Brian Urlacher

According to ESPN, Brian Urlacher’s agent has submitted a contract proposal to the Bears organization, hoping to influence their decision to keep him around for next season. Although his performance declined in 2012, he is a life long Bear with a desire to stay in Chicago. Details of the proposal have not been released yet, but considering that compensation was the biggest issue regarding his status, chances are he is seeking less than the base salary he had last year ($7.5 million without the workout bonus).

My guess is that if he is asking for more than $4 million/year, then the Bears will pass or ask for the contract to be adjusted further. I personally just think if they can find a way to make it work financially where they are not taking a hit, then they don’t really have a reason to turn him away.

Miracle Coming in the Form of Jared Cook?

As we all know by now, Jared Cook wasn’t given the franchise tag by Tennessee which leads people to think he will test free agency. And how perfect would he be for Chicago? Just think about that for a second…

We need a new weapon for our passing offense. We need a weapon in the form of tight end. Marshall cannot do it alone. Kellen Davis has been rather inconsistent at the tight end position and this would be a pretty good upgrade.  Sooo basically this is perfect. I don’t wanna say anything else about it or anything because then I will get my hopes up. But just think about this and how great it is.

Off season Schedule

Mark Trestman has released his off season schedule that Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune posted today. The basic details are below:

• Voluntary off season workout program begins April 2nd.
• Extra, voluntary mini-camp April 16 -18. This is awarded to teams who have new coaches.
• Rookie mini-camp for draft picks, undrafted free-agents: May 10 – 12.
• Off season training (OTAs): May 13 – June 6
• Mandatory min-camp: June 11 – 13.

Busy off season ahead, but this is great considering the complete revamp the team has seen so far.

Jason Campbell

Don’t think about the horrendous loss to San Francisco, guys. And forget about those six sacks that occurred that night. But according to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bears look like they are interested in resigning Jason Campbell to backup QB Cutler next year.

Campbell brings veteran experience to the table which seems to be a big plus, and he is affordable for the team. Thoughts on Campbell coming back? Is there anyone else out there right now that we can afford that can potentially be a better fit? These are all questions people are throwing out there, and valid ones at that. But I would not be surprised if he does in fact get re-signed.

Henry Melton– one of the best defensive tackles in the league. The problem? The Bears are revamping, and they cap issues are alive and well. Especially when you look at how much is tied up with our defense and their fairly large contracts.

Peppers‘ contract is a killer, at $16.4 million. But he is also playing at a pretty high level for being 32 years old. And Lance Briggs is owed $7.2 million and on his second year of the three year contract.

Tillman is on his final year of his current contract and is due $8 million. I don’t see why the Bears wouldn’t extend his contract this off season, which is something Brad Biggs discussed on Twitter last month. It would help them with taking the financial hit this year, and he is still playing really great ball. Seems like a win-win situation to me.

Anyway, onto Henry Melton..  Right now the Bears cannot afford to let Melton go. Mel Tucker will be the one deciding on if he will be able to use him in his new defensive strategy, but he has said that he wants an attacking front, and that is where Melton shines. He is so fast, like have you seen him play? I’m talking really fast. I know some fans are hesitant because of the whole Tommie Harris situation and how that played out, but this guy is different and still so young. I genuinely think it would be in the Bears’ best interests to sign him to a long term deal.

So far Emery has made pretty consistent and positive decisions this off season. We’ll know for sure how everything plays out when the season starts, but I trust that he will see the talent in young Henry Melton and sign him accordingly.

Starting today, teams can designate franchise players for the upcoming season. The Bears will have 15 days to decide what to do about Melton. Whether to figure out a long term deal that both parties can agree on, or use the franchise tag that weighs in at about $8.3 million. Although I do not believe this figure is 100% yet.

Johnny Knox’s Contract Terminated (Photo via: espn.com)

According to the Chicago Tribune and ESPN, the Chicago Bears announced Tuesday morning that they have terminated the contract of wide receiver, Johnny Knox.

After sustaining a seveare spinal injury towards the end of the 2011 season against the Seahawks, Knox has recieved many treatments but if you saw that play, you know that it was clear he could never walk again. Thankfully that wasn’t the case, but even so, last July Knox was also placed on the PUP list, ruling him out for this past season.

If you need a reminder of how unappealing the hit was, watch it here:

 Knox was a fan favorite throughout his three seasons, and it’s sad to see him go. Not sure if this is the end of his career, but after an injury like that I’m not sure many people would be surprised.

Best of luck to him and his recovery.

The Fate Of Brian Urlacher (Photo via: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

For the first time in his career, Brian Urlacher is set to be a free agent. After becoming the face of the Bears franchise, fans are now torn between releasing him and keeping him around for good.

At the end of the 2011 season, Urlacher sustained a knee injury that impacted his play this past year. Then at the end of this year, week 12 against Seattle, Brian sustained a hamstring injury that ended his season. He’s 34 years old, and isn’t the same player we have seen for throughout his career. We are tight on cap space and must address other issues this off season as well.

But so what?

Urlacher brings adjustments to the defense that others cannot, and he is able to recognize a rapid change in offense and react accordingly. He isn’t a coach (yet), but he is a leader on the field and will be a valuable piece to our defense during this transitional year. Brian may not be as explosive as he once was, but he is the type of player that makes everyone around him better. And potentially, if a LB was drafted this year, it would be great to have Urlacher here to help him grow into the position. Not doing a coaches job (obviously), but as a team leader. Something most teams have.

And how can people honestly say he isn’t valuable anymore? “He is only valuable when he is healthy…blah blah”— yeah, I know that. That is common sense and applies to everyone. But before his hamstring injury this year, Urlacher led the team with 88 tackles, a pick-six and 3 forced fumbles- and this was AFTER he recovered from the injury and surgery he sustained a year prior. If Brian can receive the proper treatment this year (sooner rather than later- but PLEASE don’t pull a Ray Lewis), I think he will still manage to play most of the season effectively.

And if you are worried about cap space, Brian was recently on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on WMVP-AM and was very realistic about the entire situation. He realizes that he is not what he once was, and it seems that he is willing to work with the Bears on coming up with a solution everyone would be happy with. The direct quote according to NFL.com was: “I’m not going to make what I was making in the past, how about that? Does that make sense? That’s fair.” If the organization and Brian can come to an agreement, why not keep him around during this transition and see what he can bring to the table? Sign a 1-year deal, and from there you can reevaluate the contract.

And this is a side note, but to be honest, if Brian Urlacher gets let go and Hester stays–how would the team be able to justify that move? How?

….exactly

So personally, I’m hoping Urlacher and the Bears organization can come to an agreement. It’s important for Bears fans to understand he won’t be the player he once was, but even at 34, he is still more effective than most in the league. Let him ride it out here at home and take another look next year. Maybe we’ll be able to call him Coach Urlacher at that point.

Trestman, who was named the new head coach of the Bears less than two days ago, has already made significant changes to the coaching staff.

First there was defensive coordinator Marinelli, who decided to take his talents elsewhere and to pursue other opportunities. As much as most Bears fans wanted him to stay, it comes as no surprise when you realize how close he is with Lovie Smith [see previous post]. It was basically bound to happen.

Now, there is basically the entire offensive staff…

Trestman hired Aaron Kromer from New Orleans as the new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in Chicago, and that basically set up Mike Tice’s future regardless of his contract through this year. Tice’s offensive strategies were minimal and non-impressive. He cannot be held accountable for the injuries that impacted our game plan, but every other offensive struggle was overwhelming, and Trestman addressed that with his dismissal.

Aaron Kromer served as interim head coach this year for the Saints, and so of course everyone is going to start judging him based on how their season went.. But can you guys not? Trestman did not hire Kromer to be a head coach, he hired him to be the offensive coordinator. So the abilities the decision was based on are not the same in those two categories. These two men worked together in the past, and I’m confident that anyone would be an improvement to Mike Tice’s disappointing season (no offensive to anyone that would take offense to the facts).

Next up, Mr. Jeremy Bates, who I really liked. Not only did he have a great relationship with Cutler, but I don’t think he had much to do with the offensive disaster that commenced halfway through the season. (Maybe disaster was a strong word, but you get it). I’m sure Cutler is a little hurt by this move, but I don’t think he would expect a new HC to do anything different thus far. Seriously though, I just hope Bates realizes that Cutler is good but he is NOT Drew Brees.

Other guys who were let go include the running backs coach Tim Spencer, offensive line coach Tim Holt, tight ends coach Mike DeBord and receivers coach Darryl Drake.

So basically the sidelines are going to look completely different next year, guys. Start your studying. And for your reference, please see the pictures, names and positions of the new coaches below. This comes straight off of the Chicago Bears website.

New Chicago Bears Staff (Photo via: ChicagoBears.com)

UPDATE 11:40am: During the press conference on Thursday morning, Trestman officially announced that Marinelli has decided to part ways with the organization. 

Thank you for all your hard work, Rod. Good luck to you!

………………………………….

Marinelli Needs To Stay In Chicago (Photo via: WindyCityGridiron.com)

NBC Sports reported that the latest rumor is that Defensive Guru Rod Marinelli could be on his way out of Chicago. The Bears defense was ranked fifth in the league last season and also had a league high of 44 defensive turnovers.

Although I have heard mixed reactions from Bears fans, I personally don’t think this is the best news.

Throughout the interview process for a new head coach, fans have been persistent in their desire to keep the defense as-is (with reason). Marinelli has done an outstanding job with our D, especially when it comes to training some of the younger guys on the line as well as keeping the older guys on defense extremely relevant in play. His defensive philosophies are what have helped this defense become, over time, what it is today. We have always been a defensive minded organization and Marinelli has been a huge part of that for the last four years. He is familiar with the Bears organization and our scheme, and the relationship he has with the guys on this roster is comparable to that of Lovie.  

I completely agree that our offense needs to be reevaluated under Trestman and that was obviously Emery’s number 1 concern throughout this process, but the defense needs to be just as big of a priority as the coaching staff gets determined this week and with that Trestman needs to convince Rod to stay with the Bears. It would be a huge loss otherwise. I understand his relationship with Lovie was very important to him and that he doesn’t want to start over with a new boss (out of respect, personal preference, etc.), but Lovie’s inability to develop and sustain a good offense is not something that should impact his decision to stay with something he has helped make great.

It will be interesting to see how the discussions got this week and how the staff is determined. Also, how would the defense react if this happened? How and what would the process be for determining his replacement? I’m hoping Trestman can convince Rod to stay with Chicago.

Marc Trestman Named Bears HC (Photo via: The Montreal Gazette)

After plenty of interviews, on Tuesday night the Bears named Marc Trestman the new head coach. Many of you don’t know much about Trestman and have not done your research on the guy, so you will be quick to judge since you don’t recognize the name, but in my mind he is a good hire with huge shoes to fill. Although he has been out of the league for several years, he has most recently coached in the CFL and he has the appropriate experience under his belt to bring an offensive change to the team.

For those of you who don’t know, here are a few of the major notes about Trestman:

• Throughout the 1980s, Marc worked as the quarterbacks coach for several teams including the University of Miami, Tampa Bay and Cleveland. During those years he also worked in Minnesota as a running backs coach.
• Into the 90s, Trestman worked with the 49ers as the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach. That year the Niners led the NFL in scoring and passing yards (1995). Trestman then worked as the quarterbacks coach in Detroit. And then moved onto Arizona where he filled offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach positions.
• In the early 2000s, Marc worked in Oakland and won the AFC the year he was made offensive coordinator. That same year Oakland led the NFL in total offense as well as passing yards. This was Oakland’s prime, don’t forget.

Obviously there is no way of knowing ahead of time that this decision was the right one, but that would be the case no matter who the hire was. Emery has done his research and if after ALL of those interviews Trestman stood out as bringing this change to our offense, then so be it.

Trestman is qualified, and on top of his extensive resume, he brings a familiar character to the field that the players are used to (aka he is NOT a hot head because that is NOT what this team needs). With one more year on Cutler’s contract, it will be interesting to see what Marc can accomplish within that time. As we know, it takes a while to develop a new team and a new offensive culture, but the contract on the line may speed things up a bit.

Side note: If your going to bash this decision, at least have a reason to do it. You don’t know what someone is capable of until they have the chance. Educate yourself on Trestman’s past before your troll your way all over the Internet saying it’s a horrible hire.

As the list grows and Emery continues his search, it has now expanded to Special Teams Coaches throughout the league that have something to prove.

Some people don’t think that Special Teams Coaches should be considered viable candidates, but why not? I mean, with all due respect, they are interviewing Singletary, I don’t think they are leaving any options off the table.

*Side note: I fully respect and honor Singletary as a vital part of Bears, and NFL history and he will always have a special place in Chicago’s heart, but not on the field as the head coach of this team. I don’t think he was every considered seriously, but I think Emery wants to hear what everyone thinks and leave nothing off the table. Do I believe that he got any form of call back? I do not. It is all love though. I would not mind seeing him come back to fulfill another position or contribute in another way in the future, but not as the big boss at this time.

Dave Toub- Out of all the special teams coaches, it seems that Toub is the only candidate with any potential. He has been one of the better coaches in his position in the league and his results have been proven on the field. Toub is familiar with the Bears organization, their defense, as well as Tice’s up-and-coming offense, and Emery must have taken notice or his leadership qualities and overall knowledge. As much as I like Toub, I think he is great at what he does and am not sure he could adjust to being the big guy on campus. Emery is open for any suggestions at this point as he further develops this team, and I think he is simply hearing Toub out and looking to be impressed (which is honestly what I think is going on with all these special teams coaches being interviewed.)

Keith Armstrong – It seems like the media is noting that the Rooney Rule is taking it’s 2013 effect on things with Armstrong’s popularity. Maybe this is true, but in addition, Emery seems to be keeping ties with some people he has  worked with in the past to see what they have to offer and I think this is another one of those situations. Armstrong has previously worked for the Bears as a special teams coach and also worked with Emery while he was a scout for the team in the late ’90s. I personally don’t think Armstrong has a strong enough offensive background to be considered seriously for the position.

Joe DeCamillis: DeCamillis was not allowed to interview with Oakland for a special teams coach opening last year because the Cowboys loved him so much. This year, things changed and DeCamillis was on the board for Bears for the head coaching gig.  Cowboys fans want him out, Bears fans don’t really want him at all. Joe’s special teams’ performance has been below average at best. Not sure if he can bring much of anything to the table here.

Mike Priefer:  I don’t know much about any of these guys on a more specific level besides Toub, and Priefer is the one guy that I probably know even less about. What I DO know? He has been coaching for 11 years. He is currently with Minnesota but has worked with other teams in the past. His bio specifically shows Denver and Kansas City. I also know that the few friends I have that are Vikings fans like him and would like him to stay. That’s all I have for this one.

Like I said before, I do not think that any of these candidates are potential front runners for the position. With all of the other talent out there, specifically in the offensive coordinator market that Emery has visited so often, I would find it odd that any of these guys make the top 3. Emery just wants to see what is out there and get as many options as possible which believe it or not, isn’t a bad thing. Fans need to be patient and have faith in what he is doing because this decision could impact the future of the organization for years to come.

Phil Emery (Photo via: Chicago Sun Times Bears Blog)

Emery and his team will have a lot of work to do in the coming week or so as the interview process begins to the find the new head coach of the Chicago Bears after letting Lovie Smith go after nine seasons. Here is a run down of FOUR of the names being thrown around for the position:

Mike McCoy

Mr. McCoy has had an interesting couple of seasons as an offense coordinator in Denver. Last year, he managed to take a Tebow-led team into the playoffs, which speaks immensely about his talent as an offensive leader for the team and being able to adjust to certain, difficult situations (yea, exactly what you think I’m saying). This year, his offense is led into the playoffs by future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning, which has obviously made things a little easier for him. But, like always, McCoy has been able to adjust to the changes and help the team into the playoffs. More recently, Manning, more or less, came out in support for McCoy getting offered a head coaching gig by saying he’s “ready” for the position.  McCoy is a huge favorite for the job, but because Black Monday took such a huge hit on many teams, the Bears will have to fight for him.

Tom Clements

The Bears have asked the Packers for permission to interview Clements as well—and I LOVE this. I don’t care what Bears fans say about him being a Packer, he has proven himself and I think he is perfect. Clements has been able to develop Rogers (God given talents aside) into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He has also been able to have fairly consistent winning seasons back to back to back with an older set of wide receivers, keeping everyone on the same page. He is familiar with the die-hard characteristics that come with the fans and the organization (some Bears fans won’t want to be compared to Green Bay or their fans, but the passion that they both feel are similar, so it’s the truth). With an impressive resume going all the way back to college, I personally think Clements would be the best fit for our team. I think he truly understands what the Bears need and can come up with a plan to address it successfully.

Bruce Arians

Bruce Arians has had a busy few years. After being hired as the wide receivers coach in Pittsburgh in 2003, he then was the Offensive Coordinator in Pittsburgh for four years, gaining attention for working well with Ben Roethlisberger throughout multiple off-field hiccups and leading the Steelers to back to back winning seasons. More recently, Arians has done a spectacular job leading the Colts into the playoffs during Pagano’s absence and helping Andrew Luck develop into one of the more promising looking rookies in the league. Arians is another top pick for the job here in Chicago. I think he is fairly adaptable, similar to McCoy, and I think he is also familiar enough with strong defenses, a.k.a. I don’t think Arians will fix something that is not broken.

Pete Carmichael Jr.

Carmichael has been the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints since 2009. He also had to resume play calling duties this year due to Payton’s suspension. And although the Saints struggled this season, their offense continued to shine.  I’m not sold on Carmichael as a head coach for the Bears, but Emery definitely wants someone who has proven themselves recently with their offense which Pete has. I know of Carmichael more from the past year and not much before; what he managed to do, while not doing at the same time, is pretty impressive. Not one of my favorite picks.

There are several more names being thrown around for the HC job- this was just an intro of some of the top names. We will readdress this tomorrow.

Bears Part Ways With Lovie Smith (Photo via: Yahoo Sports)

After finishing the season 10-6, and starting the season 7-1, the Bears fail to make the playoffs for the fifth time in six years. Following this, the Bears parted ways with Lovie Smith as the head coach after 9 seasons, even though he had three losing seasons during that time.

Devin Hester did not keep quite about the decision and spoke of retiring after the news surfaced. According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, an emotional Hester said “I don’t even know if I want to play again.”

On ESPN 1000 this morning, Mike Ditka also said he was also very unhappy about the decision. Ditka said: “If Minnesota would have lost last night and the Bears were in the playoffs this wouldn’t have happened. That’s a fact. So how stupid is it then? It really is stupid.”

Considering the changes in management over the past year or so, this does not come as a surprise to me personally, although I am not happy about it. Lovie is a great defensive coach, has struggled on offense, but has always seemed to have the hearts of all his players. But I think the decision was influenced by the lack of a reliable offense that has been developed the past several seasons. And all that is fair, but the front office needs to give Lovie credit for what he has been able to accomplish while he was here, and Phil Emery must realize that his first year as GM is over, and it is only realistic that he will have to be held responsible for more as we move forward as an organization.

At the end of the day this is a business, and I’m sure that there are a lot of bitter politics involved in all of these decisions. But after the former general manager made a series of questionable decisions and made a few changes to the offensive staff that contributed (some what) to the lack of protection of the QB, Lovie managed to keep it together to the best of his ability.

I would also argue that the lack of consistency in management and coaching is something the Bears need to avoid in order to make the most of the talent on the roster. We won’t know if this is the right decision right now, and we won’t know until we see what happens next season, but right now everyone should be thankful for the Lovie era and all he has done for this city and organization.