Free Agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh appeared on ESPN 1000′s Waddle and Silvy show on Thursday morning and chatted up his upcoming free agency on the morning show.  So the question that all Bears fans want answered:  Is he coming to Chicago?  Great question.  The answer, however, is not so simple.  Here is the Tribune headline for Vaughn McClure’s article:

Houshmandzadeh appears open to playing for Bears

and this headline from Brad Biggs’ Inside the Bears blog post:

Houshmandzadeh sounds off and it sounds like Bears aren’t a match

So which is it?  Both articles have an excerpt of the transcript from the interview. (more…)

Establish The Running Game

Believe it or not, the Bears may have done themselves a favor getting rid of Cedric Benson.  He was never able to translate his success in college to success in the NFL.  The Bears kept giving him second chances because they wasted a high first round draft pick on him and were hoping to get a little production for their wasted money.  With Benson out of the way it paves the way for rookie Matt Forte and veteran Adrian Peterson.  Between the two they pose a better chance for the Bears to establish a running game than wasting more time hoping Benson would produce.  Coach Lovie Smith recently said that he likes the Bears running back depth chart and they don’t see a need to pursue a free agent running back.  Quarterback Rex Grossman looks like he’s running sand when he’s scrambling in the pocket, but he throws a beautiful deep ball off play action.  If the Bears have a running game, they can produce some big plays.

D-FENCE

Last year the offense got most of the attention as the reason the Bears lots.  Let’s get something straight right now, the Bears never have and never will pretend to be an offensive team.  They preach defense and then more defense.  Last year the entire defense got banged up, losing both starting cornerbacks, safety Mike Brown, and Tommie Harris played with a bad knee the entire season.  The return of a healthy defense could quickly return the Bears to dominance quicker than critics believe.  The Bears defense got them to the Super Bowl two years ago when all they had on offense was Thomas Jones and a chance-taking Rex Grossman.  This defensive unit can create turnovers, score touchdowns, and win games all by itself.  If the injury bug can stay off their backs this season, the results may look much different than last year.

The X-Factor: Devin Hester

Last season, the Bears offense was so pathetic that opposing teams were willing to kickoff out-of-bounds and give the Bears the ball on the 40-yard line rather than kick to Devin Hester.  I can tell you from sitting in the stands and watching him on the field, he is the fastest, most ellusive man I have ever seen.  The Bears have talked about letting Hester sit out some kickoffs so he can focus more of his energy on playing wide receiver.  Everyone is holding their breath to see how this experiment works out for the offense.  Last season Hester looked confused after leaving the huddle and frequently had to be reminded his assignment by a fellow receiver, usually Muhsin Muhammed.  Hester has had a full season to study the playbook and if he can make an impact on offense he will offer an immediate spark to ignite scoring.  The quarterback just has to get the ball in Hester’s hands and he can carve up the defense on his own.  If the offense can produce, they will either be able to take advantage of the great field position, or teams will have to kick to Hester.  Either option works in the Bears favor.

A Deep Pass To……Who?

The Bears decided the offense needed to go in a new direction this season.  Last year they got a very talented tight end in Greg Olsen who can run and block and this year they picked up a top tackle in Chris Williams to solidify the line.  Everyone already knows about the running back situation, but the wide receiver corps is a complete unknown.  The top 2 receivers from last season, Muhsin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian, are gone and in are Marty Booker, Brandon Lloyd, rookie Earl Bennett, rookie Marcus Monk, Mark Bradley, Rashied Davis, and Mike Hass.  That’s a lot of names isn’t it?  That’s because the Bears have no idea who will be the starting wide receivers and have brought in a whole new crop to choose from.  Marty Booker had a lot of success the first time he played with the Bears and is happy to be home.  He will be the veteran presence but it is unclear how much talent he has left.  Brandon Lloyd has be praised as the best looking receiver in OTA’s and appears to be the most promising prospect of the bunch.  Surprising little has been said about rookie draft picks Bennett and Monk, which isn’t good and means they need to step it up in training camp.  Davis and Bradley have been with the team a few years and are good, but far from being great.  Mike Hass just missed making the team last year but made some absolutely amazing catches in the preseason last year and eyes will be on him this year.  I will say one thing, the Bears have made many mistakes in the draft but they have rarely made mistakes with wide receiver.  Booker and Lloyd will be the front runners, but Bennett and Monk may become big producers down the line.

NFC NORTH

Last year the Bears had a tough time with their own division, getting beat up by the Vikings, Packers, and the Lions.  Hopefully this year the Bears will solve the riddle of how a terrible Lions team managed to give them hell and keep the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson from running all over the field.  Brett Favre was always a Bears killer and with him gone the defense should be able to exhale a little bit.  The problem is the NFL North appears to have replaced Favre with the new division star in Peterson.  It will be hard to match up against a good Vikings team, but I will be interested to see how they treat Berrian in the first game.  If the Bears are going to have any success, they have to find a way to at least split the games with their three rivals.

Season Schedule

Coach Lovie Smith likes to break the season into quarters so I’ll do the same.  First quarter: open against the Colts in their new stadium, at Panthers, Bucs, and Eagles.  I would LOVE to see the Bears take out the Colts in their new stadium but I doubt the Bears will have everything ready.  This team will take time to feel each other with so many new faces.  The Bears need to rebound quickly with a win against the Panthers.  The Bears have always enjoyed success against the Bucs and they have bigger problems than the Bears with their roster.  The Eagles are always tough in the beginning of the season with a healthy McNabb.  They’ll likely open 2-2.

Second quarter: at Lions, at Falcons, Vikings, Lions.  The Bears played the Lions close together last season and it spelled disaster as they confused Bears coaches both times.  This year I doubt they will let the same thing happen.  The Falcons are a few years away from being competitive in the NFL and should offer some relief.  The first match up against the Vikings will be charged up for the Bears to test themselves against the new NFL darling as NFC favorite.  Second quarter record: 3-1.

Third quarter: Titans, at Packers, at Rams, at Vikings.  You never know what to expect from the Titans and Vince Young.  However, Brian Urlacher has always matched up well against scrambling quarterbacks by chasing down all over the field.  He did it to Michael Vick and he should be able to do it against Young.  The Bears then have a tough three game stretch of away games but thankfully they are all in the midwest and will save players from travel fatigue.  The Bears will try to take advantage of a Favre-less Packers, shut down the Ram offense, and try to escape Minnesota with a victory.  They will be successful in 2 out of 3 trips.  Third quarter record:  3-1.

Fourth quarter:  Jaguars, Saints, Packers, at Texans.  This will be the toughest stretch of the season for the Bears and will test their ability.  By this time they will be in contention for a playoff spot but will have to fight hard to keep it.  The Bears play the Jaguars on Sunday and then must prepare for the Saints on Thursday night.  The Jaguars are a physical team and may present a problem for players to be ready by Thursday for a talented Saints team.  I fear at best they will split these games and could possibly drop them both.  The Bears will have no problem getting focused for the Packers game at Soldier Field on December 22nd for Monday Night Football.  The house will be rocking and the Bears will be looking to put on a good show.  The Texans offer a nice trip to warm Texas and hopefully wrap up a playoff spot.  Fourth quarter record:  2-2. 

That leaves the Bears with a record of 10-6 and in the NFC that will always get you to the playoffs. 

Playoff Match Ups

The good news about a good Minnesota team is that if the Bears meet them in the playoffs, they will be very familiar with each other.  The more experience you have with a team, regardless of talent, the better chance you have to find a way to beat them.  Teams like the Saints and Cowboys are unpredictable but talented and may face challenges for the Bears.  However, no NFC team has really established itself as a top team beyond ranking speculation.  As we have seen, a key injury to the Cowboys or Saints lineup can leave them vulnerable.  A lot of things can happen in a football season.  As the saying goes, any given sunday.  The opportunities are there for the Bears if they can seize it. 

The Bears did everything they were supposed to do in this draft and stuck to the game plan, with the exception of one area, which is why, much like my own grades, they missed out on an A.  The Bears currently only have two quarterbacks on the roster, Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton, yet they failed to even attempt to draft a quarterback.  I felt fairly certain that going into the second day of the draft the Bears would take a chance on a lower rated quarterback like USC’s John David Booty.  I was disappointed and the Bears need to start answering questions of who will be the third quarterback in training camp.

As much as we have made a big deal about the quarterback situation in Chicago, I think the Bears made the right choice skipping on a quarterback in the second round.  There is a whisper going around Chicago that is turning into an uproar that the broken leg of Cedric Benson is not healing properly.  At least one source claims the running back will never be able to plant and turn off the healing leg.  This is especially troubling since Benson was already a second too slow on changing direction on his routes.  The only way he knows how to run is straight forward and upright, a kiss of death in the NFL. 

The first round pick of Chris Williams was a no brainer.  The mock drafts showed the Bears landing Jeff Otah, but when Willaims was still on the board the Bears were happy to oblige.  Williams is a big beast of a man standing 6’6, 315 lbs and will likely be the immediate starter at left tackle.  John Tait will return to his natural position of right tackle and appears to be happy to make the change.  It’s a great pick for teh franchise and goes a long way to solidify an offensive line that had troubles controlling the line of scrimmage last season.  Even the most adamant Grossman haters have admitted the quarterback would have a better time developing if he wasn’t constantly running backwards. 

In the second round the Bears took Matt Forte, a solid pick but one that will be watched and debated over the years depending on the pro careers of Brian Brohm and Chad Henne.  I worry if a running back out of a smaller school like Tulane can come into Chicago and handle the pressure of possibly being the starting running back if he has a strong training camp.  However, I have to reserve my judgment since an ex-Bear running back named Walter Payton was drafted out of a little division two college and the big lights of Chicago didn’t seem to bother him.  Forte doesn’t need to be the next Payton, but the Bears need him to be something more than Benson. 

I was predicting the Bears to take a wide receiver and guard in the third round, but I was pleasantly surprised when General Manager Jerry Angelo went back to defense.  He is very gifted at finding defensive talent in the middle rounds and you have to think he may have brought in some talented players under the radar.  Third round pick Earl Bennett from Vanderbilt is described as a slot wide receiver, something the Bears could sorely use.  With the loss of Muhsin Muhammed, the Bears are going to need a receiver to step up and establish themselves as a possession and third down receiver.  The Bears recently signed Rashied Davis, but this pick gives the Bears options and hopefully a young receiver they can rely upon in the coming years.

At this point, Jerry Angelo went off the script and drafted a big defensive tackle, Marcus Harrison out of Arkansas.  At 6’3, 310 lbs, he can be a force up the middle that will take some heat off of Tommie Harris to make plays.  The move helps take the pressure off the tackle depth chart with Dusty Dvoracek highly praised but unable to stay off the injured list.  It’s also no secret that success at defensive tackle frees up Brian Urlacher to roam to field and create chaos.

In the fourth round the Bears selected safety Craig Steltz, a kid I don’t know much about, but any kid that can start at the safety position for a highly effective LSU defense is welcome to Halas Hall.  Steltz had injury concerns that prevented him from working out at the combine and cost him draft position.  This could prove to be the surprise pick out of this year’s draft in the long run.  Year after year, LSU has one of the top defenses in college football and that’s not lost on NFL scouts.  The Bears have had troubles finding stability at the safety position and if Steltz can learn fast he may find himself on the field quickly.

The fifth round was strange because the Bears selected cornerback Zackary Bowman and tight end Kellen Davis, two positions already solidified on the roster.  The Bears have cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher locked up in long term contracts.  At tight end the Bears have top draft pick and developing star Greg Olsen along with veteran Desmond Clark.  Both positions would only open up if the Bears are hit with the injury bug like they were last year at cornerback.  However, it is very promising because it shows the Bears are actually coming around to the idea of drafting for talent instead of drafting for position.  While many teams have been employing this philosophy for years, it is new to us in Chicago, the land of over paid draft busts.

In the seventh round garbage time the Bear grabbed five players, a defensive end, offensive guard, an outside linebacker, an offensive tackle, and wide receiver.  Out of the five players, offensive guard Chester Adams has the best chance of making the team to add depth to a thin offensive line.  I thought the Bears might grab a guard sooner but this year’s class was pretty thin.  The rest will likely come to training camp and have to practice hard to earn a roster spot.

Overall, despite the absence of a quarterback, the Bears had a great draft because they finally appear willing to give up drafting for position and drafted for the talent available.  All of the first five picks will have the opportunity compete for starting jobs and make an impact.

This has been called by many Chicago fans the most important Bears draft of this generation if they are going to climb back to the top of the NFC.  The Bears responded accordingly and have brought in a crop of talent that appears to be ready to play football immediately and build a winning team.

Davis came to the Bears after spenDding four years in the Arena League with the San Jose Sabercats, originally looking to play cornerback, but quickly switched to wide receiver.  His most notable moment came in a game against the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 when it appeared Rex Grossman had given up the game-winning interception for a touchdown.  The Bears came right back and Davis caught the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter comeback.

The sure handed receiver didn’t get much playing time last year while competing against Devin Hester and Greg Olsen as the 3rd and 4th receiver options on the field after Muhsin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian.  Muhammed and Berrian have been replaced with Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd but the Bears are confident they can get Davis more playing time this season.  Even though there is a lot of competition at the wide receiver position, there is no clear front runner and Davis will have an opportunity in training camp to prove himself worthy of playing time.

Considering the move locks up Davis for three years and the Bears have been unwilling to sign many other receivers beyond this season, the Bears appear confident that they can mold Davis into a top receiver.   Davis has never been considered a deep threat on the field but he has shown good hands and route running that could put him in contention for possession receiver on third downs.

The Bears made the surprising move of re-signing Lance Briggs, but let Bernard Berrian go to Minnesota and Muhsin Muhammed go to Carolina.  Brendon Ayanbadejo is now a Baltimore Raven, and reports indicate that several teams are asking about Rashied Davis.  Fred Miller and Ruben Brown are both gone and John Gilmore is a Tampa Bay Buc.  The Bears replaced the wide receiver vacancy with veteran Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd. 

That leaves a gapping void at right tackle, right guard, running back, safety, and a long-term need to upgrade at wide receiver and quarterback.  Whew, that’s all?  There is little doubt the Bears are going to make a priority of drafting one of the talented offensive tackles available in this years draft.  As much as the Bears need help shoring up safety, there isn’t much help in free agency or the draft for improvement.  You really never know what Jerry Angelo will do about the quarterback situation so that remains to be seen. 

The remaining priorities are right guard and running, with a need for a long-term solution at wide receiver.  When I say a long term solution I mean that the Bears have players for the next couple years, so they should look into developing a young receiver that could make a huge impact.  The guard and running back positions require forcing a free agent or rookie to make an immediate impact. 

I’m still not done considering the Bears could sign a free agent running back, based solely on the fact that Jerry Angelo has shown no ability to weight talent at the position when drafting.  They are better off taking an established running back from another team that can get to work, much the same way Thomas Jones made such a big impact.  I was disappointed to see his brother, Julius Jones, get signed by the Seahawks for a 4 year deal.  I figured if the Bears didn’t grab Michael Turner, who signed a big deal witht he Falcons, the Bears could grab Jones.  Neither happened and I’m becoming increasingly concerned abou the Bears running game.

Marion Barber is a restricted free agent in Dallas, but the cost to tear him away could be too big for a team that has been trying to pinch salary cap pennies.  Michael Pittman is available out of Tampa Bay but his best years are far behind him.  Ron Dayne is available out of Houston and if I ever hear his name mentioned again I may puke in my mouth.  There were reports the Bears were interested in Titan running back Chris Brown, but just as quickly he signed with Houston.  You know what’s after that?  Not a damn thing. 

The running back situation came and went for the Bears, with no attempt to grab one of the impact players.  Signing any of the players still on the market would only cause more trouble and create a bigger distraction of the Bears running game.  As a result, drafting a running back suddenly becomes a big priority.  The idea itself is scary given our recent track record of drafting running backs.  The Bears should just go with the old proven method of drafting the best player availabe at your pick.  For the first pick, it will most likely be offensive tackle.  For the remaining three picks in the first three rounds, the Bears should grab any running back, wide receiver, or guard that has shown signs of talent and th eability to make an impact. 

Any attempts by Jerry Angelo to survey the talent pool will only result in another disaster pick.  The scary part is in order the win, the Bears are relying on this to be one of the most successful drafts in franchise history.  Just the idea that the Bears are going to use as many as three starting spots on an already struggling offense with rookies could be ugly.  The next few months will make or break Jerry Angelo’s future with the Bears organization, let’s hope he can get it right this time.

Booker comes in as the number 1 receiver for the offense, a veteran leader entering his 10th year in the league, and already familiar with the playbook after playing his first 5 years in Chicago.  That last quality may have played a big part to replace Muhsin Muhammed as the on field tutor of Devin Hester, who has shown difficulty remembering plays when leaving the huddle.  Booker may not have been the expert favorite to sign with the Bears but the fans will welcome him and hopefully he can pick up where he left off with his Pro Bowl seasons in Chicago.

In terms of the Bears offense, he will offer a good possession receiver to compliment Devin Hester’s speed at the other side of the field.  Throwing Mark Bradley in the mix as a third down receiver seems a little more realistic then naming him a starting receiver after riding the bench last season.

Wide receiver should still be addressed in the first three rounds of the draft but this gives the Bears a little breathing room.  They can take their time and pick a player based on talent and not on need or pleasing the fans.  This move may be an acknowledgment by Bears staff that they have more pressing needs at offensive line and running back come draft day.

Welcome back Marty Booker!  Not much has changed since you left.  The offense still sucks, we don’t have a quarterback, and we rely mostly on our defense to win games.  Since you’ve already been through this before you shouldn’t have a problem getting 1,000 receiving again right?

Suddenly the chances of bringing in difference makers like running Michael Turner and right guard Alan Faneca seems much more likely. The Bears don’t seem to be in any hurry to bring back guard Ruben Brown and Faneca is regarded as one of the top guards in the league. Locking up Faneca long term would open up the door for the Bears to use their first round pick on an offensive tackle, which I have been lobbying for since mid-season.

My biggest disappointment is the Bears did not make more of an effort to get Moose the last 66 receiving yards he needed to reach 10,000 receiving yards for his career. In a season that fizzled, it would have been nice to have a special event at Soldier Field to honor a great receiver. Instead, Moose will have to enjoy his career milestone in a different uniform.

The sudden cuts come because many NFL players have their first paycheck come in March. Moose was owed a $500,000 roster bonus in March, another $500,000 to Miller, and an unreal $5.2 million to a largely ineffective Walker. I hate to see Moose leave but when you look at the numbers the roster cuts eliminates over paid players that opens up cap room to sign younger, more productive players.

The sudden surge in cap room addresses several questions that will be answered in the coming weeks. Will the Bears use the franchise tag on Bernard Berrian or attempt to lock him up in a long term contract? Some football analysts feel Berrian is just as over-hyped as Moose but I have never seen an analyst take a ball deep and to the end zone the way Berrian does. Will the Bears grab Michael Turner off free agency and sign him to a huge deal to lock up the top free agent running back? Will the Bears do the same to Alan Faneca? Will the Bears look at free agent wide receivers or are they that confident that Devin Hester can remember his routes without Moose explaining the play while leaving the huddle? Will the Bears address any of their safety concerns in free agency or wait for the draft? Even if the Bears offer Rex Grossman a contract, will he want to return after all the criticism? If he does re-sign, will Brian Griese be gone?

The next couple months are going to be a big determination of how the Bears want to rebuilt a Super Bowl contender.

A couple questions have already been answered. My suggestion of signing back Marty Booker didn’t seem to have much effect on Halas Hall and they don’t appear to have any interest of bringing back another aging wide receiver. The Bears also showed their confidence in Alex Brown and need at defensive end by signing a two-year extension to his contract, keeping him in Chicago until 2011.