Bears Blitz

Published by Aaron on April 26, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

LAKE FOREST, Ill.—The ever-taxing task of attempting to figure out what exactly is going on in the mind of Chicago Bears General Manager, Jerry Angelo, continued on Saturday during the 2009 NFL Draft.

After making one of the biggest off-season acquisitions in the entire league—trading for quarterback Jay Cutler—and doing just about everything possible to help bolster the offensive line, the Bears’ first draft choice seemed relatively obvious: get Cutler a receiver.

The Bears gave up their first-round pick to get Cutler, but when their turn came in the second round at No. 49 overall, they whiffed.

Pick after pick, Georgia receiver Mohamed Massaquoi remained on the board and was just begging to hear his name called. Instead, the Wizard of Flaws traded the pick to Seattle for a third and a fourth round pick.

It was the first time the Bears did not make a selection on the first day of the draft since 1978 and the third time in franchise history. According to Angelo, he didn’t like the team’s chances of landing an impact guy at that point in the draft. So quickly he must have forgotten that Matt Forte was selected at No. 44 overall one year ago.

It’s possible that Angelo can hit on something decent in the third round and beyond, but history shows that success hasn’t exactly been on his side in terms of hitting on draft picks. Most of them never even see the field.

For example, Mike Haas showed plenty of promise when he was given the opportunity but was never given a fair shot. Sure, Angelo has hit on some offensive players like Forte and Greg Olsen, but the chances aren’t favorable.

The good news is, the Bears have the fourth pick on Sunday and can hopefully pick up a quality receiver like Brandon Tate out of North Carolina, Demetrius Byrd from LSU, Penn State’s Derrick Williams, or even Patrick Turner from USC.

Turner probably isn’t too high on many people’s draft boards, but he’s a big receiver at 6-5 and has been playing in a college program run like a pro organization.

Getting a quality receiver and some help in the defensive backfield should be enough to keep Angelo in good graces with Bears fans.

The management in Chicago obviously isn’t too concerned about listening to the critics and generally does a good job of staying on course with the direction it thinks is best for the organization.

Angelo received a bit of criticism on the national level from analysts who thought he gave up too much for Cutler. Keep in mind, these were the same guys that forever berated Angelo and the Bears for not doing anything at all to solidify the quarterback position.

Fans in Chicago saw it differently and they are still giddy about their new signal caller.

But having Cutler lining up under center isn’t going to guarantee a Super Bowl ring. It isn’t even going to win the Bears a division title.

Cutler is definitely a franchise quarterback, or at least the closest Chicago has had in quite some time, but he is only one piece of the puzzle.