Bears Trade for Archuleta
The Bears made a trade today with the Redskins for Safety Adam Archuleta. The Safety position was probably the the most overlooked question mark heading into this offseason, with all the Briggs, Jones, Rivera, and Lovie stuff going on; and it's nice to see an early resolution before the draft. With Mike Brown's failing health and Todd Johnson departing, it's clear the Bears needed help at Safety. Should they have looked to the draft for a third year in a row? I'm glad they didn't. Danieal Manning and Chris Harris are solid, and Manning in particular might eventually amount to something special. But a third young player in the secondary is a recipe for disaster. Time for a veteran.
So now the question: is Adam Archuleta the right guy? Absolutely. He's a hard-hitting six-year vet that played under Lovie Smith for the Rams, so he already knows the Bears scheme inside and out. That knowledge alone is a huge step up from the greenies. Plus, the man can hit. He's like Gary Fencik if Gary Fencik played today and wasn't allowed to clothesline people any more. He's a good run stuffer, too.
What I'm trying to figure out now, is, does this mean the end for Mike Brown? Personally, I'd give Brown one more chance. Not only was he a great player, but he was the heart of the defense. (Well, Urlacher's the heart, but Brown was like a main artery or something.) Like Mark Prior and Kerry would for the Cubs, I wouldn't exactly count on Mike Brown next season, but I wouldn't release him either. The thought of Brown and Archuleta wrecking havoc over the middle with the Mannings in on the nickel is a dream of happy days.
Jerry Angelo just took one step towards taking the Bears back to the Super Bowl, and I applaud him. Bear Down.