2009 Record: 7-9, Third in Division
2009 Playoff Record: Did not Qualify
Key Losses: Alex Brown, Gaines Adams, Adewale Ogunleye
Key Additions: Chester Taylor, Major Wright, Julius Peppers
And the moment I have been waiting for since I started these previews finally arrives, I get to preview my Chicago Bears. It's not all fun previewing my favorite team, they play in a tough division and have some looming questions. Still, despite the pre-season troubles the Bears have had, there are a lot of things to be excited about with this team, not the least of which is getting a dominant pass rusher on the team in Julius Peppers. They've got a long climb back to the post-season, they'll need to surpass either Green Bay or Minnesota just to have a shot, but they have more talent and potential than any year in recent history, I'll go so far as to say more than when they went to the Superbowl. Whether they can capitalize on it or not, though, remains to be seen.
Defense has been the big question for this team since the 06 season, so I'll start there. Good news first, again, Julius Peppers is lining up on the outside. Bad news, our number two end looks to be less of a slam dunk now that both Wale and Alex Brown are out of the picture. Personally, I would feel much better with Brown and Peppers providing a good one two, but this team is counting on Mark Anderson to produce. If he can come close to mimicking the success of his rookie season when he had 12 sacks we could return to being one of the top defenses in the league, but Bears fans have been expecting that for years now and it never comes to pass. He should be improved from last year with Peppers at end, but how much remains to be seen. Henry Melton, Israel Idonije, and Corey Wooten figure to be part of the equation at end, but all are unproven and production isn't a guarantee. Personally, I don't like Idonije at end, I think he is better suited for one of the inside positions.
Speaking of which, there is also uncertainty on the inside. Tommie Harris is back and healthy, but he has a history of breaking down as the season goes on. The pass rush cannot be reliant on Peppers alone, and having Harris stay healthy will be a key on our defense to being strong against the pass and the run. Starting next to him will be Anthony Adams, but I feel it would be better for the team if he didn't start the entire season. The best case scenario would be if either Matt Toeaina or Marcus Harrison stepped up and contributed to this offense, but again they remain unproven.
More good news, bad news. Good news, our starting linebacker trio looks to be ready for opening day. Bad news, Briggs is still banged up and Urlacher and Tinoisamoa have a history of injuries. By the way, I do still expect Pisa to start, I think he looked leaps and bounds better than Nick Roach in the pre-season. If this trio does start it can be one of the best units in the league, but if we have a repeat of last season where two of the three went down for the entire season then we could be in trouble.
The secondary is still what worries me most, though. I can never feel entirely comfortable about that unit. Major Wright had me feeling good about the starting free safety position until he went down with a finger injury, now the idea of Daniel Manning or Craig Steltz starting the entire season has me cringing. Even if Wright plays with the injury, as he said he intends to, the question of if it will hinder him in getting interceptions and how vulnerable he will be to reinjury has me worried. At strong safety Harris had me feeling good, until he made some ridiculous mistakes against Cleveland. I still feel better about him than the rest of the secondary. Corner has me especially worried, though. I don't care what Lovie says, Zack Bowman cannot cover the elite receivers in this league. This season we have to face Calvin Johnson (twice), Donald Driver (twice), DeSean Jackson, Miles Austin, Wes Welker, Santonio Holmes, Brandon Marshall, and Steve Smith (both of them). Bowman was getting beat on routes by the Cardinals' backup receivers, he is not a number one corner in this league. The coverage during the preseason, especially in man situations, has me pulling my hair out as usual, it could get ugly in that aspect. Finally, despite Manning being most successful at nickel, he is still at safety while two players who have had ups and downs, D.J. Moore and Corey Graham fight over the nickel position. I was under the impression that we'd be keeping one or possibly neither of them, but while special teams standout Tim Shaw gets cut those two both make the 53 man roster. This borders on ridiculous, and they had better stand out at nickel to justify their roster spots.
Offense offers more hope, despite what ever Chicago sports fan will tell you. Jay Cutler is a franchise quarterback, if he can make completions in the red zone he can be among the elite despite interceptions (hey, Brett Favre did it). Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are also great when they get room to run, both sprung a huge run in the pre-season. They also look extremely effective on screens, as does backup Khalil Bell who looks to figure in more than most would think with some solid runs in pre-season play. The tight ends are one of the most talented groups in football, and despite what everyone says our receivers are looking good. Everyone knows I'm high on Aromashodu, Hester is a good receiver as long as he isn't being highlighted, Knox looks to be progressing very nicely, Bennett is still a solid option, and I never thought I'd be hearing myself say this but Rashied Davis looked damn good in the pre-season. This offense is solid top to bottom, for the most part.
The big question, the one make or break, could be the line. Four of our five starters are starting in new positions, only Kreutz remains where he was last year. Three of those starters are unproven, and Lance Louis is getting thrown into the pool so to speak. Left tackle Chris Williams has looked good at times, but gets beat consistently by speedy rushers. Run blocking has looked good at times, but breaks down at others. This unit HAS to play not just well, but with consistency. 1,500 yards, a 4.0 average, and 35 sacks just are not going to cut it this year.
Not only could this be a make or break year for Lovie Smith, but it is a tough schedule as well. The vast majority of the teams we face are passing teams, and if we can't nail down the coverage especially on third downs we are going to get killed. The good news is that our offense can keep up so long as the offensive line plays at a high level. Ultimately, this season could come down to injuries. The defense is riddled with key players who have a tendency to go down, but if they can stay healthy the whole year we have a much better chance of winning. We are also going to be dependent on increased production at key positions, specifically in the secondary and offensive line. If they cannot do their part we could be in for a long season. For the first time in a while, though, we have an elite pass rusher on the team. Peppers joins a defense with three extremely talented linebackers, and a team with an underrated and potentially elite offense. At the end of the season we should at least be in the Wild Card conversation.
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