Ruben Brown doesn't know Orlando Pace but knows the situation he is in coming to a new team as a decorated veteran who spent his entire career in one city where he was beloved.

There is a big adjustment to be made, but as Brown proved it's not too late for Pace to get back to the top. You have to think the Bears' success in recycling Brown and another veteran in Fred Miller weighed in the decision to sign Pace to a three-year contract on April 2. They've done well with veteran linemen with a little gas left in the tank and no one has served as a better example than Brown, who was 32 when he joined the Bears in 2004 after nine seasons and seven trips to the Pro Bowl with the Buffalo Bills.

"Orlando can be back on top if he is willing to sacrifice himself,'' Brown said. "When I first got to Chicago you saw where I was. I was playing on the third team on the right side. I'd never been there before. If he is willing to sacrifice himself to the new environment and become a part of it, I think you could see glimpses of what he was and he could see himself finishing his career off with another Super Bowl. It's up to him.''

We've successfully completed this mission about three hours earlier than Wednesday night. That's progress you can believe in. Let's dive right in.

Q: Why does Jerry Angelo downplay the importance of upgrading the Bears wide receiver corps, when it is so universally believed by virtually everyone else that the Bears will never have a playoff-caliber offense until they improve this unit? Does Angelo honestly believe what he is saying and if so, what does this say about Angelo's ability to recognize even the most obvious talent deficiency on the team he is in charge of overseeing?

Tom N., Dayton, Ohio

A: It's a fair question after the Bears missed on re-signing Bernard Berrian last year and made the decision to cut ties with Muhsin Muhammad. The position was as bad as it has ever been under Angelo in 2008 and without some steps to improve it, it's not going to get better. Having two solid pass-catching tight ends in Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen is good, having a running back in Matt Forte who has good hands out of the backfield is nice. They're not gamebreaking players as receivers, however. They're move-the-chains targets and as offensive coordinator Ron Turner has expressed on more than one occasion, it's hard to drive 70 or 80 yards without picking up big chunks from time to time.