My Friends,
A funny thing happened just as we thought Jerry Angelo was going to sit back and watch his prized home-grown free agents walk away without getting anything in return. The music stopped and Lance Brigg$ found no place to sit.
As the dominoes fell and second tier linebackers peeled off to places like San Francisco, New Orleans, Miami and Buffalo, perennial Pro Bowler Brigg$ discovered that the demand for his services anticipated by his agent The Übertool was greatly exaggerated, or possibly torpedoed by his antics over the last couple years.
Recently the Bears sent a letter to the NFL alleging that San Francisco tampered with Brigg$ last fall, and suddenly the 49ers were no longer interested, settling for a two year deal with the Vikings’ Dontarrrious Thomas instead. The Jets dealt Jonathan Vilma to the Saints for a draft pick, removing The Big Easy as a potential destination. Giants’ starters Reggie Torbor and Kawika Mitchell were plucked away by the Dolphins and Bills, respectively. Tedy Bruschi resigned with the Patriots. Terrell Suggs re-upped with the Ravens. Even ancient Zach Thomas found a deal in Dallas. And after so many years of overspending on the likes of LaVar Arrington and Adam Archuleta, Daniel Snyder in Washington suddenly couldn’t find his checkbook and passed.
But we won’t need to hold a tag day for Brigg$ any time soon. Rather than turn the screws on him when The Übertool slithered back to Halas Hall, Angelo honored the six-year, $36 million deal he had offered Brigg$ before the start of free agency. Coupled with the $7.2 million he made last year, Brigg$ will wind up with over $20 million guaranteed and $28.8 million from 2007 to 2010. Hardly reason to start calling him Lan¢e.
More impressive was the deal The Übertool worked out up in Minnesota for Bernard Berrian. Totaling $42 million over six years with $16 million guaranteed, Berrian will look a lot faster dropping passes on the Metrodome turf than he ever did on the dirt in Soldier Field. I for one won’t miss watching a sure touchdown pass hit him between the “8” and the “0” only to fall to the ground, like we saw in the Dallas game, or an opposing defensive back walk away with an interception without so much as a love tap by Berrian, as the Broncos’ Karl Paymah did. If Zygi Wilf wants to shell out twice what the Bears were offering in guaranteed money for a guy whose failure to catch the ball was due to his admitted “lack of concentration,” all I can say is I’m glad he plays on a team the Bears face twice a year, one with the mighty Tarvaris Jackson throwing to him to boot.
About a week ago Angelo held his annual sit-down with the Chicago beat writers at the Combine, and he talked about the need to “create sobriety in the marketplace.” This took place while George McCaskey’s ticket office was popping champagne, slipping out a press release saying that the cost of every seat in the house would be going up coming off a feeble 7-9 season and with the Bears more than $30 million under the salary cap.
Veteran bums Fred Miller and Darwin Walker had been released during the previous week, as well as Berrian’s dropsy mentor Muhsin Muhammad, to clear even more cap room, while Alex Brown and Desmond Clark were given deserved extensions. Rex Grossman signed on for another chance to drop Olin Kreutz’s snaps, and not to be outdone, Kyle Orton inked an extension that will keep him in razor blades through the 2009 season. It remains to be seen whether either of them can do the job, although Lovie Smith has assured us there will be an open competition. From my perspective, it’ll be more like “race you to the cart” for those two, since Smith needs to fill two spots on the offensive line.
At left guard Terrence Metcalf is entering his seventh season, still unable to crack the starting lineup unless somebody in front of him gets hurt, Josh Beekman, a fourth round pick last year, only dressed once (Versace?) and Anthony Oakley is another work-in-progress. And once again they need a starting tackle, since Miller and his helicopter move have been grounded and John St. Clair only gets mentioned as a backup. Hey, wasn’t it Angelo who once told us that backups on his roster needed to be able to step in and start? How’s that working out? Angelo might be able to scratch his offensive line itch in the draft, but no rookie is going to step in and immediately play tackle or guard at an NFL level. One of the first things Harry Hiestand better have planned for minicamp is to teach his young charges how to turn and yell, ”Look Out!”
Oh yeah. The Bears could use a running back, too, but Michael Turner took $15 million guaranteed to play for the Falcons. That’s less than the $16 million the Bears gave Cedric Benson three years ago. Cheap, even without inflation. Unfortunately Angelo was too distracted trying to figure out how to throw money at a linebacker with an injured neck and arthritic back to even notice.
It’s a good thing that offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
So how far under the cap are the Bears? Depending on how Cliff Stein structured those recent deals, they probably still fall somewhere around $15-$20 million beneath. Given that, somebody needs to tell Jerry that a little taste now and then wouldn’t kill him.
But we’ll be sippin’. Get your deposit money ready. The Vista Cruiser rolls this week.
Knock it back.
LBF
3/2/2008