Bears Want What The Blackhawks Achieved, But….

As we all could’ve expected, the Bears were excited about the Blackhawks victory. Many voiced the same theme: We want to do the same. The Bears took out an ad in the Chicago Tribune to congratulate the Blackhawks and, seemingly, remind people: “Hey! We’re still here!”

What sparked my intrigue was this quote from Brad Maynard:

“I wouldn’t say I got quite as emotional as Jeremy Roenick did, but I felt what he felt. It’s the kind of feeling we would get if we won the Super Bowl. You couldn’t help but sit there and think that. It’s happening here in Chicago for the Blackhawks. Why can’t it happen for the Bears?”

Here’s why, Brad: Even with Jay Cutler and the addition of Julius Peppers, we’re still a long ways away from a title. With that sentence alone, I probably made some people mad, mostly because this is the time of year that everyone’s optimistic about the club. Mike Martz’s offense has a track record of improving teams in the first year. That’s undeniable. But Cutler got killed in Ron Turner’s scheme taking three-step drops. Color me worried that Cutler will be asked to run numerous seven-step drops behind a porous OL. Brandon Manumaleuna will help (having a TE that is essentially another tackle never hurts), but I’m worried about how our offensive line will hold up. Having two solid running backs is nice, but only behind a good offensive line.

On the defensive side, we signed Julius Peppers. Having a defensive end that can get upfield and is a legitimate sack threat will inevitably help. But, Peppers is known to take some plays off. We can’t have that. All defensive schemes will work if the defensive line gets repeated pressure on the quarterback. Do you trust our current defensive line to do that? I don’t, at least not yet. Seeing is believing.

Yes, Chicago is a Bears town first and foremost. I’ve heard numerous chatter the last few days about which team’s championship would spark the biggest rally. Frankly, I don’t want to get into that argument. I wish I could put lipstick on this pig and say that the Bears will be a contender this year. They’ll push for a wild card slot and fall short. Again.

Let the vitriol begin….