The usually quiet Chicago Bears head coach, Lovie Smith, had a lot to say about the Bears today at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis (player workouts begin there Saturday).

Certainly, the topic Lovie addressed that will generate the most response from both the media and fans was in regards to free-agent running back Matt Forte's future with the Bears:

“The team hasn’t changed its approach to Matt Forte at all,” Smith said. “I think we’re on record of how important Matt is to our organization, just him in the community for what he and Danielle do -- I’m talking about his wife -- just what they mean to us and just him as a football player. Matt’s going to play his football for the Chicago Bears. So you start with that. In time hopefully he can get an agreement in place that suits Matt and we feel comfortable with. I think it’s just a matter of time; that will happen eventually.”

Source: Chicago Tribune

Very nice. It's still considered likely that the Bears slap the franchise tag (estimated to be at $7.7 million) on Forte for the 2012 season, but it sure appears that eventually, the two sides will come to agreement on a long-term deal.

Now, as for other important Bears topics that Lovie talked about...

Jay Cutler (fractured thumb; missed the final six games) and Brian Urlacher (sprained his MCL in the final game) are healthy. Lovie even said that Urlacher (who turns 34 in May) is "in perfect health" (ESPN Chicago). No surprises here, but it's still nice to hear.

While Cutler and Urlacher are fine, wide receiver Johnny Knox still has a long way to go in his recovery from back surgery, after suffering a spinal fracture (that was so nasty it looked like it could be even career-threatening) against the Seahawks in week 15. Lovie had this to say about Knox's recovery:

''I'm just counting on him to get better each day and we'll see how it all plays out. There's a long road to recovery. We have time. So we'll just see how it plays out. Johnny's ready to go. Of course, he's one of our guys. And I'm hoping that he'll be OK.''

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Knox's status for at least the season-opener seems to be very much up in the air, and wide receiver was arguably the Bears' biggest need this offseason, even with a healthy Knox. If I'm Phil Emery, I'm going into the offseason with the thought that Knox will not be healthy this season, and place even more urgency on upgrading the position. I'd put a primary focus on adding a wide reciver like Mike Wallace, Vincent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe, or Marques Colston in free agency, and additionally sign a wide receiver from the second-tier of free agent choices (Mario Manningham, Robert Meachem, etc.) as well, or draft a wide receiver that appears as though they could be a legitimate contributor to the Bears this season. Because right now, Earl Bennett is the only Bears wide receiver that can really be counted on.

One other need the Bears clearly have is at backup quarterback. Caleb Hanie of course failed miserably when he had to start following the Cutler thumb fracture. Josh McCown then replaced Hanie, and did an okay job... I guess. But he'll be 33 in July, was out of football for two years before joining the Bears in 2011, and his career numbers are hardly impressive (37 TD /44 INT, 58% completion, and 71.2 QB Rating). If he's kept as the #3 quarterback, fine, but the Bears could find a much better #2 option in free agency.

Here's what Lovie said about the backup quarterback situation, according to the Sun-Times:

''We thought we had a better plan at the quarterback position. I knew how valuable Jay was to us. That won't change. But we do need to get ourselves in a better position at that backup quarterback position.

''We have a lot of options out there. I think this is an attractive place for a quarterback. We're going to look at all people. And I'm talking Caleb, Josh and free-agent quarterbacks out there. I just feel like we'll be able to strengthen that position more than we were this past year.''

So, the Bears apparently realize, as they should, that the #2 quarterback spot needs to be upgraded.

We'll have much more on developmentCombine, s regarding the Bears at the Combine, and throughout the offseason, so stay tuned. Also, you can follow us on Twitter (@DaBearNecess) and Facebook.

Earl Bennett's emerged as clearly the Bears' best all-around wide receiver this year, and today they rewarded the 24-year-old with a four-year contract extension worth $18 million. The contract includes $9 million guaranteed, and will keep him in a Bears uniform through 2015.

Bennett was going to be a free agent in the offseason, so this was a big move for Jerry Angelo and the Bears to take care of. Bennett's improved constantly in his four-year career, and this deal could look like a bargain down the road. At worst, the Bears are going to have a reliable guy that Jay Cutler feels extremely comfortable throwing to for a while, especially on third down.

Still, this move shouldn't be viewed as the Bears feeling they have the "#1 wide receiver" they've been trying to find. Bennett's the best receiver currently on the roster, but the Bears still need to find a big, physical wide receiver that can provide a nice target for Cutler, particularly in the red zone. While many people doubt how much Angelo cares about the position, I really do think the Bears will try hard(finally) to acquire a "#1" via free agency or the draft(where there are plenty of intriguing prospects... I have visions of Justin Blackmon dancing in my head, but he'd surely take trading up in the draft to acquire).

So, with Bennett extended, this is now the list of Bears players that have contracts expiring: Matt Forte, Corey Graham, Caleb Hanie, Israel Idonije, Tim Jennings, Brandon Meriweather, Amobi Okoye.

While Forte's of course getting the most talk of that group, he's the last player I'm worried about the Bears taking care of. They can still slap the Franchise Tag on him the next two years if a contract extension is not worked out(and I still like the chances of that happening in the offseason). He's going nowhere anytime soon.

But I think they'll try to bring back pretty much everybody else on that list, with the exception of Williams(and maybe Meriweather).

Graham is a special teams stud(he should've made the Pro Bowl last season and very well may this season) that has played tremendously at nickelback in D.J. Moore's absence. The 26-year-old has interceptions in each of the last three games.

Hanie is full of talent across the board, and he's shown glimpses of that in his time as a Bear(like in the second half on Sunday). He should only improve as he seasons his game and improves his decision-making at quarterback. There's no reason for the Bears to give up on him now with how much they've worked to develop him, after signing him as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State(I went to school with him there actually).

Idonije is a starting defensive end and offers versatility; he's played plenty of defensive tackle as a Bear and has been a key special teams contributor as well. However, he's 31, and the Bears may be reluctant to sign him to an extension of much length.

Jennings is a starting cornerback that has played very well in his two seasons as a Bear. He's a terrific tackler at the position, something the Bears value out of cornerbacks as much as any team in the league. He's not very big, and he doesn't get many interceptions(just two in 27 games as a Bear), but he's fundamentally sound and fits the Bears' Tampa-2 system well. He's unlikely to find another team on the market that will be as interested in his services as much as the Bears are. And the Bears are thin at this position anyway.

Lastly, I think the Bears are very impressed with what Okoye has done lately, and he's still just 24. He has four sacks on the season, which is a terrific number from a defensive tackle. That's especially the case when he's been a backup all season. However, the Bears also have young defensive tackles that they're high on in Henry Melton and Stephen Paea, and veterans Anthony Adams and Matt Toeaina are at the position as well. If Okoye thinks he can start somewhere else and/or get paid more, he may understandably land with another team in free agency.

So, expect the Bears to try to lock up at least a few more players in the coming months.

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Terrible news to report: Bears rookie right tackle(and first round pick), Gabe Carimi, has been place on Injured Reserve, thus ending his season.

Carimi has been out since injuring his knee in week two, and suffered a setback recently in practice with it. He then had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last Friday, and indications were that he would be out at least a few more weeks.

Well, today the Bears finally decided that it wasn't worth Carimi using up a roster spot, and placed him on Injured Reserve.

Here's more on the decision from Jerry Angelo:

“Given where we are at in the season and the time already missed, this is the best move for Gabe and for our team,” said general manager Jerry Angelo.

“It became tough for us to hold a roster spot given our numbers on the offensive line with Chris going down last week. Both guys played well while on the field. They will continue to rehab and will be ready to go next season. We feel very good about their futures. We also feel good about how the line continues to progress under Mike Tice.”

My hope was that Carimi would be able to go in a few weeks, and that the Bears could slide Lance Louis back to guard, as the team just had to place guard Chris Williams on Injured Reserve in the last few days. Hopefully Edwin Williams proves capable of handling the left guard position.

To take Carimi's roster spot, the team promoted offensive tackle Levi Horn to the active roster from the practice squad. They did the same thing yesterday with guard Ricky Henry as well.

H/T: ChicagoBears.Com

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The Bears got a huge, dominating win yesterday over the Lions at Soldier Field, to improve their record to 6-3, and greatly help their chances of getting an NFC Wild Card spot. If the season ended today, they'd get the first Wild Card spot(#5 seed), ahead of the Detroit Lions(same record, but Bears better record within conference).

However, after the game, they got some very bad news. Left guard Chris Williams, the Bears' first round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, dislocated his wrist in last night's game. He will need surgery on the wrist and is out for the season. It's a major blow to the offensive line, as Williams was really have a good season and improving each week. Additionally, it was nice to see him finally settling in well at a position after struggling as a tackle, the position the Bears drafted him to play.

Replacing Williams as the starting left guard will be another Williams, Edwin. Edwin looked alright in replacement of Chris during last night's game, but it's very much unknown if he'll be able to handle the position well as a starter for the rest of the season.

If Gabe Carimi were healthy, the Bears would likely put Lance Louis(who has been terrific at right tackle) at guard, and start Carimi at right tackle, rather than start Edwin. But, Carimi underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Friday, and it's unclear if he'll even be able to return to the Bears this season. Regardless, the Bears will surely wait it out, and hope that he can return, rather than placing him on injured reserve.

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Here we are... under four hours away from kickoff in Philadelphia for Bears-Eagles, which is an absolutely huge game for the NFC playoff picture. Here's some links to get you ready for the game...

• Bears Seek Signature Win On Road Vs. Eagles (Midway Illustrated)
• Bears Have Questions To Answer Tonight In Philadelphia (Da Bears Blog)
• Optimist Vs. Pessimist Views Of Bears-Eagles (Windy City Gridiron)
• Pregame Quotes & Notes (Bears Gab)
• Bears-Eagles Matchups & Prediction (ESPN Chicago)
• 4 Downs: Bears Have Won 4 Of 5 Under Lovie After Open Week (Chicago Tribune)
• Bears-Eagles: 3 Things To Watch (National Football Post)
• The Return Of Earl Bennett: What It Means For The Bears (Chicago Bears Huddle)
• Why It's Do Or Die Time For Henry Melton (Chicago Football Talk)
• Roy Williams Finally Up To Speed (Daily Herald)
• 5 Questions With An Eagles Blogger From Inside The Iggles (Bear Goggles On)
• Bears Safeties Expect To Be Busy Tonight (Chicago Sun-Times)
• How Cutler Deals With Critics (Grizzly Detail)

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The Bears claimed linebacker Jabara Williams off waivers today from the Rams, and he will take the roster spot left by safety Chris Harris, after Harris was released today.

Williams, who is 6'2", 238 pounds, was a seventh round pick by the Rams in the 2011 NFL Draft, and played in two games for them this year. The rookie becomes the sixth linebacker on the Bears' roster, and is expected to be a contributor on special teams. It also sounds like he could be a nice find as a Tampa-two weak side linebacker for the future with his skill set.

In college at Stephen F. Austin, Williams had 411 tackles, seven sacks, and four interceptions. He was a two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year.

H/T: ChicagoBears.Com

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After playing poorly against the Lions in week five, the Bears made veteran safety Chris Harris inactive for their week six game against the Vikings. Angry about this, Harris requested a trade, but Jerry Angelo was unable to find any takers for Harris' services before last Tuesday's trade deadline.

And last week's game against the Buccaneers, the Bears made safety Major Wright a late scratch due to a hip injury, after he was listed as "Probable" to play. The Bears chose to not just make Harris active for this game, but even started him. This gave him a chance to at least show that he deserves to be active weekly, if not starting. And again, he played poorly. He was burned badly for a passing touchdown, and looked very slow in coverage all day.

Well today, the Bears decided to finally move on, as Harris was released. The Bears feel more comfortable with rookie safety Chris Conte(who had an incredible interception against the Buccaneers and overall, looked great over the last two weeks), and second-year safety Wright. They want to be more athletic at the position, and to get their "future" going at safety now with Conte and Wright. Additionally, Harris is not a contributor on special teams, so if he's not going to start, there's more value found in backups that can at least help out on special teams.

Here's some of what Lovie Smith had to say today about Harris' release:

"We'll talk about Chris. Chris Harris helped us win a lot of football games around here. One of the guys.

"But, it is a business, and for us, it's about production. We felt like we had some other options that we felt pretty good about, at the safety position. Had a chance to talk to Chris this morning.

"That's never any fun, when you have to go a different direction again, from one of the guys who's been around here for a while. But we did.

"We're excited about the safeties we do have here. You don't make a move like that, unless you feel good about it, and we do."

Chris Conte we moved him into the starting lineup a couple of weeks ago, we've been very pleased with what we've gotten from him -- as a tackler, just a guy in the middle of the field with a lot of range, we drafted him to some day be our safety. That time is now. The same thing with Major Wright. Major is a good tackler. He's a good player. These aren't veteran players, but they'll get better each rep. We feel like we can play winning football with them. Brandon Meriweather, moving into the third safety slot also. Craig Steltz, Anthony Walters. We still have five safeties on our roster. No team has six safeties on their roster. This is the right thing to do and we'll see how it turns out.

Source: Sean Jensen(Chicago Sun-Times)

The Bears worked out six free agents at Halas Hall yesterday, including safeties Tom Nelson and Darcel McBath. As you can see in the above excerpt, Lovie pointed out that the Bears "still have five safeties", and "no team has six safeties on their roster", so they may elect to fill out the roster with a player at another position.

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