Just because Illinois’ Russ Weil will not be at rookie minicamp this weekend doesn’t mean there will not be a fullback.
Indiana’s Josiah Sears has been invited as a tryout for the minicamp.
Sears, 6-0, 257 pounds, was one of the Hoosiers’ two captains last season. He played in 13 games last season, scoring six touchdowns.
He’s the second Hoosier to be coming in. Cornerback Leslie Majors, the Thornwood product, signed a free-agent deal. The Bears missed out on a third. They tried to woo IU long snapper Tim Bugg to show up on a tryout basis also, but he’s chosen instead to make trips to Cincinnati and the New York Giants for tryouts instead.
The Bears also made overtures to Notre Dame long snapper J.J. Jansen, but he signed a free-agent deal in Green Bay where he has a shot at sticking. The prospect of being a camp snapper on a team with an 11-year veteran in Pat Mannelly just isn’t that enticing. Mannelly is one of the best at his craft. But the club finally tracked one down in Iowa State’s Matt Purvis, and special teams coordinator Dave Toub likes to keep track of possible replacements in the event injuries arise.
I hate to say it, but we need to start preparing for life after Patrick Mannelly. He has been an automatic good snap for 9 years, but at some point, he is going to hang up the cleats. Probably will go into coaching full time, as he has been helping kids become long snappers for years now. But when he goes, we will have to start all over again at the position. His contract runs through 2010, at which point I would assume he would not be back (36 years old by then?).
Long snapping is an art, and he is the master. I hate to think of life after Patrick, but we need to start grooming a replacement at some point.
Maybe Purvis will be a decent enough option.
Just thinking
The Chicago Bears through out the years have compiled some realy good player.
Urlacher being the best MLB in the NFC since coming into the NFL
Olin Kreutz being the best Center in the NFC since 2001.
Tommy Harris being the best DT in the NFL! Even when he isnt 100%
Brad Maynard being the best coffin corner punter in the NFC
Patrick Mannelly being the best long snaper in NFLs history! I still have yet see him muff a snap.
Robbie Gould being one of the most accurate kicker in the NFL and that is at one of the worste stadiums for a place kicker.
Charles Tillman being the best CB in the NFL at stripping the ball and is one of the best run suporting CB in the NFL.Tillman is probably the most underrated CB in the NFL and the most underrated Bears defencive players. He is very Valuable. Way to valuable to loose.
Mike Brown when healthy has the most TDs in the NFL by a Saftey. I wonder if he has the most TDs by a saftey in the history of the NFL. That would be interesting to find out.
Devin Hester well simply put the Best kick and punt returner in the history of the NFL. Lets hope soon to be the best WR in the NFL.