Points of View, May 13, 2008

[tshanno]

http://chicagobearsfanforum.com/blog/?p=243

 

The Bears

 

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Robbie Gould signed a contract that makes him the highest paid kicker in the NFL. Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Sun-Times has been claiming for some time that something like this was on the horizon because the Bears like to offset bad publicity (read “Cedric Benson”) with good news. Of course, we would all have rather had that good news be the signing of Tommie Harris. But we'll take what we can get.

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Speaking of Harris. Message to Jerry Angelo: Give him what he wants. He's the center of your defense and, unlike Lance Briggs, he's not replaceable. Stop looking for an early signing/hometown discount and sign him.

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Depending on how the Gould deal is broken down it probably accounts for about $4 million dollars in cap space this year bringing the Bears total free down to roughly $11 or $12 million. Figure draft picks will account for a certain percentage of that. They want to give Devin Hester an extension as well. Bear fans might want to keep track. By my calculations, Harris could account for a very good chunk of what's left and if there isn't enough, he won't be signed.

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Mike Florio at Profootballtalk.com puts his own unique spin on the Gould signing. He says the Bears have no receivers and no QB but at least they have a kicker.

 

“Of course, they thought the same thing earlier this decade with Paul Edinger, until the guy with the matador stance started kicking like a bull’s horn was buried in his butt.”

 

The guy cracks me up.

 

In fairness, Edinger's style made his problems impossible to correct. Gould might be more straight forward to deal with should the need arise.

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Larry Mayer from chicagobears.com answered this fairly interesting question:

 

I know everyone is excited about how Matt Forte performed in the rookie minicamp, but I feel we are getting way ahead of ourselves. Can you dig up how Cedric Benson looked during his rookie minicamp?

 

Eric B.

Orlando, Florida

 

In looking back at stories I wrote at the time, it doesn’t seem like there was as much of a buzz about Cedric Benson as there has been with Matt Forte, though the Bears obviously thought very highly of Benson given that they selected him with the fourth pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The stories I found mostly discussed how he was trying to get acclimated to the NFL and learn a new playbook. After Benson’s first minicamp practice, offensive coordinator Ron Turner said: “I’m impressed with [benson]. I liked his skills. He caught the ball well today. It’s hard [to evaluate] in shorts and not going against a defense, but just the little things he’s doing, he looked good. He looked real good.”

 

While I thought the reader had a good point, its May and I want to be optimistic. Forte's going to be great, Eric. Don't pee in my Cheerios.

 

The NFC North and Elsewhere

 

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This from The Sporting News:

 

“Many people wondered about the Vikings' intent when they traded up to draft QB John David Booty in the fifth round. Was Booty drafted as a potential challenger to starter Tarvaris Jackson? The short answer is no. The team likes Booty primarily because it saw good value in a player with excellent experience in a pro-style West Coast offense. But he is not particularly athletic and doesn't have Jackson's arm strength. Booty may one day vie for playing time, but it won't be anytime soon. ... “

 

Bear fans have seen Tarvaris Jackson play. Not anytime soon has a bad habit of coming sooner than you think.

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Rookie RB Chris Johnson is making an impression on the Titans. "We were out there making up routes for him," Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger says. "I've never had a guy that can do (the things he can). You need to be able to take advantage of the guy." He's pretty small so the Titans will still need LenDale White to run inside. Johnson is for the Titans what the Bears hope Garrett Wolfe will be. If the light comes on.

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The NFL and the Players Association have started talking about extending the CBA. For those who are wondering, if just 9 NFL owners vote to opt out of the current deal it will make the 2010 season uncapped. Which means if they're going to opt out they'd better start negotiating now.

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The Raiders are apparently stressing ball security with Darren McFadden in an effort to get the fumblitis out of his system early. Some will remember an entry here the other day from Pro Football Weekly where an unnamed league source criticized Matt Forte for having the same problem. Here's hoping the Bears are stressing it in the same way.

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Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News asks the questions that pester fans all over the world every year, year after year, with one man's answer below:

 

“What is it with you Buffalo people, anyway? The Bills haven’t made the playoffs since the 1999 season. They’ve teased you and tormented you. They’ve promised you the moon and lassoed misery instead. You have every reason to be wary and skeptical. So the question is, why?”

 

One Final Thought

 

Jerry Sullivan again on fears that the Bills will eventually be moved to Canada:

 

“For now, I imagine, most fans will simply enjoy the team and submerge any fears about what might happen when [owner Ralph] Wilson is gone. They’re content to embrace a young, likable team and hope for a playoff run — to live in the present.

 

“Buffalo fans have been disappointed time and again. But it has given them an infinite capacity for hope, a firewall of belief. In the end, that’s what matters most. The ability to keep faith is what sustains us. I guess that’s what we like to call the human spirit.“