Bears sign OT Germain Ifedi to 1-year deal

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The Cooler King
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Feels like a pretty meh signing. Honestly, hopefully he's a roster bubble guy and some more interesting competition (including a draft pick) are brought in for the OL still.
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How is that so horrible? 29 false starts is about 0.6 per game. OK, that's on the high side, but he's played almost all OT, but he'll play almost certainly OG here. And 12 holding flags is 1 every 4 games. At OT, that's not horrible at all.
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He's sure chasing those 1st round picks who've failed expectations.


This is fine if it's cheap enough not to count against comp picks. If it's not, it's a lousy deal in general and for that reason, too.
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Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:17 pm but he's played almost all OT, but he'll play almost certainly OG here.
You think? We'll see what they gave him.

My assumption was that he's here to replace Cornelius Lucas.
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Man, I could have sworn he signed with the Jets.

Oh well, big dude who played HS locally here. He has played both tackle spots and RG in the NFL. Kind of messed with his development a little moving him all over. Still pretty young too. I think he was pretty out of shape in Seattle... they like their linemen heafty and asked him to put on a fair amount of weight.
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Moriarty wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:22 pm
Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:17 pm but he's played almost all OT, but he'll play almost certainly OG here.
You think? We'll see what they gave him.

My assumption was that he's here to replace Cornelius Lucas.
Probably. As a 3rd OT, he's probably a good signing. Hopefully it's not to be the starting RG like some are speculating.
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Not bad. A swing tackle that can push the starters.
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He is fairly close to Leno and Massie on pff rankings. Decent depth and may be a better guard. It can’t be worse than last year

I still think they go guard in the second but it fits paces pattern to fill holes so he can go bpa in the draft.
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Moriarty wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:20 pm He's sure chasing those 1st round picks
Pace is collecting former first round picks like they are infinity stones to create a gauntlet of ‘meh’
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oh cool, the seahawks do that thing where they draft giant dudes who they figure they'll teach to block somewhere down the line. then russell wilson spends the rest of his playing days running for his life on every play.

i really hate this signing more than any other this offseason.
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Lucas type signing. Swing tackle who can play inside at a pinch. I hate this as much as I hated the Lucas signing and I hope I am as wrong now then I was then because Lucas filled in well when Massie had vertigo etc

Not the worst signing guard still early draft
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Bearfanuk wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 5:55 pm Lucas type signing. Swing tackle who can play inside at a pinch. I hate this as much as I hated the Lucas signing and I hope I am as wrong now then I was then because Lucas filled in well when Massie had vertigo etc

Not the worst signing guard still early draft
Remember that Lucas was originally brought in as the 4th Tackle and was out most of 2018. Lucas never projected to even make the roster until Clemmings got hurt.
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I like the signing a lot. I have no problem with Pace pursuing first round picks who haven't made it elsewhere. It's better than pick failed third or fourth rounders or UDFAs. At least with first rounder, at least the ones that Pace has brought in, you're dealing with a solid athletic base to work with. Here's a pretty good analytic on Ifedi:



He sure looks to me like he has some upside.
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WAB, you lied to me,lol. I kind of dropped him off my list when you said he signed a big contract with the Seahawks. Lol

This is an excellent signing. No he's not an all pro but he is only 25 and has experience with playing multiple positions. He was one out there I really liked. Happy we grabbed him.
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Moriarty wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:22 pm
Mikefive wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:17 pm but he's played almost all OT, but he'll play almost certainly OG here.
You think? We'll see what they gave him.

My assumption was that he's here to replace Cornelius Lucas.
He has actually played a lot of RG so don't count him out there. He can also be a swing OT if we draft an OG.
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Juan Castillo had a love affair with Vlad Ducasse IIRC... this kind of feels similar. I would think he was signed to play RG.
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Hoog wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 7:39 pm
Moriarty wrote: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:22 pm

You think? We'll see what they gave him.

My assumption was that he's here to replace Cornelius Lucas.
He has actually played a lot of RG so don't count him out there. He can also be a swing OT if we draft an OG.
IIRC, Bars is supposed to be best suited to play T isn't he? So maybe the plan is for him to take Lucas's spot as swing T and Ifedi is there to compete for RG. I would feel pretty confident he'd be better than Coward was. Castillo being new to the team, he'll be open about who best fits where. Nothing wrong with letting them both compete and having them play at the positions where they fit best.
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I just read an interview with a guy who writes for the Seahawks site. He basically said fans thought Ifedi was the worst OL ever but he charted him for years and he isn't bad at all. Said he didn't have any holding penalties while playing OG, all came at OT when plays broke down and he kind of panicks to keep QB clean. Said his technique got better each year. The majority of his off sides calls were against players drafted above round 2.5, weird. Didn't get along with current OL coach. Should do much better in Bears system. Said his vest football is in front of him but not sure how high that is for him.
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Athletic but raw when he entered the NFL. His holding penalties came when playing RT, not RG. Seattle made him gain a lot of weight to move to RT, which might not have been good for him. For a 1 year prove-it deal this is OK. He can play potentially 4/5 positions if injuries come up, and if he works out at RG, we may have one less hole to fill.
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VA_Mountain_Bear wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:01 am Athletic but raw when he entered the NFL. His holding penalties came when playing RT, not RG. Seattle made him gain a lot of weight to move to RT, which might not have been good for him. For a 1 year prove-it deal this is OK. He can play potentially 4/5 positions if injuries come up, and if he works out at RG, we may have one less hole to fill.
This. If they can get him back down to his fighting weight of like 305 (what he was coming into the NFL) he'll be able to move really well - which is one of the things that got him drafted so high. He was carrying a lot of bad weight.
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wab wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:43 am
VA_Mountain_Bear wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 11:01 am Athletic but raw when he entered the NFL. His holding penalties came when playing RT, not RG. Seattle made him gain a lot of weight to move to RT, which might not have been good for him. For a 1 year prove-it deal this is OK. He can play potentially 4/5 positions if injuries come up, and if he works out at RG, we may have one less hole to fill.
This. If they can get him back down to his fighting weight of like 305 (what he was coming into the NFL) he'll be able to move really well - which is one of the things that got him drafted so high. He was carrying a lot of bad weight.
Man this working from home might have me carrying some bad weight soon too.
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Being a bears fan from Seattle, I constantly hear about the O-line woes year after year. I’ve spent a lot of time digging into Ifedi’s film. Hawks fans rag on him but the film says he isn’t the main problem.

Here are my 5 thoughts on Ifedi:


1) Ifedi has blocked for Russell Wilson his entire career, a QB that consistently drops pass 9 yrds (on script) creating an edge rush arc that is almost impossible to block for. He consistently leaves clean pockets and begins to scramble unnecessarily which creates havoc for the O-line.


2) Russell Wilson’s TTT has been bottom of the league for years hovering around 3-3.5 sec which is well over the league average of 2.5. The best of the best can’t consistently block for that amount of time. The hawks ask A LOT from their O-linemen.


3) Ifed has endured O-line coaching changes and has had multiple players changing around him. Last season the hawks started eight 5 man combinations, including their starting center and a different offensive-line alignment in each of the final five games. Good O-line play is about continuity! The hawks simple haven’t had that.


4) Reports have the bears most likely playing him at RG where he’ll be a huge upgrade over Rashaad Coward. He has zero problems run blocking and his penalties are next to zero at this position.


5) He’s young, at 25 on a 1 year deal he has nothing but upside and could just need a fresh start. Plus, he’ll be joining a decent to good O-line with a QB that gets the ball out fast.

Ifedi isn’t a superstar but he’s definitely a serviceable starter who is always available to play and I feel this is a very good signing for the bears, IMO, 2nd only to Quinn.
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Funkster wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:53 pm Being a bears fan from Seattle, I constantly hear about the O-line woes year after year. I’ve spent a lot of time digging into Ifedi’s film. Hawks fans rag on him but the film says he isn’t the main problem.

Here are my 5 thoughts on Ifedi:


1) Ifedi has blocked for Russell Wilson his entire career, a QB that consistently drops pass 9 yrds (on script) creating an edge rush arc that is almost impossible to block for. He consistently leaves clean pockets and begins to scramble unnecessarily which creates havoc for the O-line.


2) Russell Wilson’s TTT has been bottom of the league for years hovering around 3-3.5 sec which is well over the league average of 2.5. The best of the best can’t consistently block for that amount of time. The hawks ask A LOT from their O-linemen.


3) Ifed has endured O-line coaching changes and has had multiple players changing around him. Last season the hawks started eight 5 man combinations, including their starting center and a different offensive-line alignment in each of the final five games. Good O-line play is about continuity! The hawks simple haven’t had that.


4) Reports have the bears most likely playing him at RG where he’ll be a huge upgrade over Rashaad Coward. He has zero problems run blocking and his penalties are next to zero at this position.


5) He’s young, at 25 on a 1 year deal he has nothing but upside and could just need a fresh start. Plus, he’ll be joining a decent to good O-line with a QB that gets the ball out fast.

Ifedi isn’t a superstar but he’s definitely a serviceable starter who is always available to play and I feel this is a very good signing for the bears, IMO, 2nd only to Quinn.
Funkster, that is gold right there. Thank you for jumping in and giving us all that info. You just can't find that on the web.
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Agree great post

Look, we need a starting RG and a swing T. This guy plays both positions. He’s got talent as a former 1st rounder, still young, and cheap with near zero risk.

I really like this move
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Any word on $$$
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I'm starting to think that, depending upon what we do at OG/OT in the draft, Ifedi might be a swing tackle and backup guard...
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Funkster wrote: Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:53 pm Being a bears fan from Seattle, I constantly hear about the O-line woes year after year. I’ve spent a lot of time digging into Ifedi’s film. Hawks fans rag on him but the film says he isn’t the main problem.

Here are my 5 thoughts on Ifedi:


1) Ifedi has blocked for Russell Wilson his entire career, a QB that consistently drops pass 9 yrds (on script) creating an edge rush arc that is almost impossible to block for. He consistently leaves clean pockets and begins to scramble unnecessarily which creates havoc for the O-line.


2) Russell Wilson’s TTT has been bottom of the league for years hovering around 3-3.5 sec which is well over the league average of 2.5. The best of the best can’t consistently block for that amount of time. The hawks ask A LOT from their O-linemen.


3) Ifed has endured O-line coaching changes and has had multiple players changing around him. Last season the hawks started eight 5 man combinations, including their starting center and a different offensive-line alignment in each of the final five games. Good O-line play is about continuity! The hawks simple haven’t had that.


4) Reports have the bears most likely playing him at RG where he’ll be a huge upgrade over Rashaad Coward. He has zero problems run blocking and his penalties are next to zero at this position.


5) He’s young, at 25 on a 1 year deal he has nothing but upside and could just need a fresh start. Plus, he’ll be joining a decent to good O-line with a QB that gets the ball out fast.

Ifedi isn’t a superstar but he’s definitely a serviceable starter who is always available to play and I feel this is a very good signing for the bears, IMO, 2nd only to Quinn.
Great post, dude. This is why BFO is the best board on the planet.
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G08 wrote: Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:46 am I'm starting to think that, depending upon what we do at OG/OT in the draft, Ifedi might be a swing tackle and backup guard...
I would tend to agree with this
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