NFL Draft 2011: Chicago Bears Draft, Free Agency and the End of the World
Published by Brian Marchetti on April 18, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears fell one game short of the Super Bowl last season.
As a result, the 2011 NFL draft may serve as one of the most significant in team history.
Fans and experts alike predict and suggest the Bears use their first, first-round draft pick in two years to shore up a weak offensive line.
By all accounts, the talent will most likely remain for the Bears to recruit a solid offensive tackle when the 29th pick rolls around.
The later rounds can be used to grab some much needed talent at the wide receiver position and perhaps a cornerback or a defensive tackle to compliment Julius Peppers.
But is the draft the best way to remedy their problems?
Free agency may serve as the Bears’ best tool to keep the team competitive in 2011.
Veterans come with less risk, cost and may be attracted to a team on the verge of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Since Jerry Angelo took the position of general manager in 2001, the Bears have fared much better in the free agent market than the draft.
Sacrificing two first-round draft picks to get Jay Cutler seemed a bit steep to some fans and sports writers. However, when the facts are fully considered, it was the right move.
So many talented college quarterbacks fail in the NFL.
Accurately predicting a quarterback that comes from the collegiate level to the NFL seems more a game of chance than science.
There are exceptions, of course.
Peyton Manning, anyone?
Regardless, the Bears acquired a franchise quarterback—perhaps the best they’ve had since Sid Luckman, without the benefit of the draft.
Cutler proved his worth in Denver, and with a bit of unease here and there, has proven himself in Chicago.
Therefore, even if the Bears ignore all of our wonderful advice and decide against taking an offensive lineman in the first round, it might not bring the apocalypse to Halas Hall.
The one variable that remains in all of this is the NFL lockout.
The affect it’s had and is having on free agency cannot and will not be known until it is all resolved.
As of this writing, it remains to be seen if there will even be a 2011 season.
Considering all the facts, the NFL draft remains terribly important, but not the be-all, end-all of the Bears’ future.
Until the team takes the field for the first time in September of 2011, or November, or even 2012, the full impact of draft day decisions and free agent wheeling and dealings will remain a mystery.
If the team fails, however, Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith may have to find work elsewhere.
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