Greats You Forgot Were Bears
There are names in the NFL that when you hear them you picture them in your mind and you picture them in a specific jersey:
Brett Favre: Packers, not the Vikings or Jets.Jerry Rice: 49ers, not the Raiders or Seahawks.Edgerrin James: Colts, not the Cardinals or Seahawks.Emmitt Smith: Cowboys, not the Cardinals.
There are others, like Terrell Owens, who may be a toss-up because he had memorable times with the 49ers and Eagles. Here is my list of the top five guys that very few can vividly remember playing in a Bears uniform:
1. Jared Allen- If any on this list, this is one where some might remember his year with the Bears. Future Hall of Fame defensive end, Jared Allen was a thorn in the Bears' side while playing for the Vikings. The Bears signed him in 2014 and thought to themselves, you've played great as a hand in the dirt, DE for 10 years. Why don't you come to play stand-up outside linebacker for us? He started/played 15 games and had 57 combined tackles, 2 forced and recovered fumbles, as well as 5.5 sacks. This was Allen's last year. He re-signed a one-day contract to retire as a Viking following that year.
2. Santonio Holmes- The long-time Steeler and Jets receiver was also on the Bears' 2014 roster. He played in just nine games, starting only 2. His stat line was eight catches for 67 yards and no touchdowns. As well as nine returns for 50 yards and no touchdowns. He resigned with the Steelers on a one-day contract to retire three years later.
3. Orlando Pace- after 12 seasons and 7 Pro Bowls, future Hall of Fame offensive tackle, Orlando Pace, signed a 3 year $15 million deal with the Bears in 2009. He also had an offer from the Eagles but chose the Bears when he heard they had traded for Jay Cutler earlier in the day. The number 1 pick in the 1997 draft, Pace played/started in just 11 games for the Bears and ended up retiring after the season.
4. Kordell Stewart- Slash played for the Bears in 2003, after eight seasons with the Steelers. He ended up splitting starts with Chris Chandler and Rex Grossman. Stewart started the year out as the Bears' number one, but after a rocky start, he was benched for Chandler. Chandler got six starts and had the same results as Stewart, giving way to Grossman rounding out the year with three starts in his rookie season. Stewart finished with 1418 yards in the air, seven touchdowns, and twelve interceptions. He would move on to a mentor role on the Ravens roster for the next two years, and then retired as a Steeler.
5. Doug Flutie- Flutie's start to the NFL was different from most. The lowest drafted Heisman winner (11th round in 1985 to the Rams), he didn't even play in the NFL as he had already signed a 5 year $5 million deal with the New Jersey Generals in the USFL. Then the following year the Rams traded his rights to the Bears. He made his NFL debut in a Bears jersey. He played five games in two seasons and was then traded to the Patriots. He played two and a half seasons in New England and then he went to the Canadian Football League for 8 years. In 1998, he came back to the Bills where he had a few memorable plays. He played eight more seasons in the NFL before officially retiring in 2006.
