Breaking News: John Tait Considering Retirement
by ifuwannacrownem on Feb 14, 2009 8:36 AM CST
Email
PrintBig ups to Luckie815 for this one.
The biggest shocker for the Bears this offseason is the news that Bears RT John Tait plans to retire. The article can be read here. With Tait gone, the Bears must almost certainly sign John St. Clair and draft a lineman. It will also free up some cap room heading into free agency.
UPDATE: It is being reported that Tait is expected, not considering retirement. If he did, it would give the Bears an additional 5 million of cap space.
47 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
To much money
for the Bears. There are other good UFAs out there. Stacy Andrews Cincy 6’7" 342# and Kalif Barns Jags 6’5" 325#
$5.35 million off the cap
hopefully the bears use this to get Gross or Carey.
any indication that the economy will hit FA like it has in baseball, making better players available for less?
The ecomony might be a factor....
But, when supply and demand comes into play… guys at thin positions like RT will still get big bucks. And TJ Housh should get a Berrian type contract, because he’s the only real top WR out there.
I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008
Wow. This was reported last night after midnight.
And, since the Bears had yet to contact St. Clair at all this off-season about contract negotiations, he just gained some huge leverage.
The Bears are all of the sudden in a bit of a desperation mode at RT. Andrews was on my list as a plan B, but he honestly has not been as productive as you’d like him to be. Still, I’d take him for his size. Carey is my #1 target, but I think he’ll stay in Miami, unless the market drives his proce tag up too high for the Dolphins.
I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008
One of my friends caught a game this year
and said that Tait could barely move at the end of the game.
Like SackMan said, we’re in desperation mode. But this feels good….for some reason, I’m happy we’re in this situation. Nail Gross or get someone in the draft.
I'M A MAN! I'M 22!
One thing that worries me: last year we were in desperation mode at WR
And… well… look how they approached that mess.
I’d like to think your starting RT is pretty friggin important. I hope they’re able to re-sign St’ Clair AND add another free agent lineman as well.
What still pisses me off is their decision to cut rookie RT Kirk Barton last year, right before the season started. After a few roster moves, they eventually signed Fred Miller as the back-up RT (effectively taking Barton’s roster spot). Thankfully Miller didn’t have to play a single down last year… he sucks. But, if Barton was on the team all year, he could have been developing.
I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008
That's very true
I couldn’t believe that Jerry hadn’t talked to St. Clair yet. I can hope that it’s because he’s planning on grabbing Gross or making another FA splash.
I remember how pissed you were about Barton. I’m fairly sure that if you met Jerry in the street after that, you would have strangled him.
I'M A MAN! I'M 22!
He'll get tagged
Between an aging DE or a young stud of a tackle, which one would you franchise? Gross isn’t going anywhere. I can see JA signing St. Clair, and then drafting a RT in the first two rounds.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
I agree
I guess it depends on who’s available at #18. If four or five OT have been taken before, then they need to seriously consider taking the best player available instead of reaching.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
A vast majority mocks have suggested that
Eben Britton, the top RT in the draft out of Arizona will be there at 18. Though if he is gone I doubt I would take any RT until the 3rd round.
LOL.
I don’t even know if Barton will be any good. But, my whole beef was: they drafted a RT to try and develop… and instead of trying, they dumped him and signed Fred Miller instead. Miller sucks so bad at his old age, that it probably would’ve been a wash between the two guys if either had to play last year. So, keep the rookie.
I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008
St Clair
made a statment that he would only sign with a team as a starter. If we got a younger RT I suppose he could start at left guard.
Had an argument with a friend last night
Does anyone know what kind of financial hit the Bears would take if they fired Lovie and JA at the end of next season? We were discussing about the ramifications if the Bears didn’t make the playoffs again.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
Simple google search...
… found that Lovie is signed through 2011, at $5 million a year, and Angelo is signed through 2013, though it doesn’t appear that Angelo’s salary is listed anywhere. [source]
Bringing moderation to a place I don't moderate.
visit the mindful mission
by big_lowitzki on Feb 14, 2009 3:41 PM CST up reply actions
Hopefully
this doesn’t force Angelo to overpay for St Clair. The guy is a role player and should be paid as such.
Hopefully what it does is force Angelo to pay for a true starter (like Barnes, Carey, Andrews) or a first round pick. I personally like Barnes since he could potentially play LT if Williams doesn’t pan out (not that an Angelo first round pick would ever fail…).
DEJESUS!!!
Hands down now we must draft an OL with the first pick
I’d love to have Harvin, but looks like we must get an OL now. Who?
#34: You'll be missed!
If you want OT
Oher or Britton as of right now. After the combine, that picture will become a little clearer.
OG….Duke Robinson from Chokelahoma.
I'M A MAN! I'M 22!
Oher
has a lot of red flags about his desire to play. He only get’s his motor running when he feels like it. You would have to really try to get in his head during the combine and try to figure out if he’s after the inital contract or really want’s to play. Unless we get a RT in FA I don’t know if I would chance him.
Another thing
Oher would be great if all he had to do is run into a brick wall, but when it comes to adjusting to different situations he has a hard time.
That's low...
Chokelahoma, that is totally below the belt.
So... just to lay this out for you all.
As of right now, the Bears….
A. Don’t have a starting RT under contract
B. Don’t have an actual #1 WR under contract… or a #2 for that matter.
C. Don’t have a starting SS/FS under contract (Mike Brown will not be back next year).
That’s quite a mess they’ve gotten themselves into.
I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008
The good thing
is were going to see a lot of new names on the roster.
How is this a mess?
these are the positions that needed to be adjusted. looks like they’re going to be adjusted.
"blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda and we'll go from there"
-Lovie Smith
by ifuwannacrownem on Feb 14, 2009 12:33 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, they need to be adjusted.
So, that’s a positive.
But, if they are not adjusted with improvement… we’ll still have problems.
Last year, we lost Berrian and Moose… and replaced them with Lloyd and Booker. And, now we need to replace them again. That’s a bad, bad pattern.
If they go into camp thinking some kind of combination of McGowan, Payne and Manning is their starting safety tandem… that’s a bad, bad, pattern.
I'm not going to even bother trying to update this sig everyday anymore... that's what the standings column on ESPN is for.
Updated on May 25, 2008
McGowan
I believe McGowan is a free agent too, so no guarantees hes in the mix
by Hurricanes becoming Bears on Feb 14, 2009 6:14 PM CST up reply actions
Am I the only one
who was impressed by the recent play of Payne, McGowan, and Manning? I’ll admit that Manning needs some coverage skills, as they all do, but a lot of that was due to the bureaucracy known as the Bears’ pass rush. I think that they need another 5th round DB to play free safety, because Angelo can draft late round DBs who can play, or Tillman could shift over there. Graham looks like he’s got RCB locked up for a while, and Vasher, McBride, and Bowman can fight over LCB.
by isrealidonije on Feb 16, 2009 1:41 PM CST up reply actions
I think Graham
has been great. Manning has too many critical lapses for me to ever trust him at anything besides returnign kickoffs. Maybe I’m still bitter about the super bowl.
DEJESUS!!!
I Don't think it is a mess
A. Don’t have a starting RT under Contract – We went through 2008 with 2 Right Tackles on the roster – Tait (who was certainly not the John Tait of Old and we pulled Fred Miller out of the Old Folks Home to help hold down the fort. I don’t see how we could go backwards at this position going into 2009.
B. don’t have an actual #1 WR under contract… or a #2 for that matter – Can anyone even remember when the last time we did?
C. Don’t have a starting SS/FS under contract – Again we have been hurting at this position for years. We have relied on MB to be healty year after year and have gotten burnt each time. This year he played admirably until getting hurt at the end of the season, but he was hardly the MB of old.
Look I think that we would be naive to expect the Bears to win the Super Bowl in 2009. I think that a return to playing Chicago Bears Football would be enough to keep a lot of us happy. Bears Football is not the disinterested group that we saw on the field last year. I would still be happy if the Bears missed the playoffs again next year but brought in a couple of hard playing, tough, punch you in the mouth Free Agents and Rookies to pave the way for 2010.
We have heard a lot about the Bears being “close” this year, but they were only “close” in record. They did not play football like a playoff team. They did not play football like a hungry team. I think that a lot of the changes they are making this year may go a long way towards turning this around. All in all, I do think that we are looking better at this juncture than we were heading into 2008.
Amen!
"blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda and we'll go from there"
-Lovie Smith
by ifuwannacrownem on Feb 14, 2009 2:28 PM CST up reply actions
Filling holes
They certainly have to get a RT in free-agency, whether that’s St. Clair or not I don’t know. Most likely JA will have to draft one in the first two rounds as well, depending on who drops or is a reach at #18. In addition, he’ll have to add a mid-tier FA at WR and possibly FS., but I think he’ll draft a safety instead. It’s not really fair to assess all these needs until they have a chance to fill them properly.
"I'm not so mean. I wouldn't ever go out to hurt anybody deliberately - unless it was, you know, important, like a league game or something." - Dick Butkus
I don't see
how having a poor track record at RT, WR and S makes it any less of an issue for this year. If anything it makes it worse because we don’t have a lot of hope that Angelo will find anyone or that the McCaskeys will let him pay anyone.
DEJESUS!!!
It is definately an issue, but not necessarily a mess
There is a positive to being in this position and that is that standing pat is now not an option. We MUST make a move for a RT. We MUST make a move for a S, and we MUST make a move for a WR. These are three positions that I think we would all agree were areas of concern coming out of last season. We did not make any significant moves with the exception of signing a couple of #3 WR’s. No matter what we do from this point on, I think we will be better off at all 3 positions than we were last year.
Be careful what you wish for...
I wouldn’t put it past this lot to mess up and leave us worse off than we were last year!
Right
but WR, S and Oline were obvious needs last year, and Angelo did a horrid job of fixing them. Why do you feel like he’ll do better now.
I could just as easily see him say the following: “At WR, we have a #1 in Hester, I just spent a #3 in Bennett, and I’ll pick up Furrey and he’ll be as good as Welker, so then we’ll be set. At RT, I’ll just sign St Clair, and he can start along with Williams, who I drafted in the first so he must be good. At S, I’ll move Tillman to FS, put Manning at SS, at we’ll be great. I’ll pick up this Tyson Jackson DE from LSU and we’ll be dominant again.”
Doesn’t that sound like something you could see Angelo saying? I see that as more realistic than him doing anything bold like trading for Boldin, signing Housh, signing a big name RT, etc.
I would caution you in using past failures as an indication of future success.
DEJESUS!!!
is it bad...
that im posting on valentines day with my wife getting ready for us to go out? that being said…this is good news. i gotta say…i’ve always been a fan of big tait but it definitely is time to go…time has caught up to the man. st.clair will be back but i don’t think he’s the answer either. personally, we might be better off with developing rookies…is that wrong? lets spend the money on our secondary and receivers…imo. well…gotta go out to brunch…peace.
This is Good and Bad
If we don’t make a very good splash in FA (Which wouldn’t shock any of us really) and then we go into the draft and still need a RT, WR and spell back, we can forget about QB. Which Chi-Fan, means no Nate Davis for us and we will once again be stuck with another undrafted FA QB or something. Maybe that NMS guy, Chase Hollerbrook or whoever that one guy talks about on here.
OR maybe worse (haven’t decided if this is actually bad or not): JA addresses QB in FA first and then get the equivalent to Lloyd and some other bargain OL. Then we will draft defense in the first 7 rounds of the draft. Damnit.
by Sam Householder on Feb 14, 2009 2:30 PM CST reply actions
these were needs that had to be addressed, anyway
having tait retire, and cutting ties w/ booker and brown makes it easier. no illusions about not having to get a new RT, FS, and WR. my guess/hope is they sign a good FA at RT (maybe gross) and a decent WR (probably not housh, unless his price tag doesn’t get inflated, but certainly 1 or 2 guys that are upgrades to what we have) and draft a safety early, since OL and WRs can take a long time to develop. who knows…but we do have some money to spend, so hopefully we spend it well. i’m also hoping that if we keep wale and vasher, we force them to take pay cuts. they have not earned they paychecks.
The Bears might not be getting that bonus money from Tait after all
"blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda and we'll go from there"
-Lovie Smith
by ifuwannacrownem on Feb 14, 2009 11:14 PM CST reply actions
I tip my hat to Tait
He’s been a great player for us for years, has always played hard and with heart.
Best wishes to him in his future career, whatever he chooses to do.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Radio Row Video: Marcell Dareus of the Buffalo Bills
- Not to be outdone, Tecmo Bowl also predicts a Giants win
- Shutdown Corner previews and predicts Super Bowl XLVI
- With help from a police escort, Giants get their hometown pizza in Indianapolis
- ‘Why Is This News’ podcast: Doug Farrar on Super Bowl XLVI
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
