Alex Brown will take his Gator chomp elsewhere next season. (Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune)

Alex Brown tweeted his goodbyes earlier today, confirming earlier reports that he had played his last game as a Chicago Bear.

I am extremely grateful for my time as a Chicago Bear and I wish the Bears the best. I am glad that they gave me an opportunity to realize…

… A dream I had (as) a child. I appreciate the fans but as we all know this is the nature of the business. Bear down!

CSN Chicago’s John “Moon” Mullin recounted a candid chat with the estranged DE before this latest shit hit the fan, where Brown was quite prophetic:

Brown learned the NFL lessons and had good teachers. When he arrived, Bryan Robinson was the starting defensive left end, himself an undrafted free agent who scrapped his way onto the St. Louis Rams, made it to Chicago and has endured to play in a Super Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals in a career that is still going.

“B-Rob was probably the biggest as far as helping me understand that it’s a privilege to play here,” Brown said. “You can be gone tomorrow.”

Remember after the Super Bowl run when Lovie was quick to anoint Mark Anderson as the starter and send AB to the bench?  How did that work out for everyone.  Anderson flopped and Brown returned to his rightful spot at DE.

Isn’t it great when players are just handed things?  Just like Danieal Manning being handed the starting strong safety spot, Anderson has yet to sign his tender and is sitting out the offseason workouts.  Didn’t it work out great when the Bears traded away Thomas Jones to hand Cedric Benson his job?

Supposedly the Bears are trying to save a few bucks after signing Julius Peppers and it came down to choosing between Brown and former Pro Bowler Tommie Harris.

Peppers will command $20 million this season alone and that forced the Bears into a decision on the line: Get rid of fellow defensive end Alex Brown or tackle Tommie Harris.

This is sure to prove a colossal blunder for Lovie Smith and the Bears.  May Papa Bear strike me down for even thinking this, but if Peppers gets hurt, who is playing defensive end for you?  Think about it…