Moose Muhammad cut by Bears (1 Viewer)

[maxwelledison]

I agree on Olsen but, as usual, the problem with the Bears is that their problems run deeper than garden variety mismanagement of personnel or an inability to accurately evaluate talent. The issues start at the top with a culture of cronyism that is not conducive to running a successful organization. I know I beat this horse so I will move on...

Nevertheless, the issues that Bear fans have been ranting about for decades (an inability to draft, sign or develop a quaterback, poor drafting, poor free agent signings, questionable evaluation of players on your own team...recall that Urlacher did not start his rookie year until it was ridiculously obvious to everyone that he was easily their best LB...and even then they started him at OLB), do not look like they will be resolved anythime soon:

QB- No answer here and they refuse to give Orton a chance to develop into something. They will probably make an effort to re-sign Grossman (WHY?) and call it a "competition" with Griese and whomever going into TC. Always a good idea to waste/dispose of an asset (Orton) without truly knowing its abilities/limitations;

Draft- It is obvious by now that Angelo is absolutely cluelss when it comes to drafting offensive players (although I admit I was a Benson fan based on his college performance). No reason to expect that to change this year.

Free Agency- I don't like Turner but I don't think they will get him anyway. What they really need are the two best O-lineman on the market but I doubt we will get even one of them.

Evaluation of players currently on the roster- Why is Orton not an option for next year? Do they really believe Hester is a game-changing WR? Are they actually going to pay BB as if he is a No.1? Why doesn't Mike Hass get a chance on this team? They must have such tremendous depth at WR that a guy that does nothing but make catches simply can't get a look. See Kyle Orton.

The bottom line is that the teams that regularly compete do not make these types of mistakes, let alone all of them at the same time. More than anything, I think this explains why the Bears are one-hit wonders every 5 years.

 

[Bizkiteer]

The 1-2 punch of Benson and Bradley from a few years ago may go down as further proof that Angelo is not a good judge of offensive talent in the NFL Draft. Other than Bernard Berrian - NONE of his offensive draft picks have panned out to a hill of beans on Day One of the NFL Draft.

Greg Olsen looks like the real deal.

Once in a while a squirrel finds a blind nut. Two players in six years. Not a high success rate imho

2007

1 1 31 31 Greg Olsen TE Miami (FL)

2 2 30 62 Dan Bazuin DE Central Michigan

3 3 30 93 Garrett Wolfe RB Northern Illinois

4 3 31 94 Michael Okwo LB Stanford

2006

1 2 10 42 Danieal Manning DB Abilene Christian

2 2 25 57 Devin Hester KR/PR/CB Miami (FL)

3 3 9 73 Dusty Dvoracek DT Oklahoma

2005

1 1 4 4 Cedric Benson RB Texas

2 2 7 39 Mark Bradley WR Oklahoma

2004

1 1 14 14 Tommie Harris DT Oklahoma

2 2 15 47 Tank Johnson DT Washington

3 3 15 78 Bernard Berrian WR Fresno State

2003

1 1 14 14 Michael Haynes DE Penn State

2 1 22 22 Rex Grossman QB Florida

3 2 3 35 Charles Tillman DB Louisiana-Lafayette

4 3 4 68 Lance Briggs LB Arizona

2002

1 1 29 29 Marc Colombo T Boston College

2 3 7 72 Roosevelt Williams DB Tuskegee

3 3 28 93 Terrence Metcalf G Mississippi

You need to bold Hester too, he's a WR you know...

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

The 1-2 punch of Benson and Bradley from a few years ago may go down as further proof that Angelo is not a good judge of offensive talent in the NFL Draft. Other than Bernard Berrian - NONE of his offensive draft picks have panned out to a hill of beans on Day One of the NFL Draft.

Greg Olsen looks like the real deal.

Once in a while a squirrel finds a blind nut. Two players in six years. Not a high success rate imho

2007

1 1 31 31 Greg Olsen TE Miami (FL)

2 2 30 62 Dan Bazuin DE Central Michigan

3 3 30 93 Garrett Wolfe RB Northern Illinois

4 3 31 94 Michael Okwo LB Stanford

2006

1 2 10 42 Danieal Manning DB Abilene Christian

2 2 25 57 Devin Hester KR/PR/CB Miami (FL)

3 3 9 73 Dusty Dvoracek DT Oklahoma

2005

1 1 4 4 Cedric Benson RB Texas

2 2 7 39 Mark Bradley WR Oklahoma

2004

1 1 14 14 Tommie Harris DT Oklahoma

2 2 15 47 Tank Johnson DT Washington

3 3 15 78 Bernard Berrian WR Fresno State

2003

1 1 14 14 Michael Haynes DE Penn State

2 1 22 22 Rex Grossman QB Florida

3 2 3 35 Charles Tillman DB Louisiana-Lafayette

4 3 4 68 Lance Briggs LB Arizona

2002

1 1 29 29 Marc Colombo T Boston College

2 3 7 72 Roosevelt Williams DB Tuskegee

3 3 28 93 Terrence Metcalf G Mississippi

You need to bold Hester too, he's a WR you know...

Nope. They drafted him to be a returner and a CB. Nice try though.

 

[KellysHeroes]

Bears GM Jerry Angelo confirmed that the team won't use the franchise tag on Bernard Berrian.

Angelo said the Bears have made an "aggressive" offer to Berrian, and hope to retain him that way. Still, the team expects Berrian to test the free agent market, which will undoubtedly cause his price to skyrocket. The Bears likely realize that Berrian isn't consistent enough to earn top dollar at wide receiver.

 

[Chadstroma]

Bears GM Jerry Angelo confirmed that the team won't use the franchise tag on Bernard Berrian.Angelo said the Bears have made an "aggressive" offer to Berrian, and hope to retain him that way. Still, the team expects Berrian to test the free agent market, which will undoubtedly cause his price to skyrocket. The Bears likely realize that Berrian isn't consistent enough to earn top dollar at wide receiver.

I do not think he is worth what it will cost to keep him in Chicago. It really does not make sense to pay heavily for him when you still have not brought in a real QB to throw the ball at all. Until they do that, any money spent on anyone that is suppose to catch the ball is money thrown away.

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

I agree, with $30Mil under the cap, I don't want the Bears spending 25% of it on a 'one year' deal.

They did that last year with Briggs, and his play actually regressed, despite the 'popularity contest' known as 'being voted to the Pro Bowl'.

Lovie Smith gave us the funniest nugget of the day:

"Right now, Mark Bradley is Number One on our depth chart at WR..."

Either this was a HUGE slam on Jerry Angelo not getting his job done, or Lovie is merely putting some PR glitter on a turd.

The guy didn't even have 100 yards receiving, and it took until Week 17 for him to match offensive lineman John St. Clair for TD receptions in '07.

Ernest Wilford and Marty Booker... COME ON DOWN!

 

[gdg76]

Thank god the Bears didn't franchise Berrian. I'd much rather take that cash and get some help on the Oline.

Still, I don't think there are many answers that will do much of anything for 2008. Get Olsen a lot of looks, try Orton out as a starter from the beginning, get a pwer runner, let Rex go, and rebuild the offense.

It will be another long year for Bears fans...

 

[3nOut]

I agree, with $30Mil under the cap, I don't want the Bears spending 25% of it on a 'one year' deal.They did that last year with Briggs, and his play actually regressed, despite the 'popularity contest' known as 'being voted to the Pro Bowl'.Lovie Smith gave us the funniest nugget of the day:"Right now, Mark Bradley is Number One on our depth chart at WR..."Either this was a HUGE slam on Jerry Angelo not getting his job done, or Lovie is merely putting some PR glitter on a turd.The guy didn't even have 100 yards receiving, and it took until Week 17 for him to match offensive lineman John St. Clair for TD receptions in '07.Ernest Wilford and Marty Booker... COME ON DOWN!

I'd rather have Marty Booker and Bryant Johnson.

 

[maxwelledison]

Thank god the Bears didn't franchise Berrian. I'd much rather take that cash and get some help on the Oline.Still, I don't think there are many answers that will do much of anything for 2008. Get Olsen a lot of looks, try Orton out as a starter from the beginning, get a pwer runner, let Rex go, and rebuild the offense.It will be another long year for Bears fans...

I agree on all counts. The entire thing needs to be torn down and built back up with an o-line.

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

From today's Tribune, by David Haugh:

INDIANAPOLIS -- Contract negotiations between the Bears and Rex Grossman are scheduled to begin in earnest here Friday, and the team must really like its leverage.

How else to explain the Bears declining Thursday to apply the franchise tag to wide receiver Bernard Berrian in the same week they cut their No. 2 wide receiver, Muhsin Muhammad?

Will the last proven wide receiver out of Halas Hall please turn off the lights?

If Grossman still agrees to a deal soon, as expected, he will return to an offense likely to start two new receivers and count on Mark Bradley to be its best option in the passing game.

Which one of Bradley's six catches last season convinced Jerry Angelo that Bradley was ready for a starring role?

"I will speak for the coaches on this because they said it: They were remiss that they didn't do more [to get Bradley involved last year]," Angelo said. "They put the blame on themselves in that situation more than lack of confidence in Bradley. Mark has talent. If you grade the flashes, you like what you see."

If Angelo graded only the flashes in evaluating NFL talent, he would be unemployed. And he must know that. This was the spin of a general manager who left a contractual tool in the box instead of tinkering to assemble the best possible roster in 2008.

"It's certainly going to leave some holes, [but] we've been in that situation before," Angelo said of not using the franchise tag. "If things don't work out, we have a Plan B."

Rather naively, Plan A includes hoping Berrian eventually will accept a Bears contract proposal he already has deemed too low over any offer bound to come next week in a free-agent market lacking receivers of his caliber.

Berrian is the same guy who switched agents in midseason, going to Drew Rosenhaus to start angling for a new, big-money contract. Now he's going to leave some cash on the table because he loves Chicago? This is Plan A?

In the name of continuity, the Bears decided to bring back offensive coordinator Ron Turner and make a run at bringing back Grossman. But then, illogically, they let Grossman's favorite target, Berrian, out of their contractual grip instead of committing $7.8 million to him for 2008 and buying more time to work out a long-term deal.

Well, that's one sure way to force the Bears into becoming the running team they want to be.

While rooted in good financial intentions, Angelo's decision on Berrian seemed more about making a statement than making progress. He built the Bears based on the belief that overpaying for commodities, even players the Bears need as much as they need Berrian, inevitably spells doom. It's a great way to run a household but maybe not a football team that wants to return to the Super Bowl.

Angelo articulated that core philosophy defending the last-minute offers to free agents Berrian, Lance Briggs and Brendon Ayanbadejo, offers all three players have rejected.

To hear Angelo, the proposals reflected the Bears' interpretation of the players' worth to the franchise more than they did a team more than $30 million below the salary cap.

"The thing you have to do is create sobriety in the marketplace," Angelo said. "Because you have the money doesn't mean you have to spend the money. You have to put values on players and then you have to stay disciplined to that, or else what you're going to end up doing is being unable to keep all these players."

Ask people around the league here for the NFL scouting combine and most would be surprised if the Bears are able to keep Berrian, Briggs or Ayanbadejo. Angelo stressed that none of the offers was final but didn't sound amenable to reaching much deeper to keep anybody.

"If money is the bottom line, I don't want that player," Angelo said. "I want guys who want to be here. The numbers we put in front of our players are very good numbers, very fair numbers. Could somebody blow us out of the water [with a better offer]? Certainly they can. But I'm not letting that team rule our thinking. That's where the sobriety comes in."

Forgive Bears fans if they don't necessarily drink to that, the idea of losing two Pro Bowl players and the team's deep threat based mostly on principle.

"Then we'll have to find another player," Angelo said. "We'll have to have confidence in ourselves, in our coaches. If you don't operate that way, you are truly going to be a train wreck. That will never be our approach."

Please do not refer to the Bears' approach in 2008 as rebuilding, either. Angelo and coach Lovie Smith, looking sagacious sporting a salt-and-pepper goatee, both disputed the accuracy of the word as it describes their off-season work. Maybe not. But Smith's look isn't the only thing getting a makeover on the Bears.

Faith no longer exists in running back Cedric Benson, for example. Smith reduced the guy he once considered a future star to a back who "can be a productive player in this league." But Angelo summed it up best.

"He has been hurt four times," he said. "You have to be mindful of that."

John Tait might move from left tackle to right tackle if the Bears find a suitable replacement, even if it's a rookie.

Guard Ruben Brown is gone, but safety Mike Brown might not be.

And Grossman hasn't peaked yet, in the minds of the Bears, but will have to beat out Kyle Orton if he re-signs.

"[Grossman] is fine with it," Angelo said. "Kyle deserves the right to compete at the position. I know this isn't going to be something dragging out. We will have a pretty good feel [at training camp]. What the tiebreaker is, obviously will be determined by the coaches."

Whoever talks Berrian into staying first wins.

TRANSLATION ON MARK BRADLEY:

WE SUCK AT WR - BUT WE'LL MARCH THIS BUST OUT THERE AND PLAY HIM UP FOR THE MEDIA!!!

 

[ditka85]

From today's Tribune, by David Haugh:

INDIANAPOLIS -- Contract negotiations between the Bears and Rex Grossman are scheduled to begin in earnest here Friday, and the team must really like its leverage.

How else to explain the Bears declining Thursday to apply the franchise tag to wide receiver Bernard Berrian in the same week they cut their No. 2 wide receiver, Muhsin Muhammad?

Will the last proven wide receiver out of Halas Hall please turn off the lights?

If Grossman still agrees to a deal soon, as expected, he will return to an offense likely to start two new receivers and count on Mark Bradley to be its best option in the passing game.

Which one of Bradley's six catches last season convinced Jerry Angelo that Bradley was ready for a starring role?

"I will speak for the coaches on this because they said it: They were remiss that they didn't do more [to get Bradley involved last year]," Angelo said. "They put the blame on themselves in that situation more than lack of confidence in Bradley. Mark has talent. If you grade the flashes, you like what you see."

If Angelo graded only the flashes in evaluating NFL talent, he would be unemployed. And he must know that. This was the spin of a general manager who left a contractual tool in the box instead of tinkering to assemble the best possible roster in 2008.

"It's certainly going to leave some holes, [but] we've been in that situation before," Angelo said of not using the franchise tag. "If things don't work out, we have a Plan B."

Rather naively, Plan A includes hoping Berrian eventually will accept a Bears contract proposal he already has deemed too low over any offer bound to come next week in a free-agent market lacking receivers of his caliber.

Berrian is the same guy who switched agents in midseason, going to Drew Rosenhaus to start angling for a new, big-money contract. Now he's going to leave some cash on the table because he loves Chicago? This is Plan A?

In the name of continuity, the Bears decided to bring back offensive coordinator Ron Turner and make a run at bringing back Grossman. But then, illogically, they let Grossman's favorite target, Berrian, out of their contractual grip instead of committing $7.8 million to him for 2008 and buying more time to work out a long-term deal.

Well, that's one sure way to force the Bears into becoming the running team they want to be.

While rooted in good financial intentions, Angelo's decision on Berrian seemed more about making a statement than making progress. He built the Bears based on the belief that overpaying for commodities, even players the Bears need as much as they need Berrian, inevitably spells doom. It's a great way to run a household but maybe not a football team that wants to return to the Super Bowl.

Angelo articulated that core philosophy defending the last-minute offers to free agents Berrian, Lance Briggs and Brendon Ayanbadejo, offers all three players have rejected.

To hear Angelo, the proposals reflected the Bears' interpretation of the players' worth to the franchise more than they did a team more than $30 million below the salary cap.

"The thing you have to do is create sobriety in the marketplace," Angelo said. "Because you have the money doesn't mean you have to spend the money. You have to put values on players and then you have to stay disciplined to that, or else what you're going to end up doing is being unable to keep all these players."

Ask people around the league here for the NFL scouting combine and most would be surprised if the Bears are able to keep Berrian, Briggs or Ayanbadejo. Angelo stressed that none of the offers was final but didn't sound amenable to reaching much deeper to keep anybody.

"If money is the bottom line, I don't want that player," Angelo said. "I want guys who want to be here. The numbers we put in front of our players are very good numbers, very fair numbers. Could somebody blow us out of the water [with a better offer]? Certainly they can. But I'm not letting that team rule our thinking. That's where the sobriety comes in."

Forgive Bears fans if they don't necessarily drink to that, the idea of losing two Pro Bowl players and the team's deep threat based mostly on principle.

"Then we'll have to find another player," Angelo said. "We'll have to have confidence in ourselves, in our coaches. If you don't operate that way, you are truly going to be a train wreck. That will never be our approach."

Please do not refer to the Bears' approach in 2008 as rebuilding, either. Angelo and coach Lovie Smith, looking sagacious sporting a salt-and-pepper goatee, both disputed the accuracy of the word as it describes their off-season work. Maybe not. But Smith's look isn't the only thing getting a makeover on the Bears.

Faith no longer exists in running back Cedric Benson, for example. Smith reduced the guy he once considered a future star to a back who "can be a productive player in this league." But Angelo summed it up best.

"He has been hurt four times," he said. "You have to be mindful of that."

John Tait might move from left tackle to right tackle if the Bears find a suitable replacement, even if it's a rookie.

Guard Ruben Brown is gone, but safety Mike Brown might not be.

And Grossman hasn't peaked yet, in the minds of the Bears, but will have to beat out Kyle Orton if he re-signs.

"[Grossman] is fine with it," Angelo said. "Kyle deserves the right to compete at the position. I know this isn't going to be something dragging out. We will have a pretty good feel [at training camp]. What the tiebreaker is, obviously will be determined by the coaches."

Whoever talks Berrian into staying first wins.

TRANSLATION ON MARK BRADLEY:

WE SUCK AT WR - BUT WE'LL MARCH THIS BUST OUT THERE AND PLAY HIM UP FOR THE MEDIA!!!

The silver lining in that article is Angelo realizing Benson isn't the answer. Hopefully we will be a major player in the Michael Turner sweepstakes. Also hope they hold onto Mike Brown one more year. Safety isn't very strong in this year's draft.