Noots’ Notes (free agent edition)

By
Michael Nudo

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The Bears just locked up free agents Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna during a fast opening weekend of NFL Free agency. Let’s look at these players and what their signings mean to the team.

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TE Brandon Manumaleuna:
This was the first signing of the day, and a critical one. When it was announced, I kept thinking about how I was going to have to type up his name correctly in future articles about the Bears. Maybe I can just use his initials BM in reference going forward. The very childish part of me quickly thought up a headline for Friday’s activities: “Bears Start off Busy Day with Healthy BM.” Yeah, that’s catchy. Well, it did lead to a day of very regular Bears activity.

This is not the sleek Ferrari tight end that is Greg Olsen. He’s not fast. He’s not tall. He’s not a great pass catching target. What the heck do we have here? This is a slightly undersized tackle given a jersey in the 80s. He’s a gas-guzzling Escalade who is built to carry a run game in his back seat and frequently eat up 260-lb. defensive ends for Sunday afternoon supper. Further, he’ll be able to line up next to the tackle and stay home on passing plays to help protect Jay Cutler. Far too many sacks were allowed last season by Greg Olsen. It remains to be seen what the impact will be on the tight end group. Olsen may be the odd man out or used as trade bait. Someone will be gone by the start of training camp, and it may even trickle down to fullback where Jason McKie’s effectiveness has steadily declined over the past two seasons.

DE Julius Peppers:
The gem of all free agents. The most physically gifted defensive end in the NFL. He could be even more productive than he has shown. And yet his productivity has not been much to scoff at when you see he’s averaging 10 sacks a season. He’s been such a dominating presence that he regularly commands a double team. This should make things better for those next to him on the line. However, is anybody they line up next to him good enough to take advantage of a one-on-one matchup?

The same Bears’ coaches are still around on defense. The last few years, they weren’t smart enough to play the corners tight when they blitzed, thus negating any pass rush they generated. So, is the money spent on Peppers going to get wasted against teams smart enough to run the short drops or provide the double teams on Peppers? He’s 30 years old. How much longer will he be dominant? Is he already on the down side of his career? Well, the other big option was former Packer Aaron Kampman, who would have come at a less hefty price. But is that money well-spent if he’s coming off a major injury? Hey, it’s not our money, and there is no salary cap. Bully for the Bears in identifying a key element for their defense and going out there and getting him.

RB Chester Taylor:
Taylor is a solid player. He’s well-rounded. Is a heck of a pass catcher and pass blocker. It’s hard to argue why he wouldn’t be on the field. It seems fair to assume he’s going to at least split time with Matt Forte. Further, there’s every possibility that he could be winning the starting position sooner than later—especially if Forte plays like he did last season. There is nothing not to like about this move. The investment was just right, unless they relegate him to under 10 touches per game. The Bears should finally have a two-pronged backfield attack. The big question here will be where the footballs go. Mike Martz is not known for running the ball twenty times per game, let alone thirty. Hmm…

Taylor’s impact on the rest of the backfield will be huge. There will be little room left for fringe players like Kahlil Bell, Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe. It seems likely the Bears will cut bait with one or even two of them. Wolfe’s draft status, special teams excellence and occasional burst of speed make him a favorite to stick, but he he’s someone to wonder about from an injury standpoint.

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Posted: 03|9|10 at 3:18 am. Filed under: Uncategorized.

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