Yardbarker: Lance Briggs

Urlacher Signs Contract Extension

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:42:22 -0500

The Chicago Bears put to rest a completely unnecessary distraction in an off-season when signing young stars to long contracts was supposed to be a priority. Monday the Bears signed Brian Urlacher to a one-year extension to end in 2012 for the tune of $18 million with a $6 million signing bonus. Urlacher was already signed with the team until 2011 but decided he wanted an extra year and fat signing bonus now. I can almost hear the clatter of loafers from lawyers running to the court house to re-examine child custody terms. Forget that the Bears are still working on a contract with first round pick Chris Williams, who stands to play the biggest role in solidifying the offensive line. Forget that the Bears are still trying to figure out a dollar amount to sign Devin Hester and keep him from leaving town. Instead the Bears spend $18 million on a middle linebacker, albeit their marque player, that is approaching his peak with an arthritic back. Brian Urlacher was looked up to by everyone in Chicago at a time when the team was at the bottom of the league. The team has reached the Super Bowl and now is trying to figure out how to get back. Urlacher still remains the face of the team but he is struggling to maintain that position of honor. He'll always do the commercials and the ads and all that great stuff that makes us all love him. It's his actions on the field that make you wonder if this is a team struggling to find where Urlacher fits in. The guy still makes amazing plays and I'm happy to keep him here as long as possible as a leader. You just have to wonder if a time will come when Urlacher will no longer be the star on defense and if he will take it well. The Bears have shown an uncanny ability to draft great defensive players and get them on the field quickly to contribute. Guys like Tommie Harris, Lance Briggs, and Mark Anderson have come in making a difference from the first snap. However, young talented guys also want to get paid like young, talented guys. The Bears are struggling right now to figure out how much they can afford to pay Devin Hester, the greatest return man in the game. The front office can't continue to dump money into old players, even the very successful ones, and allow the players of the future to go to another team. The other day I had a moment when I was thinking about teams that have had huge ups and downs in the league. The great teams are the ones that don't have trouble drafting key players and can keep their salary cap down, aka Indianapolis Colts. Then I got to thinking about the Oakland Raiders, a team that made a Super Bowl appearance and immediately dropped to the bottom barrel of the league. They had an MVP quarterback in Rich Gannon, and great veteran receivers in Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. After they lost the big game they also lost all their veteran players and the rest is ugly history. Within two years they were relying on Kerry Collins, Jerry Porter, and Tyrone Wheatley to lead the offense. The moral of the story is you need to know when to keep veteran players and to allow young players to usher in a new age. If it is not handled well you end up with veterans overstaying their welcome and young players that leave town because they are frustrated with the organization that drafted them to sit the bench. Everyone in Chicago still loves Michael Jordan but let's face it, the constant confusion of when he was going to retire prevented the Chicago Bulls from knowing when to rebuild and retarded their growth for the first five years after he retired. A team has to have balance and I hope the Bears know how to keep it. Devin Hester needs to be locked up in the longest term contract possible. When you come across talent that great at such a young age you have to keep it all to yourself. I still think Urlacher can make huge contributions, I'm not saying he still isn't an amazing player. I just worry that in a few years if the Bears want to bring in an understudy to learn his position that he might not take it well. This is a team looking towards the future to a good team with a long time. It just worries me when they become distracted with a veteran wanting more money and forget to sign their key first round draft pick. The Bears need to get focused and stay on the course they have set for being a solid team for a long time.

Documentary Dispels Eagles Fans Negative Reputation

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:39:19 -0500

Last year a Chicago Bears fan decided to film his experience at a Bears Eagles game in Philadelphia. The basic idea of the video, is to really see if he would get killed by Eagles fans wearing a Brian Urlacher jersey at the Linc. The home made film starts off bashing Eagles fans, and basically listing off [...]

Bruno Boys Q & A - Positional Busts

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:15:05 -0500

In the realm of fantasy football, nothing is worst than having high expectations for a draft pick, only to see him shatter your championship dreams by not living up to the hype. Yet, it happens all too often where one or two busts leads to a season down the crapper. Shaun Alexander, anybody? Well, we here at Bruno Boys Fantasy Football want to make sure you're not stuck cussing out many of your team's guys. To that end, we present to you another fine addition of Bruno Boys Q & A with Bruno Boys Staff Writer, Chris Ziza. To read more of this fine article, please click the link below!

Bears Re-Sign Harris

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:04:30 -0500

Tommie Harris says the talks that led to his four-year, $40 million contract with the Chicago Bears were businesslike and "classy." Speaking at a morning news conference at Halas Hall, the defensive tackle said he and Bears management kept negotiations private in reaching a deal that will keep him with Chicago through 2012. That differs from what has happened between the team and linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. They've both gone public with complaints and either hinted or threatened holdouts. "We didn't try to go out there and talk about one another or dispute different things, and I feel like we did it all in-house," Harris said. "I would never go out and talk about the Bears in front of the media or disrespect my team," added Harris, whose deal was the richest ever for the Bears in terms of dollars per year.
Harris started 56 of his 60 career NFL games and recorded 208 tackles during his four seasons with the Bears. The three-time Pro Bowler had 13 total sacks over the last two seasons—ranking him second among defensive tackles.

Did Harris' method of negotiation help his contract?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:14:46 -0500

At a news conference this morning in Halas Hall, newly-signed Tommie Harris called his contract negotiations with the Bears businesslike and "classy." In fact, Harris seemed to make the distinction between himself and fellow teammates Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. "I would never go out and talk about the Bears in front of the media or disrespect my team," said Harris...

Bears Sign Tommie Harris 4-Year Deal

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:57:56 -0500

The Chicago Bears accounced this morning that they have given defensive tackle Tommie Harris a 4-year extension. Although the organization declined to comment on the amount of the contract, the deal is speculated to be worth about $40 million with $18 million guaranteed. The deal would make Harris the highest paid defensive tackle in franchise history and in league history. Harris is considered one of the most dominant young defensive tackles in the game and in the last year of his rookie contract. If allowed on the free agent market, he would have landed a huge deal in a new city. With that type of leverage the Bears didn't have much of a choice other than to award him with their biggest contract ever. The Bears will probably have to do the same in the coming weeks as they try to sign an extension with already legendary returner Devin Hester. The deal also allows Harris to still test the free agent market when he will have a high demand. When this extension runs out he will still be 29 years old and may command a contract even more lucrative than the one he just signed. Harris has already been to 3 straight Pro Bowls in his 4 years in the league and has established himself as a force in the middle of the field. Offensive lines usually have to devote a double team to Harris, leaving linebackers free to roam the field, a key to success for Brian Urlacher. Harris has also had some issues with injuries but always bounces back at full strength or is willing to play injured to help his team. In the week 3 matchup last year against the Cowboys, Harris injured his knee and opted to play out the remainder of the season on a bad knee rather than take time off. The move also ensures the Bears have a strong core on their defense that will be around for at least the next few years. Tommie Harris joins Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, and Alex Brown in the list of long-term players. For more NFL news please visit: FanSided

2008 Bruno BoysFantasy Football Notes - Chicago Bears

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:31:10 -0500

The Chicago Bears were quite the disappointment in the 2007 season as almost no one lived up to expectations. Unless you played in a canyon-deep league, the Bears were a fantasy football wasteland for the most part. Make sure to read what Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff writer Joel Stubblefield has to say about the Chicago Bears heading into the 2008 season by clicking below.

Urlacher continues to dispute contract with Bears

Fri, 30 May 2008 18:28:27 -0500

As ridiculous as it sounds, Urlacher is not happy with the nine-year, $57 million deal that he signed in 2003. That's right folks, a professional athlete is complaining that his mega multi-million dollar deal is not big enough. Go figure.

2003 NFL Draft Re-mix

Sat, 17 May 2008 19:18:16 -0500

A look at how the 2003 Draft would look if it could be done over.

Baby mama drama: Lance Briggs, keep it in your pants!

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:26:47 -0500

Lance Briggs was upset about not getting fair market value last year when he was squabbling with the Bears for a new contract. Well, he singed a $36 million deal and now it seems he's upset at doing so. Not because he thinks he deserves more, but because he NEEDS more. Briggs is the leading candidate for the biggest baby mama's drama ever, after reportedly impregnating 3 different women and then lying about one of them. He's got more mouths to feed than Latrell Sprewell! Use some protection or keep it in the pants man, damn!

Starting to start to think about starters (and depth) Part Deuce

Sun, 11 May 2008 17:40:27 -0500

Remember way back when? The Bears were in the Super Bowl and their elite defense carried them there. It seems almost as long ago as the Cubs' last World Series win. Fortunately for us, it wasn't 1908 — it was 2006. Safety Chris Harris and any defensive tackle that bothered to line up next to Tommie Harris (Boonie, Ian Scott, Tank) are the most notable defensive absentees from our Super Bowl run. Sure, you could throw Todd Johnson and Cameron Worrell in for giggles, but the last three drafts and free agent signings have produced enough quality special teams players to keep that unit among the league's best for years to come. Barring injury, the Bears will have the best defense in the National Football League in 2008. Notice, I didn't say, "among the best" or "top 10". I'm talking about the absolute, hands-down, top defense in the entire mother-effin' NFL. On a side note, I apologize if the point was, in any way, diluted by use of the word "effin'." Left End Dan Bazuin has fully-recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of play in 2007. He is the type of high-motor, try-hard player that the Bears like. Draft pick Ervin Baldwin has drawn comparisons to Mark Anderson for his pass-rushing ability. Wale Ogunleye starts. Back-ups: Dan Bazuin, Ervin Baldwin. Right End Last year, Mark Anderson was given the starting job but a sprained knee put him on injured reserve as the regular season came to an end. Alex Brown was impressive in all the opportunities he received in the Bears' regular-rotation scheme. The Bears rewarded him with a new contract through 2011. Regardless of who starts, both men will see plenty of playing time. Brown starts. Back-up: Anderson. Tackle Tommie Harris is about to be uber-rich, son. The perennial Pro Bowler will be a mainstay in Chicago and if he can walk, he will start. Dusty Dvoracek has played in one of the 32 games since he's been a Chicago Bear. Now, my math ain't too good but dat must be somethin' like 3 %. The good news is he's healthy now. Izzy Idonije has made the permanent switch to tackle and third-rounder Marcus Harrison could make an immediate impact. Anthony Adams and Matt "Catch a tiger by its" Toeaina played relatively well last season. Harris and Harrison start. Back-ups: Dusty, Toeaina, Izzy and Adams. Weak-side Linebacker The biggest surprise of the offseason had to be the re-signing of Lance Briggs. I had emotionally detached myself from him in preparation for his departure. Had he gone, I might have crashed my 1997 Geo Prizm into a pole and left the scene. Luckily, no other team was biting and now Briggs is all ours once again. Jamar Williams played admirably in Briggs' absence last year. Briggs starts. Back-up: Williams and Okwo. Middle Linebacker Is he or isn't he hurt? This will be the big question about Urlacher's health going into the season. He underwent "minor" neck surgery and battled an arthritic back but says he's fine. I believe him, I think. Either way, he's the man. Urlacher starts. Back-up: I don't even know. Strong-side Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer has been solid, if not somewhat spectacular, over the course of the last few years. He's often lost in the shuffle with Briggs and Urlacher receiving the glory, but Hillenmeyer does a great job in doing what he's asked; taking on blocks, shedding blocks and redirecting the play to his more celebrated counterparts. Hillenmeyer starts. Back-ups: Williams and Okwo. Cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr. has less of a chance than the poor chap he pummeled in the Denny's parking lot of making it to the regular season. If his sub-par performance last year wasn't enough, the emergence of Trumaine McBride and drafting of Zack Bowman should be reason enough to say "don't let the door hit you in your ass on the way out." Corey Graham impressed enough as a special-teamer last year to stick. Peanut Tillman and Nate Vasher start. Back-up: McBride, Bowman and Graham. Free Safety If Mike Brown stays healthy he will (fill in the blank). Reasonable options that cross my mind include: have a Pro Bowl season, be all over the field, decimate receivers coming through the middle and my personal favorite; carry the Bears to the Super Bowl. Mike Brown starts. Back-up: Danieal Manning. Strong Safety I love Craig Steltz and we will be a much better team because of him. Will he start right away? He could. But he'll have to beat out Kevin Payne first. Payne played well in limited time and can contribute as a special-teamer, too. It's a coin toss but I gotta go with my gut. Steltz starts. Back-ups: Payne and Brandon McGowan. Gosh, did you really just sit through all of this bull? You deserve some kind of prize. Really, you do. Tell you what: I'm going to promise that "Blog Down, Chicago Bears" will continue to offer you the mother-effin' (second reference) best in Chicago Bears rumors, news, analysis and opinion as long as you leave a comment or two. Special Teams up next. Nah, fuck it: Gould, Maynard and Hester start.

Urlacher asks for trade or he'll Retire

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:40:39 -0500

If even half the rumors swirling around the NFL about Brian Urlacher's negotiation tactics are true, then maybe the Bears ought to reconsider their offense-building pledge for the draft and take a hard look at the middle linebacker class. One league source says Urlacher's agents have asked the team if they could explore a trade. Another says Urlacher is threatening to retire because of neck and back problems, a move in which he wouldn't have to repay any portion of the $13 million signing bonus he received in 2003, when he received a nine-year, $56.65 million deal. Urlacher feels he has outplayed his contract and is demanding more money. He's boycotting the team's voluntary offseason workout program and threatening to hold out of minicamp, organized team activities and even training camp if he doesn't get a new deal. One NFL insider laughed off the situation as the equivalent of a child taking his ball and going home or threatening to hold his breath until he passes out. ''Urlacher has no leverage,'' the source said. ''He wants to be paid, right? If he takes a medical [retirement], then he's got to prove he's hurt. If he does that, he'll never get paid. They're not going to trade him. All he can do is be disruptive. ''It's a joke. Players never walk away from millions. They threaten to, but they never do it.'' The Bears don't find the situation funny. Nobody at Halas Hall has a bad word to say about Urlacher, despite his strong-arm tactics. And even though president Ted Phillips was dismissive of the issue recently -- saying the team was ''talking to his representatives about how to look at his contract and try[ing] to educate them on the value of his deal'' -- the Bears are taking the matter seriously. It's tricky business for a number of reasons. Urlacher probably has outplayed the deal. He signed it with two years left on his rookie contract, becoming the first defensive player to renegotiate a deal with two years left. At the time, the salary cap was $75 million, and it has grown by more than $40 million since. Urlacher was an essential piece of the Bears' Super Bowl run in the 2006 season, and he seems to be making the difficult mid-career transition to playing with chronic injury. Urlacher is respected in the locker room, although his role as a team leader has been overstated -- he's a leader by example who prefers to be one of the guys -- and the notion that players will revolt if he doesn't get paid is flat-out absurd. Players revolt only on an individual basis when they aren't getting paid. Urlacher will be 30 this season and is coming off the worst year of his career. Despite leading fan voting at his position, he failed to make the Pro Bowl for only the second time (the first was after an injury-shortened 2004 season) and was not among the top five inside linebackers in voting among players and coaches. He engaged in a strange public-relations showdown with the media -- reportedly out of support for teammate Lance Briggs -- that featured one-word responses and grunted answers to questions, often in front of a backdrop featuring the team logo and the name of an important sponsor. Moreover, Urlacher has four years left on his contract, and given the uneven nature of his performance last season, depending on how his back was feeling, he might not be able to complete that deal. The team could call his bluff and wait him out, knowing that he keeps himself in excellent physical condition and is in no danger of showing up overweight or out of shape. Or it could set a dangerous precedent and allow him to force his way into a better deal. That precedent has been set around the league, however, with wide receivers Steve Smith and Laveranues Coles forcing new deals with the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets, respectively, and defensive end Michael Strahan reportedly close to doing so with the New York Giants. It's a delicate situation because the Bears don't want to poison Urlacher's relationship with fans while resisting the Machiavellian tactics.

Greatest WR ever?

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:18:53 -0500

ESPN Debates the greatest WR in NFL history very much worth reading check it out

49ers pay for tampering

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:41:09 -0500

The Commish has determined that the 49ers tampered with the Bears. Goodell determined that the 49ers violated the NFL's anti-tampering policy by contacting Briggs' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, about his client during the 2007 season. And now the teams will switch picks in the third round of the April 26-27 draft. Chicago, which had the 12th pick, will get San Francisco's seventh pick and the 49ers will get Chicago's choice.

It's Drew Rosenhaus' (Extra) Busy Season

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:35:15 -0500

In terms of Bernard Berrian, Lance Briggs and their respective deals these past few days, agent Drew Rosenhaus is batting .500. In their 2008 NFL Free Agency Preview, footballguys.com listed Bernard Berrian (pictured) right behind Randy Moss in their Top Wide Receivers On The Market list, noting that although Berrian has yet to notch a 1,000-yard season, he did start 29 games over the last two seasons and score 11 TDs along with 122 receptions. "Berrian has the ability to stretch the defense," they note. And when observers noticed Rosenhaus, huddling with Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo at the combine in Indianapolis, many assumed a new deal would soon be in order. In fact, an offer was made, and quickly rejected. Some were surprised that Berrian, through Rosenhaus, decided to reject the initial offer—and quickly up the ante to upwards of $20 million guaranteed over the first years of any deal, in doing so. Vented one angry Bears blogger, "LOL what the heck?! Drew has been feeding Berrian a load of garbage. No way anyone pays that for him." And in an interview conducted by phone on Monday, Berrian confirmed that he more or less expected—and desired—to be a Chicago Bear in the fall, especially with the resigning of Rex Grossman. That said, insiders said from the beginning that Berrian was expecting a deal similar to what Deion Branch got last year from Seattle—six-years, $39 million, and $23 million in the first three years. If the Bears were privy to this expectation as well, their offer was a slap in the face as far as Berrian was concerned. Especially since there is a $116 million (up $7m from '07, and a 36% increase since the CBA extension three years ago) salary cap now in play. But despite a career-high 71 receptions in 2007 for 951 yards, the Bears offer–$25 million over five years with $8 million in bonus money upfront—was far less than what Berrian and Rosenhaus were seeking, and prompted them to explore what the market might offer. And when Houston's Andre Davis signed with the Texans last Thursday for four years, $16 million, and $8 million guaranteed, their decision to reject the Bears' bid immediately seemed wise in hindsight (Davis is widely accepted as having similar skills to Berrian, but so far, less production on the field). Rosenhaus It didn't take long for Berrian's true market value to be established. Saturday night, the Minnesota Vikings validated Rosenhaus' asking price, signing the 27-year-old Berrian to a $42 million, six-year contract that included $16 million in guarantees. Berrian will get $23 million over the first three years of the deal and will become the fourth-highest-paid receiver in the NFL. What does this mean for the Bears? Unless they plan on rolling with Mark Bradley, Devin Hester and Rashied Davis (they cut Mushin Muhammad on Feb. 18), they may want to take a look at Bryant Johnson, D.J. Hackett or Javon Walker. And either way, targeting a wide receiver in April's draft may now be a necessity. But not all Bears fans are upset by Berrian's departure. Many seem to feel the receiver noticeably regressed in 2007 and the 'market' has vastly overestimated him. Maybe it has. But at the end of the day, Rosenhaus did his job. It's his job to get his client the most guaranteed money he can, especially in relation to players with similar skill-sets such as Davis and Branch. Well done. Berrian's rejection, however, should have given Rosenhaus plenty of leverage on his Lance Briggs (pictured left) deal. In fact, it's reported that the Bears were mulling whether to increase their offer to Briggs in the hours after Berrian left. But the ultimate six-year, $36 million deal ($21.6 over the first three years) that includes $13 million in guarantees and ensures the three-time Pro Bowl pick will be a Bear through the prime of his career, was a long ways away from the $20 million guaranteed that Rosenhaus originally sought (a figure based on the contract outside linebacker Adalius Thomas signed with New England a year ago). Briggs While Rosenhaus figured that Briggs, a key component of the Bears' Cover-2 defense (he had 140 tackles and a team-leading 10 tackles for loss last season, although he didn't exactly match the pass-rushing numbers that Thomas put up with the Ravens before his Patriots deal), would tempt a blockbuster offer outside of Chicago, Briggs' asking price was apparently too high and interest remained comparatively low to what Rosenhaus expected—despite the fact that Rosenhaus played up the notion that Briggs was close to signing with the Washington Redskins (who tried to acquire him last summer), and that Green Bay, Tampa Bay and New Orleans were also supposedly interested. And while the increase in guaranteed cash up to $13 million on Chicago's part may have been due to Berrian's loss, it surely was no where near what Rosenhaus originally envisioned when he tried to get the habitually free-wheeling Daniel Snyder in on the talks as well.