Spring Into Action? Bears Set for Free Agency

March 11, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Random thoughts (or an approximation thereof) while wondering whether springtime allergies could have waited until snow had melted away before kicking in prematurely Monday:

Swimsuit weather? For Ellie Gonsalves, definitely yes.

* Martellus Bennett of the Bears apparently is a better tight end than he is a recruiter. Maybe. His brother, defensive end Michael Bennett, opted to re-sign with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks rather than sign with Chicago or any other team interested in him. Blood may be thicker than water. But some things (like winning another Super Bowl perhaps) play a greater role than your brother trying to convince to join a rebuilding team that isn’t as good as the one you would be leaving. Nice try, though.

* NFL free agency begins Tuesday. Some teams will sign players right away. Others will wait to see what the market dictates in terms of big bucks to pay. Whatever the Bears do, they will say they took the best approach. And you cannot legitimately argue for or against until you see the results. As in on the field for the 2014 season and beyond. Not that folks won’t tell you how well or poorly the Bears did when all the ink on free-agent contracts has dried, if not sooner.

* Remember when the Bears were excited — justifiably so — when they signed defensive lineman Julius Peppers (whom they reportedly are interested in trading away now)? Love is a fleeting thing in the NFL.

* The possibility of the Bears losing quarterback Josh McCown appears a possibility, if not a likelihood. He played well enough last season when Jay Cutler was hurt to have teams look at him as more than merely a second-tier second-stringer.

* No pro sports league does a better job of making itself a year-round entity than the NFL. Not sure that that is necessarily a compliment. Especially for those who do not eat and/or breathe everything that is NFL-related. Oooh, is it almost time for draft previews, position-by-position? Day after day? Gee, some of us can hardly wait — until it’s all over.

A message from Ellie Gonsalves: Birthday wishes to those celebrating today or who are going to or who have. That pretty much should cover things.

* Speaking of doing an exceptional job, is there a better pro sports organization adept at adjusting to roster turnover than the San Antonio Spurs? Much credit to coach Gregg Popovich. His team plays the Chicago Bulls Tuesday at the United Center. And it doesn’t seem to matter what players he might be resting, Popovich has more than capable talent in reserve to fit his system. If the Bulls are looking to emulate another organization’s success, San Antonio is a good place to start. Of course, it hasn’t hurt that along the way Popovich has had David Robinson and Tim Duncan – among others — as centerpieces to his success. Continuity — Popovich is the longest-tenured active coach in the four major sports (he has been Spurs coach since 1996) — also is a key. Of course, winning four NBA titles does help in remaining employed.

* Happy birthday to special people celebrating birthdays today (and you know who you are). And the reality is everyone is special, so that doesn’t narrow the field. And while we’re at it, happy birthday to anyone whenever they celebrate their birthday. And that would include Rich Koz/Svengoolie on Wednesday.

* And now back to waiting for it to snow Wednesday, as promised (although I won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t).

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