Bears won't pursue Houshmandzadeh

The Chicago Bears aren't really noted around the league as a passing juggernaut offense, perceptually relying to the old formula of rushing offense and strong defense. When one receiver hits the market, it's generally a good idea to leave your options open to, if anything, balance your offense, allowing running lanes to open up with drifting linebackers.

However, of the teams that should look at a receiver, the Chicago Bears aren't one of them. The Sun Times Mike Mulligan writes:

Will they try to address their need at wide receiver by signing T.J. Houshmandzadeh? It's not going to happen.

In a sense, a very small one, the type that are started with "on the other hand", there could be an overwhelming inflation of Houshmandzadeh's value in the free agency market. While I don't want to undermine, or even understate, the value he brings to the Bengals offense, we sometimes wonder to ourselves if other teams aren't sold. Age is a big factor, as is, to many degrees, durability. Still, a guy like Houshmandzadeh would help a Bears offense big time. His underneath routes, his field awareness, all combined give an offense a weapon, finding first downs, sustaining drives. So we're kind of surprised that anyone would eliminate potential players, especially now, when the Super Bowl is still to be played.

Mulligan says that the reasoning is because Houshmandzadeh "would expect a multiyear deal for big money and probably would be in the plan for only two or three seasons. It would be a similar signing to the Muhsin Muhammad deal, and it's unlikely the Bears will go down that road again."