Briggs and Bears fail to come to terms

Bears fans: the worst-case scenario has finally come true.

Lance Briggs and the Chicago Bears failed to come to terms today by the NFL’s deadline, set at 3:00 PM, so the two parties will need to wait until after the 2007 season before resuming negotiations.

Unfortunately, this also means Briggs is prepared to sit out 10 games (without pay). Losing him this season, along with defensive tackle Tank Johnson in a misunderstanding, severely strikes a blow to the defense.

On a brighter side of things, the team can still deal Briggs to another team. As an added incentive, the other team would not need to restructure Briggs contract until after the 2007 season (again, league rules), so the linebacker’s power over the situation is very limited and shaky.

At least Bears’ fans are taking it well: a poll at ChicagoSports.com reports that only 6.2% of fans voting said that “the Bears messed up.” The other 93.8% agree that $7.2 million is a lot of money and they’re okay with the disagreement.