Lovie Smith Dines With Nate Allen

“First off, it was really hard to let a player like Alex Brown go but it’s a new year and we’re going in a different direction,” Smith said. “[It] allows us an opportunity to release a player like Alex because of what we feel about what Izzy can do, and not only Izzy Idonije but Mark Anderson. Mark Anderson did some good things [last season]. We’ve got some other young players, too. Henry Melton is coming back, Jarron Gilbert. So we have some other options but it still won’t be the same without Alex being there.”

Henry Melton?  Jarron Gilbert?  What the hell am I missing, exactly?  Is Lovie Smith really stating aloud that we let go of one of our most consistent defensive performers in decades to see what a guy who couldn’t make the roster as a rookie and another guy whose major achievement is leaping out of a pool can do?  Is that even possible?  

Interesting article from Brad Biggs in the Tribune hypothesizing a possible move by the Bears into the second round to acquire an impact safety.

“There is more elite talent at the safety position overall this year
than there has been in past years with talk about four potentially
fitting into the first round and Nate Allen is a guy who could
potentially sneak in there,” Nawrocki said. “I think (the Bears) have
to fill that need, they’re looking hard at it and I think there is a
chance they could potentially move up to the second round, trade up,
and I know I have heard some discussion around the league about that
possibility. They should be able to address the needs with the players
that are in this draft.”

Nawrocki noted a couple players who might be available at No. 75 if the
Bears stay put. The only previous time Angelo has traded up was in 2003
when he made a trade to move up in the fifth round to draft wide
receiver Justin Gage. We’re talking about a minor trade at that point
in the draft.

Nawrocki’s three other options with free-safety skills are Major Wright of Florida, T.J. Ward of  Oregon and Chad Jones of LSU.

There are concerns about the durability of Ward and his left knee that
could push him down draft boards. The Bears certainly have a track
record of gambling on players with injury red flags.

It’s all going to start with how high a team is willing to go to draft
Berry. It’s rare for safeties to go that high in the draft.

“The value relative to the money that is paid to these players nowadays
makes it difficult to invest that highly unless you really know what
you are getting,” Nawrocki said.

The real question here is does Jerry Angelo have the organizational authority to relinquish draft picks in 2011?  Knowing this entire regime is on a playoffs-or-bust mandate, I think the McCaskey family and Ted Phillips need to ensure that J-Love doesn’t make the hill to high for the next group to climb.

According to PFT, Alex Brown said goodbye to the Chicago Bears on Twitter today.  That the previous sentence can exist is problem enough.  What it states is downright tragic.  From Brown:

“I am extremely grateful for my time as a Chicago Bear and I wish the Bears the best,” Brown wrote.  “I am glad that they gave me an opportunity to realize a dream I had had a child. I appreciate the fans but as we all know this is the nature of the business. Bear down!“

I wrote an entire column dedicate to how poor I thought this decision was and I stand by that.  The Chicago Bears had an opportunity to enter the 2010 season without any questions along their defensive line.  Apparently Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith…well…sigh…

I am now going to write a list of thoughts I am either having or forcing myself to have about the Chicago Bears.

• I’ve read a ton about the possibility of trading Alex Brown for Rob Sims but it just doesn’t hold water for me.  Rob Sims is a middle of the road interior lineman and I’m not ready to sell the heart and soul of our defense for another quarter yard per carry.  If you’re going to trade AB, and you should not, you must get something game-altering in return.
• I like that PFT is obsessed with the release of the 2010 schedule because so am I.  To fans like myself, the release of the schedule is when I plan my fall and winter.  If the Bears get to play the Bills in Toronto, I’ll be organizing a Take Over Toronto thing that everybody need be involved with.
• The problem with the Lovie Smith era in Chicago is he forces fans to expect too much from limited talents like Israel Idonije.  Remember the expectations he built for Danieal Manning at safety and Devin Hester at wideout?  If they trade Alex Brown, can Izzy handle that pressure?
• If Nathan Vasher is successful in San Diego I’m going to be really pissed off about it.  Just saying.
• Quietly Kahlil Bell got inked to a one-year deal.  I think the kid’s got pro ability.

According to NFL sources and the Tribune, the Bears are actively attempting to trade Alex Brown.  If they can’t trade Brown, there is a chance they’ll release him.

Aside from being my favorite player on team, Brown has been (with Lance Briggs) the most consistent defensive performer of the last five years.  While his sack totals have never been impressive, he is nevertheless hell for even the elite left tackles to block.  He’s all motor.  All intensity.  All heart.  And he has a knack for making plays in big situations.  His goal line tackle to beat the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago is one of the great football plays of my lifetime.

But more than that even, Brown is a vocal critic of the defense.  While so many on that side of the ball fall back on the tired “we’re a good defense” mantra that permeates out of Lovie’s office, Brown has never shied away from calling out the unit for what they are: bad. 

Committing to a combination of Israel Idonije and Mark Anderson opposite Julius Peppers would be a horribly regrettable error.  Idonije’s physical prowess is impressive but the coaching staff’s inability to find a role for him has led to long stretches of inactivity.  Anderson is nothing more than an okay pass rusher.  He’s one of those guys Lovie has a misguided opinion of.

So go ahead and trade Alex Brown for a low-level draft pick and spend the year wondering where the heart of the defense has gone.  Trade Alex Brown and wonder why offenses are more-than-willing to take Julius Peppers out of the game with double-teams and chips.  Trade Alex Brown and watch which side Ryan Grant and Adrian Peterson target.

Or keep Alex Brown.  Because he’s one of the best goddamn players on the team.

(1) Lovie Smith has announced that Devin Hester will not be on kickoff returns.  And so we have the first awful coaching decision of the 2010 season.  Why any coach would self-neuter arguably the most exciting talent and explosive game-changer in the history of the organization is beyond me.  But it’s par for the course.

(2) Adewale Oguleye is officially no longer a Chicago Bear.  His career is Chicago was solid if unspectacular.  He feasted on weaker opponents and disappeared on pivotal third-and-longs.  He was a good guy,though, and did the uniform proud.

(3) The Star-Telegram is reporting that most believe the Bears will be the Cowboy opponent on Thanksgiving afternoon.  This guarantees that my family will be irate as I choose not to listen to their tiring anecdotes and instead travel down the road to the always-open Silver Bell Tavern.

(4) From Brad Biggs:

There also is a possibility the Bears could play their road
game vs. Buffalo in Toronto this year. At worst, the Bears have a
1-in-6 chance of being selected for the date because the Bills have
already played AFC East rivals Miami and the New York Jets in Canada.
Of course, the league might say it’s time for the Patriots to take
their turn.

The Bears, especially with a Mike Martz offense, would be thrilled to end up in Toronto and in a dome.  The Buffalo Bills are going to be pretty terrible this year and avoiding their homefield advantage should make this the Bears most winnable road game.

(5) If the Bears get very lucky this year, safety Morgan Burnett of Georgia Tech will fall into the third round.  The Bears need interior of the offensive line and safety still.

Mike Florio believes the Bears will visit the Dallas Cowboys for the late afternoon game on Thanksgiving.  The official announcement for key games is due tomorrow.

More to come…

How many times did Ron Turner turn to Jason McKie on third-and-short or at the goal line in crucial situations?  How many times did Jason McKie come up empty?  The fullback dive was my personal Waterloo, an inescapably horrible play call that lived at the top of Turner’s to do list.  More than just ineffective in specific situations, it’s failure symbolized the lack of toughness that plagued the heart of the Bears offense.  They had no Nagurski.  No Hilgenberg, Bortz or Thayer.  They seemed hell-bent on reminding us by ramming McKie into a hole-less middle of the line of scrimmage.  So often over these past two season, the Bears have felt very close to being a good football team.  Cutting McKie got them a bit closer.

StarCaps Trail Over: Suspensions Unlikely
The entire StarCaps situation, from start to finish, has been an utter disaster for the NFL.  They have all-but begged the legal world to punish the Williams sisters while the Vikings and Minnesota court system has laughed and gone about their business.  Now the jury-less trial is over and Florio at PFT has a nice synopsis of the expected verdict (click here for the full column):

But the biggest question in the case apparently will be resolved by the
middle of May:  whether Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams
will be suspended four games for testing positive for the banned
diuretic that had been secretly placed into StarCaps.  In our view, two
key facts could drive this decision in favor of the players.  First,
others who tested positive for Bumetanide after taking StarCaps were
not suspended.  Second, the league learned that StarCaps contained
Bumetanide — a potent drug with potentially serious side effects —
but did nothing to warn the players, the FDA, or anyone else of this
discovery.

Here’s hoping this won’t drag on through another season.

All on Cutler?
Matt Williamson over at ESPN writes a nice breakdown of the pressure on Jay Cutler to perform in 2010.  It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway): if Jay turns the ball over at the rate he did in 2009, the Bears and their coaching staff will suffer the same fate.   

Chester Taylor Inherits #29
What a strange way for Adrian Peterson to realize he’s not going to be on the roster any longer.  (Side note: Funny how Taylor exits the shadow of Adrian Peterson only to enter the jersey of Adrian Peterson.)

Sharper Has Knee Surgery