Early word out of Halas Hall has veteran linebacker Jamar Williams headed to Carolina in exchange for Harris.

This from Brad Biggs’ conversation with Harris:

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There is a feeling in the locker room that the Bears could consider trading one of their linebackers to recoup a draft pick. What a veteran linebacker would bring in return isn’t clear right now. The Bears have seven veteran linebackers and that could be one or two too many after Pisa Tinoisamoa re-signed to compete for the starting job on the strong side.

Biggs goes on to refresh everyone’s memory why that might not be the best idea, especially with an aging group that has been mired with injuries:

Yes, the Bears started last season with six veteran linebackers and it proved to be a good thing when Brian Urlacher and Tinoisamoa combined to miss a total of 29 games.

So who is likely to go?  How about Jamar Williams, who despite strong game when he filled in for Lance Briggs last season, is listed as the 6th linebacker on the Bears’ depth chart.   He’s a nice player to have, but not at the price tag attached to his tender:

He signed his tender worth $1.176 million earlier this week and one source said that move could have been made in anticipation of a trade. That’s a lot of money for a team to pay its sixth linebacker. Williams, a fourth-round pick in 2006, has three career starts and he excelled when given a chance last season. He’s also been one of the core players on special teams. But at some point the Bears need to get younger at linebacker, and Williams is set to make virtually double what he was paid last season.

I only hope that Jerry Angelo has enough time between now and when he pulls the trigger on a potential move to read this post and realize it’s a dumb idea.  Urlacher is getting old and coming off an injury, Pisa has yet to prove that he can stay healthy, Hillenmeyer is serviceable and getting older.  What does that leave you with?  Lance Briggs and Nick Roach.  Have fun with that.

Besides, what could you get for Williams?  A 6th or 7th round pick?  Unless you’re putting a package together to get one of the top remaining safeties, I say stand pat and keep a position of strength strong.

BEAR DOWN!!!

We'll get to see if Pisa is more reliable this season after an injury-plagued 2009. (Photo courtesy of chicagobears.com)

So much for one bloggers’ hope that the Bears and linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa had parted company.  Why?  Because I am sick to death of trying to remember how to spell Tinoisamoa.

Tthe Bears bring back Tinoisamao after an injury plagued 2009 season where he hurt his knee in the season opener against the Packers and aggravated the injury in Week 6, when he went on IR.

Pisa adds some depth to the linebacking corp.  He will compete with Hunter Hillenmeyer, Nick Roach and Jamar Williams for playing time on the strong side.

Here’s what PT had to say about coming back tot he Bears in 2010:

“Hopefully I’m not the same player; hopefully I’m better,” Tinoisamoa said. “That’s my goal. I’m at a point in my career where I’m smarter, and physically I feel like I’m in some of the best shape I’ve been in a long time. So hopefully I can be better than I was before.”

His 1-year deal provides some insurance since neither Roach nor Williams have signed their tender offers.  Now if only the Bears could get this kind of depth in the secondary, they’d be in great shape.

The offense looked good coming out of the blocks early, with Jay Cutler stretching the field with some deeper throws.   Then, the Bears jump-started that broken down bus that they got off of running and actually moved the ball on the ground.  A little bit.  They toted the rock 38 times for 120 yards – barely over 3 yards per attempt.

On the other side of the ball, the Rams offense was in way over their heads, even against the banged up Bears defense.  It seemed like the Bears did a decent job holding Steven Jackson in check, but when you look at the final stats, he totaled 112 yards on 28 carries.  Jackson is a complete BEAST and is truly the only thing going for the Ram offense.  Kyle Boller is really bad and consistently missed easy throws.  Let me thumb through my notes and see what else jumped out at me.  (more…)

If you think the arrow is pointing up for the Bears’ offense, the once-heralded defense is another story.  Long gone is the defense that carried the Bears to Super Bowl XLI.   The defense that ranked 5th overall in the NFL in 2006 has been in steady decline in the two seasons since.  The team that ranked 3rd in scoring defense in 2006, slid down to 16th the last two seasons.  In fact, last year the team’s average PPG was 21.8 compared to 21.9 this season.  That’s a far cry from the 15.9 PPG in the Super Bowl season of 2006.  Many will point to schemes and coaching.  I’ll dedicate a separate post just to address those issues.  In the meantime, let’s break it down: (more…)

This year the first round pick is likely to be an offensive tackle and given the lack of pursuit for a free agent lineman, the Bears are likely to comply. The dilemma comes with the second round and two third round draft picks the Bears have hanging in the air. The Bears have so many needs on the offensive side of the ball that no names or positions have been keyed in for the next pick. The reality is the Bears are likely to take the most talented offensive player, with the exception of tight end, that is on the board.

In an ironic twist of fate, the Bears have shown an almost comical inability to evaluate first round talent, but have an uncanny ability to located talent in the later rounds of the draft. Last year the Bears took the popular pick of Greg Olsen in the first round, which thus far seems like a great pick, but were also able to find Kevin Payne in the 5th round, Corey Graham in the 6th round, and Trumaine McBride in the 7th round, a trio of cornerbacks that contributed on defense last year due to injuries. In 2006, the Bears found talented linebacker Jamar Williams in the 4th round and blazing defensive end Mark Anderson in the 5th round. In 2005, the Bears went wrong with Cedric Benson in the 1st round, but picked up Chris Harris in the 6th round. In 2004, Bernard Berrian was picked in the 3rd round and Nathan Vasher in the 4th round. In 2003, Lance Briggs was taken in the 3rd round, and wide receivers Bobby Wade and Justin Gage, both starters for other teams, were taken in the 5th round.

It makes you wonder if the Bears actually are amazing evaluators of talent but succumb to outside pressure and take the popular pick. One thing is certain, the Bears have yet to figure out how to accurately evaluate NFL ready running backs. They haven’t been able to find a player ready to make the transition since the days of Mike Ditka. The organizations evaluation of defensive talent has been unparalleled and they have made attempts to use that advantage to make trades like they did with Chris Harris last season. The problem is the Bears have little need on defense and the stage is set to rebuild the offense or fall flat.

So what are the Bears priorities? One name that should be at the top of the list for the second round is Felix Jones, the running back out of Arkansas. The Bears badly need a different option than Cedric Benson and Jones could be worth the gamble. However, in recent weeks Jones has been receiving a lot of hype and he may be off the board as early as the first round.

Draft day can result in big name players falling to later rounds and having their options open actually works in the Bears favor. Most of their mistakes have come when they are determined to draft to a position rather than talent. Hype is a hell of a thing because it can change on you in a moments notice and leave you wondering about your future in the second round. Will quarterbacks Brian Brohm of Louisville, Chad Henne of Michigan, or Joe Flacco of Delaware still be on the board?

I can’t help but feel like the Bears will defer wide receiver until the third round. History shows they have had good luck picking receivers in later rounds rather than big name receivers that end up a bust. With two picks in the third round the Bears will still be looking for the best talent and may continue taking chances on the offensive backfield. There hasn’t been much talk about talent at the offensive guard position but it’s a position of need that may come up.

The Bears have a lot of draft picks and are open to making gambles that could pay off and ignite a lethargic offense that needs to get into the end zone. For Chicago fans, the real excitement will come at the beginning of the second round.

There will not be any rematch against Reggie Bush for his antics last year at the NFC Championship game.  Interesting enough, his back-up Aaron Stecker now has a sprained toe and may not be able to play.  The start at tailback may go to Pierre Thomas, who grew up in Illinois and played at the University of Illinois before going on to the NFL as an undrafted free agent.  There may be a large home crowed cheering on Thomas to do well in his NFL debut. 

Let me also say that if I were an NFL coach and one of my players told me he didn’t want to play on Sunday because he had a sprained toe, I would heavily consider cutting him from my team. 

After putting up a big game against the Vikings the Bears will have to end the season without Nathan Vasher, who was put on the Injured Reserve.  Bears fans will have to dream in the off season of how this season could have different and how next year’s defense could improve with Vasher back on the field.  He gave us a glimpse of how he can change a game by himself.  I can see why the Bears locked him and fellow corner Charles Tillman up with long contracts.

Lance Briggs has been suffering from a bad hip and sat out practice on Friday.  There is a chance he might play but given the attitude of the press towards Briggs this past week, it sounds like he is as good as gone.  Lovie Smith should just go with Jamar Williams and see what the kid can do on the field.  Having a solid option at linebacker allows the organization to focus on other positions in the off season.

I’ve been trying to bring attention to it the past few weeks so I’ll make another mention.  Mushin Muhammed is only 95 yards away from having 10,000 receiving yards for his career.  In a meaningless game for the Bears, helping Moose reach a great lifetime achievement for a receiver would be a great way to end the season on a high note.

Fred Miller practiced on Friday and is expected to start on Sunday.  Now if someone can just explain to him that we expect him to start playing football on Sunday and not whatever he has been doing this entire season.

In a testament that there are still true football players out there, Tommie Harris will play again on Sunday despite the bad knee he has been dealing with all year.  It would be very easy to sit this out but the kid just won’t quit.  If only we could clone this guy and make a football team out of them, we could take on the Patriots any day. 

I’m excited to see more of Matt Toeaina at defensive tackle.  The guy has a lot of heart and has proved himself worthy of getting the 3 year contract to Bears signed with him.  Lining up a guy like Tommie Harris that has limitless talent, with a guy like Toeaina that’s all heart, could produce big results.  They can feed off each other and create the kind of havoc in the middle that the Bears defense thrives on.

 While I would love to see the Bears end this season with a win, does it really matter that much?  The Saints are in a bind with an inexperienced running back for Sunday but a desire to win.  Without Vasher on the field and the Bears using scraps for the secondary, Drew Brees could have a great day.  He has been on fire late in the season and is most of the reason the Saints have a chance at a playoff spot.  The best the Bears can hope for is more of that blistering cold to hamper Brees, but I doubt we will get so lucky twice. 

According to my handy Bears Media Guide, here are the list of players with expiring contracts:

Brandon Ayanbadejo

Obagemi Ayanbadejo

Bernard Berrian

Lance Briggs

Ruben Brown

Rashied Davis

Antonio Garay

John Gilmore

Rex Grossman

Leon Joe

Dante Wesley

Brandon McGowan

I’m completely amazed that all the attention has gone to Rex and Lance and people have forgotten all about Bernard Berrian. He has consistently proved himself to be the number 1 receiver on this team, even though he lines up next to Mushin Muhammed. Moose may be the more seasoned veteran, but Bernard has become one of the prime deep threats in the league. It would be foolish to let him go. The Bears have the opportunity to let Briggs go and use Jamar Williams in his place and see how well he can hold up. There is no receiver on this roster who can come close to replacing Berrian’s ability. Devin Hester may have more blazing speed but has a long way to go to learn the offensive playbook and show the solid hands we have in Berrian.

I initially felt the Bears should make Briggs a priority, but if it comes down to money, which it always does, I’d rather have Berrian. I love Briggs, but the reality is that he doesn’t make many big, flashy plays. He has become a Pro Bowler because of his solid tackling skills combined with a defense designed to flush the ball towards the linebackers. When Briggs was picked up in the 3rd round of the 2003 draft with the 68th overall pick, he was not highly regarded. It was because he flourished in the Bears defense that he became so popular. Nothing says that Briggs can flourish in another defensive scheme or that another drafted linebacker couldn’t replace him. I worry that because Briggs does not make many flashy plays that he may become a bust in his next destination. Only time will tell if I’m right, but unless he ends up with a great opportunity to play in New England or San Diego, I think he might be exposed and asked to do too much.

I will expose myself a little more and make the argument for Rex Grossman’s return. The thought of Kyle Orton and Brian Griese battling for the starting job next year is troubling. Neither quarterback gives you the hope of making the playoffs that Grossman can. He may make bonehead plays but he also makes spectacular plays that propel his team to victory. Orton or Griese could get the Bears to 8 or 9 wins, but I think with Grossman at the healm they could reach 11 or 12 wins. He is a risk taker and exactly what the teams needs to get back at the top.

As for all the rest, hopefully the Ayanbadejo boys will give the Bears a discount for signing the brothers and giving Obagemi a chance after his early season troubles. Leon Joe has been nothing short of a bust and a big disappointment. Ruben Brown will have to decide if he wants to retire or let his arm heal for another go around for a run at a Super Bowl. I don’t think anyone will really notice if Rashied Davis leaves after a houdini act of playing a big role last year and disappearing this year. Antonio Garay doesn’t even deserve me finishing his sentence. John Gilmore is a good player and contributor but is odd man out at tight end where the Bears have a deep pool of talent. Dante Wesley is cornerback and that’s about all anyone knows about him. Brandon McGowan will likely disappear and become a die hard Bears fan trivia question and joke when referencing back to the secondary on 2007 team. He’ll represent for defense what Bobby Wade represents for inept offenses of previous years.

So it comes down to only a few names. Berrian, Grossman, and Ayanbadejo. Briggs would be a welcome sight back next year but I doubt the Bears will make the investment. Jamar Williams looks too good and the Bears have too many needs in other spots on the field. Whether Briggs plays on Sunday or if he allows Williams to put on another great audition for a starting spot could be the spotlight for their game against the Saints.