We all know injuries can derail an NFL season.  If the Bears lose Julius Peppers, Brian Urlacher, Jay Cutler or Lance Briggs for any substantial period of time they’ll certainly see the impact in the Win-Loss column.  But injuries are unpredictable and outside of hiring the finest medical staff available in the world they are mostly out of the control of the football organization.  What is under the control of an organization, in this case the Chicago Bears, is player selection.  They can’t control injuries but they decide which men have the opportunity to get injured.

The 2010 Bears had one major, glaring flaw: offensive line.  They were a pretty good offense with quite arguably the worst line in Bears history and certainly the worst line in the league.  They improved as the year progressed but as the opponents reached playoff caliber in January they were unable to keep their quarterback off his back with the Super Bowl on the line.

Now they are back.  Sort of.  On first glance it would appear an offensive line in need of overhaul has not been overhauled.  They do have a new center, replacing Olin Kreutz with Chris Spencer.  They do have a new right tackle, drafting Wisconsin stud Gabe Carimi.  But the new left tackle is the old right tackle – a monster with immense talent called J’Marcus Webb.  The guards are the same as the Bears expect huge development from former first-rounder Chris Williams on the left side.  And I always say, no one ever writes or talks about Roberto Garza.

There were safe solutions for Jerry Angelo.  He could have broken the bank for Matt Light.  He could have added Jared Gaither or let Tyson Clabo’s people know he’d double the Falcons offer.  He could have added a host of names, most unknown to anyone outside the cities they’ve played in, and made claim that he’d upgraded the most attention-needy unit.  (I also have an attention-needy unit.  Had to say it.)

But he didn’t go the safe route.  He went the development route.  He believes Mike Tice when Tice says J’Marcus Webb can play left tackle, CW can develop into a first-rate left guard and Lance Louis is a sleeper across the line.  (Brad Biggs reports the starting five, left to right, is currently Webb-Williams-Spencer-Garza-Carimi.)  But they are question marks.  Is Carimi ready?  Can Webb make the transition?  Will CW improve?  And the answers will determine whether or not the Chicago Bears return to the postseason and find themselves in the title hunt.

They’re in that position for one reason and one reason only: Jerry Angelo.  After seven months of consideration, Jerry made the decision that these five men, led by big Mike Tice, give the Bears the chance to win.  If he’s wrong, he may and perhaps should pay with his job.

I don’t know anything about Chris Spencer, last season’s sixteen-game starter at center for the Seattle Seahawks and apparently the new starting center for the Chicago Bears.  Reviews are mixed, some are negative, but he’s a professional center who’ll prevent the Bears from having to line up Garza, Williams or some other member of Our Gang in the middle of the line.

Olin Kreutz provided intangibles, I understand that.  He was the leader of the huddle, leader of the locker room.  I’ve heard it described that he led the offensive linemen like a de facto mafia don.  And so yes, a particular era has ended with the Chicago Bears. 

But Olin Kreutz was not very good anymore and the offensive line he led was one of the worst in football.  If Kreutz were a don and the o-line were his family, one of the other units certainly would have had him whacked in the showers.  The NFL, with its strict salary cap, is not a league where teams can afford to enlist the services of an individual as a reward for longtime loyalty or to placate a fanbase that likes the guy more for what he’s done off the field (the Fred Miller incident) than what he’s done on it over the last four years.

The Bears organization never wanted Kreutz back.  If they did, he’d be back.  With no other teams making an offer to the former Pro Bowler, it wouldn’t have taken more than a ten minute negotiation.  And if the entire teams wants him back so badly and only 500k separated player and team, where were all the offers of restructuring salaries we see across the league in these scenarios?

A planned change took place.  And its a change that opens the huddle to be led by the man who should lead it: the quarterback.  It’s Cutler’s offense now, make no mistake about it.

So will Chris Spencer be an improvement over Kreutz?  I don’t know.  But I’m certain the middle of the line, lacking push and often toughness in 2010, will not be any worse.  This, to me, was not a move TO Spencer.  It was a move AWAY from Kreutz. 

Vaughn McClure’s Tweet:

Source tells me Corey Graham is on his way to Bourbonnais to resign with the Bears.

Dave Toub and Rod Marinelli each breathed a sigh relief as the Bears re-signed Corey Graham. Graham is arguably the second-best corner on the roster and is a special teams ace.

Olin Kreutz next?  We wait and see.

With all due respect to Corey Graham, a valuable corner and special teams ace, the Bears may find themselves in a serious predicament should they fail to reach terms with longtime center/leader Olin Kreutz.  And that predicament is not necessarily a physical one.

Kreutz is not that good anymore.  Too often he looks slow to get around corners and too easily he seems to be blown off the ball in short-yardage scenarios.  Whatever contract he signs will inevitably be a short one as it’s unimaginable to think he’ll be even competent at the position three seasons from now.

What Kreutz does provide are the intangibles we so often read about in the sports world.  He is the Bears locker room.  He is the one holding folks accountable in the huddle.  Yes he’s the signal-caller at the line of scrimmage but he means far more to his four trenchmen (sounds like a folk band) and fifty-plus roster companions than even that.

And don’t get started with the fans.  Ever since spurning Dave Wannstedt’s overtures from South Beach to stay with the Bears, Kreutz has been a folk hero on the streets of Chicago.  When he crushed Fred Miller’s face with a weight at a shooting range he basically built himself a statue on the tough side of Soldier Field.

He’s not the player he once was.  But he’s still the man and still the leader.  And taking that presence out of the locker room when you’re making your Super Bowl push is not a wise move.

The Bears signed Vernon Gholston.  Having lived in NYC for the duration of Gholston’s tenure with the Jets and having spoken daily with a Jets fan who happens to be my brother, I can tell you that Vernon Gholston stinks.  He’s awful.  If the Bears can make something of him, the entire coaching staff should be given their own wing in Canton.

UPDATES!

No news on Corey Graham and Olin Kreutz re-signing.

Gabe Carimi, Anthony Adams and Nick Roach will be at the first practice the Bears hold Saturday.  This leaves Olin Kreutz and Corey Graham as the only in-house signing that bear watching.

For those of you who criticized the lack of plan from the Bears front office, it might be time to zip it up.  The Chicago Bears added Roy Williams to their receiving corps early this morning, providing Jay Cutler that big red zone target he’s lacked in his two seasons with the club.  They followed that signing by adding the Cowboys Sam Hurd, who’ll provide depth at the receiver spot but mostly replace Rashied Davis as a special teams stalwart.  Mike Sims-Walker might still be on the radar but I expect the Bears to now turn their attention to defensive tackle and offensive line.

Stay tuned.

It is a move that makes perfect sense.  The Bears have come to terms with former Lions and Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams, adding size and physicality to a receiving corps that sorely lacked for it. 

Can he be obnoxious?  Of course.  But this is a minor risk with the possibility of a major reward.  He flourished in the Mike Martz system in Detroit and now he’ll get to play with a real quarterback.

And we’re going to learn a serious lesson.  How obnoxious is that first down thing he does when it’s after a Chicago Bears first down?

I’m a white guy from New Jersey and the Bears had a white guy from New Jersey playing tight end for them.  But as per a report from Brad Biggs in the Chicago Tribune, the Bears shipped Greg Olsen to Carolina tonight.  Thus ends a tenure for the first-round draft pick that never reached its perhaps unfair expectations.

The trading of Olsen solidifies the importance of Mike Martz currently at Halas Hall and means only one of Jerry Angelo’s first-round picks remains on the roster.  (This might be considered unfair as Angelo gave two of those picks away for the starting quarterback.)

How do we  see Olsen’s time with the Bears?

Side notes:

Olin Kreutz is said to be targeting Friday to make his decision between staying in Chicago or leaving for San Francisco.

The Bears are targeting cut wide receiver Roy Williams.  This would be a very sound move.

Adam Podlesh, the Bears second major Jewish acquisition of the 2011 off-season, will replace Brad Maynard at the punter spot.  The Bears also acquired Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth.  Spaeth is the equivalent of adding another offensive lineman – and he’s a good one.

What are we waiting for?

1. Will the Bears overpay Olin Kreutz to keep him from jumping ship to San Francisco?
2. What is the marketplace for Corey Graham and Nick Roach?  Will the Bears let either leave town?
3. Where is the offensive line help coming from?
4. How close are Carimi and Paea to signing?