The Triumphant Return of Marty Booker

At last! I’ve come across some breaking news to legitimate this website’s reputation as the forefront for all news regarding our beloved Bears (save for ChicagoBears.com, from which this information has been culled) – Angelo has attempted to inject some life into the offense by bring back the club’s last 1,000 yard receiver, the wily veteran Marty Booker. Booker has been a virtual non-factor the last few years in the league, stuck catching balls thrown from the latest projects to emerge from the Miami Dolphins’ QB University (an institute of uninspired complacency with lots of bright graduates – Cleo Lemon, John Beck, what was left of Daunte Culpepper and Trent Green, and the older, more brusque McCown brother). I’m sure the main reason Angelo brought Booker back was because, naturally, he let perhaps the last intriguing free agent WR walk off to another team earlier today. With Javon Walker off the market, our trusty GM dusted off the old depth charts to see exactly who could be brought in to salvage the O.

Booker had a few decent years with the Bears, recording two 1,000-yard seasons in ’01 and ’02. He also set a franchise record for receptions with 100 for 1,071, 8 TD, in ’01, following it up next season with 97 for 1,189, 6 TD, and a Pro Bowl berth. I’m sure everyone remembers the Jim Miller era in 2001 and its enduring images: Mike Brown’s back-to-back, game-winning pick-sixes in OT; dominating wins against the Bengals, Bucs, and Jags; the solidifying of Urlacher’s status as a dominant middle linebacker. These would be replaced in subsequent years by the image of Miller’s melon-sized elbow wrapped heavily with ice. The details of Booker’s contract haven’t been fully disclosed, only that it’s for two years.

Additionally, the Jags signed DT Jimmy Kennedy to a one-year offer sheet Monday worth about $705,000 with a $50,000 bonus. The Bears have seven days to match the offer. Smith drafted Kennedy when he was with the Rams five years ago and picked him up towards the end of last season once the injuries started piling up. Hopefully they’ll match the offer. You can never have too much depth on the line.

I should say something about Brett Favre, here, too, but I’m sure the 24-hour sports outlets will have that covered for the next, oh, few weeks or so. Personally, I’m still not completely sold. I mean, he was in the NFC Championship game last year. There’s lots of talent on that team, and with the North being so weak, they could easily repeat the kind of run they enjoyed in ’07. I’ll leave this parting figure:

2 – 6

That’s Favre’s record against Smith’s Bears.