Joe Anello's NFL Football fan blog

After being left out in the cold by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, John Paxson and GM Gar Forman have struck back in the LeBron sweepstakes, signing free agent power forward Carlos Boozer to a 5, year, $80 million contract according to ESPN. 

 

Damn that's scary. 

For those of you not in the know about Carlos Boozer, go look up his stats. He's a 20-point and 10-rebound a game forward who has dominating low-post moves. He's been playing with Derron Williams in Utah for the past few years, so he knows how to play with a premiere point guard. Tom Thibodeau already has a play in his offensive playbook: just steal Utah's pick-and-roll! Signing him to not quite max money means the Bulls have left themselves room for one max contract...

Continue reading "Boozer signs with Bulls, plans to flirt with LeBron"

In what seems to be a never-ending off-season for the Chicago Bears, Jerry Angelo brought a familiar face back to the Bears' secondary and gutted the Panther defense for another starter by trading for veteran strong safety Chris Harris. Harris was the odd man out three years ago in a crowded Chicago secondary and was dealt to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth round pick. Harris broke the news on his twitter account, saying goodbye to Carolina but later back-pedaled when he learned the trade wasn't "official" yet. It has since been finalized by the NFL. The Deal Chicago sent 5th year linebacker Jamar Williams to Carolina for sixth year safety Chris Harris, with whom the Bears immediately re-worked his existing contract. 

Continue reading "Bears reacquire safety Chris Harris in trade with Panthers"

With only one pick in the first two days of the NFL Draft, Jerry Angelo and the Chicago Bears made the most of their picks on day three... or did they?

Round 4, Pick 109: Corey Wootton, DE Northwestern

Going into day three, Wootton was deemed by ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay as one of the best talents left on the board. His stock fell precipitously after he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in the Alamo Bowl at the end of his fantastic junior year where he had 10 sacks and 42 tackles. He then changed his plans and returned to school for his senior season, where he accumulated 21 tackles and 4 sacks despite coming back from the serious injury.

Continue reading "Bears Draft Recap: Rounds 4-7"

Following 74 picks, the Chicago Bears finally made their 2010 Draft debut by taking Florida Safety Major Wright in the third round Friday night. 

At 6'0 and 206 lbs, Wright ran a 4.44 40-time at the NFL combine but figures to be in play at the strong safety position. He racked 165 tackles and eight interceptions in his 41 games at Florida. He had been a target of Angelo's throughout the draft process and was the top safety left on the board. ESPN's Mel Kiper had Wright projected as a second-round talent.

It was pretty clear that defensive backfield was going to be the focus with Jerry Angelo's first pick and Wright will come in and likely compete for the starting strong safety position. Head coach Lovie Smith and Angelo addressed the media to discuss their pick, lauding Wright's takeaway ability and leadership qualities.

Continue reading "Bears take Florida safety Major Wright in third round"

What will Jerry do? 

After their relaxing day off during round one of the draft, the Chicago Bears are expected to make their first pick later tonight at pick number 11 in the third round (75 overall).

I'll keep you updated on Twitter throughout the night as to where the Bears may go with their first pick, but if it's not a safety I will throw a fit. In that case I'll be at Halas Hall yelling from outside the war room.

There's been a lot of talk regarding Jerry Angelo moving up in the draft (possibly into the 2nd round) to pick a safety with more immediate impact. While I won't say it's impossible, it's highly unlikely. Angelo just doesn't have the ammo in terms of picks to move up, nor would any expendable asset from the roster net any pick that high. I'd rather Jerry just make his picks this year and provide valuable depth at key positions. After all, his best picks come in the later rounds. Either way, the Bears will officially be on the clock later tonight.

Continue reading "Bears set to pick at 75, will they move up?"

After all the waiting and anticipation, the start of the 2010 NFL Draft went according to plan. Quarterback Sam Bradford went to the Rams, Ndamukong Suh to the Lions and Gerald McCoy to the Bucs. After the known occurred, there was plenty to discuss. Here's what caught my eye from day one.

-It's hard to not like what Pete Carroll and the Seahawks did with their two first-rounders. Russell Okung should be an instant mainstay at left tackle with the reported retirement of Walter Jones. Earl Thomas is a fantastic safety and maybe a better corner. They didn't take Jimmy Clausen, but they should feel comfortable with Matt Hasselbeck under center with Okung protecting him.

Continue reading "Joe's Draft Recap: Day One"

 

It's finally here. The 2010 NFL Draft is upon us and I couldn't be more excited to hunker down for two nights and another day of coverage. With the new format, tonight will only cover the first round, bringing the drama of the top picks to primetime television. 

Here are some storylines to watch for as tonight unfolds:

Four first-round quarterbacks?

It could happen. We all assume Sam Bradford is going number one overall to the Rams, but even Bradford doesn't know what's going to happen. The real question mark at quarterback is Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen. If you look at which teams have needs at QB, Clausen shouldn't make it out of the top ten. Other reports have him falling into the 20's and perhaps even to 30 for the Minnesota Vikings, who would be ecstatic. Seattle (picks 6 & 14), San Francisco (13 & 17), and Cleveland (7) are my likely destinations for Clausen.

Continue reading "2010 NFL Draft: What to Watch for on Day One"

 

It's one of my favorite times of the year everyone! It's time for the freaking NFL Draft! I will be watching every minute of coverage, every minute of Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. (And maybe even a little Mike Mayock). If you only want to see what the Bears do however, you can skip the first night and a half. 

Jerry Angelo traded away this year's first rounder for quarterback Jay Cutler last off-season and his second-rounder for the late Gaines Adams. With no picks in the 2010 NFL Draft until round three, the Chicago Bears can't afford to swing-and-miss on any "projects" this year. No more Michael Okwo's or Dan Bazuin's or dare I say, any Danieal Manning's. Jerry Angelo can't reach past a player's worth. He'll need to focus on players that have experience at playing ONE position, not these safety/corner/return man combinations of which he seems so fond.

Continue reading "Chicago Bears Draft Preview"

With this Chicago Bears offseason full of activity, there's been plenty to debate. This week is no different with news about the NFL overtime and two defensive mainstays being shown the door.

-If you haven't heard, the NFL overtime rules have changed. I won't annoy you with a giant rant on the subject, but I didn't think it needed to be changed. Others did, so it has been altered. I'll direct you here to all the pertinent information on the subject. 

Now, what is interesting about the way the rule was changed was the lack of coaches present for the decision. Most NFL head coaches were at a golf tournament in Orlando while the owners voted overwhelmingly 28-4 in favor of the new rules. New Orleans' Sean Payton was among the most vocal against the change, saying owners sneaked it in "the back door." He told Peter King "I'm probably going to have to spend a half hour explaining it to my wife."

Continue reading "Chicago Bears Weekly Wrap-up"

As I tweeted during the opening hour of NFL free agency: "I'm not sure who's in the Bears front office right now, but I like him." A day and a half later, I stand by that statement. My Chicago Bears ended up going "hog wild" in free agency after all, signing defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna on Friday.

It was a complete departure from the norm for a Bears front office that is very particular about spending money on players it doesn't know. Anyone who says the Bears are cheap hasn't been paying attention. They shell out the money, but only for players they already have under contract. This year it was different. With no first or second round draft picks, Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith had to swing for the fences in free agency or they'd be on the chopping block for sure after the 2010 season. After a fantastic Friday, it's time to examine the moves the Bears made and how they improve the team going forward.

Continue reading "Bears open their wallets to sign marquee free agents"