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Rozner: Bears not quite who we thought they were

The pick here was that the Bears would go 6-10 in 2015.

Yet, oddly, the Bears were not at all who we thought they were by the time they lost their 10th game of the season.

These Bears were considerably different from 2014, when it was a disorganized, discontented and dispassionate bunch of players.

The biggest change came at quarterback, where Jay Cutler had his finest season as a professional, playing with poise and patience, and with a keen understanding of an offense he truly enjoyed running.

Coordinator Adam Gase tried something no boss had the smarts to attempt before, and that was simply to give Cutler a scheme he thrived in and wanted to be a part of from the minute Gase arrived.

What a concept.

And despite being saddled with his seventh coordinator in 10 NFL seasons, Cutler played the position better than he had at any time since being traded to Chicago, and this while having - at times - the worst receiving corps in the NFL and an offensive line that was in constant turmoil.

If you suspected this a possibility after all the Cutler misery of the past few years, congratulations because no one else saw this coming.

But the price John Fox pays now for the Gase-Cutler marriage working so well is Gase was certain to get a head coaching opportunity after fixing the unfixable QB, and that happened Saturday morning when Gase went to Miami.

It was a job well done and now a job well earned.

Unfortunately for the Bears, Cutler will get yet another new coordinator, but hopefully a scheme that is essentially the same. Fox has already said that the plan will remain the same, but Cutler being Cutler, there is no guarantee that he will work and play as well with the new offensive boss.

So even with all the gains the Bears made in 2015, the story will again be about Cutler heading into the 2016 season.

It doesn't, however, erode all the progress the Bears made in 2015, nor does it erase all the good that came of a regime change in its first year.

These Bears do not stand pat, a welcome change from the last couple decades. When they see players who can't play, they look for those who can, and that was a constant theme in 2015.

Fox and GM Ryan Pace are not afraid to make alterations, and let's hope that applies even when their own draft picks or signings are failures.

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is thus far still a part of the staff and that's good news for a Bears defense that overachieved while severely lacking talent.

"It comes down to adding playmakers all over the field on defense," Pace said last week. "John and I talk about this all the time. We have to get better on third downs. We have to improve our pass rush. We have to improve our ball skills. And that comes down to adding playmakers on defense."

This is all true and something of a massive understatement.

The Bears were better on defense this season because of their coaching, but they need players on defense at virtually every position.

Assuming they re-sign Tracy Porter at cornerback, the Bears - in a perfect world - could use another corner, not mention at least another safety.

At linebacker, they desperately need a couple of guys inside.

On the defensive line, they could use a couple of large men who can get to the quarterback.

Yes, in a perfect world, they would add as many as seven new starters.

That's not going to happen, but that's how big the talent gap is on a defense that found some usable pieces and played better because players understood their assignments and were coached to be in the right place at the right time.

The Bears do have plenty of cap space to start shopping, but signing free agents rarely works as well as a team hopes and it's always best to build through the draft.

Still, the Bears on defense went from 30th in 2014 to 14th this season with few difference-makers, and one has the right to believe they will take another big step forward next season if they can add at least one significant piece to each level of the defense.

The Bears lost eight games in 2015 by one score or less, a single possession on offense or defense making the difference.

They lack talent and they know it.

Now, it's up to Pace and Fox to find some players who can change games with a single play. If they do their jobs this off-season, the Bears could turn this into a playoff-caliber team quickly.

And then they have to hope that Cutler doesn't regress - and go back to being who we thought he was.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Hear Barry Rozner on WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.

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