Mulligan: No reaching for the stars for the Bears

[UOK]

BY MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan@suntimes.com

Let's face it, the Bears' quick strike in the free-agent market isn't the sort of move that's going to make an immediate impact on ticket sales. The team's acquisition of lineman Frank Omiyale, at first blush, inspires little more than the need for a pronunciation chart.

You say it: ''Oh-Me-Yell,'' as in Oh-Me-Scream or Oh-Me-Pull-My-Hair-Out-And-Wonder-Why-The-Bears-Can't-Get-A-Guy-Like-Albert-Haynesworth.

What about it, Jerry Angelo? What do you say to the fans who wonder why the organization is coaxing a backup lineman from his in-laws' home outside of Nashville instead of getting the prize of the free-agent market from the Tennessee Titans?

''All that glitters is not gold,'' the Bears' general manager said on a conference call Friday.

No buying a stairway to heaven for this team. Sadly, no drafting your way there, either. Omiyale came out in 2005, a fifth-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons who was waived and claimed by the Carolina Panthers before becoming a target man for the Bears. You remember the 2005 draft, don't you? The Bears had six picks, but they were high in each round. They used the No. 4 overall selection on Cedric Benson and the No. 39 on Mark Bradley. Kyle Orton, the only remaining member of the Class of '05 and a guy put on notice by the general manager just after the end of last season, was a fourth-round pick.

Omiyale, whom the Bears were fond of, according to Angelo, went No. 163, or 23 spots after the Bears burned a fifth-round selection on leading MRI man Airese Currie. Safety Chris Harris, who was teammates with Omiyale last year in Carolina, was drafted by the Bears in the sixth round. Flared-out linebacker Rod Wilson was the seventh-round pick that year.

What's the point? Only that the free-agent market is a place to overpay to find replacements for failed draft picks. Fantasy-football owners with trust funds and big checkbooks hand out $100 million for the right to pay Haynesworth. The Bears sweat and claw and battle to unearth hidden gems such as Omiyale and hope they have a young ''traits guy'' ready to blossom despite limited playing time in four seasons.

In fairness, it remains to be seen if the drafts have been the problem or whether it's player development that hasn't been up to snuff -- or maybe just the evaluations of the guys on hand. Benson, Bradley and especially Harris might yet have decent careers. Of course, just because there is room for improvement doesn't mean that improvement will occur.

Regardless, given that Omiyale has ''an abbreviated resume,'' as Angelo put it, the real hope for the kid lies in the multiple successes of the pro personnel department, led by Bobby DePaul and his staff. They have struck gold before with budget buys Thomas Jones, Desmond Clark, Ruben Brown, Roberto Garza and Robbie Gould. In fact, if you go back to the Bears' recent Super Bowl team, you'll find 14 key contributors who were not drafted onto the team.

The Bears have been especially good with offensive linemen, such as Omiyale. Four of the five linemen on the Super Bowl team -- John Tait, Fred Miller, Garza and Brown -- were not drafted by the team. And John St. Clair, who remains a priority to re-sign, was the sixth man with that group.

The bet here is that Omiyale ends up starting, most likely at left guard in place of former fourth-round draft pick Josh Beekman, whose future might be as the eventual replacement for Olin Kreutz at center. Beekman battles hard but is undersized and might be better suited at center. Omiyale might end up at left tackle if 2008 first-round pick Chris Williams struggles after playing sparingly as a rookie following back surgery.

Angelo insisted signing Omiyale has no bearing on the team's desire to bring back St. Clair, although it certainly sounds as though the team wants St. Clair at its price and not his. Angelo also says bringing in a young lineman offers the team options with the No. 18 overall pick.

''The draft is an ever-moving target right now, and what we are able to accomplish in free agency prior to the draft gives us more latitude,'' Angelo said.

The advice here is to stick to drafting linemen on both sides of the ball. Get another offensive tackle at No. 18 if the right guy is there. An edge pass rusher would be the only higher priority. Angelo might talk about having options, but the best option is to continue to upgrade an aging offensive line.

[wab]

You know...they keep saying this offensive line is "old" and we need to address the "aging" offensive line....but if you take out a retiring Tait and actually look at it, we are actually getting pretty young there...

Williams is 23
Beekman is 25
Beunning is 26
Omiyale is 26
Garza is 29

The only ones over 30 are Kreutz, St Clair and Metcalf...and Metcalf probably won't even be on the roster next year...or St Clair...

By the time it's all said and done, we may only have one guy over 30 by the time the season rolls around.

[G08]

Yeah but how many of them are going to play? There is talk that Beekman will be replaced with Omiyale if St. Clair returns (personally, I'd rather have Omiyale replace Garza). Buenning has yet to sniff the field and his contract is up at the end of the season (makes me wonder why we even bothered trading for the guy).

[wab]

At least 4 of those 5 are going to start....

[G08]

Oh definitely, I'm just speaking more toward the questionable acquisition of Buenning, and the potential of Beekman being cast aside if St. Clair returns.

[UOK]

Who's this beumming guy?

[RING4CHI]

Who's this beumming guy?

Guard we got traded for with Tampa Bay last year.