Today the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Bears are close to signing offensive tackle Chris Williams, their first-round draft pick. The paper quotes Williams’ agent Bill Johnson as saying “we have exchanged dialogue and proposals. I respect the Bears’ diligence in working toward a timely resolution, particularly with training camp right around the corner.”

Word is Williams, who was the 14th overall pick, is set to sign a five-year deal that will pay him up to $9 mil guaranteed. The Bears roster is at 80 right now with their new big man still waiting to finish up the deal. Williams was a four-year letter winner at Vanderbilt, and appeared in 36 games at left tackle and left guard. He wrapped up his college career with 33 straight start, 24 over his college and senior year.

Jones was coming off an injury last season with the Lions and started the year on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. If he starts the year on that list, he will not be able to take the field till at least week six, which is what he did last season with Detroit.

Kevin Jones is moving from one NFC North team to another, as today the former Lions back inked a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, a team that could use a quality running back to help out their backfield.  Jones spoke yesterday on NFL Radio, and talked about one team already offering him a deal.  It was unknown if that team was the Bears, but now it looks as if it may have been.

Chicago was not even in attendance when Jones worked out for several teams last month.  Those on hand that day included the Dolphins, Steelers, Packers and his old team - the Lions.  During his four years with the Lions, Jones rushed for 3,067 yards and 24 touchdowns on 761 carries. The former Virginia Tech back was drafted by Detroit in 2004.

Right now the Bears could use a back like Jones if he’s all the way healthy, which he says he is.  They have rookie Matt Forte labeled as their starter, this after they dumped first-round bust Cedric Benson last month after he was arrested twice in the matter of a month.  Last season Jones rushed for 581 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns on 153 carries. He also had 32 receptions for 197 yards.

Although it’s true that versatile Bears OL John St. Clair could give Terrence Metcalf a big-time run for his money in the battle for the team’s starting OLG job, we hear the Bears believe Metcalf will perform much better this season than he did late last season, when he was hampered by a broken hand.

The “Rallying Cry” for the Chicago Bears in 2008: “TAMPA” You’ve heard this following line coined or phrased uttered before, often said to describe an over-matched team as they prepare to face the opponent that will truly and completely dismantle ‘em: “It was over before it even got started”. This is how I feel about the Chicago Bears chances to make another run at the Super Bowl, let alone the Playoffs. While all teams believe they can contend for the Vince Lombardi Trophy (rightfully so) in the hot, muggy summer months of camp, it’s one incredible dream if the Bears think they can make it back to the big stage where they were under the spotlight just less than two years ago - I know you’re thinking the trip to Miami seems so far removed, along with the biggest question: What has happened to the team that represented the NFC in ‘06?

Though I cannot give you the answers to “all” the Bears problems, I can you give you the 10 biggest questions staring/glaring/blinding the Monsters of the Midway this upcoming season. The questions/concerns that arise and will plague this squad from the Windy City, preventing ‘em to travel down the road to Super Bowl XLIII, let alone the chance to enter January with the opportunity to continue taking the field - are too imposingly strong to overcome. Therefore, let’s take a look at the main reasons why the Bears have a “rocky” road ahead of ‘em - while attacking the issue with the top 10 important questions the team needs to address and deal with in order to become successful (division winners) again in ‘08. (Part 2 - Answers from Bears Gab Columnist Eric Cook)

1. Can the Dominant Defense/Special Teams Unit (Devin Hester) Overcome a Woeful Offense?

2. Does Two Quarterbacks mean you have no “True” Quarterback? Who’s the Leader/Let Alone the Starter?

3. Do the Bears have an “Identity” on Offense? Will the Bears be able to utilize their “speed” and get their playmakers the rock in the open field to showcase their skills - to put up points & move the chains? The Bears have enough weapons but do we have enough time to get ‘em the pigskin with our offensive line?

4. Is this team in rebuilding mode/and if so, why would it be? Will there be any sort of balance/consistency/cohesiveness on offense?

5. How well will the two rookies with the most inexperience at two of the key positions on offense perform? Can the team expect ‘em to contribute and perform at a high level right away? Are they ready to rely on Chris Williams to start at left tackle & Matt Forte as our starting RB?

6. When will a #1 Wide Receiver stand up? Who will play next to Tommie Harris/Mike Brown? Who is our starting left guard?

7. Don’t think I forgot about our health concerns. Injuries were a major source resulting towards the team’s fall in ‘07. Will Mike Brown, Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, Brian Urlacher, Nathan Vasher, Rex Grossman, and Mark Bradley spend more time wearing a soft cap or a hard hat/will they be on the sidelines or on the field more?

8. Will the Bears bail out on the run early (like in ‘07) in an effort to go to an exclusive pass-happy aerial attack because of a lackluster offensive line?

9. Does this team have the ability to run out the clock and close out games in the 4th quarter?

10. Is the offense playing it safe going to be our downfall? Will the offense turnover the ball over way too much in trying to be aggressive (Rex)? Will the awful 3rd down conversion rate continue, keeping the D on the field too long? Will the defense have too much of a heavy load on their shoulders? Will the offense give the defense a chance to keep the game within reach? What if the D does not play up to expectations and does not return back to it’s former dominant self?

Front Page News - Forte Set To Fuel Fresh Start At Running Back: The Chicago Bears signed RB Matt Forte to a four-year deal today. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. His agent had this to say: “We’re excited about Matt and understand he has a huge opportunity to step in and start.” “We know he is well-positioned to meet the (Bears’) expectations.” The “shot-caller”, decision-maker Jerry Angelo, said Forte adds to the Bears a dimension they didn’t have last season: a back worthy of getting to the corner and making people miss at the second level. Forte was chosen by the Bears in the second round (44th overall) out of Tulane and is the 11th of 12 Bears selections to translate the ink to paper, the most in the NFL.

Three’s An Elite Company - Bowman, Bennett, and Harrison Waste No Time: The Bears on Tuesday signed third-rounders Earl Bennett and Marcus Harrison, along with fifth-round draftee Zackary Bowman, all to four-year deals. The only unsigned draft pick, 1st round selection Chris Williams, vowed he will not hold out. The 14th overall choice is slated to cash in somewhere between $9-11 million in guaranteed money, when he signs his five-year deal. With talks yet to progress in the contract situations of the Windy City Flyer (Devin Hester) and Brian Urlacher - expect Williams to make headlines before the two All-Pros do. Therefore, you can count on the main attractions at Training Camp (beings: July 23) to be starting RB Matt Forte and LT Chris Williams, as all eyes and attention will point their direction, while they look to enhance the newly revamped ground attack in ‘08. Hopefully, the veterans’ (Hester and Urlacher) disputes concerning green paper will not take away from what will be the most deserving news and more important stories - the rookies (Matt Forte, Chris Williams & Co.)

1. Can the Dominant Defense/Special Teams Unit (Devin Hester) Overcome a Woeful Offense?

No. They proved that in ‘07 - but what they can do is overcome an average offense, which is the worst-case scenario for this team. I believe the Bears can at least put an average product offensively on the field in ‘ 08!

2. Does Two Quarterbacks mean you have no “True” Quarterback? Who’s the Leader/Let Alone the Starter?

Yes two quarters DO mean you have not true quarterback… this isn’ t College - you need a clear-cut leader. Right now I believe the team is sold on Rex Grossman as the favorite, for 2 reasons: 1. He has all the upside as far as athletic ability, and can make all the “NFL Throws”. 2. He has demonstrated he can play at a very high level at the very highest level of play (’06 Divisional Playoffs).

Personally I do not think that Rex will overcome the mental aspect of the game and that means we will see Orton under center calling the shots.

3. Do the Bears have an “Identity” on Offense?

Well if you ask the Coaching staff, they will say “we get off the bus running”.

Last year they did that, albeit coming at a dismal 3.1 yards per carry (worst in the NFL). The team will keep the commitment to the run, but with the additions on the offensive line and with the subtraction of Cedric Benson, I think they will improve. They have retooled their O-Line and added Matt Forte in place of the departed Benson - two good moves. I think this offense can get their playmakers the ball. I believe if they can get their “quarterback(s)” to hit the open man and not hang onto the ball, this offense will grow, developing into a productive unit in 2008.

4. Is this team in rebuilding mode/and if so, why would it be? Will there be any sort of balance/consistency/cohesiveness on offense?

Certainly on offense this team is in a rebuilding mode. I mean, any time you lose your #1 and # 2 wide receivers, starting running back, 2 starting offensive lineman, and have a QB competition you are in a rebuilding mode. Well, there was no consistency or cohesiveness on offense last year, they were dead last in rushing and woeful on passing downs allowing sacks, penalties, drops, turnovers and 3-and-outs. I find it literally impossible for them to take a step backwards. I believe the offensive line will be a pleasant surprise this year, as well as the unproven wideouts who will all be playing hard trying to secure a roster/starting spot.

Will the Bears be able to utilize their “speed” and get their playmakers the rock in the open field to showcase their skills - to put up points & move the chains? The Bears have enough weapons but do we have enough time to get ‘em the pigskin with our offensive line?

I believe the Bears will be able to use their speed on offense. If they can game plan around their strengths and help the QB’s get the ball out of their hands quickly and find the safety/check down options - this can be an effective offense. The offensive line will give the QB’s more time to throw the ball this year, because of the upgrades and it will continue to progress throughout the season.

5. How well will the two rookies with the most inexperience at two of the key positions on offense perform? Can the team expect ‘em to contribute and perform at a high level right away? Are they ready to rely on Chris Williams to start at left tackle & Matt Forte as our starting RB?

I believe Chris Williams will do well, the only knock against him coming in was his strength, something that can be easily fixed in a short time frame. He is a technician - always in position - and gave up 2 sacks in 2 years in the SEC, and all scouts could say against him coming out of college is he only benched 225-pounds 21 times; saying he needs to bulk up and be more aggressive. He has nothing else to do but focus on getting better at his position and hitting the weight room, and Rusty Jones is one of the best strength and conditioning guys in the league. Williams will be adequate at the beginning of the season and improve as the season goes on.

I think Matt Forte will do fine as the starting running back, and don’t forget we still have Adrian Peterson, who had better overall production (more overall yards with less playing time) last year than Cedric Benson. I believe he will do fine and splitting time with Peterson will form an overall upgrade at RB this year. Forte was highly productive at Tulane and performed well at the combine, he is considered a power runner, yet can be fast and elusive enough and he fits well into the Bears system.

6. When will a #1 Wide Receiver stand up?

I believe that picture will emerge more fully (get clearer) in training camp and work its way out toward finding the clear-cut starting receivers and a consistent 3-man rotation into the regular season. I hear Rashied Davis is turning some heads early in OTA’s. I believe Hester will come into his own this year, and Booker will bring a solid veteran presence. I also look forward to seeing what Earl Bennett can do. I also hope Marcus Monk will be the next coming of Marques Colston.

Who will play next to Tommie Harris/Mike Brown?

I hope it is Dusty Dvoracek next to Tommie Harris, and barring another injury, he is a lock. I keep hearing a lot about Brandon McGowan and Kevin Payne. We also have the rookie out of LSU - Craig Steltz in the mix, I am comfortable with all three, but feel either Payne or Steltz will ultimately end up there.

Who is our starting left guard?

I hear rumblings of John St. Clair at Left Guard. I believe he would be solid there since he played Left Tackle well last year, a much harder position. So right now I believe you are looking at a starting line-up that consists of: John Tait at Right Tackle, Roberto Garza at Right Guard, Olin Kreutz at Center, St. Clair at Left Guard and Chris Williams at Left Tackle.

7. Don’t think I forgot about our health concerns. Injuries were a major source resulting towards the team’s fall in ‘07. Will Mike Brown, Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, Brian Urlacher, Nathan Vasher, Rex Grossman, and Mark Bradley spend more time wearing a soft cap or a hard hat/will they be on the sidelines or on the field more?

I believe Harris, Vasher, Urlacher, and Dvoracek will be wearing hard hats more often than not. Unfortunately, Bradley, Grossman, and Brown will be the exact opposite - in soft caps more often than not. I hope Brown stays healthy, but history says otherwise, and he is not getting younger.

8. Will the Bears bail out on the run early (like in ‘07) in an effort to go to an exclusive pass-happy aerial attack because of a lackluster offensive line?

I don’t know that I would say they bailed out on the run in ‘07, they were a bit skewed in the Passing to Run Ratio (569 Passes to 423 Rushes). Was that because they were coming from behind and that every third down was a passing down? I am not sure, but they will commit to the run and do it more effectively this year with a re-tooled offensive line.

9. Does this team have the ability to run out the clock and close out games in the 4th quarter?

That remains to be seen with this team, Preseason should give us an early indicator of where the Bears are at in terms of revamping their run department. But as I said earlier, it is impossible for them to get any worse and go down hill - when they already have hit rock bottom. I firmly believe the offense will be improved this year. With this improvement will be the increased ability to run the football with success and control the clock.

10. Is the offense playing it safe going to be our downfall? Will the offense turnover the ball over way too much in trying to be aggressive (Rex)?

Well I hope, but have no confidence in the fact that Rex will “Get it” this year. I don’t believe that Rex will quit making bad decisions, so under Rex - yes. He is just too aggressive, meaning he always tries to hit the down field target, instead of taking the sure safety valve - check down option. I believe the bad decisions will continue and we will see more Orton under center.

Under Orton the offense will be more “vanilla”, but this defense is good enough to survive a vanilla offense, as long as they can perform at an average level - this team will win 9-10, maybe 11 games. To answer all the other parts of the question about the offense - the offense will be improved enough to be better all these areas - 3rd down conversion rates, 3 and outs, and taking care of the ball (Turnover Factor). The running game will improve (it is impossible to be worse). This alone will give the defense a rest, and help them run out the clock when they have a lead. The offense is unproven, but many of the athletes that are now in place are upgrades over last season, so there is reason for optimism.

What if the D does not play up to expectations and does not return back to it’s former dominant self?

This is the deepest the Defense has been in years (and I thought they were deep last year). They have more talent at each position, along with more experience (because of injuries last year). This will visibly show up to be crystal-clear apparent in the Preseason. I remember the 2005 Defense was amazing, but in the Preseason when the starting unit went off the field there was such a drop off you didn’t even recognize the defense, there was no one behind the number #1 unit. Watch the Preseason games this year and I think you will be pleased with the consistent level of play by the back-ups. This unit is more prepared to handle injuries if they arise.

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32. Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago Bears: A few years back he was overrated. He’s not anymore. Urlacher excels in the middle of the Chicago defense.

36. Tommie Harris, DT, Chicago Bears: Harris is strong and quick. He had eight sacks last season, showing off his quickness. He can still hold the point against the run.

50. Devin Hester, KR, Chicago Bears: I don’t normally put return men on these lists, but this guy has earned it. It will be interesting to see how long he can maintain it.