Bears Release DT Adams

According to sources, the Bears have released defensive tackle Anthony Adams.  Signed as a free agent in 2007, Adams has been an excellent run defender with the Bears and has been perhaps an even bigger influence in the locker room.  Many fans are familiar with Adams’ light-hearted nature and his “Fat Man Dance”.  The first two words of that title, sadly, helped lead to his release.

Coming out of the lockout last year, Adams was out of shape.  He was too much fat man, not enough dance.  A couple weeks into camp, he suffered a calf injury that held him out for about a month.  While we can’t tell whether his extra weight or lack of conditioning contributed to the injury, it certainly couldn’t have helped.  After his returned he played sparingly, appearing in 11 games and making only 16 tackles.

Now the good news.  While Adams was struggling, the Bears got excellent production from both Henry Melton and Amobi Okoye.  Even though these two players play the three-technique, a position different than the nose tackle position that Adams played, their success is relevant because it will allow the Bears to play Stephen Paea (who can play the three-technique or the nose) in the rotation at nose tackle with Matt Toeaina.  While Paea struggled to get on the field early in his rookie year, he did show promise down the stretch.  If this is in fact the case, Adams’ release leads us to believe that the Bears are confident they’ll be able to retain Okoye (who was playing on a one year deal) before he gets to free agency.  This would be a good thing for the Bears’ D-Line.

In other news, reports are that the Bears are close to resigning CB Tim Jennings.  He was said to be looking for a significant raise over his $1.9 Million salary from 2011.  As an undersized zone corner, he wouldn’t be in high demand on the free market and likely wouldn’t earn much more than that.  If he does get a raise, however, he might have teammate Zackary Bowman to thank.  Remember, Jennings was benched in week 16 vs the Packers last year and Bowman, his replacement, was beaten badly for three touchdowns.  So while they’d be wise to not overpay, the Bears would be smart to get a deal with Jennings done, especially considering his predominantly solid play over the past couple years and their lack of depth at the position.

Combine Preview

After a long period of inactivity, the NFL Combine is almost upon us.  Bears Playbook will be in Indy this weekend and thought we’d give a list of players that Bears fans should be paying attention to this weekend.  Here are some players that the Bears may target in the draft and what you should look for during some of their drills.

Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame – Floyd is a big-bodied receiver (6’3” 220) that the Bears could definitely use.  He has excellent body control , speed, quickness and is a good route runner.  His biggest question marks are off the field issues (he’s had 3 alcohol related incidents).  His interviews with teams this week will have a serious impact on his draft stock.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina – Jeffery’s draft stock has been dropping due to concerns about his ability to gain separation.  Once viewed as a top 10 pick, he is now projected to be drafted in the end of the first round.  At 6’4” and 230 lbs, Jeffery is a physical presence with excellent ball skills.  The key to his combine will be his 40-yd dash.  If he can drop some weight and run a good time in the 40, he may be in the conversation for the Bears at the 19^th pick overall.

Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford – Martin is currently projected to go around the middle of the first round.  If he makes it to 19, the Bears would have to give him strong consideration.  A strong run blocker, Martin is also good in pass protection and would provide a big upgrade at Left Tackle.

Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State – A very good run-blocker, Adams has struggled with consistency in pass protection, especially against speed rushers.  That said, he has looked dominant at times and would provide an upgrade to the Bears offensive line.  The combine may show off some of his physical traits and raise his draft stock back up to the point where he’ll be in consideration at 19 overall.

Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois – Mercilus was a monster in 2011 with 16 sacks and 9 forced fumbles.  He has a motor that runs non-stop and can rush with impressive speed around the edge or with a powerful bull rush.  Because he only started 15 games at Illinois, teams will be looking for a strong combine to help validate his strong results from this past season.  Most mock drafts currently project Mercilus to be drafted somewhere around the Bears pick and I’m sure Lovie Smith is impressed with his ability to strip the ball.  Given Lovie’s penchant for drafting D-linemen early, there’s a good chance that this backyard prospect will remain in Illinois as an NFL rookie.