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The 2008 season didn't end the way many of us would have liked, but the Bears front office made some very good moves this offseason to [something]. First off, the acquisition of Jay Cutler. Going back to the days of Sid Luckman, the Bears haven’t had a QB like Cutler. The kid is only 26 and is coming off his first Pro Bowl after posting over 4500 yards passing and 25 touchdown passes. Many might take offense into the way Cutler got his way out of Denver but it couldn’t have worked out any better for the Bears. Jerry Angelo made some great moves such as the coaching changes making Lovie Smith the “defensive playcaller” a.k.a. defensive coordinator, and the hiring of Rod Marinelli on the defensive front. Although underrated moves the addition of Marinelli coaching the front line can be the “X” factor for the Bears heading into this season. The Bears also used the draft and free agency to improve some weaknesses on the team. On the same day they acquired Jay Cutler, they signed 5 time All-Pro and 7 time Pro Bowler Orlando Pace to anchor a mediocre offensive line and help protect Cutler. Other key signings include Frank Omiyale and Kevin Shaffer, adding depth to the new and improved O-line. Even without first or second round picks, the Bears were able to draft guys who fit the system and may provide immediate impact. Let’s take a deeper look into a new and much improved Chicago Bears who only a year ago finished the season 9-7.

OFFENSE

With the trade for Jay Cutler the Bears put themselves in a great position to have a franchise quarterback for the next 10 years at least. Cutler has all the qualities and traits to be one of the best or the best QB in the league for years to come. He has all the tools you want. Cannon for an arm throws the deep ball just as accurate as anybody in the NFL. He’s outstanding throwing outside the pocket and fast enough to make plays with his feet which the Bears might want him to try avoiding but the tools are all there. Caleb Hanie is a young quarterback that the Bears see has potential
Matt Forte a year removed from an exceptional rookie season where he rushed for 1,238 yards and led the team in receptions with 63 and 477 yards receiving. There is much room for improvement by Forte who only averaged 3.9 YPC. He also carried most of the offensive load last year which the Bears aren’t expecting him to do this year especially with Kevin Jones at a 100 percent and looking like his old self. With him healthy and hopefully using the explosiveness of Garret Wolfe on situational downs the Bears are looking very strong at the running back position.
The O-line which didn’t do that bad last year has a chance this year to be one of the strengths again for this football team just like it was in 2006 during our superbowl run. With Orlando Pace plugged in at LT, unproven rookie Chris Williams will anchor the other side of the line at RT. Questions still lurking about Williams, the guy was very high on draft boards until they found out about his apparent back injury he fell to the Bears who might have made a mistake I hope he goes out and proves why he was such a high prospect. I expect Chris Williams to have a good year with Pace mentoring him and him not having to protect Cutler’s blind side helps him out and puts less pressure on him. Frank Omiyale will most likely take over at LG for Josh Beekman who had a very good year last year, but Omiyale brings the Bears a much bigger O-line as he is switching from tackle to guard and with Kreutz and Garza anchoring C and LG the Bears could possibly have a one of the top 10 Offensive Lines in the league.
The tight ends are coming off some decent year again. Olsen is do for a pro-bowl year and with him and Cutler having a good connection on and off the field he should see a lot more touches especially in pressure situations. Olsen seems to be Cutler’s favorite target this far along and he should be all year. Don’t forget about Desmond Clark he’s coming off a decent season and his been a productive player for the last few years he’s a good blocker and has a great set of hands. The acquisition of Michael Gaines might pay dividends as well. He’s a big guy who is above average blocker who could help us on goal-line situations. Kellen Davis might be a sleeper this year as well, he could very well be Desmond Clark’s replacement next year. The coaches like what they see from him and are hoping he makes strides this upcoming year.

THE BEARS HAVE NO RECIEVERS! As you have heard from certain sports media analysts, I would have to disagree with that. The weapons the Bears possess with a receiving type running back and tight ends that spread the field and make it hard to defend, the receivers we have should just be fine and continue to make strides especially with Cutler throwing to them now. It’s a BIG difference! Don’t forget that 2nd year receiver Earl Bennet played at Vanderbilt and broke SEC records together so there is definitely chemistry between the two and Cutler is expecting big things from Earl this year. I watch every Bears game and I’ll tell you what Hester might just end up being a special player. He reminds me of Steve Smith and I think he’s getting more comfortable at receiver and he will continue to make strides this year. His ability to make big plays and with his pretty good hands it should be hard to defend the deep ball on him this year. He was over/under thrown 12 times last year so that’s 12 times he could busted one loose for a touchdown the guy is just explosive. If the Bears are smart they should cut Rashied Davis. I’m just sick of the guy. I’ve never seen a guy get hit right between the numbers and drop it so much, get so much playing time. He needs to go back to Arena Football. Trade him to the Rush for a washing machine or something more useful. Juaquin Iglesias should get some time this year he was a really good player when he played for Oklahoma and runs pretty good routes and has nice soft hands. But he will be pushed by 6th round pick Johnny Knox. The keep is a speedster. He ran a 4.34 at the combine and has a pretty good set of hands. He might be more relied on special teams this year as well. Brandon Rideau I think deserves much more playing time the preseason he had last year and the way comes out every hear shows he deserves to get a chance he’s a big tall receiver who can be a nice complement to the offense.

DEFENSE

The key for the Chicago Bears to be a successful team this year is going to rely mostly on the defense. The front four might be the most important area for this defense. Since the Superbowl year in 2006 they haven’t had a consistent pass rush and for this defense to work that’s the most important part of our game. With Rod Marinelli reuniting with friend and fellow coach Lovie Smith, I’m looking for a big spark to our defense. With Lovie taking over the playcalling and Marinelli teaching this defensive front you should see that explosiveness that we all believe our lineman have. There is way too much talent on the front line for it to have a below average pass rush. Babich moving back to linebacker coach and the signing of Jon Hoke at cornerback’s coach, all these moves should prove to pay of big dividends for this defense which I thought got back tracked by bad defensive calls and a horrible pass rush.

Our front four should be lead by veterans Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, Tommie “THE REAL DEAL” Harris, and 2nd year promising defensive tackle Marcus Harrison. Tommie Harris has to get back into a pro-bowl form which I fully expect him to do this coming year. Harris has been plagued by injuries the last few years and this is the first time in a long time he has pronounced himself as healthy as he can be in quite a while. He is too much of a presence and great inside tackle to have another mediocre year. Ogunleye is coming into a contract year so he’s looking for a strong season which he should he’s been probably our most consistent defense lineman we’ve had the last few years and expect him to pick it up since he’s looking for the money which most players usually step it up during that time. The most intriguing matchup to look for on the defensive front has to be in my opinion is Alex Brown and Mark Anderson. There is no doubt Alex Brown is really good defensive lineman who can get the job done but Anderson is something special as we seen in his rookie season where he recorded 12 sacks coming off the bench. Marinelli seems really impressed with Anderson who has had comparisons to another Marinelli pupil one of the great sack leaders of all time Simeon Rice. Marcus Harrison is destined for a good career if he can keep his weight down and not slow down as we seen him do towards the end of last year. Israel Idonije is a versatile lineman who just lost 40 pounds and seems to get better each year he’s on this team a great asset to have. Though they might not get much playing time Jarron Gilbert and Henry Melton are expected to get a little time on the field which they should benefit as the year goes by as they pick up they system and find their role in the defense. Anthony Adams and Dusty Dvoracek seem like they are fighting for one of the few spots left on the defensive line. I expect them both to make it.

The secondary is going to be a mystery this year. With Charles Tillman recovering from back surgery the Bears are expecting young guys like Zack Bowman, Trumaine McBride, and D.J. Moore to step it up. Bowman was exceptional in OTA’s where he picked off about 10 passes and was making plays left and right. McBride knows the system and should challenge for some type of playing time. The real question is can Nathan Vasher stay healthy and be as effective as he was earlier in his career? He has been through ups and downs with injuries and expect him to be fighting for his job all preseason. Daniel Manning should be the starting FS but Lovie Smith has made it open that he plans on using Manning in the nickel is passing situations which still leaves playing time left at FS. Rookie Al Afalava has impressed coaches mightly and he could see playing time at safety. Craig Steltz is a good coverage safety but needs to improve on his run defense where he was seen to get run over quite a few times last year. Kevin Payne is an absolute STUD! If any Bears fans have watched him play the way I have you can tell this kid is going to be something special. He’s a hard hitter he makes plays on the ball and his coverage skills keep getting better every year. Corey Graham should be a starter in my opinion. He was probably are most consistent corner all least year besides Tillman of course. He has a knack for making plays and the coaching staff should find ways for this guy to be on the field as much as possible. Josh Bullocks is good backup who knows how to fill in when he’s called upon. This secondary is very deep all around it just depends if everybody will step and perform the way we know they are capable of. Pressure from the front four should help them as the season gets along and guys start getting comfortable.

Analysis

The 2009 Chicago Bears have made a big difference this season with the great acquisitions of Cutler, Marinelli, and Lovie Smith running the defense. I think they will come out and prove to be one of the best teams in the NFC. All around the field they have made great improvements. As I went through the year all the problems I thought the Bears had it seems as the front office made improvements on. With a great special teams and vast improvements in the offense and defense the Bears should surprise a lot of teams this year. The balance this team has and the way the coaches utilize it which they should, should make this team a force to reckon with in the NFC. Finishing with a 9-7 record last year was disappointing. This team is ready to be a playoff team, and with a pro bowl quarterback something the Bears probably haven’t had in the franchise’s whole existence, they should finish with at least a 12-4 record. If they can capture home field advantage in the playoffs and play the way they should, Miami is not that far away…………….

- Midway Jay