Panicked Bears have to pay piper, Peppers

There's nothing like despair to make an NFL off-season entertaining, and that's what you have in Lake Forest right now.

Despair and complete panic.

You have an ownership willing to spend money with the McCaskeys polling at an all-time low unfavorable rating.

You have a GM who knows he must put a team on the field capable of making the playoffs.

And you have a coach trying to prove he has the first clue about how to win football games.

They're panicking, which explains the interest in Julius Peppers, someone they'd never consider in any off-season other than the perfect storm of an off-season they've created for themselves through their own incompetence.

But since it became clear a few months ago that Peppers would be available, everyone's been saying he's not worth the money because he rarely shows up to play.

But here's the thing: They've already raised your ticket prices, so what do you care how much they spend in an uncapped year?

Let them spend and spend and spend again until it makes them cry at night in their beds made of gold.

And let them offer millions on top of millions to Peppers.

He's so good that if he ever tried for 16 games, he'd probably have 20 sacks.

As it is, he averages 10 a year and has never had as many as 15.

It's also been pointed out that he only shows up for about four or five games a year.

While disgraceful, when he plays those four or five games, he wins those four or five games virtually on his own.

And you gotta ask yourself, when's the last time the Bears had a player who could win four or five games by himself?

So pay him $20 million and let him win those four or five games and then you've got yourself a playoff team.

He'll get his pressure and his sacks and make the defensive backfield less useless than it has been the last few years.

Even Lovie Smith can find a way to make that work.

Well, maybe.

Anyway, whether it's money well spent or not, who cares?

The Bears are going to hit you in the wallet even if they don't pay Peppers, so they might as well pay him to win you some games, and then keep spending until they've found a couple offensive linemen, some receivers, a running back, a tight end, a safety and a corner.

Sounds wacky, sure, but if you think the front office is freaked out now, wait until another season of lunacy passes without a postseason berth.

It'll make this off-season look calm.

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