Bears Still Likely To Cut Taylor After Today's Misunderstanding
Barring Marion Barber's injury being much more serious than anyone is letting on, Chester Taylor is done with the Bears.
Coach Lovie Smith told Taylor Monday morning he wasn't in the team's plans.
According to Brad Biggs, our show's Bears insider, Taylor took that to mean he was among the cuts being made Monday. So Taylor left Halas Hall.
Ken Sarnoff, Taylor's agent, announced via Twitter that his client was being released by the Bears.
Biggs reported the Bears then notified Sarnoff that Taylor had not been cut. Taylor returned to Halas Hall to meet with general manager Jerry Angelo, who told him the team still likes him. Angelo told Taylor he could then have the remainder of the day off, and now Taylor is expected to be at practice Tuesday."I guess there was a little bit of a misunderstanding on what we talked about," Smith said after practice. "Chester Taylor is still a part of the team."
Only until the Bears realize Taylor now has no trade value due to the Monday screw-up.
Smith said when he told Taylor that he wasn't in the team's plans, he was referring to Saturday's game at Tennessee, in which Taylor did not play.
Anyone buying that?
Me, neither.
``If a player is released, I will tell him that, 'You're released, thank you,' '' Smith told media Monday. ``That is not the case. Misunderstanding. I talked to him about what happened in the last game in a private conversation. No more than that. As far as what is going to happen later on, we have cuts coming up. We'll let everyone know who is a part of it then, they'll know. I don't talk anymore than that. I talked about what happened the last game. . . . Thought we had a good conversation. I guess it didn't go exactly like I thought it did."
Don't expect to see Taylor play Thursday in the preseason finale against Cleveland. No way the Bears want to be on the hook for any of the $1.25 million he would be due should he get injured.
One good cut which was made Monday was that of Vernon Gholston.
Or is that Ghost-on, since he was hardly seen in preseason action.
General manager Jerry Angelo told Mully and me a couple weeks ago the Bears are quick to cut their losses and in the case of both Taylor and Gholston, Angelo was true to his word.
Gholston was a former first-round pick (No. 6 overall) out of Tattoo U (aka Ohio State). He banked more than $20 million as a bust out with the New York Jets. Gholston leaves with another $250,000 (signing bonus) for less than a month with the Bears.
Nice work if you can get it.
Taylor, who earned $7 million last season, will become an unrestricted free agent when he is released. He should find work for the veteran's minimum given the big bucks the Bears paid him.
Biggs joins us Tuesday to talk Bears with Mully and me. Also plenty of Sox-Twins and Cubs-Giants thoughts between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. Hope you will join us.
As always, thanks for listening.
--Hanley
