Mariotti: QB-phobic Bears headed for a crash

[SportsWorld]

Here's a shocker, Mariotti hated our draft!
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mariotti ... 08.article

The Bears, I'm convinced, are playing a different game than the other 31 NFL franchises. They're involved in some sort of gonzo science experiment to prove they don't need a quarterback to win a Super Bowl. The draft came and went without any legitimate new blood at the position, which completes an offseason in which they didn't feel compelled to acquire a serious passer.

So, as a hermetically sealed door slams on a one-and-done Super Bowl run, Halas Hall enters 2008 with Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton and an undrafted free agent who will clutch a clipboard and scan the sidelines for Belichickian spies. If that isn't enough to make you physically ill, their stubborn refusal to draft a quarterback over the weekend -- passing on possible rookie starters Chad Henne and Brian Brohm in the second round and the development-friendly likes of John David Booty, Josh Johnson, Dennis Dixon and Andre Woodson on Sunday -- means no one is in place to potentially groom for the future.

If you'd like to submit Nick Hill of Southern Illinois, signed Sunday evening, it's your life. But it seems the Bears are a bit late on research regarding in-state directional schools, having missed on an Eastern Illinois kid in 2003. You may have heard of Tony Romo, either from game highlights or gossip blogs.

And to think we began the winter actually wondering if they might trade for Donovan McNabb or Derek Anderson. Now, you almost hope the Bears slip-slide to 3-13 territory, earning them an invite to the Tim Tebow draft party next April. All of this could have been avoided, please realize, had general manager Jerry Angelo signed ready-made running back Michael Turner in free agency, which wouldn't have forced him to select Matt Forte with the 44th choice, which would have yielded him a quarterback at that spot instead of letting Brohm go to the Packers and Henne to the Dolphins.

[natedog125]

Well I hate Mariotti but some of what he said is what I sure was hoping would have happened. Sign Turner and get one of the QBs.

Gotta like how he say Belichicken or whatever it was haha.

[CjayC]

Blech.

This was a terrible draft for QB's.

In the later rounds,besides Josh Johnson,Andre Woodson,and maybe Paul Smith,no QB's were worth any picks this year.I'm speaking as in franchise QB's.Other than Johnson,and Woodson I don't see any QB in this draft as Franchise material.I especially don't see a rookie QB leading this team anywhere

If we suck that bad this year if it comes down to it,there will always be QB's(Potentially better one's)in next year's draft.

Picking a QB would have been cute,but where exactly are the Colt Brennan's of the world going to lead us?

If we ever made it to the point where we had somebody like Colt Brennan starting games for us,you know that the season was pretty much in the *****er by that point.

Since we have established that if we suck next year,and the season will be over if a rookie QB ever suits up for the Bears this season(Barring injury),instead of settling for the extremely crappy leftovers in this draft such as Brennan and Matt Flynt,why not wait until next year and get a higher rated prospect if it comes down to it?

[Ruben Douglas]

I'm really starting to think that Angelo is scared to draft a QB after what happened to Rex. There were no QB's available this off season so he decided to give rex one more shot. Next off season I'd be willing to bet that we'll see QB's like McNabb available along with Derek Anderson.

I'd be willing to bet that the Bears go out and sign a QB that gets cut...no way can a team like the Buccaneers keep 6 QB's on their roster...(someone other than Griese). That or maybe they make a trade for a QB like Beck from Miami. Who knows, it'll make for an interesting season if Grossman and Orton get hurt, though.

[CjayC]

I don't think so.

This year was just simply not a year for QB's.

For comparison's sake if you put Kyle Orton coming out his Senior year in this draft,no doubt in my mind with his tools he would have probably been a 2nd rounder(Orton went in the 4th round in his draft).

With a team that has emphasis on running the ball there is no way I would have passed up on Matt Forte a potentially franchise RB(It's being reported that with Benson's already two major season ending injuries,he most likely will never be able to make the kind of cuts he did before the injuries[not like he was making many anyways]),for Chad Henne and Brian Brohm that probably would have averaged out a lot worse had they came out in Orton's draft for example.

[bobsampson]

Marriotti is such a idiot.. He acts like we're supposed to be all pissed off cause we didnt get some mediocore qb to groom for the future... I do agree with that if we suck really bad cause of our qb's this year then we should take one with our top pick next year...
Im expecting(hoping really ) Grossman or Orton to step up

[CBS7]

Shut up, Mariotti.

Man, I really, really hope Grossman can have at least a semi decent season this year just to prove the haters wrong. I don't have any special like for the guy or anything, but still. Its getting annoying how everyone everywhere makes it seem that our only need is QB.

We had other needs, (OL/WR/RB) and by the time those needs were taken care of there were no QBs really worth taking. Sure, I would have loved to see taking Woodson in round 6 instead of a DE or LB or whatever, but there was a reason he dropped that far, and he probably will never become a quality NFL QB.

I really hate it when people say negative things no matter what.

[Howling Mad]

Orton was a legit passer out of Purdue. He started the 2004 season ahead of Matt Lienert, who eventually won the Hiesman, and 2003 winner, Jason White, who was a legit candidate all the way to the award ceremony, almost winning two in a row.

Look at these Gawdy numbers!

Code: Select all

Year ▴     Age     College/Univ     G     Cmp     Att     Yds     TD     Int     Y/A     Cmp%     Rate     Y/G 2004     22     purdue     11     236     389     3090     31     5     7.9     60.7     151.1     280.9

In this draft he would've been in the first round, easy.

If it wasn't for a bunch of injuries during his 04 season, his senior campaign, he would've been at the least a second round pick.

His injuries caused him to lose his starting job to a semi revolving door of QBs, boy that sounds familiar!

Anyways, I lost faith in Orton after he didn't prove to succeed in 2007. He had some chances, sparingly, but he had some chances, and never shined.

[CBS7]

Unfortunately I have to say Orton did better overall in the 3 games he played then Grossman and Griese did overall last year.

[Howling Mad]

gosh darnit I dont' know why the code tags don't work on the Bears board, they work ont he Cubs board.



He started 04 with a 5-0 record, 18 TDs and no INTs, I think he was pretty close to a 70% clip, then the injuries came.

Here's his stats if you wanna peak, or are just confused by the coding...

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/p ... toKy00.htm

[CjayC]

See what I mean.

That's a talent that slipped for a legitimate reason(injury).

The QB's in this draft just aren't all that special.

Like you said Orton could have potentiall been 1st round in that draft,and he probably would have been 1st round this draft with those numbers.Brian Brohm has an injury tag on him now,and he still went 2nd round.Orton who only got injured that 1 year slipped to the 4th,but some team probably would have taken him late 1st or early 2nd even with the injury.

I know we need a QB,but not at the expense of just any old player such as Matt Flynt or Colt Brennan being shoved down our throat.

Those guys wouldn't make much of a difference either.I don't think many rookies do.So with that said,if they suck it up again at QB this year expect another project at Bears QB selected within the first two rounds

[Howling Mad]

I never understood why Orton didn't get a fair chance after he was semi-solid his rookie year.

He was asked to manage, keep TO's down, and he succeeded to a very very respectable record.

Then we threw him on the bench to rot, for Rex. A move I think Angelo made to protect his sorry butt on his offensive picks.

It wouldn't have looked good to go with a 4th rounder instead of your 1st rounder, but hey conventional wisdom doesn't exist in politics.

I still think Kyle is the legit QB candadite over Rex, but I doubt he sees the light of day behind Kreutz.

No wonder pictures of him binge drinking started showing up. If someone fired me from my job, and replaced me with some incompetent fella, I'd probably feel like crap too. Crap enough to drink all the time. Wait, woops I do that without feeling like crap!

[SportsWorld]

gosh darnit I dont' know why the code tags don't work on the Bears board, they work ont he Cubs board.

It could just be the way Pro Football Reference sets up their stats.

[Howling Mad]

-= original quote snipped =-


It could just be the way Pro Football Reference sets up their stats.

I tried everything I could... o'well. I put the link up.

[TNBT]

I really don't get this article. He makes a fuss about how we don't have a franshise QB. OK, I'll agree with that. What does that have to do with this draft though? Unless I missed someone, there wasn't a franchise QB available, especially by the time our pick came around.

We had bigger needs than QB, and with no real franchise QB available, I think it was smart to use our picks on filling our other offensive needs.

[blumeany]

My prediction: If Orton shaves off that (Please Use More Appropriate Word) beard of his, he will be the starting QB. That is seriously the only thing holding him back from passing up Grossman.

[dougthonus]

So, as a hermetically sealed door slams on a one-and-done Super Bowl run,

Yes, if only we had drafted a rookie QB that would not play, then the super bowl window would have opened up again!

[CBS7]

I really do wish we signed Michael Turner though so we could have used the 2nd rounder on an OG or WR, or even a QB.

We really solved no problems in FA, in fact just created a new hole at WR. The draft was good, but the offseason was terrible.

[BR0D1E86]

Brohm in round 2 was the way to go. The difference between the 2nd round running backs and somebody like Chauncey Washington in the 6th wasn

[SWIFTSLICK]

Why anyone cares what Mariotti says is beyond me. He's scum much like the rest of his sports media brethren.