Thread: Bears' Hayes steps into starting linebacker role

Could wind up being more important than we ever thought and it's good to know he has alot of experience. He ain't gonna go out there and wet his pants .

Here's another article with a little more poop on Hayes. He's a little on the small side but he's fast, has good range, can cover and he's a good tackler so I see him as a better fit for the Bears than he might have been elsewhere.

This article triggered a thought. Under this new CBA all rookies will become UFA in their 5th year just like Hayes did. This represents a golden opportunity for the Bears to restock certain positions on the fly with young vets who are released by their former team. In many instances that may have nothing to do with whether or not a guy is a good football player.

In Hayes case the Bucs had a coaching change and were abandoning their Tampa-2 defense so Hayes was most likely no longer a fit in the eyes of the new coaching staff so they don't re-sign him. As time goes by I think we'll see a lot of guys like him that Emery may target as free agents.

With the cost of top level players sky rocketing and the cap expanding at a snail's pace rookies and cheap young vets will become even more important cogs as the building blocks of a team. I think we'll see a lot more of Geno Hayes' type come through the doors of Halas Hall in the future.


Fleet LB Geno Hayes is a downhill racer

By Mark Potash mpotash@suntimes.com August 15, 2012 8:44PM
TAMPA, FL - CIRCA 2011: In this handout image provided by the NFL, Geno Hayes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers poses for his NFL headshot circa 2011 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images)


The irony wasn’t lost on Geno Hayes. A year ago, the Bears were the root of his demise with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now they’re a golden opportunity to revive his NFL career.

‘‘It was a blessing in disguise,’’ the fifth-year linebacker said of his falling out at Tampa Bay, where he started 42 games the previous three seasons. ‘‘I’m happy to be here. [The Buccaneers] said they wanted to go in a different direction.’’

Hayes might not know what went wrong with the Buccaneers, but he knows when it started to unravel. Against the Bears at Wembley Stadium in London last season, the strong-side linebacker was blocked by Matt Spaeth to spring Matt Forte and Marion Barber for long gains as the Bears rushed for 177 yards in a 24-18 victory.

He was benched the next three games. And though he started the last six, it was clear as the Bucs’ season spun out of control that Hayes wasn’t in their plans for 2012. ‘‘I don’t know what happened,’’ Hayes said. ‘‘After [the Bears game], a lot of stuff went left-right. We weren’t on the same page.’’

Hayes, a sixth-round pick from Florida State in 2008, is playing in a defense he says he was ‘‘born and bred’’ to play. And with Brian Urlacher out indefinitely, Hayes is getting first-team reps at strong-side linebacker.

‘‘In Tampa, our linebackers were more side-to-side guys,’’ Hayes said. ‘‘Here, this is something I was born and bred to be: a downhill player. ... This right here is downhill, baby — TFLs.’’ That’s tackles for loss, which the fleet Hayes specializes in.

always good to know that you have some kind of depth on the Roster. Hayes could start for us if needed. Guys like Thomas or DeCicco couldn't as of now.