[CBFF] The Chicago Bears Fan Forum > Blog Archive > Points of View, May 22, 2008

[Phil DeNomme]

Again, I'm idly wondering if the Bears should switch Roberto Garza to the
left to stabilize Chris Williams.

 

Garza doesn't have the lateral movement required for the LG spot.  The LG
spot is requires pulling and from what I've heard, Garza cannot do that
cause he has no ACL in his knee.  Yea, St. Clair was there last year but
that was a stop gap move cause Metcalf is flipping horrible.

 

  _____  

From: cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com
[mailto:cbff-bounces at chicagobearsfanforum.com] On Behalf Of Tom Shannon
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 8:30 AM
To: post at chicagobearsfanforum.com; bearstalkradio at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CBFF] The Chicago Bears Fan Forum > Blog Archive > Points of View,
May 22, 2008

 

http://chicagobearsfanforum.com/blog/?p=252

The Bears

Brad Biggs blogs
<http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2008/05/oftinjured_wr_bradley_sideline.html
>  that Mark Bradley had arthroscopic surgery earlier this month. He's
questionable for the start of training camp. This makes Brandon Lloyd's
acquisition all the more important. He was running with the first team.

*         Biggs also reports that Dan Bazuin is not at Halas Hall. No word
on why yet. In
<http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2008/05/wr_bradley_vows_to_be_back_for.html
>  other news:

o        John Tait is lining up at right tackle

o        Danieal Manning is back at saftey. Manning also is
<http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-080521-david-h
augh-cedric-benson-chicago-bears,1,4746083.column>  lining up at nickel back
(not good news for Ricky Manning). 

o        Terrance Metcalf is lining up with the starters at left guard

Finally, Biggs reports some
<http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2008/05/new_look_benson_feels_faster.html>
great news about Cedric Benson. Though Benson claimed he wasn't out of shape
last year he says he is 10 pound lighter this year and he looks faster.
Recall that Benson chose not to participate in strength and conditioning
coach, Rusty Jones' program last year. It appears to have helped him this
year. So its only May but it all good.

*         Unfortunately, David Haugh reports that Benson still
<http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-080521-david-h
augh-cedric-benson-chicago-bears,1,4746083.column>  doesn't understand that
he did anything wrong. He and Jerry Angelo obviously need to get together
for a discussion. Benson doesn't appear to me to be th brightest bulb in the
box and messages sent through the media are unlkely to arrive in his brain
without some striaght talk.

*         The Travis County Prosecutors Office has
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24753759%20The%20Travis%20COunty%20attorney%27s
>  chosen to with hold an audio tape of the Benson arrest from the media.
I'm surprised the media hasn't made a bigger deal of this tape. It could go
a long way toward showing Benson's guilt or innocence.

Elsewhere

*         Packers defensive tackle Justin Harrell is still
<http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=414569>  having back
trouble. He'll miss OTAs and hopes to be ready for training camp. He'll be a
big loss to them if this turns out to be chronic.

*         Tackle Bryant McKinney is
<http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=414437%20Minnesota>
probably looking at a suspension of a game or two for charges resulting from
a fight outside a Miami bar. I don't care how good the other members of your
line are, losing you left tackle hurts.

*         The Seakawks are moving Rob Simms from
<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2004427801_hawk21.html>
left to right guard. Again, I'm idly wondering if the Bears should switch
Roberto Garza to the left to stabilize Chris Williams.

*         Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News thinks the substitution of a 17th
game for the last preseason game is a bad
<http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=414407>  idea. I'm not
so sure. Any extra revenues benefits both sides and the extra TV revenue
should come in handy. I'd say getting a team in LA should be a higher
priority now as well.

*
<http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/05/21/mawae-doesnt-like-rookie-windfall
s/> Kevin Mawae and Broncos
<http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/05/21/lynch-joins-chorus-against-rookie
-windfalls/>  safety John Lynch are speaking out about the super-sized
rookie deals. Mawae is president of the player's union.

"As a guy who has been in the league for 14 now going on 15 years and being
around other veteran guys, for a young guy to get paid that kind of money
and never steps foot on an NFL football field, it's a little disheartening
to think of," Mawae said. "It makes it tough for a guy who's proven himself
to say 'I want that kind of money' when the owners, all they're going to say
is, 'Well, you weren't a first-round pick.'

"And I know there is sentiment around the league amongst the players like,
'Let's do something to control these salaries and control these signing
bonuses' and things like that, and I know that's something that the owners
are talking about and I'm sure that's going to play in to this round of
negotiations for this collective bargaining agreement."

This is not good for the players. They might, in fact, feel this way and
that's fine but the topic is still a negotiating point where you let the
negotiators do the talking.

Most people don't remember the last time labor trouble loomed in the NFL but
history is repeating itself. While the owners for the most part kept their
mouths shut and let the people negotiators speak for them both at the
negotiating table and in the press (there is a huge fine for speaking out),
the players are much harder to control and much more apt to speak their
minds. The act that in this case its the

president of the union makes this situation all the worse.

*         As I said yesterday, comments from the Bengals through a prepared
statement by Marvin Lewis shortly after the release of Odell Thurman didn't
do much to dispel rumors that the Bengals released him because he was
missing OTAs after his grand mother died. His comments
<http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/05/21/lewis-addresses-thurman-situation
/>  yesterday were consistent with that as well.

"His grandmother's been buried for quite a while," Lewis said. "Don't get
into his whole family structure. He has not played football in two years.
And we have people who will be better for our football team."

"We've been patient enough with Odell, and he's no longer here. No big
deal."

As I said, though they won't do it immediately, it will be interesting to
see if Thurman's representatives file a grievance if no one picks him up.

One Final Thought

Once again, Steve Rosenbloom supplies
<http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/2008/05/benson-assu
mes.html>  a final thought, in this case much in line with my own:

Some observers claim that Gilligan Benson's absence is no big deal, even in
light of his arrest for drunken boating and resisting, because the OTAs are
listed as voluntary. Nope. Sorry. Wrong. Nothing in the NFL is voluntary
anymore. Listen, these OTAs are as mandatory as Miranda rights.





-- 
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds
the universe together....
  - Carl Zwanzig
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