Political commentator Glenn Beck apologized on Friday for jokingly referring to Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher as a neo-Nazi. A website published a list of the "blackest white folks we know," and it included Beck and Urlacher. Beck had photos of the group on a board during his show Thursday on Fox News, and he started to identify the ones he knew. When he came to a picture of Urlacher, who had a very close-cropped hair cut, he said: "I think this guy's a neo-Nazi." "During a segment about myself being named one of the 'blackest white folks we know' by the website theroot.com, I made a few comments about some others on the list," Beck wrote. "Now, I know absolutely nothing about sports, so I didn't realize that one of them was NFL star Brian Urlacher. "Since then, I have been informed by my staff that Brian -- uh, Mr. Urlacher -- could kill me with his thumb in nine seconds if he wanted to. Although if we are talking about people in Chicago wanting to beat me up, he's going to have to stand in a very long line. "Anyway, I apologize to anyone who was offended. I just made a neo-Nazi joke based on the short hair and white skin; I don't actually think he has fascist plans to take over the Earth."

The Bears have signed running back Harvey Unga to a four-year contract. The terms of the contract were not disclosed on Wednesday. Taken in the seventh round of the supplemental draft, Unga is BYU's all-time leading rusher with 3,455 yards on 696 carries.

Quarterback Mike Teel has joined the Bears, his third NFL team in two months. He has spent time with the Seahawks and Patriots this offseason. Teel is one of three quarterbacks vying to be starter Jay Cutler's back-up.

The Chicago Bears took BYU running back Harvey Unga with the 12th pick in the seventh and final round of the 2010 NFL Supplemental Draft on Thursday, and the Dallas Cowboys selected Illinois defensive tackle Josh Price-Brent 18 spots later. The Bears and Cowboys will forego their seventh-round picks in the 2011 NFL Draft because they used supplemental choices. Unga, BYU's all-time leading rusher with 3,455 yards, posted three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at the school. He led the Mountain West Conference with 1,087 rushing yards last year.

2009 record: 7-9 Key Stats: Turnover Ratio: -6 Sack Differential: even Point Differential: -48 Coming In: DE Julius Peppers, RB Chester Taylor, S Chris Harris, TE Brandon Manumaleuna, CB Tim Jennings Going Out: T Orlando Pace, DE Adewale Ogunleye, RB Kevin Jones, DE Alex Brown, CB Nathan Vasher, LB Jamar Williams, S Kevin Payne, DT Dusty Dvoracek, RB Adrian Peterson, FB Jason McKie Key Rookies: S Major Wright, DE Corey Wootton Offense QB: Year Two of the Jay Cutler experience pairs the enigmatic talent with a completely different offense, this time under new OC Mike Martz. There was very little middle ground with Cutler in Year One. He led the league in INTs with 26, often coming in bunches at the worst possible times, but he also led the league with 17 TD passes in the second halves of games. Cutler ranked 4th in the league in attempts--the first time a Bears QB has ever ranked that high, but his 60.5% completion rate put him 17th, and his completion rate on 3rd down of 55.7% ranked above just three other full-time QBs. To be fair to Cutler, his protection was often shaky and his receiving corps almost freakishly inexperienced, but 2009 ranks as a big disappointment for both the Bears and Cutler. That certainly has the potential to change. Cutler has superb arm strength and great confidence in his abilities. The new offense will allow him to throw to spots instead of players, which should help...if Cutler and his receivers are consistently on the same page. Martz?s offense relies heavily on sight adjustments and having the QB and WRs reading the coverage the same way. Jay Cutler can make those throws all over the field, but he must improve his ability to decipher what linebackers are doing; 12 of his INTs went to LBs, which is exactly how many Peyton Manning has thrown to LBs...in 6 seasons. Every proverbial egg is in the Cutler basket, because (as of June 28th) the only other QB on the roster is never-used greenhorn Caleb Hanie. The organization is quite smitten with the Colorado State product, and I?ve personally been impressed watching him in practice sessions and preseason, but suffice to say if Cutler goes down the team will likely scramble to import someone with more experience. Rookie Dan Lefevour is a developmental project, though his local ties and prolific college career at Central Michigan will buy him more time than most projects. RB: A great deal depends on which Matt Forte shows up. The rookie 2008 version was one of the most versatile, most consistent, and most productive backs in the league. The 2009 version struggled to find holes and appeared to lack the explosion and leg drive he showed as a rookie. In Martz?s offense he takes over a role that put Marshall Faulk in the Hall of Fame (soon!), and Forte has the hands and balance to have a monster season. The Bears are hoping for fresh legs and a rejuvenation of confidence in Forte, which seems a pretty safe bet. But they did get some insurance. After being burned by chronically injured Kevin Jones, the Bears hope their free agency foray that brought them Chester Taylor goes much better. Taylor should be a great fit in Chicago for a variety of reasons. He has feature back skills but has never had a problem being the second banana. He?s one of the best receiving backs in the league, but what often gets overlooked is his inside-out rushing ability. Decisive and strong with the ball in his hands, Taylor provides the Bears a legit 1-2 RB punch that should keep Forte fresh and keep defenses honest. Kahlil Bell takes over the #3 spot but will see scant playing time. He flashed breakaway speed last preseason but runs very straight. Tiny Garrett Wolfe inexplicably hangs onto a roster spot. There is a changing of the guard at fullback, where Will Ta?ufo?ou takes over for Jason McKie. Short yardage and red zone running was a major problem for the Bears last year, and they are hopeful that adding Taylor?s versatility and better blocking up front will help, but history says that Martz offenses are invariably near the bottom of the league in both metrics. WR/TE: This spot went from ?biggest dearth of talent of any position group in the entire league? (from Athlon?s 2009 season preview) to somewhat pleasant surprise. In short, the youngsters grew up on the job. Devin Hester finally started catching the ball with his hands and better utilizing his shiftiness to get open. He still lacks size and best fits as a slot guy, but Hester showed marked improvement in his overall game. Second-year man Earl Bennett leapt from the trash heap to snare 54 balls and emerge as a reliable third-down target. He?s not the quickest guy but he has strong body control and ran pretty solid routes last year. The coaches are impressed with his growth and confidence, and Bennett appears ready to solidify himself as a very solid #2 receiver. He must improve his blocking, which last year resembled a combination of slow dancing and midget wrestling. The real pleasant surprises came in the form of rookie Johnny Knox and young journeyman Devin Aromashodu. Knox has blazing speed and proved a solid mid-range and deep target outside the hash marks. He still needs loads of work on running in other than a straight line, and to call his blocking inept is an injustice to the word. It will be interesting to see how he handles the expanded playbook and precision demands of route running under Martz. His slight frame isn?t made for blocking, and it shows. Aromashodu is much bigger and really came on late in the season, bagging 22 receptions in the final 4 games. He?s the most physical of the group, but he also has the cleanest release off the line of any receiver on the team. He struggled in the past with finding the ball, and he too has proven pretty straight-linish in his route running, but the incredible promise he flashed at the end of last year should carry over into an expanded role in 2010. The group still lacks experience and a clear-cut #1 go-to receiver, but one through four they have the ability to provide Cutler with solid options. Chicago has a plethora of tight end talent. Greg Olsen is the field-stretching seam threat, a receiving specialist with great hands and some big play ability. He offers the option of flexing out into the slot and providing more size and creating matchup problems. Martz has traditionally eschewed that sort of role from his tight ends in years past, so it will be interesting to see how much Olsen gets the ball. He is not a good blocker, a cardinal sin in this offense, and he?s also not good at racking up YAC, the other big sin to Martz. Desmond Clark nicely plays the role of savvy veteran, but he?s 33 and is neither a dominating blocker nor a vertical threat. Former Charger Brandon Manumaleuna is essentially an extra tackle, a 295-pound auxiliary blocker that gladly accepts that role. He does have surprisingly soft hands, but don?t bank on more than 10 catches all year. Young Kellen Davis has just 9 catches in two years but has consistently impressed both his own coaches and neutral observers during preseason games and practices. He?d be a solid #2 TE on most teams but will have to make a big mark on special teams (which he excels) to keep a roster spot here. OL: Bears fans worry about this unit more than any other, with good reason. The best player up front is center Olin Kreutz, but he is 33 and clearly slipping. He tried gamely to play through an Achilles injury that he had surgically repaired after the season. For an undersized pivot quickness and agility are paramount, and there is little guarantee that Kreutz will ever get back those attributes; he clearly didn?t have them in 2009. Kreutz remains invaluable for his leadership and feistiness, and his pass protection remains pretty solid. But his limitations really showed in short-yardage last year, where opposing DTs simply chucked him aside and stuffed the run way too easily. Roberto Garza and Josh Beekman are penciled in as the starting guards. Garza is an above-average run blocker with great strength, but he?s strictly a phone booth blocker. He badly struggles when asked to slide step or pick up blitzes. Beekman is undersized and has never developed despite given frequent opportunities. He?s a reliable pass blocker but rarely wins the battles at the point of attack. Frank Omiyale started a few games last year in his stead, but he flopped and is now slated to move outside to tackle. Young Lance Louis has good size and fight but no experience and slow feet. The tackles are forced under tremendous pressure in Martz?s offense, often put on lonely islands against the top pass rushers in the league. Chris Williams returns as the left tackle, and he just might be blossoming into a good starter at that spot. He has steadily improved since his rookie struggles, though he remains light in the pants. It will be real interesting to see how he handles the newer, tougher scheme. He must improve his hand punch and staying over his feet, but the potential is there. The right tackle position is a mess. Omiyale enters camp as the starter ahead of Kevin Shaffer and James Marten in what one daily Bears observer correctly labeled ?a battle to see who sucks the least.? Shaffer has the edge in experience and was a competent player in Cleveland, but he does nothing special and the book on how to beat him is widely read. Omiyale looked a little better at RT than inside, but he?s very methodical and upright. Here?s all you need to know about Omiyale: the Panthers, a team very adept at polishing raw OL talent, didn?t bother to offer him a contract after 2008. The Bears are unfortunately learning the hard way, as the drives to succeed and improve technique just haven?t been evident in Omiyale. Marten is a nice depth player, nothing more. Defense DL: Even though the reliance on the Tampa 2 base defense is overplayed, Chicago still places a tremendous emphasis on generating their pass rush almost exclusively from the front four. To that end, they went out and signed the best pass rusher on the market in Julius Peppers to play RDE. When duly motivated there is little that Peppers doesn?t do better than almost everyone else; he?s one of the best athletic talents in the league. Whether bull rushing or swooping in on the ball carrier from behind or nailing a chipping TE and throwing off timing, Peppers can do it all...sometimes. Herein lies the rub. In Carolina he earned the rep for taking off not just plays, but entire games. Peppers often looks and plays completely disinterested and the big concern in Chicago is that they?re going to get the 2007 Peppers, who slogged to just 2.5 sacks and wilted under the increased leadership thrust upon him. His massive contract carries with it expectations of leadership and big-time results, weights that he has shown can hold him back in the past. Peppers is unquestionably the focus, but I believe the true key is Tommie Harris. This defense has not been the same since Harris? knee problems largely robbed him of his outstanding first step and burst. As the 3-technique DT, the defense is predicated upon his disruptiveness, and for the better part of the last three seasons Harris has been nothing better than average. He did show signs of figuring out how to pick his spots and getting some of his old juice back late last season, a very encouraging sign. If Harris can command increased attention inside, this defensive front can be among the best in the league, but if he is the same player he?s largely been since the Super Bowl season, the Bears are in trouble. The other two starters up front will be Anthony Adams at tackle and Mark Anderson (probably) at end. Adams is undersized and not real quick, but he gives 100% on every snap and understands his role well. The Bears would like Marcus Harrison to step up and seize the spot, but he has not shown the consistency or work ethic to make it happen thus far. Harrison has better beef and can drive the pile backwards, but he often appears as if he has no idea what he?s supposed to be doing on the field. Israel Idonije is effective in spurts, bringing energy and versatility to the rotation--he plays every line spot, though it appears he is moving to end full-time in 2010. Anderson burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2006 with 12 sacks, but has just 9.5 in the three seasons since then. He is almost completely one-dimensional, trying to use his speed to go around the tackle as a 5-technique on every snap, run or pass. He has enough acumen at that skill to remain an effective situational pass rusher, but the Bears need him, or anyone else, to play better on the other downs. Idonije might be the answer, but the coaches know he?s best used judiciously, as he plays too upright and loses containment. Second-year man Jarron Gilbert flopped miserably at end as a rookie and is projected to move inside, but he?s very undersized and lacks lower body strength despite being able to leap out of a pool. Henry Melton is a solid developmental depth player, an undersized end in an undersized tackle?s body with great effort and fundamentals. LB: This is the deepest group, and the most reliably talented positional unit on the defense. A return to health of middle man Brian Urlacher should bolster the entire defense, though Bears faithful would be wise to keep expectations lowered. Still a thumping hitter with excellent range for his size, Urlacher has lost a step and is more easily blocked compared to his mid-00?s heyday. The injuries have piled up, the most disconcerting of which is a chronic neck problem. #54 still exudes toughness and intimidates receivers coming across the middle, and his nose for the ball remains excellent. Fortunately for Chicago, they have a younger, better player to his left. That would be Lance Briggs, one of the best outside linebackers in the NFL. Speedy, tough, smart, and blessed with a playmaking knack, Briggs earns his Pro Bowl spot every season (5 and counting) by racking up tackles and doing a great job at keeping the play in front of him. It sounds simplistic, but few do it better or more reliably. If SLB Pisa Tinoisamoa can return to form after a knee injury robbed him of almost all of 2009, this group can easily be the most dynamic 4-3 LB corps in the league. The former Ram is very good in coverage and averaged over 90 tackles a season in STL...when he stayed healthy, which has happened just once in the last four years. At least the Bears have solid depth to handle another lost season with Nick Roach, who played well in his stead and led the team in tackles for loss. Hunter Hillenmeyer takes a lot of grief from the fans, but he?s probably the best 5th LB in the game and can play functionally in the middle or as a nickel backer. DB: You want to read a crazy stat? 24 different players have started a game at safety for the Bears in the last 8 seasons. The never-ending quest to find even functional safety play has brought the Bears back to Chris Harris, long regarded by most Chicagoans as the ?one who got away?. His lapses in coverage made him expendable in Carolina, but Harris is far superior to anyone the Bears have trotted out since he left. A consummate leader and savvy field general, Harris understands the zone concepts and will represent an upgrade. The other starting safety figures to be Al Afalava, who handled himself reasonably well as a rookie last year. He lacks range but understands his limitations, and he is the best tackler of the returning candidates. Josh Bullocks just has not met expectations and will have to have a strong summer to make the team, but he has the inside track over Craig Steltz, a fan whipping boy for his utter inability to keep receivers in front of him. Zack Bowman is poised to take over the #1 CB role from Charles Tillman, though Peanut remains an integral part of the secondary. Bowman has great ball skills and good size, and his 6 INTs and 11 pass defenses both led the team. His biggest issue is durability. His draft stock plummeted two years ago because of injury concerns, and he spent all but one game of his rookie season of 2008 on IR. He also tends to play a little shallow in the zone and give up too much over the top, which has been exacerbated by poor safety play, though the more he played last year the better he got in that regard. Bowman is a good candidate for a breakout player...if he can stay on the field. Tillman has been around the block and remains a physical presence at corner, enough of one that they pondered moving him to safety. Excellent in run support and solid in short zone coverage, Peanut has a knack for forcing fumbles. Like Bowman, he can struggle with speedy receivers, and he has long been a victim of not getting deep enough in the CB/S transition area of the Cover-2 zone. Behind the two starters the picture is crowded but not stocked. The Bears are hopeful young DJ Moore takes a leap forward in his second season. He?s undersized and couldn?t crack the active lineup as a rookie. Corey Graham has bounced around the secondary and is just good enough to merit consideration as a dime back. Danieal Manning has also started all over the secondary, but he struggles to read plays and has some of the worst footwork you can find for a 4-year veteran. He has not handled the responsibility at safety but has not exactly impressed at CB either. If he?s playing a lot, that?s not a good sign even though he?s among the most athletic players on the team. Tim Jennings came over from the Colts, so he knows the system, but he sorely lacks size and strength. There?s a general rule of thumb that the Colts never let anyone go without good reason. One youngster to keep an eye on: Woodny Turenne. Special Teams These have long been a Chicago strength, and that looks to continue in 2010. Devin Hester has lost a little of the magic that made him the most prolific return man in history, but he?s still an amazing talent and a threat to take every touch to the house. The team is toying with the idea of letting him be the primary kick return man as well, expanding his role. Danieal Manning is no slouch there in his own right, and Johnny Knox offers real potential as well. The coverage units slipped a little but remain among the best in the league. Punter Brad Maynard is coming off a very strong season and is one of the league?s most consistent performers. Robbie Gould doesn?t have great range on field goals but is money inside 48 yards, and he gets reliably good height on his kickoffs, which helps the coverage units excel. The Bears spend a lot of attention to their special teams and it shows, and that attention usually pays off with an extra win or two. 3 Keys to the season 1. The Cutler/Martz experiment. It?s either going to look brilliant or turn into one of the most spectacular disasters this side of the Hindenburg. The OL plays a big part in which way it swings. 2. The defensive additions. Julius Peppers and Chris Harris must have seasons that meet or exceed the high expectations, and the coaches must keep adding wrinkles. 3. Getting off to a strong start. With coaches and management all in a ?win or else? state, this team must jump out of the gate quickly or else the players will smell the blood and watch it flow down the drain. If this group isn?t at least 4-2 after playing DET, @DAL, GB, @NYG, @CAR, and SEA, it?s going to be a real long December. Forecast I applaud GM Jerry Angelo for aggressively trying to improve his team, but I?m afraid it?s too little, too late. I?ve seen the abhorrent failure of Mike Martz?s offense with better O-lines and WRs than this group, and I?ve seen how badly his philosophy meshes with the bland conservatism of Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli. There?s enough talent here to contend, and if the lines hold up these Bears are a legit playoff contender and 10-11 win team. But I?m not sold that will happen. This has not been a top-half defense in years now, and while they?ll outscore some teams, that?s a difficult way to catch the Packers and Vikings. Chicago finishes 6-10 and faces a dramatic coaching and front office overhaul for 2011.

The Bears are not considering a trade for Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, according to the Chicago Tribune. A source told the Tribune that the team has no intention of dealing for Jackson at this time, although the consensus is that the Bears could use Jackson at wide receiver.

Mike Tice appears to be improving Chicago's offensive line. They seem to be operating smoother, faster and more technically sound. It appears center Olin Kreutz and left tackle Chris Williams are the only players whose jobs are secure at this point.