Bears bumbling the offseason away?

The rumors are beginning to swirl like the winds off Lake Michigan across Soldier Field: the Chicago Bears are in the market for a quarterback.

While current Bears' starter Jim Miller is in the process of negotiating a contract of his own, word on the street is that General Manager Jerry Angelo may bring in free agent-to-be Trent Dilfer to try and spruce up that position.

Dilfer has developed into a player who knows how to play within himself, a complete change from his mistake-prone days in Tampa.

But, is quarterback the right place to invest money in a soon-to-be 30-year old, mediocre at best, player?

Even though the Bears did not muster much offense during their lone playoff game, a 33-19 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Miller was not the problem. He only attempted five passes, completing three of them before being knocked out of the game with a separated shoulder thanks to a dirty hit by Eagles' DE Hugh Douglass.

Miller proved he could win, guiding the Bears to a 13-3 regular season record and the NFC Central Division title. His numbers were nothing to jump and shout about, but when he was healthy he made smart decisions. A smart quarterback was a necessity after WR Marcus Robinson's season ending knee injury took away the Bears' number one deep threat.

Don't forget the fact that he missed virtually all of training camp due to an injury and did not play in the Bears first week match-up with the Baltimore Ravens -- a game the Bears could very well have won.

Miller has fought and worked to be the starter and this observer saw nothing to indicate that a makeover is needed at the position. If the offense needs to improve, it needs start with Offensive Coordinator John Shoop's play-calling. His ability to formulate a game plan is suspect at best, and he regularly made the wrong call in critical situations throughout the year.

With the bulk of receivers returning in 2002, Miller has experience throwing to the personnel on the roster. That kind of chemistry takes time to develop and this Bears' team is in dire need of stability at the quarterback position.

It hasn't been a full year since Cade McNown was shipped out of town, and Shane Matthews opened the season as the Bears' starter, continuing the carousel that has been Bears' quarterbacks since Jim Harbaugh left town.

If the Bears want to improve, find a quality CB to replace Walt Harris. Harris is a free agent and probably won't return. It looks as if the still unproven Jerry Azumah, a converted college RB, will take over and doesn't figure to upgrade a pass defense that was as soft as the rush defense was tough.

If the Bears want to improve, throw the ball to Fred Baxter more. The sure-handed TE didn't touch the ball nearly as much as he should have in 2001.

If the Bears want to improve, re-sign C Olin Kreutz to whatever he wants. He is the key to an impressive offensive line that kept the wolves away from Miller and Matthews for most of the year and opened holes for Rookie of the Year RB Anthony Thomas.

There are plenty of options for the Bears to look at if they want to improve and become a legit contender. Next year, they'll play a first place schedule and teams will be gunning for them. To pay premium dollars for a middle-aged quarterback would be a mistake.

And isn't that what they hired Angelo to avoid?