LOWER THE BOOM - DRAFT DAY 1 EDITION

Let me preface my LOWER THE BOOM by saying that I understand that the Jay Cutler trade was a HUGE component of the Chicago Bears draft day.  I get it.  I appreciate what went into making that trade happen and will stand by the trade regardless of how everything with Cutler ultimately turns out.  I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again; Jerry Angelo identified a glaring hole on the Bears and made a bold move to address it.  Thank you Jerry! Thank being said, WTF is going on up at Halas Hall?  The Bears entered the draft Saturday with only one selection, #49, midway through the 2nd round.   As fans watched NFC North opponents make pick after pick to bolster their teams, we sat idly by, rubbing our new Jay Cutler statues with eager anticipation that when pick #49 rolled around, the Bears would select a much-needed wide receiver or a safety to quarterback the defense. As the picks went along in the 2nd round, I kept checking my draft board.  Delmas and Chung off the board right off the bat.  WR Brian Robiske selected by the Browns.  Damn.   Other positions falling off the board, but still a couple of players on the board.  The Raiders select a safety, but it’s a guy that Mel Kiper considered a 7th rounder!  What is Al Davis doing?  Thanks Raiders.  William Moore, the safety from Mizzou and Mohammed Massaquoi are still on the board as the Bears go on the clock.  Sweet!  We will get one of our guys. Wait a second.  Instead, the Bears traded away their lone Day 1 selection to trade down for 3rd and 4th round picks from Seattle.   Why?  I think the Bears are taking the “throw enough crap at the wall and some of it is bound to stick” approach to the draft. They head into Sunday with nine selections: two 3’s, two 4’s, two 5’s, a 6 and two 7’s.  Great.  We have a ton of Day 2 picks and there are certainly tons of holes to fill.  Let’s face it, though, Day 1 players are difference makers, Day 2 players are more hit or miss.  For every Lance Briggs you get a Michael Okwo or three. The cherry on top of Day 1 is that Jerry Angelo claims to have been in negotiations with the Arizona Cardinals for disgruntled wide receiver Anquan Boldin.   This from Brad Biggs’ blog: Jerry Angelo said the Bears talked with the Arizona Cardinals about Anquan Boldin but the team was unable to get a deal done. “I would assume so,” Angelo said when asked if the deal was dead now that the team has traded its second-round pick. If you’re in negotiations with the Cardinals and you’ve got to get that deal done.  Talk about a blockbuster that would turn the offense around completely and give Cutler a ready-to-go target.  Instead we’re left to hope that one or two of the nine Day 2 selections can possibly pan out.  Here’s to hoping Jerry gets it done on Sunday. BOOM!!!!