According to Bruce Levine, Aramis Ramirez's 2012 option does NOT kick in if traded, he merely gets a $1 mil relocation bonus:

"Contrary to what has been widely reported about Ramirez’s contract, there is not an option year that kicks in if he’s traded. Here’s the thumbnail sketch of Ramirez’s contract. He has roughly $7 million left in salary for 2011. He, as well as the Cubs, hold an option for 2012 at $16 million dollars. If the team doesn’t exercise its option, Ramirez is owed $2 million as a buyout. If he’s traded to another team, Ramirez receives a $1 million relocation bonus."

(http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/5511/five-cubs-most-likely-on-contenders-radar)

If true this is potentially huge news.  The only thing that would stand in their way oof moving him is getting him to accept a deal--no small shortcoming considering his...um, motivation issues.  However, if he is truely a 3 month rental he immediately joins Carlos Beltran as the only premier position players available on the market, and he plays a more premium position.  But what could the Cubs expect?

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Below you will find my 2011 NFL mock draft.  In a little over a week you will find out it was the best, most amazing accurate mock draft published.  Rick Gosselin will start calling me for advice.

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Before I begin, let me say I'm not sure whether I want Martz to come back or not.  On the one hand, I think it is important for a QB and offense to have some measure of continuity in leadership and playbook.  On the other hand, it's important to have a coordinator that will work with the strengths of the personnel, and is effective as a playcaller.

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Everybody loves the draft. You can spend months reading about players, and then in a few hours of (now primetime) entertainment, the entire complexion of your team can change.

But what if they could take this event, and make it more exciting? They've already tried changing the format a bit to that end--speeding up the time for picks, moving it to prime time. But I have an idea to make it better.

Next year, when the Rams finish with the worst record again, don't make them pick first. Instead, give them first choice in their draft position. For example, maybe there are three top tier players in next year's draft. Say 2 of them are QBs, and one is an OT. The Rams just drafted a QB, so they don't need those 2 guys, but they do need a LT, and they don't want to pay him #1 money if he could last until #3. So they decide that they are going to pick third oerall in the draft.

The team with the next-worst record (I'm thinking maybe the Seahawks or Broncos next year) would get next choice. Maybe the Seahawks decide they want a QB, so they choose the 3rd pick. Or maybe they think the top of the draft is weak, so they choose to pick 10th.

Then it goes down the line, each team gets to choose their draft spot based on their record. After the first round, it reverts back to by record, so the Rams would always pick first in subsequent rounds after the first.

It would be kind of like the NBA lottery show, except with way more drama and strategy. I think it would be awesome.

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/around-the-horns/around-the-horns/2010/03/a-lowball-offer-for-atogwe/

According to the above article from the St Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams are possibly going to put the lowest tender on FS OJ Atogwe.  If so, they would have the opportunity to match any offers he received, but wouldn't get any compensation if he left.

The rationale behind this move is it saves them about 5 mil in salary if nobody signs him to an offer sheet. The problem is he is a heck of a FS, and I would be shocked if nobody did sign him. If they do, they have to either match the deal or lose him with no compensation.  By not attaching compensation, they are basically inviting every team in the league to come after him with no strings attached. They are also risking the inability to sign him if someone puts "poison pill" language in his contract (though word on the street is the poison pill has been unofficially banned by the league).

The Rams franchised Atogwe last year, a designation he quietly accepted, but I can't imagine the Rams taking advantage of a CBA loophole to give him a $5 mil paycut is going to go over well.

I think OJ Atogwe is significantly better for the Bears than Antrel Rolle. He is a more complete FS and a good leader.  He would likely come cheaper.  He is coming off a shoulder injury at the end of last season, but all reports were that he would be 100% for this season.

Could Bradley be on his way out?

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Every mock drafter and talking head has ranked the prospects by position. Why should we be different? 

1. Crabtree: He's head and shoulders above the rest.

2. Kenny Britt: To me he is Brandon Marshall. He has the strength to go over the middle and get off the line, has good hands, and was productive.

3. Jeremy Maclin:  He's productive and athletic, but for some reason I see him struggling to make the transition to the pros more than Crabtree or Britt.

4. Percy Harvin: He's not smart. He smokes dope. But he is electric. He might not be a prototypical WR, but put him with a creative coordinator and I think he can be one of the biggest contributors of the class.

5. Hakeem Nicks: I worry about him being fat. And dumb. But he seems like he could be a borderline #1 ala Moose Muhammad.

6. Juaquin Iglesias: Very productive against tough competition. Was the most productive WR at the Senior Bowl. Based on his experience and route running ability, I think he'll make one of the quickest transitions to the NFL.

7. Brian Robiskie: Another WR with good fundamentals who should have a quick transition to the NFL game. I put him below Iglesias because Robiskie doesn't have the production that Iglesias did. Part of that, I'm aware, is due to QB play. Just the same, I like production.

8. Mohamed Massaquoi: Productive against high level competition. Has some drops, but seems like a complete WR who can do everything to a decent degree.

9. Derrick Williams: Yes, he's a Penn State WR. But I think he has some Eddie Royal traits, and Cutler did a pretty nice job with him.

10. Darrius Heyward-Bey: Troy Williamson version 2.0.

(49) Chicago Bears Derrick Williams WR Penn State
(99) Chicago Bears (Compensatory) Corvey Irvin DT Georgia
(119) Chicago Bears Captain Munnerlyn* DB South Carolina
(140) Chicago Bears (from Denver through Seattle) Courtney Greene SS Rutgers
(154) Chicago Bears Jonathan Luigs OC Arkansas
(190) Chicago Bears Joel Bell OT Furman
(246) Chicago Bears (compensatory) Mortty Ivy OLB West Virginia
(251) Chicago Bears (compensatory) Phillip Hunt DE Houston

Well, I pretty much hate this mock. The only guy I've heard of is Derrick Williams, but I like him more as a 3rd round pick. He kind of reminds me of Eddie Royal, but he wasn't very productive, so I'd rather take him at 99 and take a FS first.

I don't know any of these guys. I would go into a depression if this is how the draft goes. But I suppose I go into a draft every year because the Bears never taken anyone I've heard of/want after the first round (they take guys I've heard of in the first round, but I still don't want them).

Why we would take a SS and no FS is beyond me. Also, we don't need a center, why take one?

Mostly I'm making a whole post about this because I'm tired of seeing that BS dream post as the top post. Editors if you want to prevent this site from becoming a juvenile chicagobears.com message board, you might want to nip immature crap like that in the bud. That post is on the level of maturity and relevence as one of those fake "We just traded for Cutler!" titles, with a story inside of "made you look".

Anyways, on to the mock. It's a 3 round mock, and I don't hate it so I'll pass it on.

Round 1: Jeremy Maclin.  I think Maclin has a real chance of falling to us on draft day. The real draft, as opposed to concensus that builds in mocks before the draft, puts more emphasis on lineman, and less on RBs/WRs. Maclin's off-season has been solid, but unspectacular. I think there will be more of a run on OTs, and less on one on WRs before us.

Round 2: Herman Johnson.  I like the idea of getting a big body to take over at RG. This would complete an overhaul of the o-line that saw us get much younger and much bigger in one off-season. Louis Delmas is still on the board, however, and I think we need a playmaker at FS more than we need a RG. Still, I don't hate the pick.

Round 3.1: Mitch King. This guy is a DT from Iowa. I don't know much about him, other than he's a one-gap, high-motor DT, but I think we have bigger needs, even on the D-line, than DT.

Round 3.2: Stephen McGee.  Interesting prospect. He is 6'3", 220, ran a 4.6 40 at the combine. Supposed to be a very good guy and tremendous leader. Pretty accurate (59.5% for his career). He got hurt his senior year, then never got his job back. Not sure what's up with that, but as a bonus draft pick (he'd be our compensatory pick) I would like it.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/03/nfp-three-round-mock-draft/

Most of the posts this time of year ask which players you want your team to draft next month. I am wondering which players you DON'T want the Bears to draft. It should probably be limited to players the Bears could possibly target in the first couple rounds, or players that you've seen the Bears take in mocks.

Here are mine:

Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU.  I have yet to hear anything this guy does well, but I seem him going in mocks as high as the Redskins at 13. He wasn't particularly productive, didn't have a great combine, and to me doesn't project as anything more than an average 3-4 DE. I don't think he has the pass-rushing ability to play 4-3 DE, and he doesn't seem any better than Michael Haynes to me.

Derrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland.  Troy Williamson, version 2.0. He's definitely fast, but he's not a football player in my opinion. I particularly don't like him for an offense like ours, outdoors, with a qb who can't throw accurately over 15 yards. I think he'll be mediocre wherever he goes (just like he was in college).

Michael Oher, LT, Ole Miss. I think he could maybe be an effective LT, but I don't think he projects as a good RT, which is where we'd need him. He is not strong enough, mean enough, or driven enough to play RT in a run-heavy offense like ours.  From reading his book, I question how strong his love of football is, and whether he'll be self-motivated enough to succeed in the NFL.

The first 2 in particular make me nauseated when I see them picked for us in a mock draft.

Who do you dislike? 

This is my mock draft. It is based on who I tihnk teams will take, not who I think they should take. It is very unlikely, like any mock, to be at all correlative with the actual draft. I am sure some of the picks/omissions will personally offend some of you.

1. Lions: Matt Stafford. They should go OT here, as there hasn't been a successful underclassman QB in the last ten years or so (aside from Big Ben). But their off-season moves suggest they go QB here.

2. Rams: Jason Smith. The Rams wanted Jake Long last year. They get their LT this year in Smith.

3. Chiefs: Aaron Curry. He's too good a prospect to pass up, and the Chiefs need a player like him on their D. I could have seen them go Crabtree to increase Cassel's chances of success, but not after his surgery and questions about his speed.

4. Seahawks: BJ Raji. Everyone had Crabtree going here, but Housh and Branch should give Hasselbeck enough weapons for now. They really need a force inside their D line, and Raji is that.

5. Browns: Michael Crabtree. They lost their best weapon in Winslow, and Edwards is reportedly on the block. They need to give Quinn a chance to succeed.

6. Bengals: Eugene Monroe. Bengals get a nice value at a need position. They lost Stacey Andrews, and this will allow them to push Levi Jones to the right side.

7. Raiders: Jeremy Maclin. I think this is a little early for Maclin, but Davis won't. He has the speed Davis covets, and he fits a desperate need.

8. Jaguars: Michael Oher. The Jags signed Tra Thomas, but they still really need a guard, and Oher can kick inside until Thomas retires. It's a good situation for Oher because it will take him awhile to learn the position.

9. Packers: Brian Orapko. The Pack needs a rush 3-4 OLB, and they get a good one.

10. 49ers: Aaron Maybin. Like a lot of teams around here, the Niners need to boost their pass rush. They could go QB here, but I think they will give Hill and Smith another year to show them something. They could also take a tackle here, but Singletary will want to improve his D

11. Bills: Everette Brown: The Bills need a TE, but there isn't one worth taking this high.  They won't take a QB after signing TO, since that would just put more pressure on Edwards.

12. Broncos: Ray Mauluaga: The Broncos are most in need of a NT like Raji, but they could also use a force inside.

13. Redskins: Andre Smith. I could easily see this pick being made by Carolina in a Peppers trade. Assuming they stay here, they need upgrades on both sides of the ball. Smith provides the best value here, and can take over for Jon Jansen.

14. Saints: Malcolm Jenkins. The Saints have everything they need on offense (except, apparently Tomlinson), but their defense really needs some help. They have needs all over the secondary, and Jenkins could potentially play CB or FS.

15. Texans: Brian Cushing. The Texans need some help at strong side linebacker, and Cushing could be a great addition there. They would also like a backfield partner for Slaton, but after finding a gem in Slaton in the third, I don't see them taking someone this early.

16. Chargers: Robert Ayers. The Chargers lost Igor Olshansky, and Ayers is a nice replacement. If LT leaves, then I could see Knowshown Moreno being the pick. If Sanchez is still available, then a team could easily move in here to take him, and the Chargers would likely be happy to move down.

17. Jets: Mark Sanchez. If the 49ers pass on Sanchez, I think he falls to the Jets. The Jets are desperate for a WR with Coles leaving, but I don't see them passing on a franchise QB this late.

18. CHICAGO: We need a RT, WR, FS, DE, OG, and QB, so there are a lot of options. I think they would've considered looking at Josh Freeman here, but his combine probably pushed him out of round 1 consideration. Eben Britton has the skill set to play LT or RT, but Angelo seems fixated on resigning St Clair and using him there. There is not a FS or OG worth taking this high. I hate Darrius "Troy Williamson 2.0" Heyward-Bay, and he doesn't really fit Kyle Orton's strengths. Percy Harvin is a great WR for a creative OC, which we don't have, and he isn't the prototypical #1 WR Angelo seeks.

So the pick is Hakeem Nicks. He's perhaps the second most complete WR in the draft, and in my opinion compares favorably to TJ Housh. There is a high potential for trading down here.

19. Bucs: Larry English. Tough call after the Bucs cut half their team. They need help at QB, WR, DT, DE and OLB. New coach Raheem Morris has connections to K-State's Josh Freeman, but again I think he is out of round 1 consideration. DHB is a potential replacement for Galloway, but I think they have bigger needs on D. English is an explosive player who can potentially re-energize their D

20. Lions: Eben Britton. They went Stafford early, they need to protect him. Britton could potentially play either tackle spot, so I think he gets the nod.

21. Eagles: Percy Harvin. McNabb asked for more weapons, and he gets one here. The Eagles are creative enough on offense to make use of Harvin's skills. He can be a hybrid RB-WR that gives Westbrook some help, but also gives McNabb a weapon in the passing game.

22. Vikings: Darrisu Heyward-Bay. I like Kenny Britt a little more as a fit for them, but I definitely see them taking a WR here. You'd think they would learn their lesson on taking all-speed no-production guys after taking Williamson a few years back, but they are the Vikings.

23. Patriots: Vontae Davis. The Patriots keep losing DBs and it's starting to hurt. They could also go Laurinaitis, but I don't see them using 2 first-round picks on 3-4 ILBs in consecutive years. Whatever they do it will probably look genius.

24. Falcons: Peria Jerry. The Falcons almost took Glenn Dorsey last year, and they still need a force inside. They could go DE here as well.

25. Dolphins: Clay Matthews. They really need help at OLB, and Matthews is a tough, smart football player that Parcells would like. If a WR fell to them I could see them going there as well.

26. Ravens: James Laurinaitis. This pick makes too much sense, since they lost Bart Scott and he was a real force on their team. They need a WR as well, but this is the pick.

27. Colts: Knowshown Moreno. The Colts have bigger needs, such as DT, RT and WR, but Addai's play really fell off last year, and they need an effective run game to keep Manning upright.

28. Eagles: Brandon Pettigrew. The Eagles really need a replacement for Dawkins, but there probably isn't a first round safety prospect. They could also go RB here, but Pettigrew is the pick. He replaces the disappointing LJ Smith.

29. Giants: Kenny Britt. They would probably like someone with less potential baggage than Britt, but there is no denying his talent. He could easily become the most productive WR in this class. The Giants really suffered after Burress shot himself in the leg last year.

30. Titans: Ron Brace. The Titans desperately need a DT to replace Haynesworth. Their D was not the same without him.

31. Cardinals: Beanie Wells. They Cardinals need for a future RB was apparent throughout the second half of the season. Edge will likely be released after they secure this position in the draft.

32. Steelers: Alphonso Smith. Everyone has them taking an interior lineman here, but I think replacing Brian McFadden is a bigger need. Smith is a nice prospect, and might be a little undervalued.

Let's compare Jerry Angelo's drafting success with that of the worst teams (Lions) and the best (the Chargers--I think AJ Smith does the best job drafting) from 2002-2006. 2007 and 2008 are probably too soon to call, so I'm leaving them out.

I am only rating 1st-4th round success, as 5th-7th round picks have a very low rate of impact. With few exceptions, their upside is as a special teamer/3rd string role. This may be important to a team, but I'm not including it because it is too hard to decide what constitutes a good late round pick.

The scoring will be as follows. It is a pass/fail system. The player drafted either meets the success criteria or they don't. If they don't meet the success criteria due to injury, they still get a fail. Players picked in the top half of the first round need to be pro-bowlers or near-pro bowlers. Players picked in the bottom half of round one should be one of the best players on their team. Players picked in the second round should be above average on their team. Players picked in the third and fourth round should be starters. No GM will make this cut 100% of the time, but the better GMs should have higher numbers.

Players named will have a P (pass) or F (fail) next to their name.

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from profootballtalk.com, via the Cincinatti enquirer

"T.J. Houshmandzadeh addressed reports that he’s close to re-signing with the Bengals, telling Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer he has not heard from his agent today.

“The only person from the Bengals who I’ve talked to today is Carson [Palmer] and he said ‘Don’t forget about us,’ ” he said.

According to Reedy, Houshmandzadeh is looking for upwards of $10 million per season, and the favorites to land his services on the open market are the Eagles, Giants and Bears."

I like Housh, but I don't know if I 10 million a year like him.

Jon Stinchcomb is expected to not be re-signed by the Saints.

Stinchcomb is 29, I believe, and one of the better RTs in football.

He is a big-time workout warrior and routinely one of the strongest on the Saints.

He had injury issues early in his career, but I think hasn't missed a game in 2 or 3 years.

He is a tireless community service worker and was named the Saints "Man of the Year" in 2008.

I really think he would be a perfect fit at RT for the Bears. It would allow them to wait another year or two before addressing the position in FA, and what we need before the draft is a few holes filled well.

from the SunTimes Bears blog:

"Angelo reaffirmed what we've thought for some time, that the Bears are going to be bargain shoppers if and when they venture out into free agency"

"Angelo said he's counting on coaching and attitude making the team better in 2009, specifically the defense."

"He acknowledged the Bears have more holes to fill than in the past"

"Basically, Angelo put it on the players to make the defense better and admitted it will not be the unit it once was."

"Asked if there was a solution to the safety problem in free agency, Angelo started talking about Craig Steltz, the fourth-round pick from last year that the Bears hailed as being a "starting caliber'' player" (barf)

"There are going to be more positions that we're going to have to look at this year in the draft and free agency and we'll just see what we can accomplish, if nothing else create better depth and/or competition if we can't get a for sure, frontline player so-to-speak." 

This does not sound like the words of a man who recognizes the serious problems on his team and is taking action to fix them. It sounds like the words of a man who thinks he already put a contender together, and it's the coaches/players fault for not executing. Either that or the purse strings have been tightened and he's not allowed to spend money.

Every time this guy talks I just want to vomit. He's over his head in his position and it shows every time he speaks.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcnorth/0-8-85/The-chances-of-Vernon-Carey-heading-north.html

Well, the actual blog article doesn't say th Bears are interested the way the rotoworld blurb does, but it says they should be interested. I agree. I would feel much more excited about the draft if we didn't go in needing to fill a crucial starting position like RT. If they could sign Carey, they could go after a starting WR, a S, a DE, an OG etc in the first 2 picks.

If they sign Carey, they could even trade back and potentially come away from the second round with William Moore, Nate Davis and Iglesias after the second round ends, and I would be pretty stoked about finding a Housh-like WR, a starting safety, and  Ben Roethlisberger-like QB of the future.

Khalif Barnes.

He's a probably cap casualty in Jacksonville. He has been semi-productive at LT--he's one of the best run-blockers out there, but struggles at pass-blocking.

He will probably command a salary similar to Tait's, so the cost would be a relative wash. Throw him at RT and I think he really solidifies the line, not to mention lets the Bears fill one more hole with it's first or second round pick.

Cedric Benson tried to distance himself from Ricky Williams before the 2005 draft.

However, that hasn't stopped him from wanting to party with Ricky. Ricky Williams told reporters today that Benson called him to ask him to come party on his boat in Lake Travis. Ricky turned him down.

"Instead of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Williams turned down an invitation to spend the day on the lake a couple of weekends ago with Bears running back Cedric Benson."

The moral of the story is that our own Cedric Benson has worse judgement than Ricky Williams. That's like saying you have less will-power than oprah in a doughnut shop. Or worse public speaking skills than President Bush. Or something.

Brad Briggs recently ran an article in his blog about Benson's cap situation making it imposssible for the Bears to cut Benson.

He's wrong.

Here are the true ramifications.  This is a somewhat long explanation, and it involves math, so be warned. But you'll understand the cap and the Benson situaiton better if you read it.

First, you must understand the difference between cap number and cap hit, as well as cap dollars and payroll dollars.

Benson's cap number this year is roughly $3.3M. That is comprised of this year's salary (800k) and the prorated portion of his signing bonus (2.5M). Note that he already has the signing bonus, it is just accounted for this year for bookkeeping purposes. So if he plays for the Bears this year, they'll write him a check for 800k (not 3.3M).

If the Bears cut Benson, they would not have to pay him his salary this year (800k) or next year (1M), AND that money would be removed from Benson's cap number. However, they would still have to account for his prorated signing bonus (2.5M this year and next) for cap purposes.

So, if the Bears cut Benson before June 1st, his cap number would be 3.3M MINUS this year's salary (800k) PLUS next year's portion of his signing bonus (2.5M), for a total of 5M. That is 1.7M more than his current cap number of 3.3M, which means cutting Benson costs the Bears a 1.7M cap hit this year. So if they currently have 16M in cap room, that would shrink down to 14.3M.

HOWEVER!!! and this is important, they would GAIN 3.5M in cap room next year. Because Benson would be officially off the Bears books for 2009, they would not have to account for his singing bonus or salary, which amount to 3.5M next year. 

That's just the cap consequences. Cutting Benson would also save the Bears actual dollars. The salary cap is a managed number, and is often very different than the team's payroll (the checks the team writes out to players that year). If the Bears cut Benson, they wouldn't have to pay him a salary this year or next (a total of 1.8M), and they wouldn't have to potentially pay him any of the escalators in his contract for reaching 700 yards (potentially another 3 or 4M. So cutting Benson would save the team actual dollars, with no penalty.

The last point Briggs makes is that if the Bears cut Benson he could file an injury grievance. I believe this is unlikely for a few reasons. First, they would wait until he could pass a physical to cut him, thereby removing his leverage from the situation. Second, this public incident gives the Bears another reason to give for cutting him. Third, he is too young to retire, and he'd have to retire if he wanted to convince an arbiter that the Bears cut him because he was too injured to play. Lastly, even if the Bears lost the case, they would only be out his salary this year of 800k.

If you were the GM, what would you do with your first 4 picks? You can trade up or down as you like, but trades have to reflect the trade value chart.

1/14:  Jeff Otah
1/25*: Jonathon Stewart
3/70:  Andre' Woodson
3/90:  Jordy Nelson

*Seattle trades 2008 1st (720 pts) for Chicago's 2nd rounder (460 pts), and 2009 3rd rounder (~190 pts) and 2009 4th rounder (70 pts). We will like receive an extra 3rd rounder next year for Berrian departing.

That's my very unrealistic wish list. What's yours?