Chicago Bears Finish 5-11: A Mostly Unbiased View
Dec 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) looks at the clock in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Vikings win 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
It can be hard being a fan of an NFL team. The rollercoaster ride from week to week can be exhausting. One week your team looks like they could take on anybody, but just a week later they could be taken apart by a team that you don’t think they should have any trouble defeating. It’s never as good or bad as it seems, and certain problems will persist throughout a season while others can be worked through. That’s why we here at BGO have decided to bring you “Bear and Balanced: A Mostly Unbiased View of your Chicago Bears”. I can find the silver lining to any cloud, but also find areas of concern in the most convincing victory. Each week I’ll try to bring you the facts from the game from an unbiased standpoint to help you, the fans, get a better feel for where the season is going.
Whew! I was beginning to think this season would never end. The Chicago Bears avoided the dreaded final week victory and secured the 7th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, so rather than go over the Vikings game scouring for points to be optimistic about, I’ve decided to focus on the upcoming offseason and the future. As disappointing as this season was, I think securing a high draft pick this May is huge. This team needs some talent, and another middle-of-the-pack pick just wasn’t going to cut it. Let’s get down to business and take a look at some of the decisions the Bears will be facing this offseason, as well as a few of the players they could be eyeballing with their first pick.
The Chicago Bears are handling this turnover well so far. There are already a few detractors saying that it was a bad move to fire Marc Trestman, but I disagree. These people are saying that the debacle the team is in is mostly Phil Emery’s fault, and they aren’t exactly wrong. Phil Emery hit on a few moves, but the bad has definitely outweighed the good at this point. He’s also largely to blame for Jay Cutler’s ridiculous contract extension, but Trestman had to go as well or they would have been in a much worse position for their search for a new GM.
The Chicago Bears general manager position is already not an ideal situation for anyone. Whomever the Chicago Bears give this job to will be stuck between a rock and a hard place immediately. Do they keep Jay Cutler for another season to keep the salary cap situation manageable? This would allow the Bears to make a play for a marquis free agent or two this offseason, and bringing in the right players could help set up the foundation of the team for years to come. On the other end, they would still have Jay Cutler as their starting quarterback and would likely be headed for another disappointing season. Do they let Cutler go and eat the salary cap hit? This route would basically be giving up on next season before it starts, but could be a solid move for the future. If they think next season will be a bust anyway, getting the cap situation figured out and having their sights set on 2016 could be the right move to make.
Regardless of what the future GM decides to do with Cutler, forcing Marc Trestman on the candidates would have made it difficult to fill the position. Let the new guy come in, hire his own coach and make this team his own. We definitely don’t want another awkward Lovie Smith situation.
Hit the page break to see what I think the Chicago Bears should do with their first pick…