[CBFF] Consider Bears' moves a down-and-doubt pattern (Arvia)

[Victor Waldron]

Consider Bears' moves a down-and-doubt pattern

Sunday, April 30, 2006

What is the difference between a want and a need?

Water is a need. Whiskey and water is a want.

Companionship is a need. Being Heather Locklear's next companion is a want.

Socks and underwear? Needs. An official Red Ryder carbine action two
hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and
this thing that tells time? Sorry, Ralphie, want.

The Bears entered this draft of the opinion they were addressing wants
rather than needs.

I need a break.

The Bears had a nice season in 2005. Based on their playoff showing,
it seems obvious they need to improve.

But, based on their approach to this draft, I'd say, from an
organizational standpoint, they merely want to improve. What they need
is to show the world how smart they are.

In the days leading up to the draft, Jerry Angelo made a bold claim,
saying, " ... we're going to be potentially getting six starters."

Angelo has precedent on his side. His 2003 draft netted Rex Grossman,
Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs, Ian Scott, Bobby Wade, Justin Gage and
Michael Haynes — a class that proves there is a difference between
"starters" and "guys who have started games."

In the above example, I'd say the first three qualify as the former,
and the others the latter. Angelo wasn't making that distinction,
though he might make us wait in either case.

"These players we've evaluated for our football team will be starters
in Year 2 or 3," he said. "I really like this draft for us. I like the
second day of this draft for us. I'm talking about our football team,
what we look for within the framework of our schemes."

And with that, they went out and drafted someone named Danielle, at
least that's the way it's pronounced, presumably so they could say,
"Of course we knew Danieal wasn't a chick."

Yep, Danieal Manning. Not Danny Manning, basketball player. Or even
Daniel Manning, the Secretary of the Treasury under President Grover
Cleveland in 1885, who gained fame for advocating the backing of U.S.
currency with a combination of gold and silver.

This means the Bears now have two Mannings, neither of whom is a
quarterback. Both, however, are question marks, free-agent acquisition
Ricky Manning Jr. from a character standpoint after two arrests, and
Danieal in the realm of "Who is this guy?"

Even he wasn't expecting to see his name come up so soon.

"I was very surprised," Manning said. "Like I said, I saw the rounds,
I saw the number pick I was, and it still hasn't settled in. I'm just
glad I'm drafted and able to play the game I love so much."

Manning is surprised?

After the Bears got done trading out of the 26th pick to select
players at Nos. 42 and 57 that at best can be called raw projects
competing for a return job and at worst a pair of reaches, he's not
the only one.

>From the looks of things, the Bears must have been the best team in
the league to essentially gamble on a player who will be making an
even bigger step up in competition than most rookies and another —
Devin Hester of Miami (at No. 57) — whose college coaches couldn't
find him a position.

The Bears, apparently, have a different memory than I do about much of
last season. I can remember whole games where it didn't seem like
anyone was open when Bears quarterbacks were looking to pass.

When that 26th pick rolled around, two of, by most accounts, the top
three wide receivers in the draft were available. All but one of the
tight ends in what was purported to be a deep draft at that position
remained.

After drafting two orders of Returner Tartare, the Bears took Dusty
Dvoracek with the 73rd overall pick. Also not a tight end or a wide
receiver, but on the plus side, he was described by one draft site as
a "marginal starter with limited upside" who missed most of 2004
thanks to off-field issues.

Super.

At the moment, it seems the best the Bears can say for this draft is
they gave Dick Jauron another platform to stumble. The new Bills coach
did that when the Bills gave the Bears their second- and third-round
picks so they could draft a defensive tackle rated as anywhere from a
second- to a fourth-rounder.

Of course, Angelo saw things differently.

"I kind of equate it to baseball," Angelo said. "We felt that the 26th
pick was going to be a double, and we felt this 42nd pick was going to
be a double. We just got another double with him, and that made that
very attractive to us. These doubles, we feel real good, could be
better than that."

To further the analogy, trying to stretch a double can be exciting.

It can also end with you lying in the dirt, a rally killed before its time.