Full Court Press

The only thing that confuses me is how Berrian could fetch more than Briggs; although I don't yet know the details of their individual contracts, or the guaranteed money.

I'll bet that confuses Briggs too.

Receivers look a LOT better when you have a good O line, and a decent QB - receivers are a dime a dozen when you have those 2. Problem is, the Bears don't have a good O line nor a good QB.

The fact that Berrian signed for more than Briggs is comical. Berrian is a #2 receiver at best. $42M for THAT??!!! What a country!

The Vikings paid way too much for Berrian but that is their problem. Briggs is a Bear for 6 more years so this is a good day.
I wanted them to address the O line but Angelo is sitting on his hands again while good players are being signed elsewhere.
Signing Walker or Johnson would be a good move. Hell.... why not both? They have the money.
Wake up moron!

Draft Mendenhall if you can and dump Benson.

It is alarming that the Bears let Berrian go. I think it hurts the Bears offense that Berrian left more than it helped the Defense that Briggs stayed. And then to let Berrian go to a division foe is a low blow. However the Vike did over-pay for Berrian big time. $42 million with $16 million guarantee...for Berrian the one trick pony? Anyway the Vikes have a deep threat to go along with their extremely strong running game. This makes them very dangerous. Free agency isn't over yet, so hopefully we do something with this O-line.

wait til you see how bad Mr. Jackson looks when Berrian drops or tips the ball into opponents hands, gives up on routes across the middle, and hey is even due to be injured soon. You do know that Bernard was the cause of more interceptions than Rex. Now if we could only find a way to pin all of Rex's fumbles on him.
Somehow I just knew we would end up with at least one overpayed
#2. I guess it's always better to Lance your boils rather than let them fester. Why don't they trade him for Chad Johnson now? Jamar will make a HUGE impact on the D.

Hey vikings why dont you overpay agin for somone so you dont have any money left!!Please? GO BRIGGS!!!Hope all the bears fans like the cheap ways of the McKaskeys instilled in Jerry Angelo!The bears will not spend any money on any pricey free agents especially Burner Turner or Javon Walker.And as for the draft there gonna go off line and prob a DT or a WR.

Hey gang, wanna read the extended and 'unrated' version of my irreverent Briggs-Berrian thoughts? Just click my name and escape to a far away place full of bright colors.

Berrian was a decent WR who dropped too many easy catches and wanted way too much money. If you resign him, how many other positions do you end up shorting? The Vikings are welcome to him, we need a RB, a QB, and a RT and RG... lots of luck!

Mark, you know what else confuses Lance Briggs? Guardrails and the Devon Ave. sign on the Edens.

Both decisions played out right. I'm glad it happened this way. We got back a Tiger and lost an Alligator. No biggie.

Hey Ricky O, your request sounds like an acid trip?

Philtration sez: "I wanted them to address the O line but Angelo is sitting on his hands again while good players are being signed elsewhere."

In my own abstract fashion, I've been thinking about the O-Line too.

Most of the recent Olympic weightlifting champions in the super heavyweight division are from Russia and the Ukraine. Now, if the top four or five of these guys could be taught to play football, they would make a super human offensive line. Pound for pound they’re arguably the strongest men in the world.

My wife is from Russia, and 16 years ago when I met her she was visiting America on a 6 month VISA, working in a bar on Irving Park Rd. The clientele was mostly American, but there was this cement finisher / brick layer from the Ukraine named Alex who was a frequent afternoon patron.

Alex was a big man, but at around 6’ 2” he wasn't all that tall. Nevertheless, he was built like a bank vault.

Shaking hands upon our initial introduction, I couldn't even see mine after he wrapped his own around it. People are sometimes described as having legs like tree trunks; Alex had wrists that were like tree trunks. Weight, and muscle mass can be increased with exercise and diet, but bone density is unalterable, and Alex was dense. (in more ways than one)

Already in his 50's when I met him, he liked to drink vodka ...... Lots of it.

A friendly enough guy, and not easily provoked, Alex was known to lose his temper on occasion. One evening while standing at the head of the bar, he tried in vain to get my wife's attention for a refill. The room was noisy, and he shouted a few times trying to be heard above the din of the crowd. Then out of frustration he picked up the bar.

It was a horse shoe configuration, stretching a good 30 feet down both sides. He tore the thing loose of its moorings, and lifted his end of it almost two feet off the ground. The structure tilted backwards on both sides, as drinks slid down the newly created incline.

One night a fight broke out in the bar. Alex was not initially involved in the dispute, but he quickly settled it. Galina said that she had never seen anything like it in her life. Alex was picking up full grown men; tossing them through the air like paper airplanes. The combatants left the ground, and came back to earth many feet from their original points of departure.

Now bear in mind that Alex was pretty close to being a senior citizen at the time, but even at that age he’d have been a tough assignment for almost any defensive lineman in the NFL. At least for a play or two.

It might be something in the genes, it might be something in the water, (radiation?) or it might be something that we used to refer to as "stupid strength". A Baby Huey kind of phenomenon, transcending anything that a person of normal abilities could ever hope to accomplish, even if they spent their entire lives in the weight room. (I'm thinking that Arvidas Sabonis was from the same gene pool) Even in his mid fifties, Alex could have given Briggs a run for his money.

To Hell with the draft. Angelo should be scouting the Ukraine.

OK, IM BACK, FROM VISITING RICKYS BLOG...I BARELY MADE IT OUT OF THERE IN 1 PIECE ...

I HAD TO SKIM FOR MY LIFE IN THERE!!!

(I am glad to be home again). That was scary!

Also...ROD, not reference to FCP on your blog anywhere...

ummm...

you may want to pay a little homage to your blogfather...

The Bears offense is simple: establish a running game & use Hester as a deep threat to keep the defense from stacking the line. Berrian is not much of a factor in it.

The Bears won't get back to the Superbowl w/out featuring the best defense in the NFC. Briggs plays a big factor in that.

This was a no-brainer & worth paying Briggs more than he's worth.

I don't usually agree with stuckinwisconsin, but he's right about Berrian. I'm happy to see him leave and even happier to see him go to Minnesota. The Vikings are no doubt going to regret such an ill-advised purchase. Berrian will help the Bears sweep Minnesota, especially if Briggs can act like a pro-bowler and stop Adrian P. I don't see the Bears hurting that much for receivers. Hester, Bradley,Olsen,Clark, et al should more than make up for Moose and Berrian. A guy like Hardey in the draft would also help, but offensive line is still a major priority.

parenthesis de rickey..(I don’t even know what that last sentence means but it makes a lot of sense to me)...you're welcome, sticky

To Clarify further, tho: Rex isn't going to be throwing the ball to anyone...it was time to end the paragraph...and you didn't do it

don't be a Rex

well...hope Briggs plays more Mike...let Urlacher fly around...I like our defense a lot

Looks like Lance will be SHAKING URLACHERS HAND, HELLO, IN CAMP and continuing to SIGN MORE AUTOGRAPHS in Chicago.

Go Bears!

The Vikings were dumber than everyone else out there because they grossly overpaid for Berrian. They just blew away the market with all that fiscal un-restaint. First they wasted all that fuel going all the way to Callie and then they wasted ink signing him to an albatross of a contract(teamwise). What happens if Peterson has another great season? The Vikes have already shown that they are willing to pay for slightly average talent with great speed. Won't they have to pay him next? And where will the money come for them to pay someone who can actually get "Sir Berrian" those passes? These guys played against themselves. No one else was going to be even close to giving him all that. Now that he got all those millions will he improve or stay about the same. Those who say that he did what he could with the QBs we have most certainly doesn't see that the Vikes aren't any better. He will be fast on turf but he also will have to take a few tackles onto that turf. The guy "muscled" up just before 2006 and that's the best he's gonna get when it comes to strength. Now the Briggs signing is great because we can float that theory that anyone will look great along side a healthy Urlacher has to understand that healthy is the optimum word. 30 with a bad back is no where close to healthy. Urlacher "wanted" us to know that his back was bad last year so we could see that if he was sliding that maybe that was the cause. Now that he wants an extension he says that the back is fine. I'm sorry but we can't hang our hats on him in the future like we did in the past. 30 is scary for a player who is in on contact on just about all defensive plays. It says he is because his tackle totals say it's so. His neck injury: came from him sleeping wrong on a plane on vacation. Need I repeat that last statement in capital letters? Didn't Sammy Sosa break down after "sneezing" after he was 30? I know you can't speak ill of Urlacher and I'm not. Speaking ill is bringing up an untruth or sullying someone's reputation with speculation. The truth of the matter is that it's likely that he won't be here another 2 or 3 years because his back won't let him. Another reason why these players need to be paid handsomely for the sacrifice that they are making. The truth of the matter is that Urlacher's had a long career here and should get paid like the superstar that he has been, but to think that he'll return to that lofty status next to Jamar Williams only lets you know what the BEARS really think of Jamar Williams. Sadly it comes after so many of you had faith that he could replace Briggs. No, Briggs did not get the same money that they offered in 2006. In all actuality he got 9 million dollars more because that original contract was for 33 over seven. With last year's 7 and this 36 over 6 that's 42 over 7. Still, nothing that Berrian is close to being worth.

I like Berrian but losing Briggs would have hurt more. He would have been far more difficult to replace.

if Bradley can regain the quickness and speed he showed before his ACL injury, he can at least partially replace Berrian.

with people like Bryant Johnson, Javon Walker (if healthy) and the vastly underrated DJ Hackett (who'll be a huge upgrade over Muhammad) the Bears can deal with this issue.

provided, as others way - we upgrade that bad offensive line.

now they need a RB.

This isn't even an issue.

Pro Bowl LB > No. 2 reciever.

I don't usually agree with stuckinwisconsin
-Paul Manter

you say that everytime you agree with me ;)

Hey,stuckin..., I even disagree with your pseudonym. I/m in LaCrosse County, known lovingly as "God's Country." Originally from the Chicago area,Im glad I didn't get "stuck" there.Have you ever driven around O'Hare during rush hour?

Who will be the first Bear to lay out Berrian after he drops a pass in coverage?

Too bad we don't have Chris Brown anymore. He would have been my bet. Instead, I'll go with... ummmmm (no not Archuleta, he won't be within 15 yards of Berrian...hmmmmm) Urlacher!

I guess the market for Lance wasn't what it seemed. Sounds like his driving, attitude and his (you know what) got in the way of bigger money.

Briggs had no other choice but to accept what the Chicago Bears offered. He might have gotten less on the free agent market. At least he got some upfront guranteed money.

Bernard Berrian was simply playing the right position (WR) at the right time. Minnesota Vikings probably felt the Bears would have really wanted to keep him, but WHY I don't know? Seems everyone forgets the Bears are Misers of the Midway and that is not about to change as long as the team is owned by the McCaskey's.

Aggressive ownership would not allow Grossman to be resigned again, it simply wouldn't. Also, they would not allow a semi-deep threat as Berrian to go to another team in its division. Not only did the Bears hurt themselves, they help a divisonal opponent....*some really smart people working for the Bears Front Office*

Do anyone think if we were more stable at quarterback Berrian would take a few less dollars to remain with the team?

Hallelujah! Brett Favre is............. available?

Roman responds: To date, or to sign?

BCULZ RESIGN'S TO POST ON THIS OLD A** THREAD AGAIN!

After days and days of loggin into CST FCP Bculz is no longer dismayed that a new thread has not been put up in days. The comments #'s are down, the comment content is lackluster and uncontoversial, the posts are typical and ultra skim-a-bull.

Can we get a HOT TOPIC INJECTION .....soon>????

Nice response Ro. I mean to become my yoga student.

Berrian won't have to worry about Chris Brown anyway because he's a singer who does all his "Popping" on the mike. Chris Harris is the Rodney Dangerfield of the back field becasue he's gone and still doesn't get any respect. I will lay odds that Berrian tweaks his hamstring before or during the games where he has to play the BEARS. I still picture him standing there with his agent and his agent is running down how great he was to the Vikings and Berrian just smiles and says "yeah, whatever he just said. That's me." All I can say is "Wylf whifted".

WHERE IS MY FARVE RETIRES POST? I KNOW I BEAT JB?

No way man! I was first with the breaking news..... In fact, Chris Mortensen called me directly. You weren't even awake at 8:54 a.m. CDT.

Roman responds: Jules, when did you come up with Pit Vipress moniker? I like it.

BYE BYE GRIESE!!!!!!

No candle light vigil?

Judging by some of the posts in here....one coulda thought this guy was the second coming of Jesus Christ at one point last year.

One day when you were away, Culzie formed a club for lifelong Bears fans, not convert fickle sorts like those posters who shall remain nameless, but you know who you are. He wanted to call it the Ballz club and I said that, of course being a charter member, I disapproved of that name, would never join no stinkin' Ballz club and to come up with a better name. Being the good little puppy he is, Culzie came through with a new name in an hour. The new name of our club is the Pit Vipers, hence me being the Pit Vipress. Seems appropriate for me anyway, don't you think? Demented and sad, I know.

For information regarding the candlelight vigil for Brian Griese, please contact Rebecka Justice.

Roman please find my Favre retires post?

I know it was first....i just know it. id bet my pink hat on it!

1. Julie
2. Culzie

Keith is dying laughing right now as we speak!!

This was the most confusing day I ever spent on this blog, people changing/adding names and I went somewhere with ricky o. and I lost my way but Iam back. That place is scary and the people are weird the place is one big run-on sentence of nonsense, I hope I didn't get a virus or something. Farve gone good, great player glad to see him go, that's enough Iam a Bears fan. Shame he ran out of gas and couldn't finish but he was good to watch. The window might have just opened again if Jerry does the right thing.

For information regarding the candlelight vigil for Brian Griese, please contact Rebecka Justice.

Posted by: Pit Vipress Julie B.

This made me laugh out loud! Congrats on beating Culzie in the Favre thread. It's clearly killing him. You're really on a roll this week!

Thanks, Anne. Girl Power!

HEY!!! What about me!

Culz, I want a name too, the Ballz club sounded a little juvenile, and Julie stole Pit Vipress. Although Pit Vipers sounds like a motorcycle gang. Jermaine and Anne came back, WRD stole my Chris Brown (combo chris harris and mike brown? someone who stays healthy, can hit, and cover?) thunder.

Brian Griese still sucks, the Bucs just solidified their loser position again, Sorry Scott. Rebecka Justice....I'll leave that alone, Roman already blasted me for that one.

Guess I'll be.....Chuck Wagon.

Pit Vipers is good...but it will have to be the secret name.

We need a really good corporate name??

A name we can walk into CocaCola's or Gatorade or Nike's board room with and be like....you want to sponsor us. We are the most real Fans on the planet.

B.A.L.Z.I.N.C. is more like a holding company...so I agree...

We need an official sounding name for the club....

Like..

LBF

Lifetime Bears Fans

or..

Black and Bears Bro's

or

Natural Born Grabowski's

or

Halas9000

something...

That place is scary and the people are weird the place is one big run-on sentence of nonsense, I hope I didn't get a virus or something. (DJ referring to ROD's world)

This gets nominated for a ROMIE....not sure which one...but its gotta win something!

Briggs And Guard Rails.....
Good Post Julie B.

I also want to tender that we can only use the Formerly Known as Pit Vipers Club name in Bears Threads only.....unless absolute extreme necessity calls for it.

We are the Formerly Known PVC? What are we currently?

Sorry man, not a Gabrowski here? Maybe a blackowski???

Thats what we are discussing here....We dont have a current official name for the Formerly Known as Pit Vipers Club

ummm...Blackowski...is too much like Blogrowski....my other name for Romans FCP.

BFFL

Bears Fans for Life?

B2FL

BFL

i think im onto something here...

we need more ideas..

also...Chuck Wagon...needs work!

Why can't we just be the Pit Vipers? I like it. I think it sounds all tough and intimidating. If not, then it has to be something equally tough and intimidating sounding. How about the Sausage Mongers?