Bears Football Blog

Bears sign free agent OL Omiyale

While they introduced a guy Jerry Angelo admittedly called not a household name, the Bears were careful to point out Frank Omiyale is not a replacement for John St. Clair, who remains the next target in the free-agent plan.

The Bears made one of the first moves in free agency Friday when they signed Omiyale to a four-year contract worth as much as $14 million with $5 million guaranteed. It made it clear the Bears are out to revamp their offensive line, a point driven home when Angelo talked about the need to bring St. Clair back. Continue

End of an error for Rex and Bears

The moment they learned I was from Chicago their small-town smiles faded and suspicion crept into their eyes. That’s when I knew I was in enemy territory. Stepping into Rex Grossman’s inner circle was like stepping into a den of mother bears determined to protect the golden cub.

Grossman’s Bears’ career in Chicago ends Thursday night when he becomes a free agent, which is as much a relief to his friends and family in Bloomington, Ind., as it is to fans who mostly booed him during his six seasons here. It was a wildly turbulent ride, to say the least, that ended with luggage from the overhead compartments littering the aisle, oxygen masks dangling and tray tables askew after a crash landing on a rain-drenched night in Miami in Super Bowl XLI. Continue

At least Orton thinks he is a starter

kyle Orton hasn't spoken to Jerry Angelo about the general manager's blunt postseason assessment that questioned Orton's status as the Bears' undisputed No. 1 quarterback.

Orton hopes to make a definitive response through his play on the field, beginning with next month's mini-camp.

"I just try to play as hard as I can, and people can view my season," he said. "We're close [to becoming a playoff team]. I don't think we need a complete overhaul or anything. Continue

Pressure on Lovie and staff

Lovie Smith would never say so, but you had to wonder if that's what he thought over the weekend after hearing general manager Jerry Angelo's plans to tweak rather than transform the Bears' roster. Knowingly or not, Angelo turned up the heat a notch on Smith by identifying coaching and attitude as the biggest reasons for optimism heading into 2009.

Don't expect any quick-fix, big-ticket free agent signings, Angelo said. Don't count on the NFL draft for an instant cure. Don't hold your breath waiting for that blockbuster trade either.

But by all means, do trust the Bears' coaches to improve the attitude—and thus the record. Continue

Bears dreaming of Mr Crabtree?

Many believe David Terrell dropped into the Bears' lap with the eighth pick of the 2001 draft because of a stress fracture in his foot.

If they only could get Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree to drop a little further -- to 18th -- because of the same injury, they could be primed to grab a player some consider the best in the draft. Crabtree will be sidelined up to 10 weeks after it was learned Saturday he has a small stress fracture in his left foot. The underclassman hopes to run at his pro date next month and then have surgery. Still, it's a long shot that he would fall that far. Continue