Chicago Bears’ Offseason Moves: Brian Urlacher Happy for Now
Published by Aaron Nagler on April 11, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
First year general manager Phil Emery has wasted little time putting his stamp on the Chicago Bears.
From trading for troubled wide receiver Brandon Marshall, signing free agent running back Michael Bush and signing free agent quarterback Jason Campbell to bolster the offense to re-signing cornerback Tim Jennings and defensive lineman Israel Idonije to maintain continuity on defense, to signing wide receiver/kick returner Eric Weems to add speed and athleticism to the Bears’ special teams unit – Emery has certainly been busy.
Veteran Bears linebacker and team leader Brian Urlacher, for one, is pleased with what he’s seen so far. Speaking to the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Pompei at a luncheon Tuesday to accept the Ed Block Courage Award, Urlacher said:
On paper we’re a better football team than we were last year at the end of the season, so I’m excited about that. Phil Emery knows what he’s doing, obviously.
It’s exciting to see us making moves…because we haven’t done that a lot in the past. We needed a receiver, we got a receiver, and we still have the draft. All the pressure’s been taken off our draft with what he’s done so far, so it’s exciting; we might get the best player available, which is good.
I understand Urlacher’s enthusiasm, but I’m not so sure the Bears didn’t “make moves” in the offseason under Emery’s predecessor, Jerry Angelo.
It was Angelo, after all, who went and signed Julius Peppers in free agency prior to the 2010 season, along with running back Chester Taylor. It was Angelo who traded for Jay Cutler in an attempt to solidify the quarterback position, a decades-long problem for the franchise.
No, it’s not like Angelo was dormant during the offseason. His fatal flaw, and this may or may not be what Urlacher is thinking of when he says the team hasn’t “done that a lot in the past” in regards to making moves, was not having a capable backup to Cutler last year or taking any action when it became apparent that Caleb Hanie was not going to get the job done. (Although, to be fair, I’m not sure there was much he could have done outside of signing Donavan McNabb – who might not be an upgrade over Hanie at this point…)
After all, the Bears were averaging nearly four touchdowns a game prior to Cutler going down. With Hanie and Josh McCown at the helm, the Bears averaged closer to two touchdowns a game – a drastic difference that left little to no room for error on the part of the defense.
The Bears were were 7-3 and had a very good shot at a Wild Card playoff birth prior to Cutler’s injury. Urlacher has reason to be optimistic. But he’s displaying a bit of a selective memory when it comes to offseason “moves.”
Besides, headlines in March and April don’t mean much. What matters is how your team is playing in December and January. If the Bears take another late-season dive, the moves being made by Emery now won’t mean much to Urlacher or the Bears.
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