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Archives for Former Bear Of The Day

Former Bear Of The Day: Phillip Daniels

17th June 2010 by under Former Bear Of The Day     

Today we’ll take a look at former Bears defensive end Phillip Daniels.

Daniels was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 1996. He was a fourth round pick out of Georgia. He was part of the Bears for four seasons (2000-2004), in which he played in 59 games.

In those 59 games, Daniels made 188 tackles, 23 sacks and forced four fumbles.

His best season as a pro came in 2001, when the Bears went 13-3 on the season, but fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional playoff. That season he made 50 tackles, nine sacks and forced three fumbles.

In 2004, Daniels left the Bears for Washington where he has spent the last six seasons.

In his long career, Daniels has played in 187 games, made 501 tackles, 60 sacks and forced 15 fumbles.

At age 37, Daniels is still playing hard and he is currently battling for the starting left defensive end spot with former St. Louis Ram, Adam Carriker. Daniels was a favorite of mine when he was with the Bears, it’s hard to believe at his age that he is still in the NFL.

Lets hope for a solid year for Phillip Daniels this season, because it could be his last.

Daniels is reunited with former Bears wide receiver Bobby Wade and QB Rex Grossman in Washington.

Bad News:

Last weeks, Former Bear Of The Day: Mark Bradley, was released today by the Tampa Bay Bucs. I guess he wasn’t good enough to beat out probably the worst group of receivers in the NFL. Bradley’s days in the NFL, might be over. He could always try the UFL.

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Former Bear Of The Day: Mark Bradley

4th June 2010 by under Former Bear Of The Day     

Today we’ll take a look at former Bears wide receiver Mark Bradley.

Bradley was drafted by the Bears in 2005. He was a second round pick out of Oklahoma. He was part of the Bears for four seasons (2005-2008), in which he played in 34 games. He caught 38 passes for 583 yards in that time. He started four games his rookie season and then after that saw time off the bench.

Bradley suffered a ACL injury in week eight of his rookie season ending his season. Bradley stayed healthy for 2006 until an ankle injury cost him to miss five games late in the season. The 15 games he appeared in 2007 were an improvement, but he only caught six passes.

Then in 2008 he fell out of favor and because of the development of Devin Hester and Earl Bennett he was released on September 23, 2008.

Bradley was then picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs on October 1, 2008. Bradley played in ten games that season, starting eight of them. He put up career highs in basically every stat. He reeled in 30 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns.

The highlight of his season with the Chiefs was when he threw the first touchdown pass of his career to then quarterback Tyler Thigpen, on a wide-receiver reverse trick play, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2009 he played in 13 games for the Chiefs, starting five games. He reeled in 24 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns, but the Chiefs released Bradley on December 22, 2009. The next day the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him and he is competing for a job there this season with the minimal talent that they have at the position.

I personally believe Bradley had a dispute with coach Lovie Smith and that’s what caused his release because he was a good player when he was put in the right position. Injuries were a big reason he didn’t have success because he was very talented and he can still have some success with the Bucs because he is only 28 years old. I liked him when he was with the Bears, but I never thought he could be a star with our system maybe with the right system Bradley can flourish.

Good luck in Tampa Bay Mark.

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Former Bear Of The Day: Walt Harris

15th October 2009 by under Former Bear Of The Day     

D050850003.JPGToday we’ll take a look at former Bears corner back Walt Harris.

Harris was drafted by the Bears back in 1996 in the first round out of Mississippi State. He played six seasons with the Bears (1996-2002), in which he played in 72 games. He made 364 tackles, one sack, 13 interceptions, and forced eight fumbles during that time. Harris was a starter during those six seasons and he was a very talented corner back.

He left the Bears after the 2001-2002 season for Indianapolis, where he appeared in 31 games, making 99 tackles, forcing two fumbles and two interceptions in two seasons. He then moved on to Washington, where he played two quick seasons, piling up 75 tackles, and three interceptions in 29 games. In 2006, he signed with San Francisco, where he has played in 46 games, making 174 tackles, forcing five fumbles and fifteen interceptions so far. 2006 was clearly his best pro season, because he was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time. He had eight interceptions and forced fumbles that season. Unfortunately, Harris tore his ACL in training camp this season and he was put on the IR.

At age 35, Harris’ career might be dwindling down, but he has to be proud of what he has accomplished. He’s played in almost 200 games, making almost 800 tackles, forcing 17 fumbles and 35 interceptions (four returned for touchdowns). Who knows if he can be a starter in this league again, but I’m sure the 49ers would like to have him back next season, especially after what they saw from showboating Dre Bly last week.

I wish the Bears kept Harris around for more seasons, but Harris had his success in other places. Harris was definitely one of my favorite players, when he was on the Bears. I hope he gets another shot to become the starting cornerback for a team in the NFL, if San Francisco doesn’t bring him back.

Good luck Walt.

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Former Bear Of The Day: Brandon McGowan

12th October 2009 by under Former Bear Of The Day     

Ravens Patriots FootballToday we’ll take a look at former Bears safety Brandon McGowan.

McGowan appeared in only 25 games with the Bears from 2005-2009 is the starting free safety for the New England Patriots.

McGowan moved ahead of James Sanders to claim the starting job in a week two loss against the New York Jets. McGowan has made a big impact for the Patriots defense. He has appeared in five games, making 29 tackles, two pass deflections and forcing one fumble. I’ve seen some of the Patriots games this season and it seems like every time I look McGowan is breaking up a pass or making a tackle.

I always liked McGowan, but he had problems staying healthy. In the 2007-2008 season McGowan made a career high 68 tackles and two interceptions in 14 games, but ankle and Achilles injuries limited McGowan to only play in three games during the 06-07, and 08-09 seasons. He was the reserve safety last season because Kevin Payne beat him out and that is ultimately why the Bears didn’t bring him back this season.

I wish McGowan well this season with the Patriots. I had hoped the Bears would have resigned him this off-season.  Guys like Craig Steltz or Josh Bullocks just aren’t capable of being starters in this league and I know McGowan is very capable of being a starter as you can see this season.

Good luck Brandon.

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