Happy Day --- Bears Release Frank Omiyale

The Chicago Bears have released offensive lineman (stress on OFFENSIVE) Frank Omiyale.  He played with the Bears for three seasons.

Signed as a free agent in 2009, Omiyale bounced around the line both as a starter and a backup.  He played at left guard, left tackle and right tackle.  In 2009 he started 12 games at left guard, being replaced momentarily by Josh Beekman in the middle of the year due to ineffectiveness in his run blocking.  In 2010 the Bears decided to use Omiyale at right tackle to replace an aging Orlando Pace.  When starting left tackle Chris Williams was injured during a week 2 game against the Cowboys, Omiyale replaced him while J’Marcus Webb filled in at right tackle.  He played the rest of the season at left tackle allowing a whopping 14 sacks.  Ineffective as a run blocker and inferior as a pass protector, Omiyale was reduced to a reserve role heading into 2011.  Just before halftime of the Bears’ week 2 game against the Saints, however, he was forced back into action when starting right tackle Gabe Carimi went down with an injury.  This was the game that defined Omiyale’s career for most Bears fans.  After not allowing a sack in the first half, Chicago allowed SIX sacks in the second half alone with Omiyale now in at right tackle.  Starting in just 3 games in 2011 and appearing sparsely during the rest of the season, Omiyale was credited with 4 sacks allowed and 7 false starts. 

After proving his ineptness over the past three seasons, Bears Playbook was certain that Omiyale had played his way out of Chicago.  There was a momentary bout of uneasiness, though, when the Bears hired Phil Emery as the new GM.  As it turns out, Emery was the director of college scouting for the Falcons when they drafted Omiyale in the 5^th round of the 2005 draft.  After this move, however, Emery has become about as popular as Santa Claus around here as today feels like Christmas come early with this news.