Kyle Orton and Jay Cutler's teams are heading in very different directions a year and a half after they were traded for each other. (photos courtesy of Life)

In the wake of the failed Josh McDaniel experiment in Denver, I thought it would be fun to revisit the Kyle Orton – Jay Cutler trade. I expected to find that the Bears ended up making a decent deal and overall the teams ended up about even, it being only one and a half seasons later.

What I found is that the Denver Broncos ended up screwing themselves multiple times over and failing to take advantage of what could have been a very productive trade for them. Let’s call this post a little more salt in the wounds of “what could have been” for Josh McDaniels and Broncos fans. This one’s for you, Jay.

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Corey is an outstanding combination of size and strength for the position. His production is down from previous seasons and much of that can be attributed to a knee injury sustained in the Alamo Bowl at the end of last season. He is a decent athlete but not an explosive player off the edge. His lateral agility and change of direction hinders his playmaking ability in space. Corey does defend the run well and can anchor effectively to hold the point. He utilizes quick hands and long arms to control blockers but needs to expand his pass rush package to be effective at the next level. Wootton’s measurables, instincts and toughness makes him an interesting prospect for most defensive fronts. He wasn’t nearly as effective as previous seasons and knee concerns will be closely scrutinized going into the 2010 Draft.

Check out this highlight reel I found on YouTube:

Not sure I would have taken a defensive end here with such a big need at O-line, but on the bright side, at least Wooten doesn’t have far to travel, coming just up the road from Evanston.

He was in the top three among safeties with a 40 time of 4.48, right behind Taylor Mays and Eric Berry.  Now we’ll see if that speed translates into productive play.  Keep in mind, Danieal Manning is one of the fastest guys on the Bears, but if you’re not in the right spot, it doesn’t matter how fast you are.
Check out his analysis from CBS Sports:

Read & React: Can key and diagnose. Reads the action quickly and gets there with efficient footwork and good straight-line speed. Plenty of range for coverage over the deep half. Struggled with questionable angles early in his career but showed improvement in 2009.

Man Coverage: Occasionally asked to drop down and play nickel cornerback in this scheme. Tall in his backpedal and loses a step in his transition. Often played a true centerfield role, showing good instincts and the straight-line speed for coverage. Protects the deep middle. Closes quickly and has good ball skills to make the play.

Zone Coverage: Tall in his backpedal, though he has good balance and relatively loose hips to turn and run. Good acceleration and straight-line speed to cover his area. Experienced and alert in zone coverage.

Closing/Recovery: Good straight-line speed and shows a nice burst to close. Times his hits well to arrive just as the ball does, resulting in some impressive, physical pass breakups. Protected a bit by this scheme and the Gator pass rush, but understands his role as the last line of defense. Good range to prevent the big play. Has improved his angles to limit the damage.

Run Support: Quick to come downhill in run support. Can be too aggressive and will misjudge his angle, at times. Good elusiveness to avoid blockers and get to the ballcarrier. Has improved as a wrap-up tackler. No hesitancy in taking on the bigger ballcarrier.

Tackling: An explosive presence in the middle that can make the intimidating pop despite his lack of prototypical size. Can get himself in trouble by dropping his head, leading with his shoulder and leaving his feet in an effort to make the big hit, but will fail to wrap up, leading to missed tackles. Has a tendency to hit high, which could result in helmet-to-helmet flags in the NFL. Improved his open-field tackling in 2009 (after struggling in this area in 2007-08), but this is still an area of concern.

Intangibles: Characterized by those close to the Florida program as one of the team’s most physical and toughest pound-for-pound players on the team. Broke his thumb as a true freshman, but played against Georgia only days after undergoing surgery to fix it. Member of the 2008-09 Football Leadership Committee.

Plenty more to come including the post-pick word out of Halas Hall.

Be sure to check out ChicagoNow Radio on WGN 720AM on Saturday morning at 11:30 AM Central.  I’ll join hosts Alex Quigley, Amy Guth and fellow ChicagoNow blogger BearsSTH to talk about the Bears’ draft and the upcoming 2010 season.

Wright has good size, strength and toughness for the safety position. He is an instinctive defender that fills the alley quickly versus the run. He is a good open field tackler and can be physical to deliver a big hit. Wright reads route progressions well and is solid leveraging the ball in zone coverage’s. He can be inconsistent to shed blockers and will need to improve in this phase of his game at the next level. Wright doesn’t have great speed or agility which may limit his ability to be effective in zone coverage. Wright is a good football player that wins with toughness, instincts and technique but may lack the pure athleticism to break into a starting roll at the next level.

He could struggle in zone coverage and lacks athleticism?  After reading that, it doesn’t seem like he fits the Bears’ prototype.

Here’s a little preview of what we might expect from our newest Chicago Bear:

Welcome aboard Major and…

BEAR DOWN!!!

Be sure to check out ChicagoNow Radio on WGN 720AM on Saturday morning at 11:30 AM Central.  I’ll join hosts Alex Quigley, Amy Guth and fellow ChicagoNow blogger BearsSTH to talk about the Bears’ draft and the upcoming 2010 season.

There is a feeling in the locker room that the Bears could consider trading one of their linebackers to recoup a draft pick. What a veteran linebacker would bring in return isn’t clear right now. The Bears have seven veteran linebackers and that could be one or two too many after Pisa Tinoisamoa re-signed to compete for the starting job on the strong side.

Biggs goes on to refresh everyone’s memory why that might not be the best idea, especially with an aging group that has been mired with injuries:

Yes, the Bears started last season with six veteran linebackers and it proved to be a good thing when Brian Urlacher and Tinoisamoa combined to miss a total of 29 games.

So who is likely to go?  How about Jamar Williams, who despite strong game when he filled in for Lance Briggs last season, is listed as the 6th linebacker on the Bears’ depth chart.   He’s a nice player to have, but not at the price tag attached to his tender:

He signed his tender worth $1.176 million earlier this week and one source said that move could have been made in anticipation of a trade. That’s a lot of money for a team to pay its sixth linebacker. Williams, a fourth-round pick in 2006, has three career starts and he excelled when given a chance last season. He’s also been one of the core players on special teams. But at some point the Bears need to get younger at linebacker, and Williams is set to make virtually double what he was paid last season.

I only hope that Jerry Angelo has enough time between now and when he pulls the trigger on a potential move to read this post and realize it’s a dumb idea.  Urlacher is getting old and coming off an injury, Pisa has yet to prove that he can stay healthy, Hillenmeyer is serviceable and getting older.  What does that leave you with?  Lance Briggs and Nick Roach.  Have fun with that.

Besides, what could you get for Williams?  A 6th or 7th round pick?  Unless you’re putting a package together to get one of the top remaining safeties, I say stand pat and keep a position of strength strong.

BEAR DOWN!!!

• No matter who they take and when they take him, this will be the player the Bears targeted all along.
• They will be shocked that he fell to them where they drafted.
• They will love his athleticism.
• They will believe that he can contribute immediately.
• They will at least attempt to trade down.  Jerry Angelo likes to hoard draft picks and with only 5 picks, he’ll get an itch.
• Whoever they select may or may not be able to jump out of a swimming pool.
• The Bears will draft a defensive linemen.  They always do.
• They will draft at least one offensive lineman. Because they desperately need one.
• They will get someone for the secondary, but not necessarily a safety in round 3.

We’ll see how I do. For the Bears’ sake, I hope they do better than me.

Stay tuned to Bear Goggles On and the FanSided Sports Network all Draft Weekend for all your draft coverage.

Thanks to my other blog, Fire Lovie Smith, I’ll be on WGN Radio’s ChicagoNow Radio on Saturday morning at 11:30 AM Central to discuss the Bears, the draft and the release of the 2010 schedule.  Check it out!

BEAR DOWN!!!

Here’s a summary of the picks (Bears’ 2010 opponents in bold):

1    Rams    Sam Bradford    QB
2    Lions    Ndamukong Suh    DT
3    Bucs    Gerald McCoy    DT
4    Redskins    Trent Williams    OT
5    Chiefs    Eric Berry    SS
6    Seahawks    Russell Okung    OT
7    Browns    Joe Haden    CB
8    Raiders    Rolando McClain    LB
9    Bills    C.J. Spiller    RB
10    Jaguars    Tyson Alualu    DE

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