Lance Briggs called it "coming home." I call it a coup for Jerry Angelo and the Chicago Bears front office. After the somber silence of these past few days, the Bears just signed the top defensive player in free agency and have solidified what will continue to be one of the league's elite linebacking corps. They were patient. They were smart.
Now we need some points, Jerry. Go get us some points. Randy Moss could be a total disaster but wouldn't it be fun?
#2 jeff said . . .Thanks Jeff, here's my repost!
I'm still flabbergasted. I'm thinking we need to stop doubting Jerry Angelo so much. Think about all the ridiculous, idiotic deals that are occurring all around, yet Jerry pulls off signing one of the best linebackers in the league for a mere $6MM per year! Aside from Derek Anderson, the ONLY reasonable FA deal I've heard of - but it's more than reasonable, it's a fantastic value for the Bears!
Think, too, what this does for chemistry on this team - chemistry that had all but evaporated in last year's offseason, and that lingered throughout the 2007 season. The boys are back, the whiners and Money-First guys are gone, there WILL be an extension announced for Brian U. and Tommie H, and this core - this incredible core of fabulous defensive football players - will stay together, hopefully, presumably, BEARS FOR LIFE!
Count our D, do it, I double dog dare you!
Brian Urlacher
Lance Briggs
Tommie Harris
Charles Tillman
Nathan Vasher
Wale Ogunleye
Alex Brown
Mike Brown
Mark Anderson
Hunter Hillenmeyer
Dusty Dvoracek
Danieal ManningLook who we have in the wings, guys we don't even know how good they could be
Jamar Williams
Kevin Payne
Brandan McGowen
Matt Toeina
Michael Okwo
Dan BazuinWe could use another safety. Maybe a little more depth at D. Tackle. That's it - we are READY TO GO!
ONE FA WR, ONE FA Guard, that's all we need to worry about right now! Names not important! The draft can do everything else!
Jerry, HAT'S OFF TO YOU, BUD! GREAT JOB!
March 2, 2008
#3 jeff is tired said . . .phil, that's great stuff. really great stuff. you're do for some up top time this season.
March 2, 2008
#4 Pyrobob said . . .due, not do. i'm tired.
March 2, 2008
#5 Max said . . .Jeff-
My thanks to you for providing this home for real Bears fans to talk about and support OUR team.
Get a good nights sleep and sweet dreams of seeing our boys hoist the Halas Trophy in 2008.
GO BEARS!
March 2, 2008
#6 craig said . . .Offensive linemen. . . Offensive linemen. . . NOW NOW NOW. I am totally stoked for Briggs to be back though. This D could be scary next year if everyone comes back healthy
March 2, 2008
#7 HesterFan23 said . . .awesome. that's all i have to say. we needed this.
March 2, 2008
#8 tenacious d said . . .AWESOME!
This kinda came out of nowhere...
March 2, 2008
#9 Shady McBears Fan said . . .JA deserves major props for pulling this off. At least if we are spending big money in FA, we are paying for production (Briggs), and not just potential (Berrian). I have no doubt that our defense will no doubt be TENACIOUS again, and back in the top 5 in the league where we belong.
March 2, 2008
#10 Bears99 said . . .What happens to Jamar and Okwo? How about Bazuin as a #4 DE?
Trade for offensive help perhaps?
Maybe keep them as insurance on Urlacher and Briggs.
I think J.A. understands the defense is what brought Chicago to '06 and it's the defense that will bring 'em back, in the short term anyway. The offense continues to need significant improvement, but the unit that is closest to Championship form remains the defense.
I hope Angelo also understands there remains a critical need for a proven WR, the need to bring youth to the O-Line and a safety- because the Arch Deluxe should be no higher than #3 on the depth chart. Quarterback is a whole other set of issues to discuss at a later time, but for now, it's great to see Lance Briggs (great fucking name) remain a Chicago Bear. Destroy as many Lamborghini's as you want now Lance! - haha kidding. Seriously, tho - don't pull a Tank Johnson on us.
Still trying to get over BB running to Minny. He and Rex seemed to have good chemistry on the field and I wonder how much his loss will impact the entire offense. Hopefully, this is a case of addition through subtraction. At least we'll get to see more of the young guys who've been waiting for their moment of opportunity. Maybe we'll find ourselves another Tom Waddle!
March 2, 2008
#11 Beardown1982 said . . .Jeff I have to say I loved the last line in your orignal post. I agree that Moss could make a HUGE differnce on offesnse but he also carries alot of negitives already posted here on the site such as he hates being hit and the large ammount of money its going to take to get him here.
JA has made three good moves so far in brown squared and briggs. Lets hope for more.
March 2, 2008
#12 Rancid said . . .If I'm Randy Moss...there is no way I'm coming to Chicago unless they throw an absolute shit load of money at me. That isn't going to happen everybody.
I say, make a play for Walker, maybe another free agent receiver on the cheap...try and draft another one.
Welcome back, Lance. Please don't go out celebrating unless you have someone to drive you home this time!
March 2, 2008
#13 Matt said . . .For all the shit we usually give JA, he is working and working smartly this time. Living in NY, Giants fans are watching the same things happen to them as LB Mitchell and S Gibril Wilson have signed with other teams for huge money. Wilson is now the 3rd highest paid safety in the league. Much like BB being the 4th highest paid wideout. They're good players but not elite. Briggs is elite, and we get him for a fair price. This is the ONE elite free agent we had and we got him back. There's work to be done still, keep working.
I'm wondering how a Briggs re-signing plays into Mike and others "rebuilding" mindset. You know, seeing as there were two good young prospect/project LBs waitng in the wings for Brigg's position and we still paid him a larger contract to stay. It ain't happening guys. No one's planning on sucking next year.
March 2, 2008
#14 One Year Ago said . . .I'm a little worried about the lack of activity in the free agent WR market. I'm reading about other teams bringing in receivers for meetings, but the Bears name isn't being mentioned, except that they plan on bringing in Johnson next week; if he doesn't sign with Buffalo this weekend.
Also read a rumor that Lee Evans might be on the block...
March 2, 2008
#15 HesterFan23 said . . .Amazing how things change...
On March 12, 2007 Briggs announced he no longer considers himself a member of the Chicago Bears. During a cell phone interview with Foxsports.com Briggs said "I am now prepared to sit out the year if the Bears don't trade me or release me, I've played my last snap for them. I'll never play another down for Chicago again."[6] In explaining his demands, he said "The Bears have shown I'm not in their long-term plans so if that's the case, I don't want to be here."
March 2, 2008
#16 Phil from SATX said . . .Is it just me, or would anybody else here like to see the Bears start Williams, Briggs and Urlacher?
March 2, 2008
#17 jeff said . . .HesterFan, I wondered about that myself. If Jamar Williams was good enough to be a viable replacement for Briggs, I wonder if he could play strong-side? At the very least, there should be competition with Hunter for the position. Also, any chance that either Williams or Okwo could compete at safety? Just a thought.
Here's another thought - we know now that the free agent binging that was going on while the Bears were seemingly doing nothing resulted in THE BEST FA DEAL of the offseason. What if the same kind of thing happened with Moss? Teams snap up Berrian, Stallworth, Walker, Bryant - all of a sudden, Moss is still around and his price is coming down. How'd you like to go into next season with Rex throwing to Randy Moss? We could be the freaking Patriots of 2008 - the Sexy Team making Sexy Time everytime the O is out there - Randy Moss and Devin Hester, Greg O and Des.
Probably won't happen, but what a thrilling concept!
March 2, 2008
#18 HesterFan23 said . . .i like hunter a lot...very good in pass coverage. but working in jamar and okwo should be the goal of the early season, especially with a fragile brian.
March 2, 2008
#19 kylejo said . . .All this Moss talk is getting me pumped :)
I really hope they at least go after him. Then we could put Olsen out at WR at times with Moss and Hester. That would be pretty sick.
My main hope for the Bears is to get Michael Turner. I love the way that dude plays.
March 2, 2008
#20 Matt said . . .speaking of lee evans on the market, can we build a package built around mark anderson for him? depending on how much the team likes bazuin, anderson should be a great trading chip.
that, and please sign the 26-year-old jacob bell to play left guard.
March 2, 2008
#21 kylejo said . . .Moss would be nice, but no way the Bears are going to shell out the money necessary. The other WR's may be signing, but I don't think that drives his price down at all. He was the top WR last year and is head and shoulders above all the free agents (I know, kind of like being the tallest midget) .
What if they were able to get Hackett and Johnson for the same money? I wouldn't mind that.
I hope Johnson leaves Buffalo without a contract this weekend.
I have a feeling Turner will be a Falcon.
March 2, 2008
#22 Matt said . . .say no to turner. im not going to lie, all weekend long i was hoping the bears would either sign him or berrian. but for the money you'll have to pay the guy....chris johnson anyone? 4.24 40-yard-dash, can catch the ball out of the backfield. there are a lot of interesting running backs in the draft.
March 2, 2008
#23 Matt said . . .Love Johnson also. This will be a deep RB draft class.
March 2, 2008
#24 HesterFan23 said . . .What's the opinion on Mendenhall at 14?
I have a feeling he's going to be the stud of the RB class.
Is the OLine class deep enough to pass at 14 if he is available?
March 2, 2008
#25 Rancid said . . .I think the Bears will be taking a OL with their pick. Or maybe someone like Brohm is he falls to them...
March 2, 2008
#26 Chris Iafolla said . . .I am a big Hunter fan. If you watch the replay of the field goal return against the Gmen a couple years ago, the man makes 2 blocks. He flattens one guy and without breaking a step stays up and rails another one. That's phenomenal at the pro level. That only happens in The Longest Yard. He's also solid in coverage. When you play with 2 All-Pro LBs you can appear to be a weak link. He isn't. I agree Williams needs to get on the field some, but I think Hunter is a great Bear.
March 2, 2008
#27 Shady said . . .After the fiasco with Briggs last season, this really is a coup by the front office to pull off a deal of this magnitude. Briggs is indeed one of the top linebackers in the league and is just entering the prime of his career.
Now all the Bears need to do is address the QB and WR situation and they will be in good shape.
March 2, 2008
#28 Frank said . . .QB, WR, and what was it? Oh Yeah...
OFFENSIVE LINE!
March 2, 2008
#29 jdawg said . . .I'm really excited about the Briggs signing, however the lack of movement on the offensive side of the ball makes me worried. I don't understand how thats the number one priority and yet nothing has happened. Also I fail to see how we can address all the offense in the draft when those kids are unproven.
March 2, 2008
#30 T said . . .As far as the O goes, its is what it is:
QB: enough's been said about this to make Tolstoy jealeous
RB: see above
TE: set and looking good
WR: Its a big "?". It takes a while to develop a WR so I hope we can get at least one seasoned FA. I don't see us getting any immediate help in the draft
OL: I was hoping for some guard action in FA but even what's left out there would be an improvement over nothing. I think if we get the right tackle in round 1 we can see an immediate starter.
I know there are some question marks regarding the D, but honestly, I can sleep well at night thinking about that.
Special Teams: I can sleep even better.
March 2, 2008
#31 Pissed Off said . . .I don't understand all the "play williams or okwo" talk. I think Hillenmeyer is one of the most underrated players on the Bears. Put him next to most starting linebackers in the league and I think he would become the "big name" quite quickly, he just happens to be playing next to 2 of the very best so its not as obvious.
March 2, 2008
I'm pissed off that Briggs got resigned. That money should have gone towards luring Derek Anderson to Chi-town. I'm going to go cool off by looking at gay porn.
March 3, 2008
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.