The Bears have released Tommie Harris and terminated the contracts of linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer and offensive lineman Kevin Shaffer. Harris is a three-time Pro Bowler and had been one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo likes his team, but he doesn't feel they are "one player away" from a Super Bowl. "We're not one player away," Angelo said. "We need to get better at positions, we need to upgrade, create more competition and then we've got to come together as a team." Chicago lost to Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game and has already signed coach Lovie Smith to a contract extension.

Family and friends remembered former Bears safety Dave Duerson during a service on Saturday at a southside Chicago church. Duerson was a generous man whose caring nature belied his reputation as a ferocious hitter on Chicago's 1985 championship team. He committed suicide last week at his home in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. He was 50. The New York Times reported that Duerson had sent text messages to his family asking that his brain be examined for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease tied to depression, dementia and suicide.

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo says the team has a busy offseason ahead of them. They have already signed coach Lovie Smith to a contract extension. "We went through every player A to Z and feel we came out with a good plan," Angelo said. "Obviously, there are going to be some moving parts we haven't faced in years past. Certainly with the [collective bargaining agreement] being the major one, coupled with we have more [unrestricted free agents] than what we've had in the past so we've got a full plate." Angelo didn't divulge specifics of any of the potential moves, but indicated the team's intention to make them Thursday from the NFL combine. "We talked about everything, talked through the issues, and then whatever decisions we will make with our present roster, we will make next week," Angelo added. "If there's anything with players or a player, we will cement that all next week. That's the way we left it."

Bears coach Lovie Smith invoked his inner marriage counselor in describing the team's desire to bring back veteran free-agent center Olin Kreutz. "You married?" Smith asked when questioned about the Bears' plans for Kreutz. "And your wife knows that she's wanted, right? Mine does. Olin knows that he's wanted." Near the end of last season, Kreutz, 33, spoke often about a desire to remain with the team

The Bears agreed to terms with head coach Lovie Smith on a two-year contract extension that keeps him with the club through 2013. Smith has led the Bears to three NFC North titles and three double-digit win totals in the last six seasons (2005, 2006 and 2010). Smith has a regular season coaching record of 63-49 and is 3-3 in the postseason (66-52 overall). His 66 wins are third-most in franchise history, trailing only George Halas and Mike Ditka. He also guided the team to its first Super Bowl appearance in 21 years when Chicago advanced to Super Bowl XLI.

The Bears and head coach Lovie Smith are inching closer to an agreement on a contract extension. A deal should be completed in the coming weeks, according to a league source. Smith, who led Chicago to the NFC Championship Game, has one year left on his contract.

Bears coach Lovie Smith has publicly praised the leadership skills and toughness of quarterback Jay Cutler. "First off, guys always watch you -- in the classroom, on the practice field and of course your play on game day. And they like what they've seen from him in that sense," Smith wrote on the team's official website. "Jay is a tough guy, and the quarterback of the Chicago Bears should be a tough guy. The number of hits Jay took this past season, our guys saw that he constantly got up, didn't complain, and took responsibility for what was happening with our offense. To me, that's a leader."

The Bears may soon reward coach Lovie Smith with a contract extension, according to a report by CSN Chicago. The extension is expected to add two years and give Smith a modest pay increase from the approximately $4.8 million he made in 2010.

Mike Ditka says the possibility of an 18-game NFL season is "crazy" and all about money. "I'm not for an 18-game season," Ditka said on ESPN's Outside the Lines. "If it's not broke, don't fix it. And the only thing it's about is money." Ditka said that he can't square NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's desire for two more regular season weeks with the league's claims that it's serious about player safety. "It doesn't make any sense," Ditka said. "You're going to have to increase the roster, you're going to have to account for injuries."