[CBFF] Injuries taking toll at wideout

[Jim Ferolie]

 Interesting notes... the offer for Lelie, all but confirmed, the initial pursuit of David Boston, which, considering he was close with Thomas Jones at Arizona, says something, but I don't know what...

Question... what kind of contract does Lelie want?
Injuries taking toll at wideout 

August 8, 2006 

BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter 





BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The sight of B.J. Symons lining up at wide receiver was unmistakable Monday afternoon. 

Not with his orange quarterback jersey on. 

So it has come for the Bears nearly two weeks into training camp. There are not enough healthy bodies to put on the field, and the question that faced the team before it reported to Olivet Nazarene University now dogs it: Do the Bears have an adequate corps of wide receivers? 

Starters Muhsin Muhammad and Bernard Berrian both sat out with groin muscle pulls. Berrian was supposed to return to action today. Instead, they stood in front of the Jugs machine for an hour catching passes with Airese Currie, who's sidelined following arthroscopic surgery to repair a small meniscus tear in his left knee. 



HURTIN' BEARS

      Player Injury Projected return 
      FB Bryan Johnson right hamstring likely season-ending 
      RB Cedric Benson left shoulder 2-3 weeks  
      WR Airese Currie left knee 2-3 weeks 
      G Terrence Metcalf knee 2-3 weeks  
      DT Ian Scott left knee 2-3 weeks 
      DE Mark Anderson hamstring day-to-day  
      WR Alex Bannister groin day-to-day 
      WR Bernard Berrian groin day-to-day  
      DT Michael Haynes back day-to-day 
      LB Hunter Hillenmeyer shoulder day-to-day  
      DT Tank Johnson quad day-to-day 
      RB Thomas Jones right hamstring day-to-day  
      S Brandon McGowan knee day-to-day 
      WR Muhsin Muhammad groin day-to-day  
      LB Dwayne Slay hamstring day-to-day 
      LB Jamar Williams left knee day-to-day 



The 33-year-old Muhammad does not have a serious injury, but his absence left Mark Bradley and Arena League star turned NFL cornerback turned receiver Rashied Davis as the guys to run with the first team. Justin Gage joined them in three-receiver sets. 

''We're OK,'' general manager Jerry Angelo said. ''We just want to be smart with the players and all of this is in the plan.'' 

If the plan has the JV squad this close to being it during the regular season, it can't be sitting well with the quarterback everyone has waited so long to see --Rex Grossman. But he's heaped nothing but praise on the inexperienced group all summer. He was picked off by linebacker Lance Briggs on a pass intended for Davis that was way off target because of a miscommunication. 

Where there is smoke, you might find a fire though. The Rocky Mountain News reported Monday the Bears are believed to have offered a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for disgruntled wide receiver Ashley Lelie. Angelo did not dispute that, and it is now believed the Bears are seriously exploring options. 

''I don't get into talking about anything we're doing internally,'' Angelo said. ''I've always said we'll explore things and look at any position. I'll leave it at that.'' 

If Denver was offered a third rounder, it would send a limo to take Lelie to the airport. Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tennessee have all been in the mix. Lelie, who is holding out of Broncos camp, has already totaled $154,000 in fines, and his agent Peter Schaffer said Monday a ''number of teams'' are still interested. 

When asked about help coming in from the outside, coach Lovie Smith talked about liking what he has. He didn't say he was not interested. 

''We are 24/7 trying to improve our football team,'' he said. ''That's been my statement from Day 1, so I would only answer it that way. 

''We like the players we have here right now. A long time has passed since our last game and these are the receivers that we went into camp with, so we feel pretty good about them. Nothing has changed except a couple of them are banged up right now. No biggie.'' 

The Bears sought help in free agency when they made a failed bid to sign Antwaan Randle El. Consideration was given to signing David Boston. Smith recruited him to Ohio State and likes him, but he had too much baggage and wound up in Tampa Bay. 

Angelo is adamant a mistake was not made when a plan after Randle El wasn't hatched. He cites the breakout year Marty Booker had in 2001 when he set a franchise record with 100 receptions for 1,071 yards and eight touchdowns. Angelo viewed Bobby Engram in the same role and felt the veteran had to go in order for Booker to spread his wings. 

Using that line of thinking, he thought a veteran would only impede the development of guys like Berrian, Bradley, Davis and Currie, who it has turned out cannot stay healthy. You can't find out what you have in the players, three of them draft picks, until they've been given confidence and then challenged. 

But when deciding on Lelie, or perhaps Oakland's Jerry Porter, who is also available, the determination needs to be made if the time and chance being taken on receivers blossoming comes with a price that is costly to success.