It has been a long a somewhat depressing season for us once again. Just when things seemed to be going our way, the loss of Jay Cutler and Matt Forte ended the season prematurely. There was some good news though as the Bears finally let go stubborn offensive coordinator Mike Martz and mediocre GM Jerry Angelo this past week. Let’s take a look at the different phases of the game and how Chicago stacked up this year and the direction they need to take next season.
The first phase I will review is the offense. It was an up and down year for the Bears as they started out looking decent, but quickly reverted back to last years form. Martz insisted on passing the ball way too often and rarely left in enough blockers to help the pathetic offensive line. Roy Williams was a terrible addition as he dropped crucial passes that often killed drives or cost the team a score (Kansas City). As the season wore on Martz finally began to adjust and run the ball more, leave more guys in the backfield to block for Cutler, and the offense excelled. Had Cutler not been injured, the Bears would have stomped the entire AFC West and easily made the playoffs. Overall I would give the Bears a grade of B for offense. The crucial injuries to Cutler and Forte aside, the offensive line still is weak. Webb and Omiyale are atrocious. This has to be the number one concern going into next season. The second biggest issue is getting a big body WR that can go over the middle and move the chains. They need somebody that can be a starter and play with Earl Bennett. This would allow Hester to play in the slot, a position which he is better suited for. The best implementation of the wildcat was by the Dolphins a few years ago with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The Bears should run that exact same style of wildcat, every once in a while, with Forte taking the snap and Hester in motion running through the backfield. Teams would have to respect Hester getting the handoff on the end around. They need to find more ways to get the ball into his hands, including leaving seven guys in to block and throwing the deep ball to him.
The defense had its moments this year. The safety position has to be a real concern as Major Wright is constantly injured. Craig Steltz, Chris Conte, and Brandon Meriweather do not appear to be real solutions at the position. Wright has also been beat deep on a few occasions. With Urlacher and Briggs getting older, the Bears have to look at addressing the linebacker position in the draft. The club has to be especially concerned with Urlacher after his tough ACL tear in the last game of the season. The defensive line played pretty well, and as usual Peppers was a force. I would like to see the Bears go after a third down pass rush specialist they could line up on the opposite side of Peppers. Julius is constantly being double teamed and the rest of the group didn’t get enough pressure on the QB considering this. Tillman is getting older, but is still the best in the league at forcing fumbles. Tim Jennings has looked great at times and really bad other times at CB. I like him overall though. He can be physical and make tackles, and is an incredible athlete. Again the Bears may want to look at drafting a corner to replace Tillman in the near future.
The special teams were the tops in the league as usual. Hester is the best return man of all time. Corey Graham is going to the Pro Bowl. Podlesh did a solid job punting and Robbie Gould is Mr. Consistency. Peppers and Idonije combine to form the scariest field goal blocking unit in the NFL. There aren’t really any issues that need to be addressed as far as special teams go.
While it was hard to swallow the end to this season, hopefully the new GM will add depth so future injuries won’t completely derail a quality season. The team has to take a real look at getting a quality backup QB on the roster as Caleb Hanie struggled mightily as a starter. I really hope they sign Forte to a long term extension. (He was only on pace to set an NFL record for yards from scrimmage before his injury). I’m not real sure why meat-head Tice is now the offensive coordinator. Looks like another bone head move by Bears management, but this one can’t be blamed on Jerry Angelo. If he runs the football consistently, and leaves some blockers in to protect Cutler, it will be an improvement over Martz. Bears fans have a lot to look forward to next season, and barring another slew of injuries to vital starters, I would think a trip to the playoffs.
Sincerely, JP
