My 3 Point Offseason Plan for the Bears...IN DEPTH

We're going to have to deal with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for the foreseeable future and need a prolonged strategy to combat those bastards. Here's my 3 point plan that would keep the Bears not only in contention for the NFC North, but to compete for Super Bowls:

1) DRAFT O-LINE...Ideally they should use the first 3 picks to bolster the O-line with talent and depth. There aren't any studs and a lot of boards have the first OT being taken at pick #20 which bodes well for the Bears since their first pick comes at #30. I'm hoping Gabe Carimi OT-Wisconsin drops the way Brian Bulaga dropped to the Packers last year. Carimi, who was a 4-year starter and Outland Trophy winner at Wisconsin, is a monster at 6'7 330lbs. Great drive blocker who can step in and play RIGHT NOW. Solidifying the Left Tackle position would drop Omiyale back to being a swing tackle off the bench, and strengthen the line overall. After drafting an OT, addressing OG and C would be the priority. Mike Pouncey, Rodney Hudson, and Orlando Franklin are all viable options in the 2nd Rd. Centers include Kistofer O'Dowd and Jake Kirkpatrick. If the Bears address CB or LB in the 3rd Rd, late round Centers Chase Beeler and Jason Klece could fit the bill. Bringing in young talent and depth is always the best way to go on the O-Line.

2) SIGN A NO. 1 WR...People have been slamming the Bears WR corps all season long. Their young, fast, quick, and will all be going into their 3rd or 4th years next year; I fully expect them all to step up. That being said, none of them are a true No.1 wideout. Vincent Jackson, Santonio Holmes, Sidney Rice, Braylan Edwards will all be UFA's (pending a new CBA) Signing one of these free agents sets up the Bears WR's 1-4. How would you feel about this lineup next year:
WR1-Sidney Rice
WR2-Johnny Knox
WR3-Earl Bennent
WR4-Devin Hester/TBA
Hester can focus COMPLETELY on Special Teams and the Bears can do more things with him, playing #23 at all WR's spots and as a 3rd Down back

3) Make a move for Albert Haynesworth...He's a malcontent and a bad character guy but I can't think of a better fit, scheme wise, for Fat Albert. The Bears run a 4-3, depend on the D-Line for the pass rush, Lovie Smith is a players coach and most importantly, they never quit on him. Aligning Haynesworth next to Peppers would put the fear of god into all divisional foes and contenders. It's a high-risk move, no doubt, but the rewards could, and I emphasize the word COULD, lead to many championships. That kind of pocket collapse and outside pressure are what the Bears hoped for with Tommie Harris; Albert Haynesworth double-downs that bet.

Adding youth and talent to the Offensive Line, signing a true No.1 Wideout, and landing Albert Haynesworth sets the Bears up to not only stack wins, but to stack championships.

Chicago Bears Declaration of Victory

     When in the course of Chicago's events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the baseball fandom which have separated them from one another, and assume among the powers of the Earth, the complete and utter destruction of the Green Bay Packers to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel the Chicago Bears to Victory.
     We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Bears fans are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator George Papa Bear Halas, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Victories, Celebrations, and Super Bowl Parades. That to secure these rights, The Chicago Bears were instituted amongst the NFL deriving their just powers from the consent of Bears fans everywhere. That whenever any team from Wisconsin becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the Chicago Bears to abolish, destroy, devour them; to institute football superiority.

Closer...Now and Tomorrow.

     Kenny Williams is a good G.M. I'll reserve the adjective great until the White Sox win another World Series. But he definitely keeps Chicago's attention. Signing Adam Dunn will give the Sox left-handed power for the next 4 years. Dunn will be a star on the Southside, blasting mammoth homeruns to everyone's delight. Now KW's working on re-signing Paul Konerko to make this team a contender next year. But I do not believe that is the only major move left to be made.
      The White Sox have had discussions with both St. Louis and Philadelphia about the OF. With the Phillies being interested in Carlos Quentin (following the departure of Jayson Werth) and Sox being interested in Colby Rasmus. Quentin can be had for the right price, but the move the Sox need to pounce on is Colby Rasmus.
     The kid is a stud. He's a power hitting left-hander who can play great defense in all outfield positions. He's a 23 year old whose numbers keep climbing. Rasmus had a falling out with Tony La Russa last season, the Cardnials just signed Lance Berkman and have two up and coming outfielders in Jon Jay and Allen Craig. It's a perfect storm of opportunity to land a young, talented position player. He won't be cheap, but packaging prospects in a 3 way trade with Philadelphia could possibly fit. Having an outfield with Alex Rios and Colby Rasmus patrolling the Southside gets the White Sox closer to a World Series now and tomorrow.

Purlpe Hearts...

     Growing up, my family continued the time honored Chicago Tradition of being indoctrinated as Bears Fans. We woke up Sunday morning, mother fired up the the stove and put out a spread that would've impressed Jesus at the Last Supper. Then we enjoyed our Bears. Through high school, the only football of any consequence was played on Sundays. The only interests I had in the NCAA came on NFL Draft day.
     Come my junior year, being a 16 year old, I needed to make some extra scratch. My mother, god bless her heart, heard about a security company that was hiring high school students to usher at various events around Chicago. There were concerts, trade shows, and sporting events. Given all my options, I chose the one that would least affect my social life. Northwestern Football games. All I'd have to do was get up on Saturday morning, jump on a school bus, and head off to Evanston, earn a cool $100, be home by 4pm, and enjoy my weekend. What I didn't foresee happening, what turned out to be a blessing that has expanded my knowledge and love for the game of football was the year...1996
     All I knew about Northwestern was they were great at academics and bad at football. My first day working, I received a purple windbreaker, a ticket to claim a hotdog for lunch, and a great view. Northwestern stormed out that season and took no prisoners. Darnell Autry, Pat Fitgzgerald, Dwayne Bates, Steve Schnur and co. led home victories against powerhouses like Notre Dame and Michigan. I witnessed the evolution of  mild mannered north suburbanites into crazed homers demanding more and more each week from their team. Gary Barnett became a household name, the Wildcats won the Big 10 Championship and punched a ticket to the Rose Bowl. I became a college football addict.
     I have a stable of college teams I now follow and support. Most are Big 10 (Illinois and NU) and there's always a flavor of the month (Oregon). Bowling on New Years Day has become another day to celebrate the wonderful game of football. As this season approached, Northwestern began a marketing campaign that invaded the Chicago landscape. Their simple message...Northwestern, Chicago's Big 10 Team. And the culminating event, a football game against Illinois at Wrigley Field. I'd prefer if they played at U.S. Cellular Field, but hey, I get the point. Growing purple hearts in Chicago is a genius way to expand the fan base for generations to come.

PROTECTION...

     Darryl Drake (Chicago Bears WR Coach) laid into Jay Cutler indirectly by declaring the Bears WR's are running the correct routes and are good NFL wide receivers. Some radio personalities have seem to shift the misfires over back to Cutler. Personally, I take a look at the Bears WR's and feel confident in saying there isn't a No. 1 in the group. But they have showed the ability to get open and in conjunction Cutler able to get them the rock. The problem in the equation is very simple, the Offensive Line.     
     Mike Martz operates a very complicated, down-field passing game. WR's get down field, and take advantage of space, while the QB takes 5 or 7 steps drops and gets the ball to a spot. Trust is key. What's breaking that trust is the offensive line. The Giants smoked them with their front 4, the Seahawks with blitzes, and Washington with a combination of both. Jay Cutler gets killed, WR's are having to break off routes, and INT's happen. The root of the problem seems to be Angelo ignoring the offensive line in recent drafts, but we're beyond that now. The only hope for the Bears this season is 3 of the O-Line men are still really young, and they just may be lacking the experience. But in a league where teams take advantage of weaknesses and matchups, the Bears suffer what is a strength for all good NFL teams...Protection.

The Return of the Illini...

      A long time ago in a town far far way, The Fighting Illini and Lou Henson blasted their way into the Final Four with the likes of Nick Anderson, Kendall Gil and Steven Barto. I was much to young to appreciate sports in general let alone college basketball then. Fast forward to Lon Kruger's Illinois Basketball teams. Led by Sergio McClain, Frank Williams, Marcus Griffen and the maniac Lucas Johnson. The buzz created by Kruger landing a couple of McDonald's All-Americans peaked my interest in Illinois Basketball and the NCAA. I've been hooked ever since. Illini Nation took a hit when Coach Kruger left for the NBA, but the upstart Bill Self soon captured everyone's attention. In 3 years he turned Illinois into a powerhouse in the Big 10. He returned an dynamite squad led by Derron Williams, Dee Brown, and James Augustine. He just signed top recruit Charlie Villanueva, and then...
     Bruce Weber came in and took Self's players on a legendary run. A regular season with only one loss, a No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance, that amazing comeback against Arizona, a Final Four, and shot at an NCAA Title. Weber emphatically proved his coaching prowess on the court. However in the seasons thereafter he showed one glaring weakness, recruiting. Losing out on top in-state recruits including Derrick Rose, and being jilted by Eric Gordon left the Illinois cubbard bare of top talent. Bruce Weber needed to realize that he had a chance to take the Illini somewhere they had never been before.  Desperately, Coach Weber developed a single recruiting strategy that has finally brought him the talent he can coach up to make another run at a NCAA Championship...RECRUITING IN-STATE.
   With Coach Weber shifting his focus on the talent in the state, Illinois has netted top prospects Brandon Paul, DJ Richardson, Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard, Crandall Head, Tracy Abrams, Nnanna Egwu, Mycheal Henry and in all likely hood Mike Shaw. In the last three years, Weber has created in-roads all over Illinois, from Chicago to Champaign. He has built a young, talented base who can grow into another powerhouse, and has finally matched his recruiting skills to his coaching. I look forward to the Return of the Illini...

Hangover of Champions

     June 9th, 2010

     I gathered with co-workers over at Casey Moran's two hours before puck drop and plucked a table right in the middle of their open-air patio. Soon thereafter, the place was packed with Hawks fans, all donning there brand new Blackhawks gear. I just picked up my Towes shirt at Wrigleyville Sports (I was to cheap to buy a jersey). It was another thrilling game, they all had been. The crowd was hung up on every surge, every hit, every goal. OT had just began, people were still rushing back from the bathroom, our bucket of beers just arrived; I noticed Patrick Kane darting around Philly's net, grabbed a beer, looked back up, then I asked myself "What the hell just happened?" Three seconds later, my friends at the table, everyone at the bar & the entire city finally caught up. The Blackhawks were Stanley Cup Champions. We spilled onto Clark St. chanting, dancing and throwing people in air. We were soon followed by the Blackhawks themselves. Surging, as if they were still on the ice, back to Chicago directly to The Pony Inn. Parades seem to follow at every bar in the city as the Hawks did there absolute best to celebrate with Chicago. Fast forward to this season; The Hawks, after some extreme roster turnover and the entire off season of drinking out of Lord Stanley's Cup, seem to be hitting the skids a bit. The season is young, and I'm sure as time passes the new pieces will gel and we'll see more consistency on the ice. But it all seems very familiar to me.
      In 2005, my White Sox won the World Series. After 88 years, a  party was in order. It lasted through the 2006 season and every game I attended that year was a celebration of 2005. And it was just as important to the players. Every time AJ Pierzynski or Jermanie Dye were at Tavern on Rush or Gibsons, every time Brian Anderson or John Garland were at Spy Bar or Leg Room, every time Ozzie Guillen was at Lalo's or Plush, they were all seriously celebrating that World Series trophy. Fans often joined in, and every night was memorable. A funny thing happened though. I thought for sure the Sox would be competing for another title. They added Jim Thome to an already dominant team, and jumped out to an early lead in the AL Central. But, as most of us learned the hard way, what usually follows a legendary party is a legendary hangover. Come the middle of the season, the White Sox were in a 3 team race with DET and CLE that lasted until the last few weeks of the season where the Sox faded out.
      A year long party seems to be the right thing to do after so many decades of heartache. You want to share those amazing times with family, friends, and definitely with all your rivals (here's looking at you Cub fans). The pitfall to the good times is waking up with an incredible headache and having to deal with a new season. The White Sox didn't take advantage of the opportunity to win another World Series. Instead, they had a phenomenal time and  finished in 3rd Place. It is my hope the Blackhawks realize the opportunity is there not just celebrate one title, but many; Or at least hope they've packed some Alka-Seltzer.