Thinking Skins Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Woulda been nice if we coulda gotten him http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1405360.html Peter bolsters Bears' stout defensive front -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com The acquisition of free agent defensive tackle Christian Peter, in a deal completed late Friday afternoon, is indicative of how the Chicago Bears are quietly enhancing the roster of a team that last season captured its first division title since 1990. On face value, signing Peter to a one-year contract worth $525,000, does not appear to be a significant addition. But bringing in another proven veteran bolsters an already solid and unheralded defensive front and, more important, allows coordinator Greg Blache to further maximize the playing time of starting tackles Ted Washington and Keith Traylor. The two starters, each of whom conservatively weighs in at 340 pounds, comprise the strength of a Chicago defense that statistically ranked No. 2 against the run in 2001. But the performance of Washington and Traylor is best when the two are rested for a series or two at a time, improving their stamina, and allowing them to come hard for every snap they are on the field. Chicago coaches like the potential of young tackle Alfonso Boone and hope Jason Wiltz will develop into a contributor, but know the track record of Peter, and understand that he will fit well into the rotation. The team has been seeking a veteran defensive tackle for much of the offseason. "He's always played stout against the run and that's where everything starts for us," said general manager Jerry Angelo. "Everyone knows you can never have enough defensive linemen in this league. To get an experienced guy, one we can roll in for a series and give the other guys a breather, is a big plus. He knows how to play the game." The Bears have stayed away this spring from high-priced free agents and concentrated on adding complementary parts, like quarterback Chris Chandler, and the addition of Peter is the latest example of that strategy. Peter, 29, played in 14 games for Indianapolis in 2001 but was released by the Colts early this spring. The five-year veteran spent his first four seasons with the New York Giants before signing with the Colts last spring as an unrestricted free agent. He nearly rejoined the Giants last month, but negotiations broke off at the last minute, and the Bears began to bargain with agent Ralph Cindrich on the one-year contract. The former Nebraska star was chosen by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 1996 draft, but the club rescinded its rights to him because of off-field problems the player experienced during his college career. Peter was cited in instances of abuse toward females and had problems with anger management, but has experienced no such incidents during his NFL tenure. Angelo noted that Peter's "past is in the past" and said the club had no reservations about signing him. Peter has played in 69 games and started 31 of them, and has 110 tackles, 3½ sacks, one forced fumble and four pass deflections. Because of a new rule that grants a cap break to teams that sign veterans to minimum-salary contracts, Peter will count just $450,000 on the Chicago salary cap for 2002. Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkyalligator Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 What DTs are left out there in free agency? Anyone specific you think would work for us even if some of them are projects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 the Colts were one of the worst defenses against the rush and they let this guy go? Dungy didn't want him? that to me says caution. this guy Pasquarelli is all over the place in terms of his logic. Peter is a good signing because he is a 'proven veteran'. Funny, I don't remember Peter being all that much of a contributor the past couple of seasons in the NFL. Meanwhile the Redskins signings of Dotson and Armstead are of course merely 'decent' signings for the team to 'fill obvious holes'. To my way of thinking, both Dotson and Armstead who have started on Super Bowl teams are the 'proven veterans' while Peter is a career question mark who has to show that he can hold up and contribute for more than a few games per season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 We have been lucky in terms of these guys being signed by other teams. And if we turn out to have weaknesses at line positions on both sides of the ball this should mean our top draft picks should go towad the big uglies as someone handsome and modest have been saying for the past two drafts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinking Skins Posted July 15, 2002 Author Share Posted July 15, 2002 I'm not saying that this guy is the hidden piece of gold that ultimately takes us to the playoffs. We're not in a position where we're looking for starting DT's. I think that we'll be pretty settled with Wilkinson and Dotson in that position. But I'm thinking that Peter may have been a good aquisition for the backup role. The same way that Kijana Carter has never been a servicable RB but played pretty well in the roll of the guy to come in and give Stephen a breather. Just because a guy didnt do great in Indy doesn't mean that he's a bust. If he can just hold up a guard and help to clog the middle for 15-20 plays per game, then the Bears will have gotten what they needed. We can sit around and complain about why we dont want this guy or that guy, but the point is that right now we dont have anyone in that spot. If one of our starters goes down they we're SOL. We'll be starting guys who are UFA's and have never started an NFL game. I know that most of the FA's out there right now arent pro bowlers, but I bet that they can beat out our backups in training camp. Beggers cant be choosy. I hope either by training camp or immediately after it starts we can sign a DT to backup our guys and help keep them fresh during the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 This leaves Brenston Buckner. Hopefully we'll sign him before camp so we can have a decent rotation, and at least keep all the guys fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Buckner is a better bet than Peter at this point because he has been on the field and contributing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkyalligator Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Isn't Christian Peter the name of the DT that the Giants drafted that raped a girl right before the draft but eventually got off on a technicality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Funky, no that was Christian Peter. The Giants drafted Jason Peter, Christian's brother (younger by a year or two) who to my understanding has not committed the same off-field offenses. I'm not sure that Jason is still in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 You never know Cowsette might surprise in camp or we are patiently waiting on a camp cut to pick up at the vet minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuskin Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Christian Peter was a first round pick of the Panthers. I believe he was into some trouble with the as I recall. He had injuries since coming into the league and a series of serious neck injuries has ended his career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiansDad Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Let me help you guys out here.. lol Christian Peter (the guy my Bears just signed) was drafted by the New England Patriots.. when they found out about his problems at Nebraska (yes, the rape and beating charges.. thats him too), they cut him instantly. The Giants picked him up. Last season they cut him and Peter signed with the Colts. This offseason the Giants tried to sign him again, but the 2 sides couldnt come to an agreement. Now the Bears have signed him to compete for a backup DT spot. BTW.. he hasnt had any "problems" since he has been in the NFL.. hopefully that is behind him forever. I guess that pretty much says the same thing as the article that started this thread.. just a lot shorter.. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 I'm in complete agreement with NavyDave and blakman211! I am also one of those guys that believs the center of gravity of ANY football team needs to be the lines! On offense you NEED a QB and a strong line. On defense you NEED strong CBs and a strong line. With that you can cover any weaknesses you have. This is even more important and relevant in today's salary cap NFL. You must determine which players and what positions you need to have. On defense, we went with LBs instead of DLs but those were addressed in the FA market NOT the draft. On "O", we did take a major step to address the QB position with our draft. I'm with you ND, I'm hoping we address both our DTs and DEs next year while also investing in whatever OL position doesn't prove to be reliable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinking Skins Posted July 16, 2002 Author Share Posted July 16, 2002 I'm just getting so tired of saying, well wait til next year's draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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