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By Brad Biggs

The search is over.

Twenty-seven days after the Bears set out to find a new offensive coordinator, they have hired a man who was one of the most logical choices from the start, passing wizard Mike Martz.

Martz will be charged with turning around the Bears' dismal offense and doing it quickly with quarterback Jay Cutler, someone he was pining to work with even during last season

"They hired my main man,'' said running back Kevin Jones, who played under Martz with the Lions. "I love it. He was the best offensive coordinator out there.

"I think it's false information when people say he doesn't run the ball. He just has to have the back who can run the ball and catch the ball. Obviously, he did it with Marshall (Faulk). I did it in Detroit. The one season I was healthy, I had 61 catches in 12 games.''

Tribune Staff Report

There might not have been a lot of effort in the Pro Bowl Sunday night, but the AFC kickoff coverage team did its job, working to bottle up the Bears' Johnny Knox.

Knox was an injury addition as the return specialist last week after Minnesota's Percy Harvin backed out of the game because of injuries. He returned four kickoffs for 103 yards in the NFC's 41-34 loss. Knox was the target of two passes during the game but didn't have a reception.

Knox, who suffered a sprained ankle in Week 16, was replaced in the second half. It wasn't announced if he was injured.

Tribune News Services

MIAMI -- Bears' Brian Urlacher (defense), Devin Hester (specialist) and Olin Kreutz (center) were among the 53 players announced Sunday as members of the NFL's All-Decade team.

Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady joined two-time selections Willie Roaf, Larry Allen and Warren Sapp. Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy were selected as the best coaches of the decade, and Dante Hall made it as both a kick and punt returner.

The Sun Sentinel reports: Players may have to run through showers and thunderstorms that are forecast for tonight's Pro Bowl game.

The lows will be around 65 degree and gusts will reach as high as 23 miles per hour during the 7 p.m. game, according to the National Weather Service. The chance of rain is about 70 percent.

Get the full story at sunsentinel.com.

Read about the Bears lone Pro Bowler Johnny Knox here and photos of him here.

Pro Bowl practice photos | More Pro Bowl coverage from the Sun Sentinel

Follow all the Pro Bowl action here with a running box score and log. Game starts at 6:20 CT.

By Brad Biggs

Another ex-Bears coach has found work.

Harry Hiestand has been hired as the offensive line coach at the University of Tennessee. Hiestand worked for the last five seasons as the line coach for the Bears. He was fired with one year remaining on his contract on Jan. 5 when the Bears swept out most of the offensive coaches.

It's a return to the college ranks for Hiestand, who had not worked in the NFL before coming with offensive coordinator Ron Turner from Illinois in 2005. The Bears' line played pretty well for Hiestand given the players he had to work with and the limited infusion of young talent the Bears had on the line.

By Dan Pompei and Brad Biggs

The Bears and Mike Martz may have taken another step up the aisle Saturday when Martz traveled to Nashville to have dinner with quarterback Jay Cutler, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

If the meeting went well, it's possible Martz could be announced as the Bears offensive coordinator in the very near future.

The former head coach of the Rams met with coach Lovie Smith, general manager Jerry Angelo and assistant coaches on Friday. Concerns about Martz passing too much for the Bears' liking appear to have been allayed.

Cutler's endorsement is an interesting piece of the puzzle. He has been involved in the interview process with previous candidates, and he initially was lobbying hard for the team to hire Jeremy Bates, his old quarterbacks coach with the Broncos.

Tribune News Services

"SNL Presents: Sports All-Stars" (8 p.m. Sunday, Ch. 5) features memorable sports-themed sketches from the show's 35 years. We're hoping the show includes at least one featuring our favorite "SNL" sports characters of all time, Bill Swerski's Super Fans.

These four Windy City windbags hung out at then-Bears coach Mike Ditka's restaurant gorging on Polish sausage and baby back ribs while extolling the merits of "da Bears" and "da Bulls" and treating the inevitable heart attacks as the minor annoyances they are.

The sketch's first appearance was on Jan. 12, 1991. Joe Mantegna played the show's host Bill Swerski, along with Chris Farley as Todd O'Connor, Mike Myers as Pat Arnold and Robert Smigel as Carl Wollarski.

George Wendt later took over as Bill Swerski's brother, Bob. (Bill was off having heart attacks, it was explained.)

When Myers left "SNL," John Goodman took over as Pat Arnold. The character's change in appearance was chalked up to "massive weight gain."

Typical debate subjects included how well Coach Ditka would do against a hurricane or how many points Michael Jordan could score if he played an entire game by himself while lounging in a recliner.

Kurt Warner  has called an end to one of the great storybook careers in NFL history.

The 38-year-old quarterback announced his retirement from the game on Friday after a dozen years in a league that at first rejected him, then revered him as he came from nowhere to lead the lowly St. Louis Rams to two Super Bowls, winning the first of them.

Written off as a has-been, he rose again to lead the long-suffering Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl a year ago.

"I'm excited about what's next," Warner said. "Before I was always excited about next season."

Tribune News Services

PITTSBURGH -- Recently, Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. emerged as a candidate for the Bears. And now, he says he's not looking to leave the school after only one season.

Cignetti, credited with upgrading Pitt's offense during a 10-3 season, said in a statement issued by the school Thursday night that he isn't considering an NFL coordinator's job or a comparable position at a different Top 25 school.

"My return to Pitt last year was the realization of a longtime personal and professional goal," Cignetti said in a statement to ProFootballTalk.com. "It was made even more gratifying by the outstanding season we enjoyed. I couldn't be more fortunate to work for Dave Wannstedt and coach these great kids. Despite recent reports connecting my name with other jobs, I am wholeheartedly committed to being at Pitt and continuing to establish our program among the nation's very best."

By Dan Pompei and Brad Pompei

The Bears interviewed Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers at Halas Hall Thursday, and if both parties liked what they heard things could move quickly.

A source close to the situation said the Bears seemed to be operating with more urgency in trying to fill their offensive coordinator opening. But if the Bears are not thrilled with Rogers, or if Rogers is not thrilled with the Bears, the process could drag out for another two weeks.

One of the reasons the search has been slow moving is the Bears have intended to talk with coaches who currently work for colleges. Prior to national signing day next Wednesday, colleges don't want it known that their coaches might be leaving.

Tribune News Services

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- A few days after the New York Jets' surprising playoff run ended in Indianapolis, general manager Mike Tannenbaum was focused on getting his team back to the AFC championship game -- and beyond.

"We are going to be invigorated by what happened," Tannenbaum said Thursday, "but also realize that come six, seven weeks from now, we've got to be humming and we need to have the best offseason of anybody in our division."

Former Bears running back Thomas Jones faces an uncertain future with the team, in large part because he's due a hefty roster bonus in March.

Jones ran for a career-high 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season, but faded in the postseason as rookie Shonn Greene got more carried. Jones, 31, is one of the team's leaders in the locker room, but is due a $3 million roster bonus and $2 million in salary.

"There are some economic issues that obviously have to be looked at over the next month," Tannenbaum said, "but we hope he's back."

By Brad Biggs

MOBILE, Ala. -- Bears center Olin Kreutz will have surgery Thursday to repair an ailing Achilles tendon.

The six-time Pro Bowler, who was an All Pro in 2006, is expected to need four to six months to recover and should return in time for training camp.

PHOTOS: Olin Kreutz in action.

The Bears captain missed part of camp in 2008 because of the injury, which has made it difficult for Kreutz to push off and get leverage. Following surgery, he is expected to return to form, stronger and better.

While questions about Kreutz's future with team surfaced during a disappointing 2009 season, he is singed through 2010. New offensive line coach Mike Tice has raved about Kreutz as the anchor of the offensive line.

By Brad Biggs

MOBILE, Ala. -- A league source has indicated the Bears will re-sign veteran Pisa Tinoisamoa. No deal is in place, but the 28-year-old told the Tribune before the end of the season that he hoped to return.

Tinoisamoa injured his right knee on the first series of the opener at Green Bay. He sat out three games and returned at Atlanta to re-injure the same knee, leading to surgery that landed him on injured reserve. He was the starter on the strong side and looked like one of the Bears best defenders in the preseason.