I can’t believe I just wrote that headline for this post.  I can’t believe I’m actually considering this.  I’ve been on record before saying there is no way the Bears should even consider T.O., but another lost, playoff-less season has me changing my tune.

Am I crazy? Absolutely.  But before you totally dismiss this, hear me out.

Cutler likes ‘em big

They say size doesn’t matter.  Yeah right.  Tell that to JC (or your girlfriend).  You could tell about halfway through the 2009 campaign that he was sick to death of throwing to the midget – sorry, little people – wide receivers that constituted the Bears’ roster.  The biggest wide receiver on the Bears last season was Devin Aromashodu, at an unimpressive 6′1″ and a scrawny 201 pounds and you saw what he and Cutler were able to accomplish in just a few games when the Bears braintrust finally wised up and got DA on the field.  T.O. is listed a 6′3″ at a stout 224.  As much as it’s the height, it’s the weight that makes T.O. a valuable asset.  He can take that big body and battle for jump balls.  He can be the go-get-it guy Jay Cutler has lusted after since he arrived.

In Remission

Everyone this side of Mike Ditka has called Owens a locker room cancer.  I’m here to tell you that the cancer is in remission.  Did anyone hear a peep out of T.O. last year?  Maybe it was the fact that he was playing in the news vortex of the universe (Buffalo) but I don’t think so.

The free agent market has been open for business for a while now, yet Owens is still on the market.  That’s enough to humble even the gigantic Terrell Owens ego.

Is Owens fully cured?  Like any cancer, there’s always the chance of a relapse.  Add Owens to Cutler and Martz and you’ve got potential for an explosive situation.

What else ya got?

T.O. would immediately step in and become the Bears best wide receiver.  You can spout off all you want about Knox, Hester or DA, but TO has the numbers to back it up.  In his worst season in 5 years, Owens put up 55 catches for 829 yards and 5 TD’s.  And that was with Trent freakin’ Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick tossing him the rock.

The Bears’ management will tell you they don’t want a veteran wide receiver because they don’t want to stunt the development of their young wide receiving group.  Hmm, doesn’t Julius Peppers stunt Jarron Gilbert or Mark Anderson’s growth?  The fact is, if you have a chance to get a better player, you go get him, youngters be damned.

Without a first or second round draft pick, you’re left to pick over late-rounders.  Could you find another diamond in the rough like Johnny Knox?  Sure.  But even Knox made plenty of rookie mistakes, like not finishing routes and giving up on plays.  The Bears need a veteran to just go out and make plays.

Some might argue that Torry Holt is a better fit, especially with his experience in Mike Martz’s offense.  That may be so, but I don’t think Holt offers the same upside as Owens.  Holt is 6′0″ and weighs in at 200 lbs.  That’s not much different than what we’ve got.

Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures

It should come as no surprise that Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo are on a short leash.  With three straight seasons with no playoffs, the Bears have pulled out all of the stops with some bold free agent moves.  So why not go all-in and take a shot at a desperate and talented, though potentially combustible wide receiver?  With high risk comes high reward.  Go get Terrell Owens.

Get your popcorn ready and go get T.O.!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

The LaDainian Tomlinson watch can now end.  Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the free agent running back has spurned the Vikings and signed a contract with the New York Jets.

The Vikes courted Tomlinson late last week, hoping he could step into the third-down back role vacated by Chester Taylor.  Tomlinson left Minnesota without a deal, and flew to New York to meet with crazy Rex Ryan and the gang.

Whatever Rex Ryan said, and whatever money the Jets offered, it was all more to L.T.’s liking than the Vikings’ efforts.

And this leaves the Vikes still searching for someone to replace Chester Taylor.  It’s looking more-and-more like that replacement will have to come from within the organization – Albert  Young is the only likely candidate – or via the draft.

I wonder how That Guy feels about the team’s failure to secure LT.  Maybe he won’t want to leave Mississippi now.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

The LaDainian Tomlinson watch can now end.  Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the free agent running back has spurned the Vikings and signed a contract with the New York Jets.

The Vikes courted Tomlinson late last week, hoping he could step into the third-down back role vacated by Chester Taylor.  Tomlinson left Minnesota without a deal, and flew to New York to meet with crazy Rex Ryan and the gang.

Whatever Rex Ryan said, and whatever money the Jets offered, it was all more to L.T.’s liking than the Vikings’ efforts.

And this leaves the Vikes still searching for someone to replace Chester Taylor.  It’s looking more-and-more like that replacement will have to come from within the organization – Albert  Young is the only likely candidate – or via the draft.

I wonder how That Guy feels about the team’s failure to secure LT.  Maybe he won’t want to leave Mississippi now.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

LaDainian Tomlinson has visited Minnesota, heard what Brad Childress and Zygi Wilf and Rick Spielman had to say…and gone on to New York to sit down with Rex Ryan and the Jets.

If Tomlinson is looking for touches, New York would probably be the better destination.  If he’s looking for a chance to win a championship?

The conventional wisdom is that Minnesota would afford him the better opportunity to taste Super Bowl glory.  On the assumption that That Guy and not Tarvaris Jackson, Sage Rosenfels or Tim Tebow would be starting at quarterback.

It would be interesting to know what Chilly told Tomlinson about the That Guy situation.  Did he assure LT that TG will indeed be behind center in 2010?  Or did he have to confess that even he doesn’t know?

One thing we know Chilly told Tomlinson:  if he does join the Purple, he will be the #2 back behind Adrian Peterson.

Actually, make that the #1A back.

Chilly already backpedaling on his Adrian Peterson is the man in Minnesota talk, to make Tomlinson more comfortable.  They really want this guy bad.  They know they need to replace Chester Taylor, and they know there’s no one else out there who can give them anything close to Chester’s production.

It’s LT or bad news for the Vikings.

Let’s hope yesterday’s presentation impressed him.  He certainly had enough fuss made about him in the media.  If he likes silly attention from newspaper reporters – for instance, endless Twitter updates about his limo – he should love Minneapolis.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

http://freep.com/article/20100311/SPORTS01/100311057/1049/sports01/LB-Larry-Foote-I-want-to-get-back-to-a-winner I really didn’t see the value in him and I didn’t trust that deal at only one single season. I called him the Steelers Trash and it pissed a lot of people off; All I can tell you is that when we went 0-16, our defense sucked. And last year after we signed such a [...]

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

The big Vikings news this week is their pursuit of LaDainian Tomlinson, who was recently released by the San Diego Charges, the team for which he once won NFL MVP.

Tomlinson will reportedly be in Winter Park to meet with Brad Childress and the gang on Thursday.  Chilly said in an interview at University of Minnesota Pro Day that he has already spoken to LT, and made sure the future Hall-of-Famer understands that, if he does sign with the Vikings, he will be a back-up to Adrian Peterson.

The Vikes’ interest in Tomlinson has seemingly signaled that they are not interested in Brian Westbrook, a man with Chilly connections but a disconcerting history of concussions.

Tomlinson’s interest in the Vikings seems to signal a few things as well:  that Tomlinson has found the market for his services less-than-vigorous, that LT at least thinks he can live with being a #2 back and, most importantly, that LT knows or at least thinks That Guy will be back as quarterback.

Moving from the running back situation to the cornerback situation:  the Vikings have avoided losing yet another top back-up by signing nickel corner Benny Sapp to a two-year contract.  The two-year deal shows how desperate the Vikes were to keep Sapp, who became a key cog in the defense last year, especially after Antoine Winfield got hurt.  The Vikes will still probably look around for another low-price veteran corner to cover themselves in case Cedric Griffin has to miss some time.

And the last bit of news:  the Vikings have moved to fix their occasional special teams coverage issues by signing Rhys Lloyd as a kickoff specialist.  Lloyd’s job will be to boom kicks into the end zone and hopefully help us avert disasters like the second half of the Bears game where every time we seemed to be getting back into it, the kick coverage broke down, giving the Bears field position.  If Lloyd sticks, it will mean one less roster spot for useless guys like Erin Henderson.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

The Bears dropped over $91 million on the prize of the 2010 Free Agent Class, Julius Peppers.  But the numbers could be deceiving.  Oh those crafty Bears.

During the Friday presser, GM Jerry Angelo repeatedly thanked Cliff Stein for his hard work in hammering out the blockbuster deal.  After reading Mike Florio’s Pro Football Talk post I’m starting to understand why Jerry was so appreciative of Stein’s efforts:

Peppers gets $20 million in 2010 (all but a $100,000 workout bonus is guaranteed).  But the $22 million in guaranteed money that he’s due to receive in 2011 and 2012 is guaranteed for injury only.

This means that the Bears can decide after the 2010 season to cut Peppers for skill reasons — and they’ll owe him nothing.

Specifically, Peppers’ 2011 base salary of $900,000 is guaranteed for injury at the time it’s signed; on February 10, 2011, it becomes guaranteed for skill. Also, a $10.5 million roster bonus due in 2011 is guaranteed for injury at signing. On February 10, 2011, it becomes guaranteed for skill.

An $8.9 million base salary in 2012 is guaranteed for injury at signing and then for skill as of February 10, 2012

Finally, $1.8 million of Peppers’ 2013 base salary is guaranteed for injury only.

So, basically, if the Bears decide before February 10, 2011 that Peppers isn’t what they thought he’d be, they can treat it as a one-year, $20 million deal, and walk away.

So if you push all the rhetoric aside, the Bears are really on the hook for $20 million.  If Peppers doesn’t perform, the Bears have themselves a Get out of Jail Free card.

Of course, we’re all hoping that Peppers racks up about 15 sacks and leads the Bears back to the playoffs and there is no consideration of using any out clause.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

The Bears cut backup running back Kevin Jones today.  No big surprise with the signing of Chester Taylor last week.  Jones’ career with the Bears never really took off.  He joined the Bears in 2008, coming off a knee injury.  He saw a limited role, playing second fiddle to Matt Forte while racking up 109 yards on 34 carries.

Jones looked strong in training camp last year, only to have his season ended with a devastating ankle injury during the last preseason game.

Some insiders thought that Jones’ experience with Mike Martz from their days in Detroit may have given him a shot to compete for the 3rd running back spot, but that will be left for former 3rd round pick Garrett Wolfe and undrafted free agent Kahlil Bell to battle out.

Too bad it didn’t work out here in Chicago.  Best of luck to KJ.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

The Vikings are not making the good kind of waves so far in free agency.  As of now, the only news is the loss of top back-ups Chester Taylor and Artis Hicks, a report that the Vikes are mulling adding a kick-off specialist, and another report that they are interested in an old cornerback last seen chasing Adrian Peterson down from behind.

Artis Hicks left over the weekend, signing with the Redskins, who will give him a shot to start.  This leaves the Vikings without their top back-up guard and tackle.

The prospective kick-off guy, Rhys Lloyd, a former Gopher, was scheduled to meet with the Vikings on Monday.  No report on how that went so far.  The Vikes are apparently hoping a kick-off guy could help their weak coverage by putting a few more in the endzone than Ryan Longwell is capable of doing at this point in his life.

Then there’s that old cornerback they may be after, Phillip Buchanon, former Lion, whose 2009 highlight was chasing and catching Adrian Peterson on what looked like a touchdown, and forcing Peterson to fumble.  The Vikes could lose Benny Sapp, which would leave them with old Antoine Winfield, injured Cedric Griffin and green Asher Allen as their top three cornerbacks.

Scary.

Other rumors:  Willie Parker?  That’s been shot down by Judd Zulgad.  Brian Westbrook keeps coming up, but who knows.  All I’m sure of is, if the Vikes don’t come out of this free agency period with replacements for Taylor and Hicks and another veteran corner, they will have to be considered a notch worse than they were last year.

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST

Jclombardi reviews Packers offseason headlines. Kampman leaving:  Florida Times-Union reported late Saturday night that the Jacksonville Jaguars had agreed to terms on a contract with the former Green Bay Packers linebacker. Clifton returning: Espn. com reported Friday evening that Clifton, an unrestricted free agent, agreed to a three-year, $20 million contract that included $7.5 million of guaranteed money. NFL’s salary [...]

// CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING THIS POST