Corey Graham Will Stir Interest/Suitors......

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07-19-2011, 10:41 AM
soulman

Corey Graham Will Stir Interest/Suitors......

Top special teamer Corey Graham will find suitors

Wants a chance to play cornerback Brad Biggs

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The Chicago Bears were adamant that Corey Graham deserved to be a Pro Bowl player last season.

He led one of the league’s top special teams units in tackles with 25 – all of them solos – and is considered one of the best gunners in the league. Graham may have not gotten the nod with voters, but he’s expected to get the kind of respect that pays when he hits free agency.

He’ll be the youngest cornerback on the open market as the fifth-round draft pick from 2007 doesn’t turn 26 until Monday. Graham has started 10 games at cornerback for the Bears – nine of them in 2008 – and is a big cornerback at 6-foot, 198 pounds.

"Corey Graham is a starter as I see it," coach Lovie Smith said during the scouting combine this offseason. "He's one of our core players."

But the Bears might not value Graham enough to re-sign him. He had exactly two snaps on defense during the regular season, and Graham said before last season ended that he wanted to find a situation where he’d be given an opportunity to compete for a starting cornerback job. He finished fifth on the defense in tackles in ’08 despite starting only half the time when veteran Nathan Vasher was injured. So, he’s got experience and tape for other teams to consider.

"He just wants to go to a situation where he's going to be in a place to compete," Graham's agent, Buddy Baker, said. "Corey doesn't expect to be given anything."
The Cleveland Browns might want to make a play for Graham. Their special teams coordinator Chris Tabor just came from the Bears where he was an assistant. There has been talk about the New York Giants wanted to make specific moves to improve what was a poor special teams unit. Someone will be willing to give Graham a good contract.

Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs
Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune
07-19-2011, 10:46 AM
soulman

Bears may have competition for Graham

Cornerback, special teams ace could seek bigger role elsewhere

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/...7/63333940.jpg Corey Graham celebrates a stop against the Packers during the 1st quarter of the NFC Championship game. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, McClatchy-Tribune / January 23, 2011)

By Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune reporter 7:35 p.m. CDT, July 18, 2011
One of the first things expected to follow a new labor agreement is a short window for clubs to re-sign their own free agents.

This will give the Bears a chance to secure players the coaching staff is familiar with and who won't need a six-week crash course on the playbook.

It will be interesting to see what happens with cornerback Corey Graham, whom special teams coach Dave Toub said was unjustly left off the NFC Pro Bowl roster. Graham led the team with 25 special teams tackles — all solos — and is considered one of the best gunners in the league. He also has experience on defense with 10 career starts.

But Graham will be an unrestricted free agent and the youngest cornerback on the market — he turns 26 Monday. How valuable is he to the Bears?

"Corey Graham is a starter as I see it," coach Lovie Smith said this offseason. "He's one of our core players."

Graham made nine starts in 2008 when Nathan Vasher was injured, and the fifth-round draft pick from New Hampshire in 2007 has made it clear that he has his eye on an opportunity to win a starting job on defense. At 6-foot, 198 pounds, he's a big corner who also could play safety. He has some experience as the nickel too.

"He just wants to go to a situation where he's going to be in a place to compete," Graham's agent, Buddy Baker, said. "Corey doesn't expect to be given anything."

The Bears hoped to retain special teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo when he entered free agency after the 2007 season but didn't, and they charged Toub with replacing him. If and how the Bears pursue Graham remains to be seen. Keep in mind he wasn't given much opportunity on defense in 2010. Former special teams assistant Chris Tabor is with the Browns and would surely like a chance to bring Graham on board.

Baker represents free-agent cornerback Chris Carr, who was primarily a return man and third cornerback when he signed a $5 million, two-year contract with the Ravens in 2009. If that's the range for Graham, it's hard to imagine the Bears will be involved unless they've crafted new plans for him on defense.

Someone will step up and pay Graham because he's as good as they come on special teams and was productive starting half the time in '08, finishing fifth on the team with 93 tackles.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

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07-19-2011, 10:52 AM
soulman

Sad to say I think Biggs is right and we'll lose our top ST player. I still don't know how Lovie can be quoted as saying that Graham is a "starter" when he refused to give him that shot a second time. The Bears have made him an offer but you can bet that it's nowhere in the range of the $2.5 mil per year that Chris Carr got from Baltimore. It's tough to keep a guy like Graham when they want a chance to play and someone is willing to pay them like a starter and give them the chance.
07-19-2011, 11:33 AM
short faced bear

What prospective team would wish him a starting CB? I don't think his body of work as a cb is complete enough to warrant a starting job. I think a team will tease him and play him at corner for awhile then just relegate him back to ST.
07-19-2011, 12:19 PM
GrizzlyBear91

Quote:

Originally Posted by short faced bear

What prospective team would wish him a starting CB? I don't think his body of work as a cb is complete enough to warrant a starting job. I think a team will tease him and play him at corner for awhile then just relegate him back to ST.

I think that's all the opportunity he's looking for. if he starts and he does well, who's gonna relegate him back to ST?....
07-19-2011, 12:37 PM
soulman

Quote:

Originally Posted by short faced bear

What prospective team would wish him a starting CB? I don't think his body of work as a cb is complete enough to warrant a starting job. I think a team will tease him and play him at corner for awhile then just relegate him back to ST.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrizzlyBear91

I think that's all the opportunity he's looking for. if he starts and he does well, who's gonna relegate him back to ST?....

Exactly Grizz! For whatever reason Lovie just won't give him another shot at CB so if he moves on to someone who will he sees himself as being better off. He attracts a CB's pay and if he doesn't start he's no worse off than staying with the Bears where he'll be a lifer on ST's.
07-19-2011, 12:56 PM
short faced bear

If he was good enough to start he would have. Lovie's "doghouse" from my understanding was Graham's relegation to ST was his refusal to play FS was it not? That's a pretty big red flag for a backup.
07-19-2011, 01:30 PM
little bear

Quote:

Originally Posted by soulman

Sad to say I think Biggs is right and we'll lose our top ST player.

We already lost our best ST player in '10 when JA decided to cut Tim Shaw.