Booker the go-to guy again
The Bears and Marty Booker seem to be perfect for each other.
The Bears get a physical, veteran presence at wide receiver, two things the roster is lacking, and at the bargain rate of $3.5 million for two years.
Booker gets the chance to again be the go-to guy in the passing game, as he was from 2001-03 in his first go-round with the Bears.
"Going anywhere else, I would have had to take that role of being a No. 2 or No. 3 guy," Booker said Thursday from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Coming into Chicago, I have the opportunity to get that No. 1 job and be the No. 1 guy. Plus Chicago is where it all started for me. I still feel I have some unfinished business up there."
After Booker was traded from the Bears to the Dolphins during the 2004 preseason, he was forced to take a back seat to talented 2005 Pro Bowl pick Chris Chambers. Booker still averaged 48.5 receptions and 657 yards in his four seasons in Miami.
He was released last month in a cost-cutting maneuver that saved the Dolphins almost $4 million under the salary cap. Last year, his 50 catches ranked 29th in the AFC, but they were more than the total of all the other wide receivers currently on the Bears' roster.
"I just feel I didn't get the opportunities I wished for when I was in Miami," he said. "Given opportunities, I know I can still play this game at a high level."
Booker was a Pro Bowl pick in 2002 after back-to-back seasons of 100 and 97 catches, the top two performances in Bears history. He watched with mixed feelings when several of his former teammates, including quarterback Rex Grossman, participated in Super Bowl XLI in Miami.
"The whole trade thing, it was something that just jumped on me so quick, and I didn't see it coming," Booker said. "It was tough. But we all understand that's the business side of it. You always have to adapt and overcome. I put it behind me and moved on.
"(But) sitting there, down here especially, with the Super Bowl being here in Miami when Chicago played Indianapolis, it was kind of tough. You always want to root for the guys that you played with, (but) you're also like, 'Man, I don't want them to win and I'm not there.' It was good to see them make it and hopefully I will get that chance again myself."
Grossman was just a rookie in Booker's last year with the Bears, but they have some history together.
"I was the person to catch his first touchdown pass," Booker said. "I think Rex has done a real good job there. He's gotten a lot of backlash about injuries and staying healthy. But I think Rex is a good player.
"The time I was there, I really like Rex. Unfortunately, I had to leave, (but) I thought we would be a good connection. By coming back, hopefully we can get that connection rekindled."
First Grossman will have to win a battle with Kyle Orton for the starting job, but quarterback uncertainty is nothing new to Booker. In the past two seasons, he has caught passes from Cleo Lemon, John Beck, Trent Green, Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington.