Bears fans will remember the stone-faced Jauron from his days in Chicago.  Nice guy.  Solid guy.  Just not the guy to take your team to the Super Bowl.  Or the playoffs.  Here’s what Jay Glazer had to say about the firing:

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has been named interim head coach.

Now if only the Bears would wise up and provide Dick with some company in the head coaching unemployment line.

Bears vs Falcons predictions are rolling in over at ChicagoNow’s sports desk, while “The Professor” Brad Palmer is throwing down some analysis.  Bears got back to work after the Bye week, but a few players are still on the mend.

Rookie offensive lineman Lance Louis might have to go to the principle’s office for a little tussle back in college.  So much for only drafting “character guys.”

Speaking of the draft, it’s never too early for Jerry Angelo to be working on it.   With the luck Jerry’s had with his high picks, do you think he’s over-analyzing a bit?  Just wing it, Jer!

Cedric Benson and Kyle  Orton have been making the headlines, but there are enough ex-Bears out there to start a whole offense.  David Haugh is putting together the All Ex-Bears Offense.  No, it’s not a joke.  Might as well throw in Rex Grossman as the backup QB and soon-to-be ex Bills coach Dick Jauron to lead this band of merry men.

And while we’ve got the Bills on our minds, let’s please put all the TO nonsense to bed.   Besides being a cancer in the locker room, TO stands for Too Old.  He’s sneaking up on 36 which is dinosaur-old for football players and bloggers alike.  Besides, we’ve already got a #81.  Who needs Owens when you’ve got Rashied Davis?

The Bears are inching up in ESPN’s  Power Rankings without even playing last week while the Ebony Bird has some rankings of his own.

The mother ship has launched a new daily feature called the Everything Power Rankings that brings you the hottest stories from around the web with a twist.  Check ‘em out!  Every day.

Outside of the Bears universe, Deadspin has uncovered the Favre-mobile.  You half expect Favre to hop out in a Batman costume and Adrian Peterson to be sportin’ the Robin.  On the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got this douche-bag who’s can’t even pop for a new Favre jersey.  It’s not looking too promising for the Lions as they prepare for the Packers.  How fun would it be if they could pull it off and push the Pack down to the bottom of the NFC North standings?

BEAR DOWN!!!

Through the month of October, my usual BEAR DOWN signoff will be in pink to raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Hakeem Nicks…

 You’ve been Shooped!  Thanks for playing, but an endorsement from former Bears OC John Shoop is as meaningful to me as Sideshow Bob’s Final Four picks.    Shoop, who used the pass to set up the punt under Dick Jauron, is now the OC at UNC.   Said Shoop:

Hakeem is a fine player and he reminds me a lot of Muhsin Muhammad. He’s ultracompetitive. Gosh, what a great young man.

Um, where do I go?

Apparently all wide receiver Earl Bennett had to do to get on the field was learn the plays.   The SEC’s all-time leading receiver could get on the field last seaosn because he couldn’t learn the playbook.  Didn’t he go to Vandy, where they’re supposed to be smart?  Besides, not knowing where to go never kept Devin Hester off the field a couple of years ago.  Maybe if the Bears draft the Moose Muhammed-like Hakeem Nicks, he could tell Bennett where to line up?

Mark Anderson + Rod Marinelli = Simeon Rice?

The Bears’ biggest offseason acquisition, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli had this to say about Mark Anderson, he of 2 sacks in his last 26 games, when comparing to former pupil Simeon Rice:

”They’ve got some things that are similar,” Marinelli said. ”A good feel, the raw speed up the field. There’s no doubt [Anderson can regain his form]. He’s got a great motor. From what I’ve had a chance to see, he’s got really good movement. Very explosive.”

I hope you’re right Rod!

Line Shift

The Frank Omiyale to Left Guard lasted all but one day.  Omiyale moved to Right Tackle on Day 2 of mini-camp.  How many days ’til we draft a pre-injured right tackle of the future?

Jauron appeared to sleepwalk his way through his years patrolling the Chicago sidelines.  He wasn’t exactly a rah-rah or in-your-face kind of guy and shunned controversy and confrontation like Jerry Angelo shuns free agent pickups. 

Among the many reasons I hated the idea of signing T.O. was that without strong leadership and a well-respected quarterback, T.O. could eat a team alive.   The Bills QB situation appears no better than the Bears’, Jauron is hardly firm enough to quench any T.O. fires and the Bills hardly possess a Hall-of-Famer-in-waiting like a Peyton Manning or Brett Favre to command Owens’ respect.

Some people I’ve talked to have made the Dennis Rodman comparison.  Bulls fans all hated Rodman, especially when he was the core of the Bad Boys Piston teams that used to beat up the Bulls in the late 80′s, but we quickly forgave the sins of the past when he was on our team.  I get it.  There are many players that you love to hate; when they’re on the opponent, they are the enemy, but when they join your team, they are beloved. 

The distinct difference between T.O. and Rodman is that the 90′s Bulls had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson and 3 rings when Rodman brought his circus to town.  The Bills have none of those; no one to keep that megalomaniac in check.  

Selfishly, I wish T.O. had inked with the Bears, only because this blog would write itself each day with the sideshow that is T.O.  Then again, it wouldn’t be about the Bears, it would be about Owens, which is exactly what would happen in the locker room and on the field.  Have fun with that Buffalo.