I'm sure in the time it takes me to write this 10 more guys declared, but this is the list I currently see as underclassmen who are declaring for the draft.  If you catch anymore drop a comment here, I'll attempt to keep this chart up to date.

Once again Richard Dent is in line to get passed over for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  He has been selected as a finalist, but with names like Bruce Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Rod Woodson and John Randle on the ballot, I don't see him making it in again.

UPDATE: The Chicago  Sun-Times is disputing the claim that the Bears offered Rod Marinelli a contract.  ESPN is running with the Chicago Tribune's report.

We have been demanding change in our coaching staff and although they are taking the round about way of doing it, it seems the Bears are retooling their defensive coaching staff.  Defensive Line coach Brick Haley is on his way to LSU.  As sheepskinz1 dropped in a Fan Post Linebackers Coach Lloyd Lee is out (I do not have an official link yet).

Now the Bears have officially offered former Lions coach Rod Marinelli a contract.  The article suggests he could get hired for anything from "trusted advisor" to defensive line coach, but as it has been mentioned many times on this site, it may be that the Bears are lighting a fire under or greasing the hinges to show Babich the door.

It could be possible that once Marinelli is on board, Babich is gone.  It could also be that as mentioned in the  Fan Post that Babich, Smith and Angelo sat down and it was mutually decided that Babich is not ready for the spot and he is going to slide back into his old position of Linebackers coach.

Regardless of where we go Marinelli on board is a big plus for us.  For those here and in the MSM that think the Bears are insane for bringing the man who just created history by leading a team that went 0-16 on board, that is the most ludicrous argument I've ever heard. 

The guy got a head coaching gig based on his job at lower level jobs.  To think because he may or may not be a good head coach means he isn't a good defensive line coach or defensive coordinator is a flawed statement.  It just means he might not be able to run the whole show on both sides of the ball.  For the record I think Marinelli will get another head coaching shot at some point and believe he can be successful, but that is a discussion for another time, for all we know he is Lovie Smith's successor.

With money wrapped up in the defensive line with the sizable contracts of Tommie Harris and Adewale Ogunleye and a modest one with Alex Brown, much was expected of the Bears defensive line.  What they got was quite different.  The biggest downfall of the Bears defense this year was the inability to generate a consistent pass rush.  You can lay blame in a lot of places bad scheme, overrated players, unimaginative play calling, but in the end you must work with what you have.  

That leads us to Brick Haley, the Bears defensive line coach.  Haley, though it has not officially been announced, is expected to take over as the defensive line coach at LSU.  That in turn brings us back to the recently interviewing of former Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli.  Marinelli and Coach Smith have history and are good friends.  Marinelli has also interviewed with Seattle about their vacant defensive coordinator position.

I think the Bears are looking at Marinelli as an upgrade over Haley, but also as defensive cooridinator in waiting of sorts.  They will give Babich another year to prove he can do the job and if he doesn't they can easily make the transistion to Marinelli.

Marinelli signing or not, the Bears will have a new defensive line coach next year.

What the Bears need to do to move in the right direction is pretty easy to figure out, so this article isn't anything new.  What I'd like you to do is rank these based on order of  importance.

Also, feel free to add one if you feel it is sorely needed.

Sign Marinelli now

Add a pass rusher

The first thing Smith figured out when he arrived was he didn’t have an end to make his scheme work. So the Bears dealt for Adewale Ogunleye, who will be entering the final year of his contract. That ought to provide Ogunleye motivation entering his free-agent year, but Smith can’t take that gamble. He also can’t count on Anderson panning out again, so an edge rusher is first and foremost on Lovie’s list. If they get the pass rush from the front four worked out, they won’t have to monkey around with linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs at the line of scrimmage and can let them return to doing what they do best.

Get a safety

Stick with your strength

 Want to make Orton better? Make the running game better. Rookie Matt Forte was impressive, but the Bears were still 24th in the league in rushing. They need to find a complement to Forte and not hesitate to use him. Otherwise, they’ll run Forte into the ground.

Get a receiver

Bring in at least 1 new player on offensive line (Not on list, but needed to be added)

So this morning while watching ESPN the analysts talked about Baltimore's ability to create take aways and it got me thinking.   When  Chicago blocks a punt or runs an interception back for a TD  we are winning lucky.  When  Baltimore does it it is not by accident, becuase they work on these things.

Our defense isn't good neither is our offense, but we create takeaways better than any other team over the last 4-5 years, yet for us we are still just getting lucky breaks and lucky bounces of the ball.  Baltimore does it and it is because they practice it.

The first week of football that there are no Bears games.  Sad, isn't it?

The Saturday Playoff games are:

NFC:

Atlanta (11-5) vs Arizona (9-7) 4:30 PM NBC

AFC:

Indianapolis (12-4) VS. San Diego Chargers (8-8) 8 PM NBC

Now that Angelo has stated that he wants to bring in a QB to compete with Kyle Orton, it is time to look at the options.  The problem is not too many of them are good options.

Kurt Warner:

But forget about Warner. He'll cost too much and he'll be 38 before next season starts. He's a cigar store Indian in the pocket, which means he'd last about three games behind the Bears' current offensive line. Warner has put up impressive numbers this season throwing to 1,000-yard receivers Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston, all of whom are better than any wideouts on the Bears' roster.

Matt Cassel:

Same goes for the Patriots' Matt Cassel, another potential free agent. He put up nice numbers throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker in a passing offense. That doesn't make him someone you want to get into a bidding war over.

Kerry Collins:

Collins' passer rating was less than a point better than Orton's, and he's 36. That's not even a lateral move because Collins threw just 12 TD passes this season and, in a 14-year career, has never been more than an average quarterback, and he's usually been closer to mediocre. He's not a guy who makes those around him better.

Chris Simms or J.P. Loseman:

REALLY!

Jeff Garcia:

Garcia actually makes sense, but only if the Bears are also going to start drafting and developing quarterbacks, which they should continue to do until they're convinced Orton or some other veteran is the long-term answer. Garcia will be 39 in February, so he's obviously a quick and short-term fix. But he plays much younger than his age and has excellent mobility. His passer rating has been over 90 in each of the past three seasons, with a TD-interception ratio of 35-12.

Garcia has been a starter and a backup, so even if Orton steps up his game and wins the job, the Bears have greatly improved their depth at a position Angelo says is of utmost importance.

Assuming you agree with this assessment unless the Bears pull off a trade for Donovan McNabb or somebody not yet on our radar it would seem that Jeff Garcia is our only real option.  Garcia would be competition for Orton, but he isn't a long term fix either.

The bad side is what if Warner, Collins and Garcia are resigned by their current teams?  That leaves us in a real bad way.  I think Garcia has the best chance to not get resigned.  He and Gruden dont' seem to get along real well and Garcia might want to get out of that.

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year.

Posting will be continue tomorrow though may be a bit late in getting started depending on how lit I may or may not be getting.

Have a great one and stay safe!

Here is the complete or at least as complete as I can find list of Free Agents.  I'll reference this list through out Free Agency. Let me know if you see any inaccuracies.

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