SB Nation User Blog: tomas21

Bradley to Detroit?

tomas21 — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:35:48 -0000

Could Bradley be on his way out?

According to WSCR and MLBtradrumors.com, the Tigers are interested in Milton Bradley. Why? I don't know, but yay!

I can't even begin to understand the significance of this. Are they dumping salary to pick up something else? Are they THAT fed up with him?

Who could they be after--I don't know Detroit's team enough to know if this would be a mutual salary dump, or if the Cubs would be taking a low level prospect in exchange for dumping Milt and his salary.

Stay tuned. http://twitter.com/BaseballStone/status/2840085632

"The Sox can demote first baseman Aaron Bates to clear a spot for Buchholz, then demote Buchholz to...

tomas21 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:51:24 -0000

"The Sox can demote first baseman Aaron Bates to clear a spot for Buchholz, then demote Buchholz to clear a spot for Lowell or Lowrie. But under virtually every scenario, Lugo would be the odd man out. If no deal is made, the Sox could release him, the source said.

The problem with Lugo's trade value — besides his erratic defense since returning from knee surgery — is his contract. Lugo, 33, is owed the remainder of his $9 million salary this season, plus $9 million next season. The Sox have been trying to move him since last off-season.

Lugo is batting .284 with a .352 on-base percentage in 123 plate appearances"

Any chance the Cubs could capitalize on Boston's desire to dump Lugo? Perhaps he could be the bad contract the Cubs use to unload one of their bad contracts. Obviously our outfield contracts would be the nicest to unload, but Boston is pretty set there. Any clever ideas of how to make this work? Can any of our outfielders play first base (mostly kidding)?

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9815896/Source:-Red-Sox-'desperately'-trying-to-deal-Lugo

Buster Olney said a few days ago that the Braves would entertain offers for their 26 year old...

tomas21 — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:40:29 -0000

Buster Olney said a few days ago that the Braves would entertain offers for their 26 year old shortstop (who makes 450k) Yunel Escobar. He is a plus bat, a solid defender, and would move Theriot to his more appropriate position at second.

They are looking for a bat in return. Apparently Cox doesn't like the guy.

I couldn't even speculate what we'd have to send them in return, but I think he would be a good fit given his low salary, his productive bat, his position, and his age. I don't care if he's a jerk if he makes the team win more.

What would it take?

You be the expert--rank the WRs

tomas21 — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:25:28 -0000

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.

New Todd McShay Mock

tomas21 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:46:11 -0000

(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?

Latest NFPost.com Mock

tomas21 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:26:57 -0000

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/

Who DON'T You Want?

tomas21 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:38:14 -0000

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?

Tomas21 Mock Draft 1.0

tomas21 — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:09:44 -0000

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.

How does Angelo measure up?

tomas21 — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:58:03 -0000

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.

First Round Picks:

Smith: 2006 Antonio Cromartie (P); 2005 Shawn Merriman (P); Luis Castillo (P); 2004 Philip Rivers (P); 2003 Sammy Davis (F); 2002 Quentin Jammer (F-he was extended, so they like him, but he didn't meet 5th overall pick expectations)

Millen: 2006 Ernie Sims (F-good player, but not worth 9th overall pick); 2005 Mike Williams (F), 2004 Roy Williams (P), Kevin Jones (F-injuries); 2003 Charles Rogers (F); 2002 Joey Harrington (F)

Angelo: 2006 (none); 2005 Benson (F!); 2004 Tommie Harris (P); 2003 Michael Haynes (F), Rex Grossman (F); 2002 Marc Colombo F)

Results: Smith 4/6=66%, Millen 1/6=16%, Angelo 1/5=20%

Second Round Picks:

Smith: 2006 Marcus McNeil (P); 2005 Vincent Jackson (P); 2004 Igor Olshansky (P); 2003 Drayton Florence (F), Terrance Kiel (F); 2002 Toniu Fonoti (F), Reche Caldwell (F)

Millen: Daniel Bullocks (F); 2005 Shaun Cody (F); 2004 Teddy Lehman (P); 2003 Boss Bailey (F-injuries); 2002 Kalimba Edwards (P)

Angelo: Danieal Manning (I'm calling him a fail because he's done as much bad on D as he's done good on KRs), Devin Hester (P); 2005 Mark Bradley (F); 2004 Tank Johnson (F); 2003 Peanut (P); 2002 none

Results: Smith 3/7=43% Millen 2/5=40% Angelo 2/5=40%

Third Round Picks:

Smith: 2006 Charlie Whitehurst (F); 2005 none; 2004 Nate Kaeding (P), Nick Hardwick (P); 2003 Courtney Van Buren (F); 2002 Ben Leber (P)

Millen: 2006 Brian Calhoun (F), 2005 Stan Wilson (F); 2004 Keith Smith (F); 2003 Corey Redding (P); 2002 Andre Goodman (F)

Angelo: 2006 Dusty Dvoracek (F); 2005 none; 2004 Bernard Berrian (P); 2003 Lance Briggs (P); 2002 Roosevelt Williams (F); Terrence Metcalf (P)

Results: Smith 3/5=60%, Millen 1/5=20% Angelo 3/5=60%

Fourth Round Picks:

Smith: 2006 none; 2005 Darren Sproles (P); 2004 Shaun Phillips (P); 2003 Matt Wilhelm (P); 2002 Justin Peele (F)

Millen: 2006-2004 none; 2003 Artose Pinner (F); 2002 John Taylor (F)

Angelo: 2006 Jamar Williams (F); 2005 Kyle Orton (P); 2004 Nate Vasher (P) Leon Joe (F); 2003 Todd Johnson (F), Ian Scott (P); 2002 Alex Brown (P)

Results: Smith 3/4=75% Millen 0/2=0% Angelo 4/7=57%

My Analysis: Angelo is a mixture of good and bad. He is horribly bad in the first 2 rounds--he is almost as bad as Matt Millen in the first 2 rounds, and Millen is the joke of the NFL. However, in the third and fourth rounds, Angelo compares favorably to AJ Smith, regarded as one of the best drafters in the league.

I think that the early rounds typically give you your high end talent, and the middle rounds tend to give you your quality depth. Perhaps that's the reason the Bears always seem to have a deep team without enough top end talent to succeed in the playoffs.

I think for a team that supposedly is built through the draft, Angelo needs to do a much better job in the first 2 rounds. Otherwise, he's going to need to make up for his early round draft failures with premium free agents.

hat tip to allhailmark for the post idea.

Bears the favorites for Housh?

tomas21 — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:34:18 -0000

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.