NFL Guru talks Bears and the State of the Pro Football

English: Matt Forté of the Chicago Bears (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This morning on my radio show, The Wake-up Call, on sportstownchicago.com I was joined by Russell Baxter, NFL writer/researcher with contributions to Athlon sports, NFL Magazine, FootballPros.com, NationalFootballAuthority.com NFL.com, and ThePostGame.com in addition to his work on his website at www.profootballguru.com.

I had Russell on to put his brain to work which is a veritable encyclopedia of all things NFL.

Rusell and I chatted about the Bears, the NFC North race, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the evolution of the running back position, and you can’t talk about the NFL without mentioning Tim Tebow.

A sampling of the Bears related questions I asked Russell included:

What should Bears fans expect to see from Cutler and Marshall this season?

It’s been awhile since Mike Tice has run an offense, so what type of scheme should we see this fall and how do you envision him and Jeremy Bates co-existing?

There was no player in the NFL that was a greater percent of his team’s offense besides Matt Forte last year, so what are they do to if he holds for any amount of time?

Is Michael Bush capable of being an every down back in the event of a Forte holdout?

How much will Bears first round pick, Shea McClellin help a Bears pass rush that was tied for 30th in the NFL in adjusted sack rate at 5.2%

To hear Russell’s answers to these questions and more, click here for the podcast.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt

Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC.  Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10.  View his show’s website here.

Bears Cornerback DJ Moore Covers all my Questions

English: Moore during warmups (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

This morning I was joined by DJ Moore a rising fourth year cornerback for the Chicago Bears on my show, the Wake Up Call on www.sportstownchicago.comfor an extended interview on a wide range of topics.

I tried to pick the brain of the former All- American from Vanderbilt about the mindset he takes with him in the offseason as he trains his mind and body in anticipation of a grueling 16 game regular season, four game preseason schedule, as well as training camp and organized team activities, which start this week.

I asked DJ what it’s like to be in the same huddle with stars such as Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, and Charles Tillman.  He said he didn’t allow himself to get star struck and said it was confirmation that he belongs in the league after questioning whether he belonged in the league after being a fourth round pick despite being a two-time All-Sec performer and All-American in 2008.

We talked about the toughest receiver he has had to cover in his career, the addition of Brandon Marshall, his advice to young football players, his unique pre-game ritual, and much more.

DJ is a laid back cat from South Carolina and the interview matched his demeanor until I asked him his thoughts on the Saints alleged bounty program.

To listen to the intriguing comments DJ made regarding the Saints bounty program and the entire interview with DJ from The Wake up Call with Patrick Schmidt, click here

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt

Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC.  Patrick is the host of “The Wake up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10.  View his show’s website here.

Bears Catch Big Receiver in 2nd Round

Holding the 50th pick in the 2nd round of the NFL draft the Bears traded up five spots, giving up their fifth round selection, with the St. Louis Rams to draft wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (6’3”, 216), wide receiver from South Carolina.

The big bodied receiver declared for the draft after his junior season that ended with his ejection in arguably his best game as a Gamecock. Facing Nebraska in the Capitol One bowl and covered by top pro prospect in cornerback, Alfonzo Dennard. Jeffery had four receptions for 148 yards and a score before his ejection for fighting.

Jeffery burst onto the scene as a sophomore where he had 88 receptions for 1517 yards and nine touchdowns, but saw his numbers drop considerably after quarterback, Stephen Garcia was dismissed from the squad.

Jeffery’s junior numbers of 49 receptions for 762 yards and eight touchdowns reflect a change at quarterback and offensive shift to a more run oriented approach behind bruising tailback Marcus Lattimore.

Facing questions surrounding his weight which has been over 230 pounds during his final season kept Jeffery out of the first round, and didn’t endear himself to NFL scouts and GM’s after declining to participate in positional drills at February’s combine.

However, Jeffery found a semblance of redemption at South Carolina’s Pro Day when the receiver weighed in at 213 pounds while running a forty at 4.56 seconds.

Concerns over Jeffery’s weight and work ethic will surround him until he steps on the field as a rookie, but the quickest way to dispel those notions is to produce on the field.

With Brandon Marshall commanding double teams on one side and Earl Bennett working underneath routes, Jeffery will get his opportunities to contribute early and often in his rookie season.

After Jeffery was announced with the 45th pick in the Draft, chances are the second happiest person about the selection after the wideout himself, was the Bears quarterback who has a new toy to play with.

Jeffery should see plenty of red zone looks and jump ball opportunities where his imposing size will be a tremendous asset to the Bears aerial attack under Jay Cutler, who had been clamoring for a tall receiver since his arrival to Chicago three years ago.

The rookie wideout will look to prove 32 teams wrong for passing him in the first round and prove the skeptics wrong once he steps onto the field when training camp opens in July.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt

Patrick is a diehard sports fan and former football player from Chicago, the greatest city in the world. The home of deep dish pizza, the greatest skyline in the world, and the best sports fans in America. Patrick has been a fan of the Cubs, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks since birth and is an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake Up Call”, a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10.

Mystery clouds Bears War Room

The Bears war room will have a new General when the NFL Draft gets underway tonight with new General Manager Phil Emery calling the shots. The rookie GM steps in for former Bears GM, Jerry Angelo, who had his share of first round hits and misses during his tenure as Bears GM.

Bears fans had been calling for Angelo’s head for the past few years after the team’s failure to find a #1 receiver, his propensity to draft players with injury history, and his philosophy of players with high floors vs. high ceilings.

In comes Emery with a background in scouting and while he has never been a GM or conducted a draft, his experience as a college scout will be on full display over the next three days and seven rounds of NFL Draft action.

Emery’s previous job was as director of college scouting with the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons overseeing the drafting of players such as Matt Ryan, Roddy White, and Eric Berry. Bears fans will be ecstatic to find a player comparable to any of these three players. Ryan and White have already been to the Pro Bowl and Berry likely would have if not for a torn ACL ended his sophomore season, after a superb rookie season, in the season opener vs. Buffalo last season.

During free agency Emery did what Angelo could not do during his run as GM, and traded for Brandon Marshall. Bears fans rejoiced and were ready to give Emery the key to the city and anoint him as Executive of the Year filling a black hole on the offense for the last decade.

Adding depth at the running back position by signing Michael Bush, backup quarterback Jason Campbell, special team aces Devin Thomas and Eric Weems, and 49ers cast-off Chilo Rachal to battle for a starting position at guard has stabilized and fortified the offense.

So where does that leave a Bears defense that features a number of marquee players on the wrong side of 30?
The Bears own the 19th pick in this year’s draft with their biggest needs at defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback, offensive tackle, and wide receiver.

Many mock drafts have the Bears drafting a defensive end. The names differ, but the position remains the same.

Players rumored to be on the Bears wish list include: UNC’s Quentin Coples, South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram, Syracuse’s Chandler Jones, USC’s Nick Perry, and the nation’s leader in sacks last year in University of Illinois rush end Whitney Mercilus.

At 19 it is difficult targeting a specific player at that point, because when the fireworks start and players start coming off the board and players rise and fall, the Bears may find themselves in a position where a wide receiver they have ranked higher on their board than any other defensive end is available.

I have long been a proponent of drafting the best player available over taking a player at a perceived need.
If Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd, Iowa tackle Riley Reiff, or Stanford guard David DeCastro is staring them in the face at 19, then The Bears should run to the podium to draft him.

Michael Brockers from LSU would be a fantastic choice if he were there at 19, if they didn’t like the available ends, and would be an anchor in the interior of the defensive line and complement rising star Henry Melton well at the defensive tackle position.

The moves made by Emery in free agency has put the Bears in a position of flexibility the team hasn’t been afforded in recent years after having to draft for need after missing or trading away first round picks under the previous regime.

Reading the tea leaves suggests the Bears will ultimately take a defensive end that can come in right away and have a huge impact on third downs.

The reigning Super Bowl Champion New York Giants have won two Lombardi trophies in recent years with a philosophy on rushing the passer and getting off the field on third downs. A stat the Bears have struggled with in past seasons, even despite having one of the premier sack artists in Julius Peppers.

The final word on the Bears first round is that whether it is to take a player on offense or defense, this rookie needs to have an instant impact to help the Bears back to the playoffs.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt