Brad Biggs has an interesting column I've sorta been waiting for about the team's economic outlook for the immediate future. Read it because he doesn't plagarize me at all...for a fucking change. I'll make this bold proclamation: the next four months are the most important four months in the history of this franchise.
That's right. There's an arms races beginning in the National Football League. The Cold War Redux. So kneel down under your desk because I can hear the sirens. The San Diego Chargers are young on both sides of the ball and they're going to be good for a long, long time. So are we. But the decisions of the next four months will be the difference between perennial trips to the NFC Championship game and a trip down Same Old Bears Boulevard.
You don't think so? January - like it or not - will be about #8. Sexy Rexy doesn't have a contact in 2008 and if he doesn't win a game in January he may not have one with the Chicago Bears. How he performs at home the second weekend in January will most likely determine the future of the most maligned position in professional football: Bears quarterback.
In the off-season, the Bears must lock up Lance Briggs for the long term. The Franchise tag is an option but this is the type of linebacking corps that doesn't come around every day. Lock em up and lock em in. With contracts expiring at the end of the 07 season, Jerry & company can then turn their attention to Peanut and The Interceptor - two talented and still very young corners that have shown a penchant for the big play and can only get better in Lovie's scheme.
Don't forget about Lovie. Newspapers in the Arizona desert have called for the Bidwells to make a play. Rumors in Dallas have him as the successor to Bill Parcells. Hell, he could commute from Big Sandy. When Lovie came here, he inherited a defense that had devalued the sack and the turnover, that relied too heavily on the brilliance of their middle backer and crumbled when he was unable to take the field. If he wins a game in January, he's coaching here for a long time.
And they must get younger on the offensive line before the start of 2007, most likely using the draft and possibly using Thomas Jones as trade bait. This team will be on Cedric Benson's back a year from now and Jones may able to help Jerry acquire a solid second round pick in an offensive line heavy April.
The future is a big, shiny new Buick. Jerry's got the keys. Don't take anything for granted. They certainly aren't in San Diego.
#2 jeff said . . .I agree. Look to this draft for the O-Line. And i say we may need to look at cornerbacks. I am not sure if we can resign both of them especially if we get Briggs.
Briggs is asking for Urlacher numbers and hes not gonna get it from us, but if he does resign with the Bears, itll still be for a hefty chunk of change and then I am not sure if we will have enough to get BOTH Peanut and Vash back.
I think we need to resign Mike Brown. He won't be getting big money from the market because of his injuries and he is the defensive QB of this squad and, with Urlacher being the heart of the D, Brown the soul of the D.
I agree on trading Jones. He is gonna want it and if we dont trade him, we will lose him at the end of next year for nothing at all. (second round pick might be a little high though because of his pending free agency)
However I think its a little melodramatic to say "the next four months are the most important four months in the history of this franchise" This franchise has been around since 1922. (and even before with the Staleys). Sid Luckman was the biggest move in National Football League history which i think in turn makes it the biggest move in Bears history. It put professional football on the map.
It will be a very exciting 4 months
December 22, 2006
#3 Pissed off said . . .under the guise of the argument that free agency has placed a new emphasis on the offseason...they've never had a more important period during this era.
December 22, 2006
I dont agree with the take on Vasher and Tillman, they are good but not that great, we could probably do better in free agency or the draft for at least one of them, its just tough to say which one is better. And yes we do need to lock up Briggs. And finally , we probably wont have Thomas Jones on this team next year but Benson cant carry the whole load...25-30 carries a game, no chance. He cant block. AP is coming around and maybe he is the answer on throwing downs cuz CB couldnt block me but TJ and CB is better that CB and AP to me so we may be downgrading next year without Jones. We may need to pick up a back in free agency or the draft as well.
December 26, 2006
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.