Off-season Issues (Offense) in no order:

* Please note that this could (and probably will) change based upon production (or lack of) in the 2nd half. I will update later in the season.

1) Replace at least two offensive linemen - I expect Reuben Brown to retire and hopefully Fred Miller will be released. I expect Terrence Metcalf and Todd Beekham to compete for Brown's spot. As for right tackle, I am assuming that Jerry Angelo will look to free agency first. If free agency is thin for RT's, I would expect St.Clair and LeVoir to battle next training camp. In the draft, they need to draft a LT for the future. John Tait has not played better than average this season, but we can still get more production out of him. Saying that, we have to prepare for the future here, and I'd say we need one OT preferably in the first 2 rounds of the draft.

2) QB - Before the end of this season, we need to give Kyle Orton at least 3 or 4 straight games so we can see if he's a possible answer or a backup at least for next season. Unless the Bears trade for Donovan McNabb, I'm expecting Griese to be our starter next season. He's an average QB who's under contract. We just need to get him a more productive running game. Either way, no matter who the starter is, I think we need to take a QB in Round 1 preferably. It really sucks that Rex Grossman wasn't the answer, but we have to start the process of developing another future guy for that spot (also assuming that Orton isn't that guy).

3) WR - Outside of Devin Hester, who's more of a gadget player, I really do not want to see any of our top 4 WR's on our roster for next season. I'd be open to Bernard Berrian, provided that it's a reasonable long-term deal, but if he hits the open market, I expect another team to overspend for him. Moose is old, expensive, and fading. Not a good combination. There's an outside chance he could return with a major restructuring, but do we really want an old and fading WR just because he takes a pay cut ? Mark Bradley and Rashied Davis are just extra bodies. If they are here, it should be as bottom of the roster WR's. For the remainder of the season, I do want to see Mark Bradley's play increase though - he's got 8 games to make his case for being here next season. This is the most difficult position to drastically improve at considering that the free agent market doesn't offer much, and we don't have much internal help. We have 2 3rd round draft picks, and I would expect a draft pick in this round to be a WR as well as in Round 4 or 5. In free agency, they will probably find a player or two as well, but, again, this may not be pretty unless we get unexpected contributions from a draft pick and/or Berrian/Bradley show something and are on the team next season.

4) RB - This is a dilmena. I'm not convinced that Benson is gone next season considering that he's got a big contract, and the offensive line has to take some blame for the problems as well. They also don't have another guy on the roster who they seem comfortable in turning the job over to. This could be a position that they sign some veteran RB to a moderate deal, and compete with Benson next season. I don't expect a high pick to come for this position given all the other holes.

So, in summary:

Draft Preferences:
1st Round: A) QB B) OT
2nd Round: A) OT B) QB
3rd Round (2 picks): A) WR B) Open

Free Agency:
- Sign a RT (if available)
- Sign 1-2 veteran WR's (they won't be very good, but we need bodies) to low cost deals.
- Explore the veteran RB's to see if competition can be brought in for Benson

Say Goodbye:
- Rex Grossman
- Moose Muhammed
- Bernard Berrian (provided that he hits the open market and his price tag doesn't make sense for his production)
- Fred Miller
- Reuben Brown (retirement)
- Cedric Benson (questionable)

I don't think I disagree with a word of any of that. There seem to be three legitimate QB prospects this draft- Woodson, Brohm, and Ryan. Atlanta is going to draft a QB in the first round, and so will Minnesota most likely. The only question is, how much further is QB #3 going to fall. The best case scenario involves some QB (probably Brohm) undergoing an irrational Brady-like plummet where the Bears know that they can drop about 5 or 6 places (say, from 12 to 17 or something) to pick up a 1st and a 3rd, package the second and a third and a low round pick to draft in the high second or low first and pick up an OT like Sam Baker or Mike Oher. I'd wet my pants if that happened, but there's a lot that needs to shake out first.

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Fire Phil Emery

Oh, I also think there's no reason to get rid of Benson. There's also no reason to go crazy looking for an RB. This O-line is going to need some time to repair, and until then, there's no sense wasting time or resourses on a running back who'll just be putting up disappointing numbers anyway.

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Fire Phil Emery

I agree that they don't need to look for a top tier back, with the lone exception being they go in the absolute shitter for the rest of the season and get a top five pick, and McFadden somehow falls into their laps. Even then, they might still have to go OT/QB.

Running back is a luxury pick that high; the rate of bustdom is far lower than QBs at that level, but the rate of mediocrity is far higher. Plus, if a crappy team drafts a RB, even a very good one, it'll be a year or two before he's contributing to a winning team, by which point he's already accumulated miles. If you only get 7 or 8 good years out of a running back, why waste 2 or 3 of them with a shitty O-line and a shitty QB? If they get a top five pick, then they should take either the best QB on their board or, if by some fluke he falls this low, Jake Long.

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Fire Phil Emery

Regarding Jerry Angelo's comments yesterday:

1. Its concerning to see Angelo blindly defending Benson. If he's playing up to the best of his abilities and giving maximum effort, then the problem is worse than I thought.

2. Its nice to hear him bash Grossman indirectly and speak as it he realizes that move had to be made.

3. Angelo believes they have hope still, which is true, although that hope of making the playoffs is floating at 2% and winning the Super Bowl is at a big fat 0%...historically speaking. Can they make history? Don't hold your breath.

4. Its weird that Angelo is not questioning effort, unless he's just not throwing players under the bus. Even Tommie Harris has questioned effort on this team.

5. Urlacher's back could become a problem. If this injury is indeed a constant problem, I would expect him to no longer be a premier MLB after next season.

6. Good sign that Angelo did not rule out QB being a priority in the offseason.

7. Lance is probably gone if they aren't even talking right now.

The teams most likely to draft a QB in the 1st round are (in no particular order):

1. Atlanta
2. Minnesota
3. Kansas City
4. Chicago
5. Carolina
6. Tampa Bay
7. Baltimore

The Bears would have to climb past Minnesota and hold off Kansas City to get Brohm or Woodson, assuming nobody trades up. The only two teams armed with a pair of 1st round picks to move up don't need QB's (Dallas and New England).

I predict.... that Brohm will be the third QB taken off the board. He has Leinant/Quinn dropping potential; great Junior who had perfectly decent Senior year (much better than decent, actually) but hasn't won the big game and may be overshadowed by the success of the two other QBs.

The drop off between the third and fourth best QB in this draft is huge. Colt Brennan, anyone?

(Actually, in all seriousness, wouldn't Brennan be the perfect fit for a Mike Martz/pseudo run-and-shoot offense in Detroit? They're going to need a quarterback, and Brennan will be sitting there in the 2nd or 3rd round for whoever wants him.)

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Fire Phil Emery

Of the teams listed as possibly picking a QB, the only two I see that might draft before the Bears are Atlanta and Minnesota. All the others will probably do better. However, I noticed you didn't include Miami. They might want a QB. I don't think that Green will play again (at least regularly). Unless they decide Beck is the answer.

Miami drafted Beck in the 2nd round, and he'll be starting soon. Maybe they draft another QB, but I don't see one being taken high with their believe in him.