Free agency in the NFL begins March 1. But for some time, the Bears have been considering the future of the quarterback position.
With the possible exception of coach Dick Jauron’s contract status, which could be addressed as early as at a 10 a.m. news conference Friday at Halas Hall, it will be the central issue affecting the 2002 team.It also will be a question pressing for early answers. The money in free agency typically goes to the early signees, and players will not wait long for the Bears to make up their minds. That means if general manager Jerry Angelo does not move quickly, he will lose options.
Angelo said he does not necessarily have to have a quarterback the Bears can win “because of,” such as Brett Favre or Kurt Warner. There are simply not many of them around or available. Angelo’s first concern is strategic.
“What I need to do is make sure I facilitate what our coaches want to do,” he said. “What is our scheme? What type of players do [the coaches] need?”
But Angelo has his ideas of what quarterback fits that slot, and it will not necessarily dovetail neatly with what Bears coaches want. Angelo suffered through multiple quarterback disasters while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, some in which he had a hand by virtue of being a high-ranking personnel official, and coach and GM did not always agree in Tampa.
“I don’t know what the future is for the position because I don’t know all the players who are going to be involved,” Angelo said. “I’m not ruling out anything.”
But four primary options present themselves to Angelo as free agency approaches:
– Re-sign Jim Miller.
Miller was the primary on-field catalyst for the Bears’ turnaround in 2001. They had lost their opener in Baltimore and trailed against Minnesota when Miller took over for the injured Shane Matthews. He engineered a comeback to win that game, and the Bears were 11-2 last season in games he started.
More notably, perhaps, he did it after Bobby Engram was cut in training camp and Marcus Robinson sustained a season-ending knee injury in Game 5. Marty Booker caught 100 passes for 1,071 yards, but no other Bear caught more than 45 passes (Dez White) in an offense that was limited by substandard play at wide receiver much of the season.
The Bears haven’t been aggressive in letting Miller know they want him back as their starter. No substantive contract offer has been made. Miller was not Angelo’s choice; he was one of the players Angelo inherited from then-personnel vice president Mark Hatley.
“I don’t know a player who has worked harder physically or in the classroom to succeed,” Jauron said of Miller. “I think [coordinator] John Shoop has done a terrific job with him and our surrounding cast has gotten better and better every year, which has helped him.”
– Trade for Drew Bledsoe or Mark Brunell.
The New England Patriots have cast their future with Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady. Owner Robert Kraft said they could keep Brady and Bledsoe but no one expects that.
Bledsoe sustained a severe chest injury in Week 2 and did not start another game. He stepped in when Brady was injured in the AFC championship game and completed his first three passes, the third for a TD, but then was 7-for-18 the rest of the game in a play-not-to-lose scenario.
Bledsoe, the first player taken in the 1993 draft, got the Patriots to the Super Bowl in the 1996 season, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers. He is a big (6 feet 5 inches) quarterback with a strong arm and, like Miller, is well respected by teammates.
But acquiring Bledsoe would force Angelo to give up significant selections in his first draft as Bears GM. The Bears do not draft until late in the first round (No. 29) by virtue of their 13-3 record, making their No. 1 pick less attractive than that of, say, Washington (No. 18).
Brunell was a favorite of Jauron’s when Jauron was the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator, and might become available.
Brunell was unhappy with Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin’s rigid handling of the team generally and the offense specifically last season. But he is a franchise-grade quarterback, tied for eighth last season among passers (84.1 rating). Jaguars ownership has said Brunell isn’t going anywhere.
Brunell has a 2002 salary-cap charge of $8.25 million. But $6.2 million is in base salary, which eases the possibilities for restructuring. Brunell and his family built a $10 million home on the beach and are active members of their church. The Jaguars intend to begin rebuilding their team this off-season, and chances are slim they will start that process without Brunell.
– Sign Trent Dilfer.
Twice in the last 12 months Dilfer has lost out to quarterbacks anointed as starters because of head-coaching preferences and perhaps ego rather than pure performance.
After the 2000 season Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick chose to sign Elvis Grbac away from the Kansas City Chiefs rather than try to return to the Super Bowl with Dilfer. The Ravens’ defense, which was complemented by Dilfer’s efficiency in 2000, was not good enough to cover for Grbac and the Ravens lost their AFC semifinal game at Pittsburgh.
Seattle coach and GM Mike Holmgren signed Dilfer but only as a hedge for Matt Hasselbeck, for whom Holmgren traded draft picks to Green Bay. The Seahawks went 4-0 in games Dilfer started.
Holmgren acknowledged after the season that Dilfer should have had more of a chance and said there would be more open competition this off-season. But Dilfer is primarily interested in the Bears and the Cincinnati Bengals, two teams for which he would start.
Dilfer, whose recent statistics dwarf those of Bledsoe, is like Miller in proving detractors wrong. Miller was stereotyped as a journeyman backup. In fact, when he started, his team won.
Dilfer was the sixth overall pick of the 1994 draft and struggled in Tampa. When he got a second chance with Baltimore, his play fit the Ravens’ style; like the 2001 Bears, they sought to complement their dominant defense. Dilfer averaged 8.31 yards per pass attempt and had a 92.0 passer rating with Seattle last season.
Angelo had interest in Dilfer last off-season, but for various reasons, including having Matthews and Miller under contract, he did not bring Dilfer to Chicago. That could change after March 1.
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A Bears fan lets the team have it on permanent seat licenses–and Bears President Ted Phillips responds on ChicagoSports.com: Chicagosports.com/go/bearsview
Bears’ QB buffet
With the free-agent signing period fast approaching, Bears GM Jerry Angelo has a few quarterback options from which to choose. Here is a look at candidates for the Bears starting job.
JIM MILLER
DREW BLEDSOE
MARK BRUNELL
TRENT DILFER
Chicago Tribune.
See microfilm for complete graphic.
