[CBFF] Bears trade Brian Griese to Tampa Bay :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar

[Tom Shannon]

Yeah, I had a feeling that someone might cough up a pick.  Something tells
me that more than one team around the league likes Griese better than the
Bears.  He's not worth much but a sixth rounder to make sure you get him
rather than someone else?  Yeah, I'm not surprised.

TB liked him before and now they've got all kinds of cap room.  Good move by
Angelo here.  Very good move.

Tom S.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tom Shannon [mailto:tshanno at gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 2:07 PM
> To: post at chicagobearsfanforum.com
> Subject: Bears trade Brian Griese to Tampa Bay :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES ::
> Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar
> 
> Bears trade Brian Griese to Tampa Bay :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears
> 
> Bears trade Brian Griese to Tampa Bay
> 
> 
> 
> March 3, 2008
> BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs at suntimes.com
> 
>  The Bears found a taker for Brian Griese after all.
> 
>  Hours before the team was expected to release him, the team struck a
> deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Terms of the deal are not known,
> but it is expected the Bears will receive a draft pick in 2009.
> 
> > Click to enlarge image
> Brian Griese is headed back to Tampa Bay.
> 
> (AP)
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Griese was notified last Thursday the team would seek to trade him
> instead of releasing him before free agency opened. They had a
> deadline, however, because the Bears were not going to pay him the
> $300,000 roster bonus he is due tomorrow. The Bucs will now pick that
> up.
> 
>  The 11-year veteran started six games last season and had a 3-3
> record. He took over in Week 4 after Rex Grossman was benched. He
> helped direct a 19-16 comeback victory at Philadelphia Oct. 21 that
> sparked controversy after he said he had been calling the plays
> because the headset in his helmet faltered in the two-minute drill.
> That didn't go over well with offensive coordinator Ron Tuner, and
> Griese made an awkward clarification of events the next day. Griese
> suffered a minor injury to his left shoulder Nov. 11 at Oakland and
> was relegated to the sideline for the rest of the season.
> 
>  The Bears signed Griese to a five-year contract worth between $14
> million and $20 million depending on play-time incentives two years
> ago. General manager Jerry Angelo hailed it as a major accomplishment
> as it brought stability to the position that had been missing. The
> team has already announced competition for the starting job will be
> between Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton, and the club is expected to draft
> a passer next month. Griese has been with four teams and was let go by
> the Buccaneers in 2006 for salary-cap reasons. He had a strong
> relationship with coach Jon Gruden and Tampa's new quarterbacks coach
> Greg Olson has always liked Griese. Olson lobbied for the Bears to
> wait for Olson to be cut by Denver in 2003 to sign him instead of
> going with Kordell Stewart. That idea didn't go anywhere, but Griese
> wound up here eventually.
> 
>  His contract calls for a base salary of $1.4 million in 2008, $1.8
> million in 2009 and $2.2 million in 2010.