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The offseason in Chicago usually leaves fans cringing and complaining about what the team did (or didn’t do) to “get better”. This offseason, however, has set the Chicago Bears up to take a huge leap forward this season and for many to come.
Part 3: NFL Draft
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On Wednesday morning, the Chicago Bears’ eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Brian Urlacher, decided to call it quits and retire forever a member of the Green Bay Packers most historic rival.
Packers fans should and will celebrate the retirement of a future hall-of-famer and one of the best linebackers to play in the NFL over the past twenty years.
Here’s a look back at his career, specifically against the Packers: [Read more…]
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Shortly after 10 AM this morning, former Chicago Bears legend and middle linebacker announced his retirement on his Twitter account.
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Drafting a player with high potential is a lot like owning a pet tiger. Let me explain.
Part 2: Free Agency [Read more…]
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I graded the new and improved coaching staff for the Chicago Bears pretty highly in part one of my off-season recap. Do the additions the team made in free agency match up?
Hint: absolutely.
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It seems like such a simple question, but no one can provide a definitive answer.
In free agency, the Bears did quite a bit in terms of addressing some of their most glaring needs. The offensive tackle, tight end, and linebacker positions were all upgraded.
But with the NFL Draft less than a week away, predictions are still all over the board for who the Bears may take with the 20th selection.
In my opinion, this is a two-horse race: offensive lineman, or linebacker. Apparently, most draft experts don’t agree with me.
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Imagine, if you will, Troy Polamalu returning a fumble he forced himself for a touchdown; Aaron Rodgers lofting up 50-yard bombs with pinpoint accuracy; and Maurice Jones-Drew dissecting a defense with his explosive speed.
Now, imagine all of those things happening… with those players wearing Bears jerseys. Call it crazy if you’d like, but the draft records show that former GM Jerry Angelo had the power to make all of this possible. In hindsight. [Read more…]
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The calendar has finally flipped to April. Phil Emery and the Chicago Bears are putting the finishing touches on their draft plans and are preparing their war rooms for the three-day extravaganza known as the NFL Draft.
Most sports media outlets have been churning out mock drafts for the past few months. These mock drafts, however, usually only cover the first round. The most daring sports analysts may even sneak out into the deep end and take a stab at predicting the second round.
Knowing that predicting the draft is just about as easy as picking a perfect NCAA Tournament Bracket, its understandable why fewer still try to predict all seven rounds. But, in the face of my own better judgment, I will attempt to do exactly that.
Here are my predictions at all seven rounds worth of Chicago Bears draft picks, including two predictions that are nearly guaranteed to be correct. [Read more…]
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“Lip service.”
Those are the exact words Brian Urlacher used to describe the Bears’ efforts to resign him.
Granted, the lack of cap space and Urlacher’s recent rash of injuries put Phil Emery in an awkward situation in terms of how to operate in contract negotiations.
But this disgraceful divorce from the 13-year face of the franchise will impact the Bears in this coming season as well as down the road.
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Every source of news in local Chicago sports media is reporting that the Chicago Bears were unable to reach an agreement with star middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. #54 has been a fixture on the Bears D since 2000. Urlacher was offered 1 year, $2 million- a joke of an offer. It was an ultimatum so now Urlacher is done as a Bear.
The leader of the defense for well more than a decade, Urlacher propelled the Bears to four NFC North/Central division titles, two NFC title game appearances, and one Super Bowl. He has many Bears records on the field and was linked to exceedingly trashy starlets Jenny McCarthy and Paris Hilton off the field. In short, women wanted Urlacher and men wanted to be Urlacher.
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Well, that escalated quickly.
GM Phil Emery followed up his amazing opening act last season with an equally impressive performance in the first few hours of this year’s free agency period.
About 60 minutes after the opening bell, former Giants tight end Martellus Bennett was watching the ink dry on his new four-year deal with the Bears. The terms of Bennett’s contract have not yet been disclosed.
A few hours later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that former Saints Pro Bowl left tackle Jermon Bushrod would be joining Bennett in the Windy City on a five-year, $36 million deal, making him the highest paid offensive lineman in team history. [Read more…]
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It’s never too soon to think about how the Bears can improve for next season. I have some suggestions for GM Phil Emery.
I think with 2 key moves in the offseason, the Bears can find themselves on the right side of lopsided final scores like we saw in Jacksonville, only against much better opponents than the Jaguars.
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