I would absolutely love this signing. It's one I have been calling for, for months.
I've done a lot of work on the free agent pass rushers in this free agency. Aside from John Abraham and Robert Mathis, who are legitimately some of the best pass rushers I saw bar-none in 2011, Mark Anderson REALLY stood out.
But that should be obvious. The man got to and sacked the quarterback 15 times this year including the playoffs. He had 2 sacks in the Super Bowl. He had 6 quarterback hits and 36 quarterback pressures, which means he flushed, hit or sacked the quarterback once every 7.3 pass rush opportunities. Cam Wake does it about once every 6.6 pass rush opportunities.
Anderson has always been a SUPERBLY athletic physical specimen, going all the way back to the Combine, and you can see it all over the tape. He's not the most flexible guy but man can he hustle and motor around the field, wreaking havoc.
I can't tell you why things went down hill with the Bears. All I know is what I saw with the Patriots and I watched a lot of tape on him. He was an excellent pass rusher. I would even put him up there with Cliff Avril, with just a little less polish to him. This guy opposite Cam Wake on pass downs would be scary. It weakens a division opponent, too. It's a NO BRAINER.