BearFan2000

Thing is didn't the article that said they were close to signing Forte also mention that they were close to signing Williams? I kind of remember reading that around that time. Though if they are giving out details I would have to think that the announcement of the signing is close. Most rookie deals are 5 years and all that's reported is that 9 mil is guaranteed. There may be other details to be hammered out before he signs. I hope it's soon as you said camp starts on Tuesday. It's now less than 2 1/2 days before camp.

Those games were gifts they didn't earn them we gave them away. Greise gave at least one of those away by being a turnover machine. I've tried to forget most of last year but if I recall the other one we lost by giving up a record amount of points in the 4th quarter. Again my memory is cloudy because I have tried to suppress the memories of last season. Looking at the schedule I came up with a similar assessment as the one Wesson has. Is it guaranteed? no, nothing's guaranteed, but if we stay healthy and field a competent offense I believe our Defense will keep us in most games and that's all you need to be in a position to pull out wins. I have a feeling we will surprise some people this year. I can see us going somewhere between 10=6 and 12-4. Hell, no one expected the Packers to do anything last year and the team was considered crappy and they amassed a 12-4 record and came within a game of the Superbowl now they are expected to be good. They earned respect by their play on the field. After last year I have no doubt that there are teams fans looking at us and saying easy win and who could blame them. I'd see the Bears as a team that peaked and then fell off the peak to their death. As a fan of this team I know that the team is better than they played last year, injuries had some to do with it but those who remained healthy played below par. One positive out of last year was as freaking ugly and hard as it was to watch the team still managed 7-9 record. In the heat of last season it seemed like we'd have record more like 4-12 or worse. We came close to finishing a horrible year at 500. Now, our goals were much much higher so that's disappointing. But there have been years where I'd have loved to see the Bears finish 7-9 as we've had our share of abysmal seasons. I have the feeling the bears will bounce back this year and return to the playoffs.

That's just asinine, What's the point of having an account if when you go to buy tickets you're treated someone who doesn't. Though it does make me feel better about not taking the time to create an account before hand and deal with yet another source of spam. The way it should work is if they want to verify that you aren't a bot ordering tickets that to access the ticket area you have to do that whole type the words you see and from that point on you have the ability to order tickets and proceed with checkout. While I was clicking "try another image" looking for one I could read and and type in I know that precious seconds are ticking away and the tickets I want are being snatched up at an alarming rate. When I finally get through I get the screen that says you're out of luck try again. And every time you try looking for tickets you have to verify you're not a bot. You shouldn't have to have a small army of people all trying to get tickets just to have a fighting chance to score some tickets. The last time I got tickets was in 2001 and I don't recall having to go through the "enter the word you see." I would venture a guess that the brokers don't even have to deal with those and I'd even go further to bet that they get early access to tickets and have a deal with Ticketmaster to allow them to get around the system. Like you If i plan on going this year I have to pay legalized scalpers, I mean brokers at least double face value for tickets. I may just stay home and watch on TV.

By the time I got through they were all gone. I had two browser windows open on to the Minny home game and one to the Detroit home game. I've had no luck getting tickets. The frustrating thing is I kept getting those checks that you have to enter the words you see. Of course I get some of the most illegible lettering possible. What a waste of time to plan on being ready to buy tickets when they go on sale. Of course the brokers have no shortage of tickets. With a four ticket per person limit only to check eBay and you can find up for auction as many as 6 seats together... go figure. True fans tend to get screwed while brokers line their pockets. Why would anyone pay $120 per seat to sit in section 444 when you know that ticket's face value is practically half that. If you were to create an account on ticketmaster would that get you past the screen where you have to type the words in? IF it weren't for that I might have gotten lucky. Instead I'm weighing the pros and cons of overpaying for tickets. what do you call a dozen brokers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start.

I admit I'm getting concerned but I also don't know the status of the top half of the draft class. Come on Jerry, Git 'r done!

This made my day when I heard it on the way home. Very good signing. This allows Peterson to be more of a special teams player which he's one of our best. complete night and day between KJ and Cbass. Signed for a cap friendly deal and gives him a chance to prove he's back healthy. It would be nice if the deal included an option for more years though, I would have to think that if he shows he's he's worth keeping Jerry will extend him. Maybe he'll wear #20 The only thing that could make me happier today is if I heard that Williams signed.

Just wondering if anyone's heard anything about Williams and if he's close to signing?

He's going to set records... as you know we get off the bus running the ball

Silly me, I forgot how bad he's got it. I mean living with the possibility that he may have to live on 22 million. I can't imagine living on 22 million. That's only 343.75 times more than I make in the same 2 year period. I manage to live on 2.9% of what Brian will make in that 2 year period. I think I could figure out how to spread 22 million out over the remaining years of my life and still live more comfortably than I do now. Yes in 2 years his NFL career may be over, that doesn't mean he won't cash in in other ways. God forbid he have to get a real job. The childish comment was referring to his dealing with the media. The timing bothers me, and if he is upset that the truth be told about his condition because it may weaken his bargaining position, then to me that's not being fully honest. And perhaps keeping it out of the media doesn't mean that he's kept it from the Bears, but we will never know what is being said behind closed doors between the Bears and Brian's agent. I understand wanting to get paid as much as you can particularly in a sport where your career can often be short. But if it is the case that of the 4 years left on his contract Urlacher feels he may only last 2 years thus forfeiting the final 2 years on the contract and the 13.5 mil that he'd get if he played the four years. And if it's for that reason that he wants it reworked so he gets paid most of his remaining contract up front. The only reason I could support this is if he realizes he likely only has 2 years left with his current physical condition and gets his deal reworked to compress the last 4 years into 2 years. If they do that, then at or during the last year of the contract they can figure out if he can play beyond that and then perhaps sign shorter contracts. But if he doesn't feel he can play for the 4 years left, be honest and upfront about it. The Bears aren't out to screw players, particularly not players of Brian's caliber. But what I don't want to see is should the Bears cave and shift most of the money from the remaining 4 years upfront and then reaching the last two years of the contract and then feels he can play out the full contract or beyond, then decides that he needs more money again because having shifted the money away from the last two years he now appears to be playing for peanuts. Besides that if the Bears bow to URL will that lead to more Bears demanding new deals? I'm not saying I don't appreciate what Brian has done for the Bears he is an amazing athlete and other than his struggles with shedding blockers at times he brings athleticism to the MLB spot that is rare. From the day he arrived he's made an impact and played a large role in the revitalizing of the Bears defense. He brings fans to the games and there's awful lot of #54 bears jersey's out there including in my closet. You could argue that his inconsistent play of late is partly his trying to figure out a way to play through the injury by adjusting his routine. Even an injury hindered Urlacher is still a good MLB. It doesn't mean he's no longer effective. Brian is reaching a point where he may no longer have the athleticism to make up for mental mistakes. One of the things that helped him early on was he was so quick and athletic he could miss read or make a mental error but make up for it with speed. Many players learn to adjust their play. Jordan comes to mind, later in his career he became more of a jump-shooter than a slasher and learned to play smarter rather than simply relying on athleticism. He could still light you up but he did so in different ways than he did when he first got to the NBA. Is it possible he's now realizing that he can't make up for blown reads or mental errors with his speed anymore?

I'm in agreement as well, one commentator put it well when he said "let the ink dry on your last contract before you start asking for more money" He was rewarded with an extension not that many years ago and now he's crying for more while he still has years left on his current contract. Does he just want a new contract because they extended Briggs? Is Mr Urlacher jealous? As nfo pointed out the timing couldn't be worse. Let's say I've been working with my company and I'd been doing really well and got rewarded with a nice salary increase. A few years go by and then I have a poor year marked by inconsistency and overall a much poorer level than the standard I'd set for myself when I got my last raise, rather than do what I need to do to show my employer that year is behind me and that I'm ready to get back to working at a higher level I tell anyone and everyone who will listen that I demand that I get more money. My boss has no reason to feel obligated to bow to my wishes and it would certainly not sit well with my employer. Not only that I would damage the moral of the team environment and I would become a bit of a cancer. Crap like this is what turns fans against their own, he has acted childish his threats and demands are irritating. He is coming off one of his worst seasons in which his team went from being in the Super Bowl to last years disappointment. His demands go against normal logic, you just signed a fat extension not that long ago and now you're wanting more after a bad season performance. Most players who ask for an extension just came off of a big year and know that is the prime time to ask for more money. Same is true for us normal people. We know that if we have been performing well and a review is coming up we have some leverage to expect an increase. Granted we don't make demands we approach it professionally and with respect. In many ways I think Urlacher has lost touch. Do your job on the field, work hard and make plays, Jerry has shown that he and the Bears will reward their own. Pressing the issue is a bit of a slap in the face especially given the timing. Personally I'd reward Hester before Brian.

Here's to everyone having safe and happy 4th of July. I'd like to take this time to all the men and women who have served and are currently serving their country for the freedoms we enjoy today. May God Bless and keep every one of you.

interesting video, it's nice to hear that he is setting the bar high and expects results. I thought he handled the questions about Benson well. I have a feeling he may surprise some people this year. As you said lost top reciever yes lost top back that's debatable yes Benson had a statistical edge but not by much did we really have a top back? lost top passer, again did we really have a top passer? three games in our offense is inept and Rex is benched, Griese comes in for the next 7 games and doesn't really look any better. Back to Grossman who looks to have improved plays fairly well, then gets hurt and Orton finishes the season and has his ups and downs. They're making it out to be more than it is. It makes for a more interesting story to the uninformed (which the experts seem to think all of us are). There's nothing to brag about being the top qb, rb, or wr in an offense that ranked 27th overall. Out of 32 teams we just sucked less than 5 other teams.

I think there's a lot of truth to that, it's much like us we're more likely to take a job with a company with such a reputation and are more willing to work hard knowing that work is rewarded. As a Rookie you get drafted but still knowing you are drafted by an organization that will reward you if you step up and perform and have a good work ethic and on the flip side know that the team will cut you if you don't. While it's not picked up on by the "extperts" and other knowitalls. The players know and the Agents know also. But doing business this way has a positive effect on moral. Happy players work harder. To think we are likely only days away from having all 12 of our rookies signed weeks before camp starts says a lot.

Except for sea bass, too bad they can't take his money and give it to someone who wants to play. But I totally agree, one thing they have done very well is getting our rookies signed and in camp and rewarding our own. We get Williams signed, then Hester/Urlacher and we are in great shape contractually for future. Leaving next season and offseason to either extend Rex or extend Orton and I see us drafting a QB in the first three rounds next draft. If it's Rex then perhaps we either extend Orton or more likely trade him for a backup. Jerry has done a good job at keeping this team together. If the line gels, that will help the running game and the passing game. If Forte proves to be a wise pick and carries the ground game, that will take pressure off the passing game and if Rex or Kyle step up and play well, if the WR develop, and if the defense stays healthy we could make a run this year. Lot's of if's I know but it's not impossible. Shoot if the defense stays healthy they will keep us in games and if the offense is at least average we will win games. I don't expect a quick start for the offense. I could more see it being a hit and miss. At times being maddeningly inept but also showing bright spots and the offense improving as the season goes along. Then again I didn't expect us to jump out of the gate in '06 like we did either. This is probably the most critical season for this team in a while. Do they show that last year was partly due to the SB hangover and they will snap back. Most teams that struggle following a SB loss do snap back after a down year.

That very thought had crossed my mind, however, at most it would be a two year term to finish out his contract but more likely a one year deal. I'm guessing nothing happens and he stays retired. I agree with that article and Packer org. on this they have made the mental and emotional step to move on. They have committed to Rodgers, if they allowed Favre to come back for a year would you now just suddenly rework your plans to make room for him and go back to the "is this the last year, does he retire now, will he be back next season" People forget how many years that went on and on. Even to the point where he'd not say one way or another till just before he'd have to show up for team functions. Granted he was still under contract and didn't really need to say I'm not going anywhere but given the media speculation it would have been courteous. That said the thought of bringing him here to Chicago intrigued me when I first heard the "rumor." His situation would be somewhat similar to that of the Packers last year, no one expected the passing game of GB last year to be what it was, with a WR corps filled with rookies and question marks. Though their OL play was much better than ours last year and they had a RB who came out of nowhere and unless you followed ND knew little to nothing about Ryan Grant. We have an unknown at RB at least in NFL terms. Our line could be improved and even at his age he is pretty mobile and can make plays when thing break down. Also if the Packers refused to let him rejoin their team and if he and his agent have to work a deal for him to play somewhere. It might be fitting for him to come to Chicago and be a thorn in the side of the Packers at the benefit of a team he tormented most of his career. Thinking of our current situation, we have Grossman under a 1 year contract, Orton under a 2 year contract, and then a couple no names. This coming season could again be a QB carousel. The team has invested time and money into both Rex and Kyle and need to know if either one is worth keeping. This year is to determine which one, both want to start and neither want's to come back to be a backup. Bringing in Favre to be in the mix would scrap our plans heading into this season. Favre is not coming back from retirement to ride the pine and I doubt any team that gets him would do so. For us that would mean he'd be our starter this year and at the end of the season Rex is gone and arguably he's had his opportunities to prove he deserves to stay and start. Orton would now be on a one year deal and I'd say he's the more unknown as he's had fewer opportunities. Sure he was part of a team that won and made the playoffs but If memory serves the offense was very stagnant and the Defense was winning games practically on their own. He had some success early but then came the Cincy game we have all come to loath where he threw, what five picks? They then castrated him and made him mr dink and dunk. A new term was coined "Ortonizing." From a team standpoint we need to see once and for all which one is worth keeping and which one should be sent packing. Brining favre in would only delay that and possibly screw us next year and beyond. Should he play two seasons here Rex and Orton would both be gone or possibly traded for who?, Brett would be gone, and we'd be left with even more unknown draft picks or someone we picked up in free agency.

interesting point at the end since there's been an NFC North the only two teams to win that division have been the Bears and the Packers. The Bears won the central title more than any of the 5 teams by winning it 8 times, Vikings were second with 7 wins, Packers and Bucs each won it 3 times, and the Lions won it twice. Since the NFC Central became the NFC North the Packers have had the edge wining the division wining four times to the Bears two times. Here's to that changing.

If the offense can hold their own and do better with ball control that will partly help but they need to score points. It doesn't help to sustain a drive the length of the field or get a turnover with great field position to then only eek out 3 points because the offense can't locate the end zone. But you do make a good point about the D last year. As rough a year as they had and as many injuries as they sustained the did a pretty decent job of keeping us in games early. But over the course of the game when the offense isn't giving you anything much it really puts pressure on the D and it wears them out. If the D gives you the ball inside the opponent's 30 you better come away with 7 more often than you settle for 3. Last year we settled for three and awful lot. I remember hearing that we are going to get back to a ball control run oriented offense then we cut Benson (even though I agree with that move) we then decide we're happy with the backs we have left? If you are going to base your offense around a commitment to the running game and you are entring the season with a 2nd round Pick at RB, a second year guy who is more a the small situational type back, and a career backup RB and don't (at least publicly) plan on adding another solid back, I have to ask what are they smoking? To do what the Bears seem to intend to do they will need at least two to three durable backs. Sorry I don't see Wolf as a durable back if injuries force him to play significant time, I just don't think he has the body to take that punishment. Peterson is a career backup who can step in for a game or two and start. That leaves us with Forte. The Bears are pinning all their hope on one unknown to carry the team. Sound familiar? Now I do like Forte and think he can be a good back. I just find it odd that we don't try to bring in someone to replace Benson. Upon hearing Benson's release I immediately thought, ok cool now who will we bring in that could actually be a positive for this team? If we struggle again running the ball, it will put the pressure on the passing game which doesn't yet inspire much confidence in me. Well we do have Hester. I say that we line up in punt formation and direct snap to Hester. Just kidding. As you say there a lot of questions that need be answered on offense. For the passing game the key will be our TE's and how we involve Clarke and Olsen. Booker provides a veteran presence and has always had good hands. We have some speed in Hester and possibly Bradley if he can stay healthy and depending how much quickness he's lost due to injury. Davis may be more of a possession type receiver, then you have the rookies and the Loyd. The who's going to be the QB, Grossman or Orton? Will the winner of that competition get the job done? Can this area of the offense that could very likely be an achilies heal mold into a competent unit or even a strength? This group could surprise us or it could validate all our concerns. The line will they improve from last year. They were horrible last year and that's being nice. If williams works out at LT then that makes us stronger by moving Tait back to RT. Then up for play is the guard spots. I can see us trying different combinations and even if we field the best line we can it will take time for them to gel It may be ugly early but what I'm looking for is improvement throughout the year.

Just looked at the Bears website and according to that article tickets will be available via phone and internet only. I do have two computers side by side so I'll take a crack at it on the internet. I do remember back in 2001 it seemed I had all the time in world to decide which game tickets even with dial up but more recently I'd had no chance. I ended up going to the Detroit game (the one where Hanson missed 2-3 field goals and the Bears barely escaped with a win to stay undefeated) I could have had tickets to the now historical 49er game and man am I kicking myself for that. LOL. I was looking at the train schedule from South Bend to Chicago and it may not work out to get there and back by train. Driving in Chicago drives me nuts and my Dad isn't too crazy about it either. Getting there by train wouldn't be an issue, but getting back would be, there's only two trains leaving after the game and both stop at Carol Ave. which would give us three hours and change to kill waiting for the next train to south bend or catch a cab. The noon games there wouldn't be as much an issue. I just thought it would be cool to go to a Bears Packers Monday Night Game. Hopefully that would be a meaningless game for us because we've clinched a playoff spot. But, lets' not get ahead of ourselves. LOL So it looks like I'll be sitting at my computers on July 12th at noon trying to get tickets. I'm assuming that would be noon Central time which would be 1pm here in Indiana. I do have high speed internet 3 Mbs where I previously had dial up. I know that doesn't guarantee but it can't hurt. I keep hoping they will do something about the brokers scam which is really what it is. Something's got to give it has become so difficult for real fans to afford to go to a game when in most cases to go it means paying double or triple face value on tickets. Which means people like my Dad and I have a difficult time going. I'm sure the NFL has little motivation to do anything. If true fans can't get tickets to the game they may opt for the NFL sunday ticket instead. The system works for the NFL and the Brokers benefit. It's a win win for everyone but the fan. Especially considering there's a likelihood that those games will eventually only air on dish or cable networks. To this point I've been very fortunate that my local Fox, CBS, and NBC affiliates will nearly always carry the Bears game. So other than the Monday night games which are on ESPN I get to see all the Bears games.

That is is insane and should be stopped somehow. One thing they should is regulate the resale of tickets so the price either must be face value or have a maximum mark up. I live in Indiana and I thought there were some laws concerning ticket resale and pricing. 2001 was the only time I was able to secure tickets. I think though that that was not the initial release but it seemed like they were tickets released later. Do they still do multiple releases or is what it is when the day comes they release them and it's first come first serve? Watching the games on TV and seeing all the empty seats in and game that according to Ticket Master is sold out and knowing that it's because those tickets were not bought by a fan but someone who's just out to make a buck. It makes me sick and angry thinking about it. Most normal people are struggling financially these days and then if you want to go support your favorite team by attending a game you have virtually no shot at getting tickets at face value and have two options... pay through the nose and go anyway and help line the pockets of some broker, or sit at home and watch it on TV. Could be why the NFL Sunday ticket popularity has grown. Since most of us either can't afford the inflated ticket prices of after market sellers we figure Sunday Ticket is a better investment so we can watch all the games on our HDTVs. Which I'm sure the NFL network is pleased about. The games I'm targeting are the Packers monday night game at Soldier field in December (with Favre gone it will likely slow ticket sales to that game) and the Saints thursday game in December. Is it just me or is the NFL looking to stir up a rivalry between the Bears and the Saints since we met in the NFC Championship game? That was one of the last games last year as well.

If doing the right thing and being a stand up guy makes someone else feel uneasy or feel like they are being thrown under the bus the problem lies with them. Rather than own up to the guilt they should feel they complain that someone is slamming them. Well if they did the right thing in the first place they'd have no reason to be offended. I don't believe for a second that Tommie made those comments to intentionally call out teammates but to express how pleased he was with the way things went and that business is taken care of and it's time to play football. Tommie has always stuck me as a guy who tries to be as honest and up front as he can and he seems to get it that playing in the NFL (a kids game) is a privilage not a right.

Too funny, Thanks for posting, I needed a good laugh.

I know this is slightly off topic but since we are approaching the date where they release the individual home game tickets. I've tried unsuccessfully the past few years. What seems to be happening is the brokers or individuals buy ups large chunks of tickes with no intention of going to the game but with the intent to make a killing selling the tickets on various sites where the prices end up being highly inflated. I was wondering if anyone has a method that works. I've tried the whole Ticketmaster thing and by the time the page loaded I would the tickets would be gone. I do have something in my favor that I didn't have before and that's high speed internet, I'm thinking that having dial-up didn't help my chances. One thing I am doing right now is going over the schedule and highlighting a few games that I'd like to see and then prioritize that list. That way when the day comes I can shoot directly for that game first and then proceede down the list. On a side what are some of the best and worst seats in the new Soldier Field? My first and only Bears game was at the old Soldier Field in 2001

This is how I would like to see it played out with the current RB's on our roster. I think Wolfe can be very effective if use right. I just don't see him as a primary back. Forte was drafted to take Benson's place now he has a prime opportunity to be everything Benson wasn't. All he has to be is effective and he'll be a hero. It's a golden opportunity. AP is not a starting back over a full season. He's the kind of guy who can step in and start a few games a season and hold the fort. The longer he starts his numbers begin to fall off. IMO he's a perfect backup RB/special teams player. I like him because he's one guy who always give it his all, never complains, no matter what he's asked to do. He's just not cut out to be a regular starter at RB. Last year was a hard year to evaluate backs the running game suffered last year in large part due to sub par play on the line. Last season was the first time AP didn't put up respectable numbers and didn't look much better than Benson. Wolf was seldom used last year so it's really hard to evaluate what he can do. He's very quick. I don't think his body would take the punishment of being a primary back in an offense that will likely see a lot of stacked boxes until our Passing game shows any life. The backs will likely take some punishment earlyI'm not ruling out us bringing in a vet.

nothing surprising here and I'm sure this won't be the last article featuring someone's tell all about Benson. The only named sources will likely be ex-Bears. At this point does it really matter for us Bears Fans. Benson was a lazy turd with very bad judgement. He's no longer a Bear so I don't have much interest in following the aftermath of his being released and even less about where he goes from here. All the he said she said is now in the past or about the past. Time to move on. Benson made his bed now he must lie in it. If he somehow does turn his career around good for him but I somehow doubt it unless he has a major attitude adjustment. But his future whether it be in the NFL or otherwise I could really care less. So as for me this is the last time I'll give it any thought.

Benson was last seen singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall at a karaoke bar. His poor judgement lost him his job.