Bears Blitz

Published by Brian Rosta on August 6, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Later this year, Brad Pitt will make millions playing infamous Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane at theaters all over the United States.

This summer, Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo has been doing his own impression of the “Master of Sabermetrics” on the shores of Lake Michigan by collecting players from other NFL teams that are considered “undervalued” and available through the lockout-shortened free agency period.

Beane created the concept of using sabermetrics, the analysis of athletics through objective, empirical evidence, especially physical attributes. By signing players who were thrown away by other clubs, he built a World Series champion with a limited payroll.

Jerry Angelo appears to have his own level of football sabermetrics. In the Chicago version, players apparently are not rated solely on performance of the field. Based on the free agents signed by Chicago so far this off-season, some trends appear:

Players selected in the first round of past NFL Drafts are valuable, no matter how they’ve panned out in their first few years in the NFL.

Vernon Gholston was the sixth pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Early scouting reports looked at Gholston’s physical stature (6’4″ 258) and thought he’d be better suited playing linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. Three years, six starts, 42 total tackles.

Jerry Angelo jumped to sign him.

The Houston Texans selected Amobi Okoye with the 10th overall pick in 2007. He is 6’2, 315 pounds and not a good fit for their switch to the 3-4 defense. He is only 24 years old, but has been in the league for four years and has yet to distinguish himself as anything other than a serviceable player.

Jerry Angelo gobbled him up.

When Olin Kruetz was unceremoniously dumped by the Chicago Bears last week, a replacement at center was needed quickly.

Chris Spencer was the 26th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2005, and has started 70 games in his six-year career. He has had some injury issues, and has never been recognized as anything more than an average player at his position.

Jerry Angelo had him signed within 24 hours of the Kreutz decision.

Finally, Roy Williams was selected No. 7 overall in the 2004 draft by the Detroit Lions. By signing Williams, Angelo may have provided another piece of his sabermetric priorities…

Sign players who have played for in a Mike Martz offense.

Last year, the Chicago Bears signed Brandon Manumaleuna, a 6-2, 295-pound tight end who played for the Bears offensive coordinator with the St. Louis Rams in 2001-05. Manumaleuna was signed despite the presence of TE Greg Olsen already on the roster.

This year, the Martz connection has happened again with the signing of Roy Williams from the Dallas Cowboys.

Williams enjoyed his two most productive NFL seasons with Martz in Detroit from 2006-07, when he caught a combined 146 passes for 2,148 yards and 12 touchdowns.

After being traded to Dallas, Williams never seemed to be comfortable in the Cowboys’ offensive scheme.

Former Big Ten college stars are always welcome in the NFC North.

Marion Barber, signed by Angelo to assist RB Matt Forte in short-yardage situations from the Dallas Cowboys, played college ball at the University of Minnesota.

When the Bears shipped off TE Greg Olsen to Carolina for a third round pick, Angelo turned to Matt Spaeth, a blocking tight end from the Steelers. Where did Spaeth attend college? The University of Minnesota. 

What factors played into the decision to re-sign DT Anthony Adams and LB Nick Roach to new contracts? Maybe the fact that Adams is a Penn State product and Roach hails from neighboring Northwestern University played into it.

While we’re looking at potential sabermetrics and the BIg Ten, let’s not forget the Bears’ first-round pick this year, Gabe Carimi from the University of Wisconsin.

Finally, the most important piece of this ground-breaking theory:

Players must sign low risk, short-term contracts that are financially friendly to the Chicago Bears checkbook.

In every situation above, the Bears signed players to contracts that were not only cap-friendly, but also extremely non-committal on the side of Chicago.

By keeping to these kinds of deals, it is nearly impossible to hold Mr. Angelo responsible if the players do not pan out with the Bears. He’ll simply state that the Bears took a low-risk gamble, and were wise not to overpay for the player’s services.

If the player returns to form (Williams, Barber) or begins to demonstrate the potential that was predicted at the time of their entrance into the league (Gholston, Okoye, Spencer), Jerry will pat himself on the back and declare himself a genius.

It is a win-win for the Bears GM.

Unless Joe Pesci is selected to portray him in the Chicago Bears version of “MoneyBall” on the big screen.

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