Exonerated of the DUI charge (ugh, can NFL players just stay out of trouble?), RW would not be a bad option.

He's a talented WR, and though his numbers have never been much, being on a new team could work, 

Burress is going to jail, but if not he is still not worth the extra circus. With Cutler being so closely scrutinized our WRs and everyone else cannot be having anything for media to nibble on!

The Bears have to find a possession WR in the draft, Bennett has to improve (how hard is that, with 0 catches as a rookie) with his college QB now his pro partner, and then they need a serviceable veteran. 

Holt is out. Drew Bennett would be nice but could want $$$. 

Reggie Williams, Amani Toomer, Jerry Porter, Darrell Jackson, Dane Looker...these are all more likely than the T.O.s and Burresses of the world (though I thought T.O. should have been a target).

First, Roger Goodell wins. Why? Because the Broncos said hell no to the number 1 pick in the draft and the money that would cost them. This is good leverage for the Commish, and rightfully so. Why should unproven talent get so much money upfront before they do anything at the pro level? 

Second, the Bears. I am not too fraught over "losing" the two 1st Rounders. In the last five, six years, every year the play I want gets bypassed, or we trade down, etc., etc. I am still crying over Chris Williams. I am actually more sad that Orton couldn't stay to be a back up!

But, this makes sense that the Broncos will have KO for a year and they can draft  a QB this year or next  in the 1st-- unless McDaniels wants to see what Simms can do, or what he can find later in this draft. There will be some good players that could be developed (Stephen McGee, Mike Teel, Tom Brandstater, Cullen Harper, Curtis Painter) by Bronco Boy Wonder!

Also, and I wasn't getting my hopes up, but it's ironic that Simms was rumored for weeks and months, and even for the last year, to be headed to Chicago -- or as a possibility that intrigued fans.

And now, both Orton and Simms are Broncos. How funny the world works.

I am happy for all of us long-suffering Bears fans. We now have a QB that we can be confident with. I hope this cloud never dissipates.

Considering it has been brought up that JA likes to trade down, and that the signing of Shaffer allows the Bears to draft a WR, I have a fantasy-driven thought that would enable the Bears to get both a WR and QB in the first round, or some other combo of value picks.

After reading the post from the KC Chiefs blog projecting that we'd draft Freeman with the 18th pick...I thought that was a bit of a reach, considering those teams around us aren't really (according to the media) targeting QBs...here is my dream:

Perhaps JA would trade the 18th and the 2nd rounder for the Eagles 21st and 28th pick. I don't now, or care, whether that slots into the point system/value chart that was created in the last few years that has become over-used in coming up with trade scenarios. I do, know, however that such a deal, with perhaps a little more added in from the Bears, would fit with both teams' strategies/needs.

This is all fantasy, of course, so here is why: The Eagles have been known to trade picks during the draft, and target a player at certain spots. Also, the Eagles are a thrifty team that seem to like the 2nd round --look the last few years where they have traded out of the 1st a lot. I get a sense that they don't like negotiating high-end contracts (Jeremiah Trotter) or paying 1st Round guarantees to unproven commodities. Look at last year -- Desean Jackson was the 2nd of two close picks in Round Two last year. Just drafting him right after Trevor Laws allowed them to save money on DJ.  Like the Bears, they are thrifty enough to save money. They have good talent evaluators and seem to know what they want.

Perhaps they'll draft two WRs for McNabb, or a WR and a RB...or a replacement for Dawkins. But, they know how to get talent in later rounds and I see them possibly shopping their 1st Round picks.

So, the Bears come along, needing to fill a couple holes (that's what she said...). We could pick up Nicks, DHB or Britts at 21 and Freeman at 28. 

Some will say the Bears are cheap, but they have invested in their own. And, if you look at last years draft: Flacco got 30 mill. over 5 years at 18...but Sam Baker and Lawrence Jackson combined are slotted to make 24.75 over 5 years. 

Yes, Flacco got that money because he's a QB, and the 17th and 19th pick only got about 15 million, but if we did draft Freeman I can't see him being worth what Flacco signed for. 

Also, I know that Flacco had less guaranteed money than either Baker or LJ, but Flacco came into a situation where he had a high likelihood of starting. We still have Orton, and I don't believe Freeman will challenge Orton for a year or two -- if ever. More importantly, I don't think the Bears do.

Even if we didn't go for Freeman (why, when next years QB crop will be better), I'd like to see the Bears try and make this kind of move. Angelo is all about getting starters out of the draft, and this kind of move maximizes the crapshoot of getting multiple players they may be targeting.

Hell, we could draft two WRs if we made such a move, as I joked the Eagles could do...then at least one of them might work out. Or we could get a falling OT and a WR, and still get a safety and another WR in Round 3.

As the draft nears, it seems like WR is becoming more and more the pick at 18. So it makes sense that we could wait a little, being a WR-rich draft.

With the unlikelihood that Cutler will be traded for (and even if he was), the Bears are going to need a veteran QB to step in if Orton gets hurt IF they truly believe this is a playoff-caliber team. Whether or not Basanez or Hanie can be good NFL QBs does not matter. Neither has had enough field-experience to carry an offense on their shoulder and do enough to pull out games. If Hanie wins the back-up, this just means that if Orton goes down with another ankle injury, that the offense will slow down more, and the chances are more likely that Hanie will have a couple of good games (or, gulp, plays) before defenses will totally adjust to him.

I have faith that Orton can play well enough to get the team in the playoffs, and I believe the defense will return to a Top 10 defense IF we shore up the safety position. Urlacher will be fully healed from his neck issues (psychologically he seemed to have a tough year), and I believe Lovie will put him back in the proper positioning. I keep reading about how Urlacher has lost a step, and I saw him play a step behind and try to arm tackle last year rather than run people over, but I don't think that is because he somehow is that much slower. As I just stated, I think it had to do more with two things: 1. His neck/back issues (mentally and physically), and 2. He was out of position on a majority of the plays last year -- since childhood, having played and watched the game for a couple decades, I have assumed that LBs, especially MLBs, start most of their snaps playin 5-7 yards off the line of scrimmage. Urlacher was forced to move around, and up on the line, way too much last year. 

Babich over-schemed Urlarcher and the defense, and there was way too much motion at the LB positions. If Urlacher is allowed to set his feet and react from a standing position in the middle, rather than running back and forth on the line faking blitzes, then I think he'll have his step back. That means the middle will be patrolled again, unlike last year, and that means better defense in the 5-10 yard range. I see Urlacher having a "comeback" type year if Lovie utilizes him like the old days.

That means that the offense will need to be efficient , at least in the top 20. Orton can do this, but I am not sure Hanie or Basanez can. They are scramblers, and though I was impressed with Hanie in the pre-season, the QB position is the most pressure-filled position. Both of our backups are hindered by their escapability because neither has had to endured game after game of NFL defensive pressure. Those wonderful scrambles and spins we saw out of Hanie in the preseason are high-risk plays. More often, those risks will not pay off...unless Hanie is somehow the reincarnation of Brett Favre. Our offense has proven it cannot handle that type of risk, over the long haul of a game, and a season.

We don't have the scheme or the play calling to overcome high risk plays. The thing with Orton his first two years was that he dropped the ball off a lot from the pocket. He got rid the ball quickly. I don't see that our of either of these guys, and part of it is that they have legs to "make plays." 

This is why we'll sign a veteran before June. The only way we don't is the Bears have fallen in love with Josh Freeman and secretly plan to, and then do draft him. This assumes Sanchez and Stafford are gone, of course. I don't see the Bears, if they truly believe the team is good enough to make the playoffs, sticking with inexperienced backups. Most teams that expect to make the playoffs (Cowboys, Giants, Steelers, for example) have an experienced back-up, or two, to their starters.

So, who will be available come May?

Ran a 4.51 and 4.49 in his 40s at Mizzou. He's 6'1" and 221 pounds. This, I will say again, is who I'd like to see us draft in Round 2, if he's around. He's an excellent safety, with size and speed and instincts.

Also, I think Stephen McGee would be an interesting QB prospect in the middle to late rounds. He is a mobile guy and had more success at A&M than Hanie did at CSU. And, I've seen both he and Nate Davis play and I think McGee has more of a chance in the league. Davis is small. 

I've given up looking at free agents, and now will put all my stock in hoping for a great draft. 

Are there any other not-often discussed prospects people watched in college and would take a flyer on? If we needed a tight end I'd say Travis Beckum from Wisconsin...

At WR, Deon Butler was fast at the combine and was one a trio of good WRs at PSU. Patrick Turner is a tall product out of USC...and has potential.

Has anybody noticed that the Denver Broncos signed three running backs this month? This brings their grand total to 9, just two short of fielding an entire offense with one position!

I am surprised that Josh McDaniels and company need so many new options when last year was an injury-ridden year, and that's not likely to happen, statistically, annually. 

There could be some cuts that we could consider brining to training camp. Inexpensive players, but players who have shown something on the field. I know there's a lot of love for Garret Wolfe, and he's shown some glimpses of his speed --but...they have to release some of those RBs. Perhaps Selvin Young, ha. 

A couple of my friends are Ravens freaks, and so I watched quite a bit of their games. 

I think he's worth going after for FS though he could play either. He's a good hitter but also has great instincts. 

And, he did not yet sign with the Jets, though he is basically destined there by media and experts.

He's from Wisconsin, and he was a great player there, and I think worth offering a contract.

I'd be happy getting Leonhard, Khalif Barnes and a WR. I don't see why Brandon Lloyd was let go. He was minimal drama, as for all the baggage that came with him. And, he looked like he played hard in the games, and tried to catch difficult passes.

Laverneus Coles? I'd like a younger option, myself, though I wouldn't throw a fit if we signed a Coles-type FA. You know, someone that isn't potentially good, but does well. 

I guess where's my the ball, oh, on the ground, Davies is our veteran WR, again.

"Might lack elite stopwatch speed, but plays fast and can pull away in the open field." This statement is made in the anaylsis of Cedric Peerman on NFL.com's scouting analysis.

Of course, a 4.45 might not seem elite, but so far he's tops for the day; ahead of Beanie Wells and Glenn Coffee and Donald Brown. Ian Johnson is right behind him at 4.46.

It is no Chris Johnson speed at HB, but much faster than two of top ranked RBs. If you look at their analyses, both get commented on for their "great acceleration".

The comparisons and the analysis are so convoluted, and this shows the over-obsession with speed. If a guy isn't really fast, he can accelerate. If a guy is faster, he doesn't have elite speed.

Experts and their semantics.

today, which is both dumb and smart. 

Dumb because it's late in the game, and the hottest HCs-to-be have made the rounds and been presented with better teams. Dumb because Tampa Bay will now have to re-tool. They already lost one of the best DCs in Kiffin. 

They're team is old and lacking of enough young talent. They're a veteran team with a coach who wears on players but was perfect because he's young enough to bring in new talent and push them.

Smart because there's enough veteran talent and if they want to make a more serious run they need to hire someone who can motivate a bunch of creaking bones come December. 

But dumb, because this team was old and Gruden's a solid, winning coach. But I guess it's easier for some teams to rid of one man than to chuck an entire team of Diners Club cardholders. 

And dumb because they also fired the GM, which means they are behind the game in hiring the two most important positions for putting a winning team together.