Bears Monitoring, Yet Uninterested In, Plaxico Burress

As the season grows closer and closer, the malign on the Bears receiving corps gains steam. It seems as though everyone in the world believes the receiving corps is so bad that Jay Cutler can't be successful. Nevermind the fact that the vastly inferior Kyle Orton threw for almost 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns (in 15 games) in the same offense last season. It's not as though the losses of Marty Booker and a handful of games from Brandon Lloyd are irreplaceable.

Still, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo just can't escape the question of whether or not the Bears will pursue help at wide receiver. Inevitably, Plaxico Burress' name arises.

"As I said, we'll look at every option," Angelo said. "[His] situation is different because there are circumstances. We'll monitor it."

"He could help any team,'' Angelo said. "His play, his production speaks for itself. Everybody would love to have him on their team, including the New York Giants.

"But obviously, they are things that have to happen now for him to play in the league, get on with his life. There are a lot of hurdles to cross before you can really seriously sit here and use that as a viable option."

It sounds like Angelo is softening his stance a smidgen. Prior to the draft, he stated in no uncertain terms the Bears had zero interest in Burress. Now, it sounds like he'll consider the move if Burress is able to somehow elude jail time. Angelo did mention that the Bears are not one of the two teams reported to have interest in Burress -- according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

So, to clean up the official Bears' stance: The Bears do not have interest in Plaxico Burress, but they will be monitoring his situation. To borrow a phrase from my junior high math teacher, that's about as clear as mud.

Obviously, Burress could help the Bears on the field. The trickle-down effect of coverage alone would do wonders for Devin Hester, Greg Olsen, Matt Forte, Cutler and the younger receivers. The Bears are in a position where they can evaluate the progress of the receivers in camp, in terms of their rapport with Cutler, while watching the Burress situation from afar. Should they feel the risk is worth the possible reward, I don't have a huge problem with pulling the trigger -- though I firmly believe the team would be much better served to just develop the young receivers without distraction. Cutler's young enough to be patient with the development of Earl Bennett and Juaquin Iglesias as complements to Hester, Olsen and Forte.