Five Storylines For The Bears' Season

(Photo by Jim Prisching/Getty Images)

As the start of summer approaches, it is an exciting time to be a sports fan for many reasons.  

The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full force with a Crosby/Ovechkin series to headline.

The NBA playoffs are in full force as people are anxious to see if this is finally the year that LeBron James will get the ring that has eluded him so far. O this is the year Kobe Bryant can prove, once and for all, the he can shoulder the weight of a team and win his first Shaq-less ring.

These two exciting playoffs coupled with the start to the MLB season gives the sports fan plenty to watch in the coming weeks. However, sadly enough, the playoffs will be over in several weeks and the dog days of the MLB will set in—leaving us with perhaps the most boring stretch of the calendar year into July and August.

But among everything that is going on right now, the start of NFL training camps is enough to get the football fan aroused.  

Before the season, all 32 teams have that dream that they can be this year's Arizona Cardinals and reach the Super Bowl. One team in the Cardinals' position not too long ago was the Chicago Bears.  

Led by a stout defense and bruising running attack, the Bears were able to conquer the NFC and advance to the Super Bowl.  Although they lost to the Colts, there was much optimism for the team headed into the next couple of years.  

For the first time in a while, the quarterback situation seemed stable as Rex Grossman—who at times was still turnover prone—was able to lead the team to a Super Bowl.  

The core of the defense was to remain.  The only player who was not going to return was running back Thomas Jones who was traded to the New York Jets for draft picks.  

The Bears haven't been able to regain their Super Bowl swagger since their appearance in the game's biggest stage.

But going into this season, there is hope once again in the Windy City that their beloved Bears can make it back to the postseason.  Here are five story lines to watch coming into the season.

The Cutler Effect

Obviously there were big names on the move this offseason including Terrell Owens, Kellen Winslow and Matt Cassell. But the trading of Jay Cutler to the Bears was easily the most astounding.  

New Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels and the quarterback were never on the same page. After weeks of speculation about whether he would be the Broncos starting quarterback at the start of the season, the team finally dealt him to the Bears for their 2009 & 2010 first round picks as well as current quarterback Kyle Orton and a 2009 third round pick.  

While most will say that the Bears gave up too much to get a quarterback who has a career winning percentage of .500, I would counter by saying this.  

Never in Chicago have the Bears had a quarterback the caliber of Jay Cutler.  

He is a perennial pro bowler who amassed over 4,000+ yards through the air last year. The Bears have never had a quarterback who has sniffed 4,000 yards in a year.  

For the first time in franchise history, the team has a franchise quarterback.  

The best part?

He's only 26 years old. He is playing in a division that will allow him to play against the Lions and Packers, two of the poorer defensive teams last year twice a year.  

Virtually every season has seen the Bears go in with a question mark at quarterback. This year, it can be argued that no position is more solidified than the quarterback position going into the season.

But who will he throw to?

If there was a weakness on the Bears, wide receiver would be it. If not for tight ends Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, the Bears might have the worst receiving core. The passing game will continue to rely on the tight ends.  

Greg Olsen is one of the up and coming stars at TE in the league, and there is reason to believe that he will only continue to get better now that he has Jay Cutler throwing him balls.  

The wide receivers on the team are suspect at best. The Devin Hester experiment is coming into the third year with mixed results for the last two. While an undeniable talent blessed with blazing speed, Hester has still not become the go—to receiver that the Bears thought he would.

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