Former Bears coach Jack Pardee (1975-1977), shown at left greeting Bears WR James Scott after Pardee left the Bears, died on April 1st at the age of 76. Pardee departed the Bears under questionable circumstances, but regardless his life story is pretty remarkable in my opinion.

Pardee was one of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s “Junction Boys” at Texas A&M University. One of the remarkable parts of Pardee’s life occurred in 1964, when he missed a year of football as he battled malignant melanoma at the age of 29. According to Jeff Pearlman’s book “Sweetness”, Pardee was told that he should have his arm amputated in order to save his life. He instead chose an experimental treatment, which cured him at the time. He then went back to playing football.

In 1975, new Bears GM Jim Finks chose the 38 year old Pardee to be his first head coach. Looking back, I kind of liken the Bears situation at that time to the present-day Chicago Cubs. The Bears were embarking on an experiment of their own, with George Halas Sr. and Jr. turning over the reins of their franchise to outsiders for the first time.

Finks and Pardee had the team headed in the right direction, and the team rallied by winning the final six games of the 1977 Chicago Bears season to make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. But as dramatically happy a time that must have been for the team, Pardee was engineering his and the team’s demise.

Former players’ of Pardee’s that were quoted in his Chicago Tribune obituary were remarkably vague about what happened, possibly out of respect for a good man. But it has been clearly been put on the record that Pardee was more concerned about taking the Washington Redskins’ head coaching job than preparing the Bears for their wild card playoff game at Dallas. I have been told for my Chicago Bears History book that Pardee was more concerned about readying his house for the move than getting the team ready for the playoff game. The Bears were throttled by the Cowboys 37-7, and Pardee quickly left for Washington.

In retrospect, Pardee’s replacement Neill Armstrong was not up to the task. But one good thing that did come out of the change was Armstrong bringing Buddy Ryan to Chicago as defensive coordinator.

Pardee’s passing is sad to me because the former Bears coach reminds me vividly of my childhood. I started watching the Bears in Armstrong’s second season, but I still remember my Dad telling this eight year old that Pardee was a good coach and it was a shame that he had to leave. When the grizzled Pardee became the head coach of the Houston Oilers in 1990, that also took me back to my childhood. And the memory of him presiding over the Buddy Ryan-Kevin Gilbride fight…priceless.

Another legend from my childhood deceased. May he rest in peace.

I’m trying to think-seriously-when was the last time the Bears drafted and developed a solid offensive lineman? Before Lance Louis, that is. 2001 pick Mike Gandy? He was solid but not a star. Before that, Rex Tucker, who was oft-injured. Then before that, you have to go all the way back to Olin Kreutz.

Just think of that, every guard and tackle that has played for the Bears from 1998-2012 was acquired from another team. (Not counting Chris Villarial, who was drafted in 1996 and played solidly until 2003).

That’s a shame and embarrassing. And now it’s unfortunate that the one offensive lineman they drafted and was just becoming solid, they have lost. The aforementioned Louis signed with the Miami Dolphins yesterday.

It’s a shame, but I understand that a team can’t add pieces such as Jermon Bushrod and Martellus Bennett and still have cap room for guys like Louis. I’m sure the hope is that Gabe Carimi and James Brown will develop at guard. And perhaps an elite guard will fall in the draft, the Bears will take one later in the draft, or a veteran cap casualty will be available before the season begins.

Catching up on the latest Chicago Bears news since Friday:

The Bears have signed linebacker James Anderson from Carolina to a one-year contract. Anderson will replace departed strongside linebacker Nick Roach.

Chicago-area native Tom Zbikowski has been signed to provide special teams play and depth at safety.

Chicago Tribune reporter Dan Pompei gives a nice sendoff to Bears legend Brian Urlacher. I still wish the two sides could have reached a deal, and the more I think about it, the more sad I become that it had to end this way.

Former Bears receiver Harlon Hill passed away Friday at the age of 80.

Could the Bears actually host the kickoff of the NFL season on Thursday, September 5th? I kind of doubt it, as there are more compelling matchups for the Ravens. But this is the kind of thing that is talked about at this time of year.

The Bears re-signed cornerback Zack Bowman and signed free agent defensive end Turk McBride.

No time is being wasted in the Bears’ quest to replace Brian Urlacher. On Friday afternoon, they signed maligned but talented middle linebacker D.J. Williams, who ends up being Urlacher’s heir apparent.

Sean Jensen of the Sun-Times writes that NFL teams frequently have problems sending their legends into the sunset.

Mike Ditka weighs in on the Urlacher situation, and how he thinks Steve McMichael will do if he’s elected mayor of suburban Romeoville.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Chicago Bears issued a press release stating that legendary Middle Linebacker Brian Urlacher will not be returning to the team in 2013. The only team he has known and for which he played for 13 seasons. The first legitimate, lasting superstar player the Bears had drafted in probably 17 years.

Obviously, this is a shame. Not a shame that Urlacher won’t be coming back at any cost. A shame that both sides couldn’t reach a fair agreement for him to play one more season in Chicago. While the Bears unfortunately have a history in this department of letting legendary players walk in a disgraceful manner (Jay Hilgenberg in 1992, Olin Kreutz in 2011), I have to say that in this case, I fault Urlacher more.

As the story goes, Urlacher’s camp asked for a two-year contract paying the player $5 million per season. The Bears countered with a one-year, $2 million offer, a proposal Urlacher called “insulting.”

My interpretation of this is that Urlacher felt he should have been paid more than this “for all he’s done for the Bears.” (This is my interpretation, not a direct quote). To me, I think the Bears paid Urlacher generously, and possibly more than the market dictated, when they gave him a monster contract in 2003, and again when they paid him more to extend his deal in 2008. They didn’t have to do that.

So it seems that Urlacher drew his line in the sand, and now what is he going to do? I’m not the only one that wonders. The real shame is, the market has dictated for Urlacher his value, and it isn’t what he thinks it is now. How sad would it be to see him hobble along for another season with Minnesota or Arizona for less than what the Bears offered him.

I was excited when the Bears drafted him in April 2000. On my way to a frigid Cubs game that day, I heard the news and was ecstatic. Later when I heard that the late then personnel boss Mark Hatley tried virtually everything to NOT draft Urlacher (Hatley wanted Plaxico Burris), I was disgusted.

After his Rookie of the Year season, a friend met Urlacher at a private autograph signing, and found him to be a real nice guy one-on-one. Then around 2007 or so, my Father-in-Law conducted business with him, got me another personalized autograph, and again said he was a real great guy.

I was disappointed the last few years when the linebacker took aim at fans, several times saying they don’t know anything and he doesn’t care about them. But in the end, that was his opinion, and on a personal level, I don’t care about Brian Urlacher either.

But he will undoubtedly be missed by us all. It is always sad to see the end of an era. From the first preseason game Urlacher played in against the Cleveland Browns, it was apparent to me that this player was going to be special. And he most certainly was.

I am still hoping that by some chance miracle, the sides work out their differences and he returns to the team on a reasonable deal. But with the ego of a potential Hall of Fame player, I kind of doubt this will happen.

Given that practically every Bears fan owns at least one Urlacher jersey, it will be interesting to see if they dwindle in the stands in 2013, or if #54 will still have a presence. Wait, since I still see fans wearing Curtis Enis and Rick Mirer jerseys (gulp), I’m sure we’ll still see plenty.

With the signing of dual-purpose (receiving and blocking) tight end Martellus Bennett, the Bears released tight ends Kellen Davis and Matt Spaeth. Without adding any commentary (COUGH…Davis was a waste of money in 2012), Davis was allegedly a pass catcher and Spaeth primarily a blocker.

While I’m still curious to see the Bears’ updated cap situation to evaluate where the space came from, I figured that the roughly $4 million in savings for these two would be a good place to start. Defensive tackle Matt Toeaina will also reportedly be cut. Toeaina’s cap savings will be under $1 million.

To me this means the Bears will be active in the draft for another talented tight end. I hope not in the first round, though.

Also in the news yesterday was word that Brian Urlacher has been talking to the Minnesota Vikings, among other teams. I wonder if the speculation that the Bears intentionally forced up the price for tackle Phil Loadholt had Minnesota seeking revenge? If the Bears did intervene with Loadholt simply to drive his price up on the Vikings, I love it!

I remember the spring of 1994 when Brett Favre was a restricted free agent for the first time, coming off two seasons as a starter. He would have been allowed to negotiate with any team but ultimately the Packers would have been in the driver’s seat to get him back. I always wondered why the Bears didn’t at least do some bidding against their rivals to drive up the price. Would have been smart, but the rest is history.

I stand corrected. Just when I thought the Chicago Bears would not be able to make major moves in Free Agency due to their salary cap situation, the Bears struck gold early by signing left tackle Jermon Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett.

It was announced at the outset yesterday that Bennett would be coming to the Bears, but exact terms of the four-year deal have not been released. Today Adam Shefter per Profootballtalk reports the contract is worth $20 million.

Bushrod’s deal is five years for just under $36 million. I know it sounds comical to say that paying a human $36 million to play a game is a bargain. But the player made the NFC Pro Bowl squad the previous two seasons in New Orleans. To the best of my knowledge, the Bears have not sent a left tackle to the Pro Bowl since Jim Covert three decades ago. And we know that for most of the last 15 years, the Bears’ situation hasn’t even been stable, let alone productive.

I am very interested to see how the Bears officially find the cap room for these contracts, given they were just over $3 million under the limit. And they still need to sign guard Lance Louis, find a player at the left guard position, and at least find an outside linebacker on defense. Not to mention determining if Brian Urlacher is staying or going. So far, it has been reported that the Bears have not responded to his contract offer.

The important thing for now is that Chicago has filled two glaring needs on offense.

I see a lot of people out there already talking about what kind of big splash the Chicago Bears will make when free agency opens at 2 p.m. I could very well be wrong, as I am most of the time, but I don’t expect any “splashes.” And this may not be a bad thing.

Sure, I’d love it if the Bears find a way to sign a left tackle, guard or tight end. But really, how can they? With just over $3 million in cap space and at least Brian Urlacher, Lance Louis and Kelvin Hayden to try to re-sign, I don’t see it happening.

How could this not be a bad thing? It is roundly agreed that since true free agency started in the NFL in 1993, the teams that make huge-money investments don’t usually see a great return. Examples I made recently in Bears history were Bryan Cox, Alonzo Spellman, Phillip Daniels, Tom Carter, Thomas Smith. Sure, there are signings like Reggie White that propelled the Packers to a Super Bowl, and Julius Peppers who has made a couple of Pro Bowls with the Bears. But for every White, there are multiple examples like Alvin Harper, Andre Rison or Javon Kearse.

Read no further than today’s report that the Minnesota Vikings may be ready to throw $13 million per season at WR Mike Wallace. I see bust written all over that, and I’m fine with a division rival making that mistake.

Wow. Come on, men of a certain age like me, admit that NFL free agency 2013 snuck up on you as it did me. Tuesday, we’re almost here.

Again, because I am that man of a certain age with obligations, I have not had the opportunity to read any debate regarding what our Bears should do. So I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts. Remember, with the franchise tag on Henry Melton, the Bears only (ONLY?) have under $4 million to spend-which has to account for a lot of other pieces other than the obvious. The obvious being their draft class, Brian Urlacher, Lance Louis, a nickel back to replace the departing D.J. Moore (I hope a re-signing of Kelvin Hayden) and hopefully a good deal on Israel Idonije.

Profootballtalk published its list of the top 100 NFL Free Agents yesterday. Unlike the days when Dave Wannstedt and Michael McCaskey were practically solely in charge of personnel, it’s actually a good thing that the top Bears free agent ranked is Brian Urlacher at #64. Back in those days, that proved that Wanny did truly suck at his drafting/signings. Now it means that the team has done a fastidious job of protecting their talent. Unlike the days when Alonzo Spellman was given $12 million before Jeff Graham was paid half that amount. Et cetera.

Moral of this free agency period; as much as we would like to see the Bears acquire Jake Long or Sebastian Vollmer, I personally don’t see that happening. As much as I’d love to. IF-and it’s an IF-the Bear Jew can play solidly at left guard, Louis recovers and plays strong again on the right side, J’Marcus Webb is better on the right side and a bargain LT could be signed and a top rookie drafted, that would be excellent. And let’s not forget that our center Roberto Garza-as solid as he plays-is in his waning days.

Since I have read a couple of excellent articles by the Sun-Times’ Sean Jensen, I like his ideas on acquiring a guard or tight end.

Around four days (or more if the Bears stay out of the big money) and we’ll all find out.

Speaking of Moore, as most of us know, D.J. isn’t coming back in 2013. Obviously he didn’t just land in Lovie Smith’s doghouse like many others, he must have been unimpressive to GM Phil Emery as well. I remember Moore stepping up as an undersized playmaker in 2010 and surprising, looking like a smaller version of another recent #30 for the Bears, Mike Brown. Since Moore isn’t coming back, I’d love to see 2012 Kelvin Hayden re-signed.

Oh, and according to Jensen, Brian Urlacher’s agent has presented the Bears with a contract proposal. Sure hope he’s back.

An item I caught today on Profootballtalk got me to thinking on a subject that has been in the back of my mind. One of these days, the Packers are going to have to pay Aaron Rodgers. And in light of the $120 million just netted by Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, they better have their plans in place.

Let me first acknowledge (and I HATE to have to do so) that the Packers may be the most well-run franchise in the NFL going back to 1991. Green Bay finished 4-12 in 1991, but that is the year that Ron Wolf assumed the General Manager role, and the following season the pieces started falling into place.

It burns me but you just have to give them credit, the Packers have had only two losing seasons since 1991. Even when they finished 4-12 in 2005 and 6-10 in 2008, sandwiched between was an NFC Championship game at home in 2007. How this team has rebuilt itself from ashes twice, and acquired two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, absolutely astonishes me.

However, might there possibly be a break coming for Chicago Bears fans? While I have no doubt that Aaron Rodgers would make any team competitive just by his presence, the success of a few of their players is going to eat up a hell of a lot more cap room in the coming years than it has so far. That will limit the Packers’ ability to field a well-rounded roster at all positions, unless they are able to draft great in all rounds.

Taking a look back at recent Packer drafts, unquestionably they hit the jackpot in 2009 when they picked B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews Jr. in the first round. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson was their top pick in 2008. (They also spent a second-round pick on quarterback Brian Brohm that year-CLINK.) But since 2010 in the first round Green Bay’s picks have been tackle Bryan Bulaga, tackle Derek Sherrod and LB/DE Nick Perry. Bulaga and Sherrod are really both right tackles, and both have been injured. Sherrod has not started a game in two seasons. 2012 top pick Perry played in six games before being lost to injury. So the jury is certainly out on Green Bay’s top picks of late.

Certainly the Packers have drafted well in the later rounds, and players such as Nelson, James Jones and Rodgers signed very hometown-discounted contracts to stay in Green Bay.

But the looming expiration of rookie deals for Matthews and Raji are going to eat into the Packers’ current $21 million in cap space. But no contractual situation presents a greater threat than the upcoming end of Rodgers’ contract, signed in 2008.

In retrospect the Packers were extremely smart in inking him to a six-year deal averaging $10 million per season. The fact that he was largely unproven at the time makes the organization look like geniuses. But Rodgers’ next deal will likely surpass $20 million per season. And the longer the Packers wait, the larger the ultimate price becomes. This new deal coupled with top-tier deals for Matthews and Raji may finally bode well for the Bears.

Then again, if the Packers continue to draft and sign players as shrewdly as they have for the last 20 years, this nightmare for Bears fans may continue.

There is little question that the Bears need a major overhaul on the offensive line. It was the team’s weakness before Phil Emery was named general manager last January, and it still is. If there was ever an offseason to upgrade the line, it would be this one. The free agency period starts in exactly two weeks, and there are six offensive linemen that the Bears need to heavily consider. The cap space available is not as high as it has been in past years for the organization, but Cliff Stein has worked bigger miracles. Brad Biggs has reported that they will have around $11 million to play with, but with a Charles Tillman and Brandon Marshall extension, that number could rise. It could also climb with a restructuring of Julius Peppers’ contract. Releasing the pitiful Kellen Davis, confused Devin Hester, and/or the mediocre Matt Spaeth could also free up room for Phil Emery to operate. Regardless, the intention of the offseason has to be to protect Jay Cutler, and there are six qualified free agent offensive tackles to reach that goal.

Ryan Clady- Ryan Clady is one of the best tackles in football. His 2012 was not as dominant as his past seasons, but from the first time he stepped on the field his rookie year, it was obvious he was going to be a good player. It is a shame he had to be drafted two slots before the Bears selected in 2008, when they had Chris Williams fall to them. With Peyton Manning needing a blindside protector badly thanks to numerous neck surgeries, there is no way Clady leaves the Rocky Mountains.

William Beatty- Beatty was nothing short of spectacular in pass protection last season for the Giants. His issue has always been one of two things: penalties and injuries. Back spasms flare up from time to time for him, and in 2012, he had 11 penalties called against him, 8 of which were holding calls. His age (27) makes him an attractive player for many teams.

Jake Long- From 2009-2011, Pro Football Focus recorded statistics for all offensive linemen during that time. Jake Long played 1,614 snaps and only gave up 63 pressures. That is a remarkable number, considering Gabe Carimi seemingly gave up 63 in one game last season in San Francisco. A lot has been made of Long’s injuries and his 2012 drop off. Most analysts believe he is looking for 30-40 million guaranteed over the course of a contract, but he is not going to get that. It would be tough for Long to pass up a contract in the Midwest, where he’s from, if Chicago offered up a rich contract.

Branden Albert- If the Chiefs do not select an offensive tackle with the first pick in April’s draft, I would be surprised. This would probably be the end of the road for Branden Albert in Kansas City. Like Long and Beatty, he has had some back injuries, but from 2009-2011, he only gave up 96 pressures in 1,552 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He also gave up only one sack in 11 games last year. Albert is still relatively young as well, and he has made it known that he does not want to stay with the Chiefs if they expect him to line up inside. With that being said, Kansas City will most likely use their franchise tag on Dwayne Bowe and let Albert walk.

Sebastian Vollmer- One of two current NFL players born in Germany, Sebastian Vollmer is the best right tackle in the league. He only gave up 56 pressures from 2009-2011, and his 2012 was very good as well. A lot of people will claim he is a typical New England system product, but make no mistake, Vollmer would be a terrific addition to the Bears. He would add leadership and skill there, the latter lacking for years.

Jermon Bushrod- Nobody has been talked about more this offseason in regards to the Bears than Jermon Bushrod. This probably comes from the fact that new Bears’ offensive coordinator, Aaron Kromer, was his offensive line coach in New Orleans. Bushrod has made two Pro Bowls, both because of his name and the offense he plays on. Last season, he did not grade out positively in any game from week 12-17 according to PFF’s scale. As I pointed out a few days ago on twitter, J’Marcus Webb’s 2012 was statistically better than Bushrod’s. Webb gave up a pressure every 20 snaps while Bushrod gave up a pressure every 15 plays. Bushrod graded out 45th overall among all tackles, while Webb finished 35th overall. Bushrod might be a better player than Webb is, but it will be hard for Emery to sell a huge contact to Bushrod to fans if it happens.

I would hope that Emery is not as incompetent as Jerry Angelo was in terms of drafting offensive linemen. Last season, he drafted none and signed a quitter. If he drafts two and signs one of the aforementioned six, that will be a successful offseason. It is simply time to give the biggest weakness of this team a major upgrade. With a quality team in the trenches, this is a Super Bowl contender.

by Brian Ociepka (@bjociepka1)