Rozner: Bears more than a few pieces away

And just as quickly as it arrived, the "winning culture" disappeared Sunday afternoon on the lakefront.

The Chicago Bears had suddenly developed that captivating ethos last week, according to the new narrative so prevalent in Chicago. After losing three in a row and four out of five, a single victory over a terrible Tampa team is all it took to establish such an attitude.

Of course, it was nonsense.

A win last week did not make this a winning season and a loss Sunday to Detroit did not erase the steps forward the Bears took in 2016.

They finished 6-10 after a 24-20 loss to the equally erratic Lions (7-9) at Soldier Field, displaying so much of what got the Bears to this position en route to winning the race to last place in the NFC North.

"Today was pretty much a microcosm of our season," said head coach John Fox. "I think we just need a couple of pieces. We aren't real far."

Far from what is the question.

The Bears are only a couple of pieces away from being a .500 team. They went 1-7 at Soldier Field this season and 4 of those defeats were by a combined 12 points.

"It wasn't like we were blown out at home every week," said tackle Kyle Long, who battled through a knee injury Sunday to finish the game. "I think this regime will be able to add more pieces and close that gap and hopefully flip the scores in those close games."

The Bears are more than a few pieces from being a playoff team, but they might have as much as $80 million to spend this off-season as they build on the positives.

And, yes, there were improvements.

They have a professional coaching staff now and the Bears played hard until the end. They didn't quit - as they did in 2014 - and that matters. It matters as they search for players who can help them win down the road.

"We know the direction we're going in," said guard Matt Slauson, who was back at center again Sunday. "Our record isn't positive, but we know what we've built this year and the foundation we have for coming years."

Will that really matter when a new season begins?

"I think it does," said Zach Miller. "We continued to fight regardless of how much we were down or what the record was. You call upon that when times are tough and that's part of that foundation you lay for building toward winning.

"We came up short, but it felt like we moved in the right direction. Everyone here feels that way."

In previous seasons, Jay Cutler throwing 3 interceptions would have felt like the perfect conclusion. But Cutler hadn't thrown more than 1 pick in any game this season before Sunday, when he was hit on two of those while throwing to Arena League-quality receivers.

Yeah, the story of the offense was the holes in the line and the dearth of targets.

"Not nearly good enough," said Slauson, who was rock-solid all season. "We expect to be a lot better."

More appropriate than Cutler's INT to end a potential game-winning drive inside two minutes was the Matt Stafford third-down completion to Calvin Johnson that sealed the Bears' fate late in the fourth quarter.

Stafford had 3 touchdown passes and a 119.4 QB rating, and Johnson caught 10 balls for 137 yards and a TD.

As much as the Bears' defense fought this season, they are so lacking talent that they could probably use as many as seven new starters on defense if they can locate that many players in one off-season.

"I'm very disappointed in our record," said Pernell McPhee, one of the few who held up his end of the bargain and played through some serious injuries. "What I gave this year wasn't enough. I have to play harder and make more plays.

"Guys gave a great effort, but we have to become closer as a group and communicate better. We have to trust each other and then we'll finish plays."

Among the biggest positives were the two coordinators, Adam Gase and Vic Fangio, but there will be several head-coaching openings and both will be candidates. It's crucial that Fox elevate or import coaches as good as the ones they might lose, or the Bears will take a step back.

"That's the business for coaches and players," Long said. "It's a meat grinder. That's the NFL. Players are meat to be eaten and then they bring in new meat that tastes good.

"That's the nature of the game and that's why we love to play it. There's a sense of competition and I think that'll be the same way and maybe even ramped up a bit next year."

The Bears displayed their hunger this year, and that's a good thing. What they need next is a huge upgrade in talent.

If they can't add plenty of that, all the effort and coaching and foundation won't make much difference at all.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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