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Wow, that's a lot cheaper than I think most people were expecting. I don't think he had enough teams pursuing him thinking that his demands would be too great.
LOL, for the past 1 1/2 it's been all this talk about Briggs leaving and CHI is not where he will play anymore...all the hub bub for nothing it seems.Let's how he does without having the % of plays incentive to motivate him.
Are you trying to imply Briggs will give less effort now that he has a long term contract?
I don't think they were ever in it. The Bears never sign any big FA's.
I think Briggs is being incorrectly pegged as a system player. Sure, his tackle stats are elevated by the scheme, but the Bears weren't exclusively a Tampa-2 team and Briggs was more physical than many give him credit for. Jamar Williams was so unimpressive that the team didn't trust him in the nickel packages last year after drafting Michael Okwo in the 4th round last year as a hedge. And they wasted little time dumping Okwo on IR with a shoulder injury, which didn't do much for his on-field growth. I think if they hadn't re-signed Briggs, they'd have brought in a guy like Demorrio Williams or another draft pick to compete for the WLB spot.
i guess i see your point, although i didnt think williams was that poor last yr, and they havent even given okwo a chance. but truly my point is that as it sits now, we have rexy/orton, benson, bradley, and hester, and an o line gaping with holes. i think the williams/okwo plug in would be fine in the case were your offense is currently looking to be the poorest in the league. any and all money at this point should be spent offensively, unless i guess losing 13-3 every week is your goal.
I don't think the Bears were planning on being able to re-sign Briggs as they headed into free agency, but once it was apparent that Briggs wasn't going to get the mega-deal he wanted, I think it made sense for the Bears to lock him up. He's 27, a 3-time Pro Bowl player, and he's not going to kill the cap with his deal. It would be one thing if the Bears overpaid to keep him, but they get a premium player at a decent price. Williams showed some promise last season, and now the Bears have given themselves good depth (always an issue given Urlacher's health as well as the number of injuries the defense has suffered in recent years), or Angelo can use Williams or perhaps Okwo in an attempt to swing a deal for offensive talent (I hope). Yes, the Bears have many holes on offense to fill, but signing Briggs didn't come at the expense of an offensive player. They weren't going to match the Vikes deal to Berrian (and I think that was wise), Faneca is already off the market, and there isn't a free agent QB out there worth squat. The signing makes the Bears a better team, period.
I'm not sure if he will or not. I just think that after playing a season with a major incentive like playing time an contract year...not sure if he'll push himself as hard after. Just seems like the logical conclusion or the right question to ask at this point regarding him.geoff8695 said:Bizkiteer said:LOL, for the past 1 1/2 it's been all this talk about Briggs leaving and CHI is not where he will play anymore...all the hub bub for nothing it seems.Let's how he does without having the % of plays incentive to motivate him.
Are you trying to imply Briggs will give less effort now that he has a long term contract?
I don't know, you know the Jerry Glanville quote about Not For Long. Williams definitely showed something last year and Angelo has shown a propensity for hitting gold with mid-to-late defensive players like Okwo. If Urlacher's back becomes a lingering issue, they don't have a back-up there now. With Briggs locked up, Okwo probably starts to back-up Mike and the other scenario would be Briggs moving to the middle and Williams starting at WLB if something happened. Hunter Hillenmeyer is an overachiever, if Okwo pans out, he could challenge there, as well. The problem is the outlook is poor for either this year, so you might have to give up on them in the short term if you don't have the roster spots to sit on either/both.Mr. Peterson said:
It would seem he'll have some incentive against at least a few teams for not giving him a big deal. Washington, who hand out unreasonable contracts like The Watchtower at a Kingdom Hall, don't even make an effort to whine and dine him at an AFL game after big interest last year. The Saints and 49ers chose cheaper options, while the Bucs stood pat, after getting Rosenhaus' number. The guy doesn't seem to have a problem about putting a chip on his shoulder for any perceived slight.
Okwo is too small to play mike or sam...he can only play Will. However Williams is big enough to play all 3 positions.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus said Briggs will earn $21.6 in salary through the first three years and the deal includes $13 million in guaranteed bonuses.I wouldn't be surprised if that $21.6M in the first three years includes what Briggs made last year ($7.5M) as a Franchised player + whatever he makes the next two years. It's ROSENHAUS spin control.
You can always trade another starter to Carolina for a sixth round pick and salvage something.
You say that as if this attitude from professional athletes is some kind of abnormality. I would say a big percentage of athletes that sign a long term deal lose a little bit of their drive. That's why when someone is in a "contract year" they often have huge years to get paid, then their numbers decline. You make the poster seem delusional for thinking this way, but I would argue this is the norm when a player gets "comfortable".geoff8695 said:Bizkiteer said:LOL, for the past 1 1/2 it's been all this talk about Briggs leaving and CHI is not where he will play anymore...all the hub bub for nothing it seems.Are you trying to imply Briggs will give less effort now that he has a long term contract?
Delusional?!?You say that as if this attitude from professional athletes is some kind of abnormality. I would say a big percentage of athletes that sign a long term deal lose a little bit of their drive. That's why when someone is in a "contract year" they often have huge years to get paid, then their numbers decline. You make the poster seem delusional for thinking this way, but I would argue this is the norm when a player gets "comfortable".geoff8695 said:Bizkiteer said:LOL, for the past 1 1/2 it's been all this talk about Briggs leaving and CHI is not where he will play anymore...all the hub bub for nothing it seems.
You sure did infer an awful lot from my simple question for clarification.
Williams is an inch taller and five pounds heavier, neither is really ideal size for either position. However, Okwo saw time behind Hillenmeyer at SLB in camp last year. Based on scouting reports, since Okwo never made it out of camp to prove otherwise, it sounds like he lacks the athleticism for WLB, so I assume Williams will continue to be the top back-up there.
I thought Jamar was 6-1 240 and Okwo wqs 5-11 225/230.....maybe im wrong.
