NFL 2013 Season Thread

[snoopy369]

Agreed. I think they'd have left him at MLB, and just sucked it up; he was still a baseline level MLB, just not amazing anymore. I suspect they'd have drafted his replacement and asked him to mentor him. $2MM is worth that. I think it's too bad the NFL model doesn't allow you to pay guys 'thanks for the memories' money, but that tradeoff is worth the benefits of the tight cap to me (though it isn't to some).

[snoopy369]

In the "competition for stupidest sports writer in Chicago", I enter Steve Rosenbloom:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/rosenblog/chi-chicago-bears-rosenbloom-brian-urlacher-20130321,0,3845686.column

It’s not so much that the Chicago Bears parted ways with Brian Urlacher, a surefire Hall of Famer robbed of his greatest asset by injuries.

No, it was the sloppy, squirrely, deceitful manner the Bears went about it.

It might be too much to say that Phil Emery lied about the way he would treat a franchise icon, but obviously the Bears general manager believes deceit has a place in his version of the truth.

Good to know as we proceed into the second year of Emery’s administration. Important for Bears players to know, too, now and in the future.

If you’re Lance Briggs or Charles Tillman, pay attention. The Bears will issue a lot of blather about how much they respect you and all you’ve given to the franchise, but we can conclude that privately there’s a good chance the GM will show you how full of it he is.

Erm, what were they supposed to do? They gave him their offer, told him that's all they could pay him, and let him go look around for other deals, holding space for him for weeks. Were they supposed to just hand him a pile of cash and say "here you go"? Lots of stars play for the veteran minimum in their last year or two just to hang around a bit longer. Nothing wrong with him saying he doesn't want to, but it's not an insult; it's how it is. And nothing wrong with Bears brass saying they'd like to see him back; of course they would, what else should they say?

I swear, I should just stop reading this guys' columns. He just hates everyone, as far as I can tell.

[SlowwHand]

Time to pump the brakes on those Brian Urlacher-to-the-Vikings rumors.
Minnesota isn't interested in signing their longtime nemesis, according to Tom Pelissero of ESPN Twin Cities, unless the linebacker's price tag "comes way, way down."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000152556/article/report-vikings-not-interested-in-brian-urlacher

[snoopy369]

Sounds like the rest of the league I imagine this is really one of those cases where an agent is telling the player he can get him a huge contract, basically lying to him, since it's no real bones to the agent if he fails to get a $2MM contract, but he'd really like to get him a $4 or $5MM contract even if it means risking no contract.

Sort of like Kyle Lohse's agent (Boras). How that guy didn't sign his qualifying offer I have no idea - he's nowhere near a $12MM pitcher, but Boras apparently convinced him he was.

[Demonbinder]

I agree with Dan Bernstein. He feels they just did not want him to come back and that is why they lowballed him. Based on what the Vikings said, I think he won't find any better offers out there and (as Doug Buffone said last night) he should just retire.

[Donegeal]

With what they got out of him last year, and what they can expect of him this year, 2mil isn't lowballing, it's truth telling.

[-Jrabbit]

I agree.

It's no surprise that Urlacher's ego can't accept it.

[SlowwHand]

To be fair, I imagine it's a hard reality to accept.

[-Jrabbit]

Thus, "no surprise."

[SlowwHand]

I was agreeing. It really is no surprise. It's a pattern.

[-Jrabbit]

Exactly so.

[snoopy369]

Well, the Bears found someone who wasn't insulted by $2MM...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/chi-chicago-bears-sign-urlacher-replacement-20130322,0,5757756.story

DJ Williams. Good talent, moronic behavior. Big test for the coaching staff I guess... hope his intellect is higher than his behavior suggests, as the Bears have a long history of smart MLBs.

[snoopy369]

Hahaha... even better from the ESPN article: (http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/story...o-bears-source )

He was suspended the first six games of the 2012 season for violating the league's banned-substances policy after the league said he supplied a "non-human" urine sample during a drug test.

[SlowwHand]

Lovely addition to the team.

[snoopy369]

Lovely addition to the team.

Yeah, sounds like he should've signed with the Cowboys instead...