Old Style Sports

Photo courtesy of canyouseethesunset.com

Not For Long.

According to this article from MSN, the average NFL career lasts just three about three years. As much as we all hate athletes bitching and moaning about not getting paid, you really can’t blame guys in the NFL. You never know what’s going to happen.

Take a look at Javon Walker. After being outed by Brett Favre for bitching about wanting more money, he ends his holdout only to tear his ACL the following year. The Packers ended up trading him to the Broncos where he signed a lucrative contract, only to under-perform and fight injuries. Hey, he got paid though.

So I guess you can’t blame the latest contract debacle as Brian Urlacher is begging for more $ in the wake of Lance Briggs’ big money deal. It’s amazing that he was able to get Jerry Angelo & the McCaskeys to open up their wallets for him, so Urlacher wants in on some of that - especially because he’s at the end of his career.

It’s just a shame that he had to do it this way. Your star player shouldn’t be crying for more cash.

Then again, he shouldn’t have to.

Well, for Bear’s RB anyway.

Starting tailback Cedric Benson was arrested Saturday night in Texas, charged with operating his boat under the influence of alcohol, and resisting arrest. Benson of course denies the allegations and will fight them, but Bears fans can’t help but think this might help open the door for Matt Forte, who has been impressive at preseason camps since landing in Chicago.

The Bears did get rid of Tank Johnson shortly after his brushes with the law. Could Benson have just bought a one way ticket out of Chicago?

Alright, so I’d be the first to admit that I have a strong bias when it comes to the Bears because I am a Packers fan. HOWEVER! I have the Sun-Times’ #1 sports columnist and ESPN regular Jay Mariotti on my side for this one.

In his article, Mariotti points to the gaping hole the Bears have at Quarterback. Jerry Angelo is clearly being very stubborn, sticking with his go-to guy Grossman. The people spoke earlier this year in that man on the street article I did, but Jerry Angelo obviously doesn’t need their help doing his job. But the Bears didn’t even consider a QB on draft day, watching Brian Brohm go to the Packers, and Chad Henne head south to Miami.

Nonetheless, some say the Bears did have a solid draft despite not picking up a QB. Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Bears a grade of ‘B’, which is high, considering he only gave out one ‘A’. ESPN’s Bill Williamson also lauded the Bears for landing Bennett, Williams, and Forte. It should be interesting to see if/how these three guys shape the Bears’ offense the next few years.

• Looking around the NFC North, the Vikings traded away half of their picks to land Jared Allen, Kansas City’s standout DE. Despite putting all of their eggs in one basket with Allen, the Vikings still managed to have a solid draft, picking up Arkansas St. safety Tyrell Johnson, and USC QB John David Booty. With Tavaris Jackson still unproven in the league, an aging Gus Frerotte festering on the bench, and Brooks Bollinger as raw as it gets, the Vikings took out yet another insurance policy by picking up Booty. Hell, at this rate, I might try out for the QB position in Minnesota.

• The Packers wheeled and dealed again, drafting a CB in Auburn’s Patrick Lee, who has the luxury of learning from Charles Woodson and Al Harris before their legs fall off from old age. The Pack also picked up a young TE with “potential” in Jermichael Finley, and raised a lot of eyebrows with the Brohm pick.

• The Lions had a very solid draft, picking up Gosder Cherilus, a versatile tackle from BC. The talk of their draft though was Central Florida RB Kevin Smith, who was considered a steal in the third round. Some experts say he will be a very productive back for Detroit for years to come.

On the whole, the NFC North is a very young division, and should be one of the toughest to play in for years to come as this group of guys develops. The Black and Blue Division will finally live up to its name again!

Way to stay positive, Jerry.

Here are the newest additions to your storied franchise:

ROUND 1      14th OVERALL
Chris Williams  OT
6′ 6″    315lbs.    Vanderbilt

ROUND 2      44th OVERALL
Matt Forte  RB
6′ 2″    222lbs.    Tulane

ROUND 3      70th OVERALL
Earl Bennett  WR
6′ 0″    209lbs.    Vanderbilt

ROUND 3      90th OVERALL
Marcus Harrison  DT
6′ 3″    310lbs.    Arkansas

ROUND 4      120th OVERALL
Craig Steltz  S
6′ 1″    210lbs.    LSU

ROUND 5      142nd OVERALL
Zackary Bowman  CB
6′ 1″    197lbs.    Nebraska

ROUND 5      158th OVERALL
Kellen Davis  TE
6′ 7″    262lbs.    Michigan State

ROUND 7      208th OVERALL
Ervin Baldwin  DE
6′ 2″    270lbs.    Michigan State

ROUND 7      222nd OVERALL
Chester Adams  G
6′ 4″    323lbs.    Georgia

ROUND 7      243rd OVERALL
Joey LaRocque  LB
6′ 2″    226lbs.    Oregon State

ROUND 7      247th OVERALL
Kirk Barton  T
6′ 5″    310lbs.    Ohio State

ROUND 7      248th OVERALL
Marcus Monk  WR
6′ 4″    222lbs.    Arkansas

Herm Edwards said earlier today to ESPN analysts that he thought the Chiefs drafted six potential starters for the coming season. Looking above, I only see one definitive starting player for the Bears in Chris Williams. Earl Bennett will likely compete for the 2nd and 3rd WR positions with Brandon Lloyd and Rashied Davies.

DT Marcus Harrison has injury concerns - ACL and ankle injuries hampered his ability to perform. Not to mention his drug & alcohol issues he is fighting. If he stays healthy and away from the bad stuff though, he might pan out. This pick could be a replacement for Tommie Harris though, who remains unsigned.

For a team in denial that it is rebuilding, they did a really good job proving it today with what I would consider a weak draft. There are needs on both sides of the ball, but after a non-noteworthy off-season, and a draft that raised eyebrows, I’m not too sure the Bears know what they’re doing.

Nonetheless, I would look for the Bears to be competing in 2008…  with the Lions… for the bottom spot in the NFC North.

Prove me wrong.

Ok, so I don’t know how newsworthy the content of a draft chat room is, but I thought this interaction really summed up Day One for the Bears:

Shocked (Chicago): I realized Cedric Benson is terrrible, but how do you draft yet another questionable running back when we also have glaring needs at WR and QB and there is high qualifty players available there?

Scouts, Inc.’s Gary Horton: In our predraft meetings yesterday, we asked Mike Ditka what he thought the Bears would do. It was his feeling that they would take the best OT available because this is an offensive line that doesn’t run block very well and their LT John Tait is 33. However, Coach also acknowledged that he was not comfortable with what they had at QB or RB and wouldn’t be shocked if they went in either direction. So, Chris Williams makes a lot of sense, but that left QB and RB as interesting second picks. That’s where I think he would be surprised that they did not pick QB. But they must have seen something in that RB that the rest of us didn’t.

So as was expected in the “Back to Methods” post, the Bears picked up a solid offensive lineman in the first round with Chris Williams. According to the Tribune’s Dan Pompeii, Williams was the third best OL in the draft, but the Bears chose him over Brandon Albert. Williams is quick, however his main criticism is that he isn’t strong enough, having posted a meager 21 reps in the bench press at the 2008 Combine. Nonetheless, at 6′6, 315 lbs., Williams will likely be a mainstay on the line in Chicago for years to come.

The Bears second round pick surprised a lot of people. With Cedric Benson drawing constant criticism for not producing like he did in college, the Bears drafted Matt Forte out of Tulane. I’m not sure how the Bears plan to use him, but I’m not sure if he’s a prime time starting tailback. The Bears have invested a lot in Cedric Benson, and Adrian Peterson is Lovie Smith’s homeboy, so I am really not sure how Forte figures in here. With this in mind, what about the needs at WR and QB? They must think he will help them more than Brian Brohm, who went to division-rival Green Bay.

After releasing Brian Griese, the Bears are left with the inconsistent Rex Grossman, and skittish Kyle Orton. And with a weak crop of QBs slated for next year’s draft, it could be a while before the black and orange get someone competent under center.