[CBFF] Super tactic? Bears don't shuffle roster (Pierson)

[Victor Waldron]

Super tactic? Bears don't shuffle roster
Return all 22 starters in revolving-door era
Don Pierson
On Pro Football

August 2, 2006

The Bears are the only NFL team with all 22 starters back, making them
the most unusual team since the advent of free agency in the early
1990s.

Whether this is by design or accident, coach Lovie Smith feels
compelled to explain.

"I don't see us standing pat. I think we've improved our football team
talent-wise and it can only help with those 22 guys coming back,"
Smith said.

It doesn't mean the 22 starters will start again, as Thomas Jones will
attest. Receiver Justin Gage and right guard Terrence Metcalf also
started the majority of games last season but aren't necessarily
penciled in to keep their jobs ahead of Mark Bradley and Roberto
Garza.

But just having every starter back in camp makes these Bears unique in
comparison

to the 1985 champions, who worried about playing without unsigned 1984
starters Todd Bell and Al Harris. And after they won, they came back
in 1986 without injured cornerback Leslie Frazier. This was during a
time when players didn't have much choice about coming back if a team
wanted them.

Having every starter back isn't viewed as necessarily a good thing in
any sport. Not only is it nearly impossible, it invites complacency.
There's an adage about teams getting either better or worse but

never staying the same.

The White Sox won the World Series and subtracted Aaron Rowand for Jim
Thome. As good a deal as that appears, it has yet to assure the team
is any better. This is why Cedric Benson will carry a burden
considerably heavier than a football if he indeed does beat out Jones.

The only other NFL team close to returning all its starters is the
Cincinnati Bengals. Linebacker Odell Thurman will miss the first four
games because of a league suspension. And the Bengals signed defensive
tackle Sam Adams and safety Dexter Jackson to replace returning
starters. Rehabilitating quarterback Carson Palmer also may not be
ready to start the season.

All the other playoff teams made no pretense of trying to return all
their starters.

The Carolina Panthers,

who abruptly ended the Bears' short playoff life, let go of

both outside linebackers,

Will Witherspoon and Brandon Short, plus guard Tutan Reyes, defensive
tackle Brentson Buckner and running back

Stephen Davis.

They added veteran receiver Keyshawn Johnson to complement Bears
killer Steve Smith and acquired defensive tackles Maake Kemoeatu and
Damione Lewis to make them the consensus preseason favorites to win
the Super Bowl.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who beat out the Bears for

No. 1 defense when the Bears were resting the final week, let safety
Jackson go to Cincinnati and also lost two important defensive
coaches: Rod Marinelli, now head coach at Detroit, and secondary coach
Mike Tomlin, now defensive coordinator at Minnesota.

The Bucs also couldn't keep quarterback Brian Griese, who started the
first six games for them before getting hurt. The Bears thank them
very much.

The Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl runner-up and highest-scoring team in
the league, couldn't keep All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson, reliable

receiver Joe Jurevicius or

safety Marquand Manuel.

They added 49ers linebacker Julian Peterson and Vikings wideout Nate Burleson.

The Washington Redskins, who handed the Bears one of their five
defeats, came back without defensive starters Walt Harris, Ryan Clark
and LaVar Arrington but outbid the Bears for Pittsburgh receiver
Antwaan Randle El and St. Louis safety Adam Archuleta. They also added
receiver Brandon Lloyd and linebacker Andre Carter from San Francisco.

The New York Giants, who won the NFC East with the same 11-5 record as
the Bears, had the league's No. 4 offense but returned without
defensive starters Will Allen, Kendrick Clancy and Nick Greisen. They
added Arrington and Miami cornerback Sam Madison.

In the AFC, the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers lost retired
fullback Jerome Bettis as well as Randle El,

defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen and safety Chris Hope.

The New England Patriots lost kicker Adam Vinatieri,

defensive end Willie McGinest and receiver David Givens.

The Indianapolis Colts lost superstar Edgerrin James, kicker Mike Vanderjagt and

defensive starters Larry

Tripplett and David Thornton, and are hoping the signing of Super Bowl
star Vinatieri will help them the way he helped the Pats.

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost receiver Jimmy Smith and linebacker Akin
Ayodele. The Denver Broncos lost running back Mike Anderson, tight end
Jeb Putzier and defensive end Trevor Pryce.

There were five other NFL teams that had winning records but missed
the playoffs. All made changes.

The Dallas Cowboys lost Keyshawn Johnson, guard

Larry Allen and defensive

tackle La'Roi Glover, and added Vanderjagt, Ayodele and the most
famous off-season acquisition—Terrell Owens.

The Minnesota Vikings dumped virtually everything in their attempt to
make up two games on the Bears—from coach Mike Tice to quarterback
Daunte Culpepper to

receiver Burleson to second-leading tackler Sam Cowart

to leading sacker Lance

Johnstone—and added as many as seven new starters plus Green Bay's reliable

kicker Ryan Longwell.

The Miami Dolphins jettisoned quarterback Gus Frerotte and jumped on
Culpepper and ex-Lion Joey Harrington.

The Kansas City Chiefs switched coaches, from Dick Vermeil to Herm
Edwards, and lost three starters.

San Diego let proven quarterback Drew Brees go and will try to improve
with untested Philip Rivers.

Super Bowl winners almost always are teams that had winning records
the previous season. The 2001 Patriots (5-11 in 2000), 2000 Baltimore
Ravens (8-8 in 1999) and 1999 St. Louis Rams (4-12 in 1998) are the
only exceptions in the last 23 years.

By returning all their starters, the Bears are planning to pursue the
ultimate goal in a different manner from their peers.