Bears need four stars to shine, and four others to step up

The Bears cannot have a successful season without big years from their big-name, big-money players, also known as Julius Peppers, Jay Cutler, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

"The key to this roster, like it is with any NFL roster, your core players, the guys you're paying money to, the guys that you're building on, they've got to play to their ceilings," general manager Jerry Angelo said. "They have to play. They've got to stay healthy, and they've got to play to their abilities. Everything else is built around that. If that core isn't playing well, then it doesn't really make a difference what No. 51, 52 and 53 (on the roster) look like."

But big efforts from the big hitters are just the start if the Bears want to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

They'll also need big-time efforts and break-out seasons from less well-known players.

Of the most well-compensated Bears, only Briggs was worth the investment last season, making his fifth straight Pro Bowl.

Cutler threw 26 interceptions and posted the lowest passer rating of his career. Urlacher didn't make it to the second half of the first game because of a dislocated wrist.

Peppers got a potential $91.5 million contract not just to rack up double figures in sacks, something the Bears haven't had in four years, but to attract so much attention from opposing offenses that his teammates have more chances to make big plays.

Urlacher just needs to get back to his form of 2007. That was a year after the last of his six Pro Bowl seasons, but Urlacher led the Bears that year with 158 tackles and had a rare "55" - 5 interceptions and 5 sacks. That would be enough.

Cutler needs to reverse an alarming trend that has seen his passer rating drop every year he's been in the league, from 88.5 to 88.1 to 86.0 to last year's 76.8. Over that same time, his interception totals climbed from 5 to 14 to 18 to 26 in 2009.

Briggs? A sixth straight Pro Bowl would suffice.

But there has to be more. When the Bears made it to Super Bowl XLI, they had eight Pro Bowl players. It was expected from Urlacher and Olin Kreutz, who made it for the sixth time each, and from Tommie Harris and Briggs, who each made it for the second time.

But special-teams coverage ace Brendon Ayanbadejo, kick returner Devin Hester and place-kicker Robbie Gould all made their first Pro Bowls, and guard Ruben Brown made it back one last time after eight trips as a member of the Bills.

This year the Bears must have other players step up to complement the stars.

But which ones?

How about left tackle Chris Williams, defensive end mark Anderson, safety Major Wright and wide receiver Devin Aromashodu? None of them has ever made a Pro Bowl, but all will have opportunities to become impact players - or to disappoint.

For Cutler to reach his potential, Williams has to make him feel secure by protecting his blind side. Williams doesn't have to play well enough to get to the Pro Bowl, but he does have to provide peace of mind for the Bears' most important player.

Anderson showed as a rookie that he could take advantage of a situation when the opposition is focused on other players. He had a dozen sacks as a rookie in 2006 as Harris was creating havoc inside and Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye were the players that other teams worried about. Anderson should have similar opportunities this year while sharing the left end spot with Israel Idonije.

Wright might already be starting had he not suffered a finger injury in the preseason opener. He may be the Bears' most complete safety before long, with the ability and range to make plays on the ball, and the tackling ability to help in run support.

Aromashodu has been a Cutler favorite since last year's training camp because he's the Bears' biggest target and has the speed to get deep. In the final four games last season he snagged 22 passes for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns. Over a 16-game season that's 88 receptions, 1,128 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Of course the Bears need their stars to show up this year, but they need other players to step up, too.