Bears need matching 'impact' on offensive, defensive sides
The formula for building a Super Bowl winner is basic: The more impact players a team acquires, the better its chances of taking home the Lombardi Trophy.
Unfortunately for the Bears, they fell short last year and their plan fell apart this year.
The Bears accumulated enough impact players on defense to win a Super Bowl: Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Tommie Harris, for sure; Nate Vasher and Charles Tillman on a good day; Mike Brown, when he's healthy.
But they were never able to develop the impact players on offense to complement their difference-makers on defense before they started to diminish in number and skill.
Still, with the right moves, the Bears, who have shown signs of offensive firepower, are closer to bouncing back into title contention next year than they are to remaining in the NFC North cellar.
Urlacher appears to have peaked, but a better effort up front from a healthier defensive line would do wonders for his aching back.
Briggs will be difficult, if not impossible, to re-sign, but the Bears can get it done if they really want to.
Harris may or may not retain his impact status. It depends on if he forgets about piling up individual stats like sacks to secure his financial future and focuses on rushing the passer and stopping the run.
If the Bears keep those three core players healthy and happy for another couple of years, or even another year, it might be enough for young offensive standouts such as Greg Olsen and Devin Hester to mature and contribute toward another Super Bowl run.
Other important defensive components such as Vasher, Tillman, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye, Mark Anderson, Darwin Walker, Ricky Manning Jr. and Anthony Adams are already locked up for at least the next two years.
Olsen appears to have everything necessary to attain impact status, except maybe an impact quarterback to get him the ball.
Hester gives the Bears the bonus of being an impact special-teams player, and he could also make an impact at wide receiver as he continues to learn the position. But by then it could be too late for the defense, unless GM Jerry Angelo can figure out a way to reload rather than rebuild.
With Hester and Olsen, the Bears have started to build a base of difference-makers on offense. If they can hang on to their impact defenders, they could climb back up the hill with either an impact quarterback or running back.
Quarterbacks don't go from the free-agent market or college campus to impact status. But the Vikings have proved this season with Adrian Peterson that a rookie running back can have an instant impact and make a bad team dangerous almost overnight.
If Arkansas junior Darren McFadden comes out early, as expected, he's the type of runner the Bears mistakenly thought they were getting with Cedric Benson. The Bears would probably have to trade up to get him, but maybe not, the way things are going.
If Angelo is hesitant to mortgage the future, he can ante up for Michael Turner. The former North Chicago High School and Northern Illinois University stud is too expensive for the Chargers to keep behind LaDainian Tomlinson, but he's not too expensive for a team desperate to reopen the window of opportunity.