Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on February 8, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The 2010 NFL season has finished, and division rival Green Bay ended up being the World Champions.  This means that the Bears, along with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, have a lot to do to attempt to overcome what is now a powerhouse up in Green Bay. 

Depending on what happens with the collective bargaining agreement, the Vikings and the Lions are set for being able to go through free agency and find some players.  The Bears, on the other hand, will have their hands tied.

Something that was put into place in the last collective bargaining agreement is going to come back to bit the Bears. 

What is it?  It’s called the final eight rule.  The rule basically says that any team that is part of the final eight teams left in the NFL playoffs can only sign one unrestricted free agent for each one of their own players lost.  This player would have to have to have six accrued seasons in the NFL.

Teams can also only sign one unrestricted free agent lost and give them a salary that would be similar to what the player leaving would get.

This alone means that Chicago can only sign free agents if they lose free agents.  This will definitely put a handicap on what they can do to help improve their team in 2011 if indeed free agency would be a means that they would like to build from during the offseason.

While the Bears aren’t traditionally a team that builds through free agency (last year, they went outside of their “comfort zone” a little and acquired three big name free agents), this could still come back to haunt them.  Knowing their struggles through the NFL Draft, free agency could have been a good way for them to take care of some of their needs this offseason.

It looks like the price of winning can be costly.

Of course, the whole free agency period could be null and void depending on what happens with the CBA.

Another issue that could hurt the Bears is how rookies are signed and developed after the upcoming 2011 NFL Draft.  There is going to be a draft even if there isn’t a contract signed by then, but what happens to those rookies after the draft has been complete?

There wouldn’t be any rookie mini-camps, and until the CBA is signed, there would be no way to sign rookies.  They would just hang in limbo until everything is completed.

Chicago is known for signing players early and getting them into camp.  If this thing drags out, it would affect their ability to get these young guys into camp (and there may not even be a training camp) to develop them to make them capable of contributing to the team in 2011.

So, as you can see, the rules imposed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the lack of an agreement are going to put the Bears back a little bit in terms of their ability to acquire and develop talent. 

Of those teams that were part of the final eight plan last year (New Orleans, Indianapolis, Dallas, Minnesota, Arizona, Baltimore and the New York Jets), three of them failed to make the playoffs, while only one of them advanced to their respective conference title game (that being the New York Jets).

With these restrictions placed on Chicago, it’s going to be a rough road for them in 2011 (to get back to the playoffs), and it will be a rough road for the other final seven teams as well.  If ever there was a time where the Bears coaching staff and management had to be at their best in regards to player administration and the draft, this is the time.

The uncertainty of the future makes it hard to predict it, and if the Bears can make it through the time between now and when the contract is signed, they will be well enough to build and prepare the team for the 2011 season.  Granted, each and every team in the final eight will have the same problems, but the Bears need this offseason to add those pieces that were missing in 2010 and make another run at the Super Bowl.

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