SB Nation - John Tait

The Bears 3 Biggest Ripoffs (and what should happen)--2009 Edition

Kev H — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:00:18 -0000

Inspired by this article earlier tonight (The NFL's Biggest Rip-Offs), I started to think about what the Bears biggest ripoffs were, when comparing salary to effectiveness.

To be fair, I'm not going to include players like Urlacher, or Tinoisamoa, because they're injured, and I don't think they can be truly judged as ripoffs. But there are a few players who just aren't living up to what we're paying them, and they should be called out.

Then to stimulate some discussion, what I think should happen. Let's delve in below...

The Problem Children

1. Orlando Pace--What more can really be said? After the retirement of John Tait, Jerry Angelo rolled the expensive dice on aging offensive lineman who had missed more games over the last three years than he'd played.

Orlando Pace counts for over 5.3 million in cap space this year. (He's actually slated to earn a little more, with the roster bonus and all added in) To put that into perspective, Brian Urlacher counts for about 10.1 million in cap space. Pace has the sixth-highest cap hit on the team. Put simply, he's underperforming, but that causes so many more problems. With the recent switch of C. Williams to Left Tackle, This could potentially mean that for the last 4 games of the season, the Bears could end up giving Pace over 1.3 million dollars to ride the bench.

If Chris Williams looks the real deal this weekend against a Packers defense that is vastly superior to the Rams, it will be even more egg on the front office face. While many of us (myself included) were intrigued by the idea of Pace, I think we all realize it was not a good idea. (Especially in retrospect.) The Bears tried to fix a problem quickly with some proven talent, but the scouting left something to be desired. Shocking, I know.

2. Frank Omiyale--Omiyale makes this list because his bonus money is so crazy ridiculous. in 2009 he's going to make a 620k salary and over 3.8 million dollars in bonuses. As Dane pointed out the other day, Omiyale is great as a pulling guard, but his abilities in that area are not justifying such a hefty price tag. His pass blocking is poor, and part of the reason we got him was to be a big physical run-blocker, but beekman has, at times, outflashed him greatly (and much more cheaply.)

3. Tommie Harris--No surprise here, but Tommie is on this list again, in all our minds, if not our hearts. Since he's going to make over 9 million dollars this year, I think it's fair from us to all expect a little more from him. Gone is the Harris who commands the double team. Gone is the Harris who bum rushes the QB straight up the middle. Gone is the Harris who grabs running backs at the handoff.

Now, to be fair, Tommie has looked a little better as of late. He may still have some nagging injury issues. He may have gotten his money and decided to pack it in. That being said, his is one of the most important positions in the Bears current defense. Our past success on defense came because we had pro-bowl level talent at every level of the defense, but without him playing like he used to, we have nothing, and he can't free up any of our approximately 100 other defensive lineman to get in the backfield and make game changing plays.

That's all well and good, Kev, but what do you think should happen?

Well, it's pretty safe to say--not all three of these guys can possibly stay on the roster. I think it's pretty obvious that Orlando Pace will likely be the man to leave, hopefully through retirement (the classy way), and not through the Bears cutting him. I respect Pace a lot, as he was a stellar player at his position for a long time. However, both he and his salary are a complete liability to the Bears.

Omiyale is still, relatively speaking, a young dude. He could continue to develop his skill set a bit, and eventually could develop into a really solid, if unspectacular lineman. His contract was insanely front-loaded, so the rest of his deal shouldn't hurt the Bears going forward.

Tommie is...well...Tommie. His contract is big enough to make it hard to find anyone really willing to trade him, and if someone values him that much, we probably should as well. We've seen what he can do, and hopefully he really is returning to form. I largely think that regaining the head of the Defense, our trash-talking middle linebacker, will help Tommie's game. While he isn't getting the explosive burst at the line, I think given the extra second that a good coverage set will provide can help Tommie regain some glory.

So what do you think? Check out the poll--which of these three do you think is the biggest ripoff, or if there's another you think is greater, you let us know why. Otherwise...get ready to knock a couple back. It could be a long Sunday afternoon...

Poll

Which of these is the biggest rip-off of 2009?

Predicting the Arizona Cardinals Record: Part 2

Andrew602 — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:00:09 -0000

Last week we broke down the first 4 games of the Arizona Cardinals season, and at that point, they were 3-1. While it seems like it could be a good start, a few Cardinal homers feel like starting 4-0 is very possible. Either way, the Cardinals will need a strong start to the season, as the rest of the NFC West, let alone the entire league, will be gunning for them right away. Nevertheless, the next four games are as follows:

Week 6 - At Seattle Seahawks

Key Additions: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, DT Cory Redding, DT Colin Cole, CB Ken Lucas, LB Aaron Curry

Key Losses: LB Julian Peterson, RB Maurice Morris, DT Rocky Bernard, WR Bobby Engram

Analysis: Last year Seattle tried harder to keep players healthy rather then win, evidence being their 4-12 record. At times they were searching for back ups for their back ups, and were bringing in new players on a weekly basis. With that in mind, they went out in search for a receiver that could fill a hole that was gaping last year, and also brought in some defensive talent. This year the Jim Mora Jr regime begins, and there is sure to be an adjustment period. The Seahawks hope to get back to their winning ways, and it starts by dethroning the defending NFC West champs.

What to watch for: The Cardinals will be going into their 2nd game on the road in 2009, and Seattle is known for giving road teams problems. The "12th man" is sure to be there, and that means false starts for the Cardinals. If they can avoid these and win in a place that's always been a tough place to win for them, it's a good sign for things to come. If the Cardinals do win on the road in Seattle, which would be two years in a row, this is the true sign of the changing of the guard in the NFC West.

Key Match Up: Adrian Wilson vs Matt Hasselbeck - Hmm, I feel a repeat of last year on the road in Seattle ; )

Prediction: Win - At this point the Cardinals are beginning a stretch of tough games, and need a win against a division rival.

Week 7 - At New York Giants

Key Additions: DT Rocky Bernard, LB Michael Boley, DT Chris Canty, WR Hakeem Nicks

Key Losses: WR Plaxico Burress, RB Derrick Ward, DE Renaldo Wynn, S James Butler

Analysis: The Giants began 2008 as one of the best teams in the league and up until Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg, they were. After the loss of Burress, Eli's go-to man, he wasn't the same, and neither was the offense. This year they drafted Hakeem Nicks, hoping to replace Burress, who was released this off season. They also looked to add significant depth to the defensive line. There's no doubt that the Giants will be fired up in this home game against the defending NFC champs.

What to watch for: The most interesting factor to look out for is the battle in the trenches. New York has one of the top offensive lines in the league, and it will be very difficult for the Cards defensive line to battle it out. If they can stop the run and pressure Eli Manning, it would surely give them the W. On the flip side, the Giants have a very aggressive defensive line and have Osi Umenyiora returning. If the Cardinals offensive line can protect Warner and open up holes for the running backs, expect the Cardinals to remain in this game.

Key match up: Cardinals D-line vs Giants O-line

Prediction: Loss - Although it's not an early game, it's still a road game against a very good Giants team.

Week 8 - Carolina Panthers

Key Additions: C Justin Geisinger, DE Everette Brown, DB Sherrod Martin

Key Losses: CB Ken Lucas, OT Frank Omiyale, OG Geoff Hangartner

Analysis: Carolina was one of the best rushing teams in the league last year with their version of "smash and dash", and while their passing offense was suspect, it got the job done. They were aggressive on the defensive side of the ball, and had great talent in Jon Beason and Julius Peppers. Everything seemed to be going their way until they ran into the Cardinals in the playoffs. Numerous turnovers and the inability to stop Larry Fitzgerald ended their season. Other then adding some defensive depth in the draft, not much has changed, and John Fox still has confidence is Jake Delhomme. The Panthers will surely try to build off of last years team, and make another run in this year's playoffs.

What to watch for: This will be one of the toughest tests for the Cardinals defense, as they face a very good rushing offense. If the Cards can repeat what they did last year and get ahead early, it will put all the pressure on Delhomme's shoulders, which we all know hasn't worked out that good in the past.

Key match up: Cardinals linebackers vs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams

Prediction: Win - Playing against the team at home that dominated them in the playoffs will be a huge factor for the Panthers.

Week 9 - At Chicago Bears

Key Additions: QB Jay Cutler, OT Frank Omiyale, OT Orlando Pace

Key Losses: OT John Tait, OT John St. Clair, QB Kyle Orton, QB Rex Grossman

Analysis: The Bears haven't rebounded from losing the Super Bowl three years ago, and appear to have a new look since then. They feature a different starter at quarterback, running back and wide receiver, then they did that year, and hope to build off of a mediocre season last year. They hope that Cutler is the answer at quarterback, and that he and Matt Forte can vastly improve their offense. On the defensive side of the ball, their solid with the veteran leadership of Brian Urlacher.

What to watch for: The immediate sign to watch for is how the Cardinals handle playing on the road in a considerably cold weather game. The Cardinals may want to jump out to an early lead and pound the ball by running up the middle, and drain time off of the clock. Watch for Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower to get a decent amount of carries in that game.

Key match up: Devin Hester vs Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie- Two speedy players with pivotal action. This should be interesting to watch. Another key match up is Beanie Wells taking on Brian Urlacher.

Prediction: Loss - It hurts to predict this but this may be the upset of the season. The Bears can be dangerous and we don't know right now how the Cardinals will perform on the road in 2009.

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Cardinals Projected Record After 8 Games: 5-3

While it may come as a surprise to some, 5-3 seems very likely. This set of four games is a very tough stretch and if the Cardinals were to come out 2-2, it would be successful. It may also mean first place in the division, a place the Cardinals stood this time last year. What do you think so far? Is 5-3 out of this world? Is there another key match up that nobody else agrees with?

NightLinks: Bears Responsible With Their Money

Dane Noble — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:50:10 -0000

The Chicago Bears have always been known for different things from a financial perspective. On one hand, we have people who say the Bears are tight with their wallet. On the other hand, we have seen time and time again that our own players will get rewarded if they produce on the football field.

Tonight's NightLinks both pertain to the current state of the Bears financial situation, both coming from Bradd Biggs at the Sun Times. The first article talks about "dead space"- money that is tied up in players that are no longer on the roster.

According to the most recent figures, the Bears are carrying $6,535,640 in dead cap space. That might sound like a lot but consider that it is just 4.8 percent of the total pie which is more than $135.9 million. That number will go up. The Bears have 80 players under contract right now and as they work toward a final 53-man roster, players will be released that add money to that but as best as we can tell there aren't any players in jeopardy of losing their job that would add a big number to that figure.

Players with the highest dead space on the roster:

Cedric Benson $2,509,000
Terrence Metcalf $1,291,520
Kyle Orton $700,000
John Tait $500,000
Mark Bradley $460,000
Dan Bazuin $382,000
Mike Okwo $308,750

The next article discusses the cap space that the Bears currently have and where the $17+ million could go.

A check on Wednesday afternoon of the most recent figures indicates that the Bears remain $17.67 million under their adjusted salary-cap figure of $135.9 million. That means the organization has committed 86.99 percent of its cap to this point and there is plenty of room left over for spending.

So, where could the money go? First player listed is an obvious one...

Jay Cutler. We wrote here previously that the Bears will look to do something long term with Cutler, perhaps during the season. They'll need to make that move in October probably in order to take advantage of the cap room and apply money to this season. It makes perfect sense. Yes, Cutler remains under contract for three more seasons. But he has a $12 million roster bonus in 2012 that the team would probably like to avoid

And moving along to other players:

Anthony Adams. The defensive tackle is entering the third year of a modest four-year contract. If Adams emerges from training camp as the starting nose tackle, perhaps he merits a modest extension at some point. He's proven to be valuable every time he's been called on, which makes it a wonder why the coaching staff has gone away from him on occasion.

Mark Anderson. The defensive end is entering the final year of his rookie contract. If a new CBA can be hammered out he will become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Anderson could either be a hot commodity by the end of the season or just another guy who is another season removed from his breakout 2006 rookie year. It might be prudent for the Bears to wait until season's end to fully evaluate him and not pay him by midseason to apply money to the 2009 salary cap.

Adewale Ogunleye. He turns 32 next month which means he'll be 33 when the 2010 season begins. We're not ready to say whether or not the Bears should re-invest in Ogunleye, but if he performs well and is willing to come back at the right price, it would take some of the gamble out of trying to replace him with an unknown. We'll see how rookies Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton fare this season. Gilbert will be worked as a tackle but might eventually find himself at left end.

Kevin Payne. If Payne had remained at strong safety for the entire season, he just might have led the Bears in tackles. He's expected to be back in that role this season. If he can improve in his second season as a starter, perhaps he's worth looking at in terms of an extension. But, again, that's a decision best made at this time next year, not in the middle of the season.

Brandon Rideau. If the Bears buck the trend at wide receiver and find a hidden talent here, securing him with a modest deal would make a lot of sense. There's a big difference between running with the first team on occasion in OTA's and running with the ones in preseason. Let's see how this pans out.

Yes, Brad Biggs listed Brandon Rideau. And while this one leaves me scratching my head a bit, it's Bradd Biggs, and I take everything he says as solid gold.

NightLink: Frank Omiyale at Right Tackle

Dane Noble — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:30:07 -0000

Omiyale was initially brought in to provide depth and/or compete for the guard position, but with John St. Clair signing in Cleveland, and John Tait being placed on the injured/retired list, a bigger need presented itself.

So much for Frank Omiyale lining up at left guard. The Bears new signee lined up at right tackle with the first unit during the second day of mini-camp Wednesday.

Omiyale was the second string left guard on Day 1. With John St. Clair gone to Cleveland, it wasn't a surprised to see Omiyale moved. But is the move permanent? We will see.

The upcoming draft will still provide opportunity to at least partially shore up the offensive line, but with Olin Kreutz adding another year to his long career, Roberto Garza not really making an impact, and Chris Williams still unproven, our potentially great duo of RBs might need to step it up another notch this upcoming season.

Chicago Bears Place John Tait on Reserve/ Retired List

Dane Noble — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:30:08 -0000

In a move to no one's surprise, John Tait has been placed on the Chicago Bears reserve/ retired list. This essentially just frees up a roster spot, making room for another player (hopefully another OLineman).

Story courtesy of the Tribune.

Some figured the Bears might try to talk Tait out of retirement, but that's not going to happen. Instead, the team is focused on re-signing John St. Clair to take over at right tackle.

Rams free agent round up

VanRam — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:26:24 -0000

The deadline to designate franchise and transition players tomorrow and free agency kicking off a week after that, there's plenty of news to feast on for those of you armchair GMs out there putting together your perfect version of the 2009 Rams. Here's a round up of some names that might or might not be of interest.

This is the big one, literally. Titans DT Albert Haynesworth will test the free agent market. He wants a deal making him the highest paid defensive player in the league and could easily get that. It's not very realistic, but, man, how great would it be to have him anchoring the Rams d-line?
The Browns are not expected to use the franchise tag on SS Sean Jones. Cleveland's best defensive back, Jones has 14 INTs in the last three seasons. He dealt with injuries this season, but has been a solid player in coverage and against the run through his four years in the league. Might he be a replacement for Chavous?
Dre' Bly back at CB for the Rams? He's not the caliber they're looking for as a starting CB, but he hasn't missed a game in his last three seasons. Might be useful for the leadership/depth role in the backfield, and let's not forget that connection to the glory days of the past.
Given Baltimore's many, many free agents, they may not have the luxury of retaining C Jason Brown. Were Brown to hit the market he'd command big money, but just 25 he'd be a long-term solution to the Rams need at center.
With veteran OT John Tait cconsidering retirment and just two tackles under contract behind him, the Bears might also be interested in Orlando Pace...or a higher draft pick.

Bears News and Notes - 02/16/08

Adam T — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:27:24 -0000

With the expected retirement of right tackle John Tait and the possibility that they lose John St. Clair to free agency the Bears may need to draft a tackle in this year's draft. Many on this site are high on Michael Oher. The Bears also have known interest in Phil Loadholt out of Oklahoma.

Based on a recent Fan Post, the topic of trading Brian Urlacher is a heated one. One writer thinks the Bears should consider offering him to Arizona for Anquan Boldin. If my memory serves, which is in some debate, the Cardinals are at risk of losing some players at linebacker this year, so they may bite at the addition of Urlacher to some package.

Jerry Angelo already told us that he doesn't see a way that Mike Brown would be back. Some don't see why he has to leave and others are just getting ready for it.

Breaking News: John Tait Considering Retirement

ifuwannacrownem — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:36:37 -0000

Big ups to Luckie815 for this one.

The biggest shocker for the Bears this offseason is the news that Bears RT John Tait plans to retire. The article can be read here. With Tait gone, the Bears must almost certainly sign John St. Clair and draft a lineman. It will also free up some cap room heading into free agency.

UPDATE: It is being reported that Tait is expected, not considering retirement. If he did, it would give the Bears an additional 5 million of cap space.

John St. Clair and Offensive Linemen in the Draft

Adam T — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:21:54 -0000

Some days John St. Clair overachieved on other days he way underachieved or played how we thought he would depending on your viewpoint, but many think St. Clair has shown enough to warrant a new contract.

The question is where to put him. He had too many games where Kyle Orton was getting blasted all day, but he may have some value at left guard or as this article puts it:

Mayock had plenty to say about this year’s crop of offensive line talent, and the Bears could use another lineman. Williams should start at left tackle next season. If the Bears can re-sign John St. Clair, he’ll likely start at right tackle with aging veteran John Tait in the rotation. The Bears are happy with the progress of left guard Josh Beekman but need insurance behind declining Roberto Garza at right guard. Backup guard Terrence Metcalf might not be back next season.

We knew this would be coming eventually. Tait's skills have gone down little by little each year, maybe rotating St. Clari in can prolong his shelf life and give him a few more servicable years.

So far as an offensive linemen in the draft NFLN's Mike Mayock says this isn't the best year to pick up a guard.

``Andy Levitre (6-2, 306) was Oregon State’s left tackle. He will kick inside to play guard, and I believe he’s NFL-starting-guard caliber. Some teams like Duke Robinson (6-5, 335) from Oklahoma, a massive, tough guy. He struggles a little bit in space so he’s probably going to be a second-round pick. For the teams that like the real big, massive offensive lineman, he’s going to be a starter for them.’’

He is impressed with two of the bigger guys Herman Johnson out of LSU (6-7, 386) and Kraig Urbik (6-6, 332).