Chicago not keeping pace with divisional foes

By J.E.  |   Monday, March 20, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Chicago Bears
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The NFL's free agency period is barely more than a week old, but the Chicago Bears are already in danger of falling well behind their NFC North rivals in terms of signing key players. The Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions have all made moves to fill holes in their rosters, but the Bears have been content to watch from the sidelines up to this point.

Although there is plenty of time left for wheeling and dealing before the free agency period expires on July 22, most of the blockbuster deals tend to occur sooner rather than later. With many of the premier free agents already off the market, it's not likely that the Bears will be able to bring in an impact player this season.

Back in January, Chicago GM Jerry Angelo confirmed that the team would be interested in signing former Pittsburgh wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Randle El did come to Halas Hall to meet with Bears' executives, and he left with a six-year, $18 million offer. However, Randle El's next stop was in Washington, where Redskins' owner Daniel Snyder has consistently been one of the biggest spenders in the NFL. Not surprisingly, the Redskins tendered a seven-year offer worth a reported $31 million. You don't have to be able to score a 50 on the Wonderlic to figure out which of those deals is better. Needless to say, Randle El will be spending the next several seasons in the nation's capital.

The Chicago Bears also expressed some interest in pursuing former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh McCown as a backup to the oft-injured Rex Grossman. But the team never even got a chance to interview the 5th-year veteran, as he was snapped up by the Lions just two days after that organization agreed to terms with former Cincinnati backup Jon Kitna. With those two guys set to battle for the starting job in Detroit, the Lions will have an all-new look in 2006 and could significantly improve on their 5-11 record of last season.

Another option for the Chicago Bears is ex-Tampa Bay quarterback Brian Griese, who reportedly visited Halas Hall for a medical exam on Sunday. The 31-year-old veteran suffered a season-ending knee injury in Tampa Bay's Week 6 win over Miami last October. Despite tearing both his ACL and MCL, the former University of Michigan star insists that he will be ready to play by the time training camp starts up in July. Prior to the injury, Griese was 4-1 in 2005 and had thrown for 1,136 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions for the Bucs.

Should the Bears sign Griese, his experience would definitely be an improvement over current backup Kyle Orton, and would leave third-stringer Jeff Blake as the odd man out. But even if Chicago beats out the other clubs that are looking at Griese - a list that includes Cincinnati, Baltimore, and possibly Minnesota - it's not likely that he'll prove to be the missing piece that can turn the Bears' offense around. He has had accuracy problems in the past, and at times has been more fragile and injury-prone than Grossman.

So with the possible exception of Griese, don't expect the Bears to make any major moves in the free agent market. Instead, most of the new faces that will appear on the Chicago roster next season will likely come in via the April draft.
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