| Halas Hallmarks: Off-Season, Walking a Line | ||||
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 With the 2008 season firmly behind us, teams in the NFL are enmeshed in the feverish scramble that defines the league’s off-season: A desperate attempt to assemble a championship-caliber team in the span of months. Right now, every club has its best and brightest representatives evaluating raw talent at the NFL Combine in downtown Indianapolis. Come next Friday, teams will compound their efforts by throwing money at established veterans and young hopefuls. It’s a great time to look at how the Bears’ roster shapes up and where they stand once the fireworks begin next week:Offensive Tackle News broke last week that right tackle John Tait is seriously considering retirement, an unfortunate turn of events for the Bears. Jerry Angelo stated on the team’s Website that they would love to have Tait back for 2009, but will ultimately respect his decision. If Tait follows through, it will leave a gaping hole at the tackle position. Chicago was clearly hoping to retain Tait’s services for the upcoming season, neglecting to re-sign left tackle John St. Clair (who started much of last year in place of injured rookie Chris Williams) and relying on Williams to step into his assumed starting role. Now, with St. Clair a week from becoming an unrestricted free agent and Tait leaning towards retirement, the Bears have only Williams on their roster at the tackle position. Chicago could break out the checkbook to try and land a right tackle in free agency, but the prospects aren’t too promising. The bulk of viable starters are either recovering from an injury (Philadelphia’s John Runyan, Cincinnati’s Stacy Andrews, Green Bay’s Mark Tauscher) or will likely be removed from the market via the franchise tag (Carolina’s Jordan Gross, Miami’s Vernon Carey). Similarly, many drafts are projecting the top tackles to be off the board long before Chicago’s first pick (18th overall) comes around. Re-signing St. Clair is now the Bears’ best option: He has established ties with the organization, knows the offense and its nuances, and is in favor of playing right tackle. Safety Chicago’s roster holes continue in the back end of the secondary. It came as no surprise when the team announced it was not going to offer safety Mike Brown a contract given his age and pre-disposition to season-ending injuries. I agree with this move in principle; however, part of me feels that Brown could still be some kind of asset in 2009. He played in 15 games in 2008, his most since his last full season in 2003, and is an undeniable leader in spite of a declining skill set. The Bears stand incredibly thin at safety, leading to murmurings that cornerback Charles Tillman could be used to fill the vacancy. However, that rumor was quickly dispelled. Chicago knows Tillman performs best at cornerback and would be hard-pressed to find someone to replace him if he moved to safety. Underscoring the glaring lack of playmakers at safety is the importance of the position to the Cover 2 defense: Its “Bend-but-Don’t-Break” philosophy absolutely requires a fast and physical presence on the back end. Look for the Bears to address this need on the first day of the draft rather than gambling with uncertainty in free agency. Wide Receiver Chicago has been thin at receiver for quite some time, and it is apparent the position is not of the highest priority to Angelo. He has repeatedly stressed the importance of the quarterback position, but really, though, isn’t a quarterback only as good as the guys he’s throwing to? To some extent, at least. Great quarterbacks don’t need great receivers, just mediocre ones that can step up when necessary and make some plays. Kyle Orton is not a great quarterback . . . yet. He’s someone who needs a playmaker on the outside to stretch the field, keep defenses honest, free up Devin Hester, and provide a reliable set of hands on third down. The Bears already released Marty Booker, a disappointment with only 14 catches in his second stint with the team, and aren’t all too thrilled with Brandon Lloyd. The list of notable free agents for this position lacks a big name but is filled with many role-players who could emerge in a lead capacity. Cincinnati has so far left the biggest name, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, un-franchised, a move that will likely earn him lots of money and attention once the feeding frenzy initiates. The Bears would do well to pursue the eight-year veteran but face stiff competition from a handful of other teams who desire his services. Given the Bears’ careful spending, it appears unlikely he’ll land in Chicago. Despite this, a slew of other options remain open, including the possibility of signing ex-Lion Mike Furrey, who was recently released by Detroit. The fact remains that the Bears need to sign someone who can step in as receiver—anyone—and not put their faith in a draft pick. Quarterback Orton ostensibly secured his starting role for 2009 a few months ago after leading the Bears to within one win of a playoff berth. His future after the upcoming season is still up in the air, though, so the pressure will be on him to build on his excellent start. True to their nature, Chicago, in neglecting to re-sign Rex Grossman, is again on the hunt for a signal-caller. Angelo stated that the team wants to give Orton some competition in training camp similar to what occurred last season. Rest assured, the starter won’t be determined by a coin flip this year. Rather, Chicago is looking for an experienced backup who can fill in for Orton if necessary and possibly provide some guidance and motivation. Tennessee’s Chris Simms has emerged as a potential target for the Bears in this respect. Simms had one decent season playing 11 games for Tampa Bay in 2005, leading them to the playoffs after throwing for over 2,000 yards with a 61 percent completion rate. A nasty spleen injury forced him out in 2006 and he’s been stagnant ever since. For obvious reasons, Simms might not be the best bet as a backup, but he’s the right fit for the team’s overall vision. Inserting an established veteran behind Orton, one who could win the competition outright like Tampa Bay’s Jeff Garcia, would not solve any long-term issues. With Simms, Chicago gets a guy with moderate experience who can also fill in adequately for a brief spell if called upon. Considering Angelo spent a quite some time with Simms at the Senior Bowl and Combine a few years back, Chicago seems like a likely destination.
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