The Chicago Bears appear to be a bit of an enigma heading into the 2008 NFL campaign. Two years ago, the Bears stormed to Super Bowl XLI, where they lost to the powerful Indianapolis Colts. Last season, the defending NFC champions stumbled badly early in the season and failed to make the playoffs, finishing a disappointing 7-9.
At this point, it is difficult to tell whether Chicago can regain the glory of 2006 or if the window of opportunity has already slammed shut on this group of Bears.
Some of the problems that plagued the Bears last year could rear their heads again in 2008. The Bears have done little to solidify the quarterback position, even though team officials said that would be an offseason priority. The Bears resigned maligned quarterback Rex Grossman to a one-year, $3 million deal, which will be his sixth year with the squad. The Bears also have Kyle Orton at quarterback. The Purdue product has managed to win some games in his young career but has done so with less than stellar statistics. Also, the team failed to draft a future quarterback in the recently completed draft, so likely will have to sign a journeyman passer to round out the roster.
Bears coaches say the quarterback competition will be wide open in training camp and the preseason, so it remains to be seen whether Grossman or Orton will emerge as the starting signal caller. Grossman has shown brief flashes of brilliance, but also has been absolutely dreadful at times. This season will likely be Grossman’s last chance to live up to his resume that included a stellar career at the University of Florida and a second place finish in the Heisman Trophy race during his sophomore season. The former Gator has been plagued by injuries throughout his NFL career. Staying healthy will go a long way toward determining Grossman’s – and the Bears’ – success in 2008.
If Grossman fails to pan out, the Bears will turn to Orton, who won 11 games his rookie season behind a great defense that kept the Bears in a lot of games. Orton also played some last season after Grossman went down with another injury. He is more of a game manager and will take fewer risks than Grossman, which would be a workable solution if the Bears defense can return to its 2006 form. Orton showed improvement and could press Grossman for the starting nod. Expect the preseason competition to be fierce. The Bears should strive to have a passer with a firm grip on the starting job by opening day or else a quarterback controversy could fester throughout the season.
The Bears also must re-establish their running game that virtually disappeared for much of last season. The team ranked near the bottom of the league in two key categories, rushing yards per game and average yards per carry. For a team that prides itself on smashmouth football, vast improvement is needed in this area. Cedric Benson struggled in his first full year as a starter and suffered an injury for the second time in three seasons. Billed as a bruising, workhorse back out of college, Benson has failed to live up to his billing. Bears fans are already wary of the running back the Bears invested nearly $30 million in and team officials have said they would like to bring in another back to compete with Benson.
The Bears drafted little-known Matt Forte to add to their stable of backs but missed out on potential running back sensations, Rashard Mendenhall and Felix Jones, opting instead to bolster the offensive line. The Bears other running backs, Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe were medicore in the playing time they saw last season.
The reason the Bears passed on Mendenhall and Jones in the draft was because they felt rebuilding the offensive line was a bigger priority. They may be right. After fielding one of the most veteran, effective lines in the league in 2006, the group struggled last year. Tackle Fred Miller and guard Rueben Brown are gone, leaving the team two holes to fill on the offensive line. Furthermore, left tackle John Tait and center Olin Kreutz are aging and played below their usual level last year. Expect Tait to move to the right side of the line this season, where he is best-suited, especially at this stage of his career.
The Bears drafted several young offensive linemen to help improve the unit and get the ground game going. Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams likely will be the team’s starting left tackle. The Bears also added Ohio State tackle Kirk Barton, who could be a pleasant surprise. Despite the influx of new talent, offensive lines gain cohesiveness through experience, something the Bears won’t have next year. If the line fails to gel, expect the Bears to again struggle to run the ball and protect the quarterback.
The wide receiving corps also has been depleted, with Mushin Muhammed being released and Bernard Berrian signing a massive free agent deal with the division rival Minnesota Vikings. The Bears were wise not to throw $40 million or more at Berrian, but still face problems in filling the holes on what was only a medicore receiving corps to begin with.
The team is counting on return specialist Devin Hester to further blossom into a starting receiver. Hester showed flashes with a couple of long touchdowns last year but also had some key drops. Hester also must become more of a student of the game, learning routes and patterns so he can truly become a top-flight receiver. The team also added Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd to the mix. Booker, a former Bear, could bring a spark to the team and Lloyd hopes to bounce back from a subpar season with the Washington Redskins.
The Bears defense has enough pieces in place to again be a formidable unit, but cracks are starting to appear in what two years ago was one of the NFL’s best in numerous categories. Brian Urlacher is coming off minor neck surgery and also is battling an arthritic lower back. He remains the key to the Bears defense. Also, the status of safety Mike Brown will be closely watched. Brown has suffered season-ending injuries early in the last two campaigns. His value to the Bears is immeasurable and he remains the franchise’s all-time leader in defensive touchdowns. If Brown is back and healthy, it will go a long way toward turning the Bears’ fortunes around.
The Bears also are feeling the financial effects of their past success. Urlacher, Hester, defensive tackle Tommie Harris and kicker Robbie Gould all are wanting their current contracts to be extended or replaced with new deals. How well the Bears management deals with these issues will have ramifications in the upcoming season and beyond. If any one of those players holds out or sits out the entire season, it would be devastating to the Bears. But Chicago also cannot overpay any of them, or else other Bears will start growling for more money.
Another instangible is the schedule. The Bears’ schedule has some good points and some bad points for the team. The Bears open with two straight games on the road, including the opener against Peyton Manning and the Colts, the only team in the league that plays two straight games on the road to open the season. The Bears also are the only team in the NFL that faces a stretch of three straight games on the road. Bears players point to the fact, though, the the Bears’ late-season schedule is packed with home dates at frozen Soldier Field, something that could be critical as teams jockey for playoff position.
Was the failed 2007 season the Bears’ last gasp to win a Super Bowl, or can the team rebound from last year’s setbacks to recoup the magic they had in 2006? Only time will tell.
