Well, what do we have here....

What we have here is the Chicago Bears making waves in free agency. At a time where I usually focus on baseball and the jamokes playing in Arizona, I am focusing on Halas Halls and the doings for the Winter. The NFL free agency period is about 16 hours old and the bears have already signed three guys. I break them down here, because those other sites are for nancies.

Brandon Manumaleuna-
Zach's Take
Holy freaking god that is a long name. One can only hope they re-sign Pisa Tinoisamoa so they can corner the "Hawaiian-born players with too many vowels in their last name market." As a player he gets a dismissive wanking motion. He will not catch more than 5 passes this year as a tight end, but he is 300 pounds and essentially a second tackle on which ever side he lines up on. He will be there to help pass protect, and hopefully this means Greg Olsen can be a monster mismatch in the slot on both line backers and defensive backs.
Zach's Grade
C+, based on the fact it gives Mike Martz the man he wanted, and anything to appease that crazy mofo is a plus

Chester Taylor-
Zach's Take
Signs a 4 year-$12.5 million deal to platoon at running back. Possibly the best RB find in the entire free agency pool. He is an aging 31, but still plenty of tread on the tires because he was WAY underutilized in the Viking's scheme the past few seasons. Good at picking up the blitz and even better at catching passes out of the backfield. Next step is for Cutler to actually figure out how to throw a pass into the flat.
Zach's Grade
A, based on the fact I am a big fan of the two back system, and Taylor is a clear upgrade over the other RB's, especially when it comes to third-down play. Also, in my opinion, $7 million guaranteed for a running back is a real-good deal.

Julius Peppers-
Zach's Take
It is a big move, that is for sure. The guy can flat-out rush the passer. The only downfalls are age (by the end of his deal he will be 36) and the well-known fact he takes plays off. He can be a force up front, and putting him on a line with Tommie Harris and Alex Brown is a big time upgrade for the Bears. Should make the defense better as a whole, and give them a better pass-rush than years past.
Zach's Grade
B+, a whole lot of money and commitment are a bit unnerving, but as a whole, real good signing here.

The team still needs to address issues at safety (everyone they have blows) and offensive line (everyone they have is old and blows). But, I am excited for the Bears season, and it makes the NFC North, much more interesting.