Angelo ready with contingency plans

Free agency, injuries, lack of production and bloated salaries will prevent several players from returning next season -- so contingency plans are already being discussed.

Linebacker Lance Briggs won't be back. Wide receiver Bernard Berrian and quarterback Rex Grossman could follow him.

While Jamar Williams is in line to replace Briggs, the quarterback spot is up for grabs and the wideout picture is muddled.

"We do have players that can replace these players," general manager Jerry Angelo said. "Can they be as good, better, not as good? Time will tell. But we feel good that they fit our scheme.

"We'd certainly like to have Bernard back, but if it doesn't work out, then we have to have players that will step in, be it a Mark Bradley or somebody that we look at in the draft."

Bradley's meager reception total has dropped in each of his three seasons, down to 6 this season. Muhsin Muhammad's catches have dropped for four straight seasons, and Devin Hester remains a work in progress, though a talented one.

"The key is to address what our needs are," Angelo said. "There will be a clear delineation between needs and the areas that we want to create more competition."

Hurtin' for certain: Injuries, especially in the secondary, contributed to the Bears' defensive drop-off in 2007, when they allowed 959 more yards than last season according to Jerry Angelo.

Strong safety Mike Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury on opening day, cornerback Nate Vasher missed 12 of the final 13 games with a groin injury, and cornerback Charles Tillman missed Game 4 with a sprained ankle, leaving the Bears with new starters at all four secondary positions for that game.

"Big plays usually happen in the secondary," Angelo said, "and we took a pretty good hit. When we went into that Detroit game we had four new starters. It took us a while to get back to getting good or decent secondary play."

Injuries have caused Brown to miss 43 of the previous 64 games, so even though he was a Pro Bowl pick in 2005, his future with the Bears is shaky.

"How am I going to count on Mike Brown?" Angelo said. "Mike's been a hurt a lot. We certainly would like to have Mike on our football team, but we're just going to wait. He's several months away from being back and healthy."

Staying the course: Jerry Angelo agrees with coach Lovie Smith's desire to keep the coaching staff intact despite a six-game drop-off from last season's 13-3 team, when five assistants were fired or moved on.

"He's got to feel comfortable with the people that he works with every day, and that obviously is Lovie's call," Angelo said. "He feels real good about his staff. We have made changes on our staff before. If that were what he felt was in our best interest, I'm sure he would have done it. We've won with these coaches, and we feel that the problems that we have can be corrected with this staff."