Shouting Out Offseason News!

Hey Bears fans.

I figured I'd keep a thread around for just updating offseason news instead of starting a new thread for each update.

Sound fair? I thought so. There's no need for me to do a news upate for everything.

This post news is about Brian Urlacher. He wants to come back to Chicago and is willing to take a hometown discount. I think that's huge for the team now and in the future.

Free agent Brian Urlacher says he'd be open to taking a hometown discount to remain in Chicago.

"Chicago is my home," Urlacher said in a Tuesday radio interview. "When you look at my age and everything, it's going to be hard to not give them a discount. I'm not going to make what I was making in the past, how about that? Does that make sense? That's fair." However, Urlacher has yet to speak with new coach Marc Trestman, and said "either way I'll be good." Although he's lost a step (or three), it's hard to envision Urlacher wearing a different uniform next season.
Source: Chicago Tribune

 I will share a little of my opinion with each on, but not much. I'll be the "extra extra!" guy.

Just read about it on Bears.com.

From a fan perspective, I couldn't have scripted a better response.  His leadership on the field is impeccable and can help this team adjust to Mel Tucker's take on defense this year.  I know it's old-fashioned but Urlacher must retire a Bear in my not so humble opinion.

Emery and Trestman need to make him a fair offer and get this done.  They should want Urlacher back.  They don't need to let him walk away like JA did Kruetz and we are still paying the price for that with ZERO leadership on that offensive line.  He will be healthy this offseason, be in much better shape next season and if he stays healthy, can give you at least 2 more years of being productive.  Look at the Ravens.  Ray Lewis is no where near the player he used to be but his leadership has been instrumental in helping them get back to the Super Bowl.  I say that about Lewis and I personally can't stand the guy as a human being.  He is a great leader and player on the field though, which is all that matters. 

Urlacher will keep the defense together, help Tucker in the transition as well as being the coach on the field like he was during Lovie's tenure.  He needs to be re-signed and since now it doesn't look like he is after a money grab, Emery needs to make this happen.

I know it's old-fashioned but Urlacher must retire a Bear in my not so humble opinion.

With you 100% on this comment.

Kreutz has reached agreement on a one-year deal for between $2 million and $3 million with the [New Orleans Saints], a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton. Incentives could kick the deal up to $4 million.

Scott Van Pelt

Chicago's ESPN 1000's Jeff Dickerson discusses New Orleans' signing of Olin Kreutz, Chicago's offseason, the expectations for the Bears and more.

[ More Podcasts »]

The Saints host the Bears on Sept. 18.

Kreutz, 34, took it hard Saturday when talks broke off with the Bears, who had given him and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, an ultimatum on a one-year, $4 million contract, which was $2 million less than he was paid in 2010.

I in no way want to stick up for JA, but Kreutz was offered 4mil by the Bears and accepted 2mil from the Saints. He did not let Kreutz get away. Olin thought he was worth more and found out he was not. Then quit.


Maybe Urlacher learned something from that deal.  

They don't need to let him walk away like JA did Kruetz and we are still paying the price for that with ZERO leadership on that offensive line.

Sorry but don't agree with this at all. The Bears made the right call regarding Kruetz and were proven to have made the right call by what happened in New Orleans. I mean the guy goes to a better team, a genuine SB contending team and then quits halfway through the season?! That said it all to me, Kruetz was done.

As it was, the Bears offered him about a $4mil and he still walked. And that was a very fair offer considering his play had nosedived for two seasons. The mistake the Bears made wasn't in letting Kruetz walk, it was in having no plan at all for afterwards. There was plenty of time to see it coming.

He will be healthy this offseason, be in much better shape next season and if he stays healthy, can give you at least 2 more years of being productive.

Personally i don't think Urlacher has two years of football left in him. He seems to accept a pay cut is inevitable which is encouraging, but im still not sure a deal gets done. Lach made over 9mil last season, how realistic is he prepared to be? If the Bears paid him anything over 5mil it would be a lot imo. 5mil would still make Urlacher the 5th highest paid player on the team next season as it stands now. Too much.

I'd much rather see 3-4mil but don't know that Urlacher would accept something like that.

Just want to add that Urlacher and Kruetz would probably both be in my all-time top10 Bears players. They were Giants, but its the team i support and seperating the emotion from the economics is not something thats ever really troubled me with football.

As it was, the Bears offered him about a $4mil and he still walked. And that was a very fair offer considering his play had nosedived for two seasons. The mistake the Bears made wasn't in letting Kruetz walk, it was in having no plan at all for afterwards. There was plenty of time to see it coming.

Correct on both counts Everton.  If I remember right there was only about $250,000, maybe $500,000 separating what Kruetz wanted and JA offered.  I think it was a rabid agent that screwed the whole deal and I'm pissed to this day.  Yes his play had diminished considerably but he kept the rest of the O-line in line, called out players for their brain-farts and was stellar in reading defenses which he could relay to the other 4.  Garza simply doesn't have that same ability nor ever claimed he did so I'm not ragging on him either.

On the second point another complete blunder by JA.  Nothing else needs to be said.

JA did let Kruetz walk and at the time it probably was the right decision, Kruetz was being unrealistic in his expectations, I remembered it incorrectly.  I was wrong, but have a tendency to think negatively about almost anything JA ever did because of my extreme hatred for the man. 

He quit on the Saints in my opinion because he really didn't want to be there.  I think he wanted to finish as a Bear.  Granted, it was his fault he was not able to but when he went down there he just felt out of place and I think realized his mistake.  

I disagree with thinking Urlacher has nothing left to give.  He played basically the entire season on one leg and while not what he used to be, still played pretty well.  He wasn't able to train or do anything last offseason, he didn't even get to do anything in training camp and actually had his knee scoped.  Now he is healthy this offseason and will be able to train normally and particpate in mini camps among other stuff. 

The part you cannot measure is the leadership and in a time where the defense lost not only Lovie but Marinelli as well, losing Urlacher would be even more difficult.  I think he can help transition the defense and even help Mel Tucker implement some of the things that made the Bears a top 5 defense last season.  This guy was the coach on the field and would be a huge asset to Mel Tucker.  Plus I think he has at least one more solid season in left in the tank, maybe 2.  If you are Trestman, you want the defense to be playing as close to the level they did last season as possible.  Letting not only the leader of that defense go, but one of the all-time great Bears finish his career elsewhere when he still has something left to give would be a huge mistake in my opinion.  You can ask everyone of those defensive players who the leader is and 100% of them will say Urlacher. 

The key is going to be what monetary value you put on the extra things he brings.  He still can play at a high level.  May not be a Pro Bowler but will be better for this team next season than any free agent they can sign or rookie they will draft.  They want to win next season, than this is the guy they need in the middle of that defense.  

If you don't want him back, then who do you want to replace him? 

I'm pissed to this day

So am i. It shouldn't have ended like that. Kruetz had a glittering career, was a warrior and a leader. But i blame him as well as the agent. He shouldn't have needed to be told 4mil was a good offer and he should take it.

New Orleans says to me that Kruetz knew he was very near the end, i think he was just trying to squeeze one more big money season out of the Bears, then got proud and overplayed it. Thats exactly why the team always comes first to me. Even a guy like Kruetz, when it came to the crunch, he threw it away over a quarter mil. I'm hope he now wishes it had been done the right way, i know i do.

If you don't want him back, then who do you want to replace him?

I want Urlacher back, i hope they can work something out. MLB won't be strongest spot on the team next season whatever they do, but its certainly better for all concerned if Urlacher is back next year, for all the reasons you say aggie. But......not at any cost. Its gotta be team friendly. I'd prefer a straight 1year deal, but if they want to include options and stuff go ahead. But no gauranteed money after the 1st year.

The Seattle game where he broke down at the end really made me wonder if Urlacher could ever get through a full season healthy again. Personally i don't see him playing in 2014. And for those reasons, even if they do resign him, i still want a 2nd rounder as well for cover/the future.

Interesting. Tim Jennings escalator changes how his extension will be handled.

Bears RCB Tim Jennings triggered an escalator in his contract, raising his 2013 salary from $3.25 million to $4.25 million.

Jennings had a career year in 2012, swatting away 21 passes and racking up a league-best nine interceptions. Jennings graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 9 corner in the NFL, five spots behind teammate Charles Tillman. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract.
 

And for those reasons, even if they do resign him, i still want a 2nd rounder as well for cover/the future.

I am with you 100% on this.  I just don't want to let him go and have to plug a rookie in or some free agent when we are trying to make a Super Bowl run.  Plus, I would hate to see Urlacher in any other uniform.  I agree we don't need to overpay him but a serious effort needs to be made.

I'm pissed to this day

So am i. It shouldn't have ended like that. Kruetz had a glittering career, was a warrior and a leader. But i blame him as well as the agent. He shouldn't have needed to be told 4mil was a good offer and he should take it.

I'm not; as soon as the rule changed that Kreutz couldnt do that......psychotic, angry hand thingy that made him look possessed--he lost a huge part of his game--because he was a small dude, but had that "crazy" wildcard he could play to his advantage.  After that; his play went down, due to age.  Was he a leader?  Was he one of the best?  Absolutely.  But in a world where the game no longer appreciates veterans living on a former resume; and the "what can you do for me now" mentality--it was his time.

That, and he and his agent did that to him.  He has nobody to blame but himself for that.

If you don't want him back, then who do you want to replace him?

This is troublesome.  Because I think Lance Briggs can do it, but probably shouldnt.  Nick Roach cant.  The Bears gotta decide real quick what to do about this.  BU wants to stay and retire a bear, but didnt hesitate to add that if he cant continue playing for the bears, he'll go somewhere else.  I'd sign the man.  2 more years tops.  Then target a slew of guys in the 2nd round. 

One thing I could appreciate about the bears when it came to LBs was that they found tall, fast ones.  I would still stick to that logic, ergo--I'd like Shayne Skov (6'3 4.5 projected forty), Chase Thomas (6'4 4.4 projected 40), or Kevin Reddick (6'3, 4.5 projected 40).  But we have to get a dynamite OL in round 1 and FA.  If we cant--I'd pass for next year waiting for a MLB.  Or rounds 4-6. 

Absolutely.  But in a world where the game no longer appreciates veterans living on a former resume; and the "what can you do for me now" mentality--it was his time.

That, and he and his agent did that to him.  He has nobody to blame but himself for that.

I agree, but I don't blame the Bears for giving Olin a timetable of a few hours to make a decision on that contract, I think Olin expected a little more respect and perhaps a little more time to make that decision. I also don't hold him quitting on the Saints against him because if a guys heart isn't in it I would rather them just walk away from the game instead of hanging out just to collect a check. I don't know what he feels or how he felt with the Saints, but it's obvious the situation there didn't have the same rewards as what he had here so I won't hold that against him, he was a Bear and I guess in his heart always will be.

Moving on from front office to players. I figured you all would like this!

CHICAGO – Although [Chicago Bears] wide receiver [Brandon Marshall] remains on crutches following arthroscopic hip surgery, he said he plans to mentor second-year wideout [Alshon Jeffery] this offseason and will begin training with him on Monday in South Florida. 

"I'm excited because this kid has the potential to be an All-Pro one year," Marshall said of Jeffery Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN Chicago 1000. "If he just changes some little things, the way he approaches the game as far as physically and mentally, he's going to be a beast. Because he has that dog in him, he has that in him, that you want in a receiver ... a guy who is going to make plays for you. 

"For me, I always started training the week after the Super Bowl, and he's going into his second year so it shouldn't be a problem for him. As I'm getting a little older, I have to change the way I attack it. Starting off, our routines will be a little different, but just getting him with the right people, nutritionists, trainer, chiropractors and all that stuff. (It's about) showing him the other side of the business, showing him it's not just about coming to work and going on the field. There is so much more to the game that will allow you to be successful if you just do it. I'm excited to have this position." 

Marshall spoke openly during the regular season about his desire to train with Jeffery, the Bears' 2012 second-round draft choice out of South Carolina. Jeffery caught 24 passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns in a 10-game rookie season that was cut short due to hand and knee injuries. 

But Marshall will be unable to train with Jeffery at full speed for several weeks, as Marshall is still on crutches after undergoing hip surgery in early January. Marshall said he deals with hip problems every year and is believed to need constant treatments on the hip during the regular season. 

But Marshall still set Bears' single-season franchise records with 118 receptions for 1,508 yards, to go along with 11 touchdowns in his first year in Chicago after the Bears acquired him via trade from the [Miami Dolphins] last offseason. 

"I need to have the hip procedure every year so it seems like every time I have the surgery (I have) a Pro Bowl year, so hopefully the surgeries keep coming because it seems like those are my best years," said Marshall, who was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl this season. "It's just part of the game, everyone is banged up, everyone is injured. For me, I just had to get my hip cleaned out a little bit. It was causing me a little discomfort, a little pinching, but again, I went through the whole year and was able to be productive. 

"I'm just excited to get back out there. I'll be on crutches for another few weeks, and after that I'll start running a week or two after that." 

ESPN Chicago 

This is not a shock to anyone....

ESPN Chicago says it would be an "upset" if Kellen Davis returns to the Bears.

Davis is due $2.5 million in total for the final year of his two-year deal, but he proved to be a complete bust in 2012. He has appeared in all 80 games in his five seasons in the league, but Davis has managed to put up just 47 catches for 529 yards and 11 scores over that time. According to Pro Football Focus, Davis dropped eight of his 44 targets last year.Source: [ESPN Chicago] 

This is not a shock to anyone....

ESPN Chicago says it would be an "upset" if Kellen Davis returns to the Bears.

Davis is due $2.5 million in total for the final year of his two-year deal, but he proved to be a complete bust in 2012. He has appeared in all 80 games in his five seasons in the league, but Davis has managed to put up just 47 catches for 529 yards and 11 scores over that time. According to Pro Football Focus, Davis dropped eight of his 44 targets last year.Source: [ESPN Chicago] 

I dont ever advocate violence......but when he gets his formal release; I'll be waiting to give his useless ass the old yeller treatment.....what a waste of space.

I dont ever advocate violence......but when he gets his formal release; I'll be waiting to give his useless ass the old yeller treatment.....

Ol' Yeller treatment?!!  That's just WRONG... 

He hasn't earned the right to go out that quickly.  I was thinking more of a wet sponge, metal chair, jumper cable type deal.

Interesting. Tim Jennings escalator changes how his extension will be handled.

 

Bears RCB Tim Jennings triggered an escalator in his contract, raising his 2013 salary from $3.25 million to $4.25 million.

Jennings had a career year in 2012, swatting away 21 passes and racking up a league-best nine interceptions. Jennings graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 9 corner in the NFL, five spots behind teammate Charles Tillman. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract.

I really hope that management sees just how good my man Timmy Jennings is on tape. 

He is, by far, the best open field tackler on the team.  In fact, I can't recall him ever missing a critical tackle.  He is also the best cover guy on the team, with Peanut a not that close second (but still good).  

Thankfully, we have new management blood now.  Hopefully they recognize real value when they see it.  

Tim Jennings at $4.25 mil for a Pro Bowl corner represents HUGE value.

Look at the free agent money given to the likes of Asomugha and Cromartie, and how their stats stack up to Tim Jennings.  The Bears are getting a beast at a bargain basement price.

Trestman responds about Brian Urlacher.

When asked about Brian Urlacher's future with the team, new head coach Marc Trestman was complementary but noncommittal.

"I’ve watched the man play for a lot of years. He exemplifies what being a Chicago Bear is all about, and we all know that," Trestman said. "When I step out of this room, we’ll begin to study, and I’ll talk to Phil [Emery] about where personnel fits on this football team and how it works." Emery added, "The things that are very difficult to replace for Brian, if we were ever to move in a different direction, is the leadership that he has and the knowledge base that he has with our system." Free agency begins March 12, and Urlacher told ESPN Chicago he’s hopeful he’ll remain a Bear.

Source: [Chicago Sun-Times] 

I personally think, bringing to mind the circumstances, it would be stupid not to resign him for short term. On one leg, the guy is far and away the best Mike on the roster, and Mongo already pointed out the facts. This new group seems to not want to show any hands whatsoever.

What do you guys think of getting Asomugha? Good depth?

CSN Philly's Geoff Mosher is confident the Eagles will release RCB Nnamdi Asomugha this offseason.

Mosher suspects Asomugha wouldn't be kept even if he slashed his $15 million base salary all the way down to $3 million. He's that representative of what went wrong with the Eagles the past two seasons. Going on age 32, Asomugha will draw some interest when he hits free agency from teams that play press-man coverage in the back end. Asomugha needs to get his confidence back, though.
Source: [CSN Philly]