As told to Elizabeth Newman on SI.com "ON LIFE AS A NEW MEMBER OF THE BEARS The Bears weren't the first team I considered, but I felt this was the place that gave me the best chance to win right away." What has he been smoking??? Win what??? 3 games??? 1st pick in next years draft??? I understand trying to put on a good face for the fans, but losing credibility, that will hurt him. Truth is, it was about money, plain and simple. That is fine and dandy, we all have our priorities, but if he wanted to have the best chance to win, he could have stayed in Carolina for about 2 million less, from what I hear. He might have been a tad more honest if TO hadn't been dancing & prancing about money.
I'm not so sure that he was lying. The Bears have an excellent young defense. When healthy, Thomas Jones has been a good running back. Perhaps he thought, rightly so, that he could give them a threat at WR. Before you write the Bears off, you might want to wait and see what Kyle Orton can do. I'm not saying that the Bears will make the playoffs this year, but they might ruin someone's season. While the Bears only won 5 games, they did win one in Green Bay and that shows improvement. Where were the Panthers the year before they went to the Super Bowl? So what if it is about money? When Steve Smith went down with an injury, Muhammad stepped up and kept the Panthers season from going straight down the toilet. Now, the Panthers want to repay him by cutting his salary by 2 million? The Panthers were paying him 4.5 million, then on Sept 11th of last year, Muhammad allowed his contract to be restructed to save cap room for the Panthers. Of course, everyone knew the Panthers had no intention of honoring the 10 million dollar roster bonus that came in the restructuring, so a new deal would have to be made. So, you want a WR, who caught 93 passes for a league leading 1,405 yards to accept close to a 50% pay cut? Who is smoking around here? The TRUTH is that the Panthers don't deserve to have Mushin Muhammad on their roster. P.S. - Despite my wanting to argue, I am glad to see you back, Crazy. Feel free to give me what for.
First, I clearly stated it being about money was fine and dandy... Second, he said the Bears gave him "the BEST chance to win RIGHT AWAY" (emphasis mine)...he isn't saying being part of a rebuilding team that has a future...while the defense/special teams were the highest scoring in the league, the team as a whole was the lowest scoring...they gave up the most sacks & sack yards, were 25th in rushing, (for perspective, 3 spots better, by 42 yards, than Carolina who were on their 6TH STRING RB by midseason), and their 1st round rookie RB held out most of training camp (which can indicate a potentially bad career, just see Curtis Enis, Cade McNown, Rashaan Salaam and David Terrell as former Bears who also held out as rookies)...things don't look sunny on that side of the ball Third, he did step up, which is what he should do anyway, regardless of what he is paid...that is his job Fourth, the year before the Panthers went to the SB, they were 7-9, in John Fox's 1st year, having come off of a 1-15 season in which they lost their final 15...the Bears went 5-11 last year, Lovie Smith's first, after having been 7-9 the year before (just showing comparison because you asked, not because of any insight, and to show that Fox is a very good coach) Fifth, he has only had three 1,000 yard seasons, and only one in the last 4 years, and that was last year...not saying he isn't a good receiver, but his carrer average is 862yds and just under 5 TD's per year, and prior to last season, it was only 793yds with 3.5 TD's per year...that, to me, may indicate HE doesn't deserve the money he is getting now...he did well last year, but one year does not a career make, and teams who shell out to a player after one good year usually get burned... Lastly, I hope Moose has a great season...he did a lot here in Carolina, and although he left a void, he did not burn any bridges and seems to be a class guy, so I wish him no ill will...he had every right to make money his priority
The Panthers went from a losing record to the Super Bowl. Is it unreasonable to think that the Bears could go from 5-11 to the playoffs? Perhaps Lovie convinced him that he had a plan to turn the offense around. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounded like you were calling him out for being dishonest for saying that he thought he would win right away with the Bears. I'm just saying that a good young defense, a healthy Rex Grossman and a first round running back might have been enough to convince him that the Bears are close to turning things around. (Actually, I said a little more, but that was to incite an argument.) I'm sorry, CrazyBacon. You've failed to convince me that Mr. Muhammad is a liar or that his pants are on fire. I will have to rule in the favor of the defense. Wait, Muhammad plays offense.....
[quote name='DolfanDale']The Panthers went from a losing record to the Super Bowl. Is it unreasonable to think that the Bears could go from 5-11 to the playoffs?[/quote] not unreasonable...however, the panthers improved (1-15,7-9,11-5) whereas the bears declined from 7-9 to 5-11...shows a downward trend i'm sure he said something to that effect...how many coaches would say "Well, Moose, we're gonna be crap this year, but here's $12 million+ to sign with our team."? i was pointing out that, based on facts & stats, they were not the "BEST chance to win RIGHT AWAY"...i'd believe the Bears were the best team at the level of money they offered to him, but not the best team that offered him a contract... well, he signed prior to the draft, so the first round RB argument is out the window...to use a QB that has played in only 6 games in 2 years because of injury as an argument for signing with a team is quite risky...choosing a team because of good defense is not a bad choice... well, you've failed to convince me otherwise that was a funny line, though
