Rozner: Next year already here for Bears
And thus begins the 2016 preseason.
As if anyone didn't know it before this year began, the 2015 season is mostly about next year and beyond, with the final nine games of this season now entirely about auditions for what comes next.
Monday night in San Diego was just another opportunity for the young and untested Bears to show the coaching staff they belong in Chicago, understanding this is a regime unafraid to slice and dice the roster, bit by bit, hoping to discover serviceable parts - and maybe much more than that.
The Bears are far away from a competitive roster as we sit here halfway through 2015, but rest assured that John Fox and friends are willing to try anyone from anywhere if they think a player might help.
They've already made huge changes to the roster and won't be afraid to make many more as they search for future Bears, and Matt Forte's injury - while unfortunate for him - just meant an opportunity Monday night for rookie Jeremy Langford to show what he can do.
The fourth-round pick dropped a crucial third-down pass a week ago and was desperate to show that he could get the job done against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league.
"I'm very excited," Langford said over the weekend. "But at the same time, I have to relax and take it one day at a time, especially because it's on Monday Night Football. I just need to do my best to take advantage of the opportunity."
Ka'Deem Carey didn't have a single carry this season going into Monday night but the 2014 fourth-rounder got the start and he and Langford ran early and often Monday, the biggest play a 31-yard gain on a brilliant, diving catch by Langford, who was really good in the pass game against the Chargers.
While Forte gets healthy and the Bears ponder his future, they move along without him.
"We have no choice. Matt is not coming back. At least, not this game anyway," said Jay Cutler. "We're going to have to work with (Langford) and he makes it easy.
"You develop trust pretty quickly because of the way he holds himself to a certain standard in practice every day."
The Bears need help on the offensive line as well, but Charles Leno is trying to make his case at left tackle while Jermon Bushrod struggles to return from injuries, and constant alterations on the line have hardly made life simple for Cutler, who has also had to make due with myriad injuries in the receiving corps.
But the Bears' biggest problems are on defense, where they simply don't have enough playmakers.
They need impact players at every level of the defense and that's not easy to find in a single off-season, but even a couple before next year would make them a more competitive team and give them a chance to finish more games.
So Monday might have looked like a meaningless game between two bad teams, and in the win-loss column it certainly was, but for the Bears this season every game has value as they try to find players and build toward something they hope resembles a playoff team next season.
They need someone who can get to the quarterback, probably two more linebackers and at least one safety who can find the football, and that's a lot of work to do for GM Ryan Pace if the Bears want to sniff the postseason next year.
But that's only half of it, as this coaching staff has already displayed the ability to use spare parts in odd places and they've spent the first half of the season moving out useless players in favor of those who might have a chance to play.
In truth, the work has only just begun and that makes the rest of 2015 one long audition.
Welcome to the 2016 preseason.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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