The Bears have made their first coaching move, releasing defensive backs coach Steven Wilks. Wilks joined the Bears prior to the 2006 season.

Chicago’s defensive backs combined for 42 interceptions and 19 forced fumbles under Wilks, but the pass coverage was spotty this season as the Bears went 9-7. A once-dominant defense ranked 21st overall and 30th against the pass, and was particularly vulnerable to slants.

Nickel back Danieal Manning was surprised to hear the news about Wilks.

“Wow, that’s a shock,” Manning said. “That’s the only DBs coach I ever knew, the guy I came into the league with. We came in together. We got our bumps and bruises together.

“I learned a lot from Coach Wilks. I learned how to be a professional. That was his big thing: being professional on and off the field. And he always talked about tunnel vision, about staying focused on the team goals.”

Manning expected a chance to occur, just not in this form.

“Coach Lovie Smith told us after the last game that this wasn’t going to be the same team,” Manning said. “You expect players to change, but nothing like this so soon. … I’m quite sure that Coach Wilks is resilient and that he’ll bounce back.”

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said he thinks the world of fired Detroit head coach Rod Marinelli and would “love to have” Marinelli on the Bears staff.

The Bears signed seven players to reserve/future contracts Monday. The players are the following; tackle Cody Balogh, receivers Rudy Burgess and John Broussard, end Joe Clermond, tight end Fontel Mines, guard Tyler Reed and linebacker Marcus Riley.

#1 WR

#2 O-line

#3 Safety Depth

#4 Coordiantors on both sides of the ball

#5 QB

#6 bringing back Mike Brown, John St. Clair, Brandon Lloyd and Brandon McGowan

Written by Joe Willett of Bleacherreport.com.

Terrell Owens has officially been traded to the Chicago Bears after Jerry Jones decided that he needed to cave to the media and shake things up a little bit.

Although the trading deadline is long gone, Roger Goodell, in an attempt to keep Tony Romo and Jason Witten from joining forces to murder clubhouse cancer, allowed the trade to go through.

However, angered with the situation at hand, TO has begun his anti-teammate antics earlier than ever before.

It began when Bears receiver Rashied Davis refused to give up the number 81 to Owens, who has always had that number.

“This is just him looking at what I did to all my other teams and pre-judging me,” said an angered Owens in another interview with ESPN writer Stephen A. Smith.

Davis also commented on the situation.

“I don’t care if they give him the [Stephon] Marbury treatment, I don’t want him on this team,” said an also angered Davis.

Owens then turned his frustration to the quarterback and, in a tactic he has never used before, decided he didn’t want to catch passes from anybody on the Bears depth chart at quarterback.

“First off, [Kyle] Orton is just plain ugly. Look at that neck beard, just nasty. At least I had Jeff Garcia (Playboy Playmate wife), Tony Romo (Jessica Simpson girlfriend) and Donovan McNabb (I guess he just thinks McNabb is hot). How am I supposed to catch passes from such an ugly person. And look at the guys they have lower on the depth chart are even worse. Grossman looks like a cardboard cutout and who the f*** is Caleb Hanie,” said Owens.

There have also been bad times. After his time in San Fransisco, he called his insinuated that his ex-quarterback was a homosexual. Then he went to Philadelphia where he played for just one season. In that one season, he went to the Super Bowl despite playing injured in the NFC Championship game.

While with the Eagles, he made statements against Donovan McNabb, saying that the team would be undefeated if they had Brett Favre as the quarterback because Favre is a warrior, even though McNabb was playing with a sports hernia among other injuries.

When he went to Dallas, arch-rival to the Eagles, he was generally nice to the team. However, in 2006, there was a police-report saying that Owens had overdosed on a pain medication intentionally to try to commit suicide.

Then, throughout the past few weeks, Owens has been reportedly creating a divide amongst the players in the Cowboys locker room as he had been upset with Tony Romo’s frequent passing to tight end Jason Witten, although Romo had thrown to Owens about 20 more times than he had thrown to Witten. This event led to his most recent trade to Chicago.

Despite all of the antics he brings, he still always finds a way to help the team win. In his first game against the Packers he had 143 receiving yards and three touchdown catches as the Bears won the game 42-10.

Said Owens after the game, “they unleashed me.”

I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

This never really happened

TERRY BANNON: Bears 23, Texans 20

DAVID HAUGH: Bears 24, Texans 23

VAUGHN McCLURE: Bears 28, Texans 24

FRED MITCHELL: Bears 27, Texans 23

RICK MORRISSEY: Bears 21, Texans 20

JOHN MULLIN: Bears 17, Texans 16

MELISSA ISAACSON: Texans 21, Bears 17

DAN POMPEI: Texans 28, Bears 26

SHANNON RYAN (WILD CARD): Texans 26, Bears 20

I thought Mike Brown was going to play this Sunday.

I guess I thought wrong, because today it was announced that, Mike Brown will miss the rest of the season due to a calf injury.

Mike Brown played 15 game this season, which is a lot for a guy, who has been banged up for most of his career.

Many think this will be Brown’s last season in Chicago, since he is a free agent this off-season.

But, I see this guy returning to the team, unless Craig Steltz plays out of this world on Sunday.

Mike Brown recorded 101 tackles, one sack and two interceptions this season.

Recently signed Cameron Worrell, will backup rookie Steltz this Sunday.

Steltz filled in for the injured Brown on Monday night against the Packers.

Lovie Smith had this to say about the loss of Mike Brown:

“Very disappointing for our football team and for Mike, too, injuries are a part of it, and Mike’s been in this situation before. He made it through this time about as long as he had in awhile.”

“Losing Mike Brown for the rest of the season is big.”

He has not played in all 16 games since 2003 and with an expiring contract, his future is in doubt.

For now, Lovie Smith said any conversations about that are “definitely premature.”

“Right now, he’s not going to play this week. That’s about all I can talk about,” Smith said, when asked if he would like to re-sign Brown.

Lovie on Craig Steltz’s first career start:

“Craig’s a good player, he’s played well on special teams, and when we’ve given him an opportunity to play a regular down, he’s come through.”

Cameron Worrell on his chance to play:

“I’ve been through the system, I know what I’m doing. I picked it up fairly quickly when I came back. I’m just here to add some depth and do whatever they ask me to do.”

Cedric Benson talks about his new RB coach in Cincinnati and his old RB coach Tim Spencer (Bears):

“My position coach here (Jim Anderson) has been really helpful, much different from my position coach there in Chicago,” Benson said. “(Anderson) told me how excited he was I’m here. He’s helped me adjust as fast as possible to the playbook. He’s been a support guy in the corner, which I didn’t get much in Chicago.”

Asked how Spencer was different, Benson said, “I don’t think he was a fan of Cedric, not at all.”

It should be no surprise that Cedric Benson talks to none of the Bears players or coaches.

Cameron Worrell flew in Wednesday night to Chicago, and spent Christmas at the Charles Tillman’s house.

He will sign a one-year deal today, which ultimately means one game, unless they resign him this offseason.

Cameron Worrell, who spent four seasons with the Bears and made 28 special-teams tackles in 2006, was placed on injured reserve and waived by the New York Jets in the preseason after a shoulder injury that required surgery 13 weeks ago.

Worrell was spending his time rehabbing with his family in California.

In the picture on the left, he is celebrating Devin Hester’s touchdown return in Super Bowl XLI.

Worrell had this to say about his return:

‘It wasn’t an easy decision, and I wasn’t really pursuing anything. With the Bears, I’m familiar with the system, and I know what is expected. I’ve been through playoff games here, and I know what is at stake.”

Worrell also had this to say:

“I’ve been through the system, I know what I’m doing. I picked it up fairly quickly when I came back. I’m just here to add some depth and do whatever they ask me to do.”