I can’t remember a busier or more significant Chicago Bears offseason. After the miraculous acquisition of Jay Cutler (which I still can’t believe happened), and then the signing of Orlando Pace, Jerry Angelo could have sat out the rest of free agency and skipped the draft and Bears fans would have been content. Not one to rest on his new QB’s laurels, Angelo refuses to let up.
Foremost among the newest faces is recently signed linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, formerly of the St. Louis Rams. Pisa brings a wealth of experience and talent to the strong side, where he should beat out Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer for the starting job. Roach filled in when Hunter was injured last season, but neither player asserted themselves in the role. Tinoisamoa is coming off a regular season where he led the Rams with 104 tackles (88 solo) and added three sacks and two forced fumbles. Paired with Pro-Bowler Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher, Tinoisamoa makes Chicago’s linebacking unit one of the best in the NFL.
Also, in typical Bear fashion, Angelo has signed each of his nine draft choices. Jerry is known for locking up his draftees with quick market value deals. Teams and agents are barely negotiating during this period, so this is one area where I have to give Angelo and his front office a ton of credit. They get their draft choices in camp. Receivers Juaquin Igelesias and Johnny Knox look to get plenty of field time this offseason as the Bears search more depth on the outside.
Speaking of receivers, there’s been a load of ballyhoo regarding a few names that are supposedly available. Given Chicago’s lack of experience at the position, fans are clamoring for a big name to pair with their young QB. (Greedy much?) I’ll run down the Bears’ options for you and why they’re available.
Plaxico Burress – In case you didn’t hear already, Burress shot himself in the leg with a firearm in a New York City club last season. He was unable to return for the rest of the year, which caused his Giants’ offensive production to drop significantly. Without his big-play threat, Eli Manning could not overcome Philadelphia’s stout defense, falling in the playoffs.
Because of that idiocy, He is most certainly going to serve jail time, but the trial is not expected to proceed until the spring of 2010. The Giants cut him after the season’s end, so he is readily available. Burress was a constant source of trouble in New York, being fined a ridiculous amount of money over his tenure for being late to team activities and practices.
Burress may be getting older, but he plays at a routinely high level. When he’s injured (or when he’s not) he’ll miss practices but will find any way to get on the field for Sunday. He guts it out for his team, no question.
Brandon Marshall- Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A Denver Broncos star player is unhappy and wants a trade out of town. Oh wait, that JUST happened. The Broncos’ leading receiver the past two seasons wants a new deal and has asked for a trade from owner Pat Bowlen. Marshall’s agent has stated that the team informed his client that they would try to comply with his wishes.
Problem is, Marshall comes with a metric ton of baggage. He’s been arrested (but not convicted) on four different occasions (mostly for domestic violence) and been a “person of interest” in several other cases.
Marshall has been reported as wanting to follow Cutler to Chicago, but that has not been firmly substantiated. Any team that trades for Marshall needs to have a contract agreement in place, otherwise he’ll be just as ornery wherever he goes and leave when he becomes a free agent this next offseason.
Solution: If I absolutely HAD to take one of these guys, it’d be Burress. I’d hand him a one-year contract worth a tad more than T.O.’s Buffalo deal with incentives and tell him to stay out of trouble. Marshall may be more talented, but he’s likely going to be a long-term source of off the field issues in Chicago.
In the end, it comes down to ease of separation. No one is going to hand Burress anything over a one-year contract, because he’s almost certainly going to jail next season (if not sooner). If there are any flare-ups or issues, a team can simply cut Plax, suck up the cap hit for that season, and have that salary off the books when the next season rolls around. Plaxico is a rental.
If Chicago were to sign Brandon Marshall to the mega-deal he’s seeking, resolutions aren’t as simple. If Marshall is arrested in say, year two and is convicted of a crime that involves a prison sentence, he’ll be suspended much like Michael Vick. When (or before) he is released from serving his time, the Bears would likely cut him and absorb a huge cap hit because of his immense salary. Obviously incentives and stipulations in the contract’s wording could help alleviate some of those problems beforehand.
Truthfully, I don’t expect Marshall to get moved. Denver couldn’t possibly be that stupid. Kyle Orton needs him to succeed.
As far I’m concerned, if Chicago would be willing to trade for Marshall, why not offer the same package to Arizona for Anquan Boldin? He’s almost as productive, has absolutely no criminal past whatsoever, and might not be as expensive. If I have to give up an integral piece of my roster for a wide-out, I’d like it to be someone I know is going to stay on the field and not in prison.
But hey, that’s just me.
Keep up with me this offseason for any new developments and my opinion. Otherwise, look for more analysis when training camp rolls around!
