Fanhouse NFL Blog - chicago-bears

With Peppers in Tow, Bears Must Be More Than Paper Champs

Thomas George — 2010-03-05T16:00:00 00:00

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFL Analysis

A buzz of energy and anticipation filled the Chicago Bears offices as all awaited word on the Julius Peppers free-agent harvest. And once the deal was accomplished, the Bears were again "offseason Super Bowl champions."

That title is reserved around the league for teams that make a spark, a splash in the offseason, ensuring they are the talk of the league. Last April, the Bears made news with their stunning trade for quarterback Jay Cutler. Then they finished 7-9.

Now, it is Peppers.

And another losing season will not do.

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Chester Taylor Signs With Bears

Matt Snyder — 2010-03-05T14:12:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Free Agency

The most active team in the NFL free agency market has signed their second player on the first day of free agency. Running back Chester Taylor has agreed to a four-year, $12.5 million contract with the Chicago Bears, a source close to the negotiations has told FanHouse's Dan Graziano. The contract includes $7 million in guaranteed money.

Taylor, 30, rushed for 338 yards last season as he played second fiddle to Adrian Peterson in the Vikings' backfield. A capable receiver from out of the backfield, he snared 44 passes for 389 yards. Taylor did run for 1,216 yards back in 2006 -- the only season of his career where he was a featured back.

He will likely split carries in the Chicago backfield with Matt Forte, who just suffered through a down season after a break through rookie campaign in 2008. Both backs will be called upon to do more work in the passing game with new offensive coordinator Mike Martz taking over.

A press conference is scheduled for later Friday afternoon, where the Bears will announce the signings of Brandon Manumaleuna, Taylor and defensive end Julius Peppers.

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Julius Peppers, Bears Agree to Deal

Matt Snyder — 2010-03-05T13:56:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Free Agency

The Chicago Bears and free agent defensive end Julius Peppers have agreed to a deal, according to multiple reports. Earlier Friday, a source familiar with the negotiations told FanHouse's Dan Graziano that the two sides were "close" to finalizing a contract.

Peppers, 30, is the crown jewel defensive player of this free-agent class and should help to fix a desperate need for the Bears -- a pass rush generated from the defensive line without the help of blitzing.

Reportedly, Bears head coach Lovie Smith flew down to Charlotte Thursday night to complete the deal almost immediately after the legal time period began (midnight Eastern). Friday afternoon, reports surfaced that Peppers was in Chicago completing a physical.

Peppers' deal will be for six years and around $72 million with three years guaranteed, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Thomas George: With Peppers, Bears Must Be More Than Paper Champs

In addition to Peppers, the Bears also came to terms with free-agent running back Chester Taylor on a four-year deal worth $12.5 million, with $7 million guaranteed. Taylor, 30, rushed for 338 yards and a touchdown on 94 carries last season for the Vikings.

The Bears have scheduled a press conference for 6:00 PM Eastern at Halas Hall, which is expected to be when they announce their three free agency signings from Friday (Peppers, Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna).

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NFL Free Agency Underway, So Where Are the Redskins?

Dan Graziano — 2010-03-05T10:32:00 00:00

by Dan Graziano

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Redskins, NFL Free Agency, NFL Analysis

In the days that led up to the first days without an NFL salary cap, the Redskins were a hot topic. Everybody around the league assumed Dan Snyder was ready to pounce and throw money around like crazy. The Skins were rumored to be hard after Julius Peppers, Darren Sproles, Karlos Dansby, LeBron James, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. Memories of last year, Albert Haynesworth and his $100 million were fresh in everybody's mind. So when midnight hit and the news was Peppers to the Bears, Dansby maybe to Miami, Sproles staying in San Diego, the question naturally arose: Why are the Redskins so quiet?

Well, the Redskins are under new management, folks, with Bruce Allen the GM and Mike Shanahan the coach. And it appears as if they're acting thoughtfully and intelligently. The hottest thing they have going right now is with left tackle Chad Clifton, who's in for a visit today and would be a smart, neat fit that solves their most pressing problem. Imagine that.

More: Free Agency Tracker

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Bears Kickstart Big Day by Landing Brandon Manumaleuna

Chris Burke — 2010-03-05T09:10:00 00:00

by Chris Burke

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFL Free Agency

The Chicago Bears have an important Friday ahead of them, and they got it started on the right foot, agreeing to a deal with free agent tight end Brandon Manumaleuna.

As first reported by Brad Biggs at National Football Post, Manumaleuna will sign a five-year deal after completing a physical.

This is just an appetizer for the Bears, who have bigger courses on the menu -- namely defensive end Julius Peppers and running back Chester Taylor, both of whom are set for Windy City visits Friday. Peppers, especially, would be a major coup for Chicago.

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Karlos Dansby to Visit Miami Friday

Bruce Ciskie — 2010-03-05T01:15:00 00:00

by Bruce Ciskie

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Dolphins, NFL Free Agency

As NFL free agency began at the stroke of midnight (Eastern time, of course) Friday, players started to plot out visits ahead of striking it rich on new contracts.

For some players, these visits are nothing but a formality. They've made up their mind on where they want to go, with no influence from the teams of course (that would be tampering, after all).

Other players have no real idea what they want to do. They're going to take their time in free agency, and try to figure out which team is a good fit for them, both from an on-field and off-field standpoint.

Soon enough, we'll find out which category linebacker Karlos Dansby falls into.

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Peppers Appears Chicago-Bound as NFL Free Agency Begins

Dan Graziano — 2010-03-05T00:48:00 00:00

by Dan Graziano

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Redskins, NFL Free Agency

The stars of the early moments of the uncapped NFL season appear to be the Chicago Bears, who will bring top free agent Julius Peppers in for a visit Friday and will almost certainly sign him to a new contract. The Washington Redskins also had been pursuing the pass-rushing former Panthers DE. But just after the free agency period kicked off at midnight ET, Peppers' agent, Carl Carey, told the Chicago Tribune that his client would visit the Bears on Friday.

Such visits almost invariably result in signings, and the it's hard to imagine Peppers leaving Chicago without his signature on a new Bears contract.

The Bears also are bringing in running back Chester Taylor for a visit Friday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Signing Taylor would help Chicago shore up a running game that fell flat in 2009 with a disappointing year from running back Matt Forte and the offensive line.

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Julius Peppers, Bears Mutually Interested, but Redskins Loom

Matt Snyder — 2010-03-03T13:37:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFL Free Agency, NFL Rumors

The free agent free-for-all is nearing its kick-off, as unrestricted free agents hit the open market at 12:01 AM Friday. The biggest name is easily Julius Peppers, and there is certainly no shortage of rumors beginning to circulate. One place where Peppers, 30, would be a fit is with the Chicago Bears, and he's reportedly just as interested in joining them as they are in adding him to the fray.

The Bears have a nucleus of aging yet talented defensive players, but desperately need to shore up a pass rush and the safety position. Peppers himself might be enough of a shot in the arm to fix the pass rush all by himself. The five time Pro Bowler had 10 1/2 sacks last season (and 14 1/2 the year before). The Bears entire defensive line mustered just 24 in 2009. Adding Peppers would mean less attention to those holdovers as well, possibly freeing them up for higher totals.

Of course, the Bears aren't exactly the free spenders you'd expect coming from a large market like Chicago. The McCaskey ownership group is notoriously cheap and they may have to compete with someone who most certainly is not for the services of Peppers: Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins.

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Orlando Pace Released by Bears

Matt Snyder — 2010-03-01T20:25:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Free Agency

In a move that may spur a retirement, the Chicago Bears have reportedly cut ties with veteran offensive tackle Orlando Pace, according to a press release from the team Monday night.

Pace was the top overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft and made good on his immense promise -- earning seven trips to the Pro Bowl and being named a First-Team All-Pro three times. For a span of several years, Pace was considered either the best tackle in the league or on the short list of the best. He helped pave the way for three straight NFL MVPs (Kurt Warner in 1999 and 2001 and Marshall Faulk in 2000).

In the past four years, however, Pace has greatly regressed as he's aged. He battled injuries in 2006 and 2007, starting just nine games between the two seasons. This past season, the Bears eventually replaced Pace at left tackle with Chris Williams.

Considering his age, deteriorating skill set and big contract, the move by the Bears was not surprising. Now, however, Pace will be pondering retirement. It's hard to see him getting much interest on the open market and he has enjoyed a full career -- one that will likely land him in the Hall of Fame someday.

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Coin Flips Favor Jaguars, Titans and Falcons for NFL Draft Order

Knox Bardeen — 2010-02-26T11:00:00 00:00

by Knox Bardeen

Filed under: 49ers, Chicago Bears, Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Jaguars, Panthers, Steelers, Texans, Titans, NFL Draft

Friday morning coin flips at the scouting combine in Indianapolis determined the fate for six teams, as three draft-order ties had to be broken.

With identical 7-9 records last season, the Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars tied for the 10th overall spot in the NFL draft. Friday's coin flip landed in favor of the Jaguars giving them the 10th pick in the draft. The teams will alternate selections in each round after.

The Denver Broncos had a keen interest in the results of this contest as they own the rights to Chicago's first-round selection due to the Jay Cutler trade. That means after Jacksonville picks in the 10th spot, Denver will go next.

The second coin flip determined the drafting order between the Tennessee Titans and the Carolina Panthers, who each finished the season with 8-8 records. However, as with the first flip, a third team will be the actual benefactor of the results as the San Francisco 49ers own the Panthers' pick in the first round.

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Walter Payton's Legacy Still Lingers

Dave Goldberg — 2010-02-22T12:18:00 00:00

by Dave Goldberg

Filed under: Chicago Bears

Black History Month has been celebrated in some form since 1924. For sports fans, it is a chance to reacquaint themselves with those who broke down barriers in all areas of competition and all segments of society. Many are now household names and American icons: Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Wilma Rudolph, Muhammad Ali, up to Tiger Woods, Tony Dungy and Venus and Serena Williams today.

Throughout February, FanHouse will shed light on the other figures in the history of sports whose breakthroughs were as significant as those mentioned above, but who aren't as instantly recognizable as pioneers. During Black History Month 2010, FanHouse aims to give them their due.

By the early 1970s, the Southeastern Conference had begun to integrate.

But so slowly that nobody in that league thought to recruit a running back from Columbia, Miss., named Walter Payton, who sometimes was overshadowed in high school by his older bother Eddie. And when Walter decided to play football at John J. Jefferson high school, he insisted he also be allowed to play in the band, and indeed he did.

Thus began the football career of one of the NFL's greatest running backs, a man who scored 125 touchdowns and was second on the career rushing list to Emmitt Smith with 16,726 yards.

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Remembering Miami: Anthony McFarland, Super Bowl XLI

Chris Harry — 2010-02-06T12:30:00 00:00

by Chris Harry

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Colts, Super Bowl

This is part nine in FanHouse's nine-part series examining memorable moments and players from past Super Bowl games played in Miami.

SUPER BOWL XLI
Date: Feb. 4, 2007
Site: Dolphins Stadium
Score: Colts 29, Bears 17 (MVP: Peyton Manning)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had lost their first four games of the 2006 season. Clearly, they were a team going nowhere and looking to cut its losses. The Indianapolis Colts were in quite the opposite situation and looking to fortify some weaknesses.

It was "Let's Make A Deal" at the NFL trade deadline.

"Nobody ever wants something drastic to happen," recalled Anthony "Booger" McFarland. "I was a little surprised, but I can't really say I was happy or sad. it took about 10 or 15 minutes to regroup when I realized, just like that, I'd gone from 1-4 to 5-0."

The Colts, hoping to shore up a shabby run defense, traded a second-round draft pick to the Bucs for McFarland, a defensive tackle and former first-round draft choice whose progress in Tampa was hindered by nagging injuries. For McFarland, the 2002 season was his most frustrating. Alongside Warren Sapp on one of the most feared defenses in NFL history, McFarland fought through a foot sprain and forearm fracture to regain his form heading into the home stretch of the season.

Then he fractured his foot at Detroit in Week 15.

McFarland, placed on injured reserve, wore street clothes and watched from the sidelines as Tampa Bay demolished all three postseason opponents, including the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII for the franchise's lone world championship.

"That was hard, but it was also very rewarding and gratifying from a standpoint that I knew I was a part of what we accomplished that year, even though I wasn't on the field that night," McFarland said. "I contributed to us getting to that point."

Fast forward four years.

McFarland was brought to Indy at the urging Tony Dungy, who was head coach of the Bucs when the team drafted him 15th overall out of LSU in 1999. The Colts were playing the same one-gap front and Tampa-two coverage scheme made famous by the Bucs, so the transition was pretty natural.

Especially when it came to winning.

"I was brought in to add some size and have a bigger athlete up there," McFarland recalled. "The biggest thing, when you have a quarterback like Peyton Manning, you just have to get him the ball as much as possible. The whole idea -- and the Colts are still built that way today -- is slow down the running game, try to get a two-score lead and make [opponents] throw the football."

The '06 Colts ended that season with the worst run defense in the NFL, but made a magical transition once the playoffs came around (and mighty mite strong safety Bob Sanders returned from injury). After surrendering 173 rushing yards per game in the regular-season games, the Colts clamped down on Kansas City, Baltimore and New England in the playoffs, limiting those three clubs to 73.3 on the ground per game, capturing the AFC title and punching a ticket to face the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

McFarland was healthy and in the middle of it all.

He even had Indy's only sack of the Super Bowl, an 11-yard drag-down of Rex Grossman off a play-action fake that forced a punt and helped lead to a Colts field goal in the third quarter. Indianapolis went on to win 29-17.

Fast forward eight months. McFarland blew out a knee in a 2007 preseason game. He retired the following offseason.

The Super Bowl, as it turned out, was the last game of his eight-year NFL career.

Two teams, two Super Bowl rings.

"It's sort of funny," said McFarland, who lives in Tampa and enjoys the nearly $40 million he made as a pro. "I look back on the book that was written in my career and think about it; who would have known that four years later things would have gotten so crazy in Tampa and that they decided to go in a different direction?"

And who would have thought it could work out so well?

"Like they say," McFarland reasoned. "Someone else's trash is someone else's treasure."

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Mike Martz Hired as Chicago Bears Offensive Coordinator

Matt Snyder — 2010-02-01T16:15:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Coaching

Just a few days after interviewing for the vacant position, Mike Martz has reportedly accepted the Bears offer to be their offensive coordinator. Martz has been credited with masterminding the Rams' high-powered assault that became known as "The Greatest Show on Turf" about a decade ago, but he eventually fizzled and then had two uninspiring stops with the Lions and 49ers as offensive coordinator. Of course, he didn't exactly have near the talent-level he did in St. Louis.

In Chicago, Martz will get the opportunity to work with Jay Cutler. Say what you will about Cutler's attitude or gun-slinging ways, but there's no doubting he has immense talent. It will be Martz's job to channel the abilities of the mercurial signal-caller in order to make the offense productive. There are some talented, but young, skill position players surrounding Cutler, but the offensive line needs some fixing.

The Bears ranked 23rd in total offense, 17th in pass offense and 29th in run offense. None of these figures would be acceptable to Martz, so expect the Bears to come out firing in 2010.

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Bears Interview Mike Martz for Offensive Coordinator Vacancy

Matt Snyder — 2010-01-29T19:15:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Coaching

The Chicago Bears may have found a way to salvage the thus-far-catastrophic search in finding a replacement for jilted offensive coordinator Ron Turner. According to the Bears' official website, Mike Martz interviewed for the vacant position Friday afternoon. This was a huge breakthrough for the Bears to simply interview him, as they'd seen a litany of candidates take jobs with other NFL teams (Chiefs, Raiders, Seahawks, etc.), with colleges or turn them down altogether. Other than Martz, the Bears are reportedly interested in a group of guys who are either unrealistic (like Colts' assistant head coach Clyde Christensen) or not yet qualified to run an entire offense.

There are myriad reasons the Bears haven't been able to find a coordinator yet. The most likely is that most candidates view 2010 as the last season Lovie Smith will be in Chicago, thus, why cough up job security for a one-year gig? Several outlets have speculated that guys are turning down the job due to not wanting to work with quarterback Jay Cutler. While the Bears have made the blunder of having Cutler sit in on interviews, multiple candidates who declined the job have told media Cutler had nothing to do with their decision. In fact, new Seahawks offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates actually believed Cutler made the offense desirable, but he thought he had a better opportunity in Seattle with his former (and now current) employer, Pete Carroll. Sure, they could by lying, but not one candidate has come out and said he turned the job down due to Cutler.

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Gaines Adams Had Different Approach

Chris Harry — 2010-01-17T18:40:00 00:00

by Chris Harry

Filed under: Chicago Bears

Gaines Adams came into the NFL as the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft and armed with a six-year, $46 million contract, complete with an $18.6 million signing bonus that was the largest rookie deal ever shelled out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

What did he do with it?

Adams bought a condo in downtown Tampa and asked his parents to come live there and help him get settled.

"Money changes people," Adams said during his 2007 debut season. "If you let them, people can influence you into doing some crazy stuff."

Adams was raised too well and was far too grounded to let that happen. His teammates in Tampa and Chicago, where he was traded to last October, knew that and appreciated that about the soft-spoken defensive end from Clemson.

Which made his shocking death Sunday morning at the age of 26 all the more painful.

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Gaines Adams, Chicago Bears Defensive End, Dies at 26

Michael David Smith — 2010-01-17T11:21:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died Sunday morning in South Carolina, county coroner James T. Coursey said. Adams was 26.

Adams was taken to the emergency room at Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, where was pronounced dead, the Greenville News first reported. A preliminary autopsy Sunday revealed Adams had an enlarged heart and likely died of cardiac arrest, ESPN reported.

According to NFL Network, Coursey explained that "health issues" on Sunday morning prompted Adams' girlfriend to call an ambulance. Adams arrived at the hospital just after 8 a.m. ET and was pronounced dead less than a half hour later. Coursey said Adams had no history of health problems.

"We are stunned and saddened by the news of Gaines' passing," the Bears franchise said in a statement. "Our prayers are with his family during this difficult time."

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Kevin Gilbride, Jim Zorn on Bears' Radar

Matt Snyder — 2010-01-10T19:15:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Coaching, NFL Rumors

Earlier this week, the Bears predictably fired offensive coordinator Ron Turner, but also sent almost their entire offensive coaching staff packing as well. Thus, they have several holes to fill before next season. CSN Chicago is reporting that Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and recently-fired Redskins coach Jim Zorn are being pursued by the Bears.

It would seem that if the Bears really want both coaches, they would hire Gilbride as the offensive coordinator and Zorn as the quarterbacks coach. Bringing in the two would certainly be an upgrade from last season's staff, but could the notoriously penny-pinching Bears pay both coaches enough to bring them in? It's likely more realistic to expect only one of them to be hired as the offensive coordinator.

Gilbride is one of the more respected offensive coordinators in the NFL. He has overseen high-powered offenses with big-time aerial attacks, but also run all over people when the personnel dictated. Coincidentally, Gilbride was the Houston Oilers' offensive coordinator who defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan once punched on the sidelines. Ryan got the chance at the Houston job a few years after hammering home his defensive genius with the Bears.

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Wildcast: Mike Shanahan's New Dental Plan and Sundry Coaching Moves

Will Brinson — 2010-01-06T16:40:00 00:00

by Will Brinson

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Bills, Panthers, Raiders, Redskins, Seahawks

The Wildcast is NFL FanHouse's podcast formation. It's like the Wildcat, but better.

Let's get this out of the way: while many people were predicting turmoil and chaos and beheadings, Snyder and I told you last week that outside of Jim Zorn (and we didn't count the dead duck Bills of course), there wasn't a guaranteed firing in the NFL. Thus far, we look pretty smart.

So we figured with Mike Shanahan newly signed with the Washington Redskins, what better time to fire up the old podcast machine and discuss the various coaching changes (this is part one, part two with a playoff preview is tomorrow), potential coaching changes and desperation in Buffalo than ... RIGHT NOW! But seriously, take a listen.

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Bears Gut Offensive Coaching Staff

Matt Snyder — 2010-01-05T14:40:00 00:00

by Matt Snyder

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Coaching

In the wake of an incredibly disappointing season, the Bears have let nearly every offensive coach go. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner, as we passed along earlier today with the news that head coach Lovie Smith will be retained, has been fired. He wasn't alone, however, because most of his staff is hitting the road with him.

Via press release, the Bears announced that tight ends coach Rob Boras, offensive assistant/assistant offensive line coach Luke Butkus, quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and offensive assistant/assistant wide receivers coach Charles London have been relieved of their respective duties. That leaves only Tim Spencer (running backs) and Darryl Drake (wide receivers) left as offensive coaches, which means the new offensive coordinator will likely have a large hand in choosing his staff as Smith and new defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli stick to their side of the ball.

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Lovie Smith Expected Back With Bears

Josh Alper — 2010-01-05T10:55:00 00:00

by Josh Alper

Filed under: Chicago Bears, NFC North, NFL Coaching

Multiple sources are reporting that the Bears will announce Lovie Smith will remain the team's head coach after leading the team to its second losing season in the last three years. The status quo likely will end there for the Bears coaching staff, however.

When the Bears announce Smith's return at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, they are also expected to announce that offensive coordinator Ron Turner and several other members of the offensive staff will be eligible for unemployment benefits at the end of the day. The Chicago Tribune is already reporting Turner's departure as a done deal. Despite adding Jay Cutler in an offseason trade, the Bears offense regressed in 2009 and only cracked the 20 points per game barrier by posting 73 points in the season's final two games.

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