John W. Siegal (6)stands over a scramble for the ball in a game against a team that appears to be the Packers. Hopefully, the Bears won. No photo credit available.

Yesterday marked the 95th birthday of the oldest former Chicago Bear alive today, John W. Siegal. He was born on May 15, 1918, and spent his entire five year career with the Bears. He caught passes from Sid Luckman, and he was a member of the team in the legendary 73-0 drubbing of the Redskins in the 1940 championship. He also wore Jay Cutler’s jersey number and was a dentist.

I am sharing this story for two reasons. One is because it’s interesting. Two is because despite being 95 years old, this man never got the chance to see the Cubs win the world series. Hopefully he will in his lifetime. But besides that, happy belated birthday to the oldest living member of the Monsters of the Midway!

Dec. 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (15) on the sidelines during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at MetLife Stadium. The Chargers won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets have released “quarterback” Tim Tebow. I’m not going to insult anyone’s intelligence by saying that I feel this is a big time move, yet of course it is the headline on NFL.com. So not that it should matter, but where will this moderately useless punt protector/backup quarterback go? There are several teams in need of a quarterback, and the Bears are one of those who need a solid backup. However, Tim Tebow is the last thing I would ever want to see in a Bears uniform.

I know that Tebow worked with Marc Trestman a few years ago and that his quarterbacking coach with the Jets was our current quarterback coach Matt Cavanaugh. This doesn’t mean being under them will make him succeed for the Bears.  I don’t think Emery is going to sign him, but if he does, I will be mortified. If Jay Cutler were to get injured, the last person I would want to have step in would be Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow attracts way too much attention from the media, and I do not think someone like that is good for any team, especially the Chicago Bears. Most of the attention he gets isn’t really his fault; most of it is the media. For some reason, they are so fascinated by the fact that he was good in college and loves God. They even were intrigued by him back before he made all those comebacks in 2011. But I don’t really care what the media says about Tebow. I just would hate to see that man on the Bears. The only thing it would do is cause problems.

Dec. 23, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA: Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been three months since the Bears have hired head coach Marc Trestman, and star wideout Brandon Marshall is already enthusiastic about the new offensive scheme.

‘‘Oh, my gosh, I’m in love with it,’’ Marshall told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Martellus and I sat down and went through the formational stuff and started challenging each other. It was exciting to go through, and it’s pretty cool to have a partner.’’

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Marshall is “embracing the change.” He took new tight end Martellus Bennett to his house where the two tested each other on plays in the new scheme. Marshall says that he is in love with the new playbook, and that he likes Bennett being his partner.

‘‘It’s so stimulating and it gets everyone involved, and that’s exciting to me,’’ Marshall said. ‘‘Because the better Alshon [Jeffery] is, the better I’ll be. The better Earl [Bennett] is, the better Martellus will be. The better Martellus is, the better Matt Forte will be. And so on and so forth. It’s just awesome.’’

This could not be any better. Marshall and Bennett are quickly hitting it off. There is no question in my mind that our number one receiver can quickly turn Bennett into an outstanding tight end.  Also, they are already intrigued by the new system.  Let’s hope that this positivity continues.

What do you think Bears fans?  Will the new Marc Trestman playbook finally help turn this Bears offense around?

BEAR DOWN!!!

Dec. 23, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA: Chicago Bears offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb walks off the field after a win against the Arizona Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA

According to chicagobears.com, J’Marcus Webb is feeling good about competing for the right tackle position. When asked about the transition he would have to make, he said

“Things happen and you can’t control a few things, but it’ll be a great move… I can play right tackle … I can move my hands a little bit, so it should be fun” Webb also discussed his “improvement” over the last few seasons. “I definitely took a step forward and, like I said, I’m just here to help in any way possible.”

It seems as though J’Marcus has caught the Chicago Cubs virus. He promises success during the offseason, but fails during the regular season.
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May 23, 2012; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery in attendance during organized team activities at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

This is just a general post asking your opinions on how you feel our new GM is doing this offseason. Do you think his signings have been good?

In my opinion, he is doing a fantastic job, signing players for positions that the team needs new players. He has signed a very good left tackle, an up and coming tight end, a good blocking tight end, and a few linebackers. The signing of Matt Slauson should be extremely beneficial. As Boomer said, he is durable and he is entering his prime. What has impressed me most about the signings of Slauson, Williams, Anderson, and some others is that the contracts are small; he is not wasting a lot of money on controversial players. If these players don’t work out, at least it doesn’t really hurt the future.

Also, I really love the idea of bringing in Trestman. He looks younger than 57, and he is very intelligent. When he said that Devin Hester is meant to be a return man, that specifically made me realize that he knows what he’s doing. So my question to you is, how do you feel about the signings?  Do you think Emery has done a good job to this point? Comment below!

Quarterback Caleb Hanie #12 of the Chicago Bears is tackled by linebacker D.J. Williams #55 of the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 11, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Brocnos defeated the Bears 13-10 in overtime.
(December 10, 2011 – Source: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America)

The Bears didn’t waste any time in signing a “replacement” for Brian Urlacher. According to NFL.com, the Bears just signed former Bronco middle linebacker D.J Williams. Williams has had at least 90 combined tackles in a season from 2007-2011, but last year suspensions only let him play 7 games. So when he is not being suspended for drugs or arrested for DUI’s, he is a solid player.

According the the Chicago Tribune, the Bears signed Williams for a $900,000 base salary in an incentive loaded contract. He can make $1.75 million at the most.

In my opinion, this is a very good signing. He might not be Urlacher, but he’s shown that he is a pretty good player. The best part is that it was a cheap signing, so it isn’t a huge risk. If Williams stays out of trouble, I can see him doing very well in Chicago.

More on the new signing coming up later. Welcome aboard, D.J!

BEAR DOWN!!!!! 

I saw Brian Urlacher, wearing #54, holding the Vince Lombardi trophy.

The problem is, it was a Packers jersey.

Brian Urlacher is probably not actually going to go to the Packers. He might not go anywhere. In any case, wherever he goes, I see him being a valuable asset. I know that he has taken a step back since his injury in the meaningless game, but he is still a very solid, smart player. Wherever he goes, I think he will perform well. That is, if he does end up going somewhere.  (more…)