LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Wednesday traded safety Kevin Payne to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick.

Payne appeared in 32 games with 22 starts in three seasons with the Bears, registering 195 tackles, four interceptions and 10 pass breakups.

Last year the 2007 fifth-round draft pick played in 13 games with five starts, recording 60 tackles, no interceptions and five pass breakups. Payne started the season opener in Green Bay at free safety and four of the final five games at strong safety.

Payne became expendable when the Bears reacquired veteran safety Chris Harris Tuesday in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. 

Ironically, Payne was switched from running back to safety at Louisiana-Monroe in 2005 to replace Harris, who had been drafted by the Bears.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The 2010 Ultimate Bears Weekend was a huge success as fans flocked to Soldier Field for the Miller Lite Draft Party last Friday and the Bears Expo on Saturday.   

Admission to the draft party included a three-hour all-you-can-eat buffet and two beverages; a chance to see current and former Bears players and receive exclusive giveaways; locker room tours; and the opportunity to watch the draft and get behind-the-scenes analysis and updates from Halas Hall.

The third annual Bears Expo featured autograph sessions, locker room tours, kids’ activities and seminars featuring current and former players and front-office personnel.

Bears fan Jim Cusick of Columbus, Ohio, received tickets to the Ultimate Bears Weekend as a birthday present from his girlfriend.

“We were here for the Draft party, and between the locker room tours, field goal kicking and autographs at the Expo, the Ultimate Bears Weekend was an amazing birthday present and an awesome weekend,” he said.

More than 40 current and former players attended the Ultimate Bears Weekend, including quarterback Jay Cutler, middle linebacker Brian Urlacher and defensive end Julius Peppers.

“This was my first experience at Soldier Field, so just seeing the stadium was enough,” said Erik Mordon of Oregon, Ill. “When you combine the chance to meet players that I’m watching on the field, this was the greatest weekend of my life.”

Bill Cummins of Crest Hill, Ill., called the Ultimate Bears Weekend “the best opportunity to meet and greet players of all generations who are friendly and approachable.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – There were plenty of hugs, handshakes and high-fives Wednesday at Halas Hall as Bears players and coaches welcomed Chris Harris back to the team.

The veteran safety, who played his first two NFL seasons with the Bears in 2005-06, was reacquired Tuesday in a trade with the Carolina Panthers in exchange for linebacker Jamar Williams.

“I’m extremely excited,” said defensive lineman Israel Idonije. “We know what Chris did here. We had a lot of success with him. He’s a passionate player, a vocal guy on the field. It’s good to have him back. We expect him to pick up where he left off, making plays and just be for us what he’s been in the past.”

Harris helped the Bears win back-to-back NFC North titles while playing for a defense that ranked second in the NFL in total yards in 2005 and fifth in 2006 when Chicago reached the Super Bowl.

“Chris has always been a buddy,” said linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer. “We stayed in touch even when he was gone. We had some great football years when he was here, so we’re hoping that he’ll be part of getting back to that. It’s exciting to see him.”

Lance Briggs likened Harris’ return to welcoming a long lost relative back into the family.

“It’s great to have him back,” said the Pro Bowl linebacker. “He was a vital part of us getting to the Super Bowl and he’ll be a vital part of us getting back to it.

“One of the things I’ve talked about was having a veteran safety here to really kind of help some of the young guys, and Chris is that. I can’t think of anyone better than him.”

Harris spent much of the day catching up with old friends. He watched his teammates work out on the practice field, chatting first with coach Lovie Smith and then defensive assistants Jon Hoke and Gill Byrd.

After practice, Harris laughed and joked with wide receivers Devin Hester and Rashied Davis and received a big bear hug from running backs coach Tim Spencer.

“It’s been fun,” Harris said. “You get to come in and you see familiar faces unlike going to a team where you don’t know anybody. That’s how it was when I went to Carolina. I didn’t know anybody. To come  back here and see familiar faces and guys I played with, it makes things a lot better.”

The first Bears player Harris saw upon arriving at Halas Hall was center Olin Kreutz, who greeted his old friend with a hug. “I was glad to see him,” Harris said. “He’s a leader on this team and I missed his personality.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – More than a dozen former Bears players are scheduled to appear at Real Time Sports Bar (1120 W. Devon) in Elk Grove this Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

Those expected to attend include six members of the famed 1985 championship team—Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, Gary Fencik, Matt Suhey, Otis Wilson, Calvin Thomas and Jim Morrissey—as well as Ronnie Bull, Glen Kozlowski, Roland Harper, Bruce Herron, Tom Hicks, Jim Osborne, Marcus Robinson, Revie Sorey, Jim Thornton and James “Big Cat” Williams.

Hampton, a defensive lineman who lined up at both tackle and end, played his entire 12-year NFL career with the Bears from 1979-90. He was named to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 1980s, was selected to four Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

Fencik also played 12 seasons with the Bears from 1976-87. A free safety, he was named to two Pro Bowls and is still the franchise’s all-time leader with 38 interceptions.

Suhey played 10 seasons with the Bears from 1980-89. A bruising fullback, he served as Walter Payton’s lead blocker, but also ranks ninth in franchise history in rushing with 2,946 yards.

Wilson played eight seasons with the Bears from 1980-87. An athletic outside linebacker, he was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1985 after registering 11½ sacks, second on the team behind Richard Dent’s 17.

Tickets for the event at Real Time Sports Bar cost $50 and include a full buffet, autographs and photo opportunities. For more information, call (708) 450-1710.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Reached via telephone after being traded back to the Bears Tuesday, veteran safety Chris Harris sounded like he wanted to run through the tunnel at Soldier Field immediately.

“I’m very excited,” Harris said. “I had a great time in Carolina. The fans and the organization were great. But I’m ecstatic to be able to come back to where I began my NFL career.”
The Bears dealt linebacker Jamar Williams to the Panthers for Harris, who played his first two NFL seasons in Chicago after arriving in 2005 as a sixth-round draft pick.

Harris, 27, appeared in 25 games with 20 starts in his first stint with the Bears, registering 124 tackles, five interceptions and 10 passes defensed. He picked off Brett Favre twice in a division-clinching win over the Packers in 2005 and later intercepted Peyton Manning the following season in Super Bowl XLI.

Harris started 44 games in three seasons with the Panthers, all at strong safety. He led the NFL and set a Carolina franchise record with eight forced fumbles in 2007. After missing the first three games last season with a knee injury, he recorded 44 tackles and three interceptions.

Harris, who was traded from the Bears to the Panthers in August 2007, never expected to be dealt again, let alone back to Chicago. He was told Monday he was going to be traded, but didn’t know where until Tuesday.

“I was extremely surprised,” he said. “That was quite a surprise for me when I found out that I was going to be going, but didn’t know where. And then to find out that I was going to the Bears, I was very surprised to say the least.”

Harris enjoyed hearing that Lovie Smith had pointed out that the safety’s last game with the Bears was Super Bowl XLI and that the coach said “hopefully he can help us get some of that magic back.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Harris said. “Last time I was there we won an NFC championship, and we’re all searching for that ring. Hopefully we can get that ring this year.”

After the trade was completed, Harris spoke with Brian Urlacher, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Devin Hester and Kevin Payne. Harris is also eager to reconnect with Julius Peppers, his teammate with the Panthers the past three seasons.

“It was great playing with him,” Harris said. “He’s a competitor. He’s a warrior. He’s a heck of a pass rusher. He demands double and triple teams, which ought to free up some other guys on the defensive line. He’s a force to be reckoned with. He will be a great addition to the Bears defense.”

The Bears feel the same way about Harris, who can’t wait to once again play for the home team at Soldier Field.

“I remember the crowd screaming on third down and the song, ‘Bear Down, Chicago Bears,’” he said. “One memory I have is the NFC championship game, with that snow. That’s a great memory of mine.”

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – No one can accurately evaluate a draft class for a couple of years, but that doesn’t stop national football writers from assigning grades before the prospects play their first game.
Here’s what a few of those experts had to say about a Bears draft that consisted of safety Major Wright in the third round, defensive end Corey Wootton in the fourth, cornerback Joshua Moore in the fifth, quarterback Dan LeFevour in the sixth and offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb in the seventh:

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Bears’ a “B,” writing: “Chicago was absent for two rounds, but tried to address needs when they entered the picture. The Bears neither reached nor got amazing value in Major Wright, the Florida safety. But they needed a safety, and Wright has a real chance to fill that void.

“Corey Wootton wasn’t 100 percent in 2009 after coming off a bad knee injury, and could be a camp surprise. A decent pick. Overall, like any team stuck outside the top two rounds, the Bears were hard-pressed to find impact talent, but they were resourceful given their limitations. (The late add of a promising local quarterback never hurts.)

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com gave the Bears a “C,” explaining: “They didn’t pick until the third round, so it was tough to give them a high mark. But they did get some good players with their picks.”

Prisco wrote that the Bears’ best pick was Wootton, who “could be a steal;” and that Moore is a third-day gem who “has a chance to be a nickel corner in their defense. He has nice cover skills.”

USA Today’s Jarrett Bell and Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News both also gave the Bears a “C.”

Bell wrote: “They didn’t select until the 75th slot. [So] their grade is skewed accordingly. Still, in safety Major Wright, they added a playmaker to a defense that has received significant offseason attention. Keep an eye on sixth-round quarterback Dan LeFevour.”

Gosselin wrote:  “GM Jerry Angelo was on his game in the third day, landing Wootton, Moore and LeFevour. Wright gives the Bears a playmaker in a division suddenly flush with quarterbacks.”

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King didn’t assign draft grades, but he was impressed with the Bears’ first two picks.

“Late in draft prep, I kept hearing Corey Wootton’s name in [the] 60s or 70s; good job by the Bears to get him at 109 to stick in the defensive-line rotation,” King wrote.

“When you don’t pick for the first time until 75, getting a coverage safety in Major Wright to band-aid a position of big need is a good job. But make no mistake—the Bears’ draft is [free-agent acquisitions] Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor. They have to play big or this offseason is an abject failure.”
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LAKE FOREST, Ill. – When three of the four linebackers the Bears were targeting in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft were taken off the board by other teams, Jerry Angelo didn’t panic.

Rather than sacrificing other draft picks to trade up to select Nick Barnett, Victor Hobson or Eddie Moore, the Bears general manager chose Arizona’s Lance Briggs.

“We liked them all,” Angelo said. “We just said we’ll take the guy that falls to us. Lance Briggs was the man that fell to us and it turned out to be a pretty good pick for us.”

Briggs has since become just the fourth linebacker in Bears history to be selected to five straight Pro Bowls, joining Hall of Famers Bill George, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.

The Bears found themselves in a similar position in the third round of this year’s draft, with three of the four defensive backs they were targeting at No. 75 already taken by other clubs.

Cornerbacks were chosen with the first three picks in the third round—South Florida’s Jerome Murphy by the Rams at No. 65, Iowa’s Amari Spievey by the Lions at No. 66 and Vanderbilt’s Myron Lewis by the Buccaneers at No. 67. 

The Packers then traded up to take Georgia Tech safety Morgan Burnett at No. 71, which left Florida safety Major Wright as the obvious choice for the Bears.

“We had an opportunity. We could have moved up a little bit,” Angelo told reporters. “[But] who is to say who is the best one? I know there has to be a pecking order. We’ll find out in two or three years how it all shakes out, but they are all good football players.

“To say who is going to be the best at the end of the day, time will tell. I am not going to sit here and say it, and certainly nobody in this room can say it either. We just felt like, ‘Why give something up when you can’t say for sure?’ And those picks have value to us.”

In nine drafts with the Bears, Angelo has traded down nine times and moved up only once—in 2003 he dealt two sixth-round picks and a seventh-round selection to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a fifth-round choice that was used to take Missouri wide receiver Justin Gage.

Seven current players were selected by the Bears with picks acquired after Angelo traded down: defensive back Danieal Manning in 2006; running back Garrett Wolfe and safety Kevin Payne in 2007; safety Craig Steltz and tight end Kellen Davis in 2008; and defensive linemen Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton in 2009.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Tuesday bolstered their secondary by reacquiring veteran safety Chris Harris from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for linebacker Jamar Williams.

Harris played his first two NFL seasons with the Bears after being selected by Chicago in the sixth round of the 2005 draft. The 6-foot, 205-pounder was then traded to the Panthers on Aug. 2, 2007 for a 2008 fifth-round draft pick that the Bears spent on cornerback Zackary Bowman.

Harris is the fourth player the Bears have added to the secondary this offseason. They also signed free agent cornerback Tim Jennings and drafted Florida safety Major Wright in the third round and Kansas State cornerback Joshua Moore in the fifth round with two of their first three picks.

“This kind of completes our overhaul of our safety position,” said coach Lovie Smith. “I’m excited. Chris was a good player for us when he was here last time. We know what he brings to the table.”

In five NFL seasons, Harris has appeared in 69 games with 64 starts, registering 338 tackles, 10 interceptions, 22 passes defensed and 12 forced fumbles.

As a rookie with the Bears in 2005, Harris started 13 of 14 games played at free safety, recording 70 tackles, three interceptions and eight pass breakups. He picked off two Brett Favre passes in the fourth quarter of a division-clinching win over the Packers in Green Bay on Christmas Day.

Harris appeared in 11 games with seven starts in 2007, missing five contests with ankle and quadriceps injuries. After opening the year at free safety, he started the final five regular-season games and all three playoff contests, including Super Bowl XLI, at strong safety.

In 2006, Harris registered 54 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups. His interception of Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLI was the first by a Bears safety in the post-season since Mark Carrier in 1991. 

“We’re excited about some of our young players like Major Wright coming in,” Smith said. “But we wanted to get a veteran player who has been around and who has played at the highest level. The last time Chris played for us, we were in the Super Bowl. Hopefully he can help us get some of that magic back.”

Harris started 44 games in three seasons with the Panthers, all at strong safety. He led the NFL with eight forced fumbles in 2007, and then forced two fumbles in each of the past two seasons. One of those came against Bears tight end Greg Olsen in a Carolina victory in 2008.

Smith declined to say whether Harris will line up at free or strong safety in his second tour of duty with the Bears.

“He’s be one of our safeties, that’s what we’ve talked about,” said the Bears coach. “We have a plan for him, but we want to get him here and start talking about it then.”

Williams, meanwhile, appeared in 16 games with two starts last season, registering a career-high 49 tackles with two pass breakups and 10 special-teams stops. The 2006 fourth-round draft pick was stuck at the Bears’ deepest position behind veterans Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Hunter Hillenmeyer and Nick Roach.


Front office move: In other news Tuesday, the Bears did not renew the contract of Greg Gabriel, their director of college scouting. A veteran of 28 NFL seasons, Gabriel joined the Bears in 2001.

His responsibilities included scheduling scouting visits, coordinating scouting meetings and evaluating collegiate players while playing an instrumental role in the development of the Bears’ draft plan.

Gabriel’s drafts with Chicago produced five players who combined to be selected to 12 Pro Bowls in linebacker Lance Briggs (5), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (3), cornerback Nathan Vasher (1) and return specialists Devin Hester (2) and Johnny Knox (1).

Gabriel joined the Bears after serving as the director of player development for the New York Giants. During his tenure in New York from 1985-2001, the Giants went to three Super Bowls, winning two.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Sunday agreed to terms with 12 undrafted rookie free agents, including record-breaking wide receiver Freddie Barnes and four Big 10 products.

Barnes, a Chicago area native who graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 2005, was an ultra-productive three-year starter at Bowling Green. Last season the 6-foot, 212-pounder set an NCAA single-season record with 155 receptions and led the nation in receiving touchdowns with 19.

The Big 10 prospects who joined the Bears are Michigan receiver Greg Mathews and running back Brandon Minor, Indiana linebacker Matt Mayberry and Ohio State defensive end Lawrence Wilson.

The other undrafted free agents who agreed to terms with the Bears are UTEP cornerback Cornelius Brown, Montana offensive tackle Levi Horn, Nicholls State wide receiver Antonio Robinson, Texas A&M-Kingsville defensive tackle Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, Northern Iowa safety Quentin Scott, Nebraska defensive end Barry Turner and Colorado State center Tim Walter.

Mathews played in 49 career games at Michigan with 27 starts. The 6-3, 209-pounder, who is a cousin of 49ers receiver Ted Ginn, caught at least one pass in 23 straight games. He started 11 of 12 games as a senior, catching 29 passes for 352 yards and 1 TD.

Like Mathews, Minor was a four-year letterman at Michigan. The 6-1, 218-pounder led the Wolverines in rushing last season with 502 yards and eight touchdowns on 96 carries.

Like Barnes, Mayberry is a Chicago area native. The 6-2, 237-pounder attended Hinsdale South High School, where he rushed for 2,242 yards and 36 TDs as a senior. Mayberry started the final 24 games of his Indiana career at middle linebacker, and led the Hoosiers with 108 tackles as a senior.

Brown was a three-year starting cornerback at UTEP. The 5-11, 198-pounder, who blocked 12 kicks as a high school senior, was named MVP of the Texas versus the Nation all-star game.

Horn is a 6-7, 327-pound offensive tackle who transferred from Oregon to Montana.

Saddler-McQueen is a quick 6-3, 299-pound three technique who also performed well in the Texas versus the Nation contest.

A 6-5, 224-pound safety, Scott was selected first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference as a senior after leading Northern Iowa with five interceptions and nine passes defensed.

Given that the Bears only selected five players in the draft—the fewest in franchise history—the undrafted free agents have a better chance to earn a roster spot than they normally would.

“We spent an inordinate amount of time with college free agents give the fact that we didn’t have [first- or second-round picks] and we wanted to make sure that we leveraged that with only five draft picks,” said general manager Jerry Angelo.

“We felt like we were going to be very desirable to any player that we felt might have had a chance to go in the sixth or seventh round. We feel we did a pretty good job in that area and I think some of the names will be very recognizable. I really like this class as much as you could like a free agent class.”

None of the nine undrafted free agents the Bears signed after last year’s draft made the opening day roster. But five of those players spent part of the season on the practice squad and remain with the team: Guard Johan Asiata, linebacker Kevin Malast, receiver Eric Peterman, fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou and cornerback Woodny Turenne.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears spent two of their first three draft picks on Florida safety Major Wright and Kansas State cornerback Joshua Moore, but not before defensive backs coach Jon Hoke traveled to their college campuses to conduct individual workouts with the two prospects.

Hoke generally puts the players through on-field drills for 45 minutes to an hour. The veteran coach worked out four defensive backs this year, also visiting Iowa’s Amari Spievey and Vanderbilt’s Myron Lewis, both of whom were off the board before the Bears’ first pick in the draft.

“Most of them have been to the Combine, so you’ve got their measurables handled there,” Hoke said. “You also have some workout tape to look at from the Combine. So what you do is take them through some drills they may not do at the Combine.”

Hoke evaluates the prospect’s hips, foot placement, hands, short-area quickness, lateral mobility and conditioning—and was impressed with what he saw from Wright.

“He’s got a lot of tools physically and he was in shape,” Hoke said. “He just kept wanting to do more. You couldn’t tire him out. There have been a few guys that you can get gassed; they die on you. But not him. He did a great job with the workout.”

After they finish on the field, Hoke takes the prospects into a classroom. He has them explain what all 11 men on their college defense are responsible for doing in various situations—before turning the tables.

“The second part of it is I’ll draw up a defense that [the Bears] run and put all 11 guys up there, tell them what everybody’s job is, and then erase it and have them go up there and explain it to me,” Hoke said. 

“You find out how fast they can grasp things and how well they listen.”

Wright also excelled in the classroom.

“He did a great job explaining their defense,” Hoke said. “He was a unique guy. He was the only guy that I had on all those visits who as soon as I started to go up on the board, he had a notebook out and was taking notes. That was impressive.”

Hoke was pleased that the Bears selected Wright with their first pick in the third round, 75th overall.

“The first thing that impresses you is when you meet the guy,” Hoke said. “The guy is all about football. He has a very engaging personality. Players on that team are drawn to him. Coaches are drawn to him. 

“He has a very positive effect on everybody he’s around. And then when you sit down and talk to him, he just wants to learn. He’s very passionate about what he does.

“He was a communicator on their defense. Their coaches will tell you they didn’t communicate as well at times when he wasn’t in there, if he was out a couple plays. He’s a vocal guy in all areas.”

The individual workouts the Bears held with Wright and Moore took on added importance because both entered the draft as juniors, and underclassmen generally aren’t studied as closely as seniors.

Moore also impressed Hoke, but the Kansas State product got tired late in his workout.

“I think he’s in decent shape, but he did get tired at the end,” Hoke said. “You could see that and it kind of lets you know where he’s at. But skill set-wise, he was fine.”

Moore was also fine in the classroom.

“He could explain what they were doing, what the front was, what the linebackers’ job was, and what he did based on the safety call,” said Hoke, who played safety for the Bears in 1980.

Hoke also conducted individual workouts when he held the same position with the Houston Texans from 2002-08.

“They’re all pretty businesslike,” he said. “The one thing that kind of amazes me—it didn’t happen much this year but in years past—is that some of these guys aren’t in shape. You’ll get through about three drills and they’re toast.

“You’ve got to tell them, ‘This is your interview and this is what you come up with?’ It just kind of flabbergasts you more than anything. You’re throwing balls at them and they’re so tired the ball is ricocheting off them. One time I had to go find a guy [after a workout]. He was so tired he was laid out on the locker room floor.”

Roster move: The Bears on Monday agreed to terms with a 13th undrafted free agent, Virginia’s Vic Hall. The 5-10, 185-pounder played quarterback, wide receiver, safety and cornerback while also returning punts for the Cavaliers. Hall will line up at wide receiver with the Bears.