Plenty of issues to tackle if Bears hope to return to playoffs
Despite a disappointing 21-14 NFC title game loss to the Green Bay Packers, it would be unfair to characterize the Bears' 2010 season as anything less than a success.
Considering that their 11-5 regular-season record was a four-game improvement from the year before, and that they won a division title after they were widely perceived as the third-best team in the NFC North, the Bears certainly made progress.
Even general manager Jerry Angelo said he may have underestimated this team heading into the season, although he seemed to admit it still did not have a roster of elite personnel.
“We have good talent on this football team,” Angelo said at Monday's post mortem. “But when I look at this football team, it was the talent of their character that was most impressive. We did a lot of good things. There will be more positives than negatives when we start planning for next year. It's not like we have a bevy of holes or a bevy of concerns going into this.”
But there is work to do if Angelo and coach Lovie Smith do not want a repeat of the three-year playoff drought that followed the Bears' last trip to the postseason in 2006. While their first order of business could be a contract extension for Smith, who will be entering the final year of his contract in the 2011 season, there are plenty of other key decisions to be made:
Offensive line
The off-season tinkering must begin with an offensive line whose best player is 34-year-old, 13-year NFL veteran center Olin Kreutz, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on March 4.
The Bears found out this season that they could survive with Frank Omiyale at left tackle and Chris Williams at left guard, Roberto Garza at right guard and rookie J'Marcus Webb at right tackle. But the Bears can't count on returning to the playoffs with an offensive line that merely allows them to survive.
And many might argue that quarterback Jay Cutler, their most valuable offensive commodity going forward, barely survived. Cutler missed the first game of his professional career after suffering a concussion and an all-around beat-down while getting sacked nine times against the Giants — in the first half.
Cutler is capable of putting up incredible numbers in Mike Martz's offense, but only if he has better protection than he did in 2010, when he was sacked an NFL-high 52 times.
Youngsters Lance Louis, massive Herman Johnson (6-foot-7, 360 pounds) and Edwin Williams have showed flashes of potential but little production, and there is no young tackle talent in the pipeline, unless Chris Williams is moved back to his original position.
Wide receiver
Another addition the Bears must make if they expect to optimize Cutler's abilities is a No. 1 wide receiver.
Johnny Knox took another impressive step in his second year and finished with 960 receiving yards and an impressive 18.8-yard average per catch. But Devin Hester appeared to regress as a receiver, catching 40 passes for 475 yards and a mediocre 11.9 yards per grab. Earl Bennett (46 catches, 561 yards) is strong, tough, reliable and has good hands, but he's more of a possession guy.
The Bears and Cutler would benefit from a big, physical wideout who can win jump balls and stretch the field. They thought they had that in 6-foot-2 Devin Aromashodu, but he proved to be too soft and lacked the physical toughness needed at the position.Running back
Matt Forte was arguably the Bears' offensive MVP in 2010. He bounced back big time from a sophomore slump to rush for 1,069 yards with a career-best 4.5-yard average and tied for the team lead with 51 receptions for 547 yards.
Chester Taylor was brought in to complement Forte and provide a backup with little drop-off in performance. But Taylor was a huge disappointment, averaging 2.4 yards per carry, the third straight season his average has dropped, a bad sign for a 31-year-old running back.
Defensive line
Defensively, Angelo has always believed in a strong front, and Julius Peppers was worth the huge investment the Bears made in him. Israel Idonije had his best season, but Tommie Harris continued to underachieve, so reinforcements may be needed inside.
Marcus Harrison is bigger and younger than free agent-to-be nose tackle Anthony Adams, but he has not played as well as Adams #8212; or to his own potential #8212; and he was inactive for 11 games this season. Handing him a job would be a big mistake.
Matt Toeaina started 10 games ahead of Harris at the three technique and is valuable for his ability to play there and on the nose.
Linebacker
There's a chance four-year veteran linebacker Nick Roach won't be an unrestricted free agent under the rules of a (hoped-for) new collective bargaining agreement. If injury-prone Pisa Tinoisamoa isn't back, they'll need Roach to team with the dynamic duo of Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.
Secondary
Last year's third-round draft pick, Major Wright, should become a starter, especially if strong safety Danieal Manning leaves via free agency.
The Bears lack a shut-down cornerback, although Charles Tillman is big and physical. But they are extremely undersized in passing situations with 5-foot-8, 185-pound left corner Tim Jennings and 5-foot-9, 183-pound nickel back D.J. Moore on the field.
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