PFF: Could the Bears Be in Danger of Going from First to Worst?
The guys at Pro Football Focus are going around the league previewing teams for the upcoming season. The Chicago Bears were recently featured and they weren’t necessarily complimentary. Here are the highlights or reasons to be confident (we’ll get to the lowlights in a bit):
- They like Julius Peppers. A lot. What’s not to like?
- The Bears have versatility and depth at running back. These are good things according to PFF.
- Good linebackers. At least those first 2 guys. After that, uh, not so much. But Urlacher and Briggs trump a total lack of depth
- When Jay is good, he’s good.
- Experience and Intangibles
Hit the jump to see the lowlights:
Reasons to be concerned:
- The offensive line. Game, set, match. In case you needed more reasons, they have 4 more.
- Defensive line is not all that deep, but if those reclamation projects like Gholston and Okoye come through, look out!
- Bad Jay. You mean like Bad Rex? How original.
- Tough division. PFF liked what the Packers and Lions did this offseason more than the Bears. Huh?
- Something about Brandon Manumaleuna and the tight end position. Um, they don’t figure that prominently in Mike Martz’s offense. We’re reaching here a bit, aren’t we???
This is such a typical outsider’s view of the Bears. I didn’t even bother highlighting the usual, “the Bears will completely fall apart without Olin Kreutz” point that they made. Am I over the top on the Bears chances this year? No, I’m not picking them to get back to the NFC Championship game, but there are plenty of reasons besides bad Jay and the freaking tight ends.
Let me boil all of this down to the very heart of the issue – the Bears will have a winning season if they stay healthy on defense and if the offensive line can block people. Everything else is BS window dressing.