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Thoughts on two NFL moves Thursday:

The Bears cut Nathan Vasher

This is somewhat of a surprise because the Bears' initial offseason plan did not include releasing Vasher. What made him expendable, clearly, was the acquisition of Tim Jennings--a player the Bears believe has more ability than Vasher.

With the way Vasher has played the last three years, it won't be a surprise if he is not on a roster on opening day. At one point Vasher was a fine player who was a critical component to the Bears defense. He fit the Bears' scheme perfectly. He benefitted from an effective pass rush. And he made plays.

But he dropped off dramatically after signing a five year contract worth $28 million in new money. His dropoff had more to do with injuries than the contract. He never was the same player after missing 20 games in two seasons with a groin tear and a broken hand.

By Vaughn McClure

Jason McKie could have walked away disgruntled, considering he had two years remaining on his Bears' contract. Plus, he was a favorite in the locker room, so his release Tuesday surely triggered some emotions among his former teammates.

But instead of lashing out at the organization, the veteran fullback praised head coach Lovie Smith and running backs coach Tim Spencer for giving him the opportunity. McKie thanked the Bears fans for the support and said it was an honor to wear the same helmet Walter Payton once sported.

And McKie vowed to be back to work soon.

"I know that (the next team) will get a guy who is multi-talented, can do a lot of things,'' said McKie, who spent seven seasons in Chicago after entering the league with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent. "I just want to go where a team knows that I'm going to give nothing but 100 percent on the field and off the field in the community. I want to go anywhere that is serious about winning."

Photo: Former Bears fullback Jason McKie wants to go to a team "serious about winning." (Phil Velasquez/Tribune)

By Vaughn McClure

Rex Grossman has found a new home.

The former Bears quarterback has signed a one-year with the Washington Redskins, according to the Redskins' Web site.

Grossman played with the Houston Texans last season and will be reunited with Kyle Shanahan, who was with the Texans last season and is now the Redskins' offensive coordinator under his father, Mike.

Grossman has his best year in 2006, when he helped the Bears to the Super Bowl by completing 262 of his 480 passes for 3,193 yards and 23 touchdowns with 20 interceptions. But it all went downhill after that as Grossman struggled the next two seasons, losing his starting job to both Brian Griese and Kyle Orton.

Grossman suffered a partially torn MCL in a game at Washington during the 2007 season.  He figures to back up Jason Campbell, unless the Redskins go another direction at quarterback.

And although dates won't be set until April, yes, the Redskins visit Soldier Field next season.

Photo: Rex Grossman played sparingly last season for the Texans. (Bob Levey/Getty)

By Vaughn McClure

Nick Roach has given Bears fans another reason to keep an eye on March Madness.

The linebacker has allowed access to his NCAA tournament bracket challenge at CBSSports.com to those willing to donate $10 toward the Slade Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund. The winner of the challenge will be awarded a pair of tickets to a Bears home game this season.

Slade Baker, 7, died in a sledding accident on Jan. 4 in Burlington, Wis., 35 miles from Roach's hometown of Milwaukee.

"There's no place like Chicago," McKie said. "The fans, the city ... and just wearing the same helmet that Walter Payton did was so special. Playing for coach (Lovie) Smith, he's just a great man and a great person. He really taught me a lot."

Photo: Jason McKie apparently wasn't a fit for Mike Martz's new offense. (Tribune)

The popular opinion at the NFLPA annual meeting in Maui is that owners will impose a lockout on the players next March when the current collective bargaining agreement expires.

"Everyone believes it. It's not a strike. It's a lockout," Bears wide receiver Rashied Davis told Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily. "The owners are the ones. We want to play. That is what the players want to do. Owners don't want to let us play, so they are planning to lock us out."

Davis is an alternate player representative for the Bears and is attending the meetings with about 100 players from around the league, including Bears player rep Hunter Hillenmeyer.

Tribune News Services

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Take note Bears fans.

79-year-old Jim Becker from Racine says his Green Bay Packers loyalties may have helped save his life and has been voted into the team's Fan Hall of Fame.

To afford his season tickets without taking money from his family, he began selling his blood for $15 per pint. His doctor later found that Becker's father died young from a condition in which the blood retains too much iron -- the only treatment is to remove the iron by giving blood.

By that time, Becker had sold 145 pints to pay for his season tickets.

By Brad Biggs

It was a year ago at the NFL Players Association in Hawaii that DeMaurice Smith was elected as the executive director to follow in the path of Gene Upshaw.

Now, players are huddled in Hawaii bracing for an unknown future with the possibility of a work stoppage in 2011 looming closer.

Linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, the Bears' player representative, is attending the meetings hoping that the NFL will soon find a sense of urgency to move toward an agreement that will put the game, the league and its players on solid footing for years to come.

"We, as players, are getting pretty frustrated with the owners lack of urgency," Hillenmeyer said. "While it's a virtual certainty that this league year will start with all the poison pills in place on both sides, it's my sincere hope that we don't wait 51 weeks from right now to make any substantive progress towards an agreement."

If there is a lockout in 2011, some Bears players will have some extra money to carry over into a period of uncertainty thanks to the NFL's performance-based pay system.

Cornerback Zack Bowman collected an additional $355,355, the second-highest figure in the league, according to a source with knowledge of the payouts.

Bowman's base salary this past season when he played in all 16 games and led the team with six interceptions was only $310,000. Call it Christmas in March. The NFLPA has recommended agents tell their players to save this money in the event of a work stoppage a year from now.

By Vaughn McClure

Based on the way Bears players have raved about Rod Marinelli this offseason, the transition to the new defensive coordinator appears destined to be seamless.

But will the defense be successful?

Linebacker Brian Urlacher believes the defensive intensity should at least crank up a few notches, and not just because Julius Peppers is now in the fold.

"If you listen to coach Marinelli talk, you want to run through a frickin' wall for him,'' Urlacher said. "When he talks, people listen.

"I like coach Marinelli. He knows football. He knows how to get guys in position to make plays. And he motivates people. I have a huge amount of respect for him."

Photo: Brian Urlacher is eager to play for new defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Tribune)

Tribune News Services

NEW YORK -- An NFL panel found that certain serious knee and ankle injuries happen more often in games played on the most popular brand of artificial turf than on grass.

The league's Injury and Safety Panel is presenting its study Friday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in New Orleans.

The report examined the 2002-08 NFL seasons, comparing games played on grass to those on FieldTurf. It found that the rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries was 88 percent higher in FieldTurf games -- a conclusion the manufacturer of the synthetic field hotly disputes.

By Vaughn McClure

Kahlil Bell spent a few weeks with the Vikings before the start of the 2009 season and got a taste of playing behind Chester Taylor.

Now that Taylor has arrived in Chicago, Bell would welcome the opportunity to be his understudy once again.

"I think Chester Taylor has had a great career, and he's been in this league a long time now," Bell said. "We're kind of young at the running back position, and he brings that experience. I'm just looking forward to learning some things from him -- hopefully."

Photo: Kahlil Bell hopes he still figures in the Bears' backfield with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor. (Jose M. Osorio/Tribune)

Go ahead and place your order for a Julius Peppers jersey, if you need to add one to the closet.

Peppers will wear No. 90, the number he has worn throughout his career in the NFL, the Bears announced Wednesday.

What that means for Jarron Gilbert remains to be seen. The former No. 90 is a man without a number at this point, as a team spokesman said he is uncertain what digits Gilbert will switch to. We also don't know at this point if Peppers made the switch a little bit easier for Gilbert, perhaps with some cash or jewelry.

"Hopefully, he will just give it up out of respect," Peppers said last week. "I'll talk to him about that and see how he feels."

Gilbert was assigned No. 73 after he was drafted in the third round last season from San Jose State. He wore No. 90 in college, and made the switch with the Bears during training camp after linebacker Joey LaRocque was released. Gilbert joked at the time that he looked faster wearing No. 90 and No. 73. No one is assigned No. 73, so he could go back to that number.

Photo: Julius Peppers will retain his No. 90 with the Bears. (AP)