ASHKUM BEAR

Shame on you Devin! Devin's got to realize that 1 man doesn't make a team. He's exciting and does deserve more money, but that time was definately going to come at least next year if not at some point before were the Bears can access his development as a WR. The Bears have all the leverage and the point that hurts the most is the Bears DO want to take care of him, they just don't know the right amount. He is only hurting himself by not being with his teammates, learning the offense, and showing the fans that he is more about the money that becoming a better football player. I think the Bears will be OK if DH really wants to play hardball. They have drafted plenty of talent that has return ability: Daniel Manning, Garrett Wolfe, Nathan Vasher are all capable. I believe the system has a little more to do with all the success b/c Azumah and Wade have both had successful return career. Hopefully Devin arrives with or without the contract and can put his feelings behind him. His day will come and by the sounds of it, the Bears have been really working hard on getting it done.

I really think we will use both Olsen and Clark more this season and thats one reason we brought in Kellen Davis for MSU. Davis has the size and speed similiar to Olsen, why would we bring in another receiving TE prospect when we probably needed a blocking specialist like Gilmore more. Also, a point on Bradley, as much as everyone is disappointed with him due mainly to injury, we signed him to a 5 year deal. We still have two years remaining on his contract and would be better off putting him on the PUP or injury reserve for 1 more year. No sense on cutting him loose just yet, we may need him more next year with Lloyd's contract expiring. Thats all if Bradley is unable to particate in the majority of TC.

Great find Pix. The Bears are once again leading the way, setting the market. Now just to get Williams signed. I have to believe the deal is done and Williams is just waiting to make sure there is nothing missed with the no cap year/CBA deal, either way I guarantee he'll be there on Wednesday for TC. (someone reserve some crow)

Not too many first rounders signed yet, I'm sure there still working out the little things with the CBA and the no cap year. I'll give it until Saturday and if nothing has been mentioned by then, then I'll get a little concerned.

I'm not too optimistic about Metcalf at LG, but by the way it sounds he has turned a corner and will at least put up a fight to earn the position. When he played last year, he had a broken hand, that's one reason why St. Clair finished the year at LG. He has also took this opportunity (Brown not asked back) to step up and put in extra work this offseason. I'll give him the benefit of doubt for now, but theres not much left with him. I just don't understand why the light didn't flip on 4 years ago and why he is now pressing to improve.

With football, theres always going to be injuries to be concerned about. Out of all the RB's that were available, KJ was the highest on my list, even over Michael Turner.

Great job done by JA and Co once again. Kevin Jones wanted to play here, he has his shot, lets hope he shows why he was a first rounder like the other Jones we all loved. With this signing, this will bring us down to approx. less than 2.5 million. We can still cut RMJ which would put us back up to 4.2 million or so. Maybe we can bring in Bentley on a similiar 1 year deal worth about 1.5 to 2 million. All the bittnerness towards the Bears early on when FA started just shows that the ones that wait can still find gems without hurting the salary cap. Theres still 1 or 2 more pieces to find, but don't think the Bears are just sitting on their hands.

Who is LeMont Jordan? Just kidding. I would love to see the Bears have someone like Jordan behind Forte, but I really do not see this happening unless the Bears are planning on parting ways with AP, b/c I do not think the Bears will keep 4 RB's and GW still has potential to be a game changing back. Wolfe was brought in b/c we struggled on 3rd and longs and the Bears see him as a guy who can pick up those yards on a screen or dump off pass. He showed some glimpses of that possibility late in the year. Jordan would be a nice #2 change of pace, grind it out, goal line back, but theres no way we take on his 4.7 million. if Oak can convince him to a sign and trade, maybe a 2 year deal that will fit the Bears cap, then maybe it will happen and I'll be more than happy to give them RMJ. RMJ will be happy to be closer to home and his favorite restaurant "Denny's"

Remember when Jerry Azumah retired early because of an Arthritic hip condition and a bad neck? Brian Urlacher is diagnosed with an Arthritic back, he may be able to play with that back 1 maybe 2 more years. Urlacher knows he will never see the final 2 years on his original deal, thus leaving 13.5 million. If he plays this year, he gets paid 3.95 million and then if he plays 2009, he gets paid 4.95 million. All Brian is looking for is to get that money shifted so he's not leaving the majority on the table when he can't handle the pain anymore and has to walk away. He most likely has the entire 22 some million spent in his head, and is trying to find a way to get the Bears to give it to him by demanding a new contract. I think thats the main reason Brian got so upset with the media last year, when they learned of his health conditions. He prefered that to be kept quite so there wouldn't be as many questions about his demands. This is just my thoughts, not that Brian is greedy, but he wants to get the majority of what the Bears owe him upfront so he can walk away with the better portion of his contract.

Awesome news and great work by JA and Co. Every year this front office is showing the NFL that it is "first class" at taking care of there own, signing there draft class, and not overspending.

Brett Favre to Devin Hester!!!!! Just a pipe dream that would certainly put the Bears in contention for a SB title.

Looks like we won't have to worry about Matt Forte to much longer according to the Chicago Tribune.' Forte close to signing Just as we were starting to think about sweating. Jeez, we worry too much.

Agree, Williams would be more important. Also, like someone mentioned earlier these guys will be paid what the are slotted to earn as the Bears only have so much cap space allocated to rookies and all but the two are signed. If the player thinks sitting out will help them get paid more, then neither of these two are very bright (Cbass) and will only be hurting there careers. As far as I know, both of these young men are very intelligent, humble, and eager to be on the field to learn. So I see neither of them missing one day of TC.

Hester is gonna have to wait for his money. He has two years left on his contract and the only Chicago Bear that received a contract extension 2 years or more before was Urlacher. It also doesn't benefit the Bears to extend him this year even if he does explode into the WR we envision him to. If we sign him now, then 2 years from now will either be overpaying for a KR or dealing with an unhappy #1 WR. I'd rather have Hester pissed off this year, prove to the Bears he can play offense by understanding the plays, running clean routes, and catching everything in sight. This will be his carrot. We always bitch about not providing competition, giving a player a postion without a fight, etc. I see this the same way. Make Hester earn his big pay day and we'll all be happy. I do love Hester and know he is now underpaid, if he proves it on the field I can see JA taking care of him mid-season as long as it's not a distraction (kind of like TO and the Cowboys)

Great breakdown Lucky, I do agree we need to be constantly drafting O-line. Every year, I'm on this board and chat room on draft day listing the potential players I'd like Angie to pick. We are currently at a place were we need to look to replace Tait already as it may take 2 years for that player to develop. We probably missed his best years to be a great RT by failing to draft LT until this year. We've also put the other offensive talent we've drafted in poor postion. We've seen Rex look spectacular when he has had time to sit in the pocket. I know some people would like to disagree, but thats my opinion. Looking back recently here are some minor and major F-ups. I still praise Angelo, just wish he'd "get" the Offensive side of football. 2006 DRAFT: RD2-42 Daniel Manning-drafted b/c Browns injury history, he still hasn't developed, missed a probowl LT Marcus McNeil OT Auburn~~~~~~~started all 32 games at LT probowl level RD4-120 Jamar Williams-drafted b/c Briggs demands, either should of been better than Miller last year Ryan O'Callaghan OT Cal~~~~~~started 6 games last year on New England last year Jon Scott OT Tex~~~~~~~~~~started 4 games for Detroit last year 2007 DRAFT: RD2-62 Dan Bazuin DE-Ego pick, unless plans were to relase Ogun soon. Yanda has looked decent at RT James Martin OT Boston College~~Colombo's backup at RT as rookie Marshall Yanda OT Iowa ~~~~~~~started 12 games for Baltimore as rookie 2008 DRAFT: RD3-90 Marcus Harrison DT- Could be a stud, but G higher need Mike McGlynn~~~~~T/G Pitt I believe we would have taken him, Phi traded 1 spot above us to take him O'neil Cousins G/OT~~~~~~~Texas El-Paso Kory Lichtensteiger G/C~~~~~Bowling Green Hind sight is 20/20, but we could have had two starting OT. 1 who is a probowler. I am glad we drafted Beekman who I thought would be contending to start at G, but is a good insurance policy for Kreutz. I also had Barton for Ohio State a lot higher than a 7th RD pick and hope he can compete next year for a G or T position. Looking at the 2009 draft heres my early expectations: 1-QB-kid out of Georgia ? 2-LG we need to get a starter out of this spot 3-RT if we don't have Tait's replacement on our roster yet, we need to start that process 4-WR Booker/Lloyd aren't spring chickens anymore 5-RB if Wolfe doesn't show up this year, time to move on

I hear ya, IMO this will be Turners last straw. If he cannot turn the offense around he needs to be let go and we can start from scratch. The new OC will have Orton and a 1st RD draft choice at QB, and choice of a vet backup. If Turner does turn it around and Grossman shows he's worthy to remain a Bear, the Bears will be in good shape going into the 2009 season. Draft a stud RT/LG, QB, WR, and RB and we'd be ok. We just need to get our identity as having a great O'line again.

LT Williams [st. Clair] LG Brown [Metcalf] C Kreutz [beekman] RG Garza [barton] RT Tait [Adams] I see us bringing back Reuben Brown before adding Bentley. Brown would be a cheaper, shorter term answer. We need to develop our line from the draft IMO before spending high dollars on FA's. Chester Adams has been taking most of the snaps w/ the 2nd team offense. Beekman 2nd team Center. Barton will probably go to the practice team, but I'd like him to step up and take 2nd team LG from Tyler Reed.

4yr 40 million Bears agreed to terms with DT Tommie Harris on a four-year extension through 2012. Profootballtalk.com reports the deal is worth $40 million. He'll receive $27 million in the first three years, putting the deal in the Randy Moss range and making Harris the NFL's richest DT. Harris, 25, will hit free agency again at the age of 29. If he can avoid recurring knee injuries, Harris should get three huge contracts, including his rookie deal. It's also a good move for the Bears, who are locking up arguably the league's best "three technique" defensive tackle. Harris had eight sacks and forced two fumbles in 2007 despite playing at less than 100% almost all season. Jun. 19 - 9:31 pm et

Great news, 2 to go (Hester & Urlacher). Hopefully T Harris stays healthy and earns every penny.

He should have never put himself in that situation, should have stayed home.

Reports out of the Halas are that Brandon Lloyd is by far the best WR in the bunch. Fan Favorite Mike Hass will most likely be packing his bags as he will most likely be a practice player again and the Bears may let him pursue a shot with another team. Riddeau, Bennett, and Monk have all looked better than Hass so they will be competing for roster spots. Right now, the WR spots fill up as: Booker, Lloyd, Davis, Bennett, Bradley, Monk. (Hester also, but more of ST). Bradley is now walking with out his brace. St. Clair is still holding the LT spot, until Williams can "officially" take it from him in competiton. Beekman has been taking snaps at C with the second team -Bentley may be a nice pick up if they don't plan on developing Beekman at guard. Grossman has looked better than Orton, who would of guessed, but not by a landslide. Both QB's have been throwing a lot of picks. Orton has just been throwing more. Grossman also has looked nice making all the throws long, mediate, and short. Orton shows his flashes making check downs, hitting the 3 and 4 options. On D, J. Williams looks capable of being a NFL starter. Unfortunate for him, he won't unseat Url, Briggs, or Hilly.

Kevin Jones draft profile: Like Thomas Jones, Kevin Jones will eventually be a decent RB. Unlike TJ, KJ has had the chances, he just was often injured and eventually played under Martz's system which was pass happy. The only problem with KJ, he wants a big contract and will want to be the starter which will make drafting Forte look silly. Forte was drafted to replace CB. If KJ can bring his $ demands down, sign a 1 or 2 yr deal to prove himself it will definately be worth while looking at. Height: 6-0 Weight: 209 40-Yard Dash: 4.33 Positives: Kevin Jones possesses great speed and elusiveness, but is also blessed with the size and strength to break tackles. He has very quick feet and an incredible burst through the hole. He gets out of his cuts quickly, and runs effectively inside or outside. Negatives: He has not been a big factor in the passing game, which may be more a result of the Hokies not throwing his way often than an indication of a lack of ability. The few times they have thrown him the ball, he has not displayed the greatest hands, but I think he will get better the more he is used. However, he is going to have to prove himself at the next level. Jones has never carried the load at Virginia Tech, so there are questions as to whether he can handle 20-25 carriers per game in the NFL. Jones also tends to dance around in the backfield, looking for the big play. At times, he has a tendency to put the ball on the ground. He must learn to protect the ball better. Projection: Kevin Jones is going to be a home run hitter in the NFL. He has the speed to score from any spot on the field. If he can polish a couple aspects of his game, he could be a franchise back. He should go in the second half of the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft

Good to see Urlacher stepping up, if he can be there to participate with his unhappiness, then Harris and Hester should also follow suit. The mandatory workouts are very important b/c this is were they get handed the new twists. I'm all for moving a little more money up front since Url has shown that he will step up for the team.

I really hope the addition of Bennett will change that for the Bears. Scouts say Bennett is good at running routes, very good that is. Bennett has also been quoted that he takes pride at running perfect routes and worked hard at that at Vanderbilt. He is also noted to be a leader, so maybe he can lead the rest of the Bears into working on those perfect routes.

I seen that tonight and was jumping like a little kid. Tough one here, but my first instinct is Rose PG. Look at what Chris Paul, D. Williams have done for there teams so quickly. Beasley is very, very close to the top as he would be a big player that would put up the points every night.