Urlacher Undergoes Knee Scope

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee on Tuesday.  Head Coach Lovie Smith described the procedure as a “minor scope” and said “there shouldn’t be any reason to really be concerned.”  Of course, this sounds like what Lovie has been saying all along.  That was before 54 started missing practices.  That was before this procedure.  That was before Urlacher’s status for the beginning of the regular season was in jeopardy.

I’m not saying that Lach won’t be ready for the regular season.  He very well may be.  Teammate Nick Roach had a similar procedure done before the regular season in 2010 and played in the opener 2 ½ weeks later.  What I am saying is that I don’t believe anything that Lovie or Emery tell us.  Take it all with a grain of salt.

Back to Urlacher, though, I guess the best we can do now is just hope for a smooth recovery.  Urlacher himself has said that he doubts he’ll be without pain in the knee for the entire season.  It is entirely possible that he’ll practice very little and then play on Sundays.  If anybody can do that effectively, it’s probably him.  What this all means for his contract status is a discussion for another day.  For now, let’s just hope that this doesn’t derail what could be a very special season.

Bears Report to Training Camp

Bears players arrive at the dorms of Olivet Nazarene
University for the start of training camp

The Bears have arrived at training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL.  The players will undergo physicals today and also take part in strength and conditioning drills.  Their first practice will begin tomorrow at 2:30 and that is open to the public.

What To Watch For

Everyone is excited to watch Jay Cutler throw the ball to Brandon Marshall.  It will also be great to see Matt Forte participating with the team for the first time this offseason (he reportedly looks to be in great shape).  However, the most important thing to watch now that the pads are on will be the performance of the offensive linemen, particularly the battle for the left tackle position.  According to Offensive Coordinator Mike Tice, Chris Williams and J’Marcus Webb will split the reps 50/50 with the winner becoming the starter at left tackle and the loser assuming the swing tackle role.

Williams and Webb have both had their struggles at LT and that is the reason this competition ever came about in the first place.  Williams’ struggles presumably can be (at least partially) attributed to injury, he was never fully healthy until the start of last season, while Webb’s troubles are attributed to inexperience.  With limited practices in pads, the most important component of this battle will be their performances in the preseason games.  The trouble with evaluating performances in the preseason, though, is that starters typically don’t play much.  With that in mind, it will be very interesting to see who gets the start in the Bears’ first preseason game on August 9^th against the Broncos and RDE Elvis Dumervil (if he’s not in jail by then).

This is quite possibly the most anticipated Bears season since the mid-late 1980’s.  With training camp finally upon us, we’ll begin to get a good idea of whether or not that excitement is legitimate.  Phil Emery said, “We want to win now.  We want to win championships now.”  That is clearly a sentiment that is shared by all fans.  The journey to accomplish that goal begins now and, may I say, it’s about time.

Lance Briggs Given Contract Extension by Bears

The Chicago Bears on Wednesday signed linebacker Lance Briggs to a one-year contract extension.  The deal includes $7 million in new money and also frees up almost $2 million in cap room in 2012 for Chicago (for full contract details, click here).  Briggs, who had been asking for an extension since last season, was surprised that a deal got done this quickly.  “Didn’t really take long”, he said.  “I know that they spoke with (my agent) at the Combine and obviously we had to give free agency some time so the Bears could acquire the players they wanted in the first couple of weeks.”  “I’m … just very appreciative right now that the work has been recognized and that it got handled as fast as it did.”

Obviously, any time contracts are discussed around Halas Hall these days, it doesn’t take long until the discussion turns toward Matt Forte.  Today was no different.  When asked about Forte’s situation, Briggs said “I’d tell him to do what he feels is right.”  “I’ve been there and I hope that his situation gets resolved soon and I want him to be happy.”

Regardless of the Forte situation, Briggs himself is now very happy.  As one of only four Chicago Bear linebackers to ever reach 7 consecutive Pro Bowls (Dick Butkus, Bill George and Mike Singletary being the others), he is obviously a key contributor to a very talented team.  When asked how talented he thinks the Bears are, he said “On paper I think we’re very talented.”  He continued, “Very, very talented.  Would I call us the ‘Dream Team’?  No I would not.  But I would say we’re a championship caliber team.” 

Bears GM Phil Emery appears to have a similar view.  “We’re very excited for Lance and for the Bears”, he said.  “Lance has been a very valuable and productive member of our team.  Seven straight Pro Bowls is quite a record of success.  This is a very positive step for our team in an effort to win championships.”  Please note that last sentence.  Specifically, note the last letter.  With every word, Emery impresses more and more.  With some more sound moves like this one, the Bears just may contend for the first of those championships in 2012.  

Bears Sign RB Michael Bush

The Bears have signed free agent RB Michael Bush to a 4 year, $14 million deal.  This is a good value for the Bears.  Bush was widely considered the top free agent RB available and will provide not only an excellent 1-2 punch with Matt Forte, but will also provide insurance in case Forte and the Bears can’t come to terms on a long-term deal and Matt holds out.

It’s this issue with Forte’s contract, however, that adds a level of uneasiness to this signing.  For the third year in a row, the Bears have given significant money to a backup running back while refusing to lock up their premier ball carrier long-term.  This fact has clearly not been lost on Matt Forte who tweeted the following after hearing about the Bush signing:  “There’s only so many times a man that has done everything he’s been asked to do can be disrespected!  Guess the GOOD GUYS do finish last.”  There’s no denying the accuracy of Forte’s comments.  He truly has done everything asked of him.  Despite a failure to extend him last year, Forte still showed up to camp on time and in the best shape of his career.  Remember, he played last season for $600,000 while Marion Barber came in and signed a 2 year, $4.6 million deal.  By comparison, Forte was playing under the last year of his rookie deal; a 4 year contract worth a total of $3.8 million.  So it’s understandable that Forte is frustrated.  Without knowing the intent of GM Phil Emery, though, we can’t know if Forte is justified in being frustrated with this signing itself.

Let’s go over the possible motivations for making this deal.  As I said at the top, this signing is a good value for the Bears.  Bush is a productive running back who is good both out of the backfield and as a physical runner between the tackles.  If this signing was made simply as a business decision, a good price for a quality backup with full intention on signing Forte long-term, then Forte should welcome the move.  Having a teammate like Bush will allow Forte to get off the field a little more often, keeping him fresher for the duration of the season.  It is entirely possible, though, that this signing was inspired by a need to protect the Bears from a possible Forte holdout.  If that’s the case, that would mean that the Bears don’t plan on coming to an agreement with Forte and every bit of Matt’s anger over this signing would be justified.

It’s hard to know what the holdup is over an agreement between the Bears and Forte on a long-term deal.  After all, the Arian Foster deal should’ve set the market for this deal.  Forte should sign a very comparable deal to that 5 year, $43.5 million deal with $21 million guaranteed.  If either side is proposing a number that is significantly off of that amount, then this standoff could last for quite a while and it may get very ugly.  It is entirely possible, though, that new GM Phil Emery (who appears to be very structured in his approach) believes that now is the time to sign free agents and hammering out an extension for Forte will be done in its proper time.  The optimist in me is hoping that this is the case.  Thus far, in his short time as GM, Emery has done an excellent job in doing what’s best for the Chicago Bears.  Paying Matt forte is definitely in Chicago’s best interest and I have faith that a deal will get done and we can all (Forte included) continue to be thankful that Phil Emery is our new GM.

Bears re-sign 4 free agents

The Bears have re-signed DE Israel Idonije, S Craig Steltz, TE Kellen Davis and QB Josh McCown.

Idonije was signed to a one-year deal.  The 31 year-old defensive end had only five sacks in 2011 after having 8 in 2010.  While not a high-sack total kind of guy, Idonije plays with a high motor and has been called the most underrated Bears defensive lineman by multiple head coaches who have played against the Bears.  This move gives the Bears some flexibility with the 19^th pick in the upcoming draft.  While we could certainly use some youth at the position, having him here again gives us the flexibility to go elsewhere in the draft (maybe OT?) if a talented prospect falls to us there.

Craig Steltz signed a two-year deal to stay with the Bears.  The key special teams contributor was also called upon to play quite a bit of safety late in the year due to injuries.  According to Pro Football Focus, he was one of only nine safeties to play 25% of their team’s snaps and not miss a tackle on passing plays.  His re-signing gives us some depth at safety, which has seen almost constant turnover under Lovie Smith, and lets Dave Toub keep one of his key special teamers.

The Bears also re-signed Kellen Davis, a 6’7” 260lb tight end to a two year contract.  Under-utilized in Mike Martz’ offense, Davis has the athleticism to potentially be a potent threat for the Bears offense.  Drafted four years ago, Davis has always intrigued the Bears due to his size and speed but he was buried on the depth chart during his first two seasons in Chicago.  During the last two, under Mike Martz as offensive coordinator, the tight end position was rarely utilized in the passing game and Lovie Smith and Phil Emery were apparently not ready to let him go without seeing if he can be as productive as they think he can in an offense that’s much better suited to take advantage of his skills.

The Bears also re-signed QB Josh McCown who should compete with Nathan Enderle for the third QB job.  McCown fared pretty well in his two starts at the end of last year and he is the favorite to hold onto that third-string QB position.  With newly signed Jason Campbell and McCown now behind Cutler, the Bears depth at QB, the debilitating weakness which brought disaster to a promising 2011, is now a position of strength.  Just knowing that these guys are in position in case disaster strikes again should lead to significantly fewer sleepless nights for Bears fans everywhere.

Bears Franchise Forte

The Chicago Bears today placed the franchise tag on RB Matt Forte.  For those unaware, let’s review exactly what that means.  It means that the Bears have until July 16^th to continue to try to work out a contract extension if they so desire.  If no deal has been struck by that date, then Forte will be paid the average of the top 5 salaries at his position.  For running backs in 2012, the price of the franchise tag is $7.7 Million. 

While it is a significant salary for one season, players generally have a very negative view of the franchise tag.  Most would prefer the security of a multi-year deal.  However, as Forte himself noted earlier this year, “A lot of teams franchise guys so that they can get a deal done or negotiate a deal.”  He has said that he’d be open to the tag if that were the motive for it.  If the Bears don’t plan on pursuing a multi-year deal and instead expect Matt to play out this season under the tag, however, there may be repercussions.  “I wouldn’t say holdout, but people probably wouldn’t know where I was,” Forte said.  “It just depends on what the motive of that is.”

In terms of a long-term deal, there are some stumbling blocks to getting a deal done.  First is the issue of durability.  Teams just don’t want to guarantee a lot of money to a player who plays a position that has such a penchant for injuries.  Secondly, the contract that the Carolina Panthers gave to DeAngelo Williams last year (5 years, $43 million, $21M guaranteed) was way above market value.  Forte and his agent will try to base their contract off of that one claiming that Forte is a better player and should be higher paid than Williams.  The Bears will say that they shouldn’t be obligated to overpay just because some other team did.  This is the same situation that the Ravens find themselves in with their running back, Ray Rice (who was also franchised on Friday). 

The optimists among us have some signs that they can point to as potential positives too.  The first is the Bears salary cap situation.  As they now stand, the Bears are about $28 million under the salary cap.  So they have no financial restraints to getting a deal done.  Also, if the franchise tag holds the full $7.7M would count against the cap.  If they were to get a deal done instead, they could spread the signing bonus over the length of the contract for cap purposes.  This would reduce the amount that Forte would count against the salary cap.  You would also think that the Bears would like to get this settled before free agency starts so they’d have a more exact idea of who they can afford to explore (at the WR position, maybe??).  Also, it might be a stretch but it could be a good sign that Matt wasn’t franchised until late in the day Friday.  New GM Phil Emery was said to re-open negotiations with Forte’s agent during the NFL Combine last weekend and it’s possible that they could be close to a deal.  We also can’t help but think that Emery would like to make a positive impact in his first big move in his new position.  What better way to do that than to lock up one of the Bears’ most important and most popular players?

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.