Bears Making Offseason Moves

I'm so freakin' glad that Jerry Angelo has decided to actually earn his paycheck this offseason! Nobody really knows whether his free-agent acquisitions will be a success or not. But at least we're doing something.

Thus far, the Bears have picked up two offensive linemen in Frank Omiyale (T/G) and Kevin Shaffer (T) to replace the departed Johns, St. Clair and Tair. The news today out of Halas Hall is that Lovie Smith has finally had Orlando Pace in for a long-overdue visit. Pace would be a nice addition to an improving offensive line.

In the secondary, Angelo added Josh Bullocks, a guy I liked out of Nebraska but who hasn't been great at the pro level. He also recently picked up S Glenn Earl (from?). Veteran Ken Lucas, a member of many of my old Madden teams, was also in for a visit today.

Addressing depth in the line and secondary frees up the Bears to go after the best available wideout with the eighteenth pick in the draft and hopefully get somebody that's ready to contribute right away. Nothing against Earl Bennett or Bernard Berrian, but it would be nice to get somebody who could step into the starting lineup from Day One (or at least the slot!). Your options are basically; Darius Heyward-Bey, Percy Harvin, Hakeem Nicks, or Kenny Britt (Maclin and Crabtree will be gone). Of these guys, I prefer the last three over DHB, since they are more prepared for NFL level competition.

The second round will be a good place to grab a young lineman like OG Duke Robinson, C Alex Mack, or T Phil Loadholt.

I would really like to see the Bears grab a free-agent LB (Derrick Brooks?) and a veteran back to spell Forte (Warrick Dunn?) in the remainder of the FA period. We'll see what happens. Might be wishful thinking.

Thoughts?