Got a Bears question for Dan? Ask him at dpompei@tribune.com.
Why are the Bears shopping Alex Brown if they are in a ‘Win now’ mode? Israel Idonije has been more of a jack of all trades than a full time starter and Mark Anderson flopped when he was taken out of a situational pass rushing role. The only way the move makes sense is if they are clearing money for a big offer sheet for safety O.J. Atogwe from St. Louis.
— Joe B., Oxford, CT
I don’t like the idea of the Bears defense without Brown anymore than you do. I have a lot of respect for the way Brown plays the game, even if he doesn’t get the kind of flashy statistics some ends get. I think you win with guys like him. That being said, the Bears believe he is expendable because of the addition of Julius Peppers and the potential of Mark Anderson. The team is very high on how Anderson played last season — they think it was a breakthrough season for him in some ways even though Anderson, like Brown, did not have big sack numbers. They think he is ready to increase his workload, but he can’t do it if Brown and Peppers hog all the snaps. Brown represents a commodity for the Bears in two ways. First, as you alluded to, trading him would free up more than $5 million in cash for the coming season. That money could allow the Bears to make a move on another player. And trading him also would hopefully give the Bears a decent draft pick which could be used to fill another need. Bears general manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith are looking at the roster and asking themselves how they are going to improve the defensive backfield and offensive line without a first or second round pick. Trading Brown could help them do that.
What are the Bears plans for Tommie Harris now that they have Julius Peppers he is a proven pass rusher. Will they keep Harris and his high salary or will they look for a guard that they can spend that kind of money on?
— Tawone Mills, Matteson
The Bears see Peppers as a great complement to Harris. They think Peppers is exactly what Harris needs. Smith has been toying with the possibility of lining up Harris and Peppers next to each other, and also with the idea of separating them. The team also is very excited about the way Harris is approaching 2010 — working hard with a chip on his shoulder. Harris is going nowhere — except possibly in the backfield of opponents.
We all have heard the talk about the Bears neverending search for a free safety. I’m wondering what your thoughts are about the Bears drafting Florida State’s Myron Rolle (a Rhode Scholar)? He seem’s to be a ” Mike Brown” type of player, not great speed but alot of “football intelligence”, and is projected to be available when the Bears pick in round 3.
— Mick, Phoenix
There is no question Rolle has book smarts, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be a great NFL safety. The reports I get on Rolle say he should be a fine surgeon someday.
I’m really troubled about the back end of our defense. I think that Danieal Manning hasn’t had a good enough look at free safety. He definitely has the range and has much more experience to draw from than in his rookie season when he started there. Have the Bears lost faith in him? Also, I’m coming to Chicago for the Expo and Draft Party in April. Other than chasing autographs, what are the must see and must do things in Chicago?
— Anthony T, Cedarville, N.J.
I share your concern about Manning — and so does Lovie Smith. The Bears don’t have enough talent at either the safety position or the cornerback position. But the offseason isn’t over yet. The team has not given up on Manning. He’ll be lined up at safety this year — though whether he is playing strong or free has yet to be determined. It’s possible he will be beaten out by a newcomer or even a holdover, however. As for things to do in Chicago, I’d say these are the definitive Chicago experiences: go to Wrigley Field if the Cubs are in town; try some deep dish pizza; shop the Magnificent Mile; visit one or more of the big museums ( Adler Planetarium, Art Institute, Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry); jog, walk or bike on the lakefront; and have a beer on Rush Street.
What need for the upcoming season can realistically be met with the Bears’ third round draft choice?
— Steve Goldberg, River Forest
Interesting question — but the chances are not good. Of the 11 third round draft picks in the Jerry Angelo era, only two — Lance Briggs and Marcus Harrison — were significant contributors in their first season. If the Bears’ history is a gauge, they have an 18 percent chance of getting an immediate contributor. Let’s look at it another way. Nine of the 36 NFL third round picks last year made significant contributions as rookies by my count (they were Shonn Green of the Jets, Matt Shaughnessy of the Raiders, Terrance Knighton and Derek Cox of the Jags, DeAndre Levy of the Lions, Louis Vasquez of the Chargers, Mike Wallace of the Steelers, Lardarius Webb of the Ravens, Chris Owens of the Falcons and Jerraud Powers of the Colts). If the overall third round in 2009 was an indicator, the Bears have a 25 percent chance of getting an immediate contributor. But the Bears could enhance their chances by trying to draft a player who can help quickly — which is not something they have always done. They also could benefit from the fact that the draft is deep in their particular areas of need.
What is going to be the WR situation for Jay Cutler to throw to? Will the Bears give Devin Aromashadu a chance at No. 2 or No. 1? Is Devin Hester going to get moved back into a return specialist?
— Griffin, Asheville, NC
I think the Bears coaching staff is pretty open minded about the pecking order with the receivers. But Hester is not going to be given a reduced role, as per Lovie Smith. So he probably is the favorite to be the lead dog among receivers. It will be interesting to see which of the receivers takes to the Mike Martz offense the quickest and the best. I think Aromashodu is outstanding, but I have a feeling Johnny Knox could be Martz’ kind of guy. We’ll see.
What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of coaches calling plays from the sidelines vs. calling from “on high” in a stadium box? I ask because Ron Turner was always up in the box and I was wondering if Mike Martz will be calling from the sidelines or not?
— Gene Rukavina, Los Angeles
Good question. Turner was one of the few offensive coordinators who didn’t call plays from the sideline. The benefit of being upstairs is you get a better view of the field and are removed from the turmoil of the sidelines. The drawback of being upstairs is there is reduced communication, you can’t look in players’ eyes and you lose a feel for the emotion of the game. Neither way is right and neither way is wrong. Different situations call for different approaches. But if I were running an NFL team, I’d probably prefer for my coordinators to be on the sidelines.
With the release of Jason McKie, who slated to start at fullback? Last time I checked we didn’t have much depth there and no one seems to be talking about loosing a guy like McKie or who his replacement could be.
— Shawn Hicks
With Mike Martz at the controls, the Bears no longer will be a traditional I-formation team with a player lined up as a true fullback. At times, you will see Brandon Manumaleuna lined up in the backfield. Sometimes, it will be Greg Olsen at H-back. Other times they might have Matt Forte and Chester Taylor lined up in a split backfield. They also could have two tight ends. Or three wide receivers and a tight end. The reason they cut McKie is they no longer need a player to fill the role he filled.
Lovie is a great coach and widely respected throughout the league as such. This is not reflected in the media, why?
— Stuckinwisconsin
I can’t speak for all the media, but I think everyone understands why Lovie has taken some hits lately. The Bears won the NFC in 2006 and have missed the playoffs in three subsequent seasons. Any coach whose team did that would take some hits, and they should. And anytime a coach is in one place for a long time, it seems like the local media starts to sour on him. But overall, Lovie’s track record still is pretty good. He does a lot of things well. And if he were fired by the Bears, he would find work with another team pretty quickly — if not as a head coach, then as a defensive coordinator. And I’ll say this — as hard as the media has been on Lovie, the fans may have been harder on him, based on what I hear from them.
I was wondering if the Bears would be interested in former Eagle Shawn Andrews? I know he has quite a few problems but if he gets healthy he would be a great young guard. Do you think do Bears would consider giving him a workout?
— Michael Swindells
I would doubt it. Andrews has back problems and emotional problems. That’s a bad combination for an offensive lineman. He hasn’t had a good season since 2007. If Andrews were such a hot property, he’d still be in Philadelphia.
What do you think of treating the end of the fourth quarter as you do the end of the first and third? Start overtime where the fourth quarter ended. This eliminates random luck and any advantage a team has was EARNED ON THE FIELD.
— Gary Bjorklund, Justice
I like that idea too Gary, and when I have asked NFL front office men about it I have not heard a compelling enough argument against it. The only thing I can tell you is the NFL is resistant to radical change because everything works so well as is. That would be a pretty radical change.
Got a Bears question for Dan? Ask him at dpompei@tribune.com.
