By Brad Biggs
The Bears released linebacker Cato June today, two weeks after signing him as fill-in help when Lance Briggs was ailing with a knee injury.
The team was able to get a look at June, who has spent his career playing in the Tampa-2 scheme in Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. With six healthy linebackers, June was expendable as the club is carrying a seventh linebacker in Kevin Malast on the practice squad.
June left the locker room carrying some new cleats for his next stop. June played on special teams vs. St. Louis and was inactive Sunday against Green Bay.
The Bears released linebacker Cato June today, two weeks after signing him as fill-in help when Lance Briggs was ailing with a knee injury.
The team was able to get a look at June, who has spent his career playing in the Tampa-2 scheme in Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. With six healthy linebackers, June was expendable as the club is carrying a seventh linebacker in Kevin Malast on the practice squad.
June left the locker room carrying some new cleats for his next stop. June played on special teams vs. St. Louis and was inactive Sunday against Green Bay.
Offensive tackle James Marten will be promoted from the practice squad
to take June's place on the 53-man roster. A source close to Marten
said there was an agreement in place where the team would work to get
him on the active roster before the season ended. Marten was signed to
the practice squad Sept. 7, two days after he was released by Oakland.
Marten was a third-round pick out of Boston College by Dallas in 2007. General manager Jerry Angelo always has liked linemen from that school, and the Bears put in a waiver claim for him when the Cowboys cut him loose last year, losing out to the Raiders, who also put in a claim for him.
It's unlikely the Bears find a place for Marten on the field in the final three games, but signing him secures his position on the roster moving forward to 2010.
Marten was a third-round pick out of Boston College by Dallas in 2007. General manager Jerry Angelo always has liked linemen from that school, and the Bears put in a waiver claim for him when the Cowboys cut him loose last year, losing out to the Raiders, who also put in a claim for him.
It's unlikely the Bears find a place for Marten on the field in the final three games, but signing him secures his position on the roster moving forward to 2010.
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I thought it was going to be some boring old post, but it really compensated for my time. I will post a link to this page on my blog. I am sure my visitors will find that very useful.
the bears need to sign richie incognito he's been wavied by the rams tough big nasty guard and only young and give the young guys some playing time see what the can do i'd like to see what james maten can do
I think Johnny Knox is very good. Devin Hester is best suited for special teams. I think Lovie Smith is OK but should not be coaching the defense. The Bears should have gone for the 1st down when it was 4th and 1 by the Packer 45 yard line. I believe that was a mistake.
Now is the time for Jerry to use his love for Boston College for good, instead of what he has done with it. Jeff Jagodzinski needs to be the next offensive coordinator for the Bears. Whether Marten pans out is immaterial at this point, but it would be nice to have a young RT that can be on the roster next year just in case. He'll get to block on field goals, and that's about it for the rest of this season
Marten is a little more athletic version of Colombo, who has turned into a pretty nice RT for the Cowboys prior to his injury this year.
Cato June was a waste of a signing. Why not promote Malast from the practice squad, and let a young player with several months in the system get some extra experience on game day? It has worked out well for Tim Shaw, who has become our spark plug on special teams. Malast and Shaw would be a nice foundation for special teams in 2010, and we can end the Darrell McClover experiment. He has had almost no impact on special teams since coming back, and should not be brought back.
I think if Jerry wanted to see it, he would be able to hang this staff for poor development and talent assessment. The guys on the bottom half of the roster for the most part are complete unknowns. The young players on the roster are not making strides. Johnny Knox has stepped backwards since his debut. Now that he has the full route tree, it is obvious that he is not capable of reading the defense and adjusting his routes at this point in his career. Iglesias is a complete unknown, but he is a bigger, physical receiver that could help us on special teams if nothing else. Gilbert needs to be on the field, playing inside and outside. We need to know where he fits. If we are bulking up Melton to play DT, then we will need Gilbert to play outside with 2 free agents to be in Ogunleye and Anderson. Toeaina can stop the run, but he sits on the bench while Tommie gets blown 4 yards off the ball on almost every snap.
There is no reason at this point to play the veterans who are pending free agents. Ogunleye is not going to be back, so why take up playing time for a guy who isn't getting the job done? Vasher is going to be released, so why not activate Moore and let him play? Rashied Davis is likely not going to be back, so why not let Iglesias have a shot on special teams?
I will keep saying it, but we need a competent plan going into the offseason for once in this regime. Knowing what we really have on the roster makes all the difference between knowing what we need, and trusting a coaching staff who obviously would fail a course in "Your A@@ from a hole in the ground: A Comparative Study"