Until then, one Bear doesn’t seem to ever take a break, Israel Idonije is being honored today in New York as a Global Ambassador by the Jack Brewer Foundation…no, that is not the Jack BAUER Foundation for you 24 fans out there. 

According to the foundation’s website, The Jack Brewer Foundation strives to “Empower From Within” through our self-sustaining initiatives, offering educational opportunities and economic development in partnership with underprivileged people around the world. 

Izzy is being recognized for his humanitarian efforts by visiting his native Nigeria for the third straight year this past March.  Izzy distributed shoes, conducted sports camps and lead volunteer doctors on medical missions for those in Nigeria.  Izzy also received the Ed Block Courage Award in April which is given to one player on each of the 32 NFL teams to recognize the player who best exemplifies a commitment to sportsmanship and courage and serves as an inspiration in the locker room.

 I know the players get paid a hell of a lot of money for doing what they do and Warren Sapp years ago described it as, “I get paid a king’s ransom to play a kid’s game,” but Izzy needs to be recognized for his efforts and I wanted to do my small part to recognize him.  I know we banter a lot on our site about everything that is wrong with the Bears, but this is simply something that is RIGHT!  As I understand it, Izzy returned from Nigeria on the morning of the Bears first voluntary training sessions and he was there for the afternoon practice when other members of the squad weren’t.  Jetlag be damned, but for any of you who have travelled internationally, you know that when you return from an overseas trip, all you can think of is sleep, but Izzy decided it was too important to miss practice so he Man’d Up!!!

Izzy isn’t the only Bear to do his part.  There are lots of players who do, but this post is for Izzy and we will try to bring you the other examples of good deeds done by our Bears in the future.  Charles Tillman, Jay Cutler, Nick Roach, Greg Olsen and others quickly come to mind… 

If Izzy isn’t an example of some of the lessons I am trying to teach my kids, I don’t know what is.  I’d encourage you to check out Izzy’s Foundation, IZZYz KIDz on Facebook.  Until next time…

CAN I GET AN AMEN?!?!?!

DeCon

Hit me on beargoggles.decon@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @DeCon76.

Sapp appeared on his weekly Wednesday morning segment on the Mully and Hanley Show on 670 The Score.  Naturally, the subject of Jay Cutler’s contact came up and they innocently mentioned Jerry Angelo. Warren responded in typical Warren fashion.  Take a listen:

[podcast]http://fansidedblogs.net/podcasts/bears/warren-sapp on angelo.mp3[/podcast]

I heard that and I thought, “Talk about biting the hand that once fed you!”  But I left it alone and didn’t make a big deal about it.  Then on Thursday, they had Jerry Angelo on the show.   In advance of the interview, they even Tweeted Warren (@QBKILLA) to let him know.

When they told Jerry about Warren’s criticism during the interview, Angelo took the high road:

[podcast]http://fansidedblogs.net/podcasts/bears/jerry angelo sapp.mp3[/podcast]

After the interview, Mully and Hanley posted this on their Twitter account:  (more…)

The short list of candidates includes former Detroit Lion Kevin Jones, former Seattle Seahawk Shaun Alexander, former Denver Bronco Travis Henry, former Houston Texan Ron Dayne, and current Oakland Raider LaMont Jordan.  The Bears organization hasn’t given us any indication they are on the market for a new running back.  The hype is the result of Kevin Jones expressing his desire to suit up for the Bears so he can get back on the field.  Jones has been working out for several NFL teams to show them he has recovered from his torn ACL but no one is biting.  Even when he was healthy, he showed some flashes of talent but could never stay consistent on the field.  It appears to be a replacement of Benson in terms of running ability to could be a mistake for the Bears.  Jones has been in the league four years and the Bears have had plenty of time to scout him as a Lions running back to decide if they like his style.

I don’t even know where to begin with the rest of the candidates.  Shaun Alexander was over-hyped as an MVP and the Bears should avoid his fall to obscurity.  Travis Henry has more than enough legal problems to keep the Bears from even entertaining him for a workout.  Ron Dayne showed some life in Houston but I don’t see how he would fit into an offense built to utilize speed.  If the Bears did bring in Dayne he could fill a void needed for a bone crushing goal line back, so there is an outside possibility. 

LaMont Jordan is currently under contract with the Raiders but they are looking to get rid of him and are afraid he will sign with the Broncos or Kansas City Chiefs if released.  Jordan is due $4.7 million this season and $5 million next season so any trade talks would scare off a Bears organization looking to save up salary cap room.  I’m also very concerned about the Warren Sapp interview, highlighted in the Raiders blog, JustBlogBaby, and can be seen here: Sapps got no love

I will be the first to admit that Sapp runs his mouth, but he’s also a veteran defensive tackle that lasted many years in the league and knows a good running back from a bad one.  He commented that Jordan is one of the softest running backs he has ever seen.  Coupled with scouting reports that Jordan does not work hard in practice and has been asked by coach Lane Kiffin to stay away from practice, I doubt he’s in very good football shape.

Put it all together and it appears that the Bears should avoid the running back market like the plague.  The whole crop carries too much baggage that counter acts the Bears releasing of Benson.  The only two I would consider are Kevin Jones and Ron Dayne and both are inconsistent runners that failed to meet expectations.  Sounds exactly like the guy that just left town.  If the Bears were eager to grab either back the organization would buzzing about the possibility, but as for now they are silent.

The current third string running back is Garrett Wolfe, drafted two years ago with a lot of promise as the 4th player in division 1-A history to rush for over 1,500 yards for three straight seasons.  He has been compared to Warrick Dunn as a small, speedy back that is hard to tackle in the open field.  The Bears designed a package of plays just for him, but he was never able to showcase much of his ability on the field.  Benson and Adrian Peterson were never able to establish a solid running game to incorporate Wolfe into the mix.  As a result, his position on the roster was shaky with the drafting of Matt Forte and could be in doubt if the Bears invite a new running back to training camp.  For now his job appears to be fairly secure.