Memo to Jerry Angelo: Sign Julius Peppers for the Chicago Bears

In an off-season that sees the Bears already dropping the ball by firing position coaches and not answering questions about talent, there is now a name on the market that would fill one of the Bears' biggest needs.

Julius Peppers.

The Bears have had issues getting a consistent pass rush in the past couple years, and Adewale Ogunleye may have played out his productive service with the team.

If the Bears are going to commit significant money to their defense, which they have historically done and continue to do, then it's time to get Peppers.

In 2008, a season in which Peppers' salary cap figure was over $14 million for the Carolina Panthers, the defensive end bounced back from a 2007 season that was full of injuries to record 14.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. He also had 40 solo tackles.

While the salary cap number for Peppers seems high, his base salary made up just $6.5 million, less than half, of the total figure he was due against the cap.

Compare those numbers to Ogunleye. With a base salary of $4.7 million, Ogunleye had 48 solo tackles in 2008, but only five sacks and zero forced fumbles. He did contribute one interception.

It has been widely both praised and criticised that the Bears current defensive system, under the leadership of both Bob Babich and head coach Lovie Smith, is predicated on taking the ball away.

There is a noticeable belief that the first defender to the ball holds up the runner while the second and third defenders try to rip the ball out.

This is been a big win-lose for the Bears, as they have been at or around the top of the NFL in takeaways in the past five seasons, but also give up the occasional big play by gambling too much.

Peppers, when healthy, is the PERFECT player for the Bears defense.

Middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has been ripped apart by fans and the media in Chicago for allegedly being in the sunset of his productive career.

I would personally tend to argue against that belief. Urlacher's game is built around speed; he was a safety in college.

Most Bears fans will remember that, in 2004, Hall of Famer Dick Butkus criticized Urlacher for "not hitting."

Urlacher has never been very good at defeating blocks or blowing someone up. But when it comes to running east and west, he's as good as it gets. And he still is.

Urlacher is also a key to the Cover Two (or zero, as those of us that hate the scheme will whine). Because of both his size and athleticism, he is able to cover tight ends in the seam better than most middle linebackers in the game.

Where Urlacher's game is no longer working as well as fans hope and expect is that Babich is employing him more in pass coverage than in an attacking mode.

If you watch the Bears defense before a snap, nearly 70 percent of the time there will be Urlacher and Lance Briggs standing between defensive linemen showing blitz, only to see one or both of the linebackers backpedaling to ten yards on the snap of the ball close to 75 percent of those snaps.

In a game that's aggressive, and when there isn't much pressure coming from the defensive line, Babich's scheme is a perfect storm for a player of Urlacher's skill set.

Think about it: someone who has never been good at defeating a block, being asked to backpedal while reading the play, and then cut back up field as soon as he reads run.

Urlacher is trying to reverse his momentum completely and get through blocks simultaneously. Even for the best, this is a lot to ask.

Enter a legit, top tier defensive lineman on the edge. Alex Brown is a solid, two-way defensive end on one side. He plays the run effectively and gets after the quarterback well.

But he isn't someone who is game planned against. Urlacher is, so is Briggs. Every fourth game, when he's healthy and feels like playing, Tommie Harris can be as well. Julius Peppers is that player every single week.

If you put Peppers, who plays both the run and the pass at a top notch level, on the outside, it puts less pressure on a number of Bears.

First, it helps keep linemen off Urlacher in the middle, allowing him to use his speed. Second, the strong side linebacker opposite Briggs, which was a revolving door after underwhelming Hunter Hillenmeyer went down to injury early in 2008, is less significant because of Peppers' athleticism.

And finally, it keeps teams from being able to double- and triple-team Harris in the middle, giving him more room to roam.

Julius Peppers would be a monster (of the midway) in the Bears scheme, as well as helping other Bears achieve their potential.

Critics will say Peppers is too expensive. There are ways around that. Ogunleye's cap figure was almost $6.4 million in 2008. Also, Nathan Vasher's cap number was over $5.2 million.

Corey Graham played well enough that Vasher's salary could be expendable, saving the Bears that money. Buying out Ogunleye would give the Bears $11 million to distribute to new faces, most notably Peppers.

This isn't even beginning to consider that the Bears have other expiring contracts (Rex Grossman... finally).

I know the Bears have issues on offense. They need a legit, No. 1 receiver. They need depth on the offensive line. And they need another quarterback.

But if one player, ONE, could get this defense back on par with the likes of Baltimore and Pittsburgh, which I believe the addition of Peppers could do, then there is less pressure to spend big money on a receiver or linemen.

If Chris Williams, 2008's No. 1 pick, is anything close to what he was at Vanderbilt, the Bears don't need to spend much on their offensive line.

Take the money, and sign Julius Peppers up for direct deposit. He would make the Bears good. Now.