Archive for February, 2011

Hunter Hillenmeyer was among the Bears’ veterans who were cuts today.  It’s not a huge surprise given the circumstances with his latest concussion in the preseason and season spent on injured reserve. I’ve heard many people who were critical of Hunter’s performance on the field and specifically pointed to his filling in for an injured Brian Urlacher in the 2009 season.  He didn’t play to Urlacher’s level.  Geez, big surprise; not many people could. On his way out, he sent a letter to the Chicago Tribune.  I’ll let you judge how he took the news of getting cut:

The Bears made a couple of roster moves on Monday, cutting a couple of former defensive starters in Tommie Harris and Hunter Hillenmeyer.  Swing tackle Kevin Shaffer was also let go. Tommie Harris is probably the biggest name in the group, another former Jerry Angelo first round draft choice who failed to live up to expectations.  Here’s the excerpt from the Bears’ official website: Harris spent seven seasons with the Bears after being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2004 draft. The 6-3, 295-pounder from Oklahoma became the first defensive tackle in franchise history to be voted to [...]

The Chicago Bears are taking advantage of their surprising 2010 season and NFC Championship Game appearance to raise ticket prices across the board for next season. Hey, they just extended head coach Lovie Smith for a couple more years – they’ve got to pay him somehow, so they’re passing the hat to their die-hard fans. This right from the team’s website: Non-club seat increases range from $5 to $15, while club seats will be raised from $10 to $30 per ticket. The Bears’ non-club ticket prices now range from $74 to $140 and account for approximately 85 percent of the [...]

We can only hope that the Mayan calendar nonsense is true and the world ends on December 21, 2012, because that might be the only way for us to see the end of the Lovie Smith era in Chicago.  The Bears kept true to their word and award head coach Lovie Smith a 2-year extension to keep him at the helm through the 2013. This comes as no surprise; we heard the rumble just a couple of days ago.  Terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, but it’s believed to be right at about the $5.5 million range that the [...]

The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off in Indianapolis today and the pressure is on Jerry Angelo and his staff more than ever to hit on their draft picks.  With the uncertainty on the labor front putting free agent signings in question, Jerry Angelo’s most successful method of filling the team’s needs isn’t available.  It means that the scouting department had better be on their A game. It’s no secret that the Bears have a bunch of holes to fill and the draft is the best way to go about addressing those needs.  The defense is getting long in the tooth [...]

CSN Chicago’s John “Moon” Mullin is reporting that a contract extension is on the horizon for Bears head coach Lovie Smith: Nothing is ever done until it’s done but whispers are growing a little louder that Lovie Smith’s new contract may well be in place within the next two weeks, CSNChicago.com was told Monday. The extension, forecast here for some time dating back into last season, is expected to add two years and give Smith a modest pay bump from the approximately $4.8 million he made in 2010 and stay in the range of his estimated $5.5 million for 2011. [...]

When I heard the news and read some of the early reports that Dave Duerson “had been found dead,” I could sort of read between the lines; this was no ordinary death.  You hate to say it, but you think about something other than natural causes when someone dies suddenly.  I have to admit it, but it was the first thought when I heard about Gaines Adams last offseason.  Was it drugs?  Suicide?   Of course in Gaines’ case, it was a heart condition.  Shame on me. In the case of Duerson, it was in fact a suicide.  It’s a really [...]

Former Chicago Bears safety Dave “Double D” Duerson was found dead in his Miami home last night.  At this point, no cause of death has been disclosed. The Bears made Duerson their 3rd round pick out of Notre Dame.  He moved into a starter’s role in 1985 when Todd Bell decided to hold out over a contract dispute.  He went on to go to four Pro Bowls from 1986 to 1989.  Besides his championship with the Bears, he was a member of the 1990 New York Giants Super Bowl team after leaving the Bears.