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Pastimes : Chicago Bears Fan Club -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas M. who wrote (269)	8/9/2001 6:18:20 PM
From: Tech Master	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 7501

Gotta love it...

To: Thomas M. who wrote (269)	8/16/2001 2:30:14 PM
From: Tech Master	Respond to of 7501

Bears release Wells chicagobears.com By Larry Mayer Senior writer August 15, 2001 LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The vicious cycle that is the NFL salary cap helped the Bears land two premier free agent defensive tackles during the offseason, but the other shoe dropped Wednesday at Halas Hall. General manager Jerry Angelo cited salary cap concerns in releasing veteran defensive tackle Mike Wells, just months after the club bolstered the position by committing nearly $14 million to cap casualties Ted Washington (Buffalo) and Keith Traylor (Denver). "I thought we were top heavy at Mike's position in terms of the money that was spent there," Angelo said. "When we signed both Ted Washington and Keith Traylor, that put an 'X' on Mike's chest in my mind." Washington, Traylor and Wells are all 300-plus-pounders who excel defending the run and occupying blockers. Washington signed a three-year contract worth $7.4 million including a $2.5 million signing bonus and Traylor inked a three-year deal worth $6.3 million with a $750,000 signing bonus. Wells had two years left on a five-year, $11 million deal that included a $2.5 million signing bonus. His release will save the Bears $2.2 million under the salary cap this season. "We were paying three players really to do the same thing at that position," Angelo said. "I look at Ted, Mike and Keith all having the same role on the football team. We put a lot of money into that particular position. I felt that that's where we had to clear some room." The Bears approached Wells about a salary reduction about a week before training camp, and his agent was amenable to the suggestion. But as Angelo evaluated talent in Platteville, he determined that a group of young linemen including Robert Newkirk, Henry Taylor and Alfonso Boone was progressing enough to make Wells expendable. Angelo brought Wells into his office Tuesday morning to inform the defensive tackle he was exploring trade offers. But when nothing immediately materialized, the Bears' GM decided to release Wells to give him some control over his next employment opportunity. "I just felt it wasn't fair to Mike to keep Mike around on a day to day basis and not know for sure what's going on (just to obtain) a late round pick," Angelo said. "We have more respect for him than that. We felt that this gives him the best opportunity to find a home and play on Sunday because we all know that he will be playing on Sunday again." Wells, 30, spent his first four NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions. He joined the Bears as a free agent in 1998, starting 47 of 48 games the past three seasons. During that span his tackle totals fell from 98 to 84 to 64 last year when he played with a painful arthritic condition in his left shoulder. The Iowa product had offseason surgery to alleviate the problem and was eager to rebound in 2001 after changing his workout habits. The chronic shoulder condition forced the 6-3, 315-pounder to stop powerlifting and adopt a rigorous conditioning program that consisted of back and abdominal strengthening exercises. Wells was disappointed and relieved but not surprised when the news was delivered following Wednesday's morning practice at Halas Hall. "I just assumed that I was going to be in the (defensive tackle) rotation," Wells told WSCR-AM 670. "I was excited about the prospect that we were really going to lean on people and not let them run and just tear people up physically, but I won't be a part of that now. "I never said I was a great player. I just try hard. But I don't feel like I got beat out. That's the thing that kind of makes you mad." The Bears needed to create salary cap space to sign new players this season in the event of injuries, such as the recent season-ending loss of tight end Kaseem Sinceno, and also to have funds available to extend deals of top current players. Running back James Allen, center Olin Kreutz and safety Tony Parrish are all slated to become unrestricted free agents at the conclusion of the 2001 season. "You always have to be proactive when you're looking at your roster," Angelo said. "You need to have cap relief. What I wanted to do coming in here was not only evaluate personnel, but to evaluate personnel you have to look at the cap. It starts there first. I don't only see jersey numbers. I see those (cap) numbers probably more blaring than their jersey numbers." Angelo said that more veterans might be released for salary cap purposes before the Sept. 9 regular season opener. He also revealed that Wells would have been cut even if there weren't a crop of promising young defensive tackles on the roster. "The position became too rich. That's the short of it," Angelo said. "Even if we were thinner there, we just could not absorb that payment there in terms of what Mike's salary consumed. It's a fact of life and it goes on with every organization and we're no different. You're going to see these things from time to time. You have to address them now because once the season starts it's too late."