By Vaughn McClureThe Bears have cut fullback Jason McKie.
McKie spent seven seasons with the Bears and saw his role decrease significantly last season. He originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles.
"I don't hold any bad feelings toward the Bears, not at all," McKie told the Tribune. "I'm definitely disappointed that I didn't have a role last year because I'm a competitor. I was disappointed in our whole season as a team."
McKie figured to have a limited role in new offensive coordinator Mike Martz's scheme, although the Bears did sign former Washington Redskins fullback Eddie Williams last week.
McKie, who was signed through 2011 and due to make a base salary of $760,000 this season and $775,000 next season, becomes the second player out of the backfield to get cut this offseason, joining veteran running back Kevin Jones.
"There's no place like Chicago," McKie said. "The fans, the city ... and just wearing the same helmet that Walter Payton did was so special. Playing for coach (Lovie) Smith, he's just a great man and a great person. He really taught me a lot."
Photo: Jason McKie apparently wasn't a fit for Mike Martz's new offense. (Tribune)
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Those are some pretty big shoes to fill. Our greatest offensive weapon since the invention of the forward pass. In all seriousness, we could replace him with a doorstop a yard in the backfield and greased-up gloves 2 yards downfield.
I toast the bears for getting rid of one of the most useless players I've ever seen on the bears.
He didn't run. He didn't catch. And he was nothing more than an average blocker at best.
Yet he stayed on the team for 7 years.
Good that they gave him a chance to get onto someone else's roster prior to the draft. Not sure what his market will be, but as usual, the Bears make the decision to cut someone early enough to get them a shot to play that season.
I am not so sure that I am confident in what the end result is going to be with Martz and the offense, but I at least can see that he is starting to convert the roster before OTAs begin, so they can get a full offseason of work on the new scheme with the players they will have for the full season.
A good player-just another guy who didn't fit the scheme. If the Bears don't win next year, the coaches won't fit the scheme.
It might have helped his cause if he could have actually blocked someone, anyone, out of the way on a goal line try.