Chicago Bears Planned for a Tumultuous 2009 Off-Season

Chicago Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith must have considered being a professional poker player or actor prior to becoming an NFL coach.

Smith’s level-headed demeanor and light touch when dealing with the media has masked what has become a hectic 2009 off-season for the franchise. 

With the June 10 announcement that the last two Bears’ draft choices inked four-year deals, according to the team’s web site, the team ended a frenetic player acquisition process.

Both third-round draft choices—San Jose State University defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert and Oklahoma University wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias—will receive the same four-year contract given to the other seven Bears rookies, which is worth $1.75 million and will pay $310,000 in the first year (according to the NFL Players’ Association web site).

The Bears’ Cliff Stein, senior director of football administration, signed the team’s other seven draft choices June 5. Stein completed all the contract negotiations well ahead of the franchise’s July deadline and the Bears will be the first 2009 NFL franchise to sign all of its rookies. 

When the Bears traded away the 2009 and 2010 first-round draft selections to the Denver Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler, they removed the possibility of rookie holdouts and difficult contract negotiations.

Larger and longer player contracts are given to first and second round selections under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. And team salary caps are adjusted according to the number of draft choices and the round each player was selected.

Players selected in the first and second rounds receive higher salaries than those drafted in later rounds. 

In addition to trading for Cutler, the Bears also signed free agents Pisa Tinoisomoa and Orlando Pace from the St. Louis Rams, Kevin Shaffer from the Cleveland Browns, Michael Gaines from the Detroit Lions, and Frank Omiyale from the Carolina Panthers. 

The January hiring of defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and defensive backs coach Jon Hoke added to buzz at Halas Hall. 

The contract signings aren’t the end to hectic 2009. They seem to set up a fierce series of battles going into training camp. 

On offense, only five of 11 starters seem to have been decided: Cutler at quarterback, Matt Forte at running back, Olin Kreutz at center, Roberto Garza at right guard, and Pace at left tackle. 

Hester will be a starting wide receiver, but the question is whether he will be primary receiver on passing plays or a down-the-field decoy that will draw away defenders from other players.

Forte or tight ends Desmond Clark and Greg Olson are the likely beneficiaries of Hester’s drawing double or triple coverage.

The rest of the offense’s starting positions seem to be up for competition. Most notably, last year’s first-round choice Chris Williams, will face competition from Shaffer at right tackle. 

Omiyale and Josh Beekman have been splitting practice time at left guard.  At wide receiver, Iglesias, Earl Bennett, Rashied Davis, and Johnny Knox will compete to be the second starter to complement Hester. 

Defensively, only three players seem to have locked down starting positions—linebackers Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher, and corner-back Charles Tillman.

But numerous questions remain about the health of starters defensive tackle, Tommy Harris, and the other corner-back, Nathan Vasher. 

Jarron Gilbert, Marcus Harrison, and Israel Idonije will compete to start alongside Harris at defensive tackle. Moore, Trumaine McBride, and Marcus Hamilton will press Vasher to become the Bears’ other starting corner-back.

The other starting positions on defense are open. 

Tinosiomoa will transition from weak side linebacker—Briggs’s position—to strong side linebacker and will compete against Nick Roach.

Corey Graham, Craig Steltz, and Kevin Payne seem to be leading group of seven players competing to be the Bears’ two starting safeties. 

And expect Mark Anderson and Henry Melton to pressure Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye at the defensive end positions.

It’s probably a good thing that Stein signed those rookies so quickly. Smith will need a lot of time to accomplish everything to prepare for training camp.

Marinelli and Hoke need to adjust to Smith’s Tampa-Two defensive scheme, coaches have to install new offensive and defense schemes, 80 players have to be evaluated for a 53-man roster, and second-string players need to be developed in case a starter is injured. 

Looking back, Smith already knew that he was going to have a tumultuous 2009 off-season. After watching the Super Bowl, Smith announced at the beginningFebruay that the Bears were going to have their first mandatory mini camp March 17-19.

“Typically, it has been held in June, near the end of the off-season program,” wrote Brad Biggs, a Chicago Sun-Times sports reporter, on his blog.

So it seemed that Smith knew he was going to need a lot of time evaluate players and acquire free agents for the 2009 Bears squad.

Those of us in the media might have also missed a subtle message from Smith to his players:

“You’re going to need to prove yourself this off-season.”

Going into training camp, it will be interesting to learn which players heard Smith’s message. 

The Chicago Bears’ Coaching Staff Will Be Vital to the Team’s Success

It seems that the Chicago Bears will be testing an experiment this fall. And the experiment could have long-term implications for the future of the franchise. No, it’s not Devin Hester playing quarterback in a Wildcat offense. It’s more subtle than that.

Actually, the Bears will be running two experiments: one for the offense and another for the defense. The franchise will try to prove that they have they have the right players on defense but had the wrong defensive coaches and schemes last season. On offense, the team will prove that they had the right offensive coaching staff and schemes but lacked the proper players to execute the playbook.

A little bit of tweaking is all that’s necessary for the team to win the division and make the playoffs this season – and on an annual basis.

During the offseason, Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo added the offensive pieces needed to run Ron Turner’s entire playbook. When Angelo traded for Denver quarterback Jay Cutler, he brought in the Pro Bowl player the Bears stabilize the quarterback position. With a strong and accurate passing arm, the ability to scramble and lengthen plays, and the size and bulk to be durable, the former Denver quarterback has the potential to be the team’s leader for the next decade.

In Orlando Pace, Angelo brought in another player needed to stabilize the offense. A Super Bowl champion, seven-time pro bowl selection, and 10-year veteran, Pace will protect Cutler’s blindside and further anchor the Bears’ offensive line.

Olin Kreutz, a six-time pro-bowler and 11-year veteran, has been the only offensive player that started in every game for the last eight years.

Those players, combined with second-year running back Matt Forte, should give Turner have the talent to improve upon last season’s 23-point-per-game average and 296-yards-per-game average, according to NFL statistics.

The Bears offense was tied for 14th in points per game last season. The New Orleans Saints offense was first in scoring in the NFL, with nearly 29 points per game and 410-yards-per-game average last year.

Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith changed his entire defensive coaching staff in January. Smith fired defensive line coach Brick Haley, linebackers coach Lloyd Lee and defensive backs Coach Steve Wilks after the Bears defense fell to 21st overall and ranked near the bottom in overall pass defense in 2008.

For the 2009 season, Rod Marinelli will coach the defensive line. Jon Hoke will manage the defensive backs. Babich will return to handling the Bears linebackers. And Smith will develop the nickel back position and split defensive coordinator duties with Babich.

Smith and Marinelli will split head coaching responsibilities, Smith said.

In terms of defensive talent, Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo added a few lower-round draft choices and speculative free-agents. Angelo’s roster additions will need proper coaching to become valuable starters this fall. Third-round draft choice Jarron Gilbert, an athletic defensive lineman from San Jose State, and undersized corner back D.J. Moore, a fourth-round selection, are considered the main coaches’ projects in 2009.

With all the time spent analyzing players – the draft and free-agency – it’s time to consider the Bears coaches and what will be a hands-on approach for the 2009 season.

Q&A: Bears Cornerback Charles Tillman

Bears cornerback Charles Tillman’s physical playing style may have earned him another accolade during this offseason; most intimidating cornerback.

“Based on film breakdowns of the 2008 season, more NFL receivers dropped passes when Tillman was the primary defender than any other cornerback in the league,” reporter Kevin Seifert wrote in an ESPN.com blog.

Football Outsiders, a research firm known for finding sports trends, discovered the coincidence, Seifert wrote.  Writers debate whether Tillman’s presence caused the dropped passes or whether he benefited from coincidence.

Regardless, the six-year veteran has been a Chicago fan favorite since he wrenched away a game-winning touchdown pass from Randy Moss in a 13-10 victory against the Minnesota Vikings in 2003, his rookie year. 

Here are a few questions that should be asked of the 2003 Brian Piccolo Award winner, 2003 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Sports Illustrated 2003 Rookie of the Year.

Let’s talk about your success forcing dropped passes from opposing wide receivers. More receivers dropped passes when you were covering them than against any other defensive back in 2008, according to NFL analysts. To what would you attribute that achievement?

What advice do you have for this season’s rookies? In adjusting to the NFL? The media? When dealing with the Bears’ fan base?

The Bears picked up some veteran free-agents during the offseason and drafted a few defensive backs in April. What will you tell the new players during training camp?

How valuable was the experience playing with former Bears cornerbacks R.W. McQuarters and Jerry Azumah in your rookie season?

Greg Blanche, Ron Rivera, and Bob Babich were your former defensive coordinators. What are the differences and similarities between them?

In 2002, the year before you were drafted, the Bears had a 13-3 regular season record and lost 33-19 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs. How would you describe the change in the Bears’ mentality from your rookie training camp in 2003 to this season?

Which receiver has been your biggest challenge to play against? How did you prepare for him?

Early in your career, you broke up what would have been a game-winning pass to Randy Moss from Dante Culpepper to save a 13-10 win against the Minnesota Vikings. Would went through your mind from the moment you saw Moss line up across from you until you reached the locker room?

What lessons have stayed with you from that day?

How much time do you spend helping to develop the Bears’ wide receivers during practice? Do you discuss hand technique to defeat man-press coverage? Or help them understand the tendencies of other teams’ defensive backs?

You were born in Chicago. How did you feel when the Bears drafted you in 2003?

Is there added pressure playing for the hometown fans? Is there more motivation?

What did your contract renewal in 2007 mean to you? And how has that affected your relationship with the franchise?

Please share with us an unknown aspect of an NFL player’s life.

Who were your sports heroes when you were a kid?

If you could play with any retired NFL player, who would it be and why?

Let’s shift topics, slightly. Sports fans have a tendency to emphasize a player’s performance and the NFL season occurs during the academic school year. How often do you worry about your children’s day at school after one of your regular season games?

You created The Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation. What prompted you to create the organization? What were the biggest challenges to it becoming a reality? And what are its main concerns going forward?

What personal characteristics do you emphasize in your family?  What message do you want your children to project?

If you weren’t a professional football player, what do you think you would be doing?

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