Iron Mike returns to the windy city!

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February 14th 2008 will be a day never forgotten by the fans of the Chicago Bears. On that day it was made official they have re-hired former Head Coach Mike Ditka, the man whom they had fired 16 years ago.

Ditka, now 68 years old, was most recently the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. In 1999, following a 3-13 record, the Saints fired him. By all accounts, it was a mutual decision, as Ditka had shown signs of burn out earlier in the season, and had admitted he didn't have the fire any more to coach. Health scares and personal troubles seemed to soften the metal (and mettle) of "Iron Mike"; and it seemed doubtful he would ever coach again.

Ditka headed to the studio, where he built a solid career as a game day analyst; and gave no indication he wanted to coach again. Those close to him, however, saw a different side of Mike as he watched the Bears lose the Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts. His wife remarked, "It was as if he felt he somehow let the Bears down by not being there." It was after that game he told his wife he "had to" get back on the sidelines. He didn't want his career defined by the failures in New Orleans.

Even so, Ditka spent the 2007 season in the booth re-assesing, as he termed it. Going back to the demanding lifestyle of coaching and the rigors of the season was no small task for a man nearing 70 years old. However, freed from many of his demons; and with his wife beside it, the man known as Iron Mike reached out to the only place he truly called home: the Chicago Bears.

One year and 10 days ago, the Chicago Bears lost the only Super Bowl they had been in since Mike's team won back in the 80's. Their Head Coach, Lovie Smith, had built a solid team; but they were outclassed by Peyton Manning and the Colts. The Colts Head Coach, Tony Dungy, had come up through the ranks and was Lovie's boss in their previous stop in Tampa Bay.

In the days after the loss, the Bears tasked Lovie with fixing the deficiencies that cost them a second Lombardi trophy. Unfortunately, Lovie Smith and the Bears finished 7-9, and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2004. In addition, the Bears roster struggled with legal troubles, disgruntled players, and a general feeling the team that was in the Super Bowl only one year ago was being dismantled. The 2007 Bears played without 10 players who were on that Super Bowl team. There were still too many holes, too many questions. The magic that seemed to carry the team to the promised land appeared gone. The Bears were left with no choice but to fire him. Within hours after the news broke, Ditka was on the phone expressing his desire to return to Chicago.

Vernon Van Alstyne, who had married into the family and now ran the Bears, realized the Bears and their fanbase needed a jolt like this to keep the morale up and get the team and the city back on board; and with ten times the enthusiasm they had just a year ago when they were playing in the Super Bowl itself.

Van Alstyne would retain Andrews as GM, and encouraged Ditka to keep the rest of the staff in place. He reasoned it would be easier to get accustomed to his players and the current state of the NFL with the staff that had almost to a man coached in the Super Bowl. At season's end, Ditka would have a better handle on things and will be encouraged to make any staff personnel moves he felt he needed to do.

Heading into 2008, the Chicago Bears are on the edge. A team that so recently played in the Super Bowl generally doesn't need to be rebuilt, however there has been some serious turnover with key position players through trades and free agency. In addition, some of the main weaknesses have not been addressed, namely the quarterback. Lastly, the NFC North is a strong division, the Bears and the Lions both had 7-9 records and were in last place. The Packers won the division with 13 victories.

When hired by the Bears in 1982, Mike Ditka told his players that in 3 years, they'd be in the dance. Will he be able to get this team back to the dance in 3 years as well?

Time will tell, but no matter what happens, the world will be keeping its eyes on

DA BEARS!

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The nuts and bolts of it:

Mike Ditka, age 68
Headliner

Chem - 5
Playcall - 2
Strategy - 2
Performance -3
TE Physical - 2
TE Intangible - 3
TE Play learning - 2
Special Skill: Charm

Bears Power Run (128 plays, weak)
Rex Ryan's Plays (100 plays, average)
I am going to drop 10 plays from each when I start the season, maybe 15 from the offense, since as a new head coach, I'd prob try to simplify things a bit and then start adding in my own plays.

A few things:

My regular season scouting philosophy is locked (small school focus) by my GM.

I set it to "wants 3 million" in cap space as opposed to the default 1 million to make it a little tougher right now.

Since we're changing from a cover 2 to a Buddy Ryan style attacking defense, we are changing to blitz heavy/man coverage (the opposite of what it was before.) The DC was the DC in '06, and he's probably not going to make it to next season since he's a cover 2 devotee and these Bears won't be running it.
Defensive playbook control is being changed to HC, though once I replace him, I will revert control to the DC. Right now, the OC will keep control of the offensive playbook. The current OC has been there since '05, though I'm not sure he'll make it past this year either. I'll do a staff breakdown later.

As for me, I am serious and true to life when I run a franchise, as you will see. I'm also a little nuts, as I track the career stats of the players in the game, and I'll do updates as players hit career milestones so we can all enjoy some additional immersion. For example, Terrell Owens is currently in 10th place in all-time receiving yards. He is 19 yards away from 9th place, Steve Largent. When/if he passes him, I might do a little notification (shout out) to T.O. for moving into 9th place all-time. It's interesting (and fun for me) to see where certain players end up when it's all said and done.

I do NOT build up a million picks, I do NOT take all the sleepers. You'll see the logic behind the players I pick backed up by info from them in college; and some picks will just not make sense/work out. It is way more fun to play real than to cheat the game and min/max everything so I'm winning by 70 points a game and winning 8 straight Super Bowls or something equally stupid, in my opinion.

Any questions, feel free - and in the meantime - I'm dying to get started!

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February 18th

A decision has been made regarding the Bears and the franchise tag:

The Chicago Bears will be using the franchise tag on wide receiver Bernard Berrian. (valued at $8.08 million dollars.) Though this will an expensive move initially, the Bears have already told Bernard he is free to seek a trade, as they will not be able to afford to re-sign him for the salary Bernard feels he is due. Bernard was a starting receiver for the Bears Super Bowl team, and his loss will definitely be felt; however, Coach Ditka knows this is a business and hopefully the player or pick they get in return will bring back an even greater return.

This means that star linebacker Lance Briggs will not be retained by the team.
Briggs was franchised in 2007, and went nuts. Despite the return of Ditka, Lance is adamant there is no place for him in Chicago and will be allowed to leave. Losing a star linebacker off a team that prides itself on defense is tough, but after he was tagged last year and the previous regime couldn't sign him, the team will allow him to find a new home.

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RFA Decision made:

The Bears have tendered WR Rashied Davis at $970k. If matched, the Bears will receive a 7th round pick. Davis, 28, had a down year in '07, notching just 17 catches for 165 yards. He is extremely quick and versatile, able to return kicks and punts as well as act as a deep-threat weapon. Time will tell if another team puts in a claim for him, or if he'll return to the Bears and use 2008 as a chance to take that next step forward.

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MONEY MONEY MONEY

The Bears started the offseason with $24.04 million dollars in cap space. Now, on the eve of Free Agency, the Bears are down to $14,990,000. There will have to be some tough decisions made at every position. Each player is going to have to be examined and have his accomplishments and potential weighed against his value today AND in the future.

For example, the quarterback situation:

Rex Grossman: Rex was the quarterback for the Bears in the Super Bowl. More of a gunslinger than a polished passer, Rex's style of play has led to numerous injuries. There is no denying he can get a team to the Super Bowl, but last year he only started 7 games and only threw 4 touchdowns vs 9 interceptions.

Kyle Orton: Kyle had a surprisingly successful rookie year in '05, going 10-5. He then took a back seat to Rex and several other quarterbacks and was largely forgotten. He started the last 3 games of '07 and won the last 2. He has earned the chance to compete for the starting job, and if he doesn't win it, he'll prob want out of Chicago by season's end.

There is no denying Quarterback is THE key position on a football team. You can win without a truly great QB, but he has to be able to at least not LOSE the game.

That being said, there are several other options to be considered:

In free agency, there are some major names to watch: Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, and Byron Leftwich are all veteran quarterbacks with some success. In addition, there are a couple of older vets with Super Bowl experience who could "mind the store" while a rookie gets up to speed: Kerry Collins, Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson are all possible mentors. Third, there are some established quarterbacks who might welcome a change in scenery, such as Jake Delhomme (who played for Ditka when he was coaching the Saints), David Garrard, (whom the Jaguars are balking at giving a new contract to), Chad Pennington (who is very accurate - the opposite of Rex, but even more injury-prone.), and Trent Green.

Also, keep in mind these quarterbacks who were all drafted in the first round, and are eager to get one last chance to prove they weren't busts, namely Kyle Boller, JP Losman, Patrick Ramsey and David Carr.

Then there are these special cases:

Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn. Derek led the Browns to the cusp of the playoffs with a 10-6 record, however the Browns spent a first round pick on Brady Quinn. Much like the Chargers with Brees and Rivers, there is going to have to be a decision made in Cleveland.

Matt Leinart. Matt was supposed to be the man for the Cardinals, but he can't seem to grab the reigns of the starting job. There is no denying the talent, but some have questioned his commitment. The Cardinals could be looking at moving on from Matt and finding a new quarterback to learn under Kurt Warner.

Philip Rivers. The Chargers wanted Eli, but settled for Rivers. Now, despite great success and good win/loss records, the Chargers still can't get over the hump, meanwhile Eli just got his first ring. Rivers saw his INTs go up last year and his rating went down. Not what you want out of your top QB, esp one who's best year saw him throw only 22 touchdowns. Maybe they'll use him as their scapegoat for recent playoff failures, and try again to get "their guy."

Lastly, don't forget that there are a couple quarterbacks in the draft that have been mentioned as first round picks such as Joe Flacco from Delaware, and Matt Ryan from Boston College. There might a hidden gem later on as well.
Maybe the exciting quarterback from Oregon, Dennis Dixon? Maybe a guy with a big school pedigree like John David Booty?

Or, maybe the answer is still on the roster... It's hard to look past Orton's 10 wins as a rookie... Maybe all he needs is a fair chance to compete for the job.

That's just the quarterback position! Each position is going to be equally analyzed to give the Bears the best chance to compete now; but also be ready to continue being successful for years to come...

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REUNITED?

The first day of free agency did not disappoint! The Chicago Bears have traded tight end Desmond Clark to the Miami Dolphins for running back Ricky Williams. Clark, 30, had been the starting tight end for the Bears the last few years, never missing a game, however, with rising star Greg Olsen emerging, Desmond could see the writing on the wall and was looking for a chance to remain a starter. Williams, 30, is the Dolphins 2nd string running back. He was picked by Mike Ditka when Ditka was coaching the Saints. A pick that shocked the world, as New Orleads had to trade away the rest of their draft picks in order to move up to select Williams.
Injuries and Ditka's firing forced them to go their separate ways, but could this reunion be a chance at settling some unfinished business? In Chicago, Williams will have to compete with 4th overall pick Cedric Benson for a share of
the workload. Benson disappointed in his first full year as a starter in '07, following the trade of Thomas Jones. An arrest didn't help his cause, and clashes with the coaching staff over his usage, coupled with an injury further derailed what should have been his coming out party. The trade for Williams will either light a fire under Benson, or the Bears will have to admit failure on their former first-round pick.

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Wednesday, March 3rd, 2007

A statement from Coach Ditka about the released players:

"Mike was a big part of helping make this defense great again. Unfortunately, he's dealt with some pretty major medical issues the last 2 years and we weren't able to strike a deal on a reduced salary that was fair for both sides. He'll always be a Bear, and we wish him well in his next stop." When asked about Maynard, Ditka replied that Brad was a "good punter", but reminded the media (and fans) that he told them there were going to be some moves that were strictly cap-related; and that there would be more in the days to come. "We have to have some more cap space in order to target free agents, sign our draft picks, as well as pay the guys we have in the locker room already. It's not going to be easy, it's going to hurt; but I hope everyone realizes we have to do what we have to do. It's not easy to accept, but sometimes when you really care about your team and your teammates, you understand that sometimes the best thing you can do is move on."

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A hard day in Chicago as former captain and starting center Olin Kreutz has been traded to the New York Giants for a 2nd and 6th round pick in the 2008 draft.

"Today is one of those days where I hate being the boss." Coach Ditka said. "Olin was a rock, a foundation, a champion of the Bears and I know everyone is going to miss him. I talked with Olin at length about this decision, and we made sure we sent him to a winner. Hopefully he'll find the success that eluded him here now that he's part of the Super Bowl champs."

In a corresponding move, the Bears traded their 4th round pick in 2009 to the Browns in exchange for center Chris Myers, 25.