Bears
- Dan McGrath, writing for The New York Times, says that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is fortunate that Chicago fans tend to be so forgiving.
- Pro Football Weekly points out that former Bear tight end John Gilmore is about to become an unrestricted free agent.
- Another interesting PFW tidbit:
“Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway recently said it’s not a sure thing that QB Kyle Orton will be traded, but a PFW insider said it would be very tough to bring the veteran back. While QB Tim Tebow may not give the team the best chance to win, he does have the backing of the fans in Denver. Elway has talked about reconnecting with the fans and could lose some credibility by sticking with Orton. A daily team observer said he gets the feeling that fans would rather win three or four games with Tebow than six or seven with Orton.”
- Tell me this guy isn’t a future Darwin Award winner:
Elsewhere
- Barry Rozner at the Daily Herald thinks that there will be no games lost in 2011 due to a work stoppage. I hope he is right. I fear that he is wrong. To every argument I can only say one thing: “Remember 1994 when we lost and entire World Series”.
- Daren Gannt at the Charlotte Observer highlights the decision of former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac to leave for a defensive backs position in Green Bay for less money. Trgovac seems happy but I wonder how pleased he’ll be when someone tries to interview him for a defensive coordinator position elsewhere only to have Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy block the move.
- Agent Drew Rosenhaus is doing what he can to keep Plaxico Burress in the back of the NFL’s mind. Burress is serving out a two year sentence for accidentally shooting himself in the leg with unlicensed handgun while at a night club in November of 2008. He is expected to be released June 6.
The Bears need a go to wide receiver and Burress would be an ideal candidate to fill the position. But he hasn’t played in two years and he would have to come at the right price.
- Ian Rapoport at the Boston Herald Patriots points out that left tackle Matt Light may be available this offseason.
- Bob McGinn at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gives defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins a “B” for his performance this year. He sure looked like an “A” to me. Jenkins appears to be headed out of town as an unrestricted free agent.
- Michael David Smith at profootballtalk.com thinks NFL Players’ Association President Kevin Mawae needs to be more aware of the fact that everyone, dissenters and non-dissenters, is a union member. I would agree.
- More details emerge in The New York Post about Eliza Kruger, who “dated” 24 year old Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. Kruger is 17.
- Dan Pompei at The National Football Post tells us things he didn’t used to know:
“Don’t be surprised if Matt Flynn follows the path of Matt Hasselbeck, Aaron Brooks, Mark Brunell and Kurt Warner and leaves Green Bay to become a starting quarterback elsewhere. Teams in need of a quarterback are taking a good look at Flynn, who performed exceptionally well against the Patriots in New England in December.”
“It seems there rarely are enough good cornerbacks to keep pace with all the good receivers. But the coming draft offers a deep group of cover men. April will provide the opportunity for teams to stock up and build depth at the position. As many as 19 corners could carry grades that would justify them being picked in the first four rounds.”
This fact has probably not been lost on the Bears. Playing a base cover-2, they have not traditionally invested a lot in the position. But they could arguably could use a good cover corner now as they mix in more single coverage against select NFL teams.
“On the same day Green Bay was dispatching the Steelers for the NFL title, the Bangor Daily News reported, a man was arrested on suspicion of breaking into an auto-parts store in Ellsworth, Maine.
“And in Iowa City, Iowa, The Des Moines Register reported, a man injured his back when an argument turned violent during a Super Bowl party.
“Their names: Vince Lombardi and Aaron Rogers.”
One Final Thought
Looks like there are plenty of players stirring up the usual amount of trouble as the offseason begins. Here are some samples:
- Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has been formally charged with assault in connection with a road rage incident.
- And another Redskin, this time kick returner Brandon Banks, was stabbed outside a Washington D.C. night club. Nice group of high character players they’ve put together there. Can’t wait for Shaun Rogers to join the club.
- And lest you think the offseason shenanigans are limited to the Redskins, Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Clarksville, Ind., according to Jerry McDonald at the San Jose Mercury News.
A work stoppage with no offseason workouts and some very bored players should bring some interesting things to the news this year. Can’t wait.