Phil Emery Closes the Door on Urlacher Return and Would Welcome Gabe Carimi With Open Arms
April 26, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; General manager Phil Emery during a Chicago Bears press conference announcing their first-round selection of guard Kyle Long from Oregon University at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bears GM Phil Emery appeared on Sirius XM radio and talked about a number of Chicago Bears issues now that the draft is in the rear view mirror and the offseason program is well underway. Have a listen and let’s dissect Phil’s words after the jump:
(Refresh your browser if you don’t see the Sirius XM SoundCloud below)
I don’t know about you, but I love listening to the scout side of Phil Emery break down his draft picks. It was especially evident when describing wide receiver prospect Marquess Wilson:
"“[I’m] extremely excited about Marquess Wilson and what he brings to the tackle in terms of he’s a vertical player. He doesn’t run what I would say an outstanding 40-time, but he plays very fast. He’s an unusual guy in that he’s a long-strider but he can really come to balance, he can really bend and break in and out of his cuts very well for a person that has the kind of length that he has. He’s a high-point catcher with a lot of catch range. I feel very good about the entire class.”"
In case you didn’t know what Emery thinks about Brian Urlacher and were hoping that #54 might find his way to the Bears sideline this fall, that question seems to have been answered once and for all. Most interesting to me was how Emery talked about how Brian “was a great player and still is a great player…”
Notice how he corrected himself there? The first part of the statement said it all. Emery thinks Urlacher is done, using the past test “was a great player” to describe him. Then he went on to talk about the veteran additions and DJ Williams and James Anderson and the draft picks Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene. That seems to shut the door on #54.
As far as Carimi goes, Emery said the right things, talking about “welcoming Gabe back with open arms” when he returns to the team, but when he says “every player has to make his own decisions” I just get the sense that the Bears are less than happy with the decision that Gabe has made.
For a full transcript of Emery’s interview, check it out on the Bears’ website.