Is Plaxico Burress on the Bears' radar?

I doubt it.

Because of the way the Bears reacted to Tank Johnson and Cedric Benson's legal foibles, I would be shocked if they pursued newly-released Plaxico Burress, even though everyone knows they desperately need a receiver. Going after a known troublemaker like Plax would mark a major organizational about-face, one I just don't see happening. And even without his gun-totin' proclivities, Plaxico has had some difficulty staying healthy in recent years, and I would be wary of signing a 32-year-old wide receiver who might have chronic ankle problems.

I think a more likely target is Torry Holt, whose downside is that he is even older (33) than Burress. Though Holt experienced a significant statistical decline last year, if I were the Bears would roll the dice and hope that his poor season was due at least in part to the Rams complete organizational disarray. And speaking of poor seasons:

Player A: 51 receptions for 665 yards (13.0 ypc), 3 TDs

Player B: 35 receptions for 445 yards (12.7 ypc), 2 TDs

Player C: 64 receptions for 796 yards (12.4 ypc), 3 TDs

Yup, none of those numbers from the 2008 season are very good. Players A and B are Devin Hester and Rashied Davis, respectively, the Bears' top two statistical wide receivers last year. Player C is Torry Holt. In his worst season since his rookie year. Which still compares favorably to the Bears' pair. And then there's these numbers from 2007:

Player D: 111 receptions for 1521 yards (13.7 ypc), 8 TDs

Player E: 93 receptions for 1189 yards (12.8 ypc), 7 TDs

Player D has at least a moderate edge, no doubt. Only D is actually two players, Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad, the Bears' top two wide receivers in 2007, while Player E is Torry Holt, all by his lonesome. And that followed nearly-identical numbers of 93 catches for 1188 yards (with 10 TDs) in 2006. Those yardage marks were his lowest since 2000, a span of seasons in which he never caught fewer than 81 balls. Even if his 2008 numbers indicate he's in decline, it is highly unlikely that his actual skills could have deteriorated quickly. My guess is that while he'll never again achieve his previous heights, he can still be more productive than he was last season. I'm thinking around 70 catches, 1000 yards, and 8 TDs. And I'm sure the Bears would take those numbers.

I also read that Holt and the recently-signed Orlando Pace have the same agent, so that might help. As might Holt's presumed familiarity with Lovie Smith from the latter's time as defensive coordinator in St. Louis. Other than the sheer number of teams bound to be interested in Holt, really the only thing I'm worried about is that Jerry Angelo will pull another Muhsin Muhammad and break the bank for him. But if they can get him at a reasonable cost for a reasonable number of years, they should.