Could Mount Carmel product Simeon Rice be mounting a comeback that could lead him to Halas Hall?
The three-time Pro Bowl performer has announced that he wants to make a comeback this coming season after sitting out 2008. Rice turns 35 later this month and enjoyed the most productive seasons of his career playing under Rod Marinelli when he was the line coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rice suffered shoulder problems after playing in six games for Denver and two games for Indianapolis in 2007. The former Illinois star has 122 career sacks with 67 1/2 coming in a five-year run under Marinelli starting in 2001. Rice topped out with 15 1/2 sacks in 2002, the year the Bucs won Super Bowl XXXVII.
The Bears are looking to improve the pass rush and one thought is that they’ll look for Marinelli to do so with pretty much the players in tact, meaning the organization will count on a comeback from Mark Anderson. Marinelli could be fixing to get a double-digit sack season out of Alex Brown for the first time in his career.