It’s August, which means it;s Chicago Bears season preview time. Without further ado,
Overview:
The Chicago Bears offseason saw the team do exactly what they had to- improve the worst defense in franchise history. The question is, did they do enough? 8-8 was a disappointment given all the hype surrounding the coming of “The Quarterback Whisperer” Marc Trestman, and the supposed “career defining year” of Jay Cutler.
I guess in some ways it was, #CuttyDoesIt will now be the highest paid player in the NFL at $22.5 million this season. I guess it really worked out for Cutler’s agent, planting those rumors in the media that Cutler was out the door in the two days in between the season ending and the new lucrative deal being signed. Now let’s see if the Bears have buyer’s remorse or not. Maybe not this season, but on the back end of the contract, I’m sure they will.
Chicago Bears Season Preview Offense:
The reason Cutler, probably the 14th or 15th best QB in the NFL, got so much money is because he’s also the best passer in Bears history. I’m not joking.
Sid Luckman was probably a much better football player, but in the 1940s it wasn’t exactly “a quarterback driven league.” Jim McMahon won more big games than Cutler ever has or ever will, but he was the game manager of all game managers, before that platitude was even invented. Rex Grossman still probably has the best statistical passing season in Bears franchise history, for that excellent first half of a season in 2006.
Yes, he destroyed a lot of his own numbers with that terrible second half of the ’06 season, but the fact remains that he’s still one of the best passers in team history. Scary thought, but true.
It’s why Bears fans hate him so much- he had a boatload of potential, realized that potential somewhat, and then bombed out miserably. No Bears fan hates Cory Sauter or Jonathan Quinn or Chad Hutchinson. No one expected anything out of those guys.
The Bears wide receiving corps is as great as any in the league. Tight End Martellus Bennett is as great a sound bite and as well rounded and interesting a human being as anyone in the league. He’s one of the few professional athletes you follow on Twitter because of what he has to say, not just only because he’s famous. Oh and the OL, running game are good too, but “it’s a passing league,” so we’re not going to spend any time talking about that right now.
Chicago Bears Season Preview Defense:
Worst run defense in the league, so there’s nowhere to go but up. As much criticism as they received, and completely justified criticism at that, the defense was actually 30th in yards allowed, not 32nd. Jared Allen is probably an upgrade over Julius Peppers. At least in terms of a system fit. And the Bears addressed their no show defensive line by significantly revamping it. I think Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton have lots of potential. Lamarr Houston I’m not sold on, but it can’t get any worse, right?
The linebackers and corners should be somewhere from average to pretty solid if not spectacular. Think of them as like a 6 or 7/10. Safety though….yeeeeeeeeeessshhhhhhh. That’s still a total disaster.
Chicago Bears Season Preview Special Teams, Odds and Ends:
Devin Hester may be one of the best return specialists in NFL history, but unfortunately, through no fault of his own, the NFL decided kick returns don’t matter that much anymore. So it’s fitting he landed in Atlanta, as he’s a very rich man’s Eric Metcalf. And he’s a very rich himself too. Oh and Robbie Gould can finally feed his family now that he got that phat cash. I’m sure they’re quite happy they no longer have to stay up at night worrying about whether or not they’ll have food on the table the next day.
Chicago Bears Season Preview Bottom Line:
I’d say another 8-8 or maybe 9-7 looks likely. The offense will be better, as another year with all those weapons, in a system they’re now familiar with. But how much did the defense improve? And Cutler MUST stay healthy by any means necessary. If he goes down, it’s Jordan Palmer and then Jimmy Clausen. Which means….uhmm, if the NFL had a Draft Lottery, you’d see a Cutler-less Bears right there in the heart of it.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. He’s also a special contributor to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, CBS, the History Channel and more. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)