ProFootballTalk seems to be beating a drum for the Bears to dump Devin Hester. First they jumped on the fact that a local publication noted that Hester is “competing” to be the Bears’ primary kick returner. Then they opined that it wouldn’t cost much for the Bears to cut or trade him.

I fully understand that Hester had a bad 2012 season, as well as bad 2008 and 2009 seasons. In 2012 he looked like he was spending more time running backwards on returns than forward, granted. But in 2012, he still had better averages on returns than he did in ’08 and ’09. Despite those bad years, the Bears stuck with him, and he responded in 2010 and 2011 by returning five punts and one kickoff for touchdowns. Think about it, in just two seasons (following two poor seasons) Hester returned more kicks for touchdowns than arguably the vast majority of returners do in their entire careers!

I think it would be ridiculous to release Hester without giving him a chance in 2013. If he flops, his contract is up after this season. I truly believe, although I very well could be wrong, that now that he doesn’t have to flood his brain with trying to become a receiver, we will see a resurgence from the NFL’s all-time best kick returner.

Even trading Hester, which I doubt would bring more than a fifth-round pick, would be insane.

I’m very sorry to see it have to come to this, as I had very high hopes for the “Bear Jew”. But after just two seasons with the Chicago Bears, 2011 first-round tackle Gabe Carimi has been traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a sixth-round draft pick.

Looks like Carimi will need to find a new nickname while he seeks to rediscover his game.

And now it’s official; the last first-round draft pick of former Bears GM Jerry Angelo is gone. Angelo has proven that either he had a knack for jinxing the offensive linemen he selected in the first round, or he was just plain bad at picking them.

Angelo’s very first pick was tackle Marc Colombo from Boston College. Colombo suffered a serious knee injury in his rookie season and was cut two seasons later. Colombo went on to become a very serviceable starting right tackle for Dallas for fix-plus seasons.

Fast forward to 2011. I hoped and thought that Carimi would become a solid tackle for years in the mold of former Bear right tackle Keith Van Horne. But just like Colombo, Carimi suffered a major knee injury during his rookie season, and now didn’t even make a third season in Chicago.

The only other offensive lineman selected by Angelo, in between Colombo and Carimi, was Chris Williams, the 14th overall selection of the 2008 draft. Williams fell out of favor in his third season and was cut during the 2012 campaign.

Kyle Long, beware.

Because I’m on a personal crusade to learn how to be happy for others even when things happen that affect me negatively, I will hope that Carimi discovers his solid play in Tampa. But should it happen as it did with Colombo, of course it will sting.

Thankfully the Chicago Bears organization clarified this issue when they announced that after Ditka’s, they will no longer retire uniform numbers for players.

I say this because I was getting confused. Unfortunately from a football operations perspective, the Bears went down a slippery slope of retiring numbers years and years ago. For many years they have been the team with the most retired jersey numbers in the NFL.

The last time the Bears retired any numbers was in 1994, when they retired the numbers of Dick Butkus (51) and Gale Sayers (40) on the same night. Then recently it was revealed that new Bears linebacker James Anderson will wear Mike Singletary‘s number 50 during the 2013 season. Seems odd.

Then out of the blue, last week it was reported that the Bears would retire uniform number 89 for Mike Ditka. Then finally, that this will be the last number retired. I wholeheartedly agree that Ditka deserves the honor. And it will be cool to see it happen on Monday Night Football against the Cowboys in December. Let’s just hope that game goes better for the Bears than the last jersey retirement ceremony game.

How will the Bears honor great players going forward, or the likes of Dan Hampton, Singletary and Brian Urlacher when they won’t be able to retire jerseys? I’ve long thought that there should be a Chicago Bears Ring of Honor, such as the one on my website. The Bears state that the player photos ringing the inside of Soldier Field are their Ring of Honor. But to me, that’s not a true Ring of Honor.

Will have to find the time to write a proper BearsHistory.com tribute to Brian Urlacher, who retired on Wednesday after an illustrious career as a Chicago Bear. Despite his resorting to frequent insults of the fans in defense of Lovie Smith late in his career, and calling the Bears’ final offer of $2.5 million for one season “insulting,” Urlacher has gone out in style and grace.

In short, if I could say one thing about Urlacher’s career (when so many dozens of compliments can be made), it would be that Urlacher was the first player to give the Bears true hope for the future in a decade or more. Let us not forget that after 1993, Dave Wannstedt’s Bears had no Pro Bowl players from 1994-1998. None. Zero. The situation looked hopeless in 1997 and 1998. After being a dominant team from 1984-1991, the Bears became one of the worst teams in the league and laughingstocks. Doormats. It was bad.

Despite personnel boss Mark Hatley unsuccessfully trying to trade up to draft receiver Plaxico Burress in the 2000 draft, the Bears stayed with the ninth pick and drafted Urlacher. Given that the Bears’ quarterback, running back, defensive secondary and line positions were below average at the time, linebacker wasn’t at the top of the need list. But Urlacher’s athleticism was off the charts, and it was a best-player-available pick.

Urlacher gave hope to Bears fans starting with his NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year season in 2000, through his Defensive Player of the Year award in 2005, his game for the ages against Arizona in 2006, and his resurgence in 2010. It was great to see our Bears team again have one of the best teams in the NFL.

Thank you, Brian. See you in the Hall of Fame.

A lot of coverage in the media has been devoted to Gabe Carimi deciding to stay away from the Chicago Bears’ “voluntary” organized team activities. The decision was justified by former NFL center LeCharles Bentley, with whom Carimi is training rather than attending Bears practices.

It seems that odds are on Carimi at least making the roster in Chicago in 2013, as his base salary is guaranteed whether he’s on the team or not. Then again, if it comes down to Carimi or Edwin Williams, who can also play center, it will be tough from a numbers standpoint.

I personally will be very disappointed if Carimi turns out to be another Bears (Jerry Angelo) draft bust. I was ecstatic when the Bears were able to land the mauling offensive lineman with the 27th pick overall. I really thought he was the type of player the Bears needed to infuse youth and talent into the line. Prior to the draft, it didn’t seem likely that he would last to the bottom of the first round.

But then again, Tommie Harris and Chris Williams also fell to the Bears because other teams likely took the players off their board due to lingering injury concerns (as did Carimi). And unless Carimi turns it around, it looks possible that he will end up being yet another miss at the top of the draft from Jerry Angelo.

I just hope Carimi isn’t the next Marc Colombo, Angelo’s first pick that suffered a terrible knee injury his rookie season. Seems Colombo needed a full two years to recover. Only after the Bears cut him did Colombo go on to a fair degree of success in the NFL with the Cowboys. Hope the Bears don’t err by cutting Carimi loose too soon.

As the Chicago Bears’ rookie minicamp opens today, Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune writes about the new philosophy the Bears have developed on the offensive line. Seems they have brought in the same philosophy used by new Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer in New Orleans. The philosophy is that interior linemen, guards in particular, are more important to protection than tackles.

If the Bears’ offense ends up being anywhere near as productive as the Saints’ has been in Sean Payton‘s tenure, I’ll sure be happy.

My six thoughts on the 2013 Chicago Bears draft class:

1. As shocked as I was by the selection of Kyle Long with the 20th pick, I’m warming to the idea. I was initially frustrated because I felt there was a playmaker there (Tyler Eifert) and a good player at a position of need (Desmond Trufant) that would have been a better pick. But Dan Pompei’s article today has helped me along. I do trust that Long may have been gone if the Bears had traded down. And as Pompei writes, he may in the end have the most upside of anyone that was available at the 20th pick. My only concern now is that perhaps Long could have started at left tackle, thus making the signing of Jermon Bushrod overkill.

2. According to Emery, Long’s athletic ability was the reason for drafting a guy that only started four games in college. Reminds me of the Eagles drafting workout freak Mike Mamula in 1995. And of the Bears selecting guys like John Thierry and Marcus Spears in 1994 based on numbers alone. Since then, ratings have seemed to swing back to football skills rather than workout numbers and measurables. I have confidence Long is going to work out–but just saying.

3. A little surprised to see the Bears draft middle linebacker Jon Bostic over Arthur Brown from Kansas State. Brown was a sure tackler and the Bears were very connected to him during the pre-draft process. I obviously have not watched Brown play-but regardless, obviously he is the heir apparent to Brian Urlacher. Time will tell if Brown is closer in talent to Urlacher, Mike Singletary and Dick Butkus, or closer to Barry Minter, Tom Hicks or Waymond Bryant.

4. Speaking of the bluff to be interested in Brown, it seems the Bears are great these days at keeping their draft intentions under wraps. Sure beats the days when the whole world knew the Bears wanted to select Andre Carter (2001), allowing the San Francisco 49ers to leapfrog them and snatch their player.

5. It is somewhat disappointing knowing that the Bears did nothing in the draft to address needs at cornerback and backup quarterback. Hopefully Chicago can do something to lock Tim Jennings in long term, as well as keep Peanut Tillman for another year at least, then take a player in 2014 to groom. At quarterback, looks like Josh McCown is locked in as Jay Cutler‘s backup, God willing that the Bears aren’t thinking of bringing in Tim Tebow. But they’re going to be in a sticky situation in 2014 now if Jay Cutler doesn’t come back, or demands too much money.

6. In 2012, the Bears selected cornerbacks in the sixth and seventh rounds, and neither of them made the team. In 2013 with only five draft picks (six after a seventh-rounder was added via trade), the Bears had to make all of them count. Despite the fact that any players picked after the fifth round are long shots to make the team, I am hoping that Emery’s exhaustive scouting may have found a gem or two in Khaseem Greene (LB), Jordan Mills (OT), Cornelius Washington (DE), and Marquess Wilson (WR). The Wilson pick is intriguing in particular, as many teams may have passed on him after he walked out on his Washington State team.

Here is Profootballtalk’s review of the Bears’ draft. I’d like to hear yours.

It was a strange night.

I was in pain from a minor procedure and had no interest in following the draft on twitter, or tweeting out myself. When the Chicago Bears selected Oregon guard Kyle Long with their 20th pick, I tried to send a message out stating how much the pick confused me, but it didn’t work. Then all I could think about was falling asleep, which I promptly did.

I think it’s fair to say that everyone was surprised by the Bears’ pick of Long, who I didn’t see on anyone’s first round mock draft. Yet Bears GM Phil Emery stated that no trade offer was going to get the Bears to pass on Long.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, I heard WSCR’s Boers & Bernstein opening their show by stating they hoped that Emery wouldn’t make another “cute” or “weird” pick, as Shea McClellin seemed to be last year. I didn’t think there would be any way that he would. But to me, he did.

I still trust that Emery knows what he’s doing as he assembles a Bears roster that is truly all his own. But my take on the situation is:

At the time the Bears made their first round pick, Chicago had major needs at Linebacker and Cornerback. And an offensive playmaker that surprisingly fell would have been too good to pass up. The following players were on the board:

- Tyler Eifert, TE Notre Dame
- Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
- Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia

And those three players flew off the board fast after the Bears surprised by taking Long.

It also puzzled me because the Bears seem to have a logjam at guard. Not that they shouldn’t try to get better there-they should-but with Matt Slausen, James Brown and Gabe Carimi set to battle for the two starting positions, I felt this would be better addressed later in the draft.

But with trust in Emery, we have to trust that he did indeed take the player his exhausting research told him was the best available player. But it certainly was the most surprising first round pick to the experts.

Now if the Bears are able to get their hands on Brian Schwenke in the fourth round, or pick up a third-rounder by engineering an amazing trade, I would be truly excited about their offensive line. But then this would prove that Carimi was a complete waste of a pick.

What do you think?

The 2013 NFL Draft commences tonight at 7 p.m. central. By the end of this evening, barring a trade down, the Chicago Bears will have selected a new player with their 20th overall pick. As of now, the Bears have only one selection on Friday, then pick in rounds 4-6 on Saturday.

Instead of making any predictions, I’m just going to watch intently and see how it plays out. I do know that the Bears very much would like to trade down to acquire more than the five total picks they currently have. But in order to do so, there has to be a team below them wanting to pick higher in the first, or possibly a club that wants to move back into the first round from the second. I know Bears GM Phil Emery will only do this if he is offered the right deal.

There has been a lot of talk that the Bears are enamored with Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert, but I’m thinking this is an effort to get a team a few picks back to offer the Bears a deal. Chicago also just conducted a workout on NC State quarterback Mike Glennon, and I’m thinking that the Bears are probably trying to get a team interested in making an offer for their second round pick.

Regardless, again, we’d be wise to expect the unexpected tonight. Who out there really thought the Bears would draft Shea McClellin last year when Whitney Mercillus was on the board? I know that in 1998 and 2005, the running backs I feared would be taken (Curtis Enis and Cedric Benson) were selected. In 2000 I had confidence the Bears would draft Brian Urlacher. Other than that, the way the draft has fallen has usually been a surprise.

And I’m looking forward to it.

No mock draft is ever spot on. Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock, and others make a lot of their money on the draft, but it never quite works out. Mel Kiper was not a fan of Russell Wilson coming out of Wisconsin last year, and Mike Mayock loves Manti Te’o this year, which goes against everyone else’s opinion. Pete Prisco once called Peria Jerry the next Warren Sapp yet ripped the selection of Clay Matthews by the Packers. With that being said, I tried to throw together a mock draft for the Bears. In this draft, I attempted to combine things said by Phil Emery and Marc Trestman, along with reports of who the organization has met with. I also incorporated their needs and players where other mock drafts have them slotted. This draft might be the biggest for the franchise in years. They are getting older at many positions, and they are also getting to the point where there is no depth, yet alone youth. Remember- making a mock draft for a team with five picks is no fun. Making one with trades on the other hand is fun.

The Bears trade pick #20 and a 6th round pick in 2014 to Atlanta for pick #30 (1), #60 (2), and #163 (5).

1. Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
—According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Radio 1000, the Bears are very interested in Zach Ertz, and why wouldn’t they be? They added Martellus Bennett, yes, but reports out of minicamp were that Evan Rodriguez is still lining up at FB. Ertz would give the Bears two capable pass catching TE’s. He’s very smooth and smart and runs good routes. His hands are very good as well. The only thing that’s keeping him from being the best TE in this class, according to most, is his straight-line speed. However, when everything that is thrown your way is caught, it makes up for it.

2. Larry Warford, G, Kentucky
—Kentucky hasn’t had an offensive lineman drafted in 19 years. That will change this year with Larry Warford. If there’s one thing to learn here: Kentucky is in the SEC and Warford gave up ZERO sacks last season. He made the All-SEC second team three times as a Wildcat, and that can be attributed to his quick feet, knee bend, and arm length. The Bears have been lining up Matt Slauson along with James Brown as the two starting guards, but if Phil Emery is serious about upgrading the offensive line, he can’t stop with just the acquisitions of Jermon Bushrod and Slauson.

2. Darius Slay, CB, Mississippi State
—Emery has made it known that this is a great class for cornerbacks, and he can add one here in Darius Slay. Slay is tough and has long arms. He can tackle pretty well, too. If he was on the bulkier and blazingly fast side, he would easily be a 1st round pick. Learning from Tim Jennings and Charles Tillman would benefit any player.

4. Brian Schwenke, C, California
—To me, Brian Schwenke is the best center in this class. Prior to the year, the argument was made for USC’s Khaled Holmes, but along with just about every Trojan in 2012, he had a rough year. Schwenke played guard as a junior but switched to center for his senior year, where he shined, making All-PAC 12 first team voted on by coaches. He is quick and smart and will never lose the leverage battle. Power is not his strength, hence the switch to center. A lot of Bears fans like Roberto Garza, and while he might be a great person, he’s in the last year of his contract and he’s not very good anymore. Once again, the offensive line upgrading can’t just stop with Bushrod, Slauson, and now Warford. It has to be totally revamped.

5. Matt Scott, QB, Arizona
—Using a late round pick on a quarterback is a smart thing to do. Matt Scott has drawn comparisons to Colin Kaepernick. While that might not necessarily be a great thing since nobody has seen more than one year of Kaepernick, I will take my chances with a guy who can sit back and develop.

5. Devonte Holloman, OLB, South Carolina
—Devonte Holloman has been compared by some draftniks to Chad Greenway, who has proved to be a very good NFL starter in Minnesota. While Holloman might never be as good, the Bears need depth and youth at linebacker regardless. He used to be safety, so he is good in coverage. He has long arms and is built well, and making tackles is a sure thing for him. It’s also a bonus that he has good hands from his defensive back days, so interceptions aren’t foreign to him.

6. Ace Sanders, WR, South Carolina
—There is still rumors that the new coaching staff talking up Devin Hester is nothing more than them attempting to raise his trade value. If this is the case, Ace Sanders could be his replacement. He is a smaller guy, so he might not be able to contribute much as a receiver right away. Then again, it would not shock me if he was used in the slot because he is so fast. If he doesn’t play much there, he is a dangerous punt returner who can help out there.

–Brian Ociepka (follow me at @bjociepka1)