A Real Wideout?

Well, I wasn't expecting to write about the Bears when I woke up this morning, but word out of Halas Hall is that Mushin Muhammed has signed a six year deal with the J. P. Morgan Chase and Co. Bank One presents Chicago Bears. I guess Jerry Angelo finally came to the conclusion that the forward pass isn't just a fad after all. Muhammed represents a huge upgrade for the Bears, here's his 2004 stats compared to those of the entire Chicago wide receiving corps:

Catches Yards Touchdowns
Muhammed: 93 1,405 16
Bears WRs 111 1,561 3

I can't decide which is more stunning, how good Muhammed was last year, or how terrible the Bears wideouts were. This definitely makes me a little more optimistic about 2005. Everybody was counting on the Bears taking a wideout at 4 in the draft, but now they've given themselves a lot more flexibility in what they can do with that pick. It also means that Angelo will likely bring in a competent veteran QB, in case Rex Grossman isn't fully recovered. I actually prefer Brad Johnson to Kurt Warner, but either one would be an upgrade over last year's situation. The Muhammed signing represents a good start for the Bears this offseason, but it needs to be a start and not just a one shot signing to placate the critics of the offense. All the Pro Bowl receivers in the world won't do this team a bit of good unless they get some offensive linemen who are capable of actual pass blocking.