jiggadhu

As always here are the assumptions:

Bernard Berrian, Lance Brigs, and Rashied Davis all leave via free agency.

The Bears sign Bryant Johnson,  Alan Faneca, and Floyd Womack in free agency.

Now for the draft"

1. Brian Brohm(QB - Louisville) - As much as I don't want to see it happen, if Brian Brohm or Matt Ryan is available, I think it's too tempting for the Bears not to pull the trigger. SOme drafts have him going in the second round. The real question is will the Falcons and Ravens draft QBs.

2. Sam Baker (OT - USC) - Sam Baker's draft stock has been falling as of late and would be a auity pick up in the sencond.

3. Marcus Griffin (FS - Texas) - Hopefully Mike Brown will stay healthy. If not, Marcus Griffin will be an adeqaute replacement.

3. Mike Hart (RB - Michigan) - Cedric Benson needs competition. Adrian Peterson is better on special teams. Garrett Wolfe is a goo change of pace back and for catching balls out of the back field. Hart also has something Benson doesn' have, heart.

4. Tom Zbikowski (SS - Notre Dame) - One of the better SS in the draft, he's gotta be an upgrade from Adam Archuleta.

5. Marcus Harrison (DT - Arkansas) Now that the Bears have not picked up the option on Darwin Walker, they have to start replenishing the depth of the defesinve line. I like Dusty Dvoracek and Anthony Adams, but they need one more in addition to Matt Toeina.

6. J Leman (ILB - Illinois) - If he is still available, it's a great steal. Many mock drafts have him going undefeated. I personally think he could be a decent back up to Brian Urlacher and an outstanding special teams player.

7. Adrian Arrington (WR - Michigan) If he's still available, he's probably the best player avaiable. If not they draft the best available receiver here.

Again I will reitterate that I would not like to see the Bears draft a QB with the first pick and would rather see the Bears take Joe Flacco in the second. But if Brohm is avaiable and I think he will be, the Bears will probably jump at the chance to take him.

As always here are the "assumptions":

 - The Bears will get Max Starks and Ryan Lilja/Jake Scott/Alan Faneca in free agency.

- The Bears will resign Rex Grossman, cut Brian Griese, and let Bernard Berrian go to free agency.

- The Bears will get Bryant Johnson from the Cardinals in free agency.

Now for the draft:

1. DeSean Jackson (WR - California) Okay hear me out before you start bashing. If the oline is addressed in the offseason and we lose Bernard Bernard Berrian, we are going to need a WR. Jackson's the best in this class. All of the good receivers like Mannginham or Sweed will be gone by the time the Bears make their second round pick, which should be Joe Facco anyways.

2. Joe Flacco (QB - Delware) If he's still on the board, and his stock can only go up after the combine, the Bears will take him in a heartbeat.

3. Marcus Griffin (FS - Texas) - I still like him better than his brother Michael. With our first pick in the third, he's a steal.

3. Oneil Cousins (OT - UTEP) - The olinemen in this draft is just too deep for the Bears to ignore.

4. Michael Hart (RB - Michigan)- Did anyone happen to see the College Football Skills Challenge on ESPN? He looked pretty freaking good.

5. Andre Flullen (DT - Florida State) - I hear pretty good things about him. Could be a very nice back up to Tommie Harris or Dusty Dvoracek. Could push for a starting position in a couple of years.

6. Tom Zbikowski (SS - Notre Dame) - Despite what many say, I think he's actually pretty fundementally sound and could be a decent SS in the NFL.

7. J Leman (ILB - Illinois) - Brian Urlacher's neck surgery should make us a little nervous. I don't think there's any such thing a "routine neck surgery" when you're a middle linebacker in the NFL. Leman is a bit undersized but is fast and could suit a cover 2 defense well.

I remember as a little kid of about 5 years old, I would watch highlight films of Walter Payton leaping over opposing defensive lines to score touchdowns. Soon afterwards I wold run through my house grabbing every pillow, couch cushion, sleeping bag, etc, make a huge pile out of it and leap over it just like Payton did. I think most people who were my age at that time did that. And if you didn't do that, than at the very least you thought about doing it.

That was my earliest childhood memory and one of my fondest.

Walter Payton taught me about sacrifice, hard work, and the importance of remaining humble. Some people remember him for being a punishing runner, some people remember him for all the records he has, but people should remember him as the man that he was and the way he lived his life.

Now that the football season has come and gone, I want to take a minute to reflect on the man who was called "Sweetness":

- As a well-loved public figure and celebrity, he had been offered the option of moving up on the waiting list for liver organ donors.He declined this offer (because it meant someone else would die because of him) and accepted a place on the waiting list; according to a surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, he might have survived if he had accepted when his disease was first diagnosed.

 - He used to repeatedly call Matt Suhey's wife, talk in a high pitched voice, and pretended to be a girlfriend (doesn't make him a great man, just funny).

- All of his off the field work with underprivileged kids.

- When he announced he had a rare liver disease, organ donations in Illiniois sky rocketed.

- He Founded the Walter and Connie Payton Foundation to provide emotional healing of neglected, abused, and underprivileged children by helping to build self esteem and encourage a better family unit.

- When he scored a touchdown, he would just hand the ball to the referee.

 -He was a 9 time Pro-Bowler, 9 time All-Pro, NFL MVP, Burt Bell Aard Winner, NFC Player of the Year, Pro-Bowl MVP, and retired as the NFL's all time leading rusher.

To me, Walter, epitomizes the term "Man of the Year" and it was only fitting that the NFL Name the Man of the Year Award after him. Nearly 20 years after watching him play, I am still hard pressed to find a player, at any position, play the game as hard as he did. The fact that he was as good as he was playing the game is amazing in and of itself. The fact that he was an even better person than he was a football player is unbelievable.

Great PLAYERS come and go. Great PEOPLE like Walter will always live on.

Here are my free agency assumptions and what the draft will be based on:

The Bears cut Fred Miller, do not resign Ruben Brown, let Lance Briggs leave, cut/trade Brian Griese, let Bernard Berrian leave ( I wouls like them to franchise him but I am starting to think the Bers won't do it), cut Darwin Walker, re-sign Rex Grossman and Brendan Ayenbandejo.

These are probably the most realistic free agent acquisitions I can see that won't break the bank.

Eugene Wilson FS - Patriots

Bryant Johnson WR - Cardinals

Ryan Lilja OG - Colts

Max Starks OT - Steelers

Round 1 -  Trade 14th overall pick to the 49ers