Logan Mankins Can Help Bears Upgrade the O-Line
Published by Jimmy Mac on August 6, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Two-time Pro Bowl Guard Logan Mankins has requested a trade from the New England Patriots due to he and the team still being unable to reach a satisfactory contractual agreement.
The Patriots show no sign of giving into Mankins’ demands, which supposedly would exceed $7 million per year. Mankins, however, shows no signs of backing down either. He has skipped training camp thus far.
The Patriots are in bad shape at the position after Nick Kaczur, his replacement, went down with a recent injury; and the Patriots are rotating Dan Connelly and Ryan Wendell in and out of the position desperately trying to find a solid solution.
However, the Patriots have always kept their “no player is bigger than the team” attitude and look to stay on that path in this situation as well, and have been disregarding Mankins’ absence when questioned about it by the media.
If the situation remains status quo, a trade is inevitable… and guess who happens to need help on the offensive line?
The Chicago Bears.
Offensive line coach Mike Tice should be pushing Angelo to do whatever possible to make this move, as it would improve the Bears offensive line. This is crucial in a Mike Martz offense that relies on former Pro Bowl QB, Jay Cutler, remaining upright.
Mankins has been largely responsible for keeping Tom Brady on his feet the past five seasons, and is easily one of the best guards in the game. He would be an excellent addition to the Bears offensive line and what’s more… the Bears may have a key trading piece in order to pry him away from the Patriots.
Tight End Greg Olsen was involved in possible trade talks with the Patriots earlier in the off-season, and New England could still use the versatile tight end. And regardless of how highly you may think of Olsen as a Bears fan, the fact still remains that the tight end position is not a key asset in the Martz offense, and the Bears aren’t exactly hurting at the position with veteran Desmond Clark and the young Kellen Davis on board.
The Bears could offer Greg Olsen packaged with some mid-round draft picks. Both teams would be filling obvious needs while unloading players that may not impact their team this upcoming season.
After allowing only one sack on his way to a pro bowl in 2008, Mankins was a major player on a line that allowed only 16 total sacks of Tom Brady (career best) in 2009 on the way to his second pro bowl appearance.
After becoming a restricted free agent at the end of last season, Mankins was tendered at the highest possible level by the Patriots, $3.26 million. Mankins refused to sign the tender and skipped out on all Patriots workouts, which lead the Patriots to lower his tender offer to $1.54 million. Angered by the treatment from a team he had contributed so much to, Mankins has requested a trade.
The Chicago Bears would be smart to answer the call. Or perhaps they feel better with Frank Omiyale on the line, who has had multiple false start issues during camp. He has been completely outplayed by the newly acquired DE Julius Peppers.
Jerry Angelo… pick up the phone.
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