick, Kyle Orton, who won 10 games as a rookie. Until there is
stability at that position, the offense will continue to sputter.

Using the draft for defense and improving the strength of the team in that
manner is an idea that has been supported here in the past. The hesitation
with the group selected is that players such as safety Danieal Manning from
tiny Division II Abilene Christian and fellow second-rounder Devin Hester
are so raw. The philosophy of taking the best athlete available means those
players have great traits but will need a ton of work on technique.

Both will make their impact next season on special teams. They will upgrade
the team speed in the secondary, but neither is experienced enough at his
position to be considered a reliable option at this point.

There are some risks



Angelo went to the extraordinary length of staking his credibility as a
talent evaluator on the character of defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek in the
third round. He ran into trouble at Oklahoma, where he played next to Tommie
Harris before getting kicked out of school after an alcohol-fueled fight
that landed a friend in the hospital. Dvoracek was kicked off the team and
wound up redshirting for a year before being reinstated. The experience of
losing football helped him to take a pledge to give up alcohol.


Fourth-round pick Jamar Williams is a Lance Briggs type who played all three
linebacker spots at Arizona State. Fifth-rounder Mark Anderson, a defensive
end from Alabama, was listed as the sixth-best player at his position by a
couple of draft guides.

What do the selections mean for the roster next season? Counting NFL Europe
types and players returning from injury such as linebacker Joe Odom, safety
Cameron Worrell and linebacker Rod Wilson, the Bears had 38 defensive
players under contract for next season. Figure all five rookies to get a
great chance to make the team.

''Once you get in a position where you like a lot of your players,
eventually you have to cut some good players,'' coach Lovie Smith said. ''We
could get into that situation, but that's just saying that we're deep and we
have a lot of good players. I hope we get in that position where we feel
that way about our team, where we're having to cut good players.''

mmulligan at suntimes.com


Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.
  - Isaac Asimov