January

Jan. 1, 2009   

Major changes in Bears' secondary begin

After it was mutilated by Andre Johnson in the season finale, it was hardly a surprise that the Bears’ secondary was the first area specifically addressed by the team at the start of its offseason, beginning with the firing of DB coach Steven Wilks. According to team sources, a few more major changes could be in the offing in the defensive backfield, with the likely release of longtime starting CB Nate Vasher, whose play has declined significantly, at the top of the list. It’s also possible the team might decide not to bring back veteran S Mike Brown because of his age and injury history. But, as one team insider put it, “If they knew they could get 15 games out of him again next season, then bringing him back should be a no-brainer, considering how well he plays the run and knows the system.” We also hear the team just might consider moving CB Charles Tillman to free safety, provided they could pick up a decent corner in free agency.

December

Dec. 25, 2008   

Manning delivering big time for Bears in dual role

Devin who? The more Danieal Manning struts his stuff as a kickoff returner, the easier it has become to forget how amazingly good Devin Hester was in the same role before this season. “People talk about Hester being the best athlete on the team, but he might be better,” one longtime daily team observer said of Manning. “I think he could beat Hester in a straight-line race.” Manning, a major force in big wins over the Saints and Packers, has his own unique return style. “When he gets the ball, he goes straight up the gut. He will run to where the returns are designed to go. He runs through guys. You don’t see that in too many returners.” Manning also has excelled down the stretch as the team’s nickel back, establishing himself as one of the team’s most effective pass rushers when he gets the opportunity. “He’s gotten better as the nickel,” the observer said. “It’s become his job to lose.”

Dec. 18, 2008   

Versatile Peterson pulls his weight

He’s not as valuable to his team as the Vikings running back who shares the same name. But the Bears’ Adrian Peterson has established himself as a bona fide keeper. “You look at his numbers over the years, and except for last year, when everybody struggled, he’s always gotten the job done,” a team insider said of the seventh-year back. “Obviously, he doesn’t have the ideal size and that second gear to break long runs, but he catches the ball real well out of the backfield, and when you see him run (like he did replacing the injured Matt Forte against the Saints in Week 15), you say, ‘Boy, he should get more carries.’ But he’s just always been a guy they wanted to upgrade.” That said, Peterson’s excellent special-teams ability adds an extra valuable dimension to his game. “There have been years where he’s been the leading special-teams tackler,” the insider said. “He fills a lot of roles.”

Dec. 12, 2008   

Bears' special teams a major strength

While the Bears continue to have their share of issues on both sides of the ball, the consensus among our sources is that their quality special-teams unit — spearheaded by deadly accurate PK Robbie Gould, directional-punting ace Brad Maynard and recently promoted KR Danieal Manning — certainly ranks among the best of any prospective playoff teams. Gould, Maynard and Manning all played major roles in the Bears’ “must” win over the Saints. “Considering the conditions he kicks in, Gould has been very good,” said one source. “And Maynard has been money the last three games, allowing just one return yard in the two games prior to the Saints game.” However, there is one chink in the special-teams armor: PR Devin Hester. “He’s getting worse every week,” the source said. “It’s as if somebody like Deion Sanders got inside his head and told him he has to protect himself.”

Dec. 5, 2008   

Bears rookie WR Bennett has been a nonfactor

Updated at 9:45 a.m. EST Monday, Dec. 8

On a team that has had more than its share of disappointing early-round draft picks in recent times, it would appear rookie WR Earl Bennett fits right in. Selected in the third round, Bennett has yet to see the light of day in a receiving corps considered to be one of the most lackluster units in the league. “It usually takes receivers longer to develop, so I think it’s way too early to call him a bust,” a team insider said of Bennett. “He’s supposed to be a more physical receiver, and that’s something the team really needs right now, considering the problems it’s had with press coverage. But he hasn’t shown anything special in terms of speed, separation or quickness.” Bennett did see action last week on special teams, notching one tackle. Another disappointment on the WR front has been Brandon Lloyd’s inability to regain his impressive form prior to his knee injury in Week Four that forced him to miss the next five games.

November

Nov. 26, 2008   

Bears backup LB Williams has been invisible

Updated at 8:45 a.m. EST Monday, Dec. 1

What has happened to Jamar Williams? Entering the 2008 campaign, the versatile third-year pro who was drafted in the fourth round out of Arizona State shaped up as the Bears’ top backup at all three LB positions and was considered by daily team observers to have a promising future. But Williams has been conspicuous by his absence so far this season, with the undrafted Nick Roach having clearly passed him by on his way to replacing veteran Hunter Hillenmeyer as the starting strong-side linebacker, and Hillenmeyer becoming the top reserve. “A common complaint about Williams is that he lacks toughness and needs to get more physical,” a team insider said. “Roach has shown more speed and athleticism (than Williams), which makes him more useful in pass coverage, and with Hillenmeyer considered a better run defender, Williams just hasn’t been much of a factor.”

Nov. 20, 2008   

Reality indicates Bears' 'D' is way below par

Updated at 10:10 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 24

Bears CB Nate Vasher

Veteran S Mike Brown couldn’t have been more dead-on when he was asked to assess the Bears’ terribly disappointing defense both against the run (200 yards allowed) and the pass (227 yards allowed) following an embarrassing 37-3 loss to the arch-rival Packers in Week 11.

“Once we come to grips our defense isn’t what it’s supposed to be, then we’ll all be better off,” Brown said. “The perception is we have a good defense. The reality is we don’t.”

The Chicago defense tightened in  Week 12’s 27-3 victory, but it was against a struggling Rams club.

Team insiders agree that the defense’s problem areas have been all-encompassing, with below-par performances from a host of well-paid defenders more responsible for the unit’s decline than the coaching of Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Bob Babich.

There are a few players, however, who can be singled out for their sorry efforts, with CB Nate Vasher at the top of the list.

Having missed three games earlier this season due to wrist surgery after sitting out 12 games last season with an injured groin, Vasher, who re-upped for $28 million in the summer of 2007, has been a shell of the quality playmaking corner he was prior to ’07.

  It now appears he will be platooning the rest of this season on the right corner with Corey Graham, a much more physical defender with a promising upside. Beyond that, Vasher’s play has fallen off enough to lead some team sources to believe he could be sent packing this offseason.

“He’s gotten really soft, leaving big cushions and whiffing on most of his tackles,” one team insider said of Vasher. “He at least used to throw his body around and provide some run support. Worse than that, he’s no longer making any plays to speak of.”

  Another declining defender who was exposed against the Packers is NT Dusty Dvoracek, who we hear could be losing more than a little playing time to Anthony Adams, who many close to the team believe should be on the field a lot more after being inactive in seven of the 11 games this season.

Said one daily team observer of Dvoracek: “If the Bears had a nose tackle who could stay on his feet, (MLB) Brian Urlacher might be able to do his job. (Dvoracek) is getting knocked off the ball like I’ve never seen.”

Nov. 13, 2008   

Briggs has more than proven his worth to Bears

Updated at 9:35 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 17

It has been hard to ignore the disappointing efforts of players such as DT Tommie Harris and MLB Brian Urlacher who recently have signed long-term deals. But one freshly minted high-profile Bear who has more than earned his keep is WLB Lance Briggs, whose six-year, $36 million contract extension last March — including more than $12 million in guaranteed money — appears to have been money very well spent. “He’s the one guy in this defense who you notice every week,” a veteran team insider said of Briggs, whose return to the Bears this season seemed like a long shot a year ago at this time. “You could make a case for this being the year that he surpasses Urlacher as the team’s signature defender.” Briggs has been particularly solid against the run and is among a select few NFL defenders this season to have at least half a sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception to his credit.

Nov. 6, 2008   

Bears' O-line more than holding its own

There’s a good reason why 2008 first-round OT Chris Williams, who is now fully recovered from his back surgery in early August, isn’t expected to see a major increase in playing time anytime soon.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” a veteran team insider said of a Bears offensive line that has been far better than anticipated this season.

The consensus among daily team observers is that O-line coach Harry Hiestand has done an excellent job this season with his unit, in no small part due to the valuable assistance he has received from coach-on-the-field and six-time Pro Bowl C Olin Kreutz.

Kreutz’s steady play is hardly a surprise, and the same goes for the right side of the line manned by steady OG Roberto Garza and OT John Tait, who hasn’t been exposed as much as he was last season at left tackle.

But the same can’t be said for two starters who many observers believed would be weak links at the start of the season — ninth-year pro John St. Clair, who has been holding his own all season at the all-important OLT position, and second-year pro Josh Beekman, who has been more than serviceable alongside St. Clair at left guard.

“St. Clair has definitely exceeded expectations,” the insider said of a player who before this season hadn’t been a full-time starter since 2004, when he made 14 starts at right tackle for the Dolphins.

“He has gotten a lot of help from the tight ends and running backs with his blocking, and he’s been far from phenomenal. Jared Allen solved him for a pair of sacks in the last Vikings game, but he’s certainly been good enough.”

St. Clair had displayed his value before this season, starting nine games at three different positions (left tackle, right tackle and left guard) the previous three seasons.
Beekman, however, was pretty much an unproven commodity.

“In training camp this year, a lot of people thought he was pigeonholed to be the backup center behind Kreutz,” the insider said. “They wondered if he had the size and strength to be a guard at the pro level, but he hasn’t done anything to lose the left guard job.

“He has displayed sound technique and seems to have a real good grasp of the Bears’ system, and the real good thing is that he’s so young that he figures to get bigger and stronger in due time.”

October

Oct. 30, 2008   

Urlacher's impact has been minimal for Bears

Updated at 9:30 a.m. CST Monday, Nov. 3

There’s a good reason why Bears MLB Brian Urlacher’s name hasn’t been mentioned much the first half of the 2008 season. “He hasn’t done anything,” a longtime daily observer of Urlacher said of the six-time Pro Bowler. “Last year, when everybody was talking about him dropping off, he still ended up with five sacks and five interceptions. This year, he has no sacks and no interceptions. It could be because teams haven’t felt the need to game-plan as much for (DT) Tommie Harris, which in the past has opened up opportunities for Urlacher. But for whatever reason, he just hasn’t made any big plays.” Urlacher has still been making plenty of tackles; he is third on the team behind SS Kevin Payne and LB Lance Briggs with 57. “But you don’t see him going from sideline to sideline to make plays as much, which could be an indication that he may have lost a step.”

Oct. 23, 2008   

Bears QB Orton's consistency, confidence setting him apart

Kyle Orton

The numbers don’t lie.
 
With multiple TD passes in four of the Bears’ seven games, an impressive 10-4 TD-interception ratio and a string of 116 pass attempts without a pick, Kyle Orton deservedly has become the center of attention in the Bears’ surprisingly potent offense.

But is Bears Nation going overboard with its praise of Orton?

As one longtime daily team observer pointed out, Orton’s eye-opening numbers so far this season are very much on a par with those of Rex Grossman after seven games in 2006. And Grossman’s shaky staying power under center since then has been well-documented.

“But the difference between Orton and Grossman is Orton’s consistency and the way he has managed to avoid mistakes,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “He always seems to realize where the pressure is coming from, and he doesn’t throw the ball up for grabs. He’s got a great time clock in his head.

“Every game, he seems to show some kind of improvement in a particular area.”

There’s one other big difference between the Kyle Orton of 2008 and the Rex Grossman of 2006.

"Orton has done more with less,” the insider said. “Everybody thought he would struggle after (WR) Brandon Lloyd got injured, but he’s actually gotten better, finding different guys to get the job done.

“The way he has been able to spread the ball around has been key. It has really helped all the receivers gain confidence, knowing that, if they get open, Orton will find them.”

Orton’s increased comfort with offensive coordinator Ron Turner’s system also has been a major plus.

“You can see the confidence the coaches have in him, allowing him to run the no-huddle on his own, knowing that he’ll usually make the right choices,” the insider said.

Orton’s arm strength and ability to throw the deep ball have surprised many observers.

“But he’s always had the arm,” the insider said. “He had the strongest arm at the Combine the year he came out. It was just that, on the longer routes, he hadn’t thrown enough deep balls at game speed. It was just a matter of getting his timing down.”

Oct. 17, 2008   

Hester's kick returns have been nothing special

Has Devin Hester’s increased focus on becoming a polished wide receiver at the pro level diminished his widely acclaimed kick-return skills? After setting a league record for kick-return TDs each of the past two seasons, Hester has yet to go the distance this season, and his numbers returning both punts and kickoffs have been less than ordinary. “You wouldn’t think that would be the case, but he really has seemed more tentative returning kicks, which could be partially due to his rib injury earlier this season” a daily team observer told PFW. “It also has looked like he’s trying to bust one all the way every time he touches the ball, especially on punts.” At the same time, Hester hasn’t looked tentative at all as a wide receiver. “He’s been a lot more consistent,” the observer said. “He hasn’t had nearly as many bad drops as last season, and he seems much more naturally comfortable with the offense.”

Oct. 10, 2008   

Dvoracek has been potent force for Bears

Updated at 9:43 a.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 13

While Tommie Harris, the league’s highest-paid defensive tackle, has been grabbing more headlines — more because of his problems off the field than his production on the field — Dusty Dvoracek, the Bears’ other starting DT, has been playing excellent football under the radar all season and getting better every week. Through six games, Dvoracek has 21 tackles, second only to DE Adewale Ogunleye (23) among the team’s D-linemen, and six tackles for loss. “Those are great numbers for the position he plays,” one daily Bears observer told PFW. “And he was instrumental in that goal-line stand against the Eagles that might have turned the season around.” While Harris’ limited playing time has been cause for concern, Dvoracek’s considerable time on the field has been a most pleasant surprise after he had logged only 10 snaps in the preseason due to an injured calf.

Oct. 2, 2008   

Bears safety Brown continues to have immeasurable value

Updated at 9:29 a.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 6

The slam-dunk pick among our Bears sources as the Bears’ Offensive MVP at the 2008 quarter pole was rookie RB Matt Forté, who clearly stuck out in the team’s first four games. As for the Defensive MVP? “Wow. That’s an interesting question,” one veteran source said. “Nobody really stood out. (DE Adewale) Ogunleye was a beast in the first game against the Colts, and (MLB Brian) Urlacher was pretty good but not great. But I think I’d have to go with Mike Brown. A case could be made for the other safety (Kevin Payne), but he wouldn’t be doing nearly as good if Brown wasn’t setting everything up. He’s the quarterback, and his leadership and intangibles remain a real key to this defense.” Is Payne, who is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two, capable of following in Brown’s footsteps? “He’s not very good in coverage yet,” the source said, “but he always seems to be around the ball.”

September

Sept. 25, 2008   

Bradley latest draft bust to be sent packing

Another high draft choice bit the dust when the Bears decided to release WR Mark Bradley, the team’s second-round pick in the 2005 draft. Mentioned by head coach Lovie Smith as a legitimate No. 1 WR option back in February, Bradley, who had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in May, never was able to fulfill the considerable potential he showed as a rookie before tearing his ACL seven games into the season. “His catches dropped off steadily from that point on,” a longtime daily team observer told PFW. “His best moments were in preseason games when he was matched up against third-stringers. He never seemed to get it and thought he was much better than he really was, and he was constantly sidetracked by nagging little injuries.” We hear one big reason behind the release of Bradley was to move 2008 third-round rookie Earl Bennett up a peg on the depth chart.

Sept. 20, 2008   

Lloyd could be emerging as Bears' No. 1 wideout

Updated at 9:35 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 22

Even before he suffered a rib injury in the Week Two loss to the Panthers, Devin Hester wasn’t looking anything like the No. 1 receiver the Bears had envisioned this season. “It certainly doesn’t seem like they’ve made much of an effort to get him the ball,” a longtime team source told PFW. It’s been a different story, however, for newcomer Brandon Lloyd, who is looking more and more like the team’s best No. 1 WR option after his solid performances vs. Carolina (five catches for 66 yards) and Tampa Bay (six catches for 124 yards and one touchdown). “He’s been on the field more than any other receiver, and he’s been the only guy consistently catching passes downfield,” the source said. We also hear Lloyd, who had a history as a malcontent in his previous stints with the 49ers and Redskins, has been drawing strong reviews off the field.

Sept. 11, 2008   

Bears' well-rounded DT rotation should help Harris

Updated at 8:45 a.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 15

The buzz in league circles had yet to die down over a Bears defense that went from being barely watchable in the preseason to a reasonable facsimile of the aggressive, opportunistic unit that had spearheaded the team’s Super Bowl run two years ago in its stunning Week One victory over the Colts, the team widely considered the toughest game on the Bears’ schedule heading into the 2008 season.

All the key pieces seemed to be in place against Peyton Manning and Co., but one piece that team insiders expect to be different from the ’06 version is a deep DT rotation tailor-made to preserve the long-term effectiveness of its undisputed centerpiece, Tommie Harris.

As is the case with the popular practice of pitch counts in baseball, it appears that Harris, a three-time Pro Bowler who received a hefty, new four-year, $40 million contract this offseason, will be adhering to more of a planned snap count this season in an effort to keep him from wilting in the second half of the season, which is what happened last season.

What figures to make the plan reap substantial dividends is the emergence of third-round rookie Marcus Harrison and a bulked-up Israel Idonije in a group that already includes Harris at the three-technique spot, NT Dusty Dvoracek and reliable backup Anthony Adams, who showed up on the inactive list in Weeks One and Two. The fact the unit performed well even without Adams in Week One bodes well for the future, with Harris taking 44 snaps and Harrison and Idonije filling the bill more than adequately when Harris was rested.

Harrison, who had a sack for a 10-yard loss in the opener, looks like a solid starter in the making. “They love the fact that he can play both DT spots,” a longtime team insider said.

Idonije, meanwhile, has been an effective secret ingredient who is just starting to get more well-deserved props. “They wanted him to gain weight, and he did, getting up to 295,” the insider said. “But you look at his body, and there’s no fat on the guy at all! He’s a bit of a late bloomer, but the Bears have been sold on his potential for some time now.”

Idonije sacked Panthers QB Jake Delhomme for a 12-yard loss in Week Two.

Sept. 4, 2008   

Bears' strong safety, nickel positions up in the air

As is the case with the Bears’ situation at defensive tackle, where as many as four, and possibly five, players are expected to be rotated in and out of the starting lineup on a fairly regular basis, it appears that strong safety will also be a pretty fluid position moving forward, with three players — in no particular order, Kevin Payne, Brandon McGowan and Danieal Manning — figuring prominently in the mix. Manning, it should be noted, is the team’s latest high-round draft pick having problems living up to expectations, as he has been “increasingly underwhelming” in the eyes of team insiders while filling the team’s nickel back role. “You have to question the decision to cut Ricky Manning, who was clearly the team’s best nickel back and certainly better than Manning has been,” a source said. “They’re thinking about using McGowan more at the nickel, but he’s never been a real good cover guy.” 

August

Aug. 21, 2008   

Return options being weighed as Hester's WR role grows in Chicago

Updated at 2:30 p.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 22

Daily team observers all agree that the Bears would be making an obviously huge mistake if they significantly reduced Devin Hester’s roles as a punt and kickoff returner moving forward. But even though there isn’t a return specialist in the league anywhere near as special as Hester, who has set league records for return touchdowns the last two seasons, it stands to reason that his return role will be somewhat reduced in proportion to his playing time as a wide receiver. “Game situations will be the No. 1 factor in dictating how much Hester is used on kicks,” a team insider told PFW. “But if he’s on the field all the time as a pass catcher, which still remains to be seen, obviously other guys will have to get involved.” The way we hear it, the “other guys” most likely to fill the return bill in Hester’s absence are third-year man Danieal Manning, fourth-year player Rashied Davis and rookie Earl Bennett, who had some problems fielding kicks in training camp but came up big in the Bears’ second preseason game with an impressive 75-yard punt return for a TD. “Danieal Manning could be in the mix for more kick returns,” the insider said, “since it looks like his playing time at safety could be on the decline.” In fact, Manning was very impressive in that role in a Thursday-night loss to the 49ers, returning a pair of kickoffs for 75 and 60 yards.

Aug. 14, 2008   

Status of Bears rookie Williams up in the air

Should first-round OLT Chris Williams be considered a nonfactor this coming season after suffering a herniated lumbar disc that is expected to keep him on the shelf for at least the next three months? “It really depends on how the team is doing,” a veteran team insider told PFW. “The Bears are optimistic that he could be back practicing by midseason, but if they’re really struggling and going nowhere at the halfway point, they very well could decide to keep him off the field all season.” We hear it’s also quite possible that OLG Terrence Metcalf, who is currently recuperating from arthroscopic knee surgery, might also have a hard time getting back on the field — but for different reasons. “He should be back in about two weeks,” the insider said, “but if either Josh Beekman or Anthony Oakley do well enough at left guard while he’s still out, it wouldn’t be a shock if they just let Metcalf go, considering how unimpressive he’s been in his time with the team.” By all accounts, Beekman played pretty well in his first full-scale action at left guard as the starter in the preseason opener vs. Kansas City. As for the rumors that the team might be interested in re-signing former Bears O-linemen Fred Miller and Ruben Brown, we hear that’s a long shot. “If they were really interested in either one of them, they would have been here by now,” the insider said.

Aug. 8, 2008   

Williams' surgery, Metcalf's injury latest blows to Bears' front wall

Put simply, a bad situation on the left side of the Bears’ offensive line just keeps getting worse. “It’s more than just a mess,” one longtime team insider said. “It’s a very serious problem.” The problem started on July 24 when first-round draft pick Chris Williams, widely assumed to be the team's starting left tackle heading into training camp, was unable to practice due to back spasms that have kept him sidelined ever since. The cause of Williams' back spasms, it was revealed Thursday, was a herniated lumbar disc in his lower spine, for which the rookie underwent surgery earlier in the day. The problem has intensified with Terrence Metcalf — widely assumed to be the starting left guard — out indefinitely after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday. The situation at Metcalf’s position perhaps wouldn’t be so guarded if versatile John St. Clair were available to step in, but St. Clair has been forced to play in Williams' spot. In light of Williams' surgery, St. Clair will be the starting left tackle in Week One and beyond, barring a significant roster move. The situation will become a lot less grave if either journeyman Anthony Oakley or second-year pro Josh Beekman can rise to the occasion in Metcalf’s absence, but heading into the Bears’ preseason opener Thursday evening, neither player had offered much reason for optimism, according to our sources.

July

July 30, 2008   

Bears' offensive line not looking very good

With the Bears managing to take care of their primary business on the contract front with new long-term deals for Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester, the focus in Bourbonnais, Ill., has switched to an offensive line that has looked rather offensive, to say the least. A key factor behind the line’s early ineptitude has been injuries to six-time Pro Bowl C Olin Kreutz and first-round OT Chris Williams. Kreutz had been on the physically-unable-to-perform list with an Achilles ailment since the start of camp until Tuesday, when he passed a physical and returned to the practice field. Williams has been sidelined since suffering an untimely back injury early in the team’s second training-camp practice. Williams was getting closer to returning to practice at this writing, but the consensus among team insiders is that he has already lost valuable development time at left tackle, the position he was expected to man as the starter in Week One. “The more practices he misses, the harder it will be for him to start,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “They really need to get him out there.” Williams’ absence is increasing the likelihood daily that versatile John St. Clair will start the season at left tackle. In the meantime, the D-line has been steadily winning the battle in the trenches since the opening of camp, which doesn’t bode particularly well for an O-line that regressed significantly last season.

July 25, 2008   

Return to camp leads to lucrative extension for Hester

Devin Hester

Updated at 1:40 a.m. EDT Monday, July 28

It took only two days (and $30,000 in fines) for Devin Hester to realize he'd be better off participating in training camp rather than following through with a holdout that — for reasons that team insiders have a hard time understanding — took Bears GM Jerry Angelo totally by surprise. Angelo had openly admitted that Hester’s agent, Eugene Parker, had “floated” the possibility of a holdout early in the week, but the GM said he never had reason to take that possibility seriously, even though Hester had just finished watching the Bears give MLB Brian Urlacher a lucrative extension to a contract that had four years remaining. But after telling the Chicago Sun-Times that he was ready to sit out the entire 2008 season if necessary, Hester rightfully concluded that any time spent away from training camp would be time very poorly spent, considering the Bears' apparent plans to make him the No. 1 receiver in an offense with a host of issues. Once Hester reported to camp following his two-day holdout, it took two more days before Angelo and Parker agreed on a contract extension, for four additional years through 2013, that could pay Hester up to $40 million if he meets all of the performance-based and playing-time incentives. Included in the deal is $15 million in guaranteed money. The Bears wanted a substantial portion of the contract’s value to be based on incentives because while they know how good Hester is as a punt and kickoff returner, they don’t yet know how good he’ll be as a wide receiver.

July 18, 2008   

Bears' QB picture fuzzier than ever

Kyle Orton (left) and Rex Grossman

The way we hear it, neither Rex Grossman nor Kyle Orton did anything in the Bears’ minicamps and OTAs to gain any kind of edge in their battle for the starting QB job this coming season. “There are people in both camps,” a veteran team insider told PFW. “Grossman might have looked a little better physically, but nobody really knows how things are going to pan out.” Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner recently told the team’s Web site that the Bears plan to continue the same kind of rotating evaluation process they used in the team’s offseason practice sessions up to now, with Grossman and Orton taking turns on a daily basis directing the first-team unit once training camp opens. Turner also made a point of acknowledging Grossman’s improved focus — "He’s been locked in, really keyed in,” Turner said — as well as Orton’s improved accuracy, touch and comfort zone. Meanwhile, rumors persist that a third challenger might enter the mix before too long — disgruntled Buccaneers QB Chris Simms, who has asked for his release by Tampa Bay. We hear it’s unlikely the Bears could consider a trade for Simms but that they might be one of the first teams in line if Simms is given his outright release. Bears GM Jerry Angelo, the former director of player personnel in Tampa, has had his share of dealings with his old team in recent times. In addition to trading QB Brian Griese to Tampa Bay for a draft pick earlier this offseason, Angelo also pulled off a trade with the Bucs during the draft to obtain fourth-round S Craig Steltz.

July 3, 2008   

Bears DT Harris' stature continues to grow

Now that the Bears have made him the league’s highest-paid defensive tackle, is Tommie Harris also ready to become the franchise’s new face in place of star MLB Brian Urlacher, who has filled the role admirably, if not willingly, since making an instant splash as the team’s first-round pick in 2000? “Right now, I’d say Urlacher is still the main team leader,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “But if Harris can stay healthy and has a strong 16-game season in 2008, he could become the new team leader as soon as the next season.” The consensus is that Harris would embrace such a role a lot more so than Urlacher. Not only does Harris take great pride in his considerable charity work and squeaky-clean, God-fearing image; he’s also much more naturally comfortable than Urlacher with the media, almost always displaying an engaging personality that figures to be on public display with increasing frequency.      

June

June 27, 2008   

Urlacher, Hester far from reaching new deals

With the Bears recently making Tommie Harris the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history with a four-year, $40 million contract extension, could new contracts for Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester be far behind? The way we hear it, the Bears still could have a long way to go before reaching new deals with a pair of players who have expressed their displeasure over their current deals, particularly Urlacher. Talks with Urlacher’s camp have become amiable after a well-documented impasse, but word is the star middle linebacker is looking for a lot more money up front than the $5 million the Bears appear willing to offer. “I don’t see the Bears budging one penny,” a source close to the team told PFW. As for Hester, a major problem continues to be the contract parameters for a player who has no doubt excelled as a return specialist but wants to be paid like a receiver, even though he remains relatively unproven in the latter role. “You can be sure lots of incentives will be built into whatever kind of deal they do for Hester,” the source said. “It’s been a tricky process, because his role is so undefined.” 

June 20, 2008   

Bears satisfied with RB corps — for better or worse

Raised eyebrows were the order of the day when Bears head coach Lovie Smith announced that the Bears had no intention of going after a veteran running back to replace the released Cedric Benson on the roster. Shortly after the team’s final OTA session on Wednesday, Smith said he was more than satisfied with a RB corps featuring second-round draft pick Matt Forté and holdovers Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe as Forté’s primary backups. But with most daily team observers in agreement that neither Peterson nor Wolfe is capable of serving as an every-down back should Forté go down for the count, the Bears’ apparent reluctance to seriously consider veteran options such as Kevin Jones, — who has made it known he would love to land in Chicago — and Ron Dayne is a bit baffling, in addition to being a pretty dramatic leap of faith in the unproven Forte’s direction. The good news is that, based on the team’s minicamp action, Forté has, by all accounts, displayed a solid, focused work ethic as well as extremely soft hands out of the backfield — two qualities that the disappointing Benson lacked. “Forté certainly appears to have all the tools of a three-down back, and the Bears have praised him for really getting into the playbook,” a longtime team insider told PFW. “But we won’t see how well he runs between the tackles until training camp.”

June 6, 2008   

Brown looking strong again at safety

In his 2007 post-mortem to the local media, Bears GM Jerry Angelo couldn’t be blamed for wondering aloud about the future of FS Mike Brown following the nine-year veteran’s fourth straight campaign cut short by a season-ending injury. But based on the Bears’ early-June minicamp and subsequent OTAs, team insiders tell us Brown’s future looks very promising. By all accounts, the team’s all-time franchise leader with seven defensive TDs (four interception returns, three fumble returns) has never looked better. Brown had interceptions on each of the final two days of the minicamp and provided a constant playmaking presence, always working his way into the middle of the action. “He has looked exceptionally good,” one longtime team insider told PFW. “And the overall defense just looks so much better with him out there. More than a few players have been talking about the big difference they think he will make if he can stay healthy.” Meanwhile, change is in the air at strong safety, where Brandon McGowan appears to have taken the starting job away from Danieal Manning — for the time being, anyway. “They don’t seem sure of what to do about Manning,” the insider said. “Is he the nickel cornerback? Is he a safety? Mostly, he’s been on the field so far when the defense has gone with three safeties.” 

May

May 30, 2008   

Harris, Urlacher contract issues remain sticky

Brian Urlacher

Although Brian Urlacher’s contract differences with the Bears were thrust more into the limelight because of his decision to stay away from organized team activities, we continue to hear that teammate Tommie Harris’ contract stalemate is considered more of a priority at present. In both cases, though, nothing noteworthy seemed imminent on the contract front heading into June. On Thursday, however, Urlacher abruptly changed his stance about attending the team’s weekend minicamp, perhaps not wanting to risk a potential fine if he skipped the mandatory event. At least in the case of Harris, there does appear to be room for some give-and-take in contract discussions. Team sources tell us the Bears offered Harris a new deal in line with the seven-year, $50.7 million contract that Tommy Kelly signed this offseason with Oakland, but that the Harris camp merely considers Kelly’s numbers a nice starting point for what they hope to be a much more substantial figure. As for Urlacher, we’ve consistently been led to believe that the Bears have no intention of giving him one penny more than the $18 million they already have offered in a renegotiation of his current nine-year, $56.65 million contract that still has four years remaining, his face-of-the-franchise status notwithstanding. As one team insider put it, “Any rational person can see that the ‘18 mil’ is as good as it’s going to get, but he’s been acting irrationally for a while now.” Urlacher’s decision to attend minicamp is the most promising sign yet that a compromise can be reached.

May 14, 2008   

Rookie WRs Bennett, Monk could provide sudden impact

The Bears’ work-in-progress WR corps is widely considered ordinary at best, with the team’s OTAs set to begin early next week. With that in mind, the consensus among team insiders is that both rookie pass catchers Earl Bennett and Marcus Monk — drafted in the third and seventh rounds, respectively — have an opportunity to make their presence felt fairly quickly. That much was expected from Bennett, who excelled at Vanderbilt in the tough Southeastern Conference, but not necessarily Monk, who according to recent rookie minicamp observers, was more consistently impressive than the receiver the Bears drafted four rounds earlier. Bennett got off to a shaky start in the minicamp, appearing to have a bad case of the jitters initially, but he steadily improved as the camp wore on, to the point where he was catching every pass thrown his way by the time the final day had been completed. Monk, meanwhile, caught everything in sight from the get-go, according to one close observer. “He could be a serious sleeper,” the observer told PFW. “He doesn’t have a lot of speed, but his size (6-4, 222) and hands could make him a real red-zone weapon.” Could the emergence of Bennett and Monk result in the release of offseason acquisition Brandon Lloyd, as has been rumored around Halas Hall? PFW sources believe such a move wouldn’t make much sense, and that Lloyd figures to at least get a good opportunity to show that he belongs in an offense coordinated by Ron Turner, his college coach at Illinois.

May 2, 2008   

Forté makes strong early impression

Updated at 2:35 p.m. EDT Monday, May 5

With just one minicamp under his belt, Bears second-round RB Matt Forté had many camp observers convinced that it would be only a matter of time before the Tulane product replaced Cedric Benson as the team’s featured back. With Benson’s status now clouded by his weekend arrest on charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest, the gap between Benson and Forté might be closing fast, although Benson is still expected to be listed first on the depth chart heading into training camp. “It’s obvious this guy (Forté) is not a complementary, change-of-pace back to Benson,” one team insider told PFW. “He looks more like a replacement. Forté just seems like a much more complete three-down back than Benson. I can easily see him becoming the starter, with Benson being used in the same kind of role he had behind Thomas Jones in the Bears’ Super Bowl year.” The Bears were particularly pleased with Forté’s pass-catching ability out of the backfield over the weekend. One red flag about Forte worth noting: We hear the team is more than a little concerned about the fumbling problems he had at Tulane.

April

April 25, 2008   

Contract front remains uncomfortably crowded

Heading into the 2008 draft, the Bears were hardly brimming with optimism as far as reaching new contract agreements with star defenders Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris any time soon. It would hardly be shocking if that outlook changed for the better once this year’s draft smoke clears, particularly in the case of Harris, who remains a bigger contract priority at present than Urlacher, who has ruffled some feathers with his decision to steer clear of the team’s ongoing voluntary walkouts. In the case of Urlacher, the Bears, at least publicly, have drawn a pretty clear line in the sand, reportedly offering the undisputed face of the franchise a one-year extension on his current nine-year, $57 million contract, through 2012, which would include $5 million up front, in addition to an extra $1 million added to each year remaining on his current deal, provided he plays 85 percent of the snaps each of those years. Urlacher, meanwhile, is said to be seeking at least a two-year extension with more money up front. Unlike Urlacher, Harris has chosen to continue participating in voluntary workouts, despite the fact he was hardly happy with the way contract talks were going heading into the final weekend of April. At the root of Harris’ dissatisfaction, we hear, was his desire for his current deal to be ripped up and reworked completely, with the Bears preferring to extend his existing contract. Don’t be surprised if RS-WR Devin Hester, who is also angling for a bigger payday, ends up signing a new deal before either Harris or Urlacher.    

April 11, 2008   

Urlacher must stand in line for new deal

When grilled by the local media earlier this week about the sense of urgency in reaching new contracts with star defenders Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris, Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips said, “the sooner the better” in both cases. But according to team insiders, Urlacher, who has decided to initially skip the team’s voluntary offseason workouts that began this week, not only is behind Harris in the pecking order for an adjustment on a deal that still has four years remaining, he’s also behind 2-3 other teammates considered worthy of extensions — WR-RS Devin Hester, PK Robbie Gould and possibly DE Mark Anderson. Our sources also don’t view Urlacher’s early boycott as a sign of bad things to come, but rather that, when push comes to shove, they expect him to be fully participating in team activities before the summer runs its course. Harris, meanwhile, is considered by far the top priority of team management. Even though we're told talks at Halas Hall with Harris’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, broke off Wednesday without any real progress being reported, we hear the odds remain strong that a new deal will be consummated in the not-too-distant future. Word is the Bears have offered Harris more than the eyebrow-raising seven-year, $50.5 million deal the Raiders doled out to DL Tommy Kelly — a figure substantial enough to ensure Harris’ participation in the team’s current conditioning program without issue. 

April 4, 2008   

McGowan figures in muddled safety mix

Restricted free agent Brandon McGowan will definitely be back with the Bears after signing his one-year, $1.417 million tender April 1. But one of the bigger questions at Halas Hall these days is whether he’ll be the starting strong safety in Week One after starting nine games at the position last season. The way we hear it, McGowan’s status is directly linked to that of ninth-year veteran Mike Brown, who has been sidelined with a variety of injuries more often than not the past four seasons (43 games missed, to be exact). After having being led to believe that Brown’s future with the team was on very shaky ground because of his persistent health problems, we’re now hearing he could be back in the safety mix in a big way as the front-runner for the FS spot. “He goes to the head of the class if he’s healthy,” one team insider said of Brown, a quality playmaker and emotional leader — when he’s able to stay on the field. If Brown regains the reins at free safety, the stage would then be set for what could be a very interesting battle for the starting SS spot between McGowan; Danieal Manning, the starting free safety much of last season; and 2007 fifth-round pick Kevin Payne, who really impressed the Bears last season before fracturing his arm in Week Four. “The Bears have kept McGowan around the last three seasons because they like him,” the insider told PFW. “His biggest strength is the physical, intimidating presence he offers. He can really blow up guys. But he’s had problems in pass coverage and staying healthy.”

March

March 28, 2008   

Beekman first in line at left guard

Will the Bears possibly be able to fill two gaping holes on their offensive line — right tackle and left guard — in the upcoming draft? The consensus around Halas Hall seems to be that the Bears will be able to fill one of those holes for sure, with perhaps a couple of starting-caliber tackles expected to be available when they pick 14th overall in the first round. But unless the Bears go out on a limb and switch their first-round gears in the direction of a top OG prospect such as Branden Albert, which doesn’t appear too likely, the team’s optimism is guarded, at best, that it will be able to find a left guard in late April who is capable of starting right away. Which brings us to Josh Beekman, the Bears’ fourth-round pick in 2007, who is considered by most team insiders to be the front-runner to take over at left guard in ’08 — even though he barely saw the field during his rookie season. “You keep hearing about how much they like Beekman, that he’s smart and a real hard worker, but you have to wonder why the Bears didn’t put him in the lineup last year after (Terrence) Metcalf got his chance and blew it,” a team source told PFW. There are also concerns about Beekman’s lack of size. He’s listed as 6-2, 310, on NFL.com, “but he certainly doesn’t look that big,” the same source said. “He looks even smaller than (starting C) Olin Kreutz, who’s undersized himself. Beekman could have a problem handling real strong tackles at the pro level.”

March 19, 2008   

Benson's ankle injury could alter draft plans

With unproven second-year pro Josh Beekman and mediocre-at-best seventh-year pro Terrence Metcalf considered the front-runners for the starting OLG job, and journeyman John St. Clair shaping up as the starter at right tackle heading into the draft, it’s easy to see why the consensus among team sources is that the Bears remain committed to bolstering their offensive line with their first pick (14th overall) in late April. But the way we hear it, the Bears’ need for help at running back may be greater than the team is letting on, with rumors circulating that the ankle injury that prematurely ended underachieving featured back Cedric Benson’s 2007 season might actually be serious enough to potentially threaten his career. With the Bears being more tight-lipped than ever regarding injury information, it’s hard to get an exact gauge on Benson’s ongoing rehab. Daily team observers tell us Benson has been a regular at Halas Hall this offseason, but nobody has seen him actually working out. The best guess is that, at the very least, the verdict on Benson will remain out until he actually tests the ankle for the first time in training camp. In the meantime, the Bears are said to have every intention of addressing their need for RB help in the draft — but probably not until the third round, where they think they could still find quality help. However, if Arkansas hotshot Darren McFadden somehow falls through the cracks in the first round of the draft and is still available at No. 14 — a scenario our draft insiders believe is entirely possible — our sources suspect GM Jerry Angelo and his crew might have to think long and hard about possibly switching gears.

March 12, 2008   

New WRs Booker, Lloyd create instant impact

While the Bears talked a good game at this year’s Scouting Combine — when they said they had great confidence in what would be a very unproven WR corps if free agent Bernard Berrian were to split the scene — the recent cost-effective additions of veteran free-agent WRs Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd emphatically prove otherwise. Team sources are in agreement that Booker, who was a quality go-to guy for the final three years in his first five-year go-round with the Bears (1999-2003), and Lloyd, who has been reunited with Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who was his head coach at the University of Illinois, could probably be considered the No. 1 and No. 2 WRs, respectively, by default — “although (Mark) Bradley could challenge Lloyd for the No. 2 spot,” according to one team insider. As for Devin Hester, who had been considered a serious candidate for the No. 1 spot before Booker and Lloyd came aboard, he is now apparently being viewed as either the No. 3 or No. 4 guy in the Bears’ revamped WR corps. “Bradley and Lloyd are the X-factors,” a source said. “Lloyd has some decent tools (14.5 yards per catch career average), but he’s had a lot of other issues that have stood in his way. With Bradley, it’s a case of better health and just getting more of an opportunity. The Bears admit it’s partially their fault that he didn’t get on the field more last season.” Lloyd caused an instant stir in his first interview with the local media after signing when he indicated that he had been told Rex Grossman was going to be the Bears’ starter next season. In no time flat, Turner went on the public airways, declaring that Lloyd had made an incorrect assumption, and that the competition for the starting QB job indeed remained wide open. Longtime Lloyd observers were hardly surprised by Lloyd’s ill-advised utterance, and they believe the verdict remains very much out on whether he will continue his knack for speaking and acting impulsively before actually thinking.     

March 5, 2008   

Primary focus remains contract extensions

There’s no denying the fact that the Bears have been concentrating on taking care of their own. While more than a few daily team observers believe the team would be better-served right about now diligently beating the free-agent bushes for badly needed offensive help, especially at the wideout position, the Bears appear to be making new deals for key core players a bigger priority. In a 10-day span late last month, the Bears re-upped with three players — DE Alex Brown, TE Desmond Clark and QB Kyle Orton — to the tune of about $15 million in new money. Then last weekend, with their budget increasing following the exit of WR Bernard Berrian to Minnesota, they cut a new deal with UFA OLB Lance Briggs, who few team insiders realistically expected to remain on the team before this offseason's free-agent period kicked in. The way we hear it, expect this trend to continue, with restructured deals for DT Tommie Harris, MLB Brian Urlacher, WR Devin Hester and PK Robbie Gould at the top of the team’s wish list. Attempts to extend the contract of Urlacher, whose current deal is set to expire in 2011, have gotten the most hype lately by the local media, but our sources believe the Urlacher talk is a bit overblown, and that a new deal for Harris could actually come first.

February

Feb. 27, 2008   

Berrian's return still iffy after Grossman's deal

Even though the Bears re-upped with QB Rex Grossman late last week during the Scouting Combine, our sources currently consider the odds 60-40, at best, that the team will follow suit with a new deal for unrestricted free-agent WR Bernard Berrian. While Berrian has made it clear that a new deal for Grossman could be a key selling point in the Bears’ favor as far as keeping him in Chicago — considering the steadily improving chemistry Berrian believes he has developed with Grossman — the reality is that Kyle Orton is considered on equal footing with Grossman for the starting QB job in 2008 after Orton signed a one-year contract extension Monday at a figure that sources say is similar to Grossman’s deal. With the Bears’ starting situation under center still very much in the air, we hear there’s no way Berrian isn’t going to seriously consider what is expected to be at least a handful of decent offers from hungry suitors later this week when free agency officially begins. In the meantime, team sources tell us there’s reason to believe renegotiated contracts for non-free agents such as DT Tommie Harris and PK Robbie Gould are considered bigger priorities at the moment than any potential contract negotiations with Berrian and LBs Lance Briggs and Brendon Ayandabejo, the team’s most notable free agents. 

Feb. 22, 2008   

Interest grows in bringing Berrian back

Updated at 4:35 p.m. EST Saturday, Feb. 23

In the Bears’ team meetings just before the Scouting Combine, the word from our sources was that there had been a change of heart regarding the possibility of hanging on to unrestricted free-agent WR Bernard Berrian. “We’ve watched him grow as both a person and a player,” Bears head coach Lovie Smith told PFW at the Combine. “He’s a ‘1’ receiver. It’s important that we bring him back. Hopefully, we can find a way to keep him in Chicago.” Keeping him by using the franchise tag on him, though, just wasn’t an option. “As I’ve said in the past, it’s not something that we like to do with our players,” Bears GM Jerry Angelo said a few hours later in Indianapolis. “We did it last year (with Lance Briggs). “But circumstances were different last year.” As a result, signing Berrian to a new long-term deal has become the only alternative if the team has indeed decided it wants to keep him. And based on what we were hearing from our Bears sources in Indianapolis, it’s an option that has just recently become much more feasible. “We feel we’ve been very aggressive with Bernard,” Angelo said. “Again, he has expressed that he wants to be back. We feel our offer is a good offer, and when we do a deal with a player, we like to do a long-term deal.” The Bears’ chances of re-signing Berrian appeared to improve Saturday, when they inked QB Rex Grossman to a one-year contract before he could become an unrestricted free agent. Berrian and Grossman have had good chemistry in the past.

Feb. 13, 2008   

Bears mum on Urlacher's neck surgery

Updated at 3:40 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 20

True to form, the Bears are saying next to nothing about star LB Brian Urlacher’s recent neck surgery, which was revealed in early February by the Chicago Tribune. The way we hear it, Urlacher should be fully recovered by the time that training camp rolls around, which is the earliest that sources expect the team to go on record with any specific news regarding his physical condition. That said, with Urlacher turning 30 in May and coming off a season in which he felt the persistent effects of an arthritic back condition, there is genuine concern behind the scenes regarding his future, which is now unlikely to include an extension on a deal that currently has four years remaining at a cost of $22.4 million. But if there were any real short-term fears about Urlacher’s playing ability — which was as stellar as ever the last month of the 2007 season — team insiders believe the team would be seriously reconsidering its stance on fellow LB Lance Briggs, an unrestricted free agent whom sources still expect to sign elsewhere.

Feb. 1, 2008   

More production from Olsen a must in '08

The Bears will have their work cut out for them this offseason revamping an offense in dire need of upgrades at almost every position — except tight end. At least that’s one area beleaguered offensive coordinator Ron Turner won’t have to worry about in terms of personnel, with 2007 first-round pick Greg Olsen, consistently underrated nine-year veteran Desmond Clark and solid blocking specialist John Gilmore — an unrestricted free agent whom we hear the team would like to re-sign — currently gracing the depth chart. But word is the heat could be considerable for Turner if Olsen picks up where he left off in his last six games in his rookie campaign and staggers out of the gate in '08. In a unit that was easy to criticize in '07, one of the major complaints was how seldom the Bears used Olsen to stretch the field, which, based on his rookie training camp, it appeared he would be doing at least a few times in every game. In 14 games, Olsen ended up gaining exactly 10 yards per catch, with six receptions of 20 yards or longer and a long gain of 31. After reaching his high-water mark for the year in catches with seven in the Nov. 18 loss at Seattle, Olsen only had a combined 11 catches the final six games, with a long gain of 20 yards. If his production isn’t considerably better from the get-go next season, it will be considered a major disappointment.