The Bears sent a clear message Wednesday to Kordell Stewart, Jake Plummer and other potential Chicago quarterbacks: It’s your job if you want it.
Bears general manager Jerry Angelo released quarterback Jim Miller along with tackle James “Big Cat” Williams in moves that will save the Bears nearly $2 million in salary-cap space this year. But more important for the Bears’ purposes, doubts that prospective free agents might have about starting in Chicago have been removed.
“We felt that when we went out there [into free agency], we don’t want to answer that question on, `Where does Jim Miller stand as far as my future with you?'” Angelo said. “We didn’t want Jim to have to listen to that jargon, nor did we want to get into that.”
Angelo said Mike Gandy and Marc Colombo are projected as the starting tackles for 2003. But Angelo hinted at a “possible other option down the road as well,” raising the prospect that the Bears could invest the No. 4 pick of the draft on Utah tackle Jordan Gross, considered the top offensive lineman in the draft.
Angelo said the possibility that Miller would not be ready for the start of training camp was a big concern. Indeed, Miller, who has undergone shoulder and foot surgery since the end of the season, could have been placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list for the first six games of the season, something the Bears were unwilling to risk.
Miller’s release all but assures that the Bears will not take a quarterback with the fourth pick of the draft. Angelo said that for now Chris Chandler is expected to be on the roster for training camp, but Chandler is an extreme health risk himself and unlikely to give the Bears even a full season of starts to allow a young quarterback time to develop.
Angelo’s preference is for a proven veteran to come in as the starter, meaning Plummer, Stewart or possibly Brian Griese, given permission by the Denver Broncos to explore trade options. A second option would be the Saints’ Jake Delhomme, less experienced and a player who would not be guaranteed a starting job.
“If it’s Player A, then he will be the [starter],” Angelo said. “If it’s Player B, then it might be more of an open competition. Until we know for sure who the players are, we can’t make a statement one way or the other.”
But the message of Miller’s release was met with obvious interest.
“Kordell enters free agency with a clear understanding that every team will have an incumbent quarterback,” said Stewart’s agent, Leigh Steinberg. “No team will hand Kordell its starting job. All you can hope for is a competitive situation.
“But for a crazy football town and great place to play, nothing beats Chicago.”
What consistent spark the Bears’ offense has had in recent seasons was provided by Miller, who finishes his Bears years with the third-highest quarterback rating in team history at 75.2 and who was 15-11 as a starter. Signed as a free agent late in 1998, he was relegated to No. 3 status behind Shane Matthews and Cade McNown in 1999 but produced stunning results when injuries forced him into the starting lineup. His 422 and 357 yards in starts that season rank among the top eight in franchise history, but a suspension for using a banned substance ended his year with four games left.
Miller took over again in 2000 when McNown was injured and led a 1-7 Bears team to an upset win over Indianapolis. But a torn Achilles’ tendon ended his season the next week. In 2001 he picked up after Matthews was injured in Week 2, rallied the Bears for a win over Minnesota and went on to his best season, with 395 attempts, 228 completions, 2,299 yards and 13 touchdowns.
But he separated his shoulder in the playoff loss to Philadelphia. Last season he was limited to eight starts because of shoulder and elbow injuries.
It is not the first time Angelo has taken an ax to the veteran element on the roster. Angelo released veterans Bobby Engram, Thomas Smith and Mike Wells before the 2001 season and cut left tackle Blake Brockermeyer last off-season, all moves that saved the Bears money under the cap and were predicated on having other players in line to fill their spots.
“We’ve agonized over these things the last couple of months,” Angelo said. “We made sure we talked through them thoroughly, gave ourselves time to think about it and we had to make a decision.”
The Bears privately hope to strike quickly in free agency to find Miller’s replacement, but it might not be up to them. Stewart is expected to line up several visits before making his decision, Plummer is believed to be all but assured of going to Denver, and Delhomme has been targeted by the Carolina Panthers.
“The agents and the players know what the situation is,” Angelo said. “They have a feel for what our needs are and they all tell us that Chicago’s a great place, so we’re going to find out how serious they are about that.”
– The Bears are ready to gamble a little with their special teams. They will give kicker Paul Edinger a one-year tender offer of $605,000 that gives them the right to match any offer or receive a sixth-round pick in compensation.
Edinger has converted all 84 point-after touchdown attempts as a Bear and 69-of-86 field-goal attempts (80.2 percent), including 7-of-10 from 50 yards or longer.
Also receiving low tenders are safety Mike Green, an undrafted free agent who was second on the Bears with 138 tackles in his first season as a starter, and wide receiver Dez White, a third-round pick in 1999 who was second on the Bears with 51 receptions for 656 yards and four touchdowns last season.
