According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, wide receiver Freddie Barnes, linebackers Tim Shaw and Kevin Malast, tight end Richard Angulo, safeties Al Afalava and Quentin Scott, center Tim Walter, and cornerbacks Cornelius Brown and Woodny Turenne were all informed of their impending release on Friday afternoon.

Some of the cuts were expected; however, having Shaw and Afalava released was surprising, as both played important roles last year for the Bears.

Afalava started 13 games last season and accumulated 53 tackles, two sacks, seven pass deflections, and a forced fumble as a rookie. That coupled with the injuries suffered so far in the preseason to rookie Major Wright and Josh Bullocks, one would think the Bears need extra depth at that position.

Shaw was in a tough battle with Brian Iwuh for the sixth and final linebacker position. Despite having recorded 30 special team tackles last season, Iwuh got the nod most likely based on experience, as Iwuh played four years with the Jacksonville Jaguars in their linebacker rotation.

Look for some of these players to clear waivers and be signed to the eight man practice squad. Woodny Turenne spend last season there and could be going back. If Barnes clears waivers, he could also land a spot as could linebacker Kevin Malast.

Afalava started over the allowed amount to be practice-squad eligible, and Shaw may get a shot with another team that is special teams starved.

The Bears should release a list of all the players let go before the end of today.

Players to keep your eyes on: WR Juaquin Iglesias, FB Eddie Williams, defensive linemen Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton, offensive guard Johan Asiata, and either Caleb Hanie or Dan LeFevour at the quarterback position.

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Starters, if they even play, generally get one series or so before getting pulled which is the smart move. No offense to those fighting for their professional lives, but the most important thing about Week four of the preseason is to make sure no starters get injured.

So why watch this last game if it is going to be dominated by scrubs and back ups? Well here are five battles to watch that could impact the Bears in the regular season...

1. The Final Linebacker Spot: Tim Shaw vs Brian Iwuh

Shaw was the best special teams player on the Chicago Bears last season by far, recording 24 tackles on special teams, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He was also named to the 2009 All-Joe Team, which is a list of players that the USA Today felt were the most underrated players who did the most.

(Although some former past Joe's from the Bears include Kevin Payne and Garrett Wolfe... so maybe it isn't all that good of list to make.)

Iwuh has a slight advantage over Shaw in the sense that he was part of the Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker rotation over the past couple seasons. Also billed as a special teams ace, Iwuh was hurt early in camp but came on strong, intercepting two passes in his first practice back and playing well this past week against the Cardinals.

Which ever player makes the roster (and it is very unlikely that both make it. Six linebackers is a pretty good number, seven is almost unheard of) the expectations will be that that player will be the top special teamer on the roster.

2. Defensive Lineman: Henry Melton vs Jarron Gilbert

Both players were drafted last season, Gilbert in the third round and Melton in the fifth but neither have wowed coaches in camp.

Expect the Bears D-line to consist of the following: Tommie Harris, Anthony Adams, Julius Peppers, Mark Anderson, Israel Idonije, Corey Wootten and Marcus Harrison.

With those seven, expect the Bears to keep two more players, maximum. One of those spots should go to Matt Toeaina, who has played very well through the first three weeks of the preseason, leaving the two mid round draft picks from a year ago to battle it out for the last spot.

Melton spent all of last season on the IR list as he continued to adjust to the defensive end position (he played running back for his first couple years in college). Gilbert saw minimal game action last season but participated fully in practices.

The real question may not come down to who is better or more ready. It may come down to numbers. Peppers, Anderson, Izzy and Wootten are all defensive ends. Harris, Adams, Harrison and Toeaina are all defensive tackles. So which position do the Bears need more depth at?

The answer is more than likely defensive end. Despite there being four at each, the defensive end position has more questions marks on it once you get past Peppers and Idonije has seen significant time at the defensive tackle position, so he could fill in there if needed.

If that ends up being the case, then expect the Bears to go with Melton. If they just go with the best available, look for Gilbert to make the roster and Melton to get pushed towards the practice squad.

3. Third String Running Back: Kahlil Bell vs Garrett Wolfe

Bell came out of nowhere in the middle of last season when he broke off a 72 yard run in the second quarter of a loss against the Eagles. Going into his second season, Bell has shown some abilities to make plays on special teams as well, so he is not just a one dimensional back, but he would not be the change-of-pace back that most teams look for in their third string running back.

Wolfe would be the change-of-pace back and the more experienced special teamer of the two.

That said, the Bears have been waiting for for three years for Wolfe to be that explosive change of pace player they thought they were drafting. The Bears seemed to hope that Wolfe would be a Darren Sproles type of player, coming in during certain situations and be insanely elusive.

So far though, he has not lived up to the billing. Some of that may be attributed to former offensive coordinator Ron Turner, but even during preseason, Wolfe looks like he is just a step to slow to be a 5'7" running back in the NFL.

The real test in this final preseason game may actually be who can block better. Given his size, the advantage would seem to go towards Bell.

4. Final Three Cornerback spots: D.J. Moore vs Corey Graham vs Joshua Moore vs Tim Jennings vs Woodny Turenne

A five man competition for the three spots (assuming they go with five cornerbacks on roster). D.J. Moore has looked solid in preseason and Graham has gotten some extensive time on the field, so look for both of them to grab a spot.

That leaves rookie fifth round draft pick Joshua Moore, former Indianapolis Colts corner Tim Jennings and seasoned Bear training camp and practice squad member Woodny Turenne.

Now the feel good pick would be Turenne who was signed last season, cut, then signed to the practice squad for the remainder of the year. But the Bears did give Joshua Moore a four year contract and he has shown some positive things through the first three preseason games.

Jennings has by far the most experience and is a solid special teams player as well. In his three years with the Colts, he recorded 126 tackles and two interceptions.

So if any one of the three can make a significant impact in the final preseason game, that should make them the front runner for the final spot.

5. Back Up Quarterbacks: Todd Collins vs Caleb Hanie vs Dan Lefevour

This is the most interesting match up. Each player have different factors that work in their favor.

Collins is the experienced veteran and was just given a nice little signing bonus, which teams generally do not give if they feel the player is will be cut before the regular season.

Hanie has been the back up for the past couple season and seemingly improved year after year. Although a shoulder injury suffered in week one could hurt his chances.

Lefevour is a sixth round pick that many consider one of the biggest steals of the draft. In the most recent game, Lefevour went 10-12 for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Now in a perfect world, Collins and Hanie would stay on as Cutler's reserves and Lefevour would get moved to the practice squad where he can get in reps and develop. The only problem with that scenario is that many feel if Lefevour is placed on waivers, another team will snag him.

So what do you look for in this final game? See how well Collins and Lefevour play. If both do outstanding and Hanie either doesn't play or does poorly in his time, he could be in a little trouble.

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With the Bears already having long time back Caleb Hanie on the roster, but recovering from a sprained shoulder, rookie sixth round pick Dan LeFevour and recently signed third year player Matt Gutierrez, there should be quite a competition over the next two preseason games.

That said, as Bradd Biggs has reported, it would appear that the bonus given to Collins would point to him being a mainstay on the roster for this season. And with the signing, it would appear that the Bears figure that out of their four reserve options, they should have at least two suitable back up choices by seasons start.

Now after Cutler, odds are high that Collins will be the primary back up, at least until Hanie recovers from injury. With Hanie there as the second/third option, the best bet would be that LeFevour gets sent to the practice squad and Gutierrez finds himself looking for another team.

Unfortunately, that means that if Cutler goes down with any sort of injury, which after watching him get sacked five times in the first half versus the Raiders last weekend doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility, the Bears will be led by either:

- a 38 year old, 14 season veteran who has started just a total of three (count them, THREE) games since 1998, or...

- a third year player who has not started a single game in the NFL, thrown only seven passes in real games and who just suffered a should injury last week.

Not exactly reassuring to the Bear faithful.

Don't get be wrong, Collins is a very capable backup QB. He would not have lasted 14 seasons in the NFL if he couldn't provide some sort of help.

And I can appreciate that he has skills.

I remember Collins all to well from the 2007 season. The Chicago Bears were facing the Washington Redskins in a Thursday night game and Jason Campbell went down with a knee injury in the second quarter. Todd Collins came in and proceed to go 15 for 20 with 224 yards and two touchdowns while leading the 'Skins to a 24-16 victory.

So the man has the capabilities, but the fact that he is 38 years old and has had so few of starts the past decade makes one nervous. Plus, the older you get, generally the more prone to injuries you become. And after watching Chris Williams gets schooled for the entire first half of the Raider game, whoever our QB is will be taking some hits.

On the other side, Hanie has shown flashes of potential and has improved from each year previous but he still may not be fully ready to shoulder the responsibilities (or take the hits) that a starting quarterback is required to in the NFL.

The only reassuring factor to all this is that at least the Bears made the effort to improve the depth at QB. After Collins, the only other players who may have been willing to sign as back ups would be from the Canadian league.

And while LeFevour had some good passes against the Raiders, it was against the back ups and he still has much to learn before getting any real game time experience. He will benefit greatly from getting reps on the practice squad.

While the signing of Collins adds veteran depth, the truth of it is if Jay Cutler goes down, it does not matter which back up QB comes in because the Bears will not win without him.

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As training camp kicks off, the Chicago Bears have more than a couple questions that need answering before the first game on September 12th.

How are Jay Cutler and Mike Martz going to work out?

Can Matt Forte rebound from a miserable sophomore season?

Can the Bears' receivers master a new, highly complicated offense in time to be effective?

Can the defense, once so proud and dominant, regain that form after becoming progressively worse over the past three seasons?

Many of these questions won't be answered until the season is well under way, but questions about positions and roster spots can be answered before the final preseason game.

Here are six battles to keep your eye on:

Starting right tackle: Frank Omiyale vs. Kevin Shaffer

After a terrible first year with the Bears at left guard, Omiyale has moved over to the right tackle spot and stepped into the starters role, a position he played while with the Carolina Panthers.

This will allow him to operate in more space without concerning himself over pulling on running plays, focusing instead on the man in front of him.

While this writer was all for Big Frank no longer being the left guard, making him the starter before training camp seems a little too bold. Kevin Shaffer stepped into the starters role last season when Orlando Pace finally succumbed to injury (and age).

After Shaffer was brought in as the starter, Cutler's interceptions seemed to drop off, only tossing six picks over the last five games, compared to the 20 interceptions in the first 11 games.

Matt Forte also seemed to get a slight boost when Shaffer arrived, gaining 386 yards over the final five games compared to the 272 yards he accumulated in the previous seven games.

Does this mean Shaffer should be the starter?

No; but it should be an interesting battle for offensive line coach Mike Tice and the rest of Bear Nation to watch.

Third-string quarterback: Dan Lefevour vs. Mike Teel vs. Free Agent veteran

Dan Lefevour was the Bears Sixth Round pick in the 2010 draft, and while not much was thought of him before, many considered him a steal of a pick that late.

Mike Teel was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the Sixth Round of the 2009 NFL draft. After spending a year on the bench, new coach Pete Carroll came in and waived Teel. Teel then signed with the Patriots briefly before being waived again and then finally landing with the Bears.

While Teel had a pretty decent college career, this signing was viewed more as competition to the back up quarterback spot than to actually fill a hole.

That said, who should the Bears actually have as their third-string QB?

There is some speculation that Lefevour may be waived so he can be added to the practice squad, but there might be more than one team that would try and snag him.

While that would be a shame, Lefevour is nowhere close to being an NFL QB. He is going to need at least three seasons before he can compete at that level. Wasting a roster spot to keep a player who will not be playing seems foolish.

Mike Teel has a strong arm, but he is going to have to show a lot in training camp to even warrant consideration for the 53-man roster.

So that begs the question, do the Bears think they can bring a veteran to compete behind Cutler and backup Caleb Hanie?

Or more to the point, is there is even a veteran worth bringing in?

*For the record, there really isn't a good veteran out there. The current list of available QBs is highlighted by the following: Colt Brennan (free agent), Brian St. Pierre (free agent), Josh McCown (QB of the Hartford Colonials), Daunte Culpepper (QB of the Sacramento Mountain Lions), JaMarcus Russell (free agent) and Cade McNown.

Starting free safety: Major Wright vs Craig Steltz vs Danieal Manning

Wright is without question the safety of the future. But in terms of being the best player for the team to win right now, that is still up in the air.

Steltz has proven to be an adequate safety in terms of coverage, but his tackling generally leaves a lot to be desired.

In college, Wright was an absolute beast and many believed that had he returned for his senior season, he could have been a top 10 pick in next year's draft.

That said, this may be the best opportunity for him as a Third Round pick. The expectations are not excessively high right out of the gate, and he has a chance to study under an experienced safety in Chris Harris. Not to mention, he will be given the chance to win the starting role while still taking some time to learn.

The real pressure is on Steltz to prove he has progressed and improved each year.

Danieal Manning just has no business being on the field as a starting safety, or (in my opinion) as a safety at all. Manning is best suited for the nickel corner position.

At safety, Manning just looks lost and confused and his insane athletic ability is still not enough to make up for that lack of knowledge.

Fifth wide receiver spot: Rashied Davis vs Juaquin Iglesias

With the top four spots locked up between Devin Hester, Devin Aromashodu, Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett, the fifth receiver spot is currently a two-man battle.

If the Bears decide to keep six receivers, then we have a three-way free-for-all for the final two spots, with undrafted free agent Freddie Barnes in the mix as well.

Iglesias drew praise from general manager Jerry Angelo when camp kicked off, but has since suffered a quad injury that might hamper his chances.

Davis is the experienced veteran and brings to the table his solid special teams play as well. The Bears are the only NFL team Davis has played for and he has expressed a sincere desire to stay and contribute.

Although if he intends to do that, he will have to cut back on the amount of dropped passes he suffered over the past year or two (at one point he had the second highest dropped pass-to-passes thrown to ratio in the NFL, just behind Braylon Edwards).

Barnes is an interesting option. He has, by all accounts, incredibly dependable hands and is an excellent route runner. But he lacks NFL speed and that is what could very well hold him back. I don't think Barnes makes the active roster this year, but he is an interesting option down the road if he can find his niche, like a Bobby Engram-type player; he's a reliable ball catcher who always seems to find the first down marker.

Fullback: Eddie Williams vs Will Ta'ufo'ou vs a fourth tight end.

Williams was a Seventh Round pick by the Washington Redskins last year and after spending part of last season on the practice squad and the other part on the bench, he was released and signed by the Bears.

Williams displayed pass-catching ability while in college at the University of Idaho, but his blocking ability still seems to be a work in progress.

Ta'ufo'ou was an undrafted free agent last season by the Bears and spent the entire year on the practice squad. Ta'ufo'ou has drawn some praise early in training camp from the likes of Brad Biggs, but still has to improve blocking skills.

Which is why both players are on the bubble to make the roster.

The Bears have four capable tight ends on the roster at the moment: Greg Olsen, Desmond Clark, Brandan Manumaleuna and Kellen Davis. Manumaleuna or Clark could slide back into the H-back position to provide blocking support for Cutler on passing downs, which is what both Williams and Ta'ofu'ou need to improve upon the most.

So neither fullback has a spot locked up. If neither impresses, the Bears have the option to just keep an extra tight end as opposed to a single fullback.

Strong side linebacker: Pisa Tinoisamoa vs Nick Roach

A fun battle to watch throughout training camp (providing neither player gets injured) is the one between Roach and Tinoisamoa.

Tinoisamoa started the season last year at the SAM linebacker position, but an injury in Week One and then another injury a few weeks later derailed his entire season. Roach came in last season and performed quite admirably, especially considering he played middle linebacker at times after Urlacher and Hunter Hillenmeyer suffered injuries.

Now the question becomes that even if Tinoisamoa outplays Roach in camp, does Roach have an edge considering he is younger and may be around longer than Tinoisamoa. Giving him experience now with Urlacher and Pro Bowler Lance Briggs next to him could pay dividends down the road for the Bears.

As a nod to their sportsmanship, both players seem to be taking the battle in stride and Tinoisamoa was quoted by Brad Biggs as saying, "I think there's just a respect for each other...Then we watched each other out there. And we were just like, 'To the best man.' It could be quite a battle."

Regardless of who ends up starting, Bears fans can be rest assured that in any injury takes place in the starting linebacker unit, the backup should be more than capable of filling in. 

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You are an idiot.

I am sorry, but your recent decisions regarding the Chicago Bears safety issues is just ridiculous.

First, the simple fact that you traded Chris Harris to the Panthers for a fifth-round pick three seasons ago and then turn around and trade for him back this past week in exchange for a reserve linebacker (and pretty decent player) in Jamar Williams just confuses me.

Now, Chris Harris is a safety and the Bears are in desperate need of safety help.

But the simple fact that you traded away Harris for a fifth-round pick... A FIFTH-ROUND PICK. But now, to gain him back, you are trading a back up linebacker who recorded 18 tackles in a single game last year when he filled in. Do you not see a discrepancy in this?

I mean, maybe there should be some props given because you admit that trading him might have been an error. But come on. It was a dumb move then, and it hasn't gotten any smarter because Harris has been having some knee problems.

It is trades like this that anger me. We could have had Chris Harris in the defensive backfield for the past couple seasons (In the past three season, Harris has recorded 12 forced fumbles and 5 interceptions... two of those fumbles were against Greg Olsen when the Bears lost to the Panthers in 2008), but Jerry decided he wanted draft picks more.

And even if you could argue that bringing in Harris was smart, rumor had it that he was going to be released anyway to clear some cap space for the Panthers and to rid the team of some aging players, so theoretically you could have gotten him for free.

Not to mention that instead of gathering as many safeties as you can so that the Bears could have an open competition and let the best players start, you, Jerry, went and traded safety Kevin Payne to the St. Louis Rams.

I am so confused. The Bears traded Payne for a conditional...repeat CONDITIONAL seventh-round pick. So if Payne makes the Rams' roster, then the Bears get a late seventh-round pick...Awesome.

I mean so many of the Bears seventh-round picks have been successful the past few seasons. I mean in 2007 there was Aaron Bryant and Trumaine McBride...oh wait, neither of them are still on the team.

But in 2008 there was Ervin Baldwin, Joey LaRocque, Chester Adams, Kirk Barton and Marcus Monk...Hmm, none of them are on the team either.

Well, last season the Bears took Lance Louis and Derek Kinder, and Louis is still on the practice squad. That counts, right?

Plus, I can totally see where both Craig Steltz and Josh Bullocks played better than Payne last season. Oh wait, they didn't, so what gives?

And no offense to the rest, but putting my faith in those two plus Chris Harris (knee trouble) Danieal Manning (just can't play safety) Al Afalava (young but unproven) and Major Wright (third round pick) just isn't confidence inspiring.

So Jerry, listen. Let's just admit that you have no clue what you are actually doing as the General Manager and you go away.

The only silver lining to this season, if the Bears do not succeed, is that Bear fans can hope and pray that you follow Lovie Smith right out the door before you can do even more damage.

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It was rumored early on that he was being shopped around.

Then Lovie Smith confirmed it at the NFL Owners meetings last Wednesday that Brown was available if the price was right.

Since then, it seems that the Bears threw logic to the wind.

They let on that if they could not find a suitable deal, they will probably just release him outright.

The Bears have even gone as far as telling Brown to not come to voluntary workouts, which started yesterday.

But why some ask?

Once Brown leaves, the Bears remaining options at DE are the following:

- Julius Peppers: A free agent pick up that has excited the city of Chicago. He should be a beast and constantly command double teams.

- Mark Anderson: A fifth year player who has contributed 21.5 sacks over his career... 12 of which came in his rookie campaign. So then, he has sacked the QB 9.5 times over the past three seasons.

- Israel Idonije: A high energy player who has been in the defensive tackle rotation for a couple years. Izzy is a personal favorite of mine and is an athletic freak, but has had limited experience at the defensive end position and only eight sacks in six seasons with the Bears.

- Jarron Gilbert/Henry Melton: Both were drafted last season by the Bears. Gilbert is another incredible athlete but saw limited action on the field last season. Although that was better than Melton, who was stuck on the IR for the season so he could learn the system AND the position since he played part of his college career at running back. 

-And then whoever the Bears decide to draft in the third or fourth round this year: A decent player no doubt who will see some, but limited action for most of the season and will more than likely be ineffective.

... Wait, why are are the Bears ditching Alex Brown?

The move seems to be based on management not wanting to shell out five million dollars to him for this next season.

So, all the sudden they are getting thrifty?

I mean they only payed $12.5 million for a back-up running back and $15 million for a blocking tight end. Did I miss the part where those two positions were an area of major need?

Sure, while Matt Forte did have a poor second year, it isn't like the panic button needs to be hit just yet. Forte still has skills and behind him is Kahill Bell who showed some flashes late last season. Not to mention that they could have gone a cheaper route for a backup in free agency rather than signing Chester Taylor.

And I know that Brandon Manumaleuma fits very well in the Mike Martz style of offense but seriously, Greg Olsen, Dez Clark, and Kellen Davis have been a pretty good trio for the Bears the past season or two. Clark can block pretty well but now that Manumaleuma is here, it probably means bye bye to one of the three, with the current speculation being Olsen.

Also take into account that the NFL is going into an uncapped year, so you will not be penalized for being over the money marker. And in the end, is $5 million really going to make the difference between signing free safety O.J. Atogwe or not?

So you know why the Bears are really pushing Brown out?

The answer is very simple: Lovie Smith.

Alex Brown is being let go because he isn't a "Lovie guy"

First off, Brown was not drafted by Lovie Smith. Strike one. Lovie holds a special place in his heart for his own guys. (For a perfect example, see Danieal Manning)

Then, you look at their history together.

After Mark Anderson's incredible rookie year in 2005, Lovie moved him into the starting line up over Brown without an open competition in the following training camp. Anderson struggled in that role for most of the season until eventually, Brown won back his rightful starting position.

So the coach doesn't have enough respect for his player to give him a chance to prove he should be a starter? Bang, strike two.

And then finally, is the difference in philosophies.

Brown will stand up in front of the media after a pitiful performance and tell them that they played bad as a unit, as a defense, and as a team and take responsibility. He gets fired up. He is one of the few players that when he stood on the field, you could tell that he CARED.

And that is just about as polar opposite as one can get from the unflappable Lovie Smith.

Lovie Smith will just stand there after a beat down and talk about how they wished they could have done some things better and they will review some tape and come out better prepared the next week... Loss after loss.

For example, after the Cincinnati Bengals stomped the Bears 45-10 this past season, Brown had this to say, "We didn't look like we were ready... We didn't play like we were ready. I didn't play like I was ready. I have to do my job better.... It's embarrassing to come out and play like that."

In an article written by Vaughn McClure, Lovie Smith made the following comments in regards to the Bengals game,

"We were beaten by a good football team yesterday. You have to give the Cincinnati Bengals a lot of the credit. They played well in all three phases. We didn't. We're a better football team than we displayed yesterday on the football field. This week, we should be a little closer to getting Adrian Peterson back. Tommie Harris should be good to go this week. So we'll have our full group back and ready to go."

See the difference. Lovie tiptoed around the issue. He made some minor excuses and then moved on to the next topic and the next game. Alex Brown came right out and said they played bad. I understand the need for a coach to try and look ahead, but occasionally someone needs to get called out and Brown was that man on the Bears.

But that isn't how Lovie does things so there is your strike three.

Now the Bears will be stuck with the combination of Anderson/Idonije/Gilbert at the left defensive end playing opposite Peppers.

In other words, expect the Bears to generate little to no pass rush again this season as Julius Peppers will be facing never ending double teams and Mark Anderson will continue to NOT pressure the quarterback... Awesome.

Way to go Bears "Braintrust". If Angelo and Smith are going down with their ship, at least they are doing so in their true fashion: Ignorance.

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