Bears release Alex Brown..
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on April 2, 2010
In a salary cap-cutting move, the Chicago Bears parted ways with veteran defensive end Alex Brown on Thursday, which ends his 8-year run in the Windy City.
He finished 2nd on the team last season with 6 sacks & became expandable once the Bears reached a long-term agreement with Julius Peppers on March 5th.
With the pending loss of Adewale Ogunleye (free agent) at defensive end, the Bears will now have to heavily rely on 4th pro Mark Anderson, who has had three straight subpar seasons since his 12 sacks in 2006-07, which ironically was the year Chicago wound up in Super Bowl XLI.
Alex did hold the team record for most consecutive games started (127), until 2007 when he was benched for Anderson, which is a move that the coaching staff later regretted.
Isreal Idonje will most likely move from defensive tackle to defensive end, but Brown’s depature is not sitting well with Brian Urlacher, who is the Bears’ franchise player.
“That sucks man. God, that sucks. I’m sad. Alex has been one of my best friends on the team since he’s been here. You won’t find a guy more adored by his teammates than Alex Brown.
We live in the same area and when you go to the grocery store, people talk about the type of guy he is, how he talks to everyone. I know it’s a business, but I can’t imagine not playing with him and Adewale (Ogunleye).
It helped that he played well right away, too. He’s been our most consistent defender the last six or seven years, with staying on the field and all his starts in a row.”
