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At 23 the Bears could have traded into the 1st with their 2nd rounder and their early 3rd rounder.

I believe JA did not want to because he did not want to send the wrong message to Ced. Too bad Ced don't care.

I believe Forte will be decent but not a Mendenhall back.

I see Benson getting cut before the season starts and hopefully Forte will be the no 1 and we can see what Wolfe can do as the no 2

I agree that getting Mendenhall would have been nice, but we needed help on the OL firstly. We could have drafted Walter Payton, but with no OL it wouldn't make a difference who we had at RB.

Big Thing's got it right, we did need O-line real real bad, although... Walter Payton would've been the exception to that rule! We could've had Ditka blocking all 5 opposing OL, and he could've done that from the sidelines.

Honestly, Mendenhall would've been nice. I love the hometown drama story, but if we had passed on the LT available when our pick was up, it would've been suicide.

By the time our second round pick came most of the left side OL guys were gone.

After Dallas' surprise pick in Felix Jones, then the Steeler value pick in Mendenhall, the Titans realized they might not have any choosing in RB left in the later rounds so they picked up speedy Chris Johnson to pair up with Lendale White.

When our second round pick was up, most of the RB were gone(Stewart, Jone, Mendenhall, Johnson), which led to an early RB pick in Forte.

I predicted Forte as our third or fourth round pick, but with the surprise flurry of RB picks in the late first round our hand was forced. Otherwise after this BWI incident with Benson, we'd be screaming our heads off for Angelo to get axed 'cause he didn't pick up a legit RB.

Yeah, I guess I wouldn't have been too upset if we drafted Walter.

The OP said we should have traded our 2nd rounder and 3rd rounder up to get Mendenhall. I wouldn't have been opposed to that.

Also, there really is no way in hell that Benson gets cut this offseason, unless something absolutely crazy happens. And getting a BUI isn't crazy enough.

CBS7 wrote:The OP said we should have traded our 2nd rounder and 3rd rounder up to get Mendenhall. I wouldn't have been opposed to that.

That would've been great. It's not like we needed Bennett that bad.

Williams + Mendenhall > Williams + Forte + Bennett, ICLO.

Call me crazy but maybe Angelo had similar grades for Mendenhall and Forte. If that's the case, why trade up and lose a pick in the process?

Honestly, I think you guys are overrating Mendenhall. I know how nice it would be for a hometown guy to be our next RB, but I don't get how some of you are so in love with him. He had only 1 great season at Illinois. And even though he did really well against the "NFL ready" USC... I dont think he's showed enough to be that back that we trade to get.

Don't forget JJ Arrington had as much hype as Mendenhall did, and look at how hes done in Arizona.

CBS7 wrote:The OP said we should have traded our 2nd rounder and 3rd rounder up to get Mendenhall.

Woops, sorry Chi town, I completely overlooked that.

Even then, there is no chance the Bears trade up for a running back, especially in the first round, and especially after the Cedric Benson pick (pre BWI).

Cliff Levingston wrote:Williams + Mendenhall > Williams + Forte + Bennett, ICLO.

This is arguable.

I loved Mendenhall and wished we could've found a way to get him. Realisticly, as mentioned above, the trade up by the Bears was unrealistic!

Mendenhall and Forte's combine numbers were pretty equal. Their body types are both NFL ready and are also almost identical. Mendenhall had one good year on a powerful offensive team that went to the Rose bowl(can't forget the Juice!), and also backed up Pierre Thomas for a couple years, who went undrafted.

Forte was THE guy at Tulane for 4 years. He exploded his senior season rushing for over 2000 yards. The first 3 years he split time with other RBs (rushing for a respectable 650ish yards in 04 and 05, then 850+ in 06), but he's a proven workhorse. (I know sounds like Benson...but he's not.)

I'm sure Mendenhall will have some success with the Steelers because they are a team that emphasizes the offensive line as their strength. Also playing with Rothlisberger and co will help tremendously.

In the end I think what will be the deciding factor is the surrounding pieces.

It would not have been worth it to give up a pick to move up and get Mendenhall.

Bennett could end up being a very solid, consistent, possesion receiver.

The same Mendenhall who was so injured he couldn't participate in mini-camp.

I'd say we're all going to regret being happy with waiting until Rd2 for our RB if Mendenhall explodes but since he's going to be stuck behind "Fast" Willie Parker, I feel somewhat safe. For now.

I can't help but think if Mendenhall was worth the pick, the Lions surely wouldn't have passed on him for Cherilus. He slid for a reason.

FORTE OR BUST. If our line is in place (big IF), we're going to be happy with the guy we picked.

I'll like to also point out Iceness pointed out the pick was Forte like...two weeks before the draft even took place in his I think 6.0 or 5.0 draft so management was pretty sold on the kid's ability a long time ago/

This whole thread is based on the false premise that Pittsburgh would have traded down which they have already said they were not willing to do if Mendenhall was there.

Mendenhall should be an outstanding player but honestly who cares. I just don't get how fans are still fooled by great running backs. All fans want these great backs but in reality success in the NFL as far as the running game goes is based on offensive line play.

Benson would be very productive behind a good offensive line and so would/will Forte. If our line play improves our running game will be good no matter who the back is and the fans will begin to overrate that player immediately.

I'll agree that Benson would be very productive behind a good o-line but I think Forte will bring more to the table :

1- blocking
2- receiving
3- ability to make second level of defenders miss

All of these things have little to nothing to do with the quality of the offensive line in front of him though I'll agree Forte will never make it to that second level of defenders in the first place if the line doesn't create the initial hole for him. And should Forte not hold out and avoid getting arrested multiple times, he'll have yet another leg up on Benson.

I'm basing this on nothing more than scouting reports and the highlight clips I've seen, of course. Can't say I watched a whole lot of Green Wave games last season.

Sure, we've got to get our motley offensive line in order - I'm just saying that even if it doesn't progress from last year Forte still looks to be an upgrade.

And I think Chicago might be too tough for Mendenhall anyway....

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/illinois/chi-mendenhall-robbery-web-may06,1,2052580.story

Former Illini star Rashard Mendenhall robbed in Chicago

Running back drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers recently returned from rookie camp

Former University of Illinois running back and recent Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint along the Chicago lakefront early Monday morning, police and a relative said.

A male and a female were robbed around 2 a.m. Monday by two offenders near 39th Street and Lake Shore Drive, police spokesman John Mirabelli said. Nobody was hurt in the incident, and no one is in custody for the armed robbery, Mirabelli said.

Mendenhall's mother, Sybil, confirmed that her son had been robbed at that location Monday morning and that the robbers had taken his wallet and cell phone.

"He didn't get hit or anything, he didn't get hurt or anything," Sybil Mendenhall said Monday. "He's fine."

Rashard Mendenhall had recently returned from his first mini-camp with the Steelers, who drafted him with the 23rd pick. The running back, who attended Niles West High School in Skokie, entered the NFL draft after a junior season in which he helped Illinois to its first Rose Bowl since 1984.

Mendenhall grew up in Chicago. I guess you would have beat the **** out of the guy with the gun?

TylerB wrote:Mendenhall grew up in Chicago. I guess you would have beat the **** out of the guy with the gun?

At the very least.

I agree with the general opinion here that Mendenhall isn't that much better than Forte to warrant giving up multiple picks to get him. I'm happy with the guys we got.