what the hell is jerry angelo thinking??? trading thomas jones and a second round pick for a lower second round pick??? if the bears are to be successful next year rushing the football the are going to need to good running backs and i just don't think that adrian peterson is your number 2... atleast the adrian peterson they have now

dude come on it's chicago. They went far so now they have to get rid of half the team. Thats the way the retarded owners in this city work. They know that they'll pack the house and thats all they give a rats ass about. Thats why I don't like ANY of the chicago teams. New England next year watch out !!!

actually they will be returning all but 1 or 2 of thier starters so they won't be getting rid of half the team

just wait thats how it starts lol

I don't think Jones was as good as they made him out to be anyway. So often he was trying to make a great cut and it didn't work. Granted, he had a good season and some great plays, I just think they can do better.

while i will give you that he isn't the best back in the league his teammates all respected his work ethic... hopefully they will be able to find somebody like moroney or addai from last years draft but angelo's area of expertise has been on the other side of the ball.

Horrible move... Thomas Jones was the one with talent

They will be fine without him. It was a pretty big move, but I don't think it is a make or break move.

They will be lucky to win the division

Thomas Jones gone...PEACE! RB's don't last very long and are a dime a dozen. You guys should have seen the writing on the wall, They not only drafted Ced "Pussy Foot" Benson 4th overall a few years ago, they gave him a $17 million signing bonus Thomas Jones didn't even want to be here last season let-a-lone this season, remember last year he and Lance Briggs did not show up to the mini camp's and were demoted by Lovie to the second string. Thomas only got his Job back because Benson was injured by Mike Brown in practice.

Now Cedric pussed out in the super bowl, but ran strong all season, Running people over and was a load to take down. He will continue to do ok for the next few seasons if he can stay healthy IMO....Thomas on the other hand performed well in the post season but "Break Dances" too much in the back field, too much East & West not enough North and south running. He and Adrian peterson are the same player IMO Peterson just comes at a discount I wouldn't be surprised if they grab a "speedy" back in the later rounds of the draft.

This concerns me more:

Updated: March 5, 2007, 6:50 PM ET
Briggs to Bears: Rescind the tag or trade me
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Under the right circumstances, two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs could play his entire career with the Chicago Bears, and be a happy man.

"The Chicago Bears team? The coaches, players, city and fans? Yeah, I could stay there forever. I love it. But the Chicago Bears organization? I don't want to be there anymore. I won't play for them and I'll do everything in my power to keep from playing there."
-- Lance Briggs

Under the restrictive terms of the franchise designation with which the Bears have marked him, though, and with the defending NFC champions apparently offering him nothing more than the one-year option it entails, Briggs said Sunday evening that he doesn't want to play another day for the club that brought him into the league in 2003.

"There's a difference between the Chicago Bears team and the Chicago Bears organization," Briggs told ESPN.com, when reached Sunday evening at his home in suburban Chicago. "The Chicago Bears team? The coaches, players, city and fans? Yeah, I could stay there forever. I love it. But the Chicago Bears organization? I don't want to be there anymore. I won't play for them and I'll do everything in my power to keep from playing there."

In a 30-minute conversation by phone, Briggs -- distressed by the restrictions of the NFL franchise tag, by his inability to shop himself in the free agent market, and by the recent departure of defensive coordinator Ron Rivera -- offered his first insights into his current situation.

And he offered, Briggs said, what is the only truly viable solution to an untenable circumstance.

"They need to either [rescind] the franchise tag, and let me move on, or trade me to another team," Briggs said. "Because that's about the only way this thing can have any kind of a positive resolution."

Having failed last spring to consummate a long-term contract with Briggs -- reportedly a seven-year, $33 million deal on which both sides worked for several weeks before the negotiations collapsed -- the Bears employed the franchise tag last week to keep the four-year veteran off the open market.

It marked the first time under the stewardship of general manager Jerry Angelo, who in the past has acknowledged the potential acrimony that accompanies the franchise marker, the Bears have used the restriction.

The qualifying offer for a franchise linebacker is $7.206 million, the average of the top five highest paid players at the position. But only three days into free agency, top defenders such as cornerback Nate Clements (with San Francisco), edge rusher Adalius Thomas (New England) and middle linebacker London Fletcher-Baker (Washington) have signed lucrative contracts with new teams.

Sitting at home, watching the free agency parade pass him by, Briggs became, he acknowledged, increasingly frustrated by his lot. And not just, he emphasized, by the financial implications of the situation.

"You hate to get into that whole 'lack of respect' thing," Briggs said. "But you play four years for a team, do your best, exceed their expectations, right? And every year, it's like, 'You played great, Lance.' And they kind of dangle the carrot, like they're going to take care of you, and then it doesn't happen. I mean, I was a middle-round pick and I've played well for them. Four years and at just middle-round salaries. I haven't caused any kinds of problems. I've done everything they asked and them some. And I don't know if I ever really knew where I stood with them until they put the tag on me."

A former Arizona standout, Briggs was chosen by the Bears in the third round of the 2003 draft. He earned a starting job as a rookie, emerged by his third seasons as one of the NFL's top young weakside 'backers, and was chosen for the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons.

Even playing in the lengthy shadow of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, with whom he has become close friends, Briggs is regarded leaguewide as a top defender and playmaker.

He did sit out the voluntary portion of the team's offseason workouts last spring, it should be noted, but reported for the mandatory workouts and was in training camp on time.

There is little doubt that if Briggs was in the unrestricted pool right now, he would be a coveted player. But the Bears seem inclined to force him to play for the one-year franchise offer and there have been no discussions on a long-term deal since last spring. Under the current rules, Chicago has until July 16 to sign Briggs to a longer deal or he must play 2007 for the franchise number.

Which is something, Briggs said Sunday night, he won't do.

"It's a great bunch of guys with a great future, but I can't see myself as being part of that future anymore," Briggs said. "Whatever options are available to me, I'll take advantage of them. But going back and playing for the Bears again, no, I don't see that as an option. Not one more day. Not at all."

Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com

Wish we could get FA Joey Porter in a Bears uniform

Joey Porter??? that guy is a cancer... there is a reason that he isn't on the steelers and besides he would probably command more $$$ than briggs

Porter was with the Steelers for 9 years! He was no cancer, he just wanted more money last year, thats all.

By BOB LABRIOLA
Steelers.com

It wasn't done because his play was judged to be slipping. It wasn't done because of the rumblings he made last offseason about wanting a new contract. And it wasn't done because he was one of Bill Cowher's guys and today Mike Tomlin happens to be the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert said the decision to release Joey Porter just made cents, as in dollars and cents.

"Releasing a player like Joey Porter, who has meant so much to this franchise and helped us win a Super Bowl championship, is not an easy thing to do," said Colbert on Thursday. "It's one of the decisions you have to make under this current system, and it's definitely a salary cap-related issue where we needed some short-term relief. But we also had to factor in what our cap situation is going to be in 2008 and 2009 and beyond."

Today he signed a five-year deal with the Dolphins worth a reported $32 million with $20 million in guaranteed money.

I knew we would not get him, just wishful thinking.

Benson is a crying little c*ntess he sits their and cries about playing time just shut up and do what ur told. i dont think he will be able to handle the role himself

ok 2 down now...Don't make me say it lol

how many run in's w/ the law has joey porter had??? i thought this was the chicago bears and not the cincinatti bengals