This is one of the most unreal stories that I have heard in quite some time. For those of you who haven't heard, Chris Williams came out and said that both he and the Bears knew of his pre-existing herniated disc:

An emotional general manager Jerry Angelo said the player's story jibes with everything he and the team have had to say since the offensive tackle went down on the second day of training camp with an injury. Williams had surgery Aug. 6 to repair what head trainer Tim Bream said was a new injury to the same disc, and he will remain on the 53-man roster with hopes of playing in the second half of the season.

It was a risk worth taking for the Bears, who remain high on his prospects, because Williams was a model of durability at Vanderbilt.

"There is a lot of history of players that had this condition that he had at the combine that have played with it," Angelo said. "We were basing it off of the play time. We were basing it off of no symptoms for a period of three or more years. We were comfortable with that. I did use the term wear and tear. There were concerns. But you know what, you could say that for a lot of players at a lot of positions." Bream, who was put on a conference call in an extremely rare move, said the medical work on Williams raised yellow flags not red ones. The common dictation from physicians at the combine was Williams was fine. Williams had a stable herniation that had not given him any problems.

I don't know about the rest of you, but there is a huge logical void here. First, Angelo and Co. stated that they didn't have any knowledge of a pre-existing condition. Then, once Williams comes out and states that they did, an "emotional Angelo" has a teleconference with reporters. No wonder he was emotional...he just got caught in his own lie.

One other issue I'd like to bring up is that Jerry took the risk because he was a model of durability at Vanderbilt. I'm a Texas Longhorns fan, and I watched Cedric Benson rumble through his four years at Texas with nothing more than an ankle sprain. Just because they're durable in college DOES NOT translate into the pros. Football is a violent sport, and if you don't get injured in college, you'll get hurt in the pros, where the game is faster and the hits are harder. In fact, if they are durable in college, unless they're a freak of nature, they're likely to get injured easier in the pros because of all the wear and tear they sustained throughout their college years.

Part of me is furious about this story, because Angelo could have picked a developmental prospect and cemented a possible cornerstone. Instead, he did nothing to shore up the OL, drafted the most "NFL-ready" tackle, then got bit in the ass when the injury he knew was there flared up. The other part is feeling pretty average, because if the Bears don't perform this year, Angelo might be finding himself on the outside of Halas Hall come January.

Link to Sun-Times article

By the time November 2nd rolls around hopefully we aren't so bad at offensive line that we have to rush him back in, but on that date the Bears are currently shooting for for a possible return of Chris Williams

Without most of training camp and no game time, Williams might be of little help regardless.

Doctors told Williams after Wednesday's surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back that he should expect to be out 10 to 12 weeks, a source said Friday. That would make the Nov. 2 game against the Lions in Week 9 the earliest date Williams could contribute to the Bears offensive line—if he contributes at all.

The remaining question is whether the Bears keep him on the active roster or just shut him down for the season and place him on injured reserve.

The Bears selected Vanderbilt tackle Chris Williams with the 14th pick in this year's draft.  Their reasoning was that he was the best pure left tackle available and it fit their biggest need. 

That sounds fair and is a decent enough justification, but in light of Williams back problems in only the second day of training camp and his subsequent surgery it brings up some questions.  Williams was known to have back issues.  The Bears claim that this was not a preexisting injury, but some scouts in attendance at the KC game disagree.

The three say they actually removed Chris Williams from their draft board due to injury concerns.

That news was met with skepticism by at least three scouts among the 21 in attendance at the game who claimed their teams had taken the player off their draft board because of medical concerns.

''I heard that on the radio,'' one scout said. ''Why are they lying about it? You know it will all come out.''

Said another: ''Our doctors said the guy would need to do something. I guess they were right.''

The Bears passed up some pretty big names and others who could have filled needed area.  Branden Albert, the tackle out of Virginia, was seen as a top 10 talent who could fill two spots on the Bears line.  He went one pick later ironically to  Kansas City.  Rashard Mendenhall, who some thought was the best running back in the draft was also past up.  He fell to the Steelers at 23.  Other offensive linemen like Jeff Otah, Sam Baker and Gosder Cherilus all went in the next 6 picks.

Did the Bears knowingly overlook an injury?  Was the Bears medical staff negligent in their duties?  If they did know, why would they still draft him?  Were they trying to prove something?  Was Williams potential so high that they were willing to overlook others at that position and big names at other skill positions?  Or could this all really just be coincidence?

The Bears are asking that Kevin Jones to drop 10 pounds while on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

The thinking is Jones will better be able to handle the the wear and tear of the job on his surgically repaired right knee if he's a little bit lighter. Jones had surgery to repair a torn ACL in January and is at least a decent bet to begin the season on PUP.

Mark Bradley is back  practicing after having some work done on his knee.  He has seen limping at times and is currently working next to Brandon Rideau as a third string receiver.

Chris Williams is still not practicing after suffering back spasms.

Rookie tackle Chris Williams remained out of pads again with soreness in his back. "Chris is getting better," coach Lovie Smith said, "and we need to get him out there."

With hours left before Bears training camp kicks off, the Bears and first round draft choice Chris Williams have agreed to terms.

The new deal is for 5 years for 13 million with 9 million up.  He can also earn another 3 million in incentives.

Williams impressed coaches with his talent and ability to grasp the offense during offseason workouts, but he will begin training camp behind veteran John St. Clair on the depth chart at left tackle. 

Williams appeared in 36 games at left tackle and left guard at Vanderbilt, finishing his college career with 33 consecutive starts. Starting all 24 contests over his final two seasons at left tackle, Williams received first team all-SEC honors as a senior and second team all-SEC accolades as a junior.

While the Bears have made some questionable moves concerning Free Agency and bolstering our offense, they have been trying to make ammends in recent weeks.  They have rid themselves of a potential locker room cancer (Benson), the have found a low risk - high reward replacement (Jones), they have been working hard toward getting everybody the contracts they want and/or deserve and with the exception of first rounder Chris Williams they have gotten all draft picks signed before training camp.

It looks like they are about to take care of that last one though.  The Bears and first round pick Chris Williams are close to signing a deal.  The deal is expected to be a 5-year deal with 9 million in up front money.

His agent, Bill Johnson, is working out the contract language with Bears negotiator Cliff Stein. And it appears the two sides are getting closer.

"We have exchanged dialogue and proposals," Johnson said Thursday. "I respect the Bears' diligence in working toward a timely resolution, particularly with training camp right around the corner."

The Bears are closing in on once again being the first team to sign all their draft picks.  This would be the third and most improbable year considering the number of picks they had, 12 (Most in NFC).

The Bears are nearing a deal with second round pick Matt Forte.  A deal is expected to be done tonight.

That leaves only first round selection Chris Williams; however, it is also being reported that the Bears are in "aggressive" negotiations with him and a deal could be reached as early as Friday.

I know we have a lot of issues with management and how they do things, but this as well as signing our own players, within reason, to deals are two areas they have excelled.

The Bears took care of three more of their rookie class yesterday.

Marcus Harrison,  Earl Bennett and Zackary Bowman all recieved 4 year deals with the Bears.

Marcus Harrison

Harrison is a first-round talent who dropped in the draft because of durability and character concerns. The 6-3, 310-pounder tore his left ACL last spring, but rebounded to register 76 tackles, 6½ tackles-for-loss and 1½ sacks while starting 10 games at Arkansas. He also batted down 10 passes and forced one fumble.

Earl Bennett

Highly competitive and productive, Bennett finished as the SEC’s all-time leading receiver with 236 catches despite playing only three seasons at Vanderbilt. The 6-foot, 209-pounder is the only player in conference history with at least 75 receptions in multiple seasons.

Zackary Bowman

Bowman showed promise in 2005 at Nebraska, recording 27 tackles, 14 pass breakups and two interceptions while starting five of 11 games played. But the 6-1, 197-pounder tore his left ACL in spring practice and missed the entire 2006 season.

The two remaining players yet sign are first rounder Chris Williams and second round Matt Forte.

A source close the Bears organization said that the Bears and third round selection Marcus Harrison should finalize a deal within the next 24 hours.

Third-round pick Marcus Harrison is on the verge of signing a four-year deal with the Bears, an NFL source said Monday. The deal is expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours.

Harrison, a defensive tackle from Arkansas, could provide a spark as a backup on the interior of the defensive line this coming season. He had first-round potential, but an arrest and ACL injury caused the rookie to drop. Harrison is projected as a future starter.

The remaining unsigned Bears draft choices are 1st rounder Chris Williams, second rounder Matt Forte, third rounder Earl Bennett and fifth rounder Zackary Bowman.

I am curious as to how Cedric Benson's waiving effects Matt Forte's signing.  Surely before he pretty  much had to sign what was given to him, but now with Benson out he has a bit more leverage if he was interested in pushing.

e Bears continue to roll signing another of their draft class.  This time 4th round selection Craig Steltz.  Steltz is a safety out of LSU.  The deal is for 4 years and details will be posted once available.

The Bears now have 7 out of 12 draft picks signed.

The remaining 5 are Chris Williams (T, Vanderbilt), Matt Forte (RB, Tulane), Earl Bennett (WR, Vanderbilt), Marcus Harrison (DT, Arkansas) and Zackary Bowman (CB, Nebraska).