Bear Essentials

Fox and NFL Network analyst Brian Billick had an interesting take on the possibility of a team signing Peyton Manning if he doesn't reach a contractual agreement with the Colts. "First off," Billick said, "when you bring him in, if it doesn't work, it's not Peyton's fault. There's going to be somebody's butt in somebody's brief case at the end of the day, and it's not going to be Peyton's, OK? Because that guy's got a Super Bowl, and he's walking into the Hall of Fame." The Colts will not pay Manning the $23 million roster bonus he's due next month because of the undertainty surrounding his health after three neck surgeries. But they could reach agreement on a renegotiated deal with the three-time MVP.

Brian Billick, the head coach of the Super Bowl XXXV-winning Baltimore Ravens and now a Fox analyst, was instrumental in new Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice getting involved in coaching when his playing days were over. Billick believes Tice is exactly what the Bears and coach Lovie Smith need to run the offense after two up-and-down seasons under Mike Martz. “Mike has a complete view of the game,” Billick said. “Remember he was a head coach, and Mike has a bigger view of the game, and he has a certain mentality. That’s why, in my opinion, Lovie made him the offensive coordinator because he wants that mentality. They’re going to run the ball; they’re going to be physical.” But Billick believes the Bears need offensive upgrades.

Vikings head coach and former Bears cornerback Leslie Frazier says he and his offensive staff tread a fine line deciding how to best utilize dual-threat WR-RB Percy Harvin, who caught 87 passes for 967 yards last season and rushed 52 times for 345 yards, a 6.6-yard average. “The workload (last season) was probably what we could afford with him,” Frazier said. “We’re always conscious with Percy of overusing him. He’s such a main factor in our offense, but also on special teams. He’s such a threat every time he touches the football, and one thing that I talked about with him is being able to stay on the field a little bit longer, even when he’s not touching the football.

Bears coach Lovie Smith had not spoken publicly about the January firing of general manager Jerry Angelo, the man who hired him in 2004, until this week at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We know in our profession what's at stake always, and changes can happen at any time," Smith said. "I'm here primarily because of what Jerry Angelo did for me, giving me an opportunity, leading the charge to give me the opportunity to be the head football coach here. I can't necessarily say (I'm) surprised (about the firing). I don't think any coach or G.M. in the league is surprised about anything that happens. "Jerry did an awful lot for us, but you move on, and that's what we've done. Jerry will be fine. He's a lifetime friend, but you do move on."

When Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips began his search in January for a general manager to succeed Jerry Angelo the job came with the proviso that Lovie Smith would be retained as the head coach – but only for the 2012 season. Thursday morning at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Smith said he doesn’t feel any more pressure to win this season under new G.M. Phil Emery than he ever has. It may be a “win-or-else” situation, but Smith says that’s nothing new. “Win or else?” Smith said. “Every year I’ve been a head football coach and pretty much (even) as a position coach, I felt like we had to win the next year or else. There’s a standard that we’re going to try to get accomplished. That hasn’t changed at all.

In the latest issue of Pro Football Weekly, draft expert Nolan Nawrocki has the Bears taking LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle with the 19th pick in the first round. That would be a start. Trading for Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall, in addition to drafting Randle, could transform the Bears’ receiving group from one of the NFL’s worst to one of its best. It would also, for the first time, give Cutler a legitimate array of weapons with which to showcase his skills.

With the playoff action, changes that have already occurred on the Bears’ coaching staff and those that will be made soon, plus the search for a new G.M., Mel Kiper’s re-grading of the 2011 draft was almost lost in the shuffle. Kiper originally gave the Bears a “B” for their five picks, but after a year to evaluate, he dropped that grade to a “C,” which seems about right. Jerry Angelo’s last draft class could have lived up to its original grade had starting ORT Gabe Carimi not been lost for the season in Week Two. “Carimi could pan out at right tackle and had the job coming out of camp,” Kiper said. “There's no telling whether he'll be able to move to the left side.”

Considering last week’s 4-0 record against the spread, I figured there might be some interest in a sneak preview of this weekend’s NFL playoff games. On Saturday, I like the Saints minus 3 against the 49ers in San Francisco. I realize the Saints are a completely different team outdoors on the road than they are in the comfort of their home dome, but I think they’re clearly a better team than the Niners, who could have trouble scoring even against a Saints defense that is far from dominant.

The future of offensive coordinator Mike Martz is apparently off limits. When Bears coach Lovie Smith was asked about it after Wednesday’s practice inside the Walter Payton Center, he was clearly annoyed and answered the question with a question: “What kind of question is that anyway, at this time?” Smith retorted. “What kind of question is that? Why would you ask a question like that anyway?” The obvious reply is: “To get an honest answer.” But that’s not happening. The bottom line is that, if Smith had already decided to have Martz back for next season, he would have said so. The absence of a vote of confidence is not a good sign for Martz, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that he won’t be back.

If anyone happened to catch the end of the Saints’ Monday night’s blowout victory over the Falcons, it was a classic example of self-indulgence and lack of class by New Orleans coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees. Already leading the Falcons 38-16, Payton and Brees couldn’t wait another week for the Saints’ quarterback to surpass Dan Marino’s single-season record of 5,084 passing yards. So the Saints ran it up on the Falcons by driving for another touchdown, primarily through the air and then the game was delayed for an embarrassing tribute to Brees, who achieved his precious individual accomplishment.