Sunday, March 16, 2008

So Far So Good


I can safely say that this year is the first year that I have really followed the Bears off-season activities. And as of now I have no complaints. I agree with D The Dude when he said that a lot of analysts who say that Da Bears have made some bad off-season moves don't really know the Bears.

First off, I agree with signing Rex to a 1-year deal. Whats the worst that can happen? He sucks and he don't come back ever again. I have respected Lovie enough to stick to his guns with Rex , and if we have brought him along this far, why not give him a shot at 1 more year. Not only that, Rex has actually shown some talent over his stint with the Bears. More than Cade McNown or Shane Matthews, to name a couple. I think it is pretty clear that the O-Line is the problem for the Bears. Not only will a solid line give Rex more time to waste in the pocket, but it will also help the struggling running game which will in turn open up the passing game some more. Olin is getting old and can hold the line by himself. It is an obvious issue and I don't think upper management will waste any draft picks.

A lot of analysts are saying that not resigning Bernard was a big mistake for the Bears. I disagree. If it meant saving money not signing him to keep Briggs, I'm all for it. Then loosing Moose to me was also not a big deal. He never really embedded his place as a Bear to me. He did alright, but we all knew he wasn't going to be here forever, so adios. Those two moves left a pretty empty WR core. Yeah we have D the Dude, but honestly, can he be a #1 WR. Look at the other #1s in the league and its clear he just doesn't match up. He is definitely a threat and a challenge for most any DBs, but there were still some issues to address as far as WRs.

Then the Bears decide to make me real happy with the 2 WRs acquired. I am a little biased with these two choices, 1 because I was a huge Book Book fan, and 2 B Lloyd went to the U of Illinois. I had mentioned that the bears needed a big target to go to as a safety on 3rd downs; run a quick out, or a quick slant and not drop the ball. Booker will fill that role nicely. Plus he loves Chicago, likes playing with Rex and is happy to be back overall. B Lloyd will give Rex a good 2nd or 3rd target pending on how much Hester will be a part of the offense. Lloyd was coached by the ever-so-stupid Ron Turner at the U, so this should make his transition a lot smoother than most newbies. This will give Rex options which is what he needs.

I can't wait to see what they do with the draft. Should be a fun year. Lets go Da Bears.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Bears Make Two More Great Moves

First I'd like to welcome our newest contributor Eddie Basden (the rest of you aren't contributors until you actually contribute something).

The Bears continue to make big moves this off-season. While many may see the Bears off-season as a disappointment, since they haven't acquired any big name free agents, they have accomplished almost everything that they wanted to. The Bears weren't interested in spending a lot of money bringing free agents in, but rather locking down the free agents that have been a part of the Bears and getting rid of the ones that were just wasting space. They will assess the rest of their pressing needs (OT, WR) during the draft. QB is NOT a pressing need. I do think they need to draft a QB in the later rounds, but once again, you can't say the Bears have a QB problem just because of last year (which is what most people do). The offensive line didn't provide any protection and the lack of QB production can be attributed to them.

Speaking of wastes of space, the Bears pulled off an unthinkable feat today. They traded Brian Griese to the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for something of value (an undisclosed 2009 draft pick). Now I have absolutely no idea why the Bucs would want Griese back, let alone give something up to get him back, but they did. If they had anything more than shit-for-brains they would have realized that they would have been able to sign him tomorrow, as the Bears were expected to drop him tonight if they weren't able to move him. He was due a $300,000 roster bonus tomorrow, and he certainly didn't deserve it (as he would have been the 3rd or possibly even 4th string QB this year for the Bears). We can sum this transaction up with one letter, a big W!

Not only did the Bears get rid of another aging joke, but they re-signed the free agent that was already written off by most Bears fans. Everybody thought they would be able to close a deal with Benard Berrian and not Lance Briggs, but the opposite has happened. On Saturday the Bears signed Briggs to a 6-year $36 million contract and he is well deserving of it. Even though Brian Urlacher has been the face of the Bears franchise for years, he would not have been so effective if Briggs wasn't alongside him. The tandem of Urlacher and Briggs is the best in the league and will continue to be for years to come. Briggs is the Bears hardest hitter and is great at stopping the run. Last year he had 83 solo tackles and 19 assists, good for second on the team in total tackles. He most likely would have finished first in tackles, but missed two games due to injury. Briggs has been through a lot with the Bears over the years. He was a crucial part of the defense that carried them to the Super Bowl. He threatened to sit-out the entire season last year after being franchised. He escaped a DUI by leaving his Lambo at the scene of a crash. But most importantly he's been able to put aside all of the media distractions and continue to be one of the Bears most consistent performers over the last few years.

On a sidenote, the Bears are expected to start negotiations with Devin Hester for an extension this week.

LB's Back In It

This has me excited. Briggs running sideline to sideline on the Midway during the prime of his career? Hopefully his body can hold up until age 33, but this is the right move, in my humble opinion.

Thoughts?