Bears Fans Online

Via CBSSports.com:

With the conclusion of mandatory mincamp last week, the Bears have officially completed their offseason program.

Players, coaches and the front office will now be on break until training camp begins on July 26.

Here’s a schedule of upcoming important dates, courtesy of the Tribune:

June 23-29 – Rookie symposium (Aurora, Ohio)

July 11 – Supplemental draft (if necessary)

July 24 – Bears players report to training camp

July 26 – First training camp practice at Olivet Nazarene University

Aug. 3 – Family Fest practice at Soldier Field

Aug. 9 – Bears at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Aug. 15 – Chargers at Bears, 7 p.m.

Aug. 23 – Bears at Raiders, 9 p.m.

Aug. 27 – Roster cutdown from 90 to 75 (3 p.m. deadline)

Aug. 29 – Browns at Bears, 7 p.m.

Aug. 31 – Roster cutdown from 75 to 53 (5 p.m. deadline)

Sept. 1 – Practice squads may be formed (11 a.m.)

Sept. 3 – Clubs may be able to place a player on reserve/injured — designated to return (3 p.m.)

Sept. 8 – Season opener, Bengals at Bears, noon

Via CBS Chicago:

The Bears have released second-year tight end Evan Rodriguez.

The release comes in the wake of Rodriguez’s second arrest this offseason.

The 24-year-old tight end out of Temple was arrested in March for disorderly conduct and again in May for DUI.

Following Rodriguez’s DUI arrest, he released the following statement:

”I am deeply sorry for the incident that occurred the other night. I want to apologize to the entire Bears organization, my teammates, coaches and Bears fans everywhere. I realize that I made a very poor decision. I know that more is expected of me and that I let a lot of people down that are counting on me. I will make positive changes in my life so that this doesn’t happen again.”

Speaking to the media last week, Bears general manager Phil Emery said he was “disappointed” in Rodriguez.

“Evan is a very likeable guy,” Emery said. “We have talked. Disappointed. I would use the word extremely.”

The Bears drafted Rodriguez in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

#Bears have traded former 1st rd pick Gabe Carimi to the Buccaneers for a draft pick. Adam Jahns first reported the move.

Pick isn’t conditional so Bears will definitely get something back in return. Goodbye, Gabe. We barely knew ye.

Update:  The Bears will receive the Bucs 6th round pick in next years draft.

Per ESPN Chicago:

Chicago Bears fullback Evan Rodriguez apologized Sunday for what he called “a very poor decision” that led to his second arrest since March on Friday, when Illinois State Police ticketed him for driving under the influence, speeding and improper lane change.

“I am deeply sorry for the incident that occurred the other night. I want to apologize to the entire Bears organization, my teammates, coaches and Bears fans everywhere. I realize I made a very poor decision. I know that more is expected of me, and that I let a lot of people down that are counting on me,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“I will make positive changes in my life so that this doesn’t happen again,” he said.

The arrest stemmed from a traffic stop in which police pulled over Rodriguez on I-90 at Hubbard at approximately 3:30 a.m. Friday. The Bears released a statement saying they were aware of the arrest.

“We are aware of the reports regarding Evan Rodriguez,” the team said. “We are currently gathering information to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the situation.”

The latest incident likely significantly jeopardizes Rodriguez’s tenure with team, considering he was arrested in Miami Beach, Fla., in March for resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication after a car in which he was a passenger was involved in a traffic incident.

Prosecutors eventually dropped those charges, but general manager Phil Emery expressed disappointment about the March incident, and recently made it clear the tight end “was re-educated on my expectations,” when the team kicked off offseason work.

A fourth-round pick in 2012 out of Temple, Rodriguez played 12 games as a rookie and started five, contributing four catches for 21 yards.

Two sources have told the Tribune the Bears will retire Ditka’s No.89 in a ceremony during the Dec. 9 “Monday Night Football” game against the Cowboys at Soldier Field.

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Brian Urlacher, former Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker, announced his retirement from the NFL via Twitter on Wednesday, three days shy of his 35th birthday.

Urlacher was an unsigned free agent but spent his entire career in Chicago and retires as a Bear.

“After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a decision to retire,” Urlacher wrote in a statement.

“Although I could continue playing, I’m not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that’s up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after a 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear. I want to thank all of the people in my life that have helped me along the way. I will miss my teammates, my coaches and the great Bears fans. I’m proud to say that I gave all of you everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss this great game, but I leave it with no regrets.”

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Fan favorite (and my personal favorite Bears QB) Jim Miller is apparently returning to the team in some fashion:

Former Bears quarterback Jim Miller is returning to the franchise he spent four seasons at quarterback with.

According to a report from the Detroit News, Miller will leave his position as the radio analyst for Michigan State football to take a “communications position” with the Bears.

“It was an opportunity Jim couldn’t pass up,” Will Tieman, owner of the Spartan Sports Network, told the Detroit News.

The details on Miller’s new role have yet to emerge.

Miller is still scheduled to work as the television analyst for Chicago Bears preseason games for the second straight year.

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According to multiple sources, Carimi hasn’t been with the team since he participated in the club’s voluntary three-day minicamp held from April 16-18. Following the conclusion of the minicamp, Carimi informed the Bears he planned to skip the second phase of the Bears’ offseason program that included individual on-field work and positional meetings in favor of returning to Arizona to continue his offseason training. 

Carimi felt working out in Arizona gave him the best opportunity to return to the field healthy and avoid the knee problems that have plagued him the last two years, a source said.

Pro Football Talk has speculated that he’ll be released, per this link.

Someone from the BearsFansOnline.com forum’s asked this:

Actually it was the Bears that were mad at the way Carimi and his dad handled it. The Bear wanted him to have the dislocation surgery right away so he’d be ready for the next season. Carimi’s dad didn’t want him cut so he rehabbed, hurt the loose knee, got it scoped and later ended up with the more serious surgery the Bear wanted in the first place.

“Is that a correct reading of how his knee injury played out? i hadnt read anything about his dad apparently being a doctor and having influenced his decisions with his knee.”

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