Antrel Rolle could make plays in the Bears secondary

The Arizona Cardinals are expected to release free safety Antrel Rolle, who is owed a $4 million roster bonus next week and a whopping $12 mildo next season.  With Adrian Wilson already one of the highest paid safeties in the league, Rolle could be the odd man out as the Cards don’t want to spend too much on one position group.

The National Football Posts’s Matt Bowen thinks Rolle would be a great fit for the Bears.  I couldn’t agree more.  The defense has been on the decline since the Super Bowl and you could point to many reasons why, but I think it’s the lack of leadership and stability in the secondary.  The Bears have been playing musical safeties since Mike Brown started his annual trips to the Injured Reserve.

Check out Bowen’s take on the state of the safety position in Chicago and later how he thinks Rolle might fit in:

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Brown heads to a Kansas City Chiefs defense that ranked 31st in the league last season.  He will compete for a starting spot against Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page. Check out what the Chiefs might expect from Brown when he’s at his best:

Thanks for the memories #30!!!

Jay Cutler pines for Brandon Marshall

Jay Cutler said all the right things after OTA’s ended last week, saying the Bears are set at receiver, but the new Bears QB let his guard down a bit in a recent interview “off campus” on a visit to William and Mary.

“I played with Brandon for three years and I think he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL,” Cutler told the Daily Press. “I think he can be one of the greatest ever to play. He’s big and fast, and can do everything you want him to do, on the field and in the meeting room.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do. That’s up to the guys upstairs. If we make a run at him, we make a run at him.”

I guess you can’t blame Jay for talking up his ex-teammate.  I would put long odds against the Bears having enough to get a trade done with the Broncos, but then again, I never thought they’d pull of the Cutler trade! (more…)

Lots of news from Halas Hall as OTA’s are in full swing.  Brad Biggs was Twittering has ass off, sending frequent updates throughout the day on Wednesday, as the media was allowed to observe workouts for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Matt Forte limped off the field toward the end of practice, but Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner doesn’t seem concerned.   According to Twitter, Chitownforte22 tweeted “I’m good!!” Let’s hope so.

Newly acquired linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa ran with the 2′s behind Nick Roach, while Hunter Hillenmeyer sat out, recovering from sports hernia surgery.  A sports hernia just sounds painful.

Frank Omiyale was holding down the starting left guard spot while last year’s starter Josh Beekman ran as the second team center.

Trumaine McBride was cleared to practice while Peanut Tillman sat out, still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.  Apparently, Tillman spent his time on the sidelines mocking the offensive plays.

Tommie Harris participated in practice.  It’s good to see him getting some work.  Harris is as important as any other defender for the Bears’ D to regain Super Bowl form.

It looks like Jarron Gilbert’s deal is close to getting done.  His agent, Frank Bauer (no relation to Jack, but I heard he uses some interesting negotiating tactics) was on hand for OTA’s on Wednesday.    Now about the Iglesias guy.  Let’s get it done!

I hate to even write these words, but it appears Mike Brown took another step closer toward becoming former Bear Mike Brown as the safety visited the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jay Cutler continues to impress, making some nice throws throughout  offseason workouts and drawing the praise of his biggest fan, Jerry Angelo.  On the Bears’ official website, Larry Mayer sat down with the GM.

LM: Jay Cutler hasn’t missed a single day of the offseason program since he was acquired by the Bears on April 2. How pleased are you with the attitude and leadership skills he has displayed?

JA: I’ve been very pleased with his day-to-day attitude, and obviously it’s reflected with his work ethic and how he’s approached things. He’s rolled up his sleeves and he’s gone to work. He’s certainly not resting on any laurels. He’s come in here to prove himself and establish himself. I think we’re all impressed with that-I’m talking about coaches and players-because that’s the right way to do it. He’s got to earn his stripes here, and by showing up and doing the things that he’s doing every day, he’s doing it the right way.

Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/BearGogglesOn.

I don’t get it.  How could this guy be a better choice at safety than Mike Brown?  I know Brownie has a medical file the approximate size of Alaska, but wouldn’t it be worth the risk compared to what’s out there?

In case the Bears were short on a cornerback to blow a lead in the final seconds (you’re welcome Atlanta), they signed Marcus Hamilton to a 1-year deal.

Finally, John Tait was moved from the active roster to the reserve/retired list today.  While it’s no surprise, I was still holding out hope that maybe the Bears could convince him to play one more year before retirement.

Must be nice to be 34 and retired.  I’m getting flashes of Kramer at the Seinfeld’s retirement community at Del Boca Vista, Phase II.  Like I said, hilarity ensues.  Now back to your nap Jerry.  Angelo, that is.  Seinfeld not so much.

• Word over the weekend that starting right tackle John Tait is thinking retirement. This leaves ‘rookie’ Chris Williams and undrafted free agent Cody Balogh as the only tackles signed to the roster. Methinks free agent tackle John St. Clair’s price tag just went up.

• The Bears cut ties with wide receiver Marty Booker and veteran safety Mike Brown. Book was largely ineffective in his return to the Bears last season, but did make this highlight reel catch against the hapless Lions earlier this season:

• Meanwhile the oft-injured Mike Brown spent more time in recent years on the sideline than on the gridiron. I’ll never forget the back-to-back INT returns for scores in overtime games back in 2001. I was at the Cleveland game and had all but given up. Check out this Best of Brown list here. Thanks for the memories Brownie!!

These departures  highlight a few of the areas where the Bears need to add depth during this offseason. Hopefully GM Jerry Angelo can make better adjustments to his draft plan than his coaching staff can make to their game plans. If not, it could be a rough 2009 season.

• Meanwhile, over on the Free Agent QB carrousel, add former Buc Jeff Garcia to the mix.  I’ve never been a fan of Garcia from back in his days in San Francisco and the journeyman signal caller certainly is not the long term answer, but if he’s looking for a place where he could start right away…
• Over at the Tribune, David Haugh suggests including face-of-the-franchise middle linebacker Brian Urlacher in a trade to get  Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin here.  A few years ago, I probably would have gotten in my car and driven down to Tribune Tower to slap David silly.  It’s not such a crazy idea now, but I guess my only thought is that the Bears might be selling low.  ‘Lach for Boldin straight up – take it and don’t look back.  Urlacher and their first round pick for Boldin and I might be more hesitant.

I’ll be “out of the office” for a couple of days as Mrs. Boomer will be delivering the newest Bears fan within the next day or two, so most likely the next time I check in, it’ll be as “Papa Bear” Boomer.  Wish us luck!

It’s time to start the building process for the 2009 Chicago Bears.  Jerry Angelo hasn’t exactly been a master builder in recent drafts, but whenever draft talk comes up, he seems to talk enough about floors and ceilings (of players) that you’d think he was a carpenter and not a GM.  Since the Bears announced that they won’t be raising ticket prices in 2009, I don’t expect any big splashes in Free Agency, so the bulk of the work will have to come through the draft. (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…)