A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

I really hate to write this, but next season looks like it's going to be bad:

When speaking with personnel directors, the two best available linebackers heading into free agency were Baltimore's Adalius Thomas and Chicago's Lance Briggs. Of course, the Bears placed the franchise tag on Briggs, upsetting the player to no end because he knows Chicago will never offer him a five-year, $35 million contract like Thomas collected from New England.

Heck, Thomas turned down a better deal from the San Francisco 49ers, because he didn't want to move to the West Coast. Plus he believes that the Patriots know more about getting to Super Bowls than Mike Nolan's outfit at the present time. Meanwhile, Briggs is doing a slow burn because he played for less than $700,000 this past season, his second consecutive year in the Pro Bowl.

One thing you have to love about the Bears is that they make all their employees play out their contracts. Ted Phillips doesn't play favorites in this area. The team president did it with head coach Lovie Smith and he recently treated running back Thomas Jones so badly that the team simply traded him to the New York Jets for a second-round pick. Upon his arrival, the Jets gave Jones a $12 million signing bonus because he rushed for 3,874 yards the past three seasons in Chicago. The Bears would never consider rewarding a solid player like Jones with that kind of money, especially not when he was under contract for $2.7 million this upcoming season.

It is easy to rip the Bears because all around them the NFL world is throwing $49 million packages at guards and basically losing its financial mind. But the Bears know they don't have to do that because they play in the NFC North. Smith and his team have to worry a little about the Green Bay Packers, but the rest of the division is a joke.

Of course, in seeking to win the Super Bowl, one has to compete beyond the confines of the NFC North and the Bears are not exactly equipping themselves to do that, now are they? First Chicago treats Jones like dirt and he leaves to greener pastures with more green being thrown at him than he would have gotten at the Bears and a featured role as a running back (for a team whose jerseys are white and green, no less). Now we are on the verge of losing Lance Briggs? Perhaps Briggs is pulling a negotiating maneuver. But perhaps not, in which case, the alternative is horrific:

Chicago's biggest problem with Briggs is that to keep him, he should earn more than all-world linebacker Brian Urlacher. Four years ago, Urlacher received the best deal ever given to a linebacker, including a $13 million signing bonus. Well, Jones almost got the same amount from the Jets while Thomas received almost $20 million in guaranteed money. Hey, we all know that Thomas isn't as good as Urlacher, but his ability is close.

What's the solution for Briggs?

Well, he may have to turn into Terrell Owens, which is totally out of character for him. I mean, he's going to have to skip mini-camps like he did a year ago and get fined and basically become a pain in the butt to Smith and the team. His only option is to force their hand, similar to what Deion Branch did last August when he got himself traded to Seattle for a ridiculous contract.

It's the only option for Briggs, who has been a team leader and a very good tackler for the Bears. I know the franchise salary is $7.2 million, but that's not enough for one of the game's best defensive players.

I sense trouble. I sense big, big trouble indeed for my beloved team.