By now you’ve read that Adewale Ogunleye is a Nigerian Prince (or he would have been if his father had taken the throne instead of moving to the U.S. years ago). You’ve probably also heard that he had 15 sacks in 2003 (more than the Bears’ entire defensive line). Unfortunately, Ogunleye is being painted by some as a money-hungry, “me first” player. Admittedly, he refused to honor his contract with the Dolphins; a contract that paid near the league minimum for one season. However, here’s a quick news flash: the AFC sack leader, who also happens to be a pro-bowler, shouldn’t have to play for that deal. If Ogunleye’s production had dropped off significantly in 2003, the Dolphins probably would have been looking to cut his salary. Why when the reverse is true, is Ogunleye being selfish for wanting more money?

Enter Keyword Here

In reality, a place often ignored by football analysts and fans alike, Ogunleye is a solid character guy (or an “Angelo guy” according to Ogunleye’s former coach at Indiana). He helps out in the community with both time and money and plays a team game. So let’s put to rest the “we traded a solid citizen in Booker for a money-grubbing diva” talk. Booker is a solid citizen and a team player. So is Ogunleye. When it comes to the intangibles then, both on and off the field, this trade was about even. (We won’t even mention that Booker refused to come back to the Bears if the trade fell through on Saturday night. Hmmm.)

On the field, this trade isn’t even close. Yes, Booker was the Bears’ best player. And yes, he was also a team leader on offense. But Ogunleye is now the Bears’ best player on defense. He’s better than Brian Urlacher, Mike Brown, Tommie Harris, and everyone else. Ogunleye not only lead the AFC in sacks, he also led the Miami defensive line in tackles last year. This was a line with Jason Taylor and a solid rotation at DT. Also consider that LB’s Zack Thomas and Junior Seau made several plays in the backfield. Of course Ogunleye benefited from playing on such a talented defense. More specifically, the Miami secondary is one of the best in the league, which no doubt allowed Ogunleye to rack up more than a few coverage sacks. Then there’s the argument that Jason Taylor took on all the double teams and allowed Ogunleye to go one-on-one all year. However, the Bears still just signed one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. Even if Ogunleye only played against one-on-one blocking all year in 2003 (which wasn’t the case at all), he still managed 64 tackles and 15 sacks. Cut those numbers by 25% in Chicago in a worst case scenario (48 tackles and 11 sacks), and the Bears will still be happy.

Bears Alternate Logo Unstructured Hat $16.99

From a front office perspective, the Bears got the best of the Dolphins in this deal. Angelo balked at giving up a first and third round pick for Ogunleye before the draft. Because Angelo eventually got his man for Booker and a third round pick, the question then becomes whether or not Booker is worth a first round pick. Not even close. If the Bears shopped Booker around the league, they would be lucky to come away with a late second rounder. Potential all-pro tailback Corey Dillon was traded for a low second rounder this offseason (Cincinnati to New England). Dillon, while a handful off the field, is worth far more than Booker on the open market. Angelo held his ground and ended up giving away a great #2 WR and a marginal draft pick. Just for kicks, here is what the third round has provided for the Bears in the past (with impact players in bold):

1994 Jim Flanigan (DT)
1995 Sean Harris (LB)
        Evan Pilgrim (OG)
1996 None
1997 Bob Sapp (OG)
1998 Olin Kreutz (C)

ESPN The Magazine. Just $1 an Issue

1999 Rex Tucker (OG)
        D’Wayne Bates (WR)
        Marty Booker (WR)
2000 Dez White (WR)
        Dustin Lyman (TE)
2001 Mike Gandy (OG)
2002 Roosevelt Williams (CB)
        Terrence Metcalf (OG)
2003 Lance Briggs (LB)
2004 Bernard Berrian (WR)

The Bears have added only three impact players in ten years (15 picks), which shows the approximate value of a third round pick (aka not much).

Marty Booker Chicago Bears Bobble Head Doll $19.95

Chicago will miss Marty Booker, and the Bears will miss his consistent pass catching ability. Most of all, the team is now very short on receivers that can find the holes in opposing zones. While Booker might not be the ideal fit for the team’s new offense, he certainly knew how to get open against solid defensive backfields. The Bears are reportedly confident enough in Bobby Wade’s abilities to let Booker go. While only time will tell, the team can at least absorb the loss of a WR (even its best WR). In the end, the defense simply couldn’t go another game without a solid pass rusher. Jerry Angelo knows that winning teams are built up front, which is why his money is invested in John Tait, Olin Kreutz, Tommie Harris, and Ogunleye. It’s only a matter of time before these intelligent financial commitments start to pay off.

Anthony Thomas

Other notes: We labeled Nathan Vasher the steal of the draft in the offseason, and now you know why. His INT and pass breakup against San Francisco were plays that you don’t often see from a fourth round rookie…The fears surrounding the offensive line seem to have subsided after the unit performed well against the 49ers. Qasim Mitchell dominated DE Andre Carter, an above average pass rusher, in the first quarter. (You may remember that the Bears desperately tried to trade up and draft Carter in 2001 but were forced to settle for David Terrell)…R.W. McQuarters gave up a big play, but he clearly is moving better than he did last season. McQuarters’ real deficiency is his inability to disrupt WR’s at the line of scrimmage (a necessary skill in the Bears’ Cover-2 scheme)…Thomas Jones is quickly making Bears’ fans forget about Anthony Thomas. The A-Train may (and “may” is being kind) be able to match Jones’ running style between the tackles, but the former Michigan product is clearly too slow for the Bears’ new offense…The Bears will undoubtedly have their eye on free agent WR’s over the next few weeks, but the 2005 draft may be the best place for the team to find its go-to-guy. USC’s Mike Williams and Oklahoma’s Mark Clayton should both be first round options.