Countdown to Kickoff… 98 Days Until Chicago Bears Season Opener

Dec 16, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) gets sacked by Chicago Bears defensive end Corey Wootton (98)during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

I decided to do a countdown to the Chicago Bears season opener on September 8th versus the Cincinnati Bengals.  Thanks to one of my followers on Twitter @Beneiserle, I decided to combine the countdown with a roster preview of sorts.  

The Bears are Corey Wootton days away from the opener and defensive end Corey Wootton is set up to have his biggest season as a pro.   Wootton came on strong in 2012 and actually passed Izzy Idonije on the depth chart partway through the season.  Wootton had 27 tackles last season and 7 sacks, his best year so far.  Before last season, Wootton was just known as the guy who ended Brett Favre’s career.

His emergence has given the Bears the flexibility to make Izzy expendable and it makes me wonder if the Bears would have drafted Shea McClellin if they knew what they had in Wootton.

Wootton enters the last year of his contract, which would be great timing to have a monster season.  I think staying healthy is the biggest factor for him.  Last season gave a glimpse of what he could do when healthy.   I suspect he could rotate with Julius Peppers and McClellin to form a good group of defensive ends.

98 days and counting…