bradjock

That's good news! Thanks for the info. Personally I'd appreciate it if updates were given on something other then the "official Hester thread." I love being able to come here & find out the latest Bears information. Most days I'm not going to sort through 50 posts to find out what I've missed. Important information like this should be given it's own spot. That being said, like Urlacher, Hester doesn't have any leverage. We have him for 3 more years one way or another. If he doesn't report it'll be longer. At the worst we might have to wait two weeks for him to report. Not great for a guy we're hoping can be our #1. But it's one helluva lot better then if he'd ruptured his ACL.

I agree Pix. Angelo said they were in the middle of negotiations and that this came as a bit of a surprise. I hope like hell we extend him but holding your breath until you turn blue is not a good way to get things done. Realistically, Hester doesn't have a leg to stand on. PFT is reporting that he must report by August 5th & he'll lose $15,000 a day. I just hope this blows over fairly quickly.

Much like the plays, maybe he just forgot where he was going . . . Damnit!!! Hopefully this gets resolved quickly. Players with only two years experience and two years to go on their contracts don't have much leverage.

It's funny we're all worried about signing Hester. He has 2 years left, and the 3rd year he'll either be restricted or franchised. Either way, that's GREAT news about Williams.

Trust me Jason, I have no anger towards Bradley. I just fear the knee injuries have slowed him down. I won't get pissed at a guy for that. When Bradley was rookie, with his size & speed he looked like Randy Moss. Damn he was exciting. In the two seasons since then, I can't remember him ever running away from anyone or making players miss. When I called him "Moose-like" I was implying that he's more of a big/physical possession WR, as opposed to a speedster. I said he had better hands then Moose although his route's have been questioned. If his knees could heal where he could show that he's big AND fast again . . . I hope like hell that happens.

Sure they said Jones "looks great". . . but what does that mean? Nice smile? Great hair? Good teeth? Big penis? Cedric was never "cut" and was never in great shape. We've seen Thomas Jones who was a workout warrior and could easily step in on American Gladiators. One player sucked and the other gave it his all. Hearing Kevin has "linebacker arms" makes me think he's dedicated the way Thomas was. He's not just showing up expecting to be handed a job (the way TJ was in AZ & the way Cedric was here). He understands this might be his last shot, and he's giving it his all. Now if he can just stay healthy . . .

Is the Prius that thing that looks like a damn golf-cart? That would be freakin hilarious!

Thanks for the info!!! I'll be anxious to see if his speed and quickness have improved at all. He's looked "Moose-like" since that injury his rookie year. (Of course his hands were better then Mooses but I don't know about his routes).

I thought this was interesting for 2 reasons. 1. Williams still not signed. 2. Kevin Jones arms make him look like a linebacker (are we sure he's not related to Thomas???) Here's the article: As Bears arrive, top pick still unsigned By Vaughn McClure, 2:52 p.m. BOURBONNAIS -- Mike Brown parked his blazing red Hummer, then strode into McClain Hall already wearing his game face. Yes, Bears training camp is here. Players made their way to Olivet Nazarene University on Tuesday afternoon. The deadline for reporting is midnight. While most eagerly are anticipating the arrival of Brian Urlacher -- who agreed to a one-year extension Monday -- the big news concerns first-round pick Chris Williams, who has not signed a contract. "Chris Williams, we have high hopes for him," coach Lovie Smith said. "He hasn't signed his contract yet, but I expect him to be in camp. We expect him to be a big part of what we do this coming season." Williams, the left tackle from Vanderbilt who was the 14th pick, is expected to sign a five-year deal. Among the early arrivals, the most physically impressive looking Bear is newly signed running back Kevin Jones. His bulky arms resemble a linebacker’s. If his knee is equally strong, look out. Kyle Orton was one of the first on the scene. He arrived in a Toyota hybrid.

Here's what I remember when Cedric "Dog Breath" Benson finally signed: He'd held out for a month or so he finally agreed to terms on a Sunday evening. The season hadn't started but training camp was done. When he agreed he was still in Texas (which IMO meant he didn't give a damn). So he arrives on Monday, and as I remember, he didn't practice until Wednesday. They had to give him a physical, do a bunch of paper-work, and so on. I'm guessing they have them go through a series of strength & conditioning drills. That being said, you hear about other guys signing and then practicing the next day. I guess if the guy is motivated, it's a one day turn-around. Lets hope that Williams is smart enough to be staying near-by, so when it happens, he's immediately good to go.

I think a shorter Hester deal would get done. It's been said Hester wanted Bernard Berrian money, and I've heard Hester's agent Eugene Parker wants to sign him to a shorter deal so he can get paid again later. IMO a 2 year extension would be good for both sides. Hester could get paid immediately which he certainly deserves. (I bought a football preview magazine & there was a huge picture of Hester featured on the Bears page . . . he's becoming more famous then Urlacher). Isn't he scheduled to make $650,000 this year? Since he relies on quickness, one bad knee injury could be flat out devastating to his career. If Hester's not happy with the contract he knows we'd be willing to renegotiate again in 2 years.

I'll never forget the Minnesota game last year where Hester appeared to be boxed in by 4 players coming straight at him. All four had him dead to rights. Hester jukes and the next thing you know he's scoring a touchdown. One of the most unbelievable plays I've ever seen. Sure they'll think about running over the wedge, but it's a gamble. You said it best when you called it a chess match.

The Chicago Sun Times reported a month ago that Hester was looking for a Bernard Berrian type contract, 6 years, 43 million. But I also heard ( think) that they were talking about a deal for Hester that was in the range of 4 years 18 million. Esentially that would be a 2 year 16+ million $$$ extension since he's on the books for the next two years at less then a million each year. (Please remember I can't remember if I heard those numbers from my bartender or a more credible source.) IMO Hester'd be stupid if he didn't sign some sort of extension to get paid immediately. We have him on the books for 2 more years, and the 3rd year (unless the collective bargaining agreement changes) he'd be a restricted free agent. Or we could use the franchise tag on him. Either way, it'll be 3 years before he hits the open market. Hester relies on his quickness to make big plays. One bad knee injury could reduce his effectiveness (or in Mark Bradley's case, 2 bad knee injuries)

Thanks for the info on Bradley. I was thinking that like Hester, he'd just signed a 4 year deal. The fact that he has two years left with the team changes my POV on him a bit. There's not much sense in dumping him unless someone like Hass or Riddeau appears to be significantly better (which doesn't seem likely.)

Could you give some examples with Bradley's progress??? I remember him making a few routine catches and nothing more. Why do we have to have a true #1??? It'd be nice, but as long as we have a bunch of weapons, we'll be ok. (Why does everyone forget about Olsen???)

As for the #1 bit, JA said something like Mark Bradley could be a #1 (with his talent if healthy it's possible) then damn near the next day Bradley goes out with an injury. There's no way in hell we're looking at Bradley as a #1 right now.

I couldn't agree more Pix. Sure it's upsetting when you hear about Minnesota getting Jared Allen, but it'd have been one helluva a lot worse if we'd lost Tommie Harris. (Was ANYBODY upset we didn't make Bernard Berrian the 2nd highest paid WR in NFL history the way Minny did???) Take care of your own first.

Either way, the two days before training camp there's usually a ton of signings and the guys who get picked in the teens rarely hold out. At the absolute worst, he might miss the first day. I'm confident it'll get done.

Disagree. Shockey's an ass. Football is all about team, and everything indicates that he's a "Me-first" guy. The Giants got better WITHOUT HIM. You could figure he could have somewhat of a "Randy Moss" factor the way he made the Patriots better, but don't forget that Moss helped destroy Minnesota and Oakland. It's a huge gamble on New Orleans part. The thing I remember about Shockey is during the Super Bowl, instead of being on the side-line with his teammates, he was in a sky-box and appeared to be partying. (I remember the Giants were losing and he was drinking something that appeared to be Orange Juice and was smiling). He's a jackass.

I didn't realize Urlacher & Williams had the same agent. It might be that a deal is done already on Williams & they're just waiting until after the Urlacher's press conference. Urlacher's deal should be a celebration of a future HOF'er who signed a deal that virtually guarantees he'll finish his career in Chicago. (the exception being if the bottom falls out in Chicago the way it did in Miami or if #54 wants to continue playing when he's 36.) Williams has already been celebrated and his signing should mean, "Get your ass to work rookie."

Don't piss off LT!!! His cap analysis is more detailed & better then any I've seen. I'm hoping like hell he comes out with a new one. I love reading that thing. On a side note regarding the cap, how in the HELL did Washington have 8 million available to bring in Jason Taylor AND sign all their draft picks???

Excellent!!! Although the deal sounds pretty close to what the Bears offered him originally. I just hope we've made our future HOF'er happy & he'll continue to play at a high level and knock all his stupid crap off. Now if we can get Hester extended, we'll be in damn good shape. What players are becoming free agents after this season? Rex, Lloyd, Kevin Jones, Bradley . . . is there anybody else who's significant?

Agreed. I especially like reading how we scheme to get ready for the squib quicks. Like how we moved Idonije out of the wedge because teams would always try to kick it right to him. This also explains how McKie seems to end up with the ball so often on kick-offs. Compared to guys like Rashied Davis, AP, and Wolfe, he's probably the slowest of the group.

Maybe, but don't we kind of already know what we have in Bradley? Last year the staff seemed very down on him. Other then one impressive first half versus Detroit his rookie year, he's done little. Not to mention, if he's on the injured list, he can do just about everything but actually practice with the team. At camp you'll always see injured players that start working out/running routes, working with a QB, and doing drills on the side field as soon as the official practice is over with. If he looks impressive with his speed at running routes at this time, I'd say hell yes we'd see what he's got. But if he doesn't appear to be better then Booker/Lloyd/Davis/Hester and Olsen (who plays the slot sometimes) we're better off shutting him down for 6 weeks and save the roster spot. Chances are after 6 weeks, one of our WR's will have been injured and we'll have him to be a replacement. Either way, I'd be surprised if Bradley is with this team in 2009.

He may not be a wash-out, but unless he's 100%, I can't see us using him at all during training camp so that he's eligible for the physically unable to perform list. Realistically we don't have much room for him on the roster. Last year when he was healthy Bradley didn't see many snaps. Now Booker's replaced Moose, and Lloyd's replaced Berrian. Hester's supposed to see more time AND we've added Earl Bennett. Not to mention supposedly we really like Monk. In 2006 we kept 5 receivers on the roster and 2007 we kept 6. Lloyd, Booker, Bennett, Hester, and Davis are 5 locks. That leaves the final receiver spot between Monk, Bradley, Riddeau, and Hass. Stashing Bradley away for six weeks seems like a logical solution.