Brian Urlacher Threatens to Hold Out from Minicamp. Panic in the Streets.

[tshanno]

Urlacher Threatens to Hold Out from Minicamp. Panic in the Streets.

 

May 14th, 2008 Tom Shannon Posted in Da Bears | No Comments » Edit |

 

 

The Bears

 

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Brian Urlacher told Michael Silver at Yahoo Sports that he probably will sit out mandatory mini-camp and is thinking about sitting out training camp:

 

“’But this is the NFL, and if I’d signed it and I’d played like (expletive), they’d have cut me or tried to get me to take less. In my mind, there’s no difference. If they can ‘break’ a contract, I have a right to ask for more if I play well enough.’”

 

If you play like (expletive) you walk away with a $13 million signing bonus, Brian, and the Bears are offering $5 million more as part of an extension.

 

“’They’re killing me in Chicago,’ he said. ‘I think I should just go ahead and retire.’”

 

Urlacher was presumably joking. But if he skips training camp I’m seriously wondering if the Bears shouldn’t call the bluff of a guy who was once called the most overrated player in the NFL and let him go ahead and do it. That way he could sit at home and “cuddle up with his fiance” all year long instead of worrying about leading those pesky teammates who bleed with him every week in the Fall.

 

I have no patience for jerks who want the security of a long-term contract, then regret the terms of the deal later. None.

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It turns out that there’s a new disease that’s sweeping the globe. Scott Taylor of the National Post and Brendan Taman, the GM of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers explain:

o

 

“What doesn’t excite Taman, however, is the ‘Chicago Bears syndrome.’ It is a relatively new football disease that was discovered right after the 2007 Super Bowl when the Bears were demolished by the Indianapolis Colts.

 

“‘The Bears won the NFC title and went to the Super Bowl and thought they didn’t have to make any changes last season,’ Taman said, not being critical, just observant. ‘That’s what I worry about. The Bears go from the Super Bowl to 7-9 and last place in their division with effectively the same team and I hope that doesn’t happen to us.’”

 

Somebody call the World Health Organization! Jerry Angelo has unleashed a plague upon the world!

 

You might think this to be a total disaster, Bear fans, but think again. After winning the division last year the Green Bay Packers appear to me to have caught the same disease. It’s spreading like wild fire…

 

Elsewhere

 

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Andre Woodson honestly thought he was going to go in the second round. He went in the sixth:

 

“’I really don’t know,’ Woodson said. ‘I think a lot of people still to this day don’t really know why I dropped as much as I did.’”

 

Yes, they do, Andre. Everyone who followed the draft did. Its called a ssslllloooowwww release. I actually pity Woodson. He probably stopped listening to the draft “experts” about when the season began. Unfortunately that’s when guys like Mel Kiper started to drop him. Between October and January he went down about as much as any prospect out there. Somebody (his agent) should have been there to tell him before draft day and to do what they could to correct the problem.

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Jim Irsay talked to the Indianapolis Star about the situation surrounding Marvin Harrison’s possible involvement in a shooting in Philadelphia:

 

“You hope these things hold up to be true, that there won’t be any charges and there wasn’t any involvement. Until we hear more, this isn’t even a case of innocent until proven guilty because there hasn’t been a charge yet.”

 

Contrast with Jerry Angelo’s comments about the Cedric Benson situation. Discuss.

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While we’re speaking of the Benson situation, tell me that going out on a boat and allegedly having a few drinks compares to allowing your Belgian-made cannon to be used to attempt to gun down a man and a child in the street. And that’s what Irsay hopes is right.

 

And, of course, those minor little family tiffs on Mother’s Day are in their own class.

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I’m having a hard time understanding how Carolina coach John Fox has may have “completed the greatest restoration project the NFC this offseason” by signing a bunch of cast offs from a Bear team that went 7-9. Just sayin’…

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The Rams have a bit of a problem. HC Scott Linehan was a pretty good offensive coordinator but as far as I can tell he isn’t much of a leader and it showed last year. The solution? QB Mark Bulger will fill the gap, saying “I’m going to be a jerk.”

 

Yeah, this sounds good…

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It’s been suggested that the Patriots might sue the Boston Herald for defamation. They’d have to be idiots. The Pats should let this due as quick a death as possible with as little extra publicity as possible.

 

One Final Thought

 

Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo are officially NoMo. My guess is that the relationship finally progressed to the point where she had to talk. Queue Seinfeld.

[jason]

Urlacher Threatens to Hold Out from Minicamp. Panic in the Streets.

May 14th, 2008 Tom Shannon Posted in Da Bears | No Comments » Edit |

The Bears

Brian Urlacher told Michael Silver at Yahoo Sports that he probably will sit out mandatory mini-camp and is thinking about sitting out training camp:

 

“’But this is the NFL, and if I’d signed it and I’d played like (expletive), they’d have cut me or tried to get me to take less. In my mind, there’s no difference. If they can ‘break’ a contract, I have a right to ask for more if I play well enough.’”

 

If you play like (expletive) you walk away with a $13 million signing bonus, Brian, and the Bears are offering $5 million more as part of an extension.

 

“’They’re killing me in Chicago,’ he said. ‘I think I should just go ahead and retire.’”

 

Urlacher was presumably joking. But if he skips training camp I’m seriously wondering if the Bears shouldn’t call the bluff of a guy who was once called the most overrated player in the NFL and let him go ahead and do it. That way he could sit at home and “cuddle up with his fiance” all year long instead of worrying about leading those pesky teammates who bleed with him every week in the Fall.

 

I have no patience for jerks who want the security of a long-term contract, then regret the terms of the deal later. None.

 

Bingo. I don't see why the athletes don't see this. It's not an equal two way street. If it were, not only would the owners be allowed to cut them, but they'd also be allowed to take a hefty portion of the signing bonus back.

[azbearsfan]

This kind of crap is why we have been hording linebackers the last couple of drafts.

 

You want to joke about retiring, do it. See how easy it is to pay that child support with no job.

 

 

Plus I sure hope he is not wanting a raise based on last year.

[Connorbear]

This kind of crap is why we have been hording linebackers the last couple of drafts.

 

You want to joke about retiring, do it. See how easy it is to pay that child support with no job.

 

Plus I sure hope he is not wanting a raise based on last year.

He won't retire. He has too many endorsements outside of the game and, like you said, many mouths to feed.

 

Peace

[AZ54]

Let him sit. I'm tired of athletes who want it both ways..big bonus, long contract, then the ability to renegotiate a few years later when the cap goes up. Let him sit and fine him!

[BigDaddy]

Let him sit. I'm tired of athletes who want it both ways..big bonus, long contract, then the ability to renegotiate a few years later when the cap goes up. Let him sit and fine him!

 

Amen, let him sit for all I care. The Bears have been very fair to him.