Day: March 4, 2016

Patrick Finley at the Chicago Sun-Times catches up with linebacker Lamarr Houston:

“After he completed his comeback season but before he went overseas to train — in Turkey, of all places — Lamarr Houston met with his Bears bosses.

“‘They were very happy what I did, and they were very impressed and pleased, especially coming off the [knee} surgery,’ Houston said this week. ‘They were encouraged and they’re looking forward to next year — in starting to develop our game plan, to build throughout the offseason and have a final product at the beginning of the season.

“‘It’s really encouraging and exciting.'”

I’m glad the Bears are being patient with Houston. Given that his salary isn’t guaranteed, there’s no reason to rush to make a decision to keep him on the roster next year or let him go.

Although they often came in garbage time when the whole stadium knew that the other team had to pass from behind, Houston finished strong with seven sacks in the last nine weeks of the season. Given that these knee injuries often take a year to fully heal, there’s a reasonable chance that Houston will be very productive this year and it’s to the Bears advantage to keep him around and see what he looks like.

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune answers yet another of your questions:

“With the draft being so deep on the defensive line, do you think Ryan Pace is hoping to potentially move down from No. 11 to get more picks?

“Unless you are sitting at the top of the draft like the Titans, I don’t know that you look to the draft saying, ‘What can we possibly do to trade down and add picks?’ Yes, the draft is deep on defensive linemen but at the same time the Bears roster is thin on playmakers and trading down in the first round is going to make it more difficult to land an impact player. Yes, you would pick up some additional picks later in the draft but the Bears need quality, impact players that are ready to start. If Pace likes a cluster of players that could be available around No. 11, I think for sure he would consider moving down a few slots.”

I think every team looks to trade down if the situation if right. What makes it difficult is that you need another team that wants to trade up. That’s why it’s tough to engineer these kinds of trades, especially in the first round. Another team has to fall in love with one player to the point that they are willing to give up draft picks to get him. Most smart teams know that, ordinarily, doing that is a mistake and some GMs train themselves to actively avoid the tendency, letting the draft “come to them” and taking what’s available when their turn pops up.

I don’t see a player that’s so good that another GM couldn’t resist trading up being available at number 11 when the Bears pick. I’d be surprised if they trade down.

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune answers your questions:

“How do you see Bears allocating their money in free agency in terms of positions? — @VIP0122

“I think you’re best looking at free agency as a puzzle where general manager Ryan Pace is seeking the best combination of players. It’s not how much money they’re going to sink into each position but what kind of collection of players they can add at a variety of positions – defensive line, linebacker, cornerback, safety, right guard and tight end (in no particular order)… You’re looking for a package of players when it’s all said and done and the process is going to be very fluid.”

I’m going to say that the answer to this question is simple. As Biggs says, it’s not the amount of money at each position. They’re going to look at the list of free agents as a whole and shop for value. the determining factor is going to be money for projected performance regardless of position.

I wouldn’t be looking for the Bears to break the bank on anyone but the only real restriction I see will be age – I can’t imagine they’ll be shelling out much money over multiple years for any player over the age of 30. That makes no sense when you are a long way from a Super Bowl. But dollars per position probably won’t be a factor.