Jerry Angelo & the Three New Bears: An NFL Free Agency Tale

The carnival ride that has been the Chicago Bears off-season took another strange turn when the team unexpectedly landed three top free agents. From the ridiculous press conference the team held shortly after the season ended to the embarrassing way the Bears handled their coaching searches and hirings, this once respectable franchise found themselves the laughing stock of the football world. Almost overnight however, by the Bears signing Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor, and Brandon Manumaleuna, they have proven they are still major players in the NFL.

Defensive end, Julius Peppers, who was probably the top free agent on the market lends instant credibility to a woeful Bears' defense. Peppers, a former number 2 overall pick of the Carolina Panthers, is one of the premier pass rushers in the league. At 6'7 and 283 pounds, Peppers is an imposing physical specimen opposition quarterbacks will be forced to contend with. He has been a sack machine since coming into the NFL in 2002 with 81 career sacks. This ranks him third overall for that time period. His age, 30, is a concern though he has never sustained a serious injury and has been described as having the body of a 25-year old.

The knock on Peppers has been he sometimes lacks focus and dedication. There are those around the league who feel Peppers not only takes plays but whole games off, and there is some concern that with a 6-year $91.5 million contract under his belt, Peppers may not be interested in being a great defensive player. All I know is the Bears have not been able to sustain any kind of a pass rush over the last few seasons, and the mere presence of the caliber of a player like Julius Peppers will make other teams stand up and take notice. I look for players like Tommie Harris, Alex Brown, and Mark Anderson to reap the benefits of having Peppers on the defensive line. Hopefully by bringing Julius Peppers on board the Bears have taken steps to returning to their Monsters of the Midway glory the team has been known for.

The signing of running back, Chester Taylor, is an interesting one. He was not the biggest named running back on the market what with the likes of LaDanian Tomlinson and Thomas Jones also available, but I believe he was the perfect choice for the Bears. Taylor, who has spent the last three seasons backing up Adrian Peterson in Minnesota, will be given a shot at competing with Matt Forte for the starting job in Chicago. Like Julius Peppers, Taylor is also 30-years old, but he has been used primarily as a complimentary back throughout his career, and therefore with only 1028 rushing attempts over his eight NFL seasons, he does not have the wear-and-tear other running backs his age possess.

Taylor possesses exactly the type of skill set the Bears new offensive coordinator, Mike Martz loves to utilize in his scheme. In other words, Chester Taylor is a poor man's Marshall Faulk. Do not misunderstand me. I am not implying Taylor is equal to Marshall Faulk, only that the two share similar playing styles. Taylor can power the ball up the middle and move the proverbial pile as well as catch the ball out of the backfield as his 89 catches over the last two seasons while playing in a part-time role can attest to. If Matt Forte can return to even a hint of 2008 form, he and Chester Taylor should provide for a formidable tandem which should see the Bears improve upon their 29^th ranked running game from a season ago.

The Bears also inked former Rams and Chargers tight end, Brandon Manumaleuna. Mike Martz must have felt like a kid on Christmas morning when the team signed Manumaleuna to a 5-year deal. At 6'2 and 295 pounds the massive tight end will be like having an extra offensive lineman. Manumaleuna has spent 9 years in the league with his first three being part of Martz's successful offense in St. Louis. He is big and can block which is precisely what the Bears need and Martz requires for his offense to work. Manumaleuna can catch the ball as well as he does have 110 career catches, but do not look for him to figure heavily as an offensive threat. The Manumaleuna signing more than likely spells the end of Greg Olsen's time with the Bears. Look for the team to try and make some kind of move before the start of training camp.

With no picks in the first two rounds of this year's NFL Draft the Chicago Bears knew they were going to have to address some of their many needs via free agency. No one could have foreseen however, the Bears landing three top free agents on the first day. The team still has some holes which need to be filled especially at the safety and wide receiver positions, but with the acquisitions of Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor, and Brandon Manumaleuna they made great strides in becoming a playoff caliber team. With the signing of these three players and the Jay Cutler trade last year, the Bears have made the biggest off-season noise two years running. Let us hope that these moves will translate into success on the field and a return to Super Bowl contention.

Larry Mayer, "Bears land three key players on first day of free agency", www.chicagobears.com

"Chester Taylor Stats - Chicago Bears - ESPN", ESPN.com