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Seventeen recently departed Miami Hurricanes will be heading to NFL minicamps this weekend, eight of them as free agents.

A day after the NFL Draft concluded, the eight UM players who didn't get selected were either finalizing plans to sign as free agents or already had signed.

Former University of Miami offensive guard Tyler McMeans said Monday he would sign a three-year deal as a free agent with the Chicago Bears.

''I'm really excited,'' McMeans said. ``Honestly, I was ranked as a free agent, so I pretty much knew it was coming.''

Offensive guard Tony Tella said he had been offered a free agent contract with the Giants and would join fellow Giants free agent defensive end Thomas Carroll and second-rounder Sinorice Moss.

''I'm really happy about my opportunity,'' Tella said. ``They're giving me a chance, so I feel blessed.''

When reached by phone Monday, Carroll said, ''Things happen for a reason,'' and he was just glad to have a chance to play for a team close to home.

''During the middle of the seventh round, the Giants called me and said if I don't get picked up in the draft, they wanted to sign me,'' said Carroll, whose home is in Lakewood, N.J. ``Within about an hour after the draft, I worked out the deal. Now I get to come back and play close to home. I'm very happy.''

Former University of Miami safety Greg Threat, who led the Hurricanes in tackles in 2004, his junior season, has signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons.

Defensive end Javon Nanton said he has been offered a free agent contract by Oakland, and will be heading to the West Coast on Wednesday. He said he also got offers from Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit and the Giants.

And defensive back Tanard Davis said he signed a three-year deal Monday afternoon with the Indianapolis Colts.

''I didn't get too many opportunities at UM, but the Colts saw something in me on pro day. So now my goal is to make the team,'' Davis said. ``I'll take it day by day.''

Also heading to the NFL as free agents: fullback Quadtrine Hill to Houston and tight end Buck Ortega to the Redskins.

2 - Danieal Manning, DB/RS, Abilene Christian (5-11, 202); 2 - Devin Hester, WR/RS, Miami (FL) (5-11, 190); 3 - Dusty Dvoracek, DT, Oklahoma (6-3, 306); 4 - Jamar Williams, OLB, Arizona State (6-0, 236); 5 - Mark Anderson, DE, Alabama (6-4, 254); 6 - J.D. Runnels, FB, Oklahoma (5-11, 240); 6 - Tyler Reed, G, Penn State (6-3, 307) Analysis: Why the Bears traded out of the first round rather than adding a much-needed pass-catcher like Marcedes Lewis or Sinorice Moss will be a matter of debate, especially if Hester fails to develop as hoped. Manning adds depth to a secondary that requires it, and Manning and Hester are both good kick returners. The presence of Dvoracek will help to ease concerns over Tank Johnson's torn quadriceps. Anderson was thought by many to be a first-round talent and was a steal for the Bears in the fifth round. Reed, meanwhile, was a reach who will be a longshot to make the roster. Bottom Line: The receiving situation doesn't look much better than it did on Saturday morning, but the Bears did find potential impact players in Manning, Dvoracek, and Anderson.

It was a bright sunny day in 1998. Many Bear fans expected Paul Tagligbue to step to the podium and announce the Chicago Bears had traded the 5th pick in the draft for several picks in the first round. Picks that could have been Pro Bowlers Grant Wistrom, Fred Taylor, or Randy Moss. Instead, Commissioner Tagligbue announced that the Chicago Bears, with the fifth pick in the 1998 draft, selected Running Back Curtis Enis of Penn State. As Enis stepped to the podium, donning his new Chicago Bears cap and beaming from his brace-filled mouth, I threw a (soft) item at the television. I couldn't believe my eyes. As the 2001 draft is upon us, loyal Bear fans are praying that we don't see a repeat of the organization's performance in the first round on April 18, 1998.

As a result of a dismal 4-12 season in 1997, the Bears held the fifth pick in the 1998 draft. This was the highest the team had drafted since 1982. With that pick, the team selected Jim McMahon, and getting anything close to the Punky QB would be a triumph. In '98, two of the highest touted prospects were Enis and Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss. Unlike the 2001 draft which figures to be wide-open, in 1998 everyone knew exactly how the top five picks would fall. Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were sure to go numbers one and two. Defensive end Andre Wadsworth was sure to go third, followed by Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson of Michigan. To the Bears credit, Curtis Enis was the consensus fifth-best player in the draft, and everyone agreed upon this. In February of '98, Chicago signed Edgar Bennett, the durable, all-purpose running back from Green Bay. Most figured this would remove them from the probability of drafting a running back, which left the pick wide o pen.

So in March of '98, it was assured that both Enis and Randy Moss would fall to the Bears at #5. In his first year as VP of Player Personnel, and directing his very first draft, Mark Hatley coveted either Wadsworth or Leaf. Indeed, Chicago needed either a quarterback or a pass rusher. It has been rumored that Hatley and coach Dave Wannstedt offered Arizona a trade of Chicago's 5th pick, plus Curtis Conway and Alonzo Spellman in an effort to trade up for the number 2 selection. The Cardinals instead took San Diego's first and third round selections, plus their 1999 first rounder and additional players to move up to #2 to take Leaf. Thankfully, this didn't work out for the Bears, as three short seasons later, both Leaf and Wadsworth have been absolute busts in the NFL. After the unsuccessful attempt to trade up, the Bears turned their attention to Moss and Enis.

The Bears were one of the NFL's founding teams. Started by George Halas in 1920, they hailed from Decatur, Illinois, and were known as the "Staleys" (or the "Staley Bears").

 

Chicago Bears owner George "Mugs" Halas was an NFL founder, player, and head coach. (Halas coached the Bears for forty years.)

 

The Chicago Bears have won a total of nine NFL championships: in 1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 194, 1943, 1946, 1963, and 1986. (The first two were won while the Bears were still known as the Staleys.) A total of twenty-eight Chicago Bears players have made it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

The Bears played their first 50 seasons at Wrigley Field (or "Cubs Park," as it was initially known). Soldier Field opened on October 9, 1924 as a memorial to the soldiers who fought in WWI.