Briggs Suffers Cut on Hand
Lance Briggs injury caused much commotion when he was at the voluntary workouts, but it wasn’t the type of injury caused by any football move. This injury is a cut suffered on his right palm when he was shaving with a straight razor. He wore a bandage to the workout and was looked at by the team’s trainer Tim Bream. Some thought he may be disciplined for not reporting the injury, but Briggs knew that this isn’t the type of injury the rules cover.
Briggs said, “You don’t have to report if you cut yourself with a razor. If I was cutting a cake with a knife and cut my finger, and I felt like I was in danger, then I would have called a doctor. If it had been something dire, then I would have notified the Bears organization. After I cut my hand, I wrapped it up myself and went to my appearance. I treated it the best I could.”
Briggs has been a top linebacker for the Bears since he entered the league in 2003. Last season, Briggs started every game and finished with 110 tackles, .5 sacks, 10 passes defended and three interceptions. See him this season Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
New Wide Receivers Add Depth
Many were calling for the Chicago Bears to bolster their wide receiver corps, and they answered the call by adding three receivers through the draft. The first receiver chosen was Oklahoma’s Juaquin Iglesias, who was picked up in the third round with the 99th overall pick. Iglesias will be a top talent for the Bears next season as he weighs in at 210 pounds at 6′1″.
General manager Jerry Angelo said of Iglesias, “He’s more prototypical of what an outside receiver looks like. He doesn’t play at 4.5 speed, but he ran a 4.5 at the Combine. He’s got exceptional hands, he’s real tough, he does the dirty work, he can return, and he’s very bright. We feel like he’s going to come in and pick up the offense.”
Iglesias wasn’t the only top talent picked in the draft. They added Johnny Knox from Abilene Christian in the fifth round and Derek Kinder from Pittsburgh in the seventh round. Knox set the record at Abilene Christian with 118 catches, 2,227 yards and 30 touchdowns in 25 games. Kinder struggled with injuries in 2007, but came back to tally 36 catches, 422 yards and three touchdowns in 2008. See all of them with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
A Closer Look at Gilbert
After the Chicago Bears traded away their first and second round pick, excitement was ignited with the selection of defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Gilbert is the son of offensive tackle Daren Gilbert, who played professionally for the New Orleans Saints. Jarron Gilbert played his college days with San Jose State and has been an impressive demonstration of talent. One such feat was captured in a video when Gilbert jumped straight out of a pool and landed on his feet.
About the incident, Gilbert said, “I went out there one day — it wasn’t that big a deal to me — and I just went and jumped out of the pool. I found out that I could do it, so I put it on film to make everybody else believe me.”
Prior to his college days, the 6-foot 5-inch 288 pounder grew up and went to high school in Chino, California. Last season with San Jose State, he had 52 tackles and 9.5 sacks. That same year, he was the team’s MVP and one of the team captains as well. See him play this season with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
Bears Active In Rounds 3-7
The first day of the draft may have been uneventful for the Chicago Bears, but they began adding players furiously on Sunday. The Bears traded away their first and second round picks, and began picking up players in the third round. They started with picking defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, followed by wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias, defensive end Henry Melton, cornerback D.J. Moore and more in the later rounds.
General manager Jerry Angelo said about the day, “This was a very good second day. We feel very, very good about this group, and I’m not saying it because we picked them. If I didn’t feel it, I would say nothing. But I feel very strongly about this group. We really wanted to infuse our defense with some young talent. That was really one of the goals of this draft. We just feel like we need to get some energy in there. Obviously when you talk defense, you talk defensive line with us.”
In the fifth round, the Bears added another receiver, Johnny Knox. Later in round five, they picked up linebacker Marcus Freeman. In round six, they added safety Al Afalava. Round seven brought in two picks, tight end Lance Louis and wide receiver Derek Kinder. See them all with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
Smith Speaks About Draft
So far, Chicago Bears fans have been hearing from general manager Jerry Angelo about the Bears’ plans for the 2009 NFL Draft, but he isn’t the only one whose opinion counts. Angelo may be making many of the decisions, but coach Lovie Smith’s take on the situation will also weigh in on who the Bears choose. Smith recently spoke to reporters about the pick.
Smith said, “We might keep all of our options open. I feel like our team is in position right now where we can … we always say we’re going to draft the best available player. We could use a good player at every position. … Be an offensive guy, defensive guy? We’ll just see how it plays out… We’ve always said going in, receiver is one of the positions we said we would like to get someone. We’ve looked at different guys. There are still veteran options out there. Sure, you look at the draft … if the right guy is there.”
Smith also brought up Denver’s top receiver Eddie Royal, who was picked in the second round of last year’s draft. With the depth of wide receivers in this year’s draft, the Bears are likely to find some good talent with the 49th pick. See all the new players with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
Perry in Serious Condition
William “The Refrigerator” Perry is one of the most well-known players from the Chicago Bears’ history. Perry was recently hospitalized and is in serious condition because of a condition he was diagnosed with last year. The condition that has him in the South Carolina hospital is Guillain-Barré syndrome. Hi s nephew, Purnell Perry, spoke about his uncle’s hospitalization and said, “They were making sure he was in pretty good health before they started treating him.”
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a chronic inflammation disorder that affects the peripheral nerves. The disease causes the body to attack its own nerve cells. When Perry was diagnosed last summer, he spent five months in the hospital. Doctors expect Perry to make a complete recovery.
Perry had a one-of-a-kind reputation in his defensive tackle position. Although there are many players over 300 pounds in the league now, Perry was one of the only players that size at the time. He was selected in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Bears and helped them win a Super Bowl that year. Coach Mike Ditka also used Perry creatively by putting him in as a running back at times. He played nine of his 10 seasons with the Bears. Get your Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
Angelo Won’t Settle For Bland Wide Receiver
Will the Chicago Bears draft a wide receiver with the 49th overall pick? That seems to be the question on everyone’s mind as Draft Day draws closer. General manager Jerry Angelo revealed the reasoning behind the pick if the Bears do not pick a receiver in that position.
Angelo said, “We’re not going to manufacture a receiver. We’re not going to do that. If there’s another player that we feel may not address a position as needed as a receiver, we’re still not going to rule that player out. Potentially, there could be a player that we really like. I don’t want to draft a receiver … and then find out he’s just a vanilla cone. That’s not my goal. We want to come out with something that has some sprinkles on it or has a little twist to it; bring a little playmaking ability to the position, and that’s what we’re fixed on. If we don’t feel we’re going to get a little twist to this guy, then we don’t want to take him. We want a guy who has a little juice to him.”
The ice cream analogy may be the perfect way to look at the position, considering that signing up to play with the Chicago Bears means the possibility of playing sub-zero temperatures at Soldier Field. See all of the new players with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
Johnson Would Love Chicago
If the Chicago Bears decide to go for a safety in the 2009 NFL Draft, they have one player who is also eyeing them. Rashad Johnson has family in Gary, Indiana outside of Chicago and has already expressed that he respects the Bears’ program. Johnson is getting excited about the draft and thinks he has what it takes to be a good contributor.
He said, “There are times I think about when I walked on at Alabama, all those 6 a.m. workouts, I would say to myself, `Oh man, what have I gotten myself into? But after seeing the things that I went through and the outcome of it, I wouldn’t rewind the tape and do it all over again. It means a lot more to me because I worked for every single thing that I got… People have had questions about my durability. I think I answered all those questions by coming to the combine at 203 pounds. I think I played in the toughest conference there is to play in, and I went the final 27 games without a major injury. I was able to compete at the highest level here.”
Johnson comes from Alabama, and he is expected to be a top prospect. Bears fans are calling for the Bears to select a wide receiver with their second-round pick, but the Bears are still debating what position to go after. See all of the Bears new players with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
Angelo Hoping For Multiple Starters in Draft
Chicago Bears fans are focused on the upcoming draft, and Bears’ writer Larry Mayer recently got to ask general manager Jerry Angelo the questions pressing everyone in the Bears community. The Bears are down two picks this year as they gave this year’s first and third round picks to the Denver Broncos as part of the deal that brought in new quarterback Jay Cutler. Angelo seems to have high hopes regardless of what picks the Bears gave up. Angelo dove into the question regarding how many starters he thought he could add during the draft.
Angelo said, “Given we just started our meetings with our scouts and coaches, it’s hard to say right now. But what I’ve been able to see thus far, I think three potential starters would be realistic. And when I say potential starters, I’m saying within the first three years of their career. When we give a player a final grade, that grade reflects what that player will eventually be. It’s rare for rookies to come in like Matt Forte and do what he did.”
The speculation right now is that the Bears will be using their second round pick to go for a wide receiver. Be there with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
Bears Unlikely to be Players in Boldin Trade
After adding new quarterback Jay Cutler to their roster, the Chicago Bears have been talking about adding a top wide receiver as a major target for Cutler. Some Bears fans may have gotten excited about the new news that the Arizona Cardinals are looking to trade star wide receiver Anquan Boldin.
The talk started heating up when Cardinals’ coach Ken Whisenhunt held a press conference and said, “Before the draft, you know there is going to be talk about Anquan and his situation and a trade. Since not a whole lot has changed with his contractual situation, we know that will come back. It would be foolish from our standpoint not to listen to those opportunities and see what actually exists.”
Bears fans shouldn’t get too excited, however, since it is highly unlikely that Chicago will land Boldin. The reason the Bears won’t get Boldin is because they used most of their major leverage to land Cutler, leaving them better off looking for a wide receiver in the draft instead of another trade. This year’s wide receiver class is deep, meaning the Bears could pick up some top talent with their second round pick. See all the new players with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.
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