With a lot of little bits of info trickling out throughout the week during the offseason, I’ll be putting together a weekly post called Bear Buzz which will bring some quick hitters to get you up to date.

Word over the weekend that starting right tackle John Tait is thinking retirement. This leaves ‘rookie’ Chris Williams and undrafted free agent Cody Balogh as the only tackles signed to the roster. Methinks free agent tackle John St. Clair’s price tag just went up.

The Bears cut ties with wide receiver Marty Booker and veteran safety Mike Brown. [...]

Hey Bear fans, let your voice be heard.  Check out NFL Mocks Fan Mock Draft where there will be a daily vote to fill out the mock draft board.  Since the Bears don’t select until #18, it may take while ’til we’re “on the clock,” but check out where other fans’ heads are at and get yourself familiar with the top prospects that will be taken in April’s draft.

Although he spared everyone the weepiness, Brett Favre announced his retirement earlier this week.  My first reaction, like many fans, was “Good riddance!”  Not so fast, Bears fans.  As David Haugh points out here, in his retirement from the Jets, #4 sticks it to the Bears one last time.
But while we wait for Favre’s legacy to be edited predictably once again—how long before a bookmaker releases odds on Favre becoming a Viking?—Wednesday’s development immediately created a ripple effect felt in Chicago.
Without Favre, none of the three quarterbacks on the Jets’ roster— Kellen Clemens, Brett Ratliff and Erik Ainge—has played a [...]

I’ve seen a lot of mock drafts that have the Bears selecting Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin with their first round draft pick.  I am writing to implore Jerry Angelo not to select this young man and I have no other reason except the number on his shirt. 

UPDATE:  As reader Bruce correctly points out, Simms finished the season with the Titans, so they have exclusive negotiating rights with him.  Jerry Angelo can only do what the rest of us can; sit around and hope Simms doesn’t sign with the Titans and enters free agency on February 27th.  Thanks Bruce!
If Jerry Angelo plans to add Chris Simms to the Bears QB mix, he’d better get with it.  Vaughn McClure reports in his Huddle Up blog that Simms is leaning toward signing with the Tennessee Titans. 

Top Needs: DE, S, WR, OL
It’s time to start the building process for the 2009 Chicago Bears.  Jerry Angelo hasn’t exactly been a master builder in recent drafts, but whenever draft talk comes up, he seems to talk enough about floors and ceilings (of players) that you’d think he was a carpenter and not a GM.  Since the Bears announced that they won’t be raising ticket prices in 2009, I don’t expect any big splashes in Free Agency, so the bulk of the work will have to come through the draft.

Free Agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh appeared on ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy show on Thursday morning and chatted up his upcoming free agency on the morning show.  So the question that all Bears fans want answered:  Is he coming to Chicago?  Great question.  The answer, however, is not so simple.  Here is the Tribune headline for Vaughn McClure’s article:
Houshmandzadeh appears open to playing for Bears
and this headline from Brad Biggs’ Inside the Bears blog post:
Houshmandzadeh sounds off and it sounds like Bears aren’t a match
So which is it?  Both articles have an excerpt of the transcript from the interview.

The Chicago Bears announced that they will not raise ticket prices for the 2009 season. This marks the first time since 2000 that the Bears will not raise ticket prices in some way.
In a letter being sent to season ticket-holders, Bears President Ted Phillips wrote that holding the line on ticket prices is a reward for the fans’ loyalty and passion.
Phillips commenting on the organization’s decision from the Sun Times:
“Frankly, it’s really no more complicated than taking a look at the very challenging economic environment that every fan, every person in America is facing,” Phillips said of the team¹s decision [...]