I recently wrote about the biggest draft day blunders by the Chicago Bears so I thought I would take the time to note the best draft day gambles. The players that are drafted in the late rounds that don’t get any attention until they suddenly start making a difference on the field. They garnered little more than a passing mention on draft day but a few years later they turn out to be a real find. I didn’t give them a rank because I found it too hard to weigh the contributions of the player against the [...]

I bet that headline caught your attention.  Despite the consistent success of a few franchises, the NFL has become a very unpredictable place.  The rollar coaster ride has become particularly bumpy in the NFC with an ever changing fight for dominance.  The era of the mid-90’s when Dallas and San Francisco made the NFC Championship a better game than the Super Bowl is over.  A new team will likely be crowned NFC Champion this year.  This is my explanation for how the Bears can get there.
Establish The Running Game
Believe it or not, the Bears may have done themselves a favor [...]

The Chicago Bears accounced this morning that they have given defensive tackle Tommie Harris a 4-year extension.  Although the organization declined to comment on the amount of the contract, the deal is speculated to be worth about $40 million with $18 million guaranteed.  The deal would make Harris the highest paid defensive tackle in franchise history and in league history. 
Harris is considered one of the most dominant young defensive tackles in the game and in the last year of his rookie contract.  If allowed on the free agent market, he would have landed a huge deal in a new city.  [...]

With Training Camp fast approaching I wanted to put the spotlight on the Bears that will have to step up or prove themselves in their respective position.
QB:  Rex Grossman
This one goes without saying.  The Bears brought him back with a 1-year deal to try to once-and-for-all slay his demons and show that he can compete in the NFL consistently and not just show flashes of greatness followed by a game-ending interception.
RB:  Matt Forte
Isn’t this what every rookie dreams of when they are drafted?  The starting spot has basically been handed to Forte, now he has to step it up and [...]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have too many quarterbacks and the Chicago Bears have a shortage with only Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton returning a few undrafted rookies trying out for the team.  The Bucs have been expected to release quarterback Chris Simms for a few weeks now and the move appears imminent.  The rumors around Chicago are the Bears are patiently waiting his release and may give the young quarterback a shot in a Bears uniform.
It wouldn’t be much of an improvement over Grossman or Orton but at least it offers another arm for competition in training camp.  Given the [...]

Brian Urlacher gave the Chicago Bears a jolt a few months back when he announced he wanted to rework the four remaining years of his contract for a raise.  The Bears were not excited about the face of their team demanding a new deal or boycot team activities.  General Manager Jerry Angelo announced to the press that if Urlacher wants a new deal, the best way to get it is by showing up to OTA’s (Organized Team Activities). 
Urlacher originally stated he wanted nothing to do with OTA’s and was going to stay in Arizona, but he showed up last week for OTA’s [...]

I was looking forward to the loss of Cedric Benson because that means rookie Matt Forte can learn from veteran back-up Adrian Peterson.  Peterson is a team player that has taken up the opportunity to contribute on special teams when he couldn’t be in the backfield.  Unfortunately, Forte will not have the aid of Peterson until training camp.
On Monday night, Adrian Peterson underwent an appendectomy and will be sidelined at least until the start of training camp.  That leaves the Bears with Forte and Garrett Wolfe, who sparingly got on the field last season, to run plays in the backfield [...]

The release of Cedric Benson puts him in familiar company with first round busts for Chicago Bears.  While I don’t have first hand knowledge of every draft bust in Bears history, I can tell you the greatest draft day flops of the first round for the past 20 years.  I swear, only by accident, by list happens to be a Top 10.  Or should I say, Worst 10?

Number 10: Marc Columbo
Drafted with the 29th overall pick of 2002, Columbo is more of a Bears bust than NFL bust.  The Bears had high hopes for the large right tackle, but towards the end [...]