[CBFF] Bears headed in right direction :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Mike Mulligan - Sent Using Google Toolbar

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Bears headed in right direction :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Mike Mulligan


Bears headed in right direction
 Establishing run game more important than overpaying Berrian


March 3, 2008
BY MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan at suntimes.com

There's a weird sort of Beowulf syndrome that seems to build up around
the NFL free-agent market every year where the paying public all but
demands a hero be imported to save the day. Success in that venture is
deemed to determine the level of commitment the team has to winning.

It's a kind of score-keeping that's never going to be fair to a team
like the Bears, who have adopted a less appreciated philosophy of
retaining their own free agents as opposed to bringing in people from
the outside. Is it really more significant that the Bears lost wide
receiver Bernard Berrian than that they managed to return Lance
Briggs? Berrian isn't a bad player, but the Vikings paid him like a
great one, making him one one of the top five highest-paid at his
position.

It's a kind of score-keeping that's never going to be fair to a team
like the Bears, who have adopted a less appreciated philosophy of
retaining their own free agents as opposed to bringing in people from
the outside. Is it really more significant that the Bears lost wide
receiver Bernard Berrian than that they managed to return Lance
Briggs? Berrian isn't a bad player, but the Vikings paid him like a
great one, making him one one of the top five highest-paid at his
position.

Briggs, who has made three Pro Bowls -- Berrian never has so much as
been an alternate -- returned to the team when it became obvious the
market determined the Bears' bid for his services was spot on the
money.

RELATED STORIES BEARS: Surprised Briggs 'happy' with deal


Briggs, who has made three Pro Bowls -- Berrian never has so much as
been an alternate -- returned to the team when it became obvious the
market determined the Bears' bid for his services was spot on the
money.

Berrian becomes the first free-agent loss for the Bears since Lovie
Smith came to town four years ago. He's also the first starter the
team has lost -- other than guys they've decided to cut or trade --
since Rosevelt Colvin left town after the 2002 season. The rest of the
starters to leave the team did so because the Bears opted to cut them
-- think Tank Johnson -- or trade them -- whither Thomas Jones.

In other words, the Bears have done a remarkable job of staying ahead
of the curve when it comes to keeping key players off the free-agent
market. They've been working ahead in that area for quite a while, and
plenty of the moves they've made so far this offseason have been to
continue with that strategy. They've signed a pair of quarterbacks --
Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton -- extended contracts to Alex Brown,
Desmond Clark and Briggs and opened negotiations with guys such as
Tommie Harris and Devin Hester.

They've even gone so far as to listen to the demands of linebacker
Brian Urlacher, who has four years left on his deal but believes he
has outplayed his contract.
More good news than bad

But alarm about the loss of Berrian, or more specifically concern
about who is going to actually play wide receiver, seems to override
the good work the team has done thus far in creating stability on the
roster. Remember, the Bears reached contract extensions with both
Charles Tillman (six years, $38 million) and Nathan Vasher (five
years, $28 million) before the start of training camp last year. If
both of those guys were on the market this year, things really would
have gotten ugly.

The Bears have three potential starters coming up next year -- Harris,
Grossman and kicker Robbie Gould. They're already talking to Harris,
Grossman will have to prove something and Gould, no doubt, is next up
now that the team has figured out Briggs' deal.

The major concern at wide receiver is real. It starts with the
evaluation process at Halas Hall. How can guys like Bobby Wade and
Justin Gage have no value to the Bears only to make good money
elsewhere? How do they rate Berrian not worthy of the franchise tag
only to see him make a king's ransom. It was hard to argue with the
moves, however, at the time they were made. Paying Berrian nearly $8
million for next year wasn't going to improve the running game.
Running game a priority

The Bears need major upgrades on the offensive line and a new starting
running back if they are going to have any success next year. They
seem okay on defense, although another tackle and a safety shouldn't
be viewed as indulgent. But the priority has to be fixing the running
game. If Berrian was the answer, why wasn't the offense better last
year?

The Bears still have a defense that keyed a Super Bowl run, along with
the best special teams in the NFL. Don't worry about their special
teams next year -- they lost five key players from the unit last
off-season and didn't miss a beat. If they can figure out a way to run
the ball, they'll be able to win some games.

They seem to have a lot of No. 3 receivers right now with Mark Bradley
or Hester needing to step up. Restricted free agent Rashied Davis was
their third receiver during their Super Bowl run. They are not going
to add a No. 1 guy at this point, but a veteran presence coupled with
a rookie in the first few rounds, would be good enough to get by
providing the running game is there.

 Related Blog Posts


 Bears Likely To Lose Berrian and Briggs?

>From Windy City Gridiron
 No Word Yet From the Bears About Using the Franchise Tag on Berrian

>From NFL GridIron Gab




The views expressed in these blog posts are those of the author and
not of the Chicago Sun-Times.


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