Bears GM interested in Marinelli, weighs in on Urlacher, Orton

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo expressed disappointment in the team's highly paid defense in his end-of-the-year news conference Tuesday.

A couple of hours later, defensive backs coach Steven Wilks was fired.

That doesn't bode well for defensive coordinator Bob Babich and defensive-line coach Brick Haley, who already have taken some heat for a defense that was 28th in total yards allowed in 2007 and 21st this season.

With essentially the same group, the Bears' defense was No. 2 in total yards allowed in 2005 and No. 5 in 2006, the final two years under former defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

The roles of Babich, Haley and other defensive assistants will be discussed at length as Angelo and coach Lovie Smith continue their postseason evaluations into next week. They also will scrutinize personnel, especially on the underachieving defense.

"We have to be consistent," Angelo said of the defense. "We weren't. This year things didn't come along maybe quite the way we wanted them (to).

"When you're not playing consistent football, your job's not good enough. If you're going to win, you have to be consistent in what you do. We weren't consistent, and those are the things that we'll get into."

Angelo said he "would love to have" ex-Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli on the Bears' staff but that talk of hiring Marinelli was premature, even though the Bears and Smith have coveted his services in the past.

"I think the world of Rod Marinelli," Angelo said. "He's a great football coach. Anytime you get a chance to get a great coach or great player, you're not going to sit here and say that you wouldn't consider him or you wouldn't work a way to do that. He'll be a great addition to any staff."

Angelo said he also was disappointed with some individuals on the Bears' defense.

Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher received $18 million in new money in a contract extension before the season but did not play up to his previous level, but Angelo was not critical of the six-time Pro Bowler.

"I will never question his commitment, his passion, his love for football," Angelo said. "He has too much character, too much pride to ever not be the best he can be.

"Is he the Brian Urlacher of old? I can't say that. He still has enough to make a Pro Bowl. He's still a very good football player. I have to go with what I saw on tape.

"I have a lot of confidence in Brian. He's been a great player for the Chicago Bears. He's been a great leader for us. I respect him immensely."

Defensive tackle Tommie Harris, who got a four-year extension before the season that could be worth as much as $40 million, did not receive such a glowing recommendation. But Angelo is optimistic about his future, too.

"He's had a lot of things go on, and I felt like about the midway point of the season, things started to settle down for him," Angelo said. "I feel like he's got things together. He's grounded. I felt we saw a lot better Tommie Harris, particularly in the last quarter of the season.

"I feel strongly that he's going to come back and give us the kind of play that we paid him for. I'm seeing the arrow going up. He knows what he has to do, and Tommie holds himself accountable."

Cornerback Nate Vasher signed a five-year, $28 million contract before the 2007 season but hasn't played anywhere close to his Pro Bowl level of 2005. He has started only nine games since then and intercepted just 2 passes.

Angelo didn't mention anyone by name, but he said he would not hesitate to cut ties with players who failed to live up to their contracts.

"If they're not playing hard or playing up to their abilities, that's on them, and I do take that very personally," Angelo said. "And I will address that. That will not happen here. I am disappointed with a few players, and those players are going to have to be accountable for what they do."

Angelo said he saw some positive things from Kyle Orton, but he wasn't ready to call him the Bears' quarterback of the future. He did not rule out bringing in competition.

"I'm not convinced 100 percent," Angelo said. "I believe in Kyle, but until Kyle puts a (full) year together, we can't say for sure. I think we have to have competition at that position, yes.

"I saw some really good things out of Kyle, particularly early on in the season. (But) he didn't have the second half of the season that he did the first half.

"Is that part of the growing pains that come along with the position? I can't answer that right now. We do believe that Kyle has some good things, (and we) really buy into Kyle the person. He's shown an exemplary work ethic (and) leadership. We really do feel good about Kyle, (but) he's still a work in progress."

The Bears finished No. 26 in total yards this season, and Angelo is convinced that finding the right quarterback, whether it's Orton or a veteran free agent, is the most important factor in building an effective offense.

"We have to get that position right," he said. "I know that there is going to be a lot of talk about a No. 1 receiver. (But) it starts with the quarterback.

"It's all about the quarterback. You don't win because of wide receivers. You don't win because of running backs. You win because of the quarterback.

"We've got to get the quarterback position stabilized. We're fixated on that, and I don't want us to lose sight of that. It starts with the quarterback, and that's the bottom line."

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