News & Info/Headlines
With Super Bowl XLI behind us -- and with the Colts currently enjoying their status as NFL Champions in the wake of Sunday's 29-17 win over the Bears -- this might be a good time to catch up on some news and notes of interest for both teams heading into the offseason. ...
We'll start with the Bears. ... As the Chicago Tribune reported it Monday, Cedric Benson's star-crossed Bears career continued Sunday night at the Super Bowl.
In case you missed it, Benson left the game against the Colts for good with 1 minute 33 seconds left in the first quarter after twisting his left knee at the end of a 4-yard run. He walked off the field under his own power and tested the knee on the sideline by trying to cut on it before the Bears' training staff ruled him out.
It ended a bad night for Benson, who carried twice for minus-1 yard and lost a fumble on his first carry when Colts safety Bob Sanders jarred the ball loose and Dwight Freeney recovered.
"It's just a little sprain," said Benson, who had the leg immobilized after the game. "It hurts, especially to have that happen so early when you worked so hard to get here. Had I not got put out so early, it might have made a difference."
But as Tribune staffer David Haugh argued, Benson's absence did make a difference.
Haugh explained the loss changed the Bears' running game and prevented them from using the one-two punch of Benson and Thomas Jones that had been so effective in the postseason.
Without Benson to wear down the Colts' defense as he did in the NFC championship game against the Saints, more pressure fell on Jones.
"Losing Cedric hurt us, but [Jones] ran well," head coach Lovie Smith said. "We missed Cedric later in the ballgame. We never got into any rhythm running the football. You would like to think that having a runner like [Benson] available to you would help, but he wasn't available."
Haugh went on to point out the impact his loss had on the running game serves as a reminder how important Jones is to the Bears' big picture.
That will be a factor when trade rumors start heating up involving Jones, entering the final season of a contract scheduled to pay him $2.25 million. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is expected to approach the Bears about a new deal.
Rosenhaus obviously has a history of trying to negotiate contracts for players in the final year of their deals and nobody would be surprised if Jones wanted to do so.
But the presence of Benson complicates things.
The No. 4 pick in the 2005 draft, Benson got a $16 million signing bonus. He rushed just 157 times this season for 647 yards, but there's been copious speculation hinting he'll be the feature back next season.
Of course, all that was before the knee injury he suffered against the Colts. While the injury isn't believed to be serious, some believe it might be sufficient for team officials to carefully consider their next move at the position.
As Haugh framed it: "Has Jones, whose 52-yard run in the first quarter Sunday was the Bears' only big play from scrimmage in the first half, done enough the last two seasons to earn an extension? Can the Bears afford to risk going into next season counting heavily on Benson without Jones if concerns linger about Benson's second knee injury in two seasons?"
The Bears have two months to answer those questions. But they had no answer Sunday when they needed a power-running component to set up Jones' shiftiness.
It should be noted that Chicago is in great shape to keep the core of their NFC champion roster together.
With a projected $26 million to spend under the $109 million cap, there shouldn't be the kind of financially motivated moves that many winning teams face each offseason. Chicago will have the wherewithal to address its needs and keep the players it chooses to retain.
That said, Jones' situation is one of the most intriguing of the offseason for the Bears.
If the team decides to let him move on, the 5-10, 220-pound Jones could be on the market, a development that New York Daily News beat writer Ralph Vacchiano believes would interest the Giants and the Jets, both of whom are expected to be on the lookout for a veteran running back this offseason.
One thing seems certain: The 28-year old Jones, who rushed for 1,210 yards during the regular season and added another 301 in three playoff games, is unlikely to be interested in a reserve role. ...
Meanwhile in another of the more intriguing storylines for the Bears, Rex Grossman seemed to retain the support of teammates despite throwing to critical interceptions in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss.
"Rex brought us to the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl hadn't been to Chicago in 21 years -- that should give him a break," said defensive end Alex Brown, who was also Grossman's teammate at the University of Florida. "As hard as the media in Chicago is on Rex, they weren't that hard on Craig Krenzel (in 2004). They weren't that hard on those guys when we were sorry.
"We lost the Super Bowl. We're upset. But we won the NFC championship with Rex, so give him a break."
While teammates seem to have his back, ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli suggested on Monday there's reason to wonder how the Chicago brain trust will address the quarterback position this offseason.
A victory over the Colts might have cemented Grossman in the eyes of Bears officials, perhaps earned him a contract extension.
Grossman, whose salary was $625,000 this season, earned an extra $1 million in incentives for the Bears' playoff run -- $500,000 each for starting in the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.
Now, Pasquarelli believes, there is a chance the Bears will force Grossman into semi-lame duck status next season, to play under his original rookie contract, and evaluate him as the year wears on. There also is a chance that, despite the public support Grossman enjoys from Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo, he might have to compete with Brian Griese and Kyle Orton for the starting job in training camp.
In an article published Tuesday, SI.com senior writer Peter King took that a step further, expressing his belief the Bears can't go to training camp with Grossman, Griese and Orton and think they've done everything they could do to win.
That belief prompted King to offer team officials the following suggestions:
And finally, King suggested drafting Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith with the 31st pick in the first round. King explained: "The Heisman winner, who was terrible in January bowl games, will have lots to prove. ..."
But Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey disagrees. ... While admitting the Bears are "still a quarterback away from being Super Bowl champions," Morrissey contends that quarterback could be Grossman -- although he'll clearly have to work at it.
Is he up to it? According to Morrissey, that depends on if he's willing to change.
The first thing is to admit what he is. As Morrissey explained: "He is a wildly average quarterback, in that his ups and downs add up to mediocre. Start there. Level him out."
All it would have taken Sunday was for Grossman to have been a caretaker quarterback Sunday, and the Bears would have had a chance to beat the Colts.
Morrissey added: "A caretaker quarterback doesn't fumble snaps. A caretaker quarterback does not throw a risky, foolish pass with his team down five points in the fourth quarter. A caretaker quarterback does not have five interceptions returned for touchdowns in one season."
It's going to take everything that Grossman has to turn himself into a quarterback who is content to make a few plays a game. As Morrissey noted, Grossman has been raised to be a star.
The Bears don't need a star quarterback. They need a good quarterback.
It'll be interesting to see if the Bears are convinced there's enough "Good Rex" in Grossman to let him be that guy. ...
In Indianapolis. ... The biggest issue for the Colts this offseason appears to be financial. As SI.com insider Don Banks put it on Monday: "You can make a heck of an argument that no other team in the NFL is in worse shape than the Colts, who have a bevy of potential free agents on their roster and are projected to be less than $5 million under the $109 million cap."
In fact, only three teams have less room, and of those, none have as many key free agents. Any way you cut it, the Colts are going to suffer a significant talent drain this offseason.
As for the upcoming free agency period. ... Even though Freeney's contract can void in March, he's not getting anywhere close to the open market. General manager Bill Polian made it clear last week that he'll franchise Freeney (at a cost of $8.6 million for 2007) if Indy can't negotiate a contract extension with him before March.
Peyton Manning isn't going anywhere and receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are signed long-term.
Tight end Dallas Clark and Sanders will be back. So will running back Joseph Addai, who had a splendid rookie season in place of the departed Edgerrin James. But there are certain to be some obstacles along the way.
"It's going to be a 'squeeze' year for the cap," Polian said. "It won't be easy."
That means Polian might find it tough to keep his depth at running back by re-signing Dominic Rhodes, who was superb against the Bears.
Working in tandem, like they did for most of the regular season, Rhodes and Addai combined for 190 yards on 40 carries against the Bears. Rhodes recorded his first 100-yard rushing game since 2001, gaining 113 yards on 21 carries. Addai added 77 yards on the ground and caught 10 passes for 66 yards, falling one catch shy of tying a Super Bowl record.
While the Colts would like to hang onto Rhodes, his contract is up and if another team offers starter money, there's no way the Colts can compete.
Given Tiki Barber's retirement, New York Newsday staffer Bob Glauber suggests the Giants might show some interest in Rhodes. And unlike Chargers restricted free agent Michael Turner, Rhodes wouldn't require any draft-choice compensation.
But the Giants certainly wouldn't be alone in their interest.
According to BuffaloBills.com staffer Chris Brown, there has been talk among Bills fans about the prospect of acquiring Rhodes. While Brown believes Rhodes is a more decisive downhill runner than Willis McGahee, he isn't much better as a receiver.
Rhodes, who had his most productive receiving season this year, caught 36 balls.
Some might be concerned with Rhodes' age. He's 28, the age when the production for a lot of running backs begins to tail off.
That said, Rhodes hasn't racked up much mileage. He's only got 550 carries in his career. The biggest knock, according to Brown, is that he hasn't average more than 3.5 yards per carry the past two years in spot duty -- leading Brown to conclude Rhodes might not be ready so handle a full-time gig.
But that doesn't mean somebody won't take a chance on him. After all, the Vikings took a similar risk with Chester Taylor last offseason and that worked out reasonably well. ...
Meanwhile, Indianapolis Star staffer Mike Chappell advised readers it might be difficult to keep wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who finished the season on the injured-reserve list with a ruptured Achilles tendon. He's due a $500,000 roster bonus in March and a $2.1 million base salary. ...
Fellow wideout Ricky Proehl definitely won't return. The 17-year veteran has decided to retire.
"This is it for me," Proehl said before Sunday's win. "The reason I signed with the Colts was because I thought they had a chance to get to the Super Bowl, and I thought I could help them do that. It hasn't gone quite as well as planned, but I was right about them being in the Super Bowl, and it's a pretty good way to end things."
Long regarded as one of the premier slot receivers in NFL history, Proehl was signed by the Colts after Stokley was hurt. But Proehl himself suffered through nagging injuries, and caught just three passes for 30 yards in two regular-season appearances.
He was declared inactive for Super Bowl XLI and did not have a catch in post-season play.
In other retirement-related news -- or more accurately it would appear, nonretirement-related news. ... After enjoying a sleepless, festive night, 51-year-old head Tony Dungy sounded as if he's ready to do it all again next season.
"I still have a lot of passion and enthusiasm for the game. ... I'm not burned out; I'm not tired at all. I'm very fired up and looking forward to coming back. But I'll evaluate it and see where we'll go."
Some may consider that not definitive enough to quash all the speculation that Dungy might retire after winning the elusive championship ring. But it sure sounded as if Dungy was preparing to become the first black coach to chase a second Super Bowl title after becoming the first to win one in Miami Sunday night. ...
In an MVP-related note. ... According to King, Manning said something during the week that proved to be rather prescient in hindsight after completing 25 of 38 for 247 yards with one touchdown and one interception while earning said MVP honors.
As Manning explained: "Chuck Noll said, 'Pressure is something you feel only when you don't know what you are doing.' That's how I feel. I get prepared. I prepare as hard as I possibly can. Sure you feel nervous, you feel anxious, but I don't feel pressure because I feel that I have done everything I could to be prepared for that game.
"There have been plenty of games where I have said that I wish that I could have this throw back or I wish that I would have seen that linebacker, but it just didn't happen. But I have never left the field saying I could have done more to get ready for that game. That gives me peace of mind.''
Waiting for his brother after the game, Cooper Manning told King, "I thought he played like it wasn't raining.''
And as King summed up: "Champions play like it isn't raining when it is. ..."
And finally. ... In the four Super Bowls played at the current Dolphin Stadium, a player for the losing team has returned a kick for a touchdown -- Devin Hester, Tim Dwight, Andre Coleman and Stanford Jennings.