Some holes left to fill, but Bears brass made all the right moves Friday

Where do the Bears go from here?

"Straight to Super Bowl 45," would be the answer of most fans, still giddy over Friday's spending splurge that created the biggest splash on the opening day of free agency and in franchise history.

But general manager Jerry Angelo insisted the addition of defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, who received a combined $55 million in guaranteed money, was more about substance than style.

"We weren't looking to make a splash, we were looking to win," Angelo said, fully aware that the first leads to the second. "We're a better football team."

All the planets aligned for the Bears, beginning at 11:01 p.m. Thursday night when they started making phone calls and putting into practice the off-season plan they had been formulating since the end of a third straight non-playoff season.

No members of the planning committee will be around at this time next year if there's a fourth consecutive season without a playoff appearance. That includes Angelo, coach Lovie Smith and the rest of the brain trust including senior director of football administration Cliff Stein, who manages the Bears' contract situations and was instrumental in putting together the deals that brought the infusion of talent.

"We didn't know for sure what players were going to be out there," Angelo said. "These players could have signed with their home teams. There was no crystal ball telling us, 'This is what's going to happen, and this is what you have to do.' We prepared for a lot of scenarios. This was one of (them). Fortunately for us, it was the one that we wanted to pursue first. It worked out for us. Luck is involved in anything you do and we felt like we had a little luck through this process. But it took a lot of hard work."

That included Smith flying to North Carolina for a face-to-face recruiting liaison with Peppers.

"It meant a lot," Peppers said. "That showed me that he really wanted me, and the interest was mutual. That was a big deal."

But back to the future. What now?

The Bears admit they need help at safety and, although the 295-pound Manumaleuna will help create space for the running backs, no offensive linemen have been added to a unit that was below average last season.

Help on the O-line will probably have to come via the draft (where the Bears don't choose until pick No. 76), a trade or a mid-level free agent who isn't snapped up in the initial spending spree.

But what the Bears accomplished Friday should leave them with just some touch-up work. The heavy lifting is finished.

"We've done a lot, and we're very, very happy," Angelo said. "We're not trying to field a 22-man all-pro team. We will continue to pursue what we consider our needs, and we have a draft coming up as well."

Angelo is right. If the Bears can't win with the talent that has been assembled, then the failure will lie with the coaching staff because the personnel is good enough to push this team deep into the playoffs.

The offensive line shouldn't be a huge problem, given that the Bears believe they have their left tackle of the future in Chris Williams. The unit should be fairly solid with Roberto Garza at right guard and Frank Omiyale at left guard or right tackle, and a healthy Olin Kreutz at center.

That leaves the Bears with just one potential trouble spot. Finding a starter for whichever position Omiyale doesn't play is doable with a third- or fourth-round pick.

Free safety can be addressed the same way as the offensive line. It wasn't worth overpaying for Antrel Rolle, the best free safety available, at the expense of Taylor and Manumaleuna. Rolle got $37 million with $15 million guaranteed from the Giants late Friday.

"Obviously there were some players (in free agency) at the safety position," Angelo said. "But our resources and how we allocate the money plays a big part in this as well. We just felt like this was the best package we could come up with, and this is the one we pursued first.

"One thing we are mindful of, is that March is when you build. You don't win in March, you build in March, and we spent a lot of time after the season talking internally as we do every year about what direction we wanted to go into free agency, the draft, etc."

The Bears appear to be on the right path.