Protect the Passer - Or Give Him Another Weapon?

Wisconsin T Gabe Carimi



The Chicago Bears fell in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. The Bears were 8 points from reaching their second Super Bowl in 5 years. While that sounds good on the surface, Bears fans know there are weaknesses – some that were patched during the 2^nd half of the season. The areas most will say that need improvement are Offensive Line, Wide Receiver, Cornerback – and now with the release of Tommie Harris – Defensive Tackle.



Pitt WR Jonathan Baldwin



The Bears face an interesting dilemma at the bottom of the 1^st round. They guys most draftniks think will be available that are most interesting to the Bears seem to be Wisconsin Tackle Gabe Carimi, Florida Guard Mike Pouncey, and Pitt Wideout Jonathan Baldwin. Do they start to re-build an offensive line that allowed franchise QB Jay Cutler to be sacked 52 times (56 sacks allowed in total) – or do they give Cutler a receiving weapon?

Florida G Mike Pouncey

I say you go offensive line. The receivers will get better as Cutler has more time to throw the ball. The Bears have been waiting my entire lifetime for a franchise QB. Say what you want about Jim McMahon, but his durability prevented him from being a franchise guy. The Bears have one now – and need to do whatever it takes to protect him. Games are won in the trenches. With a defensive front and linebacking corp many teams would love to have – the Bears are OK on that side for now. Protect Cutler. Protect your future.

REALGM.com writer Jason Risdon recently produced a Mock Draft for 2011. http://football.realgm.com/src_feature/392/20110302/2011_nfl_mock_draft_version_80_(post_combine)/

WHAT SHOULD THE BEARS DO? LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW ...

Catholics vs. Convicts, and more!

Not even a loss to the despised Packers could ruin my weekend, after Notre Dame racked up their second consecutive win in a Bowl Game, beating "The U" of Miami 33-17 in the Sun Bowl.

Bowl wins haven't come easy for the Irish, so it's especially nice to have beaten USC along the way, and having watched Michigan suck the tailpipe vs. Mississippi State - losing by 38 points!

When it rains it pours. I'm very eager to see how the Jim Harbaugh situation plays out. Harbaugh going to the NFL, no coach at Michigan, new coach at Florida, chaos at Texas and suddenly South Bend is looking like a destination for high school recruits. I love it!

Now ... some random thoughts:
* I don't care what the Director of the Chicago Park District says. Get rid of that crappy grass at Soldier Field. I have better turf in my dog run.
* The Bulls are ranked 5th in ESPN's Power Rankings - I can't help but wonder how Rose, Boozer and LeBron would be doing right now.
* Ron Franklin was fired by ESPN for making condescending remarks to a female co-worker
(http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5988804) - You'd think he would have learned after being slapped on the hand for calling Holly Rowe "Sweetheart" during a Notre Dame-Purdue game in 2006.

What do you think?