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Is it just me or is the Rex Grossman v. Kyle Orton QB battle turning into your typical election where neither option really excites you, and at the end you throw your support behind the lesser of two evils? All of it is so distastefully politically correct. Right down both players’ comments and Lovie’s coin toss, like some debate moderator trying to decide which candidate gets the first question. Personally I get the feeling of Kerry v. W. Bush or maybe Dukakis v. H. Bush, just one of those uninspiring decisions where either way the people are probably getting screwed.

Both Quarterbacks are flawed. Rex is prone to just as many fumbled snaps and poor decisions as he is to the big plays that have kept Bears coaches enamored with him. Orton on the other hand, besides from having possibly the world’s worst facial hair, has never moved the Bears offense with consistency and seems to check down to a fault. Perhaps the gods will bless us the ability to put Rex’s arm and flair for the big play on to Orton’s body and the Bears can finally have their franchise QB, but given the unlikelihood of that we’ll have to make do with just one of them as is. So what do we know about both?

Orton is often lauded for his care-taker play that allowed the Defense and Special Teams to carry the Bears to victory. He won 11 games as a rookie and 2 out of 3 during trial run at the end of last year. The stats are underwhelming: 54% completion, 160yrds/gm, 3 TDs, 2 INTs. But you do need to take into account that one of those games was played in horrible windy conditions against Green Bay where the Defense and Special Teams scored and the Offense focused on running the ball and controlling the clock. That aside Orton had 1 good game, 1 bad game, and 1 average game and makes me think that he might by the “myth of consistency” that Brian Griese was supposed to be last year.

Rex on the other hand might be the most polarizing sports figure in Chicago in my lifetime. Despite leading the Bears to a Super Bowl his limited goodwill with the fans has been thrown away in strings of careless mistakes: taking bad sacks, fumbled snaps, and throwing off his back foot into double coverage. And yet to watch Rex at his best is the closest thing we’ve had to a legit QB in the last 15 years. Rex had an awful start to last year, but after replacing Griese in the middle of the Oakland Raiders game actually played 3 very solid games. In his second stint at the helm Rex threw for 897yrds, 3TDs, just 1 INT, and averaged 6.7 yards per attempt. But the Bears only went 2-2 in those games and he took a whopping 16 sacks. It’s hard to say if improved line play would help that, but we can be certain that last years 2nd incarnation of Rex was a lot better than the first.

So where does that leave us? I’m personally throwing my support behind Rex because I believe the player he was in the second half of 2007 gives this team their best chance to win. I don’t want to revert all the way back to 2005 and watch 8 and 9 men in the box completely stifle rookie Matt Forte. The Bears need a threat at QB, even if it’s an inconsistent one, because outside of Devin Hester they don’t have one anywhere else. That’s why I am voting for Rex in ’08.

And based on the amount he’s getting paid, returning better not be all Devin Hester does this year. I will personally admit to initially being staggered by the size of Devin’s new contract, reported as 4yrs/$40mil by many outlets. I felt it was important for the Bears to pay him and I was glad he reported after only two days, but that much money made it seem like Jerry Angelo had been well… had. However, like so many other NFL contracts things are never as they seem.

The reality of Hester’s extension is that he is now on a 6yr/$33mil deal with about half of that guaranteed. That seems to be a fair combination of highest paid Special Teams player (about $3mil/yr) and young developing receiver (about $2.5mil/yr). A lot has been made of the $10mil performance bonus he could receive, but that’s only coming if he turns into Larry Fitzgerald or Braylon Edwards… so it’s never coming. In the end this is another well done contract. Like with Peanut Tillman, Nathan Vasher, Alex Brown, Desmond Clark, and Tommie Harris before Angelo managed to nail down a market level contract without a significant holdout or PR battle during fairly tumultuous times in the NFL. The man simply does not get enough credit for keeping the cap situation under control and important players in town. And he deserves even more credit given that Hester is such a unique player and as such it was a negotiation without precedent.

The Bears needed to find a way to pay Hester for his production, excitement, marketability, and potential and this contract seems to do all of that. Now all the remaining questions will be answered on the field. Like, how many offensive snaps can he play without his returns suffering? And will he ever be able to learn more than one route as a WR? While I reserve the right to be incredibly apprehensive about Hester and his ability to live up to this deal (and reference back to this at some point in the future with an “I told you so”), I’m going to forget all about that when he’s fielding the opening kick-off in Indianapolis, or more likely it’s kicked out of bounds, and that’s the point.

The clock struck 3 and Superman was nowhere to be found. At a time the Bears need Hester being faster than a locomotive and leaping diving defenders in a single bound more than ever it appears his contract situation has poisoned Bourbonnais with kryptonite. Now at this point Jerry Angelo has to find a way to get Hester to camp for fear of being painted as Lex Luther.

In reality this is a pretty complicated situation. While no one would argue that Devin Hester is an elite NFL talent and grossly underpaid at $445,000 for the ’08-’09 season, there is also no contract or player in the NFL to compare him to. The Bears and many fans are optimistic that Hester can develop into a #1 WR, but so far he has just 300 career receiving yards and rumors abound that he’s had trouble picking up the offense. So while the Bears would happily project him as the cornerstone of their offense for the foreseeable future, they also need to protect themselves against the chance that Hester’s pro career mirrors his college career and he never finds a true position. So do you pay him as the best special teams player in the NFL, and therefore about $2.5mil/yr? Or do you pay him as a #1 WR, about $7mil/yr? Where can the two sides land in between? Hester and his agent obviously understand how important he is to a Bears team that is currently lacking and sort of established threat, but there’s a decent chance if the Bears and Angelo cave too much it could really come back to bite them.

Just as we were settling in for the Rex/Orton derby and prepping for our first looks at rookies Chris Williams and Matt Forte the landscape has completely changed. Now the only question that will matter early in camp is, when will Superman return?

Well it’s finally over and more than likely most Bears fans will just be happy to stop hearing about it. When Brian Urlacher arrives from training camp (which begins Wednesday) he will sign a deal that will include $6mil signing bonus, add $1mil to his salary for the four years remaining on his original deal (thru 2011), and finally adds the 2012 season to the deal for $7.5mil.

At the end of the day the deal looks an awful lot like what the Bears initially offered ($5mil bonus and an extra $1mil/yr) so a lot of people feel like Urlacher caved. I personally think it’s an extremely fair deal given that Urlacher has some injury concerns at this point, but has also maintained an extremely high level of play while the cap has increased by over $35mil. Unfortunately Jay Marotti wasn’t so kind in his thoughts on the deal. All in all Urlacher got $18mil and a contract level that is more representative of his status as one of the best LBs in the NFL. However, this season will go a long way to determining if the money was worth the PR hit he took in the off-season.

Epsiode 100 of Bearscast will be out later this week to discuss this move and the opening of training camp.

Well in an off-season in which contract extensions have been all the rage for the Bears, Tommie Harris has joined Alex Brown, Robbie Gould, and others in inking for more years in Chicago.

Harris signs 4yr/$40mil extension

The contract is the richest in Bears history, the highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL, and includes $18 million in guarantees. Harris was one of 3 players the Bears had strongly targeted for an extension this off-season (along with Hester and Gould), and this signing should allow Jerry Angelo to focus on Urlacher, who’s been attending voluntary OTA, and Hester who might be the default #1 WR whether he is ready or not. There undoubtedly will be some criticism out there given that Harris has struggled heavily with injuries over the last two years. The Bears will also lose some leverage in the Urlacher negotiations given the money they just committed to a player with recent injury issues. However, I strongly believe that Harris is the second most important player to this defense after Urlacher and might even be harder to replace. So I tip my cap to Angelo for getting this done… now if he could only find a QB…

UPDATE: He gone.

Big Brown cost me my exacta box at the Belmont and normally I would be upset about losing, but l cashed in on my Cedric Benson BWI/DWI exacta to make up for it. Still awaiting trial for drunken boating, Benson was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving, Saturday morning in Austin, Texas. He now has been charged with boating while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated. Let’s all hope for safety of everyone living in Texas, Cedric does not have his pilot’s license.

How dumb does one have to be to get in a car after drinking while awaiting a trial for his arrest of boating while intoxicated? I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt after the first arrest, after all athletes are human and make mistakes and there even seemed to be a chance Police harassed Benson on the water. Given that he has been arrested again for drinking and driving, I am done with Cedric Benson. He needs to go spend 28 days with Lindsay Lohan before coming to camp.

To be a quality running back in this league you need to be a good decision maker and it is clear that Cedric Benson is not. After being drafted with the 4th pick in the 2005 draft, the former Longhorn has disappointed on the field and off. The Bears wasted a first round pick and now this year’s second round pick to find his replacement. The Matt Forte era looks like it will begin sooner than expected. Let’s hope Jerry Angelo is right about the Tulane star.
Angelo has a decision to make, whether or not Benson should remain with the Bears.

“Disappointment is too much an often-used word when we’re talking about Cedric, and the number one lesson for every player is protect your job,” Angelo said. Not exactly the ringing endorsement fans want to hear about their “star” running back as training camp begins.

The Bears Fan Expo is this Saturday and Sunday (June 7th and 8th) at the Cadillac Club.

I will be there on Saturday along with my lovely girlfriend taking in all the sights, sounds, spin, and everything else the Bears have to throw at us. Hopefully I’ll also get to do a bit of networking and bring in a few more fans for the show. If you are also going to be in attendance, shoot me an email at hosts@bearscast.com. Or if you just have some questions you’d like me to try and get answered (like why in the world is Cedric Benson still a Bear?) just post them on the boards and I will do my best to get them answered and bring that knowledge back to you.

Starting this Monday (June 9th) with the Post-Expo show I am going to do everything in my power to get Bearscast back up and running at an episode a week. I will need all and any of you to suggest topics, raise questions, or just pick a fight we me so I’ll have something to talk about. This is going to be amongst the most crucial off-seasons in a long time for the Bears (and intrigue already abounds with rumors that Orton is out front in the QB derby) so join me for the ride.

I provide you with my pick by pick breakdown and grade of the Bears 2008 draft. I have initially stated that I found the draft underwhelming, but that by no means makes it a bad draft. While it appears to be a draft that lacks in explosiveness, Angelo seemed to make up for that by landing a lot of quality players who should find ways to contribute.

Pick 1 (Round 1): C. Williams LT, Vanderbilt
The start of the first round really could not have worked out better for the Bears. Williams pretty much fell into their laps, and it’s an incredible blessing considering some scouts had him ranked as the #2 LT in this draft class. Williams should proved a huge boost the line by sliding in at LT and allowing a health John Tait to take over at RT. He’s got a strong track record against SEC opponents and has outstanding size and lateral movement. Ideally he fits here for many years to come
Grade: A

Pick 2 (Round 2): M. Forte RB, Tulane
The selection of Forte here has been criticized because many feel he is too similar to Benson. Both are larger backs who run with power and lack elite top end speed, but that is where the parallels seem to end. The biggest difference between the two is Forte’s ability to locate the hole. He’s a one cut runner who identifies the hole and then hits it hard. Additionally he has solid hands and is a solid blocker who can stay in on 3rd down. I really think Angelo see’s Forte as a bigger version of Thomas Jones and if Forte possess enough quickness to get around the edge (his biggest question mark) than I think this is a steal.
Grade: B

Pick 3 (Round 3): E. Bennett WR, Vanderbilt
A smart, quick route runner. He’s been compared by Mel Kiper to Hines Ward, but I wonder if that’s really a good thing. At 5’11”/209 he seems to have the necessary strength but there are concerns about his ability to get separation. His 4.48 40 seems to indicate good enough top end speed, but he seems to lack the quickness and second gear to make plays in space. That aside Bennett was one of the most productive WR in SEC history and should fit right into the slot position.
Grade: C+

Pick 4 (Round 3): M. Harrison DT, Arkansas
I am really not sure how to approach this pick. On one end Harrison is a lighting quick pass rusher, huge but not really powerful and seemingly a perfect back up and insurance policy for Tommie Harris. On the other hand ha has already had serious drug related problems with law. So I wonder if this guy is Dustin Dvoracek or Tank Johnson. If he’s Tank then it’s a waste of a 3rd round pick who’s never going to make a serious impact. If he’s Dustin then he’s a steal who can spell Harris and potentially provide long-term security at the 3-technique.
Grade: C

Pick 5 (Round 4): C. Steltz S, LSU
The Bears need at S was pretty evident all of last year and I think Steltz can come in and help address that need. He’s probably destined to be a ST standout for now, but he plays with great instincts and an extremely high motor. Most importantly, while he doesn’t have great speed he is very adept in run support and is supposed to be an excellent blitzer. Those are two qualities that were desperately missing from the position after Mike Brown went down in the opener. Who knows, we could see him paired with Danieal Manning sooner than we think.
Grade: A

Pick 6 (Round 5): Z. Bowman CB, Nebraska
In the pass happy NFL landing guys like Bowman and Trumaine McBride are esstential for keeping up on defense. Bowman is a freakish athlete at CB, great blend of size (6’0”) and speed (4.38). There is a lot to be concerned about with his history of knee injuries. Also Bowman transferred to Nebraska out of junior college so his experience against high level competition is limited. For now his athleticism should be on full display on ST, in the future he could combine with McBride, Tillman, and Vasher to make amongst the best CB groups in the NFL.
Grade: B+

Pick 7 (Round 5): K. Davis TE, Michigan State
Huge kid at 6’6”/262 and he runs pretty well for that size at 4.6. Both of those should make him an immediate redzone threat. However, despite that size Davis has yet to develop into a solid blocker and that will be an important evolution as he tries to make the roster as a 3rd TE. Davis was also flagged for character problems because of misdemeanor assault charges in ’06 and he was suspended by MSU for 4 games. In a best case scenario he’s Clark’s eventual replacement, but this pick just strikes me as more potential than actual
Grade: C+

Pick 8 (Round 7): E. Baldwin DE, Michigan State
Good rush end. He only played 2 years at MSU showing promise, had good combine, and is the Spartan single season sack record holder. He’s really a typical Bears type end who likes to get around the end and make plays in the backfield. However, holding up against the run is the issue and I don’t really know where he fits on the roster. The Bears already have 3 DE (Brown, Ogunleye, Anderson) last year’s 2nd round pick (Bazuin) and the flexibility to move Idonije to the outside. I don’t see them carrying 5 DE so if he’s going to make the team someone has to get cut, that’s why I’m down on this pick
Grade: D

Pick 9 (Round 7): C. Adams OG, Georgia
The Bears continue to show their value of big school and conference players late in the draft with Adams. The Bears desperately need depth at G so it should give Adams a decent chance of making the team. Has ideal size at 6’4”/320, but has been tagged with the dreaded “doesn’t play as big as his size suggests”. He’s about as good as you can do this late and hopefully some work at the NFL level can increase his punch and drive.
Grade: B-

Pick 10 (Round 7): J. LaRocque OLB, Oregon St
Very typical undersized OLB prospect for the Bears. Has a reputation of being instinctive and productive despite his athletic deficiencies. Really doesn’t have much of a chance to make the team except as a ST player, so his effort will be the key to his success on the next level.
Grade: C-

Pick 11 (Round 7): K. Barton OT, Ohio St
Barton defines the lunch pail mentality when it comes to offensive linemen. Scouts Inc had this to say, “Barton is very tough and experienced. He almost always finds a way to get the job done. The problem is that his athletic deficiencies are going to show up at the NFL level.” He is stiff and slow right now which probably means he’ll eventually have to move inside, but there is always room for guys who work hard.
Grade: C

Pick 12 (Round 7): M. Monk WR, Arkansas
Monk intrigues me more than any other Bears pick outside of Forte. He would’ve been a much higher pick 2 years ago, but a knee injury derailed his senior season. He sort of reminds me (at least in body size) of a Plaxico Burress, and really has decent speed. The questions will be his explosiveness coming off the injury and if he can create separation. I really think he’s going to make the team and could be a big surprise this year.
Grade: B+

The Bears again added a lot of depth and might have found some contributors in the late rounds. Williams was pretty much a consensus pick so there are no problems there. However, a lot will come down to the impact Bennett and Forte make. Both have enough warning signs that you could see them being non-factors, but if each does make a big impact at his position than this was a great draft. The biggest problem was the lack of obvious “big play” potential players picked up here, but personally I’ll be happy if Forte can just grind out about 4 yards per carry.

Overall Grade: B-

Underwhelmed. The Bears 2008 draft was certainly nothing spectacular and we won’t have the talking heads raving on and on about an “A” draft, but it wasn’t particularly disappointing either. The Bears used a lot of late round picks (as they always do) on players that were simply the best value at that point and didn’t necessarily address a need.

This is going to be an interesting training camp. First round pick Chris Williams should slide right in somewhere on the OL, but the addition of 2nd rounder Matt Forte probably means someone is going to get cut. With Peterson, Benson, and Wolfe already on the roster I doubt the Bears carry 4 RB and that means someone has to lose his job. Forte is probably also the most questionable pick of the draft by the Bears, with Rutgers Ray Rice still on the board. The 2nd day saw added competition at WR where the Bears add Earl Bennett in the 3rd and Marcus Monk in the 7th. They will compete with Brandon Llyod and Mark Bradley for the last two WR roster spots, unless the Bears can justify carrying 6 WR because of Hester’s and Davis’ contribution on Special Teams.

Also the Bears added a 5th round TE Kellen Davis (bye bye Fontel Mines), a 5th round CB
Zackary Bowman (bye bye Ricky Manning Jr.) a 4th round S Craig Steltz (bye bye Adam Archuleta), and a 3rd round DT Marcus Harrison (bye bye Anthony Adams?). So while the Bears seemingly fail to address their desperate need for play-makers on offense (unless Forte is a big surprise) they did have a solid draft of address a few needs and adding depth.

If it weren’t free to begin with. That said my deepest apologies for the audio issues on the most recent episode (Episode 97) of Bearscast. There was obviously some issues with Doug’s volume and it appears most of the interesting and spot on things that he said were drown out by my breathing into my mic (I swear I am not normally that creepy). I really thought I’d worked this out in the editing process, but apparently I am not as smart as I thought I was. So again my deepest apologies for this SNAFU. All should be fixed for Episode 98 which is scheduled to go up during the day Friday to get you fully prepared for the Day 1 madness.