Chicago Sun-Times

Bears, Giants are close, but there is some separation

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:23:03 -0600

If the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants are the last two Super Bowl champions, how far away can the Bears be? The Bears were NFC North champions ahead of the Packers in 2010 and battled the Packers to the end in the NFC Championship Game even with Caleb Hanie playing most of the second half. The Giants were below the Bears in every NFL power ranking with six games left in the 2011 regular season. On Nov. 20, the Bears were 7-3 after beating the San Diego Chargers, while the Giants were 6-4 after losing to the Philadelphia …

Wife of former Bear Tommie Harris fighting for her life

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:52:13 -0600

The wife of former Bears Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris is on life support and fighting for her life, a family friend told the Sun-Times. Harris wife, Ashley, is 29 years old and she suffered either a stroke or brain aneurism, said family friend Bill Horn. “We are holding on for a miracle,” Horn said. Ashley is in a hospital in Oklahoma and some of Harris’ former Bears teammates are en route to lend their support. Harris was popular among his teammates while with the Bears. Ashley gave birth to the couple’s second child just four months ago. …

During his time in Annapolis, Bears GM Phil Emery was a leader among Midshipmen

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:10:55 -0600

Shortly after Navy hired him as running backs coach in 1995, Ken Niumatalolo chatted with a player in the Midshipmen’s expansive sports-conditioning facility. Soon, a tall, sturdy man approached them and politely interrupted. “Very stern and direct, he said, ‘Don’t talk to the players during their lift. They’re focused,’ ” Niumatalolo recalled. “There was a focus about the man I had never seen before.” That was Niumatalolo’s introduction to Phil Emery, then, for all intents and purposes, the czar of player performance. Niumatalolo is now Navy’s football coach and Emery is the Bears’ general manager. Niumatalolo considers Emery, the onetime strength …

Bears hire Tim Holt as offensive line coach

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:58:24 -0600

The Bears filled the last significant vacancy on their coaching staff, hiring Tim Holt as offensive line coach.

New QBs coach Jeremy Bates reunited with Jay Cutler

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:50:55 -0600

Quarterback Jay Cutler will have his third offensive coordinator in four seasons with the Bears, but this transition could be the smoothest yet.

Brandon Marshall would relish reunion with Jay Cutler

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:59:25 -0600

INDIANAPOLIS — A month after a Twitter exchange with the Bears’ starting quarterback, Miami Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall reiterated his affection for Jay Cutler. Marshall is under contract through the 2014 season, but he was asked by the Sun-Times if reuniting with his former Denver Broncos teammate would appeal to him. “Maybe down the road, we may have some extra picks, and we may be able to trade for him,” Marshall said. “But we have a quarterback in place in Matt Moore. He did an amazing job [in the] second half of the season, and where we go from there …

Roger Goodell says kickoffs likely to stay at 35-yard line

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:10:13 -0600

INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL moved up kickoffs in the name of safety, and it appears commissioner Roger Goodell won’t move it back this offseason. “We knew there would be less kickoff returns,” Goodell told the Sun-Times on Friday. “But we thought safety was really a part of the initiative until we come up with a better solution.” Asked if the league would consider moving kickoffs from the 35 back to the 30, Goodell said, “We will evaluate again this offseason. But I don’t think we’re moving it back.” In 2010, there were 416 touchbacks (16.4 percent of all kickoffs, according …

Charles Tillman finalist for Walter Payton award

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:10:08 -0600

INDIANAPOLIS — Bears cornerback Charles Tillman is humbled and flattered by the growth of his Cornerstone Foundation, which benefits chronically and critically ill children in the Chicago area. Its impact made Tillman a finalist for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which will be announced Saturday at the inaugural NFL Honors award show. The other finalists are Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers and Matt Birk of the Baltimore Ravens. “It’s true and dear to our heart, and we’re doing some good things,” Tillman said. “I can’t tell you all the opportunities our foundation has been …

Bears RB Matt Forte eager to meet GM Phil Emery, wants ‘to remain in Chicago’

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:17:50 -0600

INDIANAPOLIS — Refreshed and inspired after his first trip to the Pro Bowl, Bears running back Matt Forte shined in the media spotlight days before Super Bowl XLVI, just blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium. He appeared on three-time Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew’s Sirius NFL Radio show, and he exchanged pleasantries with four-time All-Pro receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. “Man, I’m campaigning for you,” Fitzgerald told Forte. In 2011, with a base salary of $550,000, Forte was among the most underpaid players in the NFL, a point reinforced by Vizio naming him a finalist for its annual “Top Value Performer” …

Phil Emery’s daughter changed the way new Bears GM scouts the world

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:15:14 -0600

Phil and April Emery cruised along the back roads of Kansas City on Saturday afternoon, a coffee in the father’s hand and a vanilla steamer in his daughter’s. The drives are their favorite tradition; they agree on a radio station, soak in the scene and chat about whatever comes to mind. But Saturday’s drive was interrupted every five seconds by the pinging of Phil’s phone. Text messages flooded in after the Bears named him the franchise’s fifth general manager. ‘‘She looked at me and said, ‘Dad, a lot of calls,’ ” Phil recalled. After a pause, he looked at her and …

Drug trial for ex-Bears receiver Hurd set for April 2

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:38 -0600

Former Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd is set to go on trial April 2 in Dallas on charges that he tried to create a drug-distribution network, according to a federal judge’s order. Hurd, 26, is accused of trying to buy large quantities of marijuana and cocaine, including an alleged buy of one kilogram of cocaine. He was arrested outside of a Rosemont steakhouse on Dec. 14, the Bears cut him from their roster shortly afterward.