Bears Add Archuleta

Yesterday, the Redskins traded Strong Safety Adam Archuleta to the Bears in exchange for a sixth round pick in next month's draft. Lovie Smith, who was Archuleta's defensive coordinator in St. Louis, has been trying to acquire the safety since becoming the head coach in Chicago. To complete this complicated deal, the Bears had to rework Archuleta's contract. He had a guaranteed $5 million option bonus due last week, but with hopes of getting a trade, Archuleta delayed the execution of that payout until Wednesday. The Bears were looking for a playmaker at the safety position. Smith created defenses involving Archuleta when they were in St. Louis. In Chicago, Archuleta will have more opportunities to make plays at the line of scrimmage.

What a great move for the Bears. In my "offseason needs" post I said that the team should add a hard-hitting, run-stuffing safety which is the definition of Archuleta's game. Not only did this fill a need in the secondary but it also kept the Bears out of the over-inflated free agent market. Signing someone like Ken Hamlin of Seattle would have cost over $30 million but the Bears get Archuleta for only $2.7 million a year.

Now, with Tommie Harris, Mike Brown, and Dusty Davorek returning from injury, in combination with the addition of Archuleta and the inevitable softened stance of Lance Briggs, the Bears' defense looks even better than it did at the beginning of last year. The Bears can now package the 31st and 37th picks to move up to make sure that TE Greg Olsen is still available, if they so choose. In my opinion, the team team has improved themselves mainly by not diving head-first into free agency this winter where the majority of the available players were average, role-playing backups at best. There were only two winners this offseason, New England and Denver, but with the draft coming up, it's now safe to put the Bears on that list.

As for future moves, look for Angelo to resign Rueben Brown and Ian Scott.


Headlines...

• I want to start a petition to have Steve Rosenbloom fired from writing his blog for Chicagosports.com. Not only did he take another writer's material without posting a link to the Boston Globe as he should have, but when he does come up with an original idea, it's entirely idiotic and so far in left field that you wonder how he even got the job in the first place
• The Bears resigned 8 coaches including Ron Turner. Wasn't his brother available this offseason? Signing Norv Turner would have put the Bears over the top. I still believe that when Grossman struggled last season it had something to do with Turner's poor offensive gameplans.
• Ronny Cedeno has earned a roster spot because of his improved defense. Wasn't the whole scouting report when he came up from the minors that his best asset was his glove? Anyway, I think he could be a good fill-in/late-game defensive substitute or pinch runner. Talk about an over-hyped prospect.
• Scott Skiles decided to give his team the day off after back-to-back losses to sub .500 teams. Ben Gordon and Luol Deng look dead at this point which is not a good sign going into the postseason. The Bulls had two days off before their loss to Memphis so I don't know how much one day off is going to help. Gordon just looks as if he's lost his explosiveness when driving to the basket and Deng has no spring to his jumper causing his shots to fall short and look flat. And, boy, does the team miss Andres Nocioni. The Bulls have to go 9-4 the rest of the way to accomplish their goal: 50 wins. When you look at their schedule I don't see why not, but this team tends to play down to their competition so who knows.
• Violet Palmer is officially the worst NBA ref...ever. If you watched the first quarter of tonight's game against the Nuggets you know what I mean. And if you watched the second quarter, maybe I ought to take back what I said about Loul Deng.
• The more I see Chinese NBA prospect Yi JianLian in video clips the more I want the Bulls to take him in the upcoming draft. Yao Ming compares the 7-footer's game to Amare Stoudemire. Not too shabby. If you don't believe Yao, take a look for your self.
• Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa was arrested for driving while under the influence. Apparently he fell asleep at the wheel with his car in the middle of an intersection. I'm sure that's going to go over well with a blue collar city like St. Louis. But if I managed a team with the Cardinals' rotation, I would drink too.
• In less than a month, the NHL has had three career-threatening incidents. The latest was in the Rangers-Flyers game last night when New York's Colton Orr knocked out Philadelphia's Todd Fedoruk during a fight just 21 seconds into the first period. But the NHL says that fighting actually protects the players because it keeps them from hitting each other with their sticks. You mean like this? Whether it's airing the all-star game on a wednesday night on OLN, a station no one has ever heard of, or using an "unbalanced" schedule that doesn't allow for the league's young stars to visit every city, the NHL is becoming more of a joke every day.

Malik Allen Diagnosed With Atrial Fibrillation

According to the American Heart Association, about 2.2 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, which is treatable with medication. In the past, NBA players, including Hakeem Olajuwon and Aaron McKie, played multiple seasons after being diagnosed with the ailment so it is therefore not considered career-threatening.

By defenition, atrial fibrillation is "an abnormal heart rhythm which involves the two small, upper heart chambers. Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spreads through the heart and causes contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood. In AF, the regular electrical impulses of the sinoatrial node are replaced by disorganized, rapid electrical impulses, which result in irregular heart beats."

Allen left the bench during the second quarter of Thursday night's victory over the Magic. He was evaluated by Magic medical personnel and spent Thursday night at the hospital and then returned to the team hotel Friday evening.

No timetable for Allen's return will be set until team doctors are able to evaluate his condition. Given the thorough way the Bulls have treated other health issues, such as Eddy Curry's heart problem and Jay Williams' motorcycle accident, expect a conservative approach before Allen returns.

The Bulls are stressing this situation is different to Curry's two years ago. Curry suffered an irregular heartbeat on March 30, 2005, in Charlotte. Team officials wanted him to take a DNA test to prove that he didn't have cardiomyopathy. That condition killed basketball players Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis. Paxson would later trade Curry to the Knicks when he refused testing.

The prayers of Bulls fans everywhere go out to Allen and his family.


Headlines...

• Yesterday, the Cubs faced the Rangers in a game of reunions. Ex-Sox players Brandon McCarthy and Neil Cotts didn't fare so well while ex-Cub Sam-ME Sosa continued his hot spring. It's be safe to assume that Sosa is back on the juice.
• Felix Pie continues to improve with each spring training game. He is now batting .370. It's a possibility that he could win a roster spot and join the team much sooner than expected.
• Don Pierson wonders if all the RBs who have changed addresses this offseason will make a difference for their new clubs. It's his opinion that teams have replaced their starters with players of equal, not greater, value and you know what? He's right. Nobody improved themselves, they simply brought in new faces. So I ask, why go through all the trouble? I don't get it.
• Bears' safety Todd Johnson signed with the Rams and Cam Worrell signed with the Dolphins. Both were special teams standouts so I hope I'm right by assuming that the team already has their backup plans in place.

Porter Goes To Miami; Denver Making Big Moves

Just a quick update. The Dolphins signed Jerry Porter, who I thought would be a perfect fit for the Bears. Porter will get $20 million in guarantees and could make up to $35 million total. His signing continues the offseason trend of teams offering more guaranteed money than ever before.

On a positive note, the Minnesota Vikings took a step backwards today when LB Napolean Harris signed a 6-year deal to play in Kansas City and Fred Smoot received a 5-year deal to rejoin the Redskins.

Boy, have the 49ers been active. First they lure CB Nate Clements with the richest contract ever for a defensive player ($80 million). Then they add to their WR corps by signing the speedy Ashley Lelie and today they signed LB Tully Banta-Cain. Other than Clements, I think they wasted their money. Lelie is fast but as soft as a marshmellow and Banta-Cain (great name, average player) is nothing more than a backup. Hey, I said they were busy, not smart.

Other notable signings:

• The Patriots added to their offseason success, trading for WR Wes Welker. What a great move by New England. He'll fill the role that Troy Brown took on while in his prime as a slot receiver and punt returner. A couple of days earlier the Patriots inked the big fish of free agency, LB Adalius Thomas.
• The Denver Broncos signed RB Travis Henry who ran for over 1,200 yards with Tennessee. If he could do that with the Titans, imagine what he could do in Denver, a team with a blocking scheme that makes mediocre RBs look good. If he stays healthy, is 1,800 yards out of the question for Henry next year? Speaking of the Broncos, today they persuaded the best TE on the market, Daniel Graham, to play for them instead of Seattle. They also traded for massive DT Dan Wilkinson. Depending on Jay Cutler's progression in his second year in the league, look for the Broncos to make the playoffs. All three of Denver's signings are pictured above.
• The Dallas Cowboys gave average OL Leonard Davis $49 million to block for his hometown team.
• The Chargers kept OL Kris Dielman in San Diego for six-years $39 million.
• And last, but not least, Jeff Garcia landed in Tampa Bay.

As for the Bears, nothing to report thus far. If I hear of anything I'll post it right away.

Thomas Jones Trade: What Direction Does The Team Go Now?

After hearing the shocking news last night, I slept on it and here are my final thoughts considering that it appears that the reports were accurate:

If you are trying to figure out the Thomas Jones trade, it's pretty simple. The Bears moved up 26 spots in the second round, getting a Jets pick at No. 37. That's a prime position to get a borderline rookie starter or a quality prospect. Why would the Bears have to give up a second-round pick and Jones to get a second-round pick? The answer is simple. The market for veteran running backs at this moment is at best a third-round pick. The Bears wanted to get a second-round pick alone but they couldn't. If you look at the draft value charts, the Bears gave up 280 points. That's the equivalent of one of the final choices of the second round or a top choice in the third round. In other words, they got the best value possible for a 30-year-old running back. Combine those facts with Angelo being forced by Jones' agent to accomadate his client's trade demands and Angelo really had no choice but to get the best deal possible, which, by the way, is what I demanded for in my last post. So there's nothing really to complain about with this trade. Angelo had to get rid of an unhappy player. He got the most he could for Jones considering the sate of the market for RBs. It's a shame that it feels like the Bears should of got more for Jones but take comfort in that Angelo squeezed the Jets for as much as he could. Therefore, I humbly retract some of the negative comments I made in the last post. Believe it or not, Angelo made good on this one.

That said, from what I hear the Bears are looking to package the 31st and 37th pick to move into the top 10 of the first round so stay tuned. If they were to do this, obvious targets would be Wisconsin OL Joe Thomas, LSU Safety LaRon Landry and Michigan DT Alan Branch (all three are pictured above). Here are the scouting reports on all three:

Thomas - He possesses an ideal combination of size, athleticism and upper-body power, which is why he projects as a future perennial starter at left tackle in the NFL. Thomas ranks as one of the elite prospects in the 2007 class and he should be off the board within the top-five overall selections.

Landry - He is as close to the complete package as it gets for a safety prospect coming from the collegiate ranks. He projects as an immediate starter at free safety in the NFL; he can hold up in the box, in deep-middle zone coverage and one-on-one versus a slot receiver. Landry is the top safety in the 2007 class and he should come off the board in the first-half of the first round.

Branch - He is an all-around gifted defensive tackle prospect with an outstanding combination of size, power and quickness. He has experienced playing end in a 3-4, the three-technique in a 4-3, and nose tackle in both alignments. Branch is the most complete all-around interior defensive lineman in the 2007 class and he should be a top-10 pick.

Bears Trade Thomas Jones To Jets

League "sources" are reporting that the Bears have dealt 1,200 yard rusher Thomas Jones and their 2nd round pick (63rd overall) for the Jets' 2nd round pick (37th overall). Wait a minute...WHAT?!? You mean to tell me Angelo just gave one of the better back in the league away for nothing? In fact, the Bears gave up more than they got. HUH? I understand Angelo wanting Benson to take over full-time, and I've gone on record as saying that I think Benson will be a star in this league, but when you have a chip with as much value as Jones to trade, and a team like the Jets who were desperate enough for a RB, how do you not come out of the deal with AT LEAST equal value?

The first thing I thought upon hearing the news was that this was too preliminary of a report to be completely true. There has to be other picks in either this draft or in the future coming to the Bears. I think that it is very possible that these "sources" haven't told the whole story so it might be prudent to wait until tomorrow when the deal is officially announced and we have all the information before we pass judgment. But let me say one thing: if this is true, if this report is 100% accurate, this is a disgrace to Angelo and the entire Bears front-office. The team needed an OL, a TE, a Safety, a DT, and a FB, and the Bears should have demanded at least a first rounder, if not a starter at one of those positions I just listed, in exchange for Jones.

But not let's look at it through the Bears' perspective:
1) Thomas Jones is 30 years old and it's common knowledge that a RB's production drops drastically at this stage of their career.
2) Thomas Jones was demanding out of Chicago which takes Angelo out of the driver's seat during negotiations. Whenever another team knows that you are going to have to get rid of your player, their offer automatically comes down.
3) The Bears basically now posses two first round picks, although the second one is early second round. Who is to say they are done dealing? They could package those two picks in order to move up into the top 10.
4) If Angelo did decide to keep the two picks, there's no doubt that he would be able to find two impact players. Starters Devin Hester and Danieal Manning were both second-round picks.
5) This frees up money and allows the Bears to be bigger players in free agency if they so choose. It definetly gives them the money they would need to sign a player drafted with one of the first ten picks.
6) All of a sudden, there are a number of RBs who hit free agency (McGahee, Rhodes, Jamal Lewis etc.) that the Bears could add for depth

Like I said, I'm holding out until further details are presented but either way, wow.


Headlines...

• The Bulls made a miraculous comeback and erased an 18-point deficit in the 4th quarter to beat Milwaukee in overtime. Ben Gordon scored 20 of his 48 points in the 4th quarter and OT. Michael Redd added 52 of his own and it marked only the 8th time in NBA history that two players combined to score 100 points. The Bulls need 15 more wins to get to 50 on the year. They only play 6 teams with winning records the rest of the way. An interesting stretch to register in your datebook: the Pistons, who lost to Golden State tonight, will play the Suns, Mavs, Spurs and Rockets from March 16-23, with only one of those games (Dallas) at home. Perfect time for the Bulls to gain ground.
• The refs screwed up 18 plays in the Bulls game which is the second highest total since I started the "Missed Call Counter." The worst of their errors was, again, during the final sequence of the game. The Bulls battled back to take a 111-110 lead with about 20 seconds left when Chris Duhon was whistled for a reach in. When looking at the replay he clearly made a clean strip of the ball. Luckliy Rueben Patterson only shoots 63% at the line and he missed the first of two free throws.But with about 3 seconds left, Gordon tries to move the ball up the court and gets knocked on his backside...no call. Keep in mind that Gordon's teammates say that they have to check his pulse from time to time because he is so calm but after he got knocked to the ground on the final play, he got up and began yelling at the ref. He usually doesn't open his mouth unless it's something big so there was undoubtedly a foul. Once again, bad officiating at the end of games. What a shame for the league.
• Apparently, Lance Briggs wants out too. He says that he loves his teamates and the city of Chicago but is not so fond of the front-office. If they trade him the Bears should accept nothing less than a starter and a 1st round pick in return but after reading what the initial reports say Angelo settled for in exchange for Jones, who knows.
• By the way, Forbes.com ranks Jerry Angelo as the eight best GM in sports. Jim Paxson is tenth. While I think Angelo and Paxson are great at what they do, Kevin McHale sits atop their rankings so you have to question the validity of that list. In case your wondering Jim Hendry is 58th, Kenny Williams 67th, and Dave Tallon? He's not even included.
• Mark Prior wasn't effective in his first spring training appearance, but more importantly his arm felt 100%. Kerry Wood, on the other hand was impressive, going one-two-three in the fifth inning. He got the fastball up to 95 MPH and had tremendous movement on his slider. Wood had one strikeout and threw 12 pitches, 8 of them for strikes.
• ESPN.com's Jemele Hill wonders if Alex Rodriguez's lastest comment that he considers Lou Piniella to be a father figure is a silent plea for the Cubs to rescue him from New York. What a lineup they would have with A-Rod but for it to work he would have to move back to SS because Aramis Ramirez can't play anything but third. I truly believe that he is looking to leave after this year and, hey, why not the Cubs? After all, Piniella would represent the deciding factor if it came down to, say, the Cubs or Mets.
• Ron Artest has been arrested for domestic violence. As if abusing his dogs wasn't enough.
• David Beckham is out for a month after injuring ligaments in his knee during a game for Real Madrid. He was given a $250 million deal by the LA Galaxy for next season despite not even being close to the best player in the world. Now he's damaged goods on top of that. Soccer players with bad knees usually don't last too long. Mark my words, Backham's signing will go down as one of the biggest dissapointments in sports history, espcecially for a league which is already considered second-class.

Bears' Offseason Needs

Now that the Bears' front office has provided the team with stability by signing Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo, let's take a look at the team's needs (listed in order of most importance), now that free agency has begun, and how they plan to better themselves...

Offensive line: The offensive line proved to be a strength of the team. The Bears went 14 weeks with the same starting linemen, then substituted a veteran reserve at left tackle for the final two games to let Tait heal up for the playoffs. This is a quality group with proven reserves, but it is the right time for Chicago to begin to develop young, talented offensive linemen for the future. The NFL free agent market has become as ridiculously inflated, it seems, as baseball's was this winter. Yesterday, the Redskins signed Derrik Dockery to a seven-year $49 million deal. The Browns followed that by giving Eric Steinbach, a player that the Bears had on their radar, a 7-year $49.5 million dollar deal. A year ago, no one ever thought an offensive lineman would make $7 million a year, but Steve Hutchinson put a rest to that theory when he signed with Minnesota. With Leonard Davis and Kris Dielman as the only two legitimate OL left, the price will be high for either, so don't expect the Bears to improve their blocking through free agency. A more realistic scenario would be either to trade Thomas Jones to Houston, who has contacted the Bears in regards to the veteran RB, and use Houston's 8th overall pick to select Levi Brown of Penn State or to stay at the 31st slot and take Aaron Sears of Tennessee.

Strongside linebacker: Hunter Hillenmeyer has done a solid job, but an upgrade at strongside linebacker, alongside MLB Brian Urlacher and WLB Lance Briggs, would arguably give the Bears the best linebacking corps in the NFL. The Bears placed the franchise tag on Briggs, meaning it's likely that he will return to Chicago. The Bears will seek an athletic linebacker quick enough to match up with receiving tight ends in coverage and stout enough to play on the line of scrimmage in an underfront (a 3-man line with the same effect as a 4-man line), taking on blocks at the point of attack. Call me crazy, but doesn't it sound like Jerry Porter is exactly what they need? He fits the bears perfectly with his explosive first step. He is quick enough to put pressure on the quarterback or run with a tight end such as Dallas Clark. Along with Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown, he would bring a stabilizing veteran presence to a team filled with young defensive stars. Six teams have already checked in with Porter's agent and they are taking the weekend to figure where he is going to make his visits. The only reason the Steelers let him go is because they have too many key free agents next year, a list that includes Alan Faneca, safety Troy Polamalu, linebacker Clark Haggans, fullback Dan Kreider, and guard Kendall Simmons. If not Porter, the Colts' Cato June, who played in Tony Dungy's Cover-2 scheme, is available as well. He is comparable to Lance Briggs, with less power but more speed. He led the Colts in tackles this year and earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. If Angelo decides to address this need through the draft, look for him to take Paul Posluszny who set the record for most tackles by any Penn State player ever.

Safety: After another season-ending injury to Pro Bowl standout Mike Brown, it is evident that the Bears must look for a talented, young safety to develop behind Chris Harris, Todd Johnson and Danieal Manning, giving the back end depth. The Bears have done an excellent job in recent years of evaluating defensive backs and adding to the overall talent at the safety position. These players not only provide depth in the secondary, but also impact the Bears' excellent special teams. From what I hear, the team has their radar set on Seattle's Ken Hamlin whose scouting report reads, "Overcame serious head injury sustained in 2005 to reclaim his starting spot last season and played well, especially versus the run. A big hitter with limited range and is always going to be most effective playing close to the line." Perfect, that is exactly what the Bears need, a punishing safety who would stuff the opponent's rushing attack and make receivers think twice about going over the middle, ala Sean Taylor or Roy Williams. The team already has quick cover safeties, so Hamlin would provide the perfect complement with his physical presence. After looking at countless mock drafts, I haven't seen anyone project the Bears to take a safety with the 31st pick, so either Angelo is weighing his options via free agency or he feels he has another sleeper in the later rounds of the draft. Just a feeling, but I think the Bears are going to sign Hamlin.

Defensive tackle: After playing dominant football on the defensive interior, three-technique Tommie Harris was lost for the month of December with a serious hamstring injury. With the loss of Harris, the Bears were even more susceptible to the run, and they lost any inside push in the pass rush. Chicago would improve tremendously with a stout, run-stuffing nose guard alongside Harris. A tough run defender would keep Tank Johnson, Alfonso Boone, Ian Scott and Harris fresh. It would make the coaches' decision of which rotation to play a difficult one. ESPN predicts that the Bears will sign San Francisco's free agent Anthony Adams to add to the depth on the defensive line. Here's the scouting report on Adams: "An undersized but active interior lineman who was not served well by the 49ers' defensive changes of the past couple seasons and probably needs to get to a team with a one-gap system. In the right situation he can be extremely disruptive." Undersized is another word for "fits the mold of the Bears perfectly." The team's DL is smaller and more athletic than normal and Lovie Smith would have it no other way with the defensive system that he uses. It sounds like Adams would be a solid and cheap pick-up for Angelo. Again, there is no DT good enough at pick number 31 for the Bears to take, so look for Angelo to draft one in a later round if they do not sign Adams.

Fullback: With the offensive firepower on the Bears' roster, adding a powerhouse fullback would complete the package, opening up holes for the outstanding running back duo of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. Jason McKie is adequate as a receiver, but is not a strong lead blocker. He is better than rookie J.D. Runnels. Runnels is more physical, but is not as good of a receiver as the injury-prone McKie. Adding a strong lead-blocking fullback will give the Bears' ground game more juice. But doing so through free agency will be hard considering the mind-bogging $18 million deal that Atlanta just gave to Ovie Mughelli. Brian Leonard of Rutgers, a player that Angelo has said to really like, should be available in the 4th round if the Bears want to draft him. He is the number one rated FB in this year's class of rookies and is considered to be the total package.

Headlines...

• Carlos Zambrano said yesterday that he will win the Cy Young Award and the Cubs will win the World Series. Gotta love his confidence, but let's get to the All-Star break in first place before we make any predictions.
• Ozzie Guillen went off on Brandon McCarthy after the ex-Sox pitcher made comments questioning the team's makeup, saying that the clubhouse was filled with negative energy last season. At a certain point, you have to ask yourself what is the one constant in all these feuds that Guillen takes part in? The answer: Ozzie Guillen. But, according to him, it's everyone else who's got the problem. Hmmm...
• Is Jerry Hairston involved in the same steroid controversy as Gary Matthews Jr.? Boy, if he was on juice, it sure was hard to tell. The guy's had 13 homers in 5 years for crying out loud. In the last 3 seasons, he's only stolen 26 bases. So, he's not hitting for power and he's not any faster than before but he's taking steroids? For what? At least with Matthews Jr. it makes sense when he all of a sudden has a career year (.313 avg, 80 RBI, 20 HR). I vote for Hairston as the worst cheater in the history of sports.
• Tyson Chandler took his public frustration with Scott Skiles to new heights, saying that the Bulls' coach was a "bad person." Tyson Chandler was met with a chorus of boos when he came back to the United Center last night, something which confused me. The only reason that I could think of is because Bulls fans regret Chandler saving his best basketball for another team. If it were up to him he would still be playing in Chicago, so the rude reception made no sense, but I loved it nonetheless. As for his criticism of Skiles, it sounds to me like sour grapes, doesn't it? The Bulls won the game 104-93. Only 16 more wins needed to get to 50 on the season.
• Oh yeah, the "Missed Call Counter" read 16 after last night's game. That's 4 less then Wednesday night, but still not good enough. On a positive note, the refs only misjudged two plays the entire third quarter, but made up for it with 4 botched plays in the other three periods. Still unacceptable. Put a replay system in for calls other than buzzer beaters. Let the coaches throw red towels on the court, whatever. I don't care what you come up with, Stern. Just fix the problem.
• The Bears raised ticket prices for next year. The announcement comes a few days after they sign Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo to extensions. Could they be any more transparent?
• Dennis Savard has decided to cut the ice time of his team's veterans because they're the ones playing like rookies. OK, that's one sentence too many on the Blackhawks. Here's a deal: I'll write about them in depth once they sell the team. Sounds fair to me.
• The Fire traded Goalie Zach Thorton to Colorado. Honestly, I didn't even know the guy still playing.
  

Lovie, Angelo Get Their Due

Let me be the first to say that I have great admiration for what the Chicago Bears organization did by rewarding Lovie Smith with a new 4-year $22 million contract. Had it been me who was writing the checks, I might have let him walk after someone in his camp leaked to the press that negotiations were going nowhere and that the team had "lost touch with the modern NFL." Nonetheless, the Bears ultimately did the right thing by retaining Smith's services.

Even more exciting, in my opinion, is the five-year extension that Angelo received. The job he has done since coming over from Tampa Bay has been outstanding. He is by far the most effective GM come draft day, finding gems as late as the 5th round (Mark Anderson). His eye for talent is unmatched and, as a Bears fan, I eagerly anticipate this year's draft to see what he has up his sleeve. The Bears have no glaring weakness, so it should be interesting to see the direction Angelo decides to go.

Let's be honest, the Bears were weeks away form utter and complete disarray. Their coaching staff appeared to be in shambles and having an angry Smith at the helm next season would have made for a disfunctional year. Now stability has been restored. They have a new and better, in my opinion, defensive coordinator in Babich and they retained their reknowned special teams coach Dave Toub. Angelo can now focus on the scouting combine and bringing in free agents to add depth. The Bears are taking a hard look at Cincinnati's OG Eric Steinbach because they realize their offesensive line, while one of the best in the league, is aging. I think that the team could use a hard hitting safety like Seattle's Ken Hamlin or Philadelphia's Greg Lewis in addition to a good, young TE (University of Miami's Greg Olsen?) that the team could groom to pair with Clark and eventually take over full-time starting duties.

Suddenly, if Angelo makes the right moves this offseason, which I have complete confidence that he will, another Super Bowl appearance doesn't seem so far off.

By the way, as promised, I'm unveiling the "Missed Call Counter" in today's post. After watching the Bulls game against the Warriors last night, I counted exactly 20 plays which involved, for both teams, either a bad call or none at all when there should have been. Twenty plays the refs botched! Do you even realize how that affects the rhythm of the game? That's 10 mistakes per half, 5 per quarter. Simply unacceptable. I'll be observing the officials again on Friday night against the Hornets and I will make a note of the numbers for that night's post. The Bulls won the game 113-83. Skiles called the team out after losing to the lowly Magic at home. Whatever he said behind closed doors must have worked.


Headlines...

• Paul Sullivan writes that aside from Kerry Wood's altercation with a hot tub, it's been a quiet spring for the Cubs--so far. If I could wish for one thing this year, it would be an absolutely uneventful and entirely boring Cubs spring training. No injuries, no contract negotiations, no distractions. Is that too much to ask for?


• Scott Skiles says that Tyrus Thomas is growing before our very eyes. He's decided to take a patient approach with his impressionable rookie. I think Skiles is handling the situation perfectly. The more I see Thomas play, the more I can understand why they are so high on him. The same goes for Sefalosha whose confidence and shooting touch get better with each game.


• The United States is in the running to host the 2018 World Cup. Why? So the host nation can embarrass themselves in front of their own fans? It's bad enough for youth American soccer players to have seen their squad lose to Ghana on TV in the last tournament. Now they have to see it in person? Yeah, that'll help boost the sport of soccer in the US.


• Looking to go in a new direction with their linebacking corps, the Steelers released Jerry Porter. What I wouldn't give to see him line up next to Urlacher and Briggs. Imagine what an opposing QB would be thinking as he stared down that trio.


• The Lions traded disgruntled CB Dre' Bly to Denver in exchange for RB Tatum Bell, George Foster, and 5th round pick. And this is why the Lions are the Lions. Let me get this straight; they give up one of the premier corners in the NFL for a RB whose stats (over 1,000 yards rushing) were inflated by the blocking scheme that the Broncos use. Take a look at every running back, other than Portis, who has left Denver to play elsewhere: Mike Anderson (200 yards in Baltimore), Reuben Droughns (700 yards for Cleveland), to name a few. In other words, anyone could run through the holes that Denver offensive linemen create. And the Lions just gave up their franchise CB for that? I love it. With every stupid move that an opposing NFC North team makes, the easier it gets for the Bears.


• Now, all the Bears need is for the Packers to get Randy Moss. Wow. First of all, wasn't this the guy who mooned Packers fans in a wild-card playoff game a few years back? Now these same fans want him on their team? You're trying to rebuild, you have one of the youngest teams in the league, and you're seriously thinking about bringing in this kind of influence? You're going to allow impressionable players like 2nd year WR Greg Jennings to get an up-close view of Moss playing when he feels like it and throwing up his arms when Brett Favre (and Aaron Rodgers in the near future) fails to get him the ball? Be my guest, bring in Moss, but wouldn't the Titan's Drew Bennett, who had to scratch and claw his way to stardom, be a better role model? Just a thought. But again, that's why these other GMs in the NFC North couldn't hold a candle to Angelo.


• The Texas Rangers gave SS Michael Young a 5-year $80 million extension. Yet another example of how the Cubs blew it last offseason with Zambrano. At this point, $80 million would be a bargain for the Cubs.


• Mark Prior, barring injury between tonight and Monday (you never know), will pitch in his first spring training game in 2 years. But, of course, there was an injury scare when Prior threw batting practice. Catcher Jake Fox hit one back up the middle, but Prior luckily was able to protect himself by knocking it down with his glove. So far so good... but stay tuned.


• John Hollinger lists the top 25 NBA free agents. How exciting would it be to see Rashard Lewis in a Bulls uniform?


• The Knick's Jamal Crawford had season-ending ankle surgery. The draft pick that the Bulls get from New York just got significantly higher.