The Bears Have Depth

Brown still may start for the Bears. He is a two-time Pro Bowl alternate whom the Bears allowed to solicit trade offers last off-season, none of which were good enough to give away an all-around end who has started 64 straight games.

Who should call: New York Giants. Michael Strahan is near retirement and Brown has more sacks than Strahan (21-18.5) over the last three years. At this point of their careers, frankly, Brown is better.

He came to Chicago with designs on a starting job. That won't happen with Nathan Vasher and Charles Tillman set, but Manning was a sometime starter at Carolina.

Who should call: New England Patriots. Franchise-tagged Asante Samuel is threatening to hold out the first 10 games and Manning is a No. 1 nickel corner at the least.

The quiet one is a low-mileage 28 years old and a true every-down back, skilled as a ball carrier, receiver and pass protector. He is 210 pounds with a career average of 4.7 yards per carry. He has started only one game as a Bear (in 2003); he would start many more elsewhere.

Who should call: Green Bay Packers. Northwestern's Noah Herron may be the answer, but Peterson is an ideal fit with Favre in that offense. One problem: Angelo won't answer the phone when caller ID reveals who's on the line.