"This won't come back to haunt us...look, I even wrote it on my calendar!"The Bears play the Saints today in what is probably the most telling example of how far a team can fall off the road to glory. The great matchup of last year in the NFC Championship game is now a meaningless game with two teams that have no playoff hopes.
The TPC brought up the idea of the Bears tanking this game for a better draft pick -- I say we win this game for a better draft pick.
As evidenced by our good friend Ryan Leaf (see: above), the early picks in an NFL draft are hardly sure things. You're still drafting based on potential, not on actuality. Look at the 2005 draft -- any legit player from the 05 draft would certainly have emerged by now. The top 10 picks? Only one pro bowler. You've got players like Pacman, Benson, Cadillac, and Alex Smith (the #1) who have all been incredible busts. The only really good player in the group is Braylon Edwards, and I'll count Ronnie Brown because he finally had a great start to a season.
Now look at the next ten picks: four pro-bowlers (DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merriman, Jamaal Brown, and Logan Mankins) and some serious talent in Roddy White, Jason Campbell (with kneecaps), and Heath Miller. The Bears could have conceivably had Frank Gore (round 3) or Marion Barber (round 4) instead of Benson, in addition to a great first round pick.
So instead of telling your Bears to tank, tell them to dominate. Wreck the Saints, end the season with a bang to keep you pumped in the offseason, and take the lower draft pick to glory.
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