Well, it’s never too early to look towards the 2011 NFL Draft is it? Yeah it probably is but I have complied a list of the top players to track going into the 2010 NCAA college football season as these players are on the radar of every NFL team. The better question is can they stay there and get drafted early next April.
Andrew Luck QB Stanford….great touch and poise. Has all the tools to be the next great NFL quarterback. Teams will be lining up to draft him.
Jake Locker QB Washington…dual threat that looks to put the final touches on a great career and become one of the all time greats at Washington. Locker will push for that top spot next April.
Adrian Clayborn DL Iowa…looks to improve from his 11.5 sacks last season and will battle Cameron Heyward for Big Ten Defensive Honors.
Cameron Heyward DL OhioState..Has all the tools to be a special player at the next level and will likely be in a battle with Clayborn for most Big Ten honors similar to Suh and McCoy this past year.
A.J. Green WR Georgia…Awesome talent with skills that are only scratching the surface. A.J. will go into the season as the top prize at WR for NFL teams and I wouldn’t bet on him not ending the season that way too.
Before quarterback Jay Cutler came to the Bears, Chicago was known as a running team that set up the pass using the run. In 2008, then rookie Matt Forte had a great season in his first year with the Bears and almost single handedly kept the offense going rushing for over 1000 yards while becoming the most vital part of the offense for the Bears.
Enter Cutler and many experts felt that the running game would all but disappear with the Bears bringing in the best quarterback they have had since Jim McMahon. However, both the passing game and the running game didn’t go as well as they had hoped and the Bears suffered from offensive mediocrity once again.
During the offseason, Chicago signed former Minnesota Vikings running back Chester Taylor with the hopes that he would be a viable second option in the running game as well as a good pass blocker. They also didn’t sign running back Adrian Peterson who, unless something happens to one of the other players at the running back position, will probably not be back next season. It’s going to be a little bit of a new look in the backfield for the Bears this coming season.
Forte didn’t have as good of a season in 2009 as he did in his first year with the Bears. He played in and started in all 16 games last season rushing 258 times for a total of 929 yards averaging 3.6 yards per carry. His longest rush was 61 yards and he scored four touchdowns. Forte also caught 57 passes for 471 yards with an average of 8.3 yards per catch and no touchdowns. He had a long of 37 yards. Forte also had six fumbles losing three.
Forte’s big season as a rookie was good but it wasn’t that good. His rushing average wasn’t as strong as some of the other players in the league had but he was still an important factor in the Bears offense and was a major reason for their marginal success at times in 2008. This year, Forte will be running the ball with Taylor so he should get much more rest and therefore he should be much more effective. Let’s hope that Forte returns to his rookie form and can help out the Bears offense.
The other starter, possibly the co-starter, in the backfield for the Bears next season will be Taylor. Taylor not only gives the Bears someone to rest Forte on a regular basis but it also allows them to throw more passes to the running back as well as have someone in there that can block. He is also still kind of fresh for his age because he hasn’t been used that much. In 2009, Taylor played in all 16 games with no starts and had 94 rushing attempts for 338 yards with an average of 3.6yards per carry. He had one touchdown on the ground. Taylor also caught 44 passes for 389 yards and one touchdown. He did fumble the ball two times but didn’t lose those two.
Taylor will be a very welcome addition to the Bears backfield this season as Forte hasn’t had anyone solid behind him to spell him since coming to Chicago. Look for the Bears to use Taylor as an option on third down as well as helping out as a blocker.
We didn’t get to see too much of Kahlil Bell in 2009 but what we did see what somewhat promising. Many Bears fans will remember his long run against the Eagles last season to start his career with the Bears but after that, Bell didn’t do much. All told, Bell played in a total of seven games in 2009 without any starts and had 40rushing attempts for 220 yards with an average of 5.5 yards per rush (remember he did have that 72 yard run that helps to pad that average.) He also caught one pass for four yards.
If the Bears end up keeping four running backs, which they most likely will do and if Bell can show them enough value in training camp this summer then there is no reason to think that he won’t be on the active roster come the start of the season. He could be a nice change of pace back and his aggressive running style could help him pick up quite a few yards per carry.
Garrett Wolfe hasn’t quite panned out the way that the Bears thought that he would when they drafted him but there is a chance that he might find some success in the new offense that Martz is putting together. Wolfe does have value as a special teams player as well and that will make it hard for the Bears to cut him lose before next season.
In 2009, Wolfe played in a total of eight games with no starts and had 22 rushing attempts for 120 yards averaging 5.5 yards per rush. His longest rush was 36 yards and he had one touchdown. He also caught two passes for 12 total yards. If Wolfe is to stick with the team, he will have to prove that he has some use as a running back beyond his value as a special teams player. Look for Wolfe to be on the bubble throughout all of training camp but make the roster in the end and be one of four running backs that the Bears keep on the roster for all of next season.
Adrian Peterson has been a mainstay on the team for several seasons but it appears as if he may have seen his last season in a Bear’s uniform. Like Wolfe, Peterson has been a valuable addition to special teams and has been considered to be one of the best special teams players in the NFL. In 2009, Peterson played in a total of 14games with no starts and had seven rushing attempts for 51 yards with an average of 7.3 yards per rush. He also caught two passes for 11 yards.
As Peterson is an unrestricted will probably not be resigned by the Bears unless there is an injury or other need. Perhaps his quiet but solid career in Chicago is now over.
Brandon Minor is the Bears newest player at the running back position and has been brought in to help push some Bell and quite possibly Wolfe at the position. Minor, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Michigan does have some skill and if there is an injury up ahead of him then he stands a decent chance of making the active roster. Stay tuned.
Just because the Bears will be passing the ball more in 2010 doesn’t mean that they won’t be relying on their running game to help them set up the pass and get those tough yards. In that, Forte will have to be at his very best this season and will most likely see a lot of short yardage runs as well as passes out of the backfield. Taylor will be an asset and Bell will be a nice change of pace for the Bears. Look for them to have a lot of success with this group next season.
While the folks at NBC fell in love with the idea that Friday Night Lights had to be on Friday night somehow it still managed to make four seasons and likely will end after next season but let's enjoy it while we can. I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if it had been on say Thursday nights after The Office kind of the answer to ABC's female driven Private Practice. Anyway check out this review to get an update on what Coach Taylor and the rest of the FNL gang have been up too. I watched it on Directv and it's certainly worth it.
According to the NFL, The Oakland Raiders have released QB Jamarcus Russell. In his years in Oakland, Jamarcus has been an underachiever. His work ethic and decision making were questioned. Thus begins the Jason Campbell era by the bay.
Coming out of LSU, Russell had some question marks. Could he read a defense? Could he make the throws? Did he even care?
After a lackluster 3 years, Al Davis is cutting ties. That may be the bigger story here. Al fired Lane Kiffen for cause. There is still a grievance against the club by Kiffen. Mr. Davis, in his overhead projector laden firing press conference, said "Jamarcus Russell is a star, get over it." Cutting Russell tell me that Al is serious about winning. He has put his ego aside and has gone to work. Coupled with a great draft, the Raiders look to make some noise this season.
As for Jamarcus, I bet he'll catch on somewhere for league minimum. He is still young. If someone can get through to him, he could still be a serviceable QB. Potential wise, his ceiling is unlimited. It's the mental aspect that has shown to be lacking. By all accounts, he isn't dumb or a bad person. He did reasonably well on the Wonderlic. Perhaps some questionable advice coupled with family issues and a laid back personality were his Waterloo.
I hope he gets his mind right, and figures it out.
Something that surprised no one...well at least no one who has been paying attention this off-season JaMarcus Russell Released by Raiders -- NFL FanHouse. Now the question is where if anywhere does he land? Hmmm. With that arm strength and his young age you know someone will take a flyer on him at some point. Here is a thought what about the Colts or Saints? Two teams with QBs over 30 that Russell can sit and watch for at least two seasons before doing anything. Just a thought
In a move that should help both teams Barron-for-Carpenter trade inching closer | ProFootballTalk.com the deal appears to be a matter of when not if. Hopefully trades that appear to be win-win for both teams happen more often instead of players getting released or waived that can still play in the NFL. Anyone think Reggie Nelson for Patrick Crayton makes sense?
The Bears went into the 2010 NFL Draft with several goals despite the fact that they didn’t have that many picks. They needed some help at several positions especially safety, cornerback and the offensive line and they walked out adding some depth to those areas but didn’t walk out with anyone that could be a solid starter in the near term. Granted, the Bears didn’t have a first or second round pick in this draft but they still could have done a few things different.
The following is a quick look at the Bears draft picks and what they mean to the future of the Bears. We will take a more in depth look at these players a little later on as mini camps come and go.
3rd Round-Major Wright-FS-Florida-Chicago had a deep need at the safety position going into this draft and even right after it was over they continued to fill that need by trading for Chris Harris. With the addition of both Wright and Harris, along with some of the other players that they have at the position, the Bears may have finally found a good combination at safety. It will be interesting to see how things play out at the position in the future.
4th Round-Corey Wootton-DE-Northwestern-Chicago went local with their next pick and took Wootton, a guy that they hope will end up being a good pass rusher in their defense. Thanks to an injury and offseason surgery, Wootton took a tumble in the draft after being graded as high as a first round defensive end by some so the Bears feel very lucky that they got him. As long as he can come back from his injury and learn the system fast enough he could be a solid contributor in 2010.
5th Round-Joshua Moore-CB-Kansas State-Knowing that they needed to find some depth after the departure of Nathan Vasher, the Bears decided to grab Moore in the fifth round. Moore is truly one of the sleepers at this position and don’t be surprised if he finds himself a spot on the active roster when training camp is complete. He has a lot of good skill and could end up a starter someday.
6th Round-Dan LeFevour-QB-Central Michigan-This pick was a bit of surprise as the Bears really didn’t need a quarterback but could quite possibly use him in the future if things don’t pan out with starter Jay Cutler or if Cutler gets hurt. Many people though that LeFevour would go much higher than he did but it ended up good for Chicago who could now feel much better about their backup quarterback situation. It’s entirely possible that by the end of training camp, LeFevour could end up as the second string quarterback and if needed, step in if Cutler gets hurt.
7th Round-JaMarcus Webb-OT-West Texas A&M-The Bears finally added some depth on the defensive line by taking Webb with their last pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Webb is actually much better than his seventh round grade suggests and with a little NFL coaching, don’t be surprised if he winds up sticking with the team (on the practice squad to start) and eventually wind up on the active roster in a season or two. There is too much talent there to see him end up not sticking with the team.
Chicago still has holes to fill, mostly on the offensive line, but they managed to fill a few needs in this draft despite the fact they only had five picks. Look for them to get some decent contribution out of Wright, Wootten and Moore while they can bring along the other guys and turn them into contributors farther down the road. Look for Moore to be the big sleeper for the Bears and eventually be a big contributor on the team.
