This is really the one I’ve been waiting to do. I’m an NFL fan primarily, and a Bears fan before any other team. 2013 wasn’t the best year to be a Bears fan, with a new coaching staff and several key injuries (as well as THAT PLAY). There were exciting points though, so without being too biased this is the Bears.
2013 Recap:
Marc Trestman came in the door and Chicago had an offense to speak of. Unfortunately, without the guidance of a head coach like Lovie Smith the defense suffered. Mel Tucker filled in, and actually kept most of Lovie Smith’s scheme in place. This allowed the Bears players to continue playing without having to learn a new system, although it didn’t really help Mel Tucker become a fully fledged co-ordinator.
2014 Prospects:
The offense was dominant in 2013, and if the defense can come back to full strength (albeit restructured) then the Bears will be a force to be reckoned with this coming season.
Jon Bostic:
Brian Urlacher left a massive hole in the Bears defense, and Bostic was the man that was tasked to fill his spot. No rookie could effectively fill that MLB position the way Urlacher did, but more than that the Bears missed his leadership on and off the field. Lance Briggs had to step up to the plate, along with Tillman but when both of them were injured it became clear that the Bears had no true leader on the defense. Bostic shouldn’t be expected to match Urlacher in his second, or even his third year but he should move towards
Jay Cutler:
Marc Trestman has taken a big risk on signing Cutler to such a long term, high finance deal. Cutler’s sole job is to start repaying the $150million+ that the contract is worth, by utilising the team he has around him. The newly crowned “Monsters of Midway” being his receiving core of Marshall, Jefferey and Bennett, along with Pro-Bowl back Matt Forte have put him in a position to succeed, now he has no excuses and the pressure is on him.
Major Wright:
Part of the Bears defense that had no injury worries in 2013 was the safety positions, however they were still one of the weakest units on the team. This was in part due to losing Tillman to injury, but his loss wasn’t the sole reason that the secondary was lax. Major Wright needs to step up in a major way in 2014, and become the player that he was expected to become. He still has the room to improve his game, and hopefully he can do that this coming season.
Missing Pieces:
Defensive Tackle: Henry Melton is out in the wild of free agency, and Jay Ratliff can’t hold the fort on his own (irrespective of how strong he might be). The best bet is that the Bears will draft a defensive tackle in the first couple of rounds of the draft to make an immediate impact, in the way Tommie Harris did a few years ago.
Safety: Major Wright may blossom into the player that the Bears need him to be, but Chris Conte is certainly not the man they want to their main deep man. This is also a big consideration for the Bears in the draft. The majority of predictions are going with a DT in the 1st, although don’t count out Clinton-Dix garnering attention from Bears scouts over the next month or so.
How They Improve:
Defense. I never thought this would be a major problem for a town famed for it’s defensive mind, but a new head honcho is in town, and he knows only one thing, how to score points. There are personnel gaps, but mostly there is uncertainty about who will be controlling the defense for the foreseeable future. Mel Tucker has a real chance this year after not really having time to implement his system before the start of last season. This may work out well, although there is no certainty over that yet.
Prediction:
Playoff calibre offense? Definitely.
Playoff calibre defense? Hard to say.
Could the right changes put them into 1st spot in the NFC North comfortably? Definitely. Whether the changes needed are personnel, scheme or both cannot be answered until the season begins. When it does, the mist will clear and Soldier Field will learn whether it shall be hosting football next January.
Update: Major Wright is now with the Bucs, thus further proving the point that Chicago are in desperate need of fresh blood in both Safety positions.