We are now, almost insanely, only one week away from the the NFL Draft. In case you haven’t noticed I have spent more time on the Saints bounty situation and NFL fan conduct test than the draft itself. Why? Because they’re real issues, not guessing games. I am more interested in what positions Phil Emery and the new Bears regime draft than in which players they draft. I am more interested in my draft party than either.

WHERE

Cortland’s Garage. 1645 West Cortland Street. Bucktown.

For a map of location, CLICK HERE 

WHEN

Thursday night, April 26th

Festivities begin at 7:00 pm CT (Registration for ticket contest begins at 6:30 pm)

WHAT

If you purchase a $5 raffle ticket, you are eligible to win two (2) lower tier tickets to the October 28th Bears vs. Panthers game at Soldier Field. (You’ll be attending the game with me.)

• Once you purchase that $5 raffle ticket, you’ll also have the opportunity to buy a wristband entitling you to a $25 open bar (cheap beer, wine, well drinks) from the second the Colts go on the clock (to wait a ludicrous 15 minutes to pick Andy Luck) until the final pick of the round is made. Last year this was nearly four hours. $30 bucks for four hours of boozing and a chance to win a pair of rather expensive game tickets is a nice deal if you ask me.
• You can buy as many $5 raffle tickets as you wish.
• Over the course of the round each participating patron will have opportunities to improve upon their chances to win the raffle by guessing various selections.
• You can buy raffle tickets right up until the final team goes on the clock. I will be pulling the name of the raffle winner as soon as the final pick of the first round is made. You MUST BE IN THE BAR to collect your prize. (It won’t be tangible tickets, of course.)
• There will also be a few prizes and giveaways throughout the night. The folks over at The Sports Bank are donating a vintage Michael Jordan Wheaties box and a 91-92 SI with Jordan and Phil Jackson on the cover.
• We’ll be premiering the 2012 DaBearsBlog t-shirt – which is awesome – that night and selling koozies for $5 a pop. (The shirt will be available to order on this site shortly thereafter. I will not have them purchase at the bar, I don’t think.)

So come by and join me from 6:30 pm CT on. Have a beer. Get yourself a raffle ticket and a koozie. And we shall all await Phil Emery’s selection of the next great Chicago Bear. This post will stay atop the site until then, barring any major Chicago Bears-related developments.

WEEK ONE – Sunday September 9th

Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts

Love the 1 PM Sunday start. Like getting to open my Christmas gifts first thing. It is an opening week must win. You can’t lose to the worst team in football at home and expect a big season. Especially when you’re headed to…

WEEK TWO – Thursday September 13th

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers

…your division rival on three days rest. I find this scheduling to be lunacy by the league. Why would you compromise this rivalry? Let them play on a midseason Sunday, in midseason form, and don’t soak this rivalry for your network’s personal good. 

WEEK THREE – Sunday September 23rd

Chicago Bears vs. St. Louis Rams

Juiceless. But I like two incredibly winnable games surrounding the Lambeau Thursday nighter.

WEEK FOUR – Monday October 1

MNF: Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys

A great Monday night game that will do a huge rating. 

WEEK FIVE – Sunday October 7th

Chicago Bears at Jacksonville Jaguars

My brother lives in Jax and he was taking me to this game. But this was the only weekend the game could not fall on.

WEEK SIX – Sunday October 14th

BYE

WEEK SEVEN – Monday October 22nd

MNF: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions

Payback, perhaps, for forcing the Bears into Detroit for one of the most hostile games of the 2011 season. 

WEEK EIGHT – Sunday October 28th

Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers

Greg Olsen Bowl II

WEEK NINE – Sunday November 4th

Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans

A game I have absolutely nothing to say about.

WEEK TEN – Sunday November 11th

Sunday Night: Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans

I hope some of these Bears remember the whupping Schaub and Johnson put on them a few years back, forcing them out of the playoffs on the final week of the regular season.

WEEK ELEVEN – Monday November 19th

MNF: Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers

Five primetime games for the Bears. I guess I’m not the only one in the football world who thinks they’re going to be fun to watch.

WEEK TWELVE – Sunday November 25th

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings 

Late time to see Minnesota for first time.

WEEK THIRTEEN – Sunday December 2nd

Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks

I hate playing the Seahawks. They just don’t seem to mind playing in Soldier Field.

WEEK FOURTEEN – Sunday December 9th

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings

And then you have to see them twice in three weeks? Odd.

WEEK FIFTEEN – Sunday December 16th

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers

Could this game decide a division title? I think so.

WEEK SIXTEEN – Sunday December 23rd

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals

Weird time to be trekking out to the desert, huh?

WEEK SEVENTEEN – Sunday December 30th

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

Would rather this game be at Soldier Field but I don’t fear the Lions anywhere. 

This will be followed by two home playoff victories and a Super Bowl title in New Orleans.

The following is an excerpt from an article appearing Sunday on NFL.com:

The next time a fan is kicked out of an NFL stadium for being unruly, he or she will have to take a $75 four-hour online class and pass a code-of-conduct test for readmittance.

“We’re not trying to squash anyone’s passion. We’re just trying to say don’t be violent,” Dr. Ari Novick, a licensed psychotherapist who developed the idea, told the New York Post.

Stadium requirements will vary across the league, but most of the time, a booted fan will be required to pass the conduct test, Novick said.

The class is available at FanConductClass.com, and the taker must correctly answer at least 70 percent of the questions to pass.

There are a great many reactions possible to such a stance by the league but here is the unrelenting truth of the situation. The policy – its conception, implementation and enforcement – belongs right beside Roger Goodell’s European fascination and the 18-game schedule on his slag heap of misguided ideas. It is more grandstanding from the King of Discipline’s Park Avenue offices and it does not deserve the time I am taking to pontificate on its level of bullshittery.

First of all, how will the league actually enforce these penalties on non-season ticket holders? Hell how would they enforce the penalty ON season ticket holders? Are they going to restrict a person’s ability to sell their seat? Are they going to have security officials across the country check identification now? Do they want the lines that will accrue as a result? Will they prohibit those on the secondary market from selling tickets to credit card holders on their do not admit list? This policy and rule is entirely unenforceable and it is insulting to the thousands upon thousands of fans who fill these stadiums.

But here’s the best part of the article:

Novick, the creator of the concept, takes $55 from the test fee, and the rest of the money is donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers.

So the fee will be donated to an organization that is prohibitively against drinking. (Full disclose: I drink. Sometimes I drink to excess. I drink at every single sporting event I attend. I enjoy it and I never want it to go anywhere.) But if the NFL were serious about curbing inappropriate behavior at their football games they would:

• NOT open their stadium parking lots four and five hours before games.
• NOT provide legalized spaces for outdoor drinking that do not exist in any of the areas surrounding the stadiums. Exactly why is it I can drink an open beer in the MetLife parking lot on game day but would receive a citation for doing that same thing in the Outback Steakhouse lot down the road?
• SEVER their long-standing ties with the beer (and other booze) companies that fill the airwaves and stadium real estate almost overwhelmingly.
• STOP serving alcohol. Just don’t serve it. If you were seriously concerned about fan behavior this would be your only course of action. But ask Jerry Jones or Bob Kraft how they feel about losing beer revenue and I think they’ll tell you they’d rather just chuck 25 people out of the building every Sunday.

Of course the NFL could give a damn about fan behavior at games. They want people in the seats and owners want people guzzling down Coors Light and MGD at the fastest possible rate. They want fans drunk in the parking lot because a drunk fan will be far quicker to pay $10 for more booze than a sober fan. A drunk fan is far more likely to drop $100 on that shiny new jersey. A drunk fan is going to get hungry and there are plenty of overly priced sandwiches at the ready. Don’t insult us with your bullshit test. And don’t insult us by couching the implementation of this test as for OUR benefit.

Is behavior in these stadiums a problem? Yes I think it is. I think these stadiums have become a sort of playground for the enraged, booze-fueled inanity of a certain segment of the population. But we’ve all agreed to look the other way on this stuff, haven’t we? Isn’t that a silent pact the league and its fans have forged?

I’ll deal with the loudmouth morons because, let’s face it, I’m thirsty. The NFL deals with the loudmouth morons and sacrifices a family-oriented experience because, let’s face it, kids don’t buy beer.

There was much speculation regarding Devin Hester’s future in Chicago as Phil Emery and company added both Eric Weems and Devin Thomas – both viable return men –  to strengthen Dave Toub’s already-strong special teams. Fans across the oft-tedious Twitterverse wondered whether the Bears might actually trade the greatest kick returner in the history of the sport before the first round of the draft. This notion was met with a series of question marks and not-so-subtle are you seriouses from the likes of Sean Jensen and a popular Bears blogger I sleep with every night.

Today PFT, operating from an article in the Trib, speculates more succinctly on the Bears intention for Hester: less kick returns, more wide receiver. And I think it is the right move in 2012 for every reason it was the wrong move in 2009.

In 2008 Hester was a nightmare on both kick and punt returns (regardless of his statistics). He was altering special teams game plans in ways the league had never seen before as opponents seemed more willing to let the Bears start drives at their own 40 as opposed to letting Hester beating them for six. On offense he was a gimmick because his route running was almost as shaky as his comprehension of the offense. And when he stepped on the field defenses focused their attention on stopping him because they knew he was the most explosive player on the field. No matter how many times the Bears threw a bubble screen to Ridiculous, it just wasn’t going to catch defenses off guard. Why would it? Safeties weren’t exactly shaking at the thought of Rashied Davis exploding out of the slot. (Which, it turns out, sounds gross.)

By relieving Hester of his kick return duties and committing him to the offensive side of the ball, the Bears effectively weakened themselves in two primary areas. For my money it was the most infuriating decision of the Jerry/Lovie era.

Now times have changed. The Brandon Marshall acquisition means Devin Hester can finally slide into a natural, complimentary, speed threat role. And he’ll do so with none of the attention or pressure that accompanied his first venture. If Hester can not succeed now at receiver for the Bears he will never succeed at the position for any team in the league.

With changes to the kickoff rules we are seeing the KR position significantly devalued. And with a 45% reduction in concussion-related injuries on returns this past season we may moving toward complete elimination of the play. Will Weems and Thomas fill the Danieal Manning/Johnny Knox kick return role admirably? Of course they will. But if Lovie believes he needs a kick return to alter the course or perhaps win a game he will not hesitate to stick the Skunk back there.

Hester is a Hall of Fame kick returner but I will save that fight for the end of his career. If he’s going to be remembered for contributions outside the special teams arena it will be determined by his performance at the receiver slot in 2012. And I think Phil Emery has given him his best opportunity for success thus far in his career.

“Alright, gentlemen, here’s the deal. If you sack the quarterback on Sunday you get $500. If the quarterback lays on the ground for more than three seconds you get $1000. If the quarterback is carted off the field you get $2,378 in TJ Maxx gift certificates. If the quarterback is pronounced dead in the locker room, I will take out a low interest mortgage on a summer cottage for you in either southern France or Northern Ireland. If the quarterback’s wife dies from a broken heart within three months of his passing I will finance a feature film based upon your life and experiences to be directed by Francis Ford Coppola.”

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams provided incentives to players for not only big hits and big plays but also for injuring opponents. The response from the football world have been split, almost down the middle. The middle-aged white guy sports writer (Peter King being their patron saint) and NFL hierarchy on Park Avenue  (led by Colonel Goodell) were appalled by this practice. They responded with scores of “string-him-up” newspaper columns and several of the harshest suspensions ever doled out in professional football. The players-turned-analysts littering the productions sets of Bristol and Los Angeles  deplored the act of injuring other competitors purposely but did so with a “this goes on more than you know” wink to the camera. Apparently it goes on more than we fans know but not a single analyst admitted to taking part. Hmmm…

What the Saints did was wrong. We all know it was wrong. We all know bounties should not take place in an already dangerous game. A game that leads to Earl Campbell being unable to walk to the bathroom and Dave Duerson’s brain ultimately ending his life. And you don’t need me to jump atop my high moral steed to tell you that the NFL would be a far better place without situations like the terribly named “bountygate”. Just imagine if one of these bounty scenarios resulted in the paralysis of a player. The NFL, the Saints and Gregg Williams would not only be mired in a sport controversy. They would be shamed before Congress in front of the whole nation. They would face significant prison time.

The controversy hit a ludicrous level when Warren Sapp leaked publicly that Jeremy Shockey had blown the whistle on the bounty program. Shockey defended himself, threatening Sapp with a defamation lawsuit. That response, in typical Shockey form, was idiotic and misguided. He acted like being accused of dime dropping on this heinous practice was downright McCarthy-esque. What should he have said?

“No I did not report the details of the Saints bounty program to the NFL. I have far too much respect for my coaches and fellow teammates to go behind their backs and risk their careers and reputations. But do not take that to mean I condone their behavior. Setting out to intentionally injure a player is inexcusable in our game and should be punished to the fullest extent of the NFL’s ability. Each Sunday we put ourselves at risk simply by tightening the chin strap. Providing a cash prize for attempting to destroy the livelihood of a fellow player is tantamount to criminal behavior.”

Ask yourself this. How much would your perception of Shockey changed with a statement like this? How celebrated would he have become as the human face of this inhumane scandal?

Thursday morning, the day Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis were set to have their appeals heard by the commissioner, came with Mike Silver reporting/releasing game day audio capturing Gregg Williams encouraging his players to go for the heads of opponents. While on the pile. After the play is over. Ross Tucker responded not uncommonly on Twitter:

Unless you’ve been in the NFL you have no context/frame of reference for the Gregg Williams audio.

Sigh. Here it comes again. Until Dan Graziano of ESPN Tweeted the following:

People — esp those who played — are saying the Gregg Williams audio isn’t unusual. I think the point is, it needs to be.

Bingo. That is the issue of these bounties in a nutshell. No one is arguing this was not a common practice around the NFL. No one is arguing this has not taken place in the league since before many of us were born. The point is it needs to stop. Now. And if Roger Goodell has to end Gregg Williams’ career to save one, just one, player from meeting Duerson’s fate…so be it. If Roger Goodell has to end Gregg Williams’ career to extend the career of Kyle Williams or Aaron Rodgers or even Brett Favre…so be it.

A cop walks into a bad neighborhood of Newark, NJ. The city I grew up next to. The city my hometown always considered our older, wayward brother. Cops walks into that neighborhood and sees a gun crime. It’s not unusual, he knows that, but it’s the first one he’s literally seen. Does he ignore it because it’s common? No. Of course not. He comes down as hard as possible on the individual committing that crime in hopes it will (1) send a message to others participating in the illegal activity and (2) prevent that particular individual from ever doing damage. That is why Goodell’s response is so apt. With this punishment the NFL has had its Pete Rose moment. And when you talk to baseball players one thing becomes abundantly clear. They’ll do a lot of things wrong before they even consider betting on baseball.

Every mock draft around the league these days seems to have Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower being taken with the twenty-fourth overall selection of the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Bears are planning to go defense on Thursday night April 26, he should not make it by the Chicago Bears at nineteen.

Here is what WalterFootball’s Charlie Campbell says about Hightower:

Though a season-ending knee injury cost him the majority of the 2009 season, Hightower came back in 2010 to record 69 tackles with 3.5 tackles for a loss. This season, another year removed from the injury, he looked much better. Hightower was a real force in many games in 2011. He shows the ability to rush the passer well on blitzes and is a tough run defender. Hightower has also demonstrated the ability to move to outside linebacker on passing downs and rush off the edge. Thus, he can be a three-down defender in the NFL.

After returning from injury he thrived in Nick Saban’s system and proved to be the complete linebacker. He is ferocious getting off blocks in the run game. He excels in coverage, especially with backs in the flat. (See video above) His prime modern NFL value is his ability to rush the perimeter as a 3-4 outside or blitz occasionally in the 4-3. Not just complete. Versatile.

And unfortunately I have to base that opinion on football games. The ones where guys play football. Not Combine statistics calculated while guys run and jump and stuff. As most of you know I hate this time of the NFL season (usually) because I can’t stand the league’s fixation on numbers that seem to translate about as effectively to the NFL as picking names out of hat. (*Cough*Troy Williamson*Cough) I watch a lot of college football, even though I don’t care for the game half the time, and most of the time I’m fixated on those southern ball clubs who live on CBS.  If the NFL has a minor league, it is the SEC.

Hightower feels like a Bear. His brand of football is the Bears brand. It’s tough. It’s blue collar. (And yes it IS nice to hear that phrase used in relation to a non-white player, isn’t it?) And just imagine adding his rushing abilities to Briggs’ tackling. Brick. Wall. Imagine being able to save Urlacher’s legs by not making him chase backs sideline-to-sideline in the screen game. And imagine the promotional opportunities for a guy named Hightower playing in the American city with the highest tower.

If the Bears are looking offense in the first round – either at wide receiver or along the offensive line – terrific. But looking defense here would not restrict their ability to find an impact wideout this April. Rutgers’ wideout Mohamed Sanu is a physical, between-the-numbers type that could serve as a perfect compliment to Brandon Marshall and a consistent, viable red zone target for Cutler. Rated slightly lower is Al Toon’s son Nick Toon. Toon was not a dominant player at Wisconsin but it ain’t that easy when you play at a school that runs the ball 700 times a game. There are two other WR talents I like. Illinois’ AJ Jenkins produced brilliantly last season without the aid of quarterback and Oklahoma’s Ryan Browles, coming off injury, is certainly a better player than he’s rated.

To insinuate the Bears are old at linebacker is to draw upon the wrath of #54 and on the off chance he reads this (I’ve been surprised to see who does of late) I will refrain from mentioning his ascending years. There is no arguing the defense, specifically the linebacking corps, is aging. Replenishing the most important position in the history of the Chicago Bears should always be the focus of those in charge at Halas Hall.

Note: Former Bears tight end (and blog favorite) Desmond Clark has let me know he disagrees quite strongly with my take on the Matt Forte contract situation. I have offered him a chance to pen a rebuttal and he has accepted. As soon as I receive that I will post it here.

There are two major NFL events in April. The draft is the centerpiece. It receives four days of live television coverage across three networks and, as the industry it has become, employs thousands upon thousands of human beings. Fans begin debating who their teams will select in the first round of the coming draft literally ten seconds after they are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention (and sometimes sooner).

The announcement of the coming year’s schedule involves four or five guys in an office in midtown Manhattan. Ten or twelve gallons of coffee. A pack of Marlboro reds the fellas have to lean out the window to smoke. The programming heads of CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN on the speakerphone. It is my favorite day of the off-season. And its not close. This is where we find out what our primetime football is going to be for the entire year. What our Thanksgiving games will be. When the Bears will meet the Packers, Lions and Vikings. On a personal level this is when I decide the dates of my annual in-season Chicago voyage. It is Christmas for me, except I like it a lot more.

The schedule is usually released around the second Tuesday in April. Here are some thoughts on what I’m expecting. I’ve never attempted to guess the schedule before. I’m interested to see how I do.

• We know the Giants will host the Cowboys on the opening Wednesday night. Some reports have the first Sunday night matchup being Peyton’s Broncos hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers. It almost makes too much sense.
• NBC airs the Thanksgiving night game this year so the league will try to hand them a sure thing. My guess? Peyton’s Broncos at Foxboro to meet Brady and Belichick.
• If you’re wondering if the Bears will play on Thanksgiving, here is what you need to consider: will the league want to send Houston to Detroit on their biggest afternoon of the regular season? If they don’t, then it’ll be an AFC team going to Dallas to meet the CBS requirement (and Pittsburgh is an option). Imagine this Thanksgiving lineup. Bears at Lions. Steelers at Cowboys. Peyton at Brady.
• The Jets travel to Jacksonville. Tebow goes home. Maybe I’m crazy but I don’t see how the league does not make this a Monday Night Football game and allow ESPN to fawn all over Tebus of Nazareth for their forty day and forty night pregame show. (This immediately becomes the most unwatchable three hours of TV all year.)
• My prediction. Bears close season at home against the Lions and open on the road against either the Packers or Vikings.
• With the Thursday night games starting in Week 2, the league needs to be fair. You can’t ask any of the teams playing Sunday to take their first big hits of the calendar year and travel for a midweek game. The Giants will have a week of rest at that point. Send them to Baltimore or Cincinnati. Everyone’s happy.
• Bears total primetime games will be hurt by their schedule. They have the two least sexy divisions in the league on their schedule: AFC South and NFC West. I’m guessing two Sunday nighters (Packers, Cowboys), one Monday nighter (Niners) and a Thursday nighter (Colts).
• The Saints are slated to play the Giants in Jersey. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb saying a Bill Parcells-led Saints team at the Meadowlands will be a guaranteed Sunday night affair and might actually be a contender for the Thanksgiving night slot.
• Weird prediction. The league rewards the Buffalo Bills’ signing of Mario Williams by allowing them to open at home on Monday night against the New York Jets.

I have got a million more but I won’t bore you. Here’s a question for you to ponder, both in a personal and football context. Do you want the Bears to play on Thanksgiving? Why or why not?

Former Bears tight end Desmond Clark read my column on Matt Forte’s contract situation and made clear on Twitter he disagreed. I offered him an opportunity to use this space to share his thoughts and he said yes. Without further adieu…

How the Chicago Bears Can Help Forte Save Face

The dispute between Matt Forte and Halas Hall reached its pinnacle last week with Forte’s Twitter tantrum following Phil Emery’s signing of Michael Bush. (A wonderful signing. Bush adds versatility Marion Barber did not possess.) Sean Jensen of the Sun-Times had this quote from Lovie Smith this morning:

Right now, Matt Forte the football player has a problem with our organization. It’s not about one person.

Lovie is right. Forte feels disrespected by Lovie, Phil Emery, Ted Phillips, the McCaskey family and the cute broad speaking to children in front of the Seurat painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. The solution here is simple, however. The Bears need to make it public they’re reopening discussions with Forte’s people. Invite the Double Deuce and his agent Adisa Bakari to Halas Hall. Sit them in the room. Make a deal. Since no one knows for sure what offer is currently on the table, Forte can save face by the Bears front office making it look like his vocal unhappiness ushered this deal down the aisle.

It is a cosmetic concept but Forte’s misguided tweet painted him in a corner wherein I’m not sure he can accept whatever their current offer is without losing all credibility with the media and around the league. That’s why the Bears should bring he and his agent in. I don’t believe Matt Forte is a great running back, worthy of breaking the team’s cap. I do believe they are far superior with him than without him.

Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

The NFL announced yesterday the Cowboys will face the Giants at the Meadowlands on Wednesday night, September 5th to open the 2012 season. This was a significant upset. Most expected the decision to come down to the Packers and Steelers – both visiting the Giants this year.

A few things to remember about the schedule this year. (1) The Patriots will meet the Rams in the ridiculous, annual London game. The Rams have signed a deal to host that game for the next few years. (2) Thursday night football begins the second week of the season. Because of that every team in football will have a primetime game this season. (3) NBC has taken over the Thanksgiving night game from the NFL Network. NBC won’t want to be stuck with a clunker don’t be surprised if a major division rivalry isn’t sitting in this space.  (Giants v. Eagles, Bears v. Packers, Steelers v. Ravens…etc.)

Don’t Forget DaBlog’s First Round NFL Draft Party

Where: Cortland’s Garage, Bucktown

When: Thursday night, April 26th. Starting at 6 PM.

What: For $5 you can be entered into a raffle to win a pair of lower tier tickets to a 2012 Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field. (We’ll announce which game when the schedule is released.) Once you enter the raffle there is a $25 open bar at the bar in place from the second the Colts go on the clock until the final pick of the round is made. There will also be other giveaways throughout the evening.

Hope to see you there.

I can’t quite explain it, this feeling inside me. Over the course of the last eighteen months I have found myself defending the tenure of Jerry Angelo both here and across the Twitterverse. Never did I argue Angelo was a good GM, mind you, just that his applause meter should swing nearer to mediocre than terrible. (If Cedric Benson and Marc Colombo had their success in Chicago as opposed to Cincinnati and Dallas, respectively, Angelo’s tenure would be viewed far differently.) But even I must admit I have of late experienced a deep, profound feeling inside me I have not felt in an awful long time: confidence in the general manager of the Chicago Bears.

It is not necessarily about what Phil Emery has done since a few minutes prior to the start of free agency on March 13th. I’ve written repeatedly that I believe the Brandon Marshall trade was a stroke of genius. But recent comments from Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, admitting the team was going to cut Marshall, make it even more so. Emery used a couple third round picks over two years to avoid a bidding war that – in a world where Laurent Robinson nets $32.5 million over 5 years from Jax – would have cost the Bears far more than Marshall’s current contract.

The addition of Jason Campbell proved Emery was not willing to let a very talented Bears team repeat the mistakes of yesteryear. The additions of Eric Weems and Blake Costanzo illustrated Emery’s commitment to special teams while also understanding the team was likely to lose Corey Graham on the open market. (In the past Mr. Angelo would have relied upon Dave Toub to develop another late-round selection into a Corey Graham type.)  The “controversial” contract given to Michael Bush makes the Bears one of the deeper offenses in the NFC (should Mr. Forte care to suit up). These were not headline-stealing signings but they are game-winning decisions. They are first downs, field position and roster depth.

But my feelings of confidence have also been about the decisions Emery has not made. Emery’s acquisition of Marshall enabled him to avoid the absurdly high numbers paid to unproven receiving commodities like Robinson and Pierre Garcon. His refusal to enter the Mario Williams sweepstakes shows a GM comfortable in his own skin; unafraid to disappoint a desperate fan base short term for the better good of a long term organizational plan. While rumored to the contrary Emery did not write a big check to Cortland Finnegan or Brandon Carr. $50 million for a position that is being continually devalued by an evolving NFL rule book? No thanks.

Perhaps Emery’s smartest decision has been to not jump into the public discussion of Matt Forte’s contract. While Forte, the newspapers, current players (Greg Olsen, Robert Mathis) and former players (our friend Cam Worrell and Alex Brown) have debated the Double Deuce’s worth in regard to a lucrative contract extension, Emery has stayed silent. He didn’t defend his Bush decision. He didn’t castigate Forte for making his emotions public. He didn’t reaffirm to Forte and the fans that a deal was in the works. He has stayed silent. And in that lack of noise can be perceived an air of confidence and leadership that Angelo seemed to projected as arrogance and disorganization. Emery does not panic. He does not take a reactionary approach. Fans know there’s a plan even if we never hear it said aloud.

You don’t win champions in March. Just ask the 2011 Super Bowl champion New York Giants – a team considered by most, including myself, to be the overwhelming loser of the 2011 off-season. But what Phil Emery has won is the confidence of a fan base that had lost faith in the ability of Halas Hall to build a championship roster from top to bottom. A Halas Hall that served fans a dish called Caleb Hanie. Emery has won that confidence but he should not know it will not last long if Spring strategy does not deliver Autumn and Winter wins. Not in Chicago. Not with the Bears.