Bears Sign a Trio
The Bears made a few moves this weekend, re-signing Ruben Brown and adding on a pair of defenders.
I'm very happy that they were able to keep Brown. A one year, $2.2 million deal is a no-brainer for the Pro Bowl guard. They still need to draft a lineman or two, but the line in 2007 is going look exactly like the line that started the Super Bowl, and continuity is key in the trenches. When I think of Brown, I can't help but think of him pulling out and bulldozing a path for Thomas Jones on fourth down in the playoff game against Seattle. A perfect play, etched in memory forever.
On the other side of the trench, the Bears signed former Niner Anthony Adams to a four-year deal. I don't know much about this Defensive Tackle, other than what I read in the Pasquarelli article announcing the deal. ESPN had him ranked the 25th best free agent available this offseason, so he's probably on par with an Ian Scott or Alfonso Boone, both of whom are goners. (Well, I suppose they may re-sign Scott, but it doesn't seem likely with Adams in the fold.) Nevertheless, he should fit the scheme nicely and the Bears shouldn't suffer much of a dropoff while Tank is suspended.
The other signing, I think, is Tyrone Carter, a Safety from Pittsburgh. The reason I say "I think" is because the blurb I saw about his signing in the Pasquarelli article earlier is now gone. Did Pasquarelli jump the gun with this news and ESPN took it down? I know what I saw. Oh well, if the Bears DID sign Carter, then he'll be expected to fill the Todd Johnson role on the team (now that Johnson is with the Rams). If they DIDN'T sign Carter, well, then they still need to get someone to fill that role. I guess we'll know if they got the guy sooner or later. Right?
Bear Down.
UPDATE (3/27/2006): They did NOT sign Carter. ESPN screwed up, as noted at the tail-end of this story.