Chicago Bears Team Needs
By: Thomas J. Gersey

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What more can be said about the Chicago Bears this season? Coming off of a difficult 5-11 campaign, NFL Coach of the Year Lovie Smith took advantage of one of the league's easiest schedules and turned the Bears into the NFC's number two seed. The keys? A methodical, ball control offense, and a swarming defense dedicated to pressuring the opposing backfield, and seeking out turnovers on every play.

Defense

Defensively, the Chicago took on the identity of NFL Defensive Player of the Year and team leader ILB Brian Urlacher. Chicago's defensive players became ball-seeking missiles on every down, forcing opposing offenses to play perfect games if they wanted to score more than 14 points. There is no simple explanation for the Bears' defensive success, as every unit contributed to making this defense one of the best in the last 20 years. Up front, DT Tommie Harris continued to develop on a weekly basis, establishing himself as a Pro Bowl calibur lineman. Despite carrying the requisite 300 lbs, Harris is a gap filler, perfectly built to execute Coach Smith's scheme. Alongside Harris, DT Ian Scott played at a level that belies his 4th round pedigree. The stats don't reflect the effort by both of these players, as they provided constant pressure on the passer, and filled the interior on a play by play basis, forcing opposing ball carriers into the waiting hands of one of the league's top linebacking corps. Flanking these guys were DEs Alex Brown and Adewale "The Prince" Ogunleye. The Prince spent most of the season in opposing backfields, racking up a team leading 10 sacks. However, it was the development of Brown that was a revelation this season. Tagged as lazy in college, Brown finally began to live up to his much heralded talent. Not only did he continue to establish himself as a top notch pass rusher, but he became an incredible player against the run from the end position. The Bears' 4-3 is designed to funnel ball carriers into Urlacher and Briggs, but more often than not, Brown stifled runners before they could get past the line.

If a ball carrier was lucky enough to clear the line of scrimmage, there were a pair of Pro Bowl linebackers waiting. ILB Brian Urlacher continued to stake his claim to the title of "best linebacker", racking up 120 tackles and 6 sacks. More important, however, was his leadership, as the entire defense took on his warrior-like attitude. Out left, 3 year pro Lance Briggs made "the leap" to Pro Bowl level linebacker, accounting for 107 tackles of his own. After previously relying on his excellent speed to make up for his mistakes in past years, Briggs learned to stay home, and not overcommit on plays. Briggs is a superb tackler who finished the majority of the plays he was involved in. Suffice it to say, if Briggs and Urlacher are in on a play, the play is over. Meanwhile, ROLB Hunter Hillenmeyer continued to settle into his role as a starter, playing solidly opposite Briggs. As a free agent, the Bears will need to decide if he has a future as a starter, or if they are better off looking for a young replacement in the draft. If they let Hillenmeyer walk, and stay in house, second year pro Leon Joe may prove to be a real sleeper. Acting solely as a special teams player and backup this season, Joe possesses good size and outstanding speed. He could prove to be a real sleeper next season in a defensive scheme that puts a premium on speed.

Finally, the Chicago defensive backfield continued to develop at an accelerated rate. Where some players faltered, others were there to step up their games and maintain a high level of play. CB Charles "Peanut" Tillman, coming off of injury problems in 2004, was expected to move into the upper echelon of cornerbacks. However, despite solid statistics (96 tkls, 5 int) his season was marred by inconsistency, as he gambled too often, while at other times seemed too green to keep up with the league's veteran wideouts. Expect Tillman to work hard this offseason to improve his reads, and eliminate alot of the open receivers he left downfield. Luckily for the Bears, second year man CB Nathan Vasher moved from rookie nickel back, to shut down corner and Pro Bowler. Vasher provided a team leading 8 interceptions, while consistently shutting down opposing receivers. In the slot, CB Jerry Azumah stepped down from a starting position to become an effectivve nickel back. Despite not intercepting a pass, Azumah is a physical corner who is always around the ball. A free agent, there is a strong possibility that Azumah won't be back. Completing a very solid secondary were safeties Mike "The Sandman" Brown and rookie Chris Harris. Despite injury problems, Brown is a perrenial Pro Bowler. Coupling ferocious hits with a nose for the football, Brown can change a game in many ways, whether as a run blitzer, or by creating a myriad of turnovers. He is the glue that holds this secondary together, and losing him proved to be a most difficult challenge this season. On the other side, the disaster that was Mike Green became a blessing in disguise. While Green struggled in all facets of the game once moving into the starting lineup, 6th rounder Chris Harris, out of tiny Louisiana-Monroe, stepped in and became the final piece to the defensive puzzle. Extremely athletic, Harris has the uncanny ability to always be around the football. He is very raw in coverage, and not quite the hitter that Brown is, but as his awareness improves, so should his propensity for turnovers.

Offense

If the defense got straight A's this season, then the offense did just enough to pass. As a unit, the offense did what it was called upon to do, though no player stepped up to perform at that next level. However, when your starting quarterback goes down early (for the second straight season), it is a lot to ask the offense to do anything more than survive. In 2004, the loss of QB Rex Grossman meant a revolving door of has-beens, and never-will-bes. Forced to play such stalwarts as Craig Krenzel and Jonathan Quinn, Medicine Woman, teams could tee off on the Chicago running game, knowing there was zero possibility they could be beaten by these journeymen and the wet noodles they called right arms. 2005 began similarly, as Grossman was lost early on again. The difference, however, was the drafting of strong armed Kyle Orton of Purdue. Although a rookie, and not prepared to elaborate within the offense, Orton nonetheless provided the athletic gifts required to keep opposing defenses honest. Filling in for the T-Rex, Orton made enough solid throws during the season to ensure that defenses could not load up on running back Thomas Jones. With the extra room, the Bears were able to control the ball, keeping their defense fresh and dominant. Eventually, Grossman returned, and demonstrated the touch and feel missing previously with Orton behind center.

The offensive MVP is clearly RB Thomas Jones. Following the head-scratching selection of Cedric Benson in the 2005 Draft, it appeared that the Bears determined Jones to be too small for the rigors of their run-first offense. But instead of succombing to the late signing Benson, Jones stepped up and solidified his position as the number one back. 1,335 yards and 9 touchdowns later, the Bears have a real issue in deciding who will be their starting back going into next season. Suffice it to say, if Benson overtakes Jones, it will mean that he has elite back talents and the Bears will be in great shape. Going into the draft, this is one position Chicago can ignore.

The major weakness for the Bears has been wide receiver, and this season was no different. In 2005 the Bears signed WR Muhsin Muhammad to be their number one, go-to receiver, however, with a limited passing game, even the reigning league leader in receiving TDs found his production limited. However, where some may worry that the money was not well spent, Muhammad seemed to fall right back into the groove with the return of Grossman. Muhammad specifically cited the abilities of Grossman as one of the key reasons he joined the Bears, and there is little reason to believe he will not return to Pro Bawl status. The real issue is the lack of a supporting cast. WR Justin Gage has the size and athletic gifts to be a solid number 2, but he lacks the awareness and technical skill to move to that next level. He and Bernard Berrian are clearly complementary players at this point, with little hope of improvement. There is hope, however. Rookie WR Mark Bradley showed real flashes as he became more comfortable in the the offense, pulling in 5 passes for 88 yards in his last game before getting injured. It is likely the Bears will bring in a rookie to increase the competition, but as of now, Bradley looks like a solid number two guy going into 2006. Lastly, for all of the issues at receiver, tight end has been an sore spot for Bears fans for a while. Desmond Clark was supposed to fix that when he came over from Denver, but all he has proven to be is an average blocker unable to get open on a consistent basis. Rest assured that the Bears will look to solve this problem as soon as possible in the draft.

Finally, the offensive line. While focusing on defense in their rebulding effort, the Bears also spent the past two seasons creating a solid offensive line. C Olin Kreutz and LT John Tait continue to play at a Pro Bowl level, while recent free agent acquisitions Ruben Brown and Fred Miller proved to be worth every penny spent on them. The only potential problem area could have been right guard, but 4 year vet Terrence Metcalf and free agent Roberto Garza both played solidly, providing sufficient pass protection and above average run blocking.

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