Finishing off my previews for the 2010 NFL regular season, my Chicago Bears take center stage for an in-depth look at the team's make-up and prospects. This first installment will feature the Bear offensive and the special teams unit.
It's been a busy offseason in the windy city, with new faces on the roster as well as on the coaching staff in what would seem to be a make-or-break year for head coach Lovie Smith and GM Jerry Angelo. Coordinator Mike Martz brings his ballyhooed playbook with him to Solider Field while Mike Tice takes his hard-nosed approach to coaching the offensive line. Martz's "genius" was not on full display during the preseason, but I don't doubt he will unveil his best when the season starts. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely convinced it will work exactly the way he intends. With the offense asking the quarterback to throw at a spot on the field rather than technically at the receiver, I expect to see some growing pains and miscues early.
The Offense
As we all know, strong-armed Jay Cutler will be under center for the Bears when the season starts. As polarizing an athlete as the city has seen in some time, Cutler has to improve his decision making skills after taking the snap. He can make all the reads as well as all the throws, but Cutler's mechanics tend to degrade when he's under duress, as with most quarterbacks. Unfortunately when that happens he also makes bad choices and acts like he's playing flag football in his backyard. In this offense Cutler will be saddled with more responsibility than ever before and he will be asked to trust that his receivers will be in position. I trust Jay, but after a 27-TD and 26-INT season in 2009, the pressure is on. Backing him up will be Todd Collins, a journeyman back-up that will competently run the offense if needed, but let's hope it never gets to him.
He looks like a grown-up now. Well done Jay.
Protecting our prized franchise quarterback is a new-look offensive line, with mainstay Olin Kreutz still at center. While he isn't the same player he was four years ago, Kreutz is still an above-average center with solid hand placement and experience with using leverage at the line. Unfortunately, that leverage can only help so much, as Kreutz will be outplayed and over-matched against some of the bigger and stronger defensive tackles in the league. Kreutz is flanked on the left by Roberto Garza, making the switch from right to left guard. On Kreutz's right, seventh-round rookie Lance Louis will start the season at guard. This year, Frank Omiyale gets to move back to his more natural position of right tackle, which hopefully means an improved performance on the field. Most importantly, third year man Chris Williams will play out the season at left tackle at seeing time at right during most of last season. He moved to the left side down the stretch after Orlando Pace's was proclaimed irredeemable. Williams is going to get more help on the outside than he did during the preseason, but a franchise left tackle needs to be able to play on an island occasionally against the defense's best pass-rusher. This year we get to see if he can do it.
Behind the line, the Bears may have the best running back unit since Angelo took control of the team. Matt Forte is back at 100% after a hamstring hampered his production last season and showed that missing speed on a few runs during the preseason. Luckily, Forte won't be forced to carry the ball an ungodly amount of times this season, thanks to one of the Bears' key free agent signings in the Chester Taylor. Stealing him from division rival Minnesota means the Bears made a significant improvement while weakening their primary competition. Taylor is shifty with decent speed and has less tread on his tires than other backs of his age after back-up Adrian Peterson. Despite the speculation, both Garrett Wolfe and Kahlil Bell made the 53-man roster, giving the Bears a contributing special teamer in Wolfe and an actual third RB in Bell.
Much in the same vein as the running backs, the Bears have a glut of talented tight ends, keeping four on the roster. Dependable Desmond Clark is technically listed as an H-back, meaning you'll see him (as well as the other TE's) in the backfield in the fullback spot. Clark is still the most versatile of the Bears' tight ends with the ability to block as well as to go out and run routes. Greg Olsen returns after his best season as a Bear with 60 catches and eight touchdowns. His fourth year in the league, many hope Olsen takes a step forward, but it's still unclear how many passes he'll see his way in this system. Regardless, when the Bears hit the redzone, Olsen will see the ball come his way. Free agent Brandon Manumaleuna is like an extra tackle at the end of the line, signed for his blocking prowess, size and knowledge of the Martz offense. Kellen Davis luckily made it onto the roster, but provides excellent size and athleticism at the position.
Much to the chagrin of most Bears fans, Jerry Angelo made no adjustments to the position with the most need: wide receiver. Johnny Knox is coming off an impressive rookie campaign and seems to have Cutler's eye when in trouble. Along with Earl Bennett and Devin Aromashodu, Knox is an actual wide-out, unlike Devin Hester and Rashied Davis, who are converted defensive backs. Everyone is looking at Aromashodu for a break-out year, but that might be wishful thinking. As much as I like his size, D.A. might not be ready to become a true number one receiver this year, if ever. Knox, Hester and Davis are great fits for Martz's system, which spreads the ball around. One of them will likely break the 1,000 yard plateau, which would be Knox if I were a betting man. I just don't have faith in Hester to take that next step forward. He's a number two at best. While I'm not as negative about this group as I was last year, it's unsettling that Angelo didn't made any changes. Hopefully this offense makes them look as good as the coaching staff is telling us they are.
Special Teams
A strength of the Bears thanks to coach Dave Toub, this unit is relatively unchanged from last year. Robbie Gould is one of the most accurate kickers in the game and has recently shown that he can occasionally be called on to kick those 50+ field goals that Smith never used to trust him with. Brad Maynard returns as the team's punter, with Patrick Mannelly snapping it from long range. Maynard's always one of the better punters in the NFL, usually with great length and a solid net. Johnny Knox and Danieal Manning are the team's kick returners, both with ability to go the distance. Manning excels at kick returns because of his straight-forward speed and tackle-breaking skills. After going two seasons without a special teams score, Devin Hester's punt return abilities haven't been showcased. Hester has to return to his 2007 form if this Bears team wants to reach the top of the NFC North.
Please come back Devin!
Check back soon for a preview of the defense and my prediction for the 2010 Chicago Bears!
Happy Jay Cutler Day!
Keywords: Brad Maynard, Brandon Manumaleuna, Chester Taylor, Chicago Bears, Chris Williams, Danieal Manning, Dave Toub, Desmond Clark, Devin Aromashodu, Devin Hester, Frank Omiyale, Greg Olsen, Jay Cutler, Joe Anello, Johnny Knox, Lance Louis, Lovie Smith, Matt Forte, Mike Martz, Mike Tice, NFL, Olin Kreutz, Robbie Gould, Roberto Garza, Todd Collins
