http://www.chicagobears.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=9168

Angelo envisions bright future for Harris
By Larry Mayer
July 21, 2005



In the first of two installments, general manager Jerry Angelo answers email questions from fans exclusively on ChicagoBears.com:

Tommie Harris compiled 58 tackles and 3.5 sacks while starting all 16 games last year.
Tommie Harris showed flashes last year of being a dominant and explosive force in the middle of the defensive line. What should Bears fans expect from this talented second-year player?

Michael McFaul
Skokie, Illinois

We should see those things and more of them. Tommie has high expectations and has set high goals for himself and we have high expectations for Tommie too. There's no reason to believe that he's not going to take another step. Not only is Tommie an exceptional athlete, but it shows up both in the running game and on third down. He has extraordinary skills, but the reason I feel so good about him is because he wants to be a great player and has shown that through his work ethic. All our fans should be excited about Tommie's future.

How is the competition for the No. 2 receiver going? Who impressed you more during offseason workouts, Bernard Berrian or Justin Gage?

Eric Plese
Poughkeepsie, New York

Bernard impressed me more than Justin. It's not that Justin didn't do well; he did. But Bernard showed his speed and big-play ability every day. He made some really nice plays throughout the OTAs. Justin really finished strong. He had a little bit of a hamstring problem and we gave him a week off, but he finished the last two weeks on a high note. That's going to be good competition. We're looking for that to be a position of strength.

How much progress are the Bears making in signing Cedric Benson and do you anticipate he'll be in training camp on time?

Peter Ross
Chicago

We're expecting him to be in camp. We've worked very hard since the week after the draft preparing to negotiate his contract. We're ready to do it; we could do it today. We're negotiating with his agent and we're trying to find that common ground. What's important to him? What's important to us? The higher the pick the more difficult it is to do given the dollars that we're talking about, but we feel very good that our offer is one that should get it done.

How do you determine whether you're going to sign a player who's released by another team during training camp? Do you try to sign every player you have graded above a certain level or do you just compare that player to who you currently have at his position?

Terry Salazar
Chicago

All the players that are on NFL rosters have been graded either by our pro personnel department or our college scouts, so we go into training camp with good knowledge on every player. Our needs determine whether we'll claim a player if he's waived or try to sign a veteran who's been released. We presently don't have any position where we have a need, but if we have an injury during camp, that can create a need. Most teams operate the same way. In some cases, there might be a player who's a little bit better than a player on your team, but you don't claim him because you've spent the offseason not only developing your players but training and teaching them within the framework of your schemes. That mental part is huge in our evaluation. When coaches go into the season, they no longer want to have to train our players. They want to prepare our players for our opponents.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Justin Wood
Sacramento, California

There are a lot of rewarding things. It starts with working with a lot of good people both in the personnel area and with our coaches. There's a lot of camaraderie in our building and coming to work is truly a pleasure given the environment. Watching a team come together is also rewarding. That's probably the pinnacle of what I do personally. Naturally, it has to manifest itself into wins. When you win games on Sunday, there's no greater feeling.

Where do you think the Bears rank in the NFL in terms of pure talent on their roster?

Phil Walsh
San Diego, California

That's a tough question. We certainly have enough talent to win. That's really how I look at it; not necessarily pitting us against one team or another. Along with having talent, the key is playing together as a team. To me, that's as important as the talent itself. We're in good shape in the personnel area. We feel real good going into camp that our players have a really good understanding of what we want, particularly on defense because we're going into the second year of our scheme. We're still developing offensively, but we feel real good about the foundation we've laid thus far and we feel we'll be able to take the next step once we get into camp.

I was thoroughly embarrassed by our run defense at times last season. We made a lot of upgrades on offense, but what's going to be different about our defense this year?

Noel Burton
Washington D.C.

The continuity of having the players in the scheme another year should be a big help. The other things that factor into us playing better defense will be a healthy Brian Urlacher, Charles Tillman and Mike Brown. Adewale Ogunleye had no preseason here last year after the trade. Those factors alone should make us a lot better. Players like Hunter Hillenmeyer, Ian Scott and Todd Johnson-to name a few-got a lot of playing time. That should make us a better football team not only with our frontline players but with our depth as well.

How much of a role did Ron Turner play in the selection of Cedric Benson, Mark Bradley and Kyle Orton and the acquisition of linemen Fred Miller and Roberto Garza?

Michael Rucinski
Beach Park, Illinois

Our coaches see all the players that we acquire in free agency or the draft. We always want their input. We create a player profile based on what our coaches want at each position, so they have a hand in all personnel decisions. Where the coach is most important is once we get into camp. Then it's a matter of accentuating a player's strengths and determining how he best fits into the framework of the scheme to where he's going to play to the pinnacle of his talent level. That's the art of coaching.

What did you see in Rashied Davis, a cornerback in the Arena Football League, that made you sign him and do you think he can make the team?

Pete Baker
Edwardsburg, Michigan

Our pro personnel people, particularly Morocco Brown, saw him in '03 and liked him and tracked him again in '04. He played both corner and wide receiver (for the San Jose SaberCats) and was an all-star in the Arena League. I'm really impressed with his athleticism. As a receiver, I was impressed with his hands, his after-catch ability and his raw speed. An acquaintance of mine, Mike Church, was his defensive coordinator and mentioned to me that he felt that he'd be a better defensive back than receiver. Given the value of that position, we put him there and he looked real good throughout the OTA practices. We're anxious to see how he develops in camp.

A play-making tight end would do wonders for Rex Grossman's confidence. Why not make a play for one via a trade?

Marcus Meaney
Honolulu, Hawaii

That's easier said than done. That kind of special tight end-a big guy who can run fast, get downfield and make circus catches like Tony Gonzalez or Jeremy Shockey-is hard to find. And don't forget that he has to block and to block he's got to have some girth. We like our tight ends. We don't have Tony Gonzalez, but we have some pretty good tight ends. There's no tight end that we're going to be able to trade for that's going to be like (a Gonzalez or a Shockey) and I think there are 29 other teams that would echo the same thing.