Bears defensive lineman Henry Melton finished with 13 tackles, and he didn't start any games.
But the former fourth-round pick has endeared himself to his coaches, and he appears in line to take the starting spot vacated by Tommie Harris. Melton is currently 294 pounds, and he's capable of adding more weight, if necessary. But the Bears want to keep his explosiveness, which he flashed in collecting 2 1/2 sacks and forcing one fumble.
"I think Henry Melton is a talented athlete," Bears coach Lovie Smith said at the NFL owners meeting. "His upside is... we saw some special plays from him in a limited role, and I'm excited about him getting some more reps. Probably inside. He's a guy who can go up, as far as weight is concerned.
"We have options with Henry. I think he's going to be one of those guys we're going to be talking about. I don't want to get too high on that hasn't done a lot, but he's definitely one of those guys with a lot of potential."
At this point, without the draft and free agency, Melton would start alongside Matt Toeaina, who started 10 games and notched two sacks. Anthony Adams is an unrestricted free agent, and the team would like to bring him back -- at the right price, of course.
Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said the plan is for Melton to "hopefully be the starter." But, the Bears could still draft a defensive tackle with the 29th overall pick, because this year's rookie class is so deep at the position.
"He kept getting a little better, a little better, so the arrow is going up," Angelo said. "Physically speaking, he's got everything you want, in terms of size, speed, toughness. That's not in question. Now, its just matter of learning the position, and that will come with repetition of more play."
Let's see, Lovie the Mope kept Tommie Harris two (2) years after he turned into a below average player.
Now, Lovie the Dope is telling us that Melton who is too short and undersized just gained 25-30 pounds and that he will become a starter. Jensen why are you printing this garbage????
The Bears led by Lovie the Mope and Jerry the Dope will be a JOKE in 2011. They knew that the OL was a disaster in 2010, yet they did nothing. Poor Cutler!
The big question for all of us Bear fans, how badly will the first round draft choice be injured before he plays in one game?
Let the Halas Hall hype begin, this guy is the best ever. They like Melton the wat they liked Josh Beekman "Well we are out of bodies and have few options left"
Can't wait for the draft. Smelling that trade down more and more. Or as Jerry refers to his draft philosophy "Random Acts of universal kindness" Who needs skill you just pick up as many darts as you can and throw them at the board, your bound to hit something. Then Jerr ycan get in front of the podium and say he new it all along. He never says anything about all the huge misses but loves to brag about guys who make the roster. They don't spend much time playing or playing well for the most part, but hey they are on the team so they are great.
By the way why does Melton need to get to 300 pounds? Randle played at 285 and would still rip the league up today at that weight. "How is putting on 40 pounds of weight really quickly a good thing. Its not muscle, its mostly fat and water.
I here these draft morons talk about it all the time, well this OT is only 315 but if he gets up to 320 watch out. Then he shows up to the combine at 315 and he needs to add weight and then a week later he is at his pro day and is 320 and now he is a stud. Yeah sure he put on 5 pounds of lean mass in a week.
If a guy is really good at 295 he will probably be really good at 300, if he is bad at 295 he will probably be bad at 300. Put away the measuring tape if a guy can play he can play.
The Bears are really high on Terrell McClain, Rod M just worked him out. They love Melton so much that Rod is working out him and Liuget personally.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTsGNfOdl8g
This clip is from the workout. He is a third or 4th round pikc but the Bears could reach as high as the bottom of round two according to some.
I liked Melton last year and thought he should have played more. Creighton is right on the weight issue, and I would probably go even farther and say weight almost invariably affects speed and agility.On the other hand, a threehundredfifty-pound rock is harder to move than a threehundred-pounder.The draft hype still seems to be the topic of the day. Let's hope the Bears come up with some solid winners.
ahhh...melton is ab ust LOOSERS!!! i am you rking abd master ans i f i drafted anybody teh uy would all be superstud s!!! just leik mey sweet sweeet mendenhalll.....drool waht a hunk!
but you guys now me old crap-to just tyrying to be posatve...
ps They like Melton the wat they liked Josh Beekman "Well we are out of bodies and have few options left"
even i donut now what is said! :)
Henry Melton ? Anthony Adams ? Matt Toniea ? WOW ! What a bunch of studs J.A. has collected for us ! Oh ya , now I remember , not everyone on the roster can be a pro-bowler. I like Izzy , but is he the answer opposite J.Peppers ? Is C. Wootton ? While we're at it , does this team have a CB that could start for ANY other team ? And we're just talk8ing on the "D" side of the ball ! So many ????
Paul the 350 pound rock is what I would call, hard to find. But they can be moved. Shuan Rogers is a good example a 345 pound guy, who is really not very good against the run, but can be very diruptive in the backfield. He is about 350 and an upfield guy but he can be moved side to side in the run game.
Now take Kyle Williams. 6'1 306 pounds, can be very disruptive like Rodgers but is better against the run then any DT in football. To bad he is on a line with zero talent.
A good football player is a good football player. Some big guys excell and some suck, some small guys excell and some suck.
Dick Jeroun used to way his players all the time and if you were to skinny he wouldn't let you play. He clearly did not have a problem with heavy guys though. That plan did not workout to well for him.
To many teams get into measurables and ignore quality production. The bears are one of them. That's how guys like Williams fall through the cracks and end up in round 5. Nobody cared that he played at LSU and was highly productive, scouts didn't care if he was a All American in the toughest confrence in football,. Nope all those scouts thought he was to short and not athletic enough. The experts. Nope they all liked the athletic guy who played next to him who was 2 inches taller. That guy now plays for the Huskers and Williams is an All pro.
Does Melton have a position? In college he was a RB turned DE, and he was a below average as a DE. As a Bear he has been a swing player, plaing both DE and DT. SO the Bears decide they he should be a DT and add 40 pounds in a few months and that will make him good because he ran a good 40 time at 265 3 years ago. However it was noted that he lacked some upper body strength for a guy at 6'2 270.
He was a pass rush specialist this year, so where was all his pass rushing? If they really loved Melton they would not be looking at the DT position so hard, and they would not be looking for a 3 tech.
Oh and Kevin you really shouldn't be upset that I am not a huge Melton guy. After all the draft is just a few more weeks away and hte Bears will have at least 6 new Bears for you to fall in love with and tag with your "Bestest ever most wonderful greatest of all time total beast moniker, "GO BEARS BEAR DOWN MOSTERS OF THE MIDWAY SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE MUSCLE AWESOME AWSOME AWESOME I WANT MY BABY BACK BABY BACK BABY BACK BLACK AND BLUES BROTHERS FROM MY OTHER MOTHER QB SLAPPIN PACKER BACKER SMACKIN I WANT TO GIVE BIRTH TO ALL THEIR CHILDREN MY MOST BELOVED OF THE BELOVED CHICAGO BEARS IN YOUR FACE CREIGHTON YEAH CAUSE I AM NOT A SPAZ!!!!"
Creighton, please learn how to spell the words you've made an attempt at communicating. Your posts are difficult to take seriously.
No I refuse. Which misspelled words offended you so deeply and confused you so very much. Was it this one "wat"? The word was suppose to be way but it was a missed key stroke, you see the "T" is right next to the "Y" and I don't waste time spell checking, not to mention I type really fast.
So in the future I will try not to do things like "wat" I sometimes forget that people like yourself are not smart enough to figure out the mistake on your own and need help from others to reach over such a momentous hurdle. I also fail to understand the pain and suffering you must go through when trying to understand something like "wat". Then there is your clearly delicate nature, so delicate infact that "wat offends you and hurts your feelings and sense of world balance. Throwing you into a hell of anarchy and chaos.
Tell me when things like "wat" are not making you cry out in agony, what does something like a person not using their turn signal do to you? I hate telling you this because I am a little worried you might faint while reading this and then crap yourself at the same time, but I don't always use my turn signal, sometimes I speed, and I have been known to put my elbows on the table, I even eat on the couch, and have eaten popcorn off my shirt at the movie theater.
Worst of all sometimes I scratch my @##.I know I am a horrible human.
Now I want you to do me a little favor ok? After you wake up from fainting and get done changing your shorts from your little accident you probably just had. I want you take your spellchecker, grab your word perfect, and don't forget your speak and spell. I want you to grab them, roll them up in a big ball, wrap your fist around them good and tight. And are you ready? Okay. I want you take that ball of spellchecker, word perfect, and speak and spell that you have wrapped your delicate fingers around so tightly and made such a nice big fist with. I want you take that fist, I want you to take it good and firm, take it and "TURN THAT SUMBITCH SIDEWAYS AND STICK IT STRAIGHT UP YOUR CANDY ASS!!!!" (In honor of The Rocks return)
And in honor of The Rocks return it really should get posted. He does say this on national TV all the time. So it can't be that offensive.
Creighton, please consider ignoring the critiques of less effective posters -- which spirals the conversation into personal garbage -- and keep the Bears conversation moving forward with substantial posts.
From my perspective, there is SO MUCH to write about the Bears, specifically their collective organizational incompetence and tolerance of mediocrity?
If the incompetent McCaskey family would sell the team to a capable and committed owner, imagine the pride and success that one move would engender?
Instead, we're left with a self-perpetuating gene pool of McCaskey incompetents fiddling with the family business, rather than running it like a real NFL team.
Do you agree?