Mayor Richard M. Daley is a longtime advocate of having two NFL teams in Chicago, which has taken on another amplification with the Cardinals reaching the Super Bowl. The Cardinals played in Chicago before moving to St. Louis and then eventually Arizona. The notion of two teams in Chicago was revisited during NFL owners meetings in the '80s. "We should have a second NFL team in Chicago. If San Francisco has two, New York has two, Florida has three teams ? and when you take Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, they have three teams there in that region, we could easily support a second pro football team," Daley recently reiterated to Mike North and Dan Jiggetts on Comcast SportsNet's "Monsters in the Morning." "The population is here, the business community is here. ... [The NFL] should really look at Chicago."

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo isn't so sure that veteran safety Mike Brown will return to the team next season. "I don't see that right now," Angelo told the Chicago Tribune. "Given how it affects Danieal [Manning]. Allocation of money comes into play, too, in what we want to do at other positions. There could be a case where we want Mike back, but we can't afford to do it given what we want to do in other areas."

The Bears have admitted that handling the quarterback position is their top priority this offseason, and Byron Leftwich would like to enter the mix. "We are in the playoff run right now, so I don't even want to go there, but tell them to look me up," Leftwich, who is currently backing up Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, said. "I'm a fan of Lovie Smith, I'll just say that. I thought that was where I was going to go in the beginning. I remember hoping that I would go there. I just wanted to be a part of the tradition, the history of the Bears. You're growing up, watching games at Soldier Field on TV, I wanted to be a part of that coming out. I thought there was a chance I would go there. "I want a chance to go somewhere and play. I guess everybody wanted to see if I am healthy, and now they can see it. I'm ready to play again."

Former Detroit head coach Rod Marinelli agreed Saturday to be the assistant and defensive line coach for Chicago. Marinelli selected the Bears over the Texans and the Seahawks. Alhough several teams wanted him as a defensive coordinator, Marinelli wanted to only coach along the line, which is his specialty.

Michael Vick is scheduled to be released from prison on July 20, and the Bears have made it clear that quarterback will be their highest priority this offseason. Of course, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will have to reinstate Vick in order for him to return to the field this coming season. Vick, 28, has always been a tremendous athlete, but there are doubts about what kind of condition he'll be in when he exits prison.

Former Detroit coach Rod Marinelli reportedly interviewed Friday for a job on Chicago's staff, less than a week after being fired following an 0-16 season.

Brian Urlacher was widely criticized for his play in 2008, but he took a shot back at the critics this week. "I'm tired of criticism that is unwarranted," he said. "People who say stuff about me, they don't know our defense. They don't know football. "Yes, I wish I would have made a lot more big plays. Obviously, everyone could say that on our defense. I wish I was around the ball more, but I wasn't. Just the way things worked out this season." Bears' GM Jerry Angelo didn't seem to find much fault with Urlacher this season. "The one person I do believe in, in terms of every day and who he is, is Brian Urlacher," Angelo said. "I will never question his commitment, his passion, his love for football. He has too much character, too much pride to ever not be the best he can be. "Is he the Brian Urlacher of old? I can't say that. Could he still make a Pro Bowl? He still has enough to make a Pro Bowl. He's still a very good football player. I have to go with what I see on tape."