[CBFF] ST - Garay makes practice squad

[Jim Ferolie]

More decisions I like... including one that's quite stunning. Kind of like 
having a 54-man roster. He's not exactly going to leap at the first offer he 
gets to go active, will he?

Glad Ball is on the list, and LeVoir, too. Don't know much about Mines, and 
I didn't get a real strong impression either way of Fassitt.

Bears tab Garay for practice squad

The Bears kept only eight offensive linemen on the 53-man roster, but the 
NFL's oldest starting unit will have some backup.
The team signed three familiar faces to the eight-man practice squad Sunday: 
center/guard Anthony Oakley, tackle Mark LeVoir and guard Tyler Reed, a 
sixth-round pick in 2006. Oakley was on the active roster all last season, 
although he never dressed on game day, and LeVoir and Reed spent 2006 on the 
practice squad.

Also brought back were defensive tackle Antonio Garay, cornerback Greg 
Fassitt, tight end Fontel Mines and wide receiver David Ball.

The Bears made a lucrative offer to entice Garay into staying. He will be 
paid the league minimum -- about $200,000 more than the $79,900 minimum for 
practice-squad players. At least one NFC team put in calls to former Bears 
coaches inquiring about Garay as it considered placing a waiver claim for 
him, but he went through.

Garay appeared in four regular-season games last year and all three playoff 
games. The third-year veteran is eligible for the practice squad because he 
has appeared in fewer than nine games over the last four years.

Running back Jermaine Allen also is on the practice squad but does not count 
toward the limit because he's in the league's International Development 
program. The Bears have one open spot on the squad.