June 2, 2006
BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter
Continuity has been a major theme stressed by the Bears all offseason, with an improbable 22 starters returning.
All 22 are expected to be on the field when minicamp begins this afternoon at Halas Hall. Running back Thomas Jones and linebacker Lance Briggs were at the facility Thursday, easing any concerns that the clients of powerful agent Drew Rosenhaus would skip out on the mandatory weekend.
Jones and Briggs have been absent from the bulk of the Bears' voluntary offseason program, and for a team that's looking to win with a formula of defense and running the ball, the leading rusher and second-leading tackler are vital cogs.
Had Jones and Briggs chosen to stay away from minicamp -- a tactic some Rosenhaus clients have used successfully elsewhere -- the Bears could have fined them and possibly sought to recoup a portion of their signing-bonus money.
Now there will be harmony in Lake Forest -- or at least enough of a good vibe for everyone to be on the field together.
Jones, with two years remaining on his contract, expressed a desire to be traded before the draft. Briggs, seemingly with more leverage, is looking for a big payday coming off a Pro Bowl season. He is scheduled to earn $721,600 in the final year of his rookie contract, and negotiations with Rosenhaus broke off in April.
Last year's first-round pick, running back Cedric Benson, has made progress and is expected to get a greater share of the workload this season. Running backs coach Tim Spencer said last month that he had gone back to the basics with Benson in the playbook, ensuring that he will be up to speed on the nuances of his pass-protection responsibilities. That's an area in which Jones excels.
Linebacker, though, is not as deep, and there isn't anyone who could step in and replace Briggs. The Bears drafted Arizona State's Jamar Williams in the fourth round, calling him a Briggs-like player, but he wasn't selected with the idea of playing instantly.
General manager Jerry Angelo has not been able to add a veteran tight end, which he said he would try to do after opting not to draft one five weeks ago. He suggested that with 10 new head coaches in the NFL, rosters would turn over as those staffs molded their teams. No name players have hit the market, though, and there was hardly a ripple on the waiver wire Thursday -- the first day players could be cut with a portion of their signing bonus spread into the 2007 salary cap.
Priority free agents Tim Day (Oregon) and Cooper Wallace (Auburn) were signed after the draft, but Day is two weeks away from joining the Bears because Oregon is on the trimester system and players cannot join their teams until after they take their final exams.
And what, if any, production the Bears can get from those newcomers is unknown. They are far from locks to make the roster.
Veteran Desmond Clark will be counted on again to produce more in the passing game, and supporters point out that the fifth-ranked rushing offense got blocking help at tight end.
bbiggs@suntimes.com