I remember sitting in that beautiful stadium they’ve got down there in Nashville. Right off the water. Lower Broadway’s honky tonks  audible from my seat. I remember seeing Matt Hasselbeck throw passes to receivers and expect those receivers to hold onto the ball. The silly man actually believed his receivers had the option! He should have known better.  Charles “Peanut” Tillman did not force one or two fumbles that afternoon. He forced four, cementing his legacy as the greatest forcer of fumbles the NFL has ever seen. And in my mind, on that warm November day in Tennessee, Tillman cemented his place in Canton.

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Around the League Tweets, Free Agency Ya Next Tuesday! 1 of 10. Aren’t the Oakland Raiders lucky the Cleveland Browns exist?

2 of 10. Can’t imagine Darren Sproles would have chosen Philly as an FA. Doubtful he wanted a team with a more dynamic, faster back.

3 of 10. One of my biggest surprises: Andy Reid letting Dexter McCluster leave KC w/out a fight. Struck me as pivotal weapon for Chiefs.

4 of 10. Harbaugh acquiring Blaine Gabbert & Jonathan Martin is him sending message: I can get to NFC title game w/the worst players in NFL.

5 of 10. There’s only player outside a Chicago Bears uniform I pull for to win Super Bowl: Steve Smith. Pound for pound best player in NFL.

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The Backup QB

The Bears now find themselves (possibly) in the market for a backup quarterback with Josh McCown receiving $10M and the starting job (already) from Lovie Smith and the Tampa Bay Bucs. I never expected McCown to leave Chicago because I never expected (a) anyone to offer him a starting job off 2013 and (b) anyone to pay him that much cash.

My belief is the Bears are comfortable with Jordan Palmer as a veteran backup to Jay Cutler but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the club explore options with potential like Brandon Weeden and Mark Sanchez. As for the draft, I continue to believe the Bears will kick the tires on QB but not until very late in the proceedings. The first 3-4 picks must be spent on the defensive side of the ball.

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So…one last time.

ON LAMARR HOUSTON…

Of the three high profile defensive ends on the open NFL market, Lamarr Houston was the best fit for the Chicago Bears. Neither he nor the two Michaels (Bennett, Johnson) are elite edge rushers who’ll draw double teams on every down. But Houston is smart, gets off blocks and displays tremendous discipline; he is one of the best run-stopping defensive ends in the game.

The Bears could fix their pass rush all they wanted. It wouldn’t matter if they continued being one of the worst run defenses in the history of recorded time.

From Brad Biggs:

…Houston plays the run very well, he’s durable (hasn’t missed a game in four seasons) and has the flexibility to shift around on the line. There is a good chance the Bears will slide him inside in the nickel package, which is probably what the plan was for Bennett. He’s athletic enough to see time at the three technique tackle position, if needed.

Versatility is great but production is better and that is what Emery is counting on. The reality is Houston, who will turn 27 in June, offers more bang for the buck than a 34-year-old Peppers and probably more than Jared Allen or DeMarcus Ware, both soon to turn 32.

Remember this, desperate Bears fans: it ain’t all getting fixed in twenty-four hours. Houston doesn’t solve their woes along the defensive line. But he solves one of them.

THREE ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

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This is one of the worst sports shows/interviews I’ve ever seen. Two questions asked:

What is a defensive end?

How did you keep a schedule in high school?

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The Bears need help on defense and help is available (Houston, Mitchell, a plethora of safeties). The Bears don’t need much help on offense but dynamic weapons are available (Darren Sproles). Julius Peppers is still on the club. Darrelle Revis may be the most desirable free agent defender in years.

For my moment-to-moment commentary on free agency as the day progresses, check my Twitter feed on the right rail or follow me on Twitter by CLICKING HERE. If the Bears make any significant moves, we’ll address the move here.

One thing to remember: no reporter has been ahead of Phil Emery yet so take everything you’ve read with a massive grain of salt.

I am not for spending sprees in NFL free agency. More often than not the more money spent by an organization in March, the more time they end up spending in the salary cap penalty box for years to come. But Phil Emery’s execution a year ago – landing Jermon Bushrod and Martellus Bennett and Matt Slauson – proved to me the Bears GM knows how to approach the veteran flea market and add the right pieces at the right prices. (Pay too much for the starting left tackle, save a boat load on the starting left guard.)

But this offseason, coming off one of the worst defensive years in Bears history, Emery must attack that side of the ball. That starts Wednesday with free agency and runs right up through the signing of undrafted free agents in May. Emery must be aggressive, must believe that while injuries were greatly responsible for the downfall they were not the only element of culpability. The players on the roster were not good enough. Simply bringing them back is not an option.

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The Around the League Tweets, DaBearsBlog’s claim to very little fame on Twitter, will be a feature on DBB each Wednesday moving forward as a way to tie the week together. You don’t like that? Too bad.

Around the League Tweets: Pre-Free Agency Edition! 1 of 10. The weekly feature returns from now through the NFL Draft! How excited are you?

2 of 10. Anything more transparently agent-driven than @AdamSchefter proposing GB give up two 1s for Jimmy Graham? Trying to create market.

3 of 10. Jim Harbaugh might end up having a little Larry Brown in him. Brilliant sports mind/coach who can’t handle one place for too long.

4 of 10. Say this every year but if every member of NFLPA hates idea of being franchise tagged, why didn’t they collectively bargain em out?

5 of 10. So now NFL will ask their refs to jump into piles of angry, juiced up players & make sure they don’t say bad things to each other?

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