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13 Mar 2012

Bears Trade for Brandon Marshall

Jay Glazer with some big unexpected news, reporting the Bears have acquired wide receiver Brandon Marshall from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for two third-round picks. Apparently the reports out of Chicago that the Bears were not the favorites for Vincent Jackson were on the money.

Marshall of course has a fairly successful history with Jay Cutler when they were in Denver together, and also fits Chicago's need for a big wide receiver. I have no idea what this means for Miami's pursuit of a shiny new quarterback.

Posted by: Tom Gower on 13 Mar 2012

87 comments, Last at 16 Mar 2012, 9:52am by Mr Shush

Comments

15
by BucNasty :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:47pm

I think it absolutely kills it, at least as far as Peyton's concerned. In fact, I think this strongly suggests that he's already shot them down.

26
by Kanguru (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 5:30pm

It's actually a sales pitch to Peyton, who apparently wants no part of Brandon Marshall.

1
by Will Allen :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:09pm

The Bears oughta' go all in, sign Mario Williams, and try to win a trophy like the 02' Bucs, except with a good passer/receiver combo. Have Tice get rid of the 7 step drops, maybe get a decent tight end option, keep Cutler healthy, and pressure the hell out of opposing qbs.

3
by tuluse :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:13pm

I like it

9
by MC2 :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:24pm

...maybe get a decent tight end option...

Dallas Clark seems like a good (albeit risky) option for a team with a "win now" mindset.

14
by Independent George :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:46pm

Can they afford Carl Nicks?

28
by Will Allen :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 5:48pm

Not if they sign Mario Williams, it seems likely to me, and I think Williams makes them more formidable.

35
by Independent George :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 7:11pm

If they could sign two above-average guards plus Mario Williams, I'd agree with you - but the really, really, really need to shore up that OL before adding to an already good (but no longer great) defense.

40
by Texans56 (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 8:07pm

You people apparently have never seen Mario Williams play,oh wait thats right you have not because he is always hurt. LOL

52
by Anonymous wtf (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 11:47pm

I don't understand the joke, he's played all 16 games every year for the past four years and dominated.

56
by someguy (not verified) :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 2:29am

Er, no. 5 games in 2011 and 13 in 2010. Whether 9 sacks in 16 games in 2009 constitutes domination is debatable, but we know for certain that he hasn't played a full season since then.

25
by tuluse :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 5:11pm

I don't think Clark would actually be a very good fit for the Bears.

85
by LionInAZ :: Fri, 03/16/2012 - 12:27am

I'd say that Dallas Clark would be a pretty poor option for the Bears. My feeling is that they should get a TE who can actually block to make up for their OL deficiencies. Kellen Davis doesn't look like that kind of TE right now, and everyone else they've tried recently hasn't worked out either.

87
by Mr Shush :: Fri, 03/16/2012 - 9:52am

They should look at Joel Dreessen. He's a good (though not great) blocker, a useful pass catcher, and wouldn't cost too much. The Texans probably have bigger fish to fry right now, but I'd like to see him back in Houston if no one else is willing to give him starting money (which I'm inclined to think someone should).

13
by DisplacedPackerFan :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:46pm

I've been worried about them going after Williams, since well I'm a Packers fan, and Williams and Peppers both can play the run, they aren't just pass rushers, they both alter schemes.

They also resigned Tim Jennings, and the secondary was starting to look thin if they didn't bring him back. They are still in position to get a potential starter for the o-line in the draft as well.

Don't like any of this as a Packers fan. Don't want those games against them to get harder. :)

33
by Kal :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 6:12pm

Williams has been historically fairly bad against the run.

58
by Mr Shush :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 6:36am

I'm mostly just going off my own impressions here, but I have seen almost every game of Williams' NFL career, and I would say he's a pretty decent run defender. Not spectacular, but better than most comparable pass-rushers.

2
by Eddo :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:11pm

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

4
by Eddo :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:13pm

In all seriousness, I'm a fan as Marshall as a receiver. Particularly with a good QB getting him the ball.

He's not the best in the league, but he's the exact type of guy the Bears need. A big receiver that demands constant attention from defenders.

Obviously, he has some off-the-field stuff that is a bit troubling. Hopefully, due to his relationship with Cutler, he can stay content.

7
by The Hypno-Toad :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:16pm

Didn't help much here in Denver. They had kind of a mutually reinforcing sulk going on. But of course, there was a lot of outside influence on Marshall's behavior while he was here, like feeling responsible for causing the murder of a teammate and being afraid that he might be killed to prevent him from testifying.

10
by justanothersteve :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:30pm

Marshall caught over 100 passes both years while in that mutually reinforcing sulk. If that's not much help, I'm sure the Bears will take it.

51
by The Hypno-Toad :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 11:13pm

Sorry, I just noticed that I didn't insert the quote I meant to lead off that post with which was:

Hopefully, due to his relationship with Cutler, he can stay content.

So what I actually meant to comment on was the idea of Cutler as a balancing force on Marshall's more... colorful traits. But I see that it looked like I was commenting on his ability to contribute on the field. Contentedness just doesn't seem to be in Marshall's makeup.

86
by erniecohen :: Fri, 03/16/2012 - 9:31am

I assumed "he can stay content" means that he can resist the urge to tweet.

12
by sundown (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:44pm

Marshall never seemed like a bad guy up until McDaniels showed up and he had that horrible training camp where he seemed to be trying to force a trade. But he managed to get back into McDaniels' good graces to the point they were hugging on the sidelines, even had a 20 reception game...then suddenly got suspended for the last game of the year and was gone to Miami shortly thereafter. My inclination is to give Marshall and basically everybody else during the McDaniels era the benefit of the doubt because not only was McD fickle, his personnel moves seemed to be completely random. Playing for him must have been a constant nightmare wondering what weirdo move he'd make next.

23
by Charles Jake (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 5:00pm

I'm cautiously optimistic about this move. That 58% catch rate was a little troubling, until I saw that Jackson's is even lower at 52%. I'm also encouraged that Emery is willing to take a chance on a talented player who isn't a "character guy."

I wonder if they decided not to break the bank on Jackson so they could go after Williams. Williams and Pep on the same line will be a terror and will go a long way to hide the meh secondary.

27
by FooBarFooFoo (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 5:36pm

Marshall disclosed himself that he has a borderline personality disorder ... which means that he IS NOT a bad guy, not selfish or anything like it ... but to put it in a superficial way, you have to interact and support him in a different way from than other people at times.

That doesn't imply Marshall is stupid, or a turd, or an idiot, or a selfish a-hole, or a bad guy.

36
by bravehoptoad :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 7:26pm

True, but borderline is one of those disorders with a bad prognosis. Probably best is to educate the people around him, and he's got a big advantage over most people with borderline disorder in that he admits the problem and actively takes part in that education. Still, he's always going to be hard to deal with.

Cutler seems to like the guy, though.

43
by akn :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 8:26pm

True, but borderline is one of those disorders with a bad prognosis.

Don't know where you got that. Prognosis is highly variable, but the fact that he's still in the NFL (i.e., functioning in society) indicates a better prognosis rather than a poorer one. Also, simple admission of having the disorder is very favorable. Cluster B disorders are also the only personality disorders where meds can help, and they usually get better with age.

37
by Megamanic :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 7:40pm

What that means is that Marshall got a doctor to sign a medical certificate giving him a reason for being an immature self centred a-hole. He's still all of those things. Now he just doesn't feel like he has to make any effort to improve.

39
by bravehoptoad :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 7:57pm

It's real enough. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001931/

No therapist I know likes dealing with borderlines. Most of them don't admit the problem. Marshall does, which gives him a big advantage.

45
by Will Allen :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 9:09pm

I'm not a complete Szaszian, but I think there is something to the idea that it is problematic to define diseases by consensus and symptom clusters. There's a reasonable chance that Brandon Marshall is just an A-hole, even if he is now an A-hole who admits to being such. I've had a few clients like that.

70
by Kyle D. (not verified) :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:51am

He's had problems off the field but I don't recall teammates saying much against the guy, at least publicly. The only guy he didn't get along with in Denver was McDaniels and even with him he was in good part of the time. Really, the only major football related incident I remember in Denver was him intentionally dropping passes and batting balls away a few days in camp shortly after the Cutler trade. I don't follow the Dolphins that closely, but don't recall a whole lot being said about him there.

71
by tuluse :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:58am

I actually remember Cutler making disparaging remarks about him after the "slipping on a McDonald's wrapper" incident.

75
by Kyle D. (not verified) :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 12:57pm

Well, it apparently wasn't a lasting beef, because Cutler tweeted about the trade, "Told you we could get that #15 out of storage. Getting the band back together! Good to have #15 back."

Not condoning his run-ins with the law, but I also don't see any evidence that he's ever been a cancer in the locker room like some claim.

83
by Independent George :: Thu, 03/15/2012 - 11:10am

It's a good trade, but Cutler needs Ryan Clady even more than he needs Brandon Marshall. And he needs Brandon Marshall pretty badly.

84
by tuluse :: Thu, 03/15/2012 - 11:14am

I think Marshall--if he's allowed to play--is going to have a huge effect on the offense. It's not just having a legit #1 threat in the first place, but then it upgrades every other receiver position by pushing them down a slot. Johnny Knox and Marshall should be very complimentary to each other. There were a few games last year where the protection was actually fine, but Cutler couldn't find anyone open (see the first game against the Packers for the most obvious example).

I may very well be insane, but I think Tice is going to get something close to average play from the line (if it stays mostly healthy), and I think getting a big receiver was actually a more pressing concern.

81
by Jimmy :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 4:44pm

As far as I can recall the disparaging remarks were (paraphrasing from memory), "There is always something with Brandon, he is a great player and needs to get his act together." Which was kind of true and maybe needed saying, he did need to sort himself out and was becoming a distraction to the team. You might question whether he needed to say it in public but maybe the criticsim is part of what made Marshall seek help. If you are the QB (and therefore nominal leader of the team) how long do you allow this stuff to fester?

They don't seem to have an issue now so we are all guessing fairly wildly.

82
by tuluse :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 6:41pm

I debated even bringing it up really.

41
by Earl Dittman (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 8:08pm

Marshall had a handful of run-ins with the law while in Denver, including being accused more than once of beating his girlfriend.
He's not 'misunderstood', he's an ass.
But, you know, if he can catch a few balls for the Bears, that's all just a lot of nothing, right?

48
by RickD :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 10:43pm

Thanks for your careful diagnosis.

60
by Earl Dittman (not verified) :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 7:48am

Thanks for being a dimwitted shitheel. I truly despise you and your smugness.
Oh, by the way. It turns out Marshall was arrested four days ago for hitting a woman in the face.
Go back to being the same, Patriot-fellating know-nothing that you always prove yourself to be. Cunt.

61
by FrontRunningPhinsFan :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 8:42am

I can't tell - is this a sarcastic impression of BPD or are you just being a jerk?

62
by DaveRichters :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 9:39am

I support your comment. I mean, sure it makes you sound like a witling and a donkey, but I can't blame YOU for that. Surely there are psychological factors that come from your life experience that make's you say such things.

5
by The Hypno-Toad :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:14pm

Well then. This will be interesting. Now they just need to find a way to pick up Tony Scheffler, Chris Kuper and Elvis Dumervil and they'll have the best draft class in Denver history to work with.

24
by Shattenjager :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 5:04pm

John Elway (or Chris Hinton, if you want to be technical) and Karl Mecklenburg laugh.

6
by Sisyphus :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:16pm

The Bears make a FA move to get a possession receiver that actually makes a fair degree of sense. Should make them immediately better offensively and will help the defense just by keeping them off of the field so much. They still have to do something with the offensive line however.

8
by Marko :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:19pm

Props to Bears' GM Phil Emery. Recognize a need and address it decisively and relatively cheaply. That extra third round pick that the Bears had (from Carolina for Greg Olsen) came in handy. Not sure if the third round pick in the deal from this year is Carolina's pick or the Bears' pick, but I'm very happy with the deal even if it's the Carolina pick (which obviously is several spots earlier than the Bears' pick).

11
by Anon Y Moose (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:39pm

Who is the favorite to sign Vincent Jackson now that Chicago and Washington are out?

16
by BucNasty :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:49pm

Tampa Bay has the need and the cash.

21
by Anon Y Moose (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:55pm

I keep forgetting about them. I think you're right.

17
by Lance :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:50pm

Off the top of my head: what if he went to Denver with Manning as QB?

18
by Anon Y Moose (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:52pm

D. Thomas is a similar type of receiver; he is also younger and cheaper. Plus Manning wants Wayne and maybe even Stokely if he goes to Den.

22
by sundown (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:56pm

He played college ball at the University of Northern Colorado and even went to high school in the state. I've been wondering for quite some time if he'd ever end up with the Broncos.

20
by Charles Jake (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:53pm

Tampa Bay Bucs, according to the Chicago papers.

19
by mschuttke :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 4:53pm

Two third-round selections not even a mere two years after being traded for two second-round selections. That is a nice discount rate on a guy who is still very capable and has had very poor quarterbacks throwing to him for two seasons.

46
by db :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 10:14pm

Locker room cancer. Does not work/play well with others. Also gives up when not the centre of attention. And yes that is how centre is spelled.

63
by Eddo :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 10:09am

If his production in Miami, with poor QBs throwing him the ball, is what it's like when he's given up, I'd love to see what he can do when he's trying.

29
by Jimmy :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 5:53pm

Happy with this, very good receiver with proven ability to work with Cutler, bit of a prat (at least) and fills a big need for not too big a price in draft picks. The Bears won't be on the hook for any signing bonus which should help the Bears with the rest of free agency as they won't have to put bonus money aside as soon as it is guaranteed, as they haven't guaranteed anything. So if the Bears needed to have $40m to transfer into a holding fund (or whatever they call them) they will have more cash at hand.

30
by DEW (not verified) :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 6:01pm

Great move for the Bears, bringing in a top WR with the added benefit of being someone who's had success with their QB. As a Dolphins fan, I whimper, only praying that Manning said to them "I'll sign with you if you get rid of that diva" or something similar, because otherwise it constitutes epic-grade stupidity.

31
by BigCheese :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 6:01pm

The Dolphins got absolutely fleeced by the Bears. While I'm extatic about this (and really hoping they go after Williams, and if not, a least Nicks now), I don't see how this makes ANY sense for Miami at all. Anyone?

- Alvaro

Phil Simms is to analysts what Ryan Leaf is to NFL QBs

49
by RickD :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 10:53pm

If the Dolphins felt that they were not bringing in Peyton Manning or somebody comparable, then they may well have thought that Brandon Marshall is a bit expensive (at $9+ million/year) to keep around.

Or maybe there is more to the BPD that they don't want to deal with any more.

I am puzzled at the price. I'd have thought a WR of Marshall's ability would get more.

50
by Will Allen :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 11:10pm

The guy cops to being mentally ill, with poor impulse control, sometimes manifesting itself in physically lashing out at others. He works in a field which is nortorious for emotional extremes. He is not exactly a sterling risk.

32
by Steve in WI :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 6:09pm

As a Bears fan, I love this move. I particularly like that the Bears acquired a guy who knows Cutler well and presumably will have great chemistry with him. If the Bears can pick up another big name, and if they draft well, I'll be feeling great about next season.

34
by Kal :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 6:15pm

Awesome. Very awesome. This means that we get a top receiver on par with Colston/VJax (at least as far as who was available) without the 12m cap hit that VJax would command - who also happens to have great rapport immediately with the QB. And we still have a ton of cap space to sign other OLinemen or potentially Williams.

Awesome.

I'm still in shock that Miami did it; the only thing that makes sense to me is that Manning did not want anything to do with Marshall and refused to go there with him there, and the Dolphins had to move fast or lose out. In which case - yay for buying low, Bears!

38
by Chip :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 7:41pm

How about an $11M / yr cap charge?

42
by tuluse :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 8:21pm

Remember, the Bears aren't on the hook for pro-rated bonus amortization. According to spottrac.com, he's due 9.5 million this year in base salary, so I think that would be the total hit. I'm also pretty confident the Bears could turn some of that money into bonus money to spread it out if they need it.

44
by Kal :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 9:06pm

Yep. And VJax just did 5/55m which is likely a lot more this year as a hit.

47
by db :: Tue, 03/13/2012 - 10:23pm

There is virtually none. Marshall signed a deal that was equal to 5 one year $10,000,000 contracts so that they could blow him out with no pain if he turned out to be a cancer. The operation was a success.

53
by Shattenjager :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 12:14am

And Adam Schefter tweets: "Bears WR Brandon Marshall was involved in another incident that could lead to an NFL review."

That sound you hear is the other shoe dropping.

54
by akn :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 1:06am

Via Jay Glazer:

Statement from Brandon Marshalls Attorney Harvey Steinberg regarding Club incident:

“On March 12,2012 Brandon Marshall was the key note speaker at a charitable event in New York. After the event was over he, his wife and close friends attended a function at a local club.
While at the function a fight broke out NOT involving Mr. Marshall or his friends. While attempting to leave to avoid the melee Mrs. Marshall was struck in the face by a thrown bottle. She suffered serious injury.
While attempting to leave and take his wife to the hospital, the mayhem continued outside. Finally Mr. Marshall was able to take his wife to the hospital where she was treated for serious injuries.
Mr. Marshall is hoping to assist authorities in regards to this matter.”

Are we sure Brandon is borderline or is it his wife? Or both!?

55
by mschuttke :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 2:14am

This guy is just a magnet for drama. While this does sound very innocuous and innocent, there comes a point where almost all "natural social outings" (i.e. going to a club) need to be processed through this lens. Why not just have a small party with some solid, stable known friends at a hotel rather than go into a place where the likelihood of such incidents occurring, therein further tarnishing a less than stellar off-the-field reputation, is fairly high?

57
by The Hypno-Toad :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 3:24am

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story/_/id/7684431/report-brandon-marshal...

Ugh. I really hope the version coming from Harvey Steinberg is the accurate one.

**EDIT**

I do not in any way wish harm on Brandon Marshall's wife, so that's not what I meant by that. But I would prefer to think that things got independently crazy, Marshall tried to lead his wife out of the situation and she got hurt in the ruckus as opposed to: Marshall started fighting with another football player, caused a huge scene, got ejected from the club and then punched a woman in the eye.

59
by FrontRunningPhinsFan :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 7:45am

When I saw this yesterday afternoon I was on the edge of a cliff about to leap into the chasm of other teams, looking for on to cheer for.

Seeing this it makes a lot more sense.

If he just got into a fight with another football player, I can see him being suspended 4-8 games having already been suspended once. I understand the Dolphins wanting to trade him at that point.

If he really punched a girl I've lost all respect for him and I'm glad he's gone. And he will probably be suspended an entire season.

64
by Mr Shush :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 10:37am

While we're obviously dealing only with different degrees of stupidity and douchebaggery, I think there's quite a large difference in how I'd view someone who threw a wild swing in a drunken brawl that ended up hitting a girl and someone who deliberately punched a woman in the face. Either is possibly the case here - we just don't know at this point.

79
by FrontRunningPhinsFan :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 1:34pm

Agreed.

On another note: anyone calling him a locker room cancer is flat out wrong. The only "team" incident he had last season was when Vontae Davis caused problems (apparently he came hung over to a practice, but officially it was kept in house), and Marshall screamed at him and shoved a football in his face telling him he let the team down.

By all accounts he's an awesome teammate on the field and one of the hardest workers on any team in practice.

66
by Will Allen :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:00am

I think Goodell is on record saying that any further violation of the personal conduct policy by Marshall would result in a 1 year suspension. I think the Bears may have traded two thirds for a guy who won't be able to play until 2013, and I think they may be just covering their ass when they say they knew of the incident before executing the trade.

67
by tuluse :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:07am

Or maybe they did know about this incident, Marshall wasn't involved, and the woman who got punched is just targeting Marshall to get money and/or her 15 minutes of fame.

/realizes I'm just grasping at straws

68
by Will Allen :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:18am

It could be, but there isn't any way they could have had the situation professionally investigated quickly enough to know the likely truth of the matter by yesterday. It just suggests ignorance of the matter.

I just heard Marcellus Wiley, who is a bright guy, on the radio talking about he couldn't suggest to a friend to stay out of clubs, since people have to live their lives. I'm sorry, but when you have copped to having poor impulse control, with a tendency to physically lash out, you are easily recognized, and you are known to make a lot of money, your life cannot any longer include hanging out at clubs, unless your life's goal is to put as many as many children of lawyers through college as humanly possible. It isn't any different than telling an alcoholic that he can't hang out where people are drinking a lot, or telling a degenerate gambler that he can't be walking through casinos on the way to the great restaurant.

69
by Eddo :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 11:50am

All good points.

The other side of the coin is: why get to a point in life where you're easily recognize and make a lot of money if you can't go out to clubs?

I mean, pleasure is one of the main reasons people want to become rich and/or famous.

EDIT: To elaborate, it's only worth it to tell the alcoholic and the compulsive gambler to avoid bars and casinos, respectively, if they don't want to be those things any more. It could be that Marshall simply loves going to clubs, and is willing to put up with the downside.

65
by Aaron Brooks Go... :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 10:48am

Could be worse. Sam Hurd was moving $2M/mo in coke and weed.

72
by bigtencrazy (not verified) :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 12:19pm

The Bears can't draft well and now their free agent signings are going south as well. I am liking this trend

73
by Eddo :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 12:42pm

Did something happen to Jason Campbell or Eric Weems?

They traded for Marshall. If you're just going to stop by to talk trash, at least be accurate.

74
by bigtencrazy (not verified) :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 12:45pm

I think when you sign a Jason Campbell and Eric Weems the comment is fairly self-explanatory. But I didn't know that folks were so delicate on FO if a fairly innocuous remark generates indignation.

76
by Steve in WI :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 1:06pm

How is Jason Campbell not a great signing? (Unless the Bears are overpaying for him - I haven't heard what they spent). Last year proved that they desperately need a competent backup, and now they've got a guy who's a borderline starter (but not so good that he'll be challenging Cutler for his position or anything like that). I think getting Campbell was great.

I'm not so sure about Weems.

77
by Eddo :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 1:10pm

Hey, I was just giving you a hard time.

Though in all seriousness, what's wrong with either of those signings? Campbell immediately becomes one of the three or four best backup QBs in the league (and we all saw how important a backup QB can be last year) and Weems is, by all accounts, and excellent special teams gunner (and the Bears need to replace their best gunner, Corey Graham).

78
by bigtencrazy (not verified) :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 1:22pm

I am a talent snob. If you are not getting top of the line guys you are not advancing the team. I see the VALUE in such signings but ultimately you need to have blue chippers in quantity.

I think the Packers GM is spending too much time these days worried about the filler on the roster versus finding more game changing type talent and that is counterproductive. I am merely guessing but I sense he has some kind of paradigm that defines how much TOP talent is required to win a championship and he thinks that the Packers have achieved what is necessary so he can focus on the lower tiers to support the top guys. I know that might read as a fan being crazy but given how much TIME he has spent fiddling with nobodies I have to wonder.

80
by Eddo :: Wed, 03/14/2012 - 1:54pm

I suppose that makes sense, but you do need special teams gunners (and the Bears certainly realize this, having fielded a top-tier special teams unit every year under Dave Toub), and Weems is top of the line at that position.

And at backup QB? Well, they already have top-line talent at QB. And you need to have a backup. Might as well have one of the most talented backups in the league, then, which Campbell certainly is.

I'm curious as to whom you think the Bears should have signed? Vincent Jackson makes sense, but it looks like Tampa blew him away, so the Bears acquired Brandon Marshall. Carl Nicks makes sense, too, so I guess there's disappointment there, but considering 32 teams are able to sign free agents, it's not really too disappointing that one team doesn't wind up getting all the top-end talent at every open position, is it?

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