Bears News

"When the Indianapolis Colts report to training camp today, defensive end Dwight Freeney is expected to be placed on the physically unable to perform list as he recovers from a torn foot ligament. Bears rookie offensive tackle Chris Williams got a jump on Freeney -- against whom Williams is expected to line up in the season opener Sept. 7 in Indianapolis -- by signing a five-year, $13 million contract hours before the team's first practice Wednesday. Williams said he would not be a camp holdout and delivered on his word, knowing he will need all the time he can get to audition for the starting job at left tackle. ''I was here,'' Williams said. ''If a man don't have his word, he really don't ..."

"As much as you might admire Devin Hester as a player, like him as a person and respect his Stick-It-To-The-Man negotiating tactics, understand this about his decision not to report to training camp in a demand for more money: It's either a bold act of genius or an act of complete madness. Clearly, the Bears were stunned by the escalation of tactics. And that was before Hester told the Sun-Times on Wednesday evening that he was ready to sit out the season to force a new deal. ''I talked to his agent [Eugene Parker] a few days ago,'' general manager Jerry Angelo said. ''He floated it out there, but I didn't really take it serious because we are still talking. We're still in the process. ..."

"QB battle talk about symmetry. Kyle Orton won the coin flip to start first during the offseason program and Rex Grossman won the coin toss Wednesday morning to work with the first team during the opening practice of the summer. Neither quarterback looked particularly sharp, and there were some miscommunications which can be hung on the receivers just as easily. Nathan Vasher made an easy interception of Grossman in 7-on-7 drills, while Orton made a nice connection with rookie tight end Kellen Davis on a deep seam route. It wasn't anything offensive coordinator Ron Turner was overly concerned about. He expects the action to be crisper in a few days when the players are readjusted after a ..."

"The Bears have no concerns about an Achilles tendon injury that has sidelined center Olin Kreutz to begin training camp. Dusty Dvoracek's calf injury isn't believed to be serious either, but however minor, it's another setback for the third-year defensive tackle, who needs to be on the field to stake his claim for a starting job. Kreutz, a six-time Pro Bowl performer, was placed on the physically unable to perform list a week after undergoing a procedure to clear up scar tissue in his Achilles tendon. ''I feel all right,'' said Kreutz, an 11-year veteran who has started 115 of the last 116 regular-season games. ''I've had it for years. We tried something to see if it would go away. I just ..."

"With news of his absence from training camp blaring from a sports talk station in the background, Devin Hester said he's prepared to dig in for the long haul. As in the entire 2008 season. The most dynamic return man in NFL history -- and a guy who would have run with the first team at wide receiver had he attended the Bears' first practice Wednesday -- wants more money. And he's ready to call general manager Jerry Angelo's bluff that the organization will not negotiate with players who are AWOL. ''That's what they said to get me to start coming to OTAs,'' Hester told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. ''It's time for me to take a stand. We're going to stand by our decision to do this, and we ..."

"One probably figured Bears rookie Chris Williams was a little bit nervous Tuesday as the midnight deadline for players to report approached with Williams unsigned. Such was not the case. "Nah, I was asleep at midnight," he said. "I left it up to my agent [ Bill Johnson]. I trust my agent a lot, and I knew we'd get it done. He called me and got it done." Williams, the first-round pick and left tackle out of Vanderbilt, signed a five-year deal shortly before practice started Wednesday, staying true to his promise that "holdout" was not in his vocabulary. The total value of his contract is $16 million, with $10 million guaranteed, according to an NFL source familiar with the negotiations. ..."

"Bears defensive back Ricky Manning Jr., demoted this off-season, said he wants know this week whether the team plans to trade him. "Right now I'm running with the [third team], so that tells me I'm not part of the team's plans," he said after Wednesday's first practice. "I'm not starting on some of the special teams I was. Clearly, I think we're going in different directions. That's perfectly fine with me, but I just want to know." Manning Jr., who is signed through 2010, started five games as the team's nickel back last season. He since has lost that job to Danieal Manning, who was moved over from free safety. Manning Jr. said he would prefer to remain with the Bears in an increased role. ..."

"If Jason Taylor and Jeremy Shockey could be traded this week, certainly there is hope for a Brett Favre deal. But trading Favre is a more complicated proposition than trading Taylor and Shockey ever could have been. First of all, the timing is not good. You can eliminate the majority of NFL teams from consideration for the same reason the Packers are not exactly doing the "Beer Barrel Polka" over the possibility of Favre returning. That is, they have made other plans and are well into the process of executing them. By this point of the year most teams have talked themselves into believing they are content with their quarterbacks. "We like Chris Redman," they say. Many of them will like ..."

"Speed always has been the preferred method Devin Hester uses to make points. So hurry up and get to training camp, No. 23. Maybe Hester can borrow Lance Briggs' car. Whatever it takes to get him to the Olivet Nazarene University campus, pronto. He and agent Eugene Parker should know the Bears are more likely to give Hester the new contract he seeks with him on the practice field rather than in his living room. That doesn't necessarily mean Hester is making a bad argument by protesting a scheduled salary of $445,000 this season. He is the NFL's most underpaid player and has earned a new deal as much as any Bears player who received one this off-season. It only means Hester has gone about ..."

"The most electrifying return man in the league has found a different way to display his elusiveness. Devin Hester told the Tribune on Wednesday he intends to hold out of training camp until the Bears grant him a new deal. "I'm not coming," he said by phone. "I have to make a statement. I showed by going to [organized team activities] that I was a team player. But then, I just felt they weren't taking it seriously that I wanted to get a new deal. "I can't go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man." Hester is entering the third year of the four-year deal he signed as a rookie second-round draft choice. The Bears have discussed the possibility of a raise with his agent, ..."

"The tranquil start to Bears training camp disappeared faster than a Devin Hester touchdown return today when the Bears special teams ace refused to show up for the opening practice in a contract holdout. Hester did not report to camp on Tuesday night before midnight as players were required to do and missed team meetings this morning, but he officially became a contract holdout with the start of practice at 3 p.m. His decision not to report to camp had to be a surprise to a franchise that reached 12th-hour contract solutions for middle linebacker Brian Urlacher and rookie left tackle Chris Williams in an effort to ensure the entire roster would report on time."

"Chris Williams almost learned a new word today: Holdout. But as the prized left tackle said three months ago when the Bears drafted him 14th overall, it just isn't in his vocabulary. Williams came to terms on a five-year contract today before the first training camp practice at Olivet Nazarene University. It's not yet known if the necessary paperwork and physical will be completed in time for him to participate. Just having Williams here at the beginning of camp is a plus for an offensive line that is being rebuilt."

"Rookie first round pick Chris Williams has agreed to a five-year deal hours before the start of training camp. Williams is likely to arrive today, with practice scheduled to start at 3 p.m. The Tribune has learned that the $16 million deal includes $10 million guaranteed, according to NFL sources. He agreed hours before the Bears first training camp practice at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Also, Rex Grossman has won the starting quarterback job -- for the first day of practice. There was a coin toss at a Wednesday morning quarterback meeting. Kyle Orton called it, but Grossman won it and will run with the first-team offense Wednesday."

"Bears quarterback Rex Grossman said he's ''living in the now'' and not concerned about the past or future as he gets ready to begin his training-camp battle with Kyle Orton. Grossman signed a one-year contract in the offseason, presumably with the understanding he would have to compete but would get a shot at the starting job."

"Negotiations for first-round pick Chris Williams carried late into the night Tuesday as the Bears worked to get the left tackle signed before today's 3 p.m. practice. Missing a night in the dorms isn't going to hurt Williams, who was believed to be in the area. Missing a practice would be a false start in his bid to win the starting job."

"Don't look now, but the Bears' quarterback battle is suddenly as conflicted as Two-Face, the latest villain in the new Batman movie -- right down to the coin flip. That's right, folks. Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman will gather in a meeting room at 8 this morning to determine their fate -- at least for one day -- with a flip of a coin to decide who runs with the first team during the opening practice of training camp this afternoon. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who will throw the coin in the air, said Orton likely will call the flip because Grossman called -- and lost -- the one that had Orton opening with the starting unit during minicamp. The two will trade days with the first team, ..."

"If he had it to do over again, Brian Urlacher never would have signed a nine-year contract in the first place. But the Bears middle linebacker was all smiles Tuesday night when he rolled into training camp a couple of hours after signing his one-year, $18 million extension at Halas Hall. ''I would definitely caution anyone signing a deal that long,'' Urlacher said of the nine-year, $56.65 million contract he signed in 2003. ''It's very enticing at the time because it's a lot of guaranteed money up front, and you want to get that security. But at the same time, you don't know how you are going to play, either. You may outplay it."

"There's nothing like the start of training camp to get everyone pumped up. Take Bears coach Lovie Smith, for instance. He ran through every position on the troubled offense of a year ago, and by the time he was done, he determined he liked it. Or at least Smith had talked himself into liking it Tuesday afternoon, when the Bears assembled at Olivet Nazarene University for the start of a more than three-week stay. The focus will be on the quarterback derby between Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton, but much more than that is up for grabs starting with today's 3 p.m. practice."

"Apparently, Brian Urlacher wasn't as deluded as a lot of people thought. He was right. The Bears really do need him. We know this because they capitulated to his contract demands. They capitulated because without him, they don't have a solid defense. And without a solid defense, they don't have a team. If that sounds like a hostage situation, maybe it is. But it's better than being held hostage by, say, Ricky Manning Jr."

"Though days ticked away and contract talks stalled, Brian Urlacher never envisioned playing for another team. In other words, the face of the Bears wasn't ready for an extreme makeover. "I never wanted to leave Chicago,'' Urlacher said Tuesday, heading to training camp hours after signing a one-year contract extension through 2012. "Someone leaked something about a trade or something. That got out and people starting talking. But I never said I didn't want to be a Bear. Of course I wanted a raise. But I never thought about going anywhere else.''"

"Ask Lovie Smith about his timetable to name a Bears starting quarterback and watch him react as if somebody asked for the combination to the McCaskey vault or a secret family recipe to some Texas barbecue... It is duly noted that the Bears medical team failed again this off-season to find a medicine for Smith's allergy to candor. Smith wouldn't even reveal whether Grossman or Orton would be the quarterback taking snaps with the first-string offense during Wednesday's first practice. Maybe he hoped to gain a strategic advantage on the scout team by keeping it secret."

"He isn't Butkus. He isn't Singletary. Which means he isn't a legend -- nor will he ever be. Brian Urlacher is a joystick attacker and tireless maker of TV ads at a time when fast and sleek sells, all the more convenient when he's the star of middle linebacker theater in Chicago. But to suggest he's an all-time great is to ignore his performance dips and off-field warts. This hissy fit over his contract could have triggered his demise in a depressed football town. Fortunately for Urlacher, the Bears bailed him out and helped steady his wobbling image Monday by giving him an unnecessary contractual bump: a $6 million signing bonus and an opportunity to earn $18 million in new money if he ..."

"I had an idea. The deal of the century. The deal of any century. The most talked-about trade in the history of trades. Brian Urlacher for Brett Favre. It would shock every NFL jock. It would be the biggest thing in football since George Halas was a Leatherhead. What a whopper—54 for 4. No cow in Wisconsin would be sure whether to moo or boo. Favre's fans would turn blue; Urlacher's would spritz up their Vitamin Water. I wonder what his Packers backers would wear to the games—can a head of cheddar be bald? I love Urlacher, but he seemed unhappy with his contract, or at least he did until Monday's news that he had signed an extension. I love Favre, but he is unhappy with his ..."

"Now that the Bears have appeased the face of the franchise before training camp, they can focus on appealing to the future of the offensive line. Brian Urlacher agreed Monday to the one-year contract extension that pushes his current contract through 2012 and includes almost $18 million in new money, $6 million in bonuses. Bill Johnson, Urlacher's agent, still has some unfinished business as he attempts to close the deal on another client—left tackle Chris Williams, the Bears' first-round draft pick. As of Monday, it was unclear exactly where talks stood on the matter, and the deadline for players to report to camp in Bourbonnais is midnight Tuesday."

"Nobody should interpret the Bears and Brian Urlacher finally agreeing to a new contract Monday as a career achievement award for the middle linebacker. This is not an $18 million gold watch or very expensive thank-you card. This is the Bears putting new money where their mouth is. Through all the hand-wringing in the last year over an arthritic back and surgically repaired neck, the Bears maintained that Urlacher would be fine by training camp. They insisted that Urlacher's body wasn't breaking down and his level of play hadn't suffered. Now they have backed up those bold conclusions with a $6 million signing bonus and $1 million a year raise over the next four seasons for a ..."

"A year after placating one linebacker on the eve of training camp, the Bears have made another one happy. Just more than 24 hours before the deadline for players to report to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Brian Urlacher has agreed to a new contract. The Bears made the face of the franchise happy, ending sometimes ugly negotiations that hung over the offseason like a dark cloud. The former defensive player of the year will receive $6 million in a signing bonus for what is a one-year extension worth $18 million."

"If Favre wants to win, he'd be an idiot to join the Bears, who have no defined running back, wide receivers or offensive line but do have a fine kicker to try field goals while opponents are scoring touchdowns. So, settle back and swallow the reality that Kyle Orton should be -- and will be, I predict -- the latest glorified mannequin to fill the traditional black hole at Halas Hall. I say that not because I have any particular confidence in Orton, who would be a second- or third-stringer on other NFL depth charts, but because I have slightly more faith he'll make fewer mistakes than Rex Grossman."

"Everybody has questions. How soon can quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco start in Atlanta and Baltimore? Where does Brett Favre play in 2008, if he plays at all? Is there another team such as the New York Giants that will come out of the shadows at playoff time to seize the Super Bowl? There are no ready answers in July and August. Training camp is a time to grind, but it's also a time for optimism. Let's set the stage for the NFL's 89th season."

"There's no jinx for the Bears to contend with this time around. The Super Bowl hangover has worn off, and they won't be trying to prove they can bounce back from the Big One. Instead, they find themselves in the familiar position of hoping to pull a worst-to-first maneuver in the NFC North. It's a feat Lovie Smith's team achieved in his second season, when Kyle Orton started 15 games as a rookie in 2005. It could be the team turns to Orton again, but that won't be determined until a good old-fashioned quarterback derby is held. That might not be decided until late August, but the Bears would prefer to have a decision before the third preseason game Aug. 21 against San Francisco."

"This column is about the Cubs! Better yet, this column is about the Cubs and their fabulous minor-league pitcher, former Notre Dame receiver Jeff Samardzija. You read it correctly: This column is about the Cubs and Notre Dame football! The only way that you, the reader, could care any more about this particular column is if I tell you that Brett Favre is going to be Samardzija's pitching coach. Brett Favre! One of the more interesting phenomena of the evolving newspaper business is the way we have started keeping track publicly which on-line stories readers view the most. If you go to chicagosports.com, a Tribune sports Web site, you will see a list of the current most-popular ..."

"Yes, the Bears have some issues as they head into training camp this week. But they are not alone. Each of the 32 teams in the NFL will be trying to answer deep questions, tie together loose ends and bury ghosts of the past. Here is a look at the other 31:"

"Savor Tuesday, Chicago. The Cubs and Sox still likely will be in first place in their respective baseball divisions and the undefeated Bears report for training camp. It would be hard to find a day on the 2008 calendar packed with more civic sports optimism. It's impossible to know whether the good football feelings will last until the end of training camp. We can, however, make some other predictions about what might happen to the Bears during the three weeks at their summer home. Most to prove — Rex Grossman: Until Kyle Orton puts together a month like Grossman did in September 2006, it's fair to say Grossman has the edge over Orton in NFL talent and experience. But if the Bears ..."

"As long as Brett Favre wants to come back and the Green Bay Packers prefer he stays away, the Bears owe it to every player, coach, season ticket-holder and distant McCaskey relative to have The Conversation. The one that addresses how the Bears can turn a historically dumb decision by their division rivals into a potential Super Bowl run. That is exactly how Bears general manager Jerry Angelo must view the possibility of Favre leaving the Packers."

"Training camps open throughout the NFL over the next two weeks, and some players will report 15 to 30 pounds heavier than last season as their coaches marvel at their increased bulk and perceived ability to perform better. Most players will be able to attribute their chiseled physiques to diet, exercise and weight training. Others may have come by their new body types through steroids or other banned performance enhancers. Hall of Fame offensive lineman Anthony Munoz wants to see an NFL free of steroids, some of which can be masked to beat testing."

"If you can just close your eyes, clear your mind and forget how the Bears got here, then this is a big day. The Bears signed running back Kevin Jones on Tuesday afternoon. He's a former first-round draft choice, a good back, a speedy back. But he has suffered two major injuries from the knee down in the last two years. That's why Detroit dumped him. That said, the Bears are better this morning than they were Tuesday morning. The running back spot looks almost tolerable now. Possibly decent."

"Like a runner in the open field, the Bears reversed direction and added some depth to their backfield a week before training camp begins. Veteran free agent Kevin Jones was signed to a one-year contract on Tuesday, becoming the most established option at a position that is still expected to be anchored by rookie second-round draft pick Matt Forte."

"As Kevin Jones returned to the airport Tuesday fresh off signing a one-year deal with the Bears, the veteran running back got his first taste of Chicago's high expectations, courtesy of the limousine driver. "One thing about that rookie [Matt Forte] is he's good at pass protection and blitz pickup," the driver said. "Real good at it." Jones laughed. "That's good," he said. "I am too.""

"Lance Briggs came closer to hitting the volleyball into the stands than in the sand during practice, but when it was time for his moment in the sun, the Bears linebacker came through like an All-Pro... Turning to the Bears, Briggs pooh-poohed speculation that Brett Favre -- who reportedly is ready to come out of retirement -- ever would be a teammate. ''Oh, no, man, I highly doubt it,'' he said. ''Of all the teams in the NFL ... Favre with the Bears ... I just don't see it. Brett has a better chance of getting struck by lightning twice than coming here.''"

"Really, the Bears have been jonesing for a running game since trading Thomas Jones to the Jets in March 2007, a month after their last Super Bowl appearance. Can Kevin Jones help supply the potent 1-2 punch that has been missing since then? Apparently, the Bears are curious enough to take a good look at the ex-Lions running back, a former first-round draft pick who believes he can return to 1,000-yard form after two serious injuries the last two seasons. NFL sources said Jones was to take a physical and visit Halas Hall on Tuesday, one week before the Bears open training camp."

"When the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts converged on a rain-soaked field during the 2007 Super Bowl, failing health could not keep Harriet Irsay from attending the game. Born to poor Polish immigrants in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood in 1921, she went on to become the matriarch of the National Football League's Colts franchise, loyal to the team through good times and bad. "She was a feisty redhead," said son Jim Irsay, now the owner of the Colts. "If things weren't going well, she'd say: 'Let me talk to them, I'll talk to the coach. They have to get in there, fight harder and get it done.' " Mrs. Irsay, 87, died of natural causes Friday, July 11, in her Winnetka home, ..."

"It could be worse. You could be Ted Thompson. No matter how awful your life is — fallen arches, unruly children, two gas-guzzling Hummers in the garage — you could be Thompson, the goofy general manager who has decided that Brett Favre can be the Packers' backup quarterback in 2008. This is the football equivalent of deciding Elvis will give up singing to play the tambourine. As a consolation it-could-be-worse prize, you could be Aaron Rodgers, the unproven quarterback whom Thompson has anointed Green Bay's starter. Imagine being Rodgers and running onto Lambeau Field for the first time next season. For that matter, imagine being Rodgers and running onto any NFL field while Favre, the ..."

"Most people can identify with being in a bad relationship that needs to end. When the relationship first started, there was nothing but hope and promise. It originally seemed that person could be a good fit, but as things progressed, somebody, if not both parties, realized they were not compatible. Then it was time to move on. This basically summarizes the dysfunctional relationship between the Bucs and Chris Simms, the unhappy quarterback who wants out, but whose team will not let him go. We learned last week that Dallas, Chicago and Detroit are interested in Simms. There are plenty more rumors to come, and no matter which team Simms plays for this season, he will be a backup - ..."

"The Packers said Saturday that Brett Favre will remain their prisoner. They will not grant his wish for his release and declined to discuss whether they would try to trade him or what his role would be if he returned to the team. But Favre said last March he wouldn't play again. So maybe we shouldn't believe much of what anyone is saying. What we would like to believe is Favre would be a welcome addition for almost every NFL team...My mind can't conceive of Favre in a Bears uniform. The Packers would do everything within their power to prevent that from happening. And it's unlikely Favre would want to play for the Bears, given their lack of proven playmakers on offense. Favre, ..."

"Dick Butkus terrorized opponents as a Hall of Fame linebacker for the Bears. Nowadays, Butkus is trying to use a more tactful power of persuasion to eradicate steroid abuse by high school athletes who might be looking for a shortcut to athletic success. "We want to make it cool to play clean," Butkus told about 300 high school athletes at the United Club of Soldier Field on Friday. He later had the youngsters sign a pledge not to use steroids."

"If the Packers decide they no longer need a 36-year-old quarterback who led them to the NFC championship game last season, the Bears might want to take a gander at this Favre fellow. They might want to put together a caravan of Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith and Brian Urlacher and head for Mississippi. They might want to tell Favre how much fun it would be to finish his career in Chicago. He might just appreciate being appreciated. The Packers have sent Favre negative vibes, his family members say."

"Many in the Bears organization have raved about Matt Forte as if he already is assured a Pro Bowl spot in the near future. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said he is confident enough to use the rookie in any offensive set. Linebackers Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher have gushed about Forte's flashes at practice. Even the guys at the Bachrach clothing store at Woodfield Mall said Alex Brown stopped in and couldn't stop talking about Forte."

"A note at the end of Marcus Harrison's text messages reads "Chasing billions like millions don't matter!" The Bears can't fault the 6-foot-3-inch, 310-pound defensive tackle for thinking big. They have equally lofty expectations for the rookie out of Arkansas, who signed a four-year deal Tuesday. Harrison's signing bonus is just below $700,000—a handful of dollars more than the $623,000 bonus third-round pick Garrett Wolfe received last season."

"Third-round pick Marcus Harrison is on the verge of signing a four-year deal with the Bears, an NFL source said Monday. The deal is expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours. Harrison, a defensive tackle from Arkansas, could provide a spark as a backup on the interior of the defensive line this coming season. He had first-round potential, but an arrest and ACL injury caused the rookie to drop. Harrison is projected as a future starter."

"Former Bears running back Cedric Benson was ordered Monday to install an ignition-lock breath tester in his car after he was charged with drunken driving. Benson was charged in separate incidents of boating and driving while intoxicated. Travis County Court-at-Law Judge Elisabeth Earle ordered him to install the device within 72 hours as a condition of his bail at a pretrial hearing. The device prevents the car from starting if it detects alcohol."

"A day after agreeing to a four-year contract extension, defensive tackle Tommie Harris had only praise for the Bears organization. ''There wasn't a rush to get things done,'' Harris said Friday at Halas Hall. ''I would love to get it done because you don't want to become a distraction to your teammates. I would never go out and talk about the Bears in front of media or disrespect my team. This is not something that had to be done. But they were generous enough to do it.''"