Ya have to admire the 2009 Chicago Bears for one thing anyway, their willingness to take a chance. When the Bears traded Kyle Orton and some draft picks to the Denver Broncos for Jay Cutler, they showed they want to win and will gamble to do so. In this preview of the 2009 Chicago Bears I will examine whether Cutler can get them over the hump.
Jay Cutler has put up some great numbers with the Denver Broncos under Mike Shanahan. But when Shanahan was fired Cutler and the new management feuded from the get go. Cutler was eventually traded to the Chicago Bears where he will now try to show he can play under a different coach.
The problem with Jay Cutler being in Chicago in 2009 is the lack of offensive weapons that the Bears have. Devon Hester has not quite panned out at wide receiver and rookie Juaquin Iglesias probably won’t be a difference maker for the Bears in 2009.
Last season rookie running back sensation Matt Forte led the Bears in receiving with 63 catches. Tight end Greg Olsen was 2nd on the team with 54 catches and Hester caught 51.
But Matt Forte is what this offense will be built around, no matter what Cutler thinks. Chicago under Coach Smith will be a ball control team that wins or loses with defense. Forte ran for over 1,200 yards as a rookie and will get lots of carries in 2009 to do the same. A backup running back is a must find for the Bears, former Lion Kevin Jones did resign after playing in 2008 for Chicago. But Jones was not his old self after a serious injury in Detroit. Former Ram superstar lineman Orlando Pace was signed the same day as the Cutler trade. However as you will see in the 2009 Chicago Bears free agent moves article, they lost more players than they signed.
The Bears do still have an adequate defense led by middle linebacker Brian Urlacher they were 16th in points allowed in 2008. The Bears went after defensive ends with their first and third picks in the draft. Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton hope to make the team and shore up an aging line.
The Bears need to get younger and better on the line and in the defensive secondary. The linebackers are the best unit on the 2009 Chicago Bears defense, even though Brian Urlacher had a down season last year.
Chicago’s problem is being in a division with the Vikings and Packers two up and coming teams. And Brett Favre may be on one of those two teams, and it isn’t the Packers. Look for the Bears to go 9-7 and 8-8 and just miss the 2009 NFL playoffs.
I do think the trade for Jay Cutler was a good one but he needs some offensive weapons in the passing game. With his speed Devon Hester is the best hope of that happening. But he seemed tentative at wide receiver after being shifted over from defensive back. It also seemed to hurt his return skills as well. Thanks for reading this preview of the 2009 Chicago Bears.
Sources
NFL.com
Photo of Brian Urlacher is from the Wikimedia Commons and is used under the Creative CommonsAttribution ShareAlike 3.0 License
