RealGM

Thought we could use a thread to talk about the Bears upcoming free agents, as well as possible targets to be cut, and other teams free agents. Here's a breakdown.

Bears Free Agents
QB- Grossman
RB- K Jones
WR- B Lloyd
OL- St Clair
DB- M Brown
-I wouldn't mind seeing Mike Brown around another year, but that's mostly due to sentimental attachment. I still think we need to address safety early in the draft or FA.
-Brandon Lloyd didn't do anything to NOT be back, but he really is only a #4 type. On a short deal, worth giving another go around.
-Everyone else can go.

Possible Players to Cut
WR- Booker
DE- Ogunleye
OL- Tait
- Ogun and Tait make big money. They are both entering the last year of their contract and it looks like the cap cost to cut them will be ~2.2M. Thats opposed to the ~$8.5M combined salary cost to keep them (I'm not 100% on my figures, but I think they're close).
-Booker doesn't stand to save us much money by cutting, but he's just not good enough to justify keeping around when we have no idea what we have in Earl Bennnett.

Possible Free Agents to Keep an Eye On
QB- Jeff Garcia. Compete with Orton. Stop gap for finding a franchise QB.
WR- T.J. Houshmandzadeh. We don't have a #1 receiver. We may be in a good spot to draft one though.
OT- Jordan Gross. If we were to cut Tait, don't bring back St. Clair, and with some question still on Williams, we may need to sign an OT. He looks like the best this year.
DE- Julius Peppers. Probably the biggest name out there. Will command some serious $, which we have a lot committed to on D already. Still, our pass rush dropped off big time this season. Another position we might be in a good spot to address in the draft.
DE- Terrell Suggs. Will be around for whatever teams miss out on Peppers.

Those are the big names. Obviously some lesser known guys will be looked at for backup positions and special teams, but other spots will probably be best addressed internally and through the draft.

Guys entering last year of contract who could get extension:
DE- Idonije
DB- Manning. Probably won't ever be a starting safety, but has value as KR and nickleback
QB- Orton. I'd rather make him go into the season having to play for a contract, but he could get it in the offseason.
LS- Mannelly. One of the key parts to one of the best special teams units in the NFL. Not a sexy position, but very valuable.

David Haugh mentions Kurt Warner as a possibility:
Kurt Warner should be high on Chicago Bears' shopping list
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... 029.column

An NFL general manager who establishes finding a quarterback as his team's top off-season priority, as Jerry Angelo has for the Bears, is like an astronaut who says he is ready to soar into space.

Conceptually, there can be no limits to the possibilities, or what's the use?

That thought left the deepest impression when considering how the Bears viewed the first round of the NFL playoffs, a weekend that included 37-year-old free-agent-to-be Kurt Warner taking the Arizona Cardinals franchise to uncharted postseason territory.

Warner looked like the guy with two league MVP trophies on his mantel in completing 19 of 32 passes for 271 yards, two TDs and one interception in Saturday's 30-24 win over Atlanta. In Arizona, he's hotter than a black asphalt driveway, and the Cardinals would be foolish to let him hit the open market.

I hope JA isn't looking at Matt Cassel or Derek Anderson to be the answer at QB, because they're not.

Cassel is this years Derek Anderson. Any team interested in paying him big $$$ has to consider that they don't have Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to. Don't do it JA, just don't.

Derek Anderson and Kyle Orton are basically the same QB in every way, KO might take care of the ball a little better.

Any other FA QB's get anybody excited?

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football ... 06.article

Vick an intriguing idea for Bears QB
3-time Pro Bowler should be free man on July 20

January 6, 2009
BY CAROL SLEZAK cslezak@suntimes.com
Now that general manager Jerry Angelo has established quarterback as the Bears' highest priority, I'm thinking about Michael Vick. He's scheduled to be released from prison July 20, and he has made it clear he wants to resume his football career. He's an intriguing possibility for a team in search of quarterback help. I wonder if this town could forgive his crimes.

Before his hidden life became public knowledge, Vick was the most exciting player in the NFL and one of its most popular players, as well. The former No. 1 overall pick is a three-time Pro Bowl selection and took the Falcons to the playoffs twice. And while he wasn't a great passer, his running ability made him a constant threat. Defenses had to respect him, and they did.

Let's assume he will leave federal prison rehabilitated in every way. Let's assume he has learned the serious nature of his crimes and is repentant. Let's assume he is drug-free. Let's assume that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates him. Under these circumstances, is there any reason why the Bears shouldn't be interested in him?

No, we don't know what kind of shape he'll be in after nearly two years in prison. But Vick always has been a remarkable athlete, and he's only 28. Good quarterbacks are tough to develop and tough to find on the open market. The position has been a particular challenge for the Bears throughout franchise history. Not that I'm ruling Kyle Orton out of the picture, mind you. But Angelo has made his priorities clear. If nothing else, he wants to see competition at the position. Vick would do the trick.

Vick needs to apologize first
But I wonder if people can get past the dogfighting. Can they get past the fact that Vick tortured and killed helpless animals? His crimes seemed particularly heinous to most of us. The public outcry was enormous. Americans love dogs. Our vilification of Vick was immediate and complete. When he's released, one of the first things he must do is make a sincere public apology. To convince people that he understands the cruelty of his actions, he'll have to team up with animal-rights organizations. That's his best hope to keep the animal brigades off his back. But sports fans have a long history of forgiving. If Vick still can play, and play well, we'll forgive him, too.

The Associated Press recently spoke to PETA spokesman Dan Shannon, who said PETA will reconsider its position regarding Vick if he gets ''as active fighting against dogfighting as he was participating in it. ... That will determine not just how PETA reacts, but also how the public and the NFL and individual teams react.'' Fair enough, considering Vick's crimes. Sometimes jail time isn't enough. Sometimes society demands more.

When considering Vick's future, let's not pretend the NFL is filled with perfect citizens. For every all-around good guy like Mike Brown, there's another Plaxico Burress or Pacman Jones or Tank Johnson waiting to be found out. Vick deserves a chance to resume his career. There will be strings attached, of course. Morals clauses and counseling sessions and whatever else the league or a team might ask for to cover its risk. But in all likelihood, Vick will get another chance somewhere. Why not here?

Let's not forget that he already has paid a huge price for his crimes. In addition to his loss of freedom, he has lost all his money. He was once the most popular athlete in Atlanta, but the Falcons have made it clear they want nothing to do with him. He was the kind of guy kids emulated. No longer. He has a lot of work ahead of him to rebuild his reputation in the community. But when it comes to the league, all that matters is whether he still can play. He deserves a chance to put his mistakes behind him.

Better option than McNabb
If Angelo isn't convinced that Orton is the guy, and Vick is available, is there any reason why the Bears shouldn't consider him? A lot of fans would like to see Donovan McNabb return home to Chicago, but McNabb is still the Eagles' property, and he's also 32 and pretty beat up. Matt Cassel? The Patriots reportedly will put the franchise tag on him, which would make him an expensive acquisition if they decide to make him available.

If Angelo goes the free-agent route, he'll have to settle for an older player such as Kerry Collins or Jeff Garcia to fill the gap or go with a comparatively inexperienced, unaccomplished younger player such as the Bills' J.P. Losman, whose one promising season came in 2006. None of the available options is a sure thing.

Not that Vick is a sure thing. There are plenty of hurdles ahead for him. But when the time comes, any team in search of a quarterback should at least give him a look.

Friend_Of_Haley wrote:Thought we could use a thread to talk about the Bears upcoming free agents, as well as possible targets to be cut, and other teams free agents. Here's a breakdown.

Bears Free Agents
QB- Grossman
RB- K Jones
WR- B Lloyd
OL- St Clair
DB- M Brown

Grossman: Gone. Cliff Levingston doesn't think there's any doubt about that.
Kevin Jones: See ya. He was just a safety net in case Forte fell on his face, but obviously that didn't happen.
Lloyd: The coaching staff seems very low on him, and Cliff Levingston is too. He had two good games which he's done before everywhere he's went. There's a reason we were able to get him for so cheap; he's not that good and he no consistent at all.
St. Clair: If the price is reasonable then we need to bring him back. Not necessarily to start at LT but it'd be great to move him inside for either Beekman or Garza cause we could really use a big bruiser in the middle; Kreutz, Garza and Beekman are all on the small side as far as interior linemen go. If Williams at LT gets hurt, we could simply slide St. Clair back to LT and either Garza or Beekman back in at guard.
Brownie: Cliff Levingston bets he'd sign back cheap, and why not? He knows the system and is a decent safety still, but Cliff Levingston would by no means end his offseason search at safety with Brown.

Friend_Of_Haley wrote:Possible Players to Cut
WR- Booker
DE- Ogunleye
OL- Tait

Booker: As small as his contract is, why bother? Unless you need a roster spot for someone else, Cliff Levingston would keep him around to have as a good vet off the bench if needed.
Ogunleye: If we draft a DE high or sign someone, then absolutely. We desperately need someone on that end that can rush the passer considering Alex Brown is pretty safe as a very good all-around DE.
Tait: Cut his ass. He was average at best this year and the offensive line needs a lot of help anyway. Might as well cut our losses with him and spend that money elsewhere.

Another possible player to cut would be Nathan Vasher. Even when he was healthy, Corey Graham severely outplayed him. Considering Manning is pretty locked in at the nickel and Trumaine McBride is a decent backup, Cliff Levingston doesn't think we need Vasher at all... definitely not for the money he's making.

Friend_Of_Haley wrote:Possible Free Agents to Keep an Eye On
QB- Jeff Garcia. Compete with Orton. Stop gap for finding a franchise QB.
WR- T.J. Houshmandzadeh. We don't have a #1 receiver. We may be in a good spot to draft one though.
OT- Jordan Gross. If we were to cut Tait, don't bring back St. Clair, and with some question still on Williams, we may need to sign an OT. He looks like the best this year.
DE- Julius Peppers. Probably the biggest name out there. Will command some serious $, which we have a lot committed to on D already. Still, our pass rush dropped off big time this season. Another position we might be in a good spot to address in the draft.
DE- Terrell Suggs. Will be around for whatever teams miss out on Peppers.

Garcia: Might not be a bad pickup if he comes cheap. Cliff Levingston is pretty confident that Orton can be a good QB but it never hurts to have some good insurance and Garcia would provide that.
Houshmanzadeh: Cliff Levingston would LOVE to see him brought in. With Hester making strides as a deep threat, we could really use a guy like T.J. on the outside who can move the chains with consistency. He's not nearly as sexy an option as a guy like Boldin as well, so while he'll cost a bit, it hopefully wouldn't be an astronomical amount.
Gross: Would love to have him but he'll probably cost a whole hell of a lot.
Peppers: See above, although he would pretty much instantly solve our pass rush concerns and would form a fierce DE combo with Alex.
Suggs: Pass. He's pretty small for a DE and will command a lot of salary. He's best suited as an OLB in a 3-4.

Friend_Of_Haley wrote:Guys entering last year of contract who could get extension:
DE- Idonije
DB- Manning. Probably won't ever be a starting safety, but has value as KR and nickleback
QB- Orton. I'd rather make him go into the season having to play for a contract, but he could get it in the offseason.
LS- Mannelly. One of the key parts to one of the best special teams units in the NFL. Not a sexy position, but very valuable.

Idonije: No need to really extend him right now. Cliff Levingston likes him as a good backup but that's all he is. This past year, we pretty much only used him as an injury sub at DT or a 3rd down pass rushing DT.
Manning: If we can sign him cheap, then why not? Hester won't be returning to KR duty since he'll become too valuable as a WR, not to mention he sucked at KR duty this year. Manning has developed pretty nicely as a nickel, and considering how much nickel we play, it might not be a bad idea to lock him in now.
Orton: Cliff Levingston would commit to him if it means we can get him relatively cheap. He did a good job at reading defenses, calling audibles, was accurate and could handle some pressure. Best of all, he seemed to perform best late in games which is incredibly important for a QB to be able to do. We should re-sign him then work on giving him some weapons.
Mannelly: Great point about him. He's been solid as a rock all his career and we could certainly extend him.

Another BIG name free agent would be Albert Haynesworth. He'd obviously cost a ton of money to pick up, but the thought of a Haynesworth/Harris DT combo is absolutely mouth watering. However, if we're looking to grab a big free agent defensively, it should be Peppers all the way. ICLO, we're pretty good at DT.

Cliff Levingston say Carol Slezak's article and she makes some decent points. It's doubtful that Vick would be able to step right in and play at a high level, but it might not be a bad idea as a backup.

Here's how Cliff Levingston would break the positions down in terms of our need:
QB: Like Orton as a good QB for now and the future. Maybe not pro-bowl caliber year in and year out but not that far away. We definitely could use some competition though to push Orton and Vick might be a decent way of achieving that.
RB: Forte is the real deal and our work horse, and that's so nice to be able to say. However we could really use a Darren Sproles-ish complement to Forte just to keep the work load down (Can we give Wolfe a better look maybe?) If a nice value pick is available later in the draft here then that might not be a bad idea.
FB: McKie is a nice FB when healthy.
WE: Needs a lot of help. Cliff Levingston has some confidence in Hester to keep developing into a good weapon as a deep threat, so finding a great possession receiver would be awesome. (Houshmanzadeh).
TE: We're set. Olsen is a great receiving TE, and while Clark is aging a bit, Kellen Davis looks like a great replacement for him in the next couple of years.
OT: Would love to be able to cut Tait and put someone else in, but where do you get him? If we draft someone in the 1st round again then we put the rookie and Williams and the ends and hopefully feel really good about it.
C/OG: Cliff Levingston likes the idea of re-signing St. Clair and putting him on the inside which would help shore that up a bit. We could use more beef in the middle cause our interior line is pretty small, but at least they're "ok."

DE: We definitely need more production here. It'd be great to bring in Peppers but we already have so much invested into the defense already. Cliff Levingston could live with very little offseason action at this position and hope a Marinelli acquisition could help to revive Ogunleye and Anderson.
DT: One of the most "set" positions on the team. Harris had some nice games at the end of the year and it's too early to give up on him. Adams looks like quite the player to complement Harris as well and we've got some solid backups in Harrison, Idonije and Dvoracek.
MLB: Brian's overrated a bit but still relatively solid. Bottom line is that there are much more important positions to address.
OLB: Hard to complain when you've got a pro-bowler in Briggs signed long-term. We're fine here.
S: Could use a lot of help. Brown is so injury prone and has lost a few steps. No one at the position can cover for sh*t, so we need a rangy play-maker at that position badly.
CB: Tillman and Graham played some nice ball this year save for Tillman's bone headed personal foul against TB. Manning is a good nickel back who can blitz well and we've got Vasher as well who, has stated earlier, could be cut.

As for the offseason plan, here it is: Cliff Levingston would LOVE to get Taylor Mays but he probably won't fall that far, and it might not be worth trading up for him considering he'll likely be a top 10 level prospect. So, we should probably grab Michael Johnson at DE from GA Tech to hopefully solve our pass rush issues.

Beyond this, Cliff Levingston is prety much relying strictly on this mock draft.

In round 2, it'd be nice to grab that impact safety, but it looks like there could be some nice OL prospects here. Fenuki Tupou, Sam Young or Russell Okung would all be possibilities here to replace Tait on the right side.

In round 3, Kam Chancellor looks like a possibility to help fortify the safety position, or Derek Pagues.

After round 3, you're obviously just looking for some steals. We could probably spend a later pick on a WR and hope for a gem. Maybe a complementary running back for Forte, more OL/DE help. If the team cuts Vasher like Cliff Levingston thinks they should, we could try to find a nice backup CB in the late rounds.

Outside of the draft, Cliff Levingston would lock in on T.J. Houshmanzadeh and make him our big free agent acquisition. ICLO, him and Hester with maybe Bennett as the 3rd guy could be a nice set of receivers to throw to of course in addition to our good tight ends.

So, in Cliff Levingston's mind, hopefully the team looks something like this next season:

QB: Orton, Vick, Hanie
RB: Forte, Peterson, Wolfe
FB: McKie
WR: Houshmanzadeh, Hester, Bennett, Davis, Booker, Draft pick
TE: Olsen, Clark, Davis
OT: Williams, Tupou/Young/Okung, Draft pick, Balogh
OG: St. Clair, Garza, Beekman, Metcalf, Buenning
C: Kreutz, Garza/Beekman

DE: Johnson, Brown, Anderson, Baldwin
DT: Harris, Adams, Harrison, Dvoracek, Idonije, Toeina
MLB: Urlacher, Hillenmeyer
OLB: Briggs, Roach, Hillenmeyer, Williams
CB: Tillman, Graham, Manning, McBride, Draft pick
FS: Chancellor/Pagues, Brown
SS: Payne, Steltz, Draft pick

No thanks to Michael Vick. He's going to have to take a year or two to adjust to the league again and he's a pretty damn overrated QB to begin with.

Vasher shouldn't be cut. The cost to keep vs. cost to cut comparison make it better to just keep him and let him compete with Tillman and Graham.

I'm no cap expert, but based on a spreadsheet I put together, the Bears should have plenty of room for multiple big free agents this year. The salary cap is bumping up to $123M at least, and by cutting Ogun and Tait, you can save a nice chunk.

I'd target Gross and Houzsmanzadeh.

Draft should be BPA, with emphasis on S, DE, OL, and maybe QB in the first few rounds. Ideally my draft would look something like this:
Rd1- Michael Johnson- DE- Georgia Tech
Other Possibilities: George Selvie- DE- South Florida, Jeremy Maclin- WR- Mizzou, Max Unger- OL- Oregon
Rd2- Patrick Chung- S- Oregon, Emmanuel Cook- S- South Carolina
Other Possibilities- I'd really like to see safety here, unless it's covered in Rd 1. OL Depth works too. Maybe a time to trade down and pick up some extra picks.
Rd3- If Rounds 1 & 2 go DE,S, then this should be OL. Someone with the versatility to play multiple spots would be nice, but ultimately BPA. If a QB drops, this could be a good pick also. Ultimately, you need to forget about needs at this point, but I'd keep an eye towards OL and go there in a close decision.
Rd4- Possibilities- QB, RB, CB. Ultimately though BPA.
Rd5- BPA (QB, RB, CB)
Rd6- BPA Defense
Rd7- BPA Defense

Roster would end up looking something like this:
QB- Orton, Draft Pick/FA, Hanie
RB- Forte, Draft/FA, Peterson, Wolfe
FB- McKie
WR- Houz, Hester, Davis, Bennett, Lloyd
TE- Olsen, Clark, Davis
LT- Williams
LG- Beekman, Metcalf
C- Kruetz
RG- Garza
RT- Gross
OL- Draft Pick

DE- Johnson, Brown, Anderson, Indonije
DT- Harris, Adams, Dvoracek, Harrison
OLB- Briggs, Hillenmeyer, Roach, Williams, LaRoque
ILB-Urlacher
CB-Vasher, Tillman, Graham, McBride, Draft Pick
FS- Draft Pick, Manning
SS- Payne, Steltz (Payne could play FS if draft pick is more SS type)

K- Gould
P- Maynard
LS- Mannelly

That should be 49 spots, leaving 4 spots. Those spots could go towards: OL, S, DL, and WR. This would include vets like Brown, Booker, St. Clair, or FA signings, as well as young guys that will compete to take spots away from guys like LaRoque, Steltz, McBride, etc

i read the realgm headline and i was wondering how would vick be useful in the bear's cold weather? His running skills would not be as useful in snow.

I definitely think a team should take a chance on Vick. I'm biased, because I'm a huge and supporter of his and I have been since his early years with Atlanta.

John Clayton from ESPN came out about a month ago, and he said he talked to Vick's agent and Vick's body is in great shape, and he has been working out.

I think the Bears would be the perfect team to sign him. They have a quarterback that's not the future and is more suited as a backup - but starting. Anyone will say that Kyle Orton isn't the future of the Chicago Bears QB situation.

That said, Vick could come in as the backup quarterback. Bring him along slowly, allow him to get familiar with the game again in practice working with the scout team, get him some reps each week. No one said that he's going to come back and be a starting quarterback immediately. That's unrealistic to think so, and I'm one of the biggest Mike Vick supporters in the world.

Maybe have a couple packages where Vick could be involved in the offense. If the games a blowout, put him in in the fourth quarter to get some real live game action. Then if Orton happens to get hurt later on in the year, or starts to struggle THEN let Vick take the reigns. By then he would have probably established a relationship with his teammates and coaches.

Everyone forgets that MV was the most dedicated to football after Bobby Petrino was hired as coach. He was excited about learning the offense, and everyone said that he was one of the firsts at practice, and last to leave at Mini Camps. He was staying late with Roddy White, Jenkins and Joe Horn. I think his preparation and mindset will return to that if he's signed to a team. You know he'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder, not only because he has to because of money, but he'll want to make some people eat their words.

All that for a minimum salary, which is what he'll get?

And for the concerns that PETA will be at Soldier Field, etc. They said, that they would leave Michael Vick alone and call of the troops if he agreed to be active with PETA. Michael Vick agreed and said he would do that in his letter to Judge Hudson.

And if you guys did happen to sign TJ Houzmandzadeh, most Falcons fans often agreed that he would be the perfect receiver for Michael. A receiver who's not afraid to come across the middle, and he has sure hands. MV never really had a receiver like that throughout his career. Roddy White finally started developing towards the end of the season in 2006. Vick was also developing as a passer in that season. He had a career high 20 TD passes, not to mention he rushed for over 1000 yards. Some games from 2006..

vs Pittsburgh: 18-30, 232 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT's and he won the game with a clutch play to avoid a sack and connect with Alge Crumpler to put the Falcons in FG position in overtime.

@ Cincinnati the next week: 19-27, 3 TD's, 0 INT's - 9 carries, 55 yards.

vs Tampa Bay: 10-15, 92 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT - 14 carries, 127 yards, 1 TD

@ Carolina: 10-22, 140 yards, 2 TD's, 0 INT - 7 carries, 48 yards

@ Baltimore: 11-21, 127 yards, 1 TD - 6 carries, 55 yards

@ Dallas: 16-24, 237 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT - 8 carries, 56 yards

So, what's the risk in signing him to a minimum contract? I don't think there is much, and the Bears would be a good fit.

Angelo dumped Tank Johnson and Cedric Benson for much less than dog fighting. There is no chance he pursues Vick.

Great posts guys. great unexpected offseason read.
I will "+1" Cliff's post because I don't have nearly the energy to write it up and I completely agree.

Haley and Cliff - great write-ups. I need to revisit this thread when I have the time to review and post some meaningful thoughts.

Because sometimes I have them.

I WILL comment on the FAs :

Possible Free Agents to Keep an Eye On
QB- Jeff Garcia. Compete with Orton. Stop gap for finding a franchise QB.
WR- T.J. Houshmandzadeh. We don't have a #1 receiver. We may be in a good spot to draft one though.
OT- Jordan Gross. If we were to cut Tait, don't bring back St. Clair, and with some question still on Williams, we may need to sign an OT. He looks like the best this year.
DE- Julius Peppers. Probably the biggest name out there. Will command some serious $, which we have a lot committed to on D already. Still, our pass rush dropped off big time this season. Another position we might be in a good spot to address in the draft.
DE- Terrell Suggs. Will be around for whatever teams miss out on Peppers.

Garcia - I see him as a REAL possibility to come here. I know he'll be 39 (God, he's older than me) by next season's start but Angelo specifically mentioned retread QBs being successful and cited the need for competition. JG fits the bill.
Housh - Sure. Drafting WRs in the first round can be dicey at best.
Gross - High price but sure. This o-line needs help. Tait's 34 in January, Williams is an unknown, and St. Clair's best used as a reserve across the line.
Peppers - With Ogunleye probably on the way out and Anderson showing nothing in seasons 2 and 3, I'd love to have Peppers on board. Again, big price tag.
Suggs - What Cliff said - more of a 3-4 guy.

Well, lookie who wants out of Carolina :

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/01/peppers_looking_to_bolt_caroli.html

Peppers looking to bolt Carolina; beware buying a pass rusher
By Brad Biggs
on January 17, 2009 10:43 AM |

The only way Julius Peppers is guaranteed to return to the Carolina Panthers is if they slap the franchise tag on him, a costly proposition that will run general manager Marty Hurney $17 million for 2009.

$17 million for one season.

Peppers wants no part of it. The defensive end announced through his agent Friday night that he has no desire to return to the Panthers.

"Julius is firm in his decision that he needs a change," agent Carl Carey told ESPN.com. "He feels that he can thrive in another system. While he has been selected to four Pro Bowls and designated as an All-Pro during his career, he feels that he has yet to develop to his full potential. This is the case of a great player who seeks to become an elite one."

What we have here is another player with his eyes set on the prize--the $72 million, seven-year contract extension Dwight Freeney landed from the Indianapolis Colts. That contract included $30 million guaranteed. That is the figure defensive tackle Tommie Harris set out to get when he launched into contract negotiations. Harris wound up receiving $10 million guaranteed.

Peppers, who looked headed nowhere in 2007, might be aiming a little high. Nonetheless, he'll be one of the top players on the open market. He had a career-high 14 1/2 sacks this past season, the fifth time in seven years he had at least 10 1/2 sacks. General manager Jerry Angelo would be entering a new frontier in pursuing a player with a deal even close to the Freeney contract. Lance Briggs received $13 million guaranteed in his $36 million, six-year contract. Devin Hester was guaranteed $15 in his $40 million, four-year extension. The Bears are expected to have around $26 million in salary-cap space, more than enough room to take on Peppers and whatever other needs the team has.

Yes, the Bears might have the coach in Rod Marinelli that Peppers is seeking to become "elite'' and Angelo and coach Lovie Smith are known to covet pass rushers. Peppers turns 29 on Sunday. You have to consider how many seasons of top play you'll be able to get out of him before deciding if he's worth pursuing.

Sometimes you don't get bang for your buck when shopping for a pass rusher. The Bears acquired Adewale Ogunleye when he was 27 and was coming off a 15-sack season with the Miami Dolphins. Ogunleye received a $34.6 million, six-year deal. He's given the Bears 35 1/2 sacks in five seasons and is entering the final year of his contract. It hasn't been a bad contract for Angelo, but Ogunleye hasn't been a premier pass rusher either.

Before the Bears got involved with Ogunleye, they made a play for Jevon Kearse in free agency in 2004. He was leaving Tennessee at the age of 27 after having 45 1/2 sacks in four full seasons with the Titans (Kearse was limited to four games in 2002). Philadelphia secured his services with a $66 million, eight-year contract. The Eagles reached the Super Bowl in his first season there. After four years and just 22 sacks, they cut him loose and he returned to Tennessee in 2008.

Then again, there's Joey Porter. He left Pittsburgh after 2006 and eight seasons of being one of the Steelers' most consistent performers. Porter has 23 sacks the last two years in Miami.

It just goes to show you never know what you're going to get in free agency.

I'd like to see Peppers come in. I'm not too concerned about the amount it would take to sign him. But in the grand scheme of things, having Peppers doesn't really matter if the Bears don't get some WR's and a better OL.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... 8864.story
David Haugh's list of guys we could go after

Simeon Rice our answer at DE???

Rice aiming to make comeback, could Bears figure in?

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football ... rticleChic

Doubtful

Marvin Harrison is going to be released by the Colts. I know he's old and on the down swing of his career but if cheap, why the hell not?

A lot of veterans purged out of Tampa Bay today

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3933807

LB Derrick Brooks
LB Cato June
WR Joey Galloway
WR Ike Hillard
RB Warrick Dunn

I really would like to see if we can maybe get June or Brooks here and play with the idea of using Urlacher/Briggs as outside rush artists in the nickel and not sacrificing the linebacker play.

Also would like to take a look at Dunn. Gives the Bears a shifty back who can catch the ball, play on third down and I think would be a great professional to have on the team.

DanTown8587 wrote:A lot of veterans purged out of Tampa Bay today

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3933807

LB Derrick Brooks
LB Cato June
WR Joey Galloway
WR Ike Hillard
RB Warrick Dunn

I really would like to see if we can maybe get June or Brooks here and play with the idea of using Urlacher/Briggs as outside rush artists in the nickel and not sacrificing the linebacker play.

Also would like to take a look at Dunn. Gives the Bears a shifty back who can catch the ball, play on third down and I think would be a great professional to have on the team.

Since we have a cornucopia of ex- Tampa coaches, I would not be surprised to see us take a look at all of them as potential prospects.

More people for the Tampa 2!