Bears turned down the Skins trade offer....

[BuckPack]

Let me get this straight, the Bears were getting the #6 pick in the draft for Briggs and the #30 and they turned THAT down? Briggs is a very good player, but he's only a Pro Bowl LB who played alongside the most talented D in the NFL and is far from irreplaceable at a replaceable position. He wants to leave and instead of giving yourself the opportunity of getting one of the best, if not the best, defensive player in this draft, you hold onto him in hopes of a) a better deal or b) that he'll return??? Is that nuts to anyone else? That Packers only got a 2nd round pick for Javon Walker and he's a skill position player at a position of significant need for the team (not LB with the Bears)! The bears were moving up 24 spots in the first round! They could have had any one of the following: Landry, Anderson, Adams, Branch and offensively: Peterson, Quinn, Brown etc. And if they didn't like the guys at 6, they could have moved down into the mid first, taken somebody like Patrick Willis to fill the Briggs hole and picked up another #2. Dumb. I hope this comes back to bite the Bears in the a$$.

[ReasonablySober]

Ha, we posted threads on the same subject only a minute apart.

[Neusch23]

Yeah, but this IS the bears we are talking about.

You should see what they are saying on the thread on the Bulls page. The first one was locked because bears fans started flaming each other.

It was bad.

[Neusch23]

looks like we need to merge some threads!

good job people, all thinking alike!

[ReasonablySober]

This is the one getting replies so I'll just quote what I wrote in my thread:

Would you trade the #16 for Briggs?

I ask, because that happens to be the exact value of pick that makes up the difference in moving from #31 to #6, or 1000 points.

The deal appears to be dead on both sides. Still, I found it interesting.

Briggs is a hell of a linebacker. I think he's a touch overrated simply because I've heard to him referred to as the best of the three LBs on Chicago's team by NFL men on Sirius. That's overdoing it.

But is there any doubt he's going to be better than any player that you'll find in the middle of the first round?

When you think of it that way, I guess it's understandable why Chicago wants a bit more.

[BuckPack]

hahah...DB, I just saw what you wrote....no, I wouldn't trade the #16 simply b/c we took Hawk last year and I don't think you need to invest that kind of cash into the LB position (Barnett, Hawk and Briggs...scary thought-both on the field and in the pocket book). But you only play 3 LB's no more than 40% of the time (don't know the exct #'s), so I don't think you're gettin enough bang for your buck.

If the Pack had drafted Vernon Davis last year instead, then I would consider it for sure. Ultimately, b/c of the offensive talent projected to be there at 16 I'd prolly turn it down, but I'd be a helluva lot more likely to pull the trigger.

[ReasonablySober]

Let me get this straight, the Bears were getting the #6 pick in the draft for Briggs and the #30 and they turned THAT down? Briggs is a very good player, but he's only a Pro Bowl LB who played alongside the most talented D in the NFL and is far from irreplaceable at a replaceable position. He wants to leave and instead of giving yourself the opportunity of getting one of the best, if not the best, defensive player in this draft, you hold onto him in hopes of a) a better deal or b) that he'll return??? Is that nuts to anyone else? That Packers only got a 2nd round pick for Javon Walker and he's a skill position player at a position of significant need for the team (not LB with the Bears)! The bears were moving up 24 spots in the first round! They could have had any one of the following: Landry, Anderson, Adams, Branch and offensively: Peterson, Quinn, Brown etc. And if they didn't like the guys at 6, they could have moved down into the mid first, taken somebody like Patrick Willis to fill the Briggs hole and picked up another #2. Dumb. I hope this comes back to bite the Bears in the a$$.

Whoever they would have gotten at #6 would have had to have been a legit Pro-Bowler pretty early in his career to make the deal worth it. Briggs is a good one and is still only 26.

[James1980]

How dumb are they? That trade was such a good deal for them. I like Briggs, but he doesn't want to play there and there will be a good player available at 6.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6640430?MSNHPHMA

[ReasonablySober]

The only way I make this deal if I'm the Bears is if I'm sure the guy I want is there at #6.

Joe Thomas won't be. Neither will Calvin Johnson. There's a good chance Quinn won't be either. Those are three positions that I think would fill the greatest needs for the Bears. After that you've got Peterson, but they already drafted their franchise RB. They don't need DEs so Adams and Anderson are out. Willis is an inside linebacker. Branch is dropping like a rock because of his conditioning and propensity to take plays off, and Akoye is redundant next to Harris. The only guy I think that fits would be someone like Landry, but they also have Daniel Manning and could simply sit tight at #31 and take one of Nelson, Meriwether or Griffin.

[BuckPack]

The only way I make this deal if I'm the Bears is if I'm sure the guy I want is there at #6.

Joe Thomas won't be. Neither will Calvin Johnson. There's a good chance Quinn won't be either. Those are three positions that I think would fill the greatest needs for the Bears. After that you've got Peterson, but they already drafted their franchise RB. They don't need DEs so Adams and Anderson are out. Willis is an inside linebacker. Branch is dropping like a rock because of his conditioning and propensity to take plays off, and Akoye is redundant next to Harris. The only guy I think that fits would be someone like Landry, but they also have Daniel Manning and could simply sit tight at #31 and take one of Nelson, Meriwether or Griffin.

Agreed with Johnson, Thomas, Quinn, Okoye and a brain fart on Willis. I think Adams would be an upgrade at DE as I don't see Anderson as anything more than pass rush specialist. Adams would definitely help in relieving some of the double teams that Harris has to face night in and night out. I don't think Benson is anywhere near the prospect of Peterson, so I think he would be a clear and distinct upgrade there. But, if Peterson actually did fell, and the Bears decided that Benson would be fine, then they'd have the ability to move that pick for a team that wanted PEterson but didn't think he'd last (see Buffalo). They could pick up an extra #2 to spend on a WR in round 2.

Landry, obviously would be an ugrade, but I think the fact that they also just traded for Archuletta is playing a role in their hesitation. Meriweather and Griffin could be around at #31, so that is also a possibility.

But in the end, if Briggs is really adamant abotu not returning, then I don't see any justification for turning this deal down. You're not going to get a better deal out there than this one, regardless of what you think of the impact of the rookies. I'd rather have Peterson and move Benson for a #2 (or the trade down scenario I described above) than Briggs sitign out the season, that's for sure.

[Neusch23]

The only way I make this deal if I'm the Bears is if I'm sure the guy I want is there at #6.

Joe Thomas won't be. Neither will Calvin Johnson. There's a good chance Quinn won't be either. Those are three positions that I think would fill the greatest needs for the Bears. After that you've got Peterson, but they already drafted their franchise RB. They don't need DEs so Adams and Anderson are out. Willis is an inside linebacker. Branch is dropping like a rock because of his conditioning and propensity to take plays off, and Akoye is redundant next to Harris. The only guy I think that fits would be someone like Landry, but they also have Daniel Manning and could simply sit tight at #31 and take one of Nelson, Meriwether or Griffin.

Great point. They need a QB, and I have a feeling that the top 2 will be gone by then....They would need to package the 6th pick, and make ANOTHER move to make something happen.

[BuckPack]

Also, I'm not sure that I'm buying all of this stuff that Quinn is going to go in the top 3. He isn't going at 4 and 5, so he better be going to Detroit or Cleveland, and I wouldn't be surprised to see either one of those teams pass on Quinn or move out of the top 5. If Detroit goes Joe Thomas and Cleveland takes Peterson, the Bears would get Quinn.

Quinn or Peterson is better than a po'ed Lance Briggs, IMO.

[ReasonablySober]

Jones was the offensive MVP and they moved him because of all the money they're paying Benson. They have to play him.

Now, Quinn would scare me. I don't think he's the next Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer, but I do think he'll be a good one. I like him a lot more than Russell.

Would I trade Briggs for Quinn if I'm Chicago? In a heart beat. I just don't think Chicago would. When this deal was being thrown around, I heard a lot of NFL insiders say that there was absolutely no chance, at all, that Chicago would go near Quinn because of how much they've stuck by Grossman.

I think it's stupid, but what do I know...

[Ruben Douglas]

How dumb are they? That trade was such a good deal for them. I like Briggs, but he doesn't want to play there and there will be a good player available at 6.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6640430?MSNHPHMA

You also have to remember that the Bears will have to pay the #6 pick around the same garunteed money it would take to sign Briggs to a long term deal. The question is do the Bears think they could trade down from 6 and do they think there is a legit play maker at #6 that is the same quality as Briggs. I think they are just holding out to try and get a LB as well from the Redskins.