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Chicago Bears News 2001
Get all of the TRAINING CAMP The Bears may still be looking for their quarterback of
the future when the draft commences Saturday morning, but they added 14 years
of experience to the position late last week, when two-time Pro Bowler Chris
Chandler agreed to terms on a three-year deal for $4.5 million including a $1.25
million signing bonus. Chandler spent the past five seasons throwing 87 touchdown
passes against just 56 interceptions as the Falcons' starter, but he was released
to clear the way for Michael Vick, the overall No. 1 pick in last year's draft. "He felt very good about our situation, and we feel he's
a real good fit here," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "He's very understanding
of the situation — that Jim Miller is our starter, and we've made that
very clear to Chris and obviously to Jim." What's also clear to unbiased observers is that Chandler
might be the better quarterback, provided he's healthy, which has been a concern
for both he and Miller throughout their careers. Chandler's passer rating of 84.1 last season was significantly
better than Miller's 74.9 or Shane Matthews' 72.3. Chandler has compiled a passer
rating of higher than 80.0 six times, something Miller has done just once, and
Chandler led the Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII, throwing for 3,154 yards and
25 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. Chandler's presence is expected to speed Matthews' departure
for Washington, where the Redskins' new coach, Steve Spurrier, has openly coveted
his former field general at the University of Florida. "We're going to address that," Angelo said. "We'll sit
with the coaches and talk about that. Do I see that as a possibility? Yes I
do, but I've not talked to Washington as of late, so I can't say anything for
sure." Chandler has started games for five NFL teams besides the
Falcons, including 16 in two years for the Colts after they took him in the
third round of the 1988 draft, out of the University of Washington. "He's a smart guy, and I think that's critical in our backup
quarterback," Bears coach Dick Jauron said. "He's not going to get a lot of
reps in terms of preparation time for a Sunday game. This is a guy that's seen
it all, and he's performed really well on the field." The 36-year-old Chandler has been plagued by injuries,
especially concussions, throughout his career, resulting in the nickname "Crystal
Chandelier," but he has started at least 12 games in seven straight seasons. "Has he had durability problems?" Angelo said. "He has,
but they haven't been acute. I think he only missed two halves last season.
Our offense is going to be a little different (than the Falcons') in its style,
and we'll get the ball off a little quicker. (Offensive coordinator) John (Shoop)
said that we should be able to help him take less hits. Our offensive line does
a yeoman's job up front, so I feel that we'll see the best of what he has." Like Miller and Matthews, Chandler is no threat to run,
preferring to remain in the pocket, and there are other similarities. "They're both smart quarterbacks," Shoop said. "It's hard
to outwork these guys. They're both accurate passers; they can put the ball
where they want." TEAM NEEDS — Offensive tackle, pass-rushing
defensive end, quarterback, wide receiver, depth at linebacker if they don't
match the Chiefs' four-year $12 million offer sheet for Warrick Holdman, the
starter on the weak side. OT — LT Blake Brockermeyer was released in
a salary-cap move, and although the door has been left open for his return at
a significantly reduced price, he is attracting attention from other teams (Broncos
and 49ers). Although RT James "Big Cat" Williams made the Pro Bowl last season,
he just turned 34. For now the plan is to throw 2001 fifth-round pick Bernard
Robertson out there, but he didn't play one snap last season and was never even
active on Sunday. DE (pass rusher) — DLE Bryan Robinson is a
stud vs. the run but will never be a pass rusher and is more suited to DT. DRE
Phillip Daniels has been better than expected vs. the run but is not a premier
sack man. QB — The Bears can win with journeyman Jim
Miller but they won't win because of him. Shane Matthews is expected to be dealt
to the Redskins around draft day. Chris Chandler is 36 and fragile, and he's
considered a stopgap measure. Unproven Henry Burris is not the young quarterback
who can get them to the next level. WR — It's unrealistic to expect former big-play
ace Marcus Robinson to be 100 percent by the season opener after suffering a
torn ACL and LCL in his left knee last Oct. 21. Robinson's future with the Bears
is in jeopardy because he's expected to be offered a take-it-or-leave contract
restructuring soon after the draft. Marty Booker became a major force last season,
but he's more of an underneath guy. David Terrell was a major disappointment
last season as a rookie but has enough physical talent that he may step up and
become an impact player this year. Then again, maybe he won't. LB depth — If the Bears don't match the Chiefs'
$12 million offer sheet for starting weakside LB Warrick Holdman, they will
plug in recently acquired (from the Eagles) free agent Mike Caldwell, who was
a 16-game starter last year for a stingy Philly defense. But that would leave
little in reserve behind Caldwell, MLB Brian Urlacher and SLB Rosey Colvin,
who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the coming season. DRAFT STRATEGY — The Bears are expected to
address both lines early in the draft and then to give QB Jim Miller another
weapon in the passing game, either one of several highly regarded tight ends
or a wideout to stretch the field. They might also try to draft Miller's successor.
GM Jerry Angelo feels that defensive line and wide receiver are the strongest
areas of the draft. Syracuse DE Dwight Freeney could provide the pass rush
that the defensive line is missing, although he may lack the size to be an every-down
player, but that's not terribly important to the Bears, who have good depth
on the d-line but no dominating pass rusher. Their expectations for the 29th
pick are realistic. "Do I expect to get an immediate starter?" Angelo said.
"No. But I expect to eventually have each of our first three picks become starters.
I would be disappointed if they weren't." Georgia DE Charles Grant is another possibility and more
of an every-down player, but he may not be around at No. 29. While the top three
offensive tackles — Bryant McKinnie, Mike Williams and Levi Jones —
should all be gone, the Bears could reach for Florida's Mike Pearson or Boston
College's Marc Colombo at 29. With LT Blake Brockermeyer having been cut and
RT James "Big Cat" Williams soon to be 34, the Bears are much more interested
in tackles than interior offensive linemen. Last year's fifth-round pick, undersized
Bernard Robertson, is currently the leading contender to replace Brockermeyer. While Angelo says character is a consideration in his drafting,
he also said he's not looking for boy scouts. That doesn't mean he wants to
repeat the Curtis Enis mistake of predecessor Mark Hatley. "That was very unfortunate with Enis, and what happened
when he found the gold, so to speak," Angelo said. "It does happen. We're in
the predicting business, and these are human beings, and we are too, so it's
hard. I always say this, 'Make sure the guy that we put on the board, we know
him inside and out; we've done A to Z.' We've had enough people go in the building,
talk to enough people. We've done everything we can. We've canvassed that campus,
everybody that has contact with that kid on a daily basis, from an academic
advisor to his position coach and everybody in between." Angelo said that after the Bears get their draft board
whittled down to a realistic 125 — a common number throughout the league
— they pare it further to about 75 players they're familiar and comfortable
with. "That doesn't necessarily mean they're the best," Angelo
said, "but those are the ones you know the best, which is probably more important." Angelo said he may gamble on a player with questionable
character or on a player with unanswered questions, but he won't risk much. "We don't want to reward bad behavior," Angelo said. "That's
not saying that you wouldn't take a questionable guy at times, but I always
say when you do that, you have to have the leverage. If you get him in the fourth,
fifth or sixth round, or he's not making a lot of money, you can cut him. There's
no such thing as a fourth-round bust. You tell him that. If he's talented and
he's a guy on the edge, if you've got the leverage, take advantage of it." NOTES, QUOTES, ANECDOTES — The structure of the Chiefs' $12 million offer sheet
to starting weakside linebacker Warrick Holdman will make it extremely difficult
for the NFC Central champions to match, which they must do by Friday to keep
their second-leading tackler. The Chiefs' offer, which was signed by Holdman Monday evening,
includes a $2 million signing bonus, but that's not what makes it so difficult
for the Bears. The Chiefs, who are somewhat cash-strapped this year, will take
just a $950,000 cap hit this year for Holdman. But the 26-year-old's cap value
jumps to $4 million for 2003, when the Bears will also be looking to lock up
linebacker Rosey Colvin, wide receiver Marty Booker and guard Rex Tucker with
expensive, long-term contracts and may not have enough money to go around. Like
Holdman, all were restricted free agents this year, which allowed the Bears
to retain their services by matching any offer sheet. But the Bears will receive no compensation if they lose
Holdman. They would normally be entitled to a fourth-round pick (the round in
which Holdman was drafted in 1999), but they committed a clerical error when
filing his $563,000 tender offer with the league, neglecting to check the compensation
box on the document. The Bears made the same mistake with restricted free-agent
wide receiver D'Wayne Bates. They matched the Minnesota Vikings' three-year,
$2.85 million offer sheet to try to keep him away from a division rival, but
then cut him the next day. Bates wound up being claimed on waivers by the Vikings
anyway. QUOTE TO NOTE: "He can play against the run. He's
a good football player. He did what they asked him to do. His main job was to
get upfield, disrupt the offense and put pressure on the quarterback. That's
what they asked him to do, and he did a great job doing it. Did that take away
some of his ability to play the run? Maybe a little bit, but only because that's
what they asked him to do. You can find plays where he does a hell of a job
against the run." — Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel on
Syracuse DE Dwight Freeney. STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL FRANCHISE PLAYER: None. TRANSITION PLAYER: None. UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: CB Frankie Smith (outstanding
special-teams gunner, but Larry Whigham filled that role when Smith suffered
a season-ending knee injury in the preseason). UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (not tendered offers): RB
Autry Denson (not tendered as RFA); RB Brian Edwards (not tendered as ERFA);
DT Robert Newkirk (not tendered as ERFA). RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: WR Marty Booker (tendered
at $1.227M; had breakout season with 100 catches and is a physical presence
who does all the dirty work that many wideouts despise); LB Rosevelt Colvin
(tendered at $1.227M; has developed into a complete LB and may be the best pass
rusher on the team); LB Warrick Holdman (tendered at $563,000; signed offer
sheet with Chiefs, Bears have until Friday to match); OG Rex Tucker (tendered
at $1.227M; worked hard last offseason to win the starting OLG spot and the
line didn't miss a beat with him replacing long-time starter Todd Perry). EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: None. PLAYERS RE-SIGNED: FB Daimon Shelton (UFA; $1.3M/2
yrs, SB unknown); C Olin Kreutz (UFA; $23M/6 yrs, $7M SB; 2002 cap: $1.717M);
QB Jim Miller (UFA; $12M/5 yrs, $2M SB; 2002 cap: $1.3M) PLAYERS ACQUIRED: RB Rabih Abdullah (UFA Buccaneers;
3 yrs, terms unknown); TE Luther Broughton (UFA Panthers; $550,000/1 yr, $25,000
SB; 2002 cap: $475,000); LB Mike Caldwell (UFA Eagles; $4.68M/4 yrs, $750,000
SB; 2002 cap: $1.088M); QB Henry Burris (FA; terms unknown); QB Chris Chandler
(FA Falcons; $4.5M/3 yrs, $1.25M SB); PK Jon Hilbert (not tendered as ERFA by
Cowboys; terms unknown); DT Jason Wiltz (FA; terms unknown); CB Floyd Young
(FA; terms unknown). PLAYERS LOST: RB James Allen (UFA Texans; $800,000/1
yr, $200,000 SB); WR D'Wayne Bates (cut; had matched Vikings offer as RFA);
OT Blake Brockermeyer (cut); FB Scott Dragos (not tendered as ERFA/Patriots;
terms unknown); CB Walt Harris (UFA Colts; $15M/5 yrs, $3.5M SB); OT Jimmy Herndon
(UFA Texans; terms unknown); LB Greg Jones (UFA Texans; $5M/3 yrs, $75,000 SB);
S Tony Parrish (UFA 49ers; $12.025M/5 yrs, $3M SB); DE Carl Powell (UFA Redskins;
$525,000/1 yr); TE Kaseem Sinceno (UFA Texans; terms unknown); QB Danny Wuerffel
(VA Texans). MEDICAL WATCH: No updates.
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