I have to say I was a little disappointed with the Bears not getting a bonafied shot at Michael Turner. Turner gets a six year deal worth 34.5 million (15 mil guaranteed), but more importantly knows he’ll be the primary back before camp even starts. Had he come to Chicago, he would have shared duties and competed outright with Cedric Benson who is Jerry Angelo’s project. I’m sure he knew about the relationship Benson had with Thomas Jones and how that worked out. Unfortunately, the Bears never got a chance to meet with Turner in person as his first visit with Atlanta was his last visit. Just seeing these comments makes any Bears fan wonder what it would be like to have Turner in a Bears uniform.

Onto Lance Briggs and Bernard Berrian. It was almost certain the Bears were going to keep one and let the other go from the start. I think since that was the case, they made the right decision. It doesn’t appear that David Haugh (ChicagoSports.com) agrees. Of course, the Bears were ranked 28th in total defense last year with Briggs on the field. Still, the Bears losing a pro bowler like Briggs would have been deplorable in comparison to keeping Bernard Berrian, especially at the price tag he got from Minnesota ($42 million over 6 years). In my opinion, Berrian lost his luster this past season with the multitude of drops and the moniker of having “alligator arms” over the middle. Even with those issues, the primary reason he’s not in a Bears uniform is mostly due to issues he couldn’t control (no running game, quarterback issues, etc.). He had great catches against Washington, Denver, and Oakland, but seemed unreliable in the standard passing schema the Bears employed throught the year. He’s always been a deep threat for the Bears offense, but based on other issues at the offensive line, running back, and quarterback positions, Berrian never really got a chance to establish his true ability downfield in 2007. He’s a good receiver, but not at that type of money, especially since the Bears need to rebuild at the interior of their offense all the way from play calling to being able to run the ball. Even with the bare bones type roster at wide receiver, I still wasn’t upset to see him or Muhammad depart. Both guys are replaceable in my opinion and I’m hoping that the Bears can pick up a special WR in the draft and get what they paid for from Mark Bradley.

I’d like to see the Bears obtain the services of guys like Limas Sweed and/or Mario Manningham (if available) in the draft (although if Mendenhall were available I’d opt for him). Both ran 4.45 in the 40 and have good hands. Sweed is the more attractive receiver with his height, but Manningham is one of the premier route runners coming into this draft. I’d like to also see the Bears opt to use Mike Hass as their possession receiver on short to mid routes. He hasn’t gotten a chance in the regular season, but stayed on the team due to proving his abilities in the pre-season. Don’t laugh…he’s a 2005 Biletnikoff winner and may be able to fit the mold of guy like Wes Welker. If all that would hold true, you’d have Sweed/Manningham as your eventual premier receiver, Hester in a multiple receiver set, Bradley (if he finds his way and stays healthy), Hass as your replacement for Muhammad in terms of a possession receiver, and the combo of Clark/Olsen and tight end. That could help make things more promising in 2008.

The bigger issue will be on the offensive line. It didnt look as if Alan Faneca was really sought and you had to know the Bears wouldn’t offer that type of money to a guy at that age. The problem is that both Rueben Brown and Fred Miller are gone and John Tait and Olin Kreutz are aging like a fine Merlot. Looking at the depth chart, you’re replacements for Brown/Miller are Terrance Metcalf and John St. Clair. Yes, that’s a fearful big gulp for any Bears fan. The Bears should be able to pick up a decent and developmental offensive tackle/guard in the later rounds IF they focus on offense in the draft. One of the predictions is Jeff Otah from Pitt, but that might be a dicey decision for a guy who many think is still raw.

The Grossman/Orton debate. Finally, there will be an open competition for starting QB in training camp. This should have been done going into the 2006 season. Most Bears fans would have liked to see a guy like Derek Anderson picked up in free agency, but you have to believe if that were to have been the scenario, any free agent would have suffered due to the other offensive issues the Bears currently need to sort out going into 2008. Grossman’s lost his ability to depend on his first round pick status to maintain being a starter and Orton has shown the ability to run the Bears offense and be somewhat effective. It’s early, but my pick is Orton will be the starter in week one. Maybe we’ll finally be able to peg all the offensive issues on Ron Turner’s play calling.

And finally, the 2008 draft. Its uncertain what the Bears and Jerry Angelo will do (in terms of staying put at their picks, trading picks up/down, or trades) in this year’s draft, but the focus definitely needs to be on offense. The biggest pick will be their first one (#14). A lot of things need to change for this team, especially on offense, but the 2008 draft could help deliniate a lot of majour issues going into next season.

Technorati Tags: Chicago Bears, Jerry Angelo, Bernard Berrian, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Devin Hester