Blackhawks Win! Bulls and Bears? Not so much.

The NFL Draft has come and gone as teams looked to fill their roster needs. After watching round 1 live on Thursday night, I had a feeling like the Bears were in trouble. With no picks in the first round due to the Jay Cutler trade (which I would still do again today) the Bears didn't even have to show up at the Radio City Music Hall Thursday. In fact, they technically could have slept late Friday, as well, due to the trade that sent our second round pick to Tampa Bay, in exchange for the late Gaines Adams, a move I still haven't figured out. Finally with the 75th pick overall, Chicago was on the clock. The Bears selected safety Major Wright, a move that I think everyone agrees was a wise one. But I feel like it was just downhill from there. In the fourth round we grabbed a defensive end named Corey Wootton. Not an immediate pressing need but not a bad one (assuming Wootton has fully recovered from all his injuries). Next a cornerback, a position that already has some depth but no one truly proven. Charles Tillman is getting up there in age so this move may one day pay off. Now to the 6th round. Up to this point the Bears have drafted all defense and all three players may actually see some playing time this year. With the draft getting close to the end the Bears select...a QUARTERBACK?!!? That's right. Forget about the 5 year $50 million guy we have now, no we're not going to get anyone to protect him just yet, we're going to grab a guy because we just can't resist him. This to me, had to solidify Jerry Angelo's exit. Here's the quote from National Football Post as shown next to Dan LeFevour's picture on Yahoo! Sports, "An overrated quarterback prospect who struggles when asked to make NFL throws. LeFevour looks like nothing more than a backup QB". Now that's the guy I'm glad we risked our future on. And in the pointless yet still there 7th round the Bears finally select their glowing need, offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb.
Here's an interesting little fact: How many players selected by Jerry Angelo in the 7th round are still on the team? Answer: 1. Last year's 7th round pick Lance Louis. Hmm sounds like Webb will help us in the long term right? So overall, it looks like the Bears did very little to help them uproot Minnesota or even knock off the Packers.
Breaking News: The Chicago Bears have traded linebacker Jamar Williams for safety Chris Harris (remember him?). Was this a good move? Why not? Jamar Williams is an incredibly talented athlete which he showed us a little bit of this past season but it doesn't look like he's going to be seeing the field this year. The Bears clearly don't have enough confidence in the their safeties so they brought in a veteran who already knows the system well. While Williams may have been the better long term investment, for Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo, this season is about winning NOW.
Overall, unless one of our draft picks turns out to be a huge steal, I don't see the Bears performing much better then they did last year. I was banking on them at least signing Alan Faneca but he got a better offer in Arizona.

The Chicago Blackhawks are now one step closer to the Stanley Cup after knocking off the Nashville Predators. This series was not easy and unfortunately it won't get any easier. The Vancouver Canucks remember well what the Blackhawks did to them last year in the playoffs. The Hawks outplayed them for most of the series and it ended with Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo crying. It was a great moment and one that I would like to relive. Here's a few ways the Blackhawks can remind the Canucks of what elimination feels like: First, Antti Niemi MUST be at the top of his game. He cannot allow 3 goals on less than 10 shots like he did in the first period against Nashville on Monday night. No bad bounces, no excuses. Time to play for real. Second, Chicago needs to stay out of the penalty box. The Sedin brothers are good enough already, don't give them a man advantage. Third, control the game. Players like Patrick Kane and Johnathan Toews can dictate the speed of a game, keep the puck in their zone and get back on defense. Lastly, NO TURNOVERS. If we make good decisions with the puck and keep possession, Vancouver will be playing from behind, something no team truly likes to do.

While the Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs Tuesday night, I cannot help but applaud their effort. I truly expected this to be a four game series sweep and I thought the Bulls would be blown out in every game. However, Chicago was able to steal a game at home and even make game 5 come down to the last few seconds. If the team can take this loss and learn from it, I wouldn't be surprised to see them back in the playoffs for a third straight year. The main thing I noticed the Bulls lack, is a guy who can consistently knock down a three. Ben Gordon was that guy in the past and this season no one filled that roll. If the Bulls could get someone who can hit those 3's think about how dangerous Derrick Rose becomes when he can penetrate into the lane then kick it out for 3.