Five Storylines For The Bears' Season

(Photo by Jim Prisching/Getty Images)

Now, like most recievers on the roster, he will be helped immediately by Cutler, though the questions still lingers. Should the Bears continue to use him at receiver?  

Maybe.

This year will be a big barometer of whether or not Hester will continue to be used at receiver.

In addition to Hester, the Bears will send out Rashied Davis, Earl Bennet, and draft picks Juaquin Iglesias, Johnny Knox and Derek Kinder—none of which are bound to strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses.  

Bennet is an intriguing prospect if not for the sole reason of being Cutler's go—to target when they both played at Vanderbilt.  Cutler still owns most of the passing records at Vanderbilt while Earl Bennet still holds most of the receiving records.  Whether their success at the college level translates into success on the professional level is yet to be determined.

A person that many people forget about in the passing game was conincidentally the Bears leading receiver last year—running back Matt Forte. Forte led the Bears in receptions last year and led all rookie running backs in all—purpose yards.  

He figures to be a key ingredient in the passing game this year again. Jay Cutler can only do so much though. It will be interesting to see who will step up and be Cutler's main guy this year.

How will the protection be for Cutler?

Now that the Bears have their franchise signal—caller, they better do everything in their power to protect him.

Last year the team spent its first round pick on tackle Chris Williams, another Vanderbilt prospect. But he was hindered for much of the season due to back surgery.

Gone are veterans John St. Clair, John Tait and Terrance Metcalf.  They have anchored the Bears line for several years now.  Replacing them figures to be Williams, along with free agent signees Orlando Pace and Frank Omiyale as well as John Beekman and Roberto Garza.  

As stated before, the line expects to be completed with the additions of Pace and Omiyale at the tackle positions and Beekman/Garza and Chris Williams at the guard positions.

While the starting lineup at offensive line seems to be relatively solid, it is the depth that raises concerns. Behind the starters lies little experience with the exception of Kevin Shaffer.  If the line can stay healthy, the Bears will make the playoffs.  If not, Cutler could be in for a rough year.

Can the D regain its swagger?

Not long ago, the Bears had the most feared defense in the league—bar none.  They were being compared to some of the best defenses of all time and deservedly so.  

However several years later, the same Bears defense has lost its swagger and is not getting any younger.

Some would claim that injuries are merely the reason the defense has struggled the past years. While injuries are also a big part of the equation, the Bears have clearly still not recovered from the loss of then defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

Gone are the enigmatic blitzes and schemes he once threw at opposing quarterbacks. Now it is all about sitting in a zone and waiting instead of attacking.  

The Bears have recorded fewer sacks each of the past three years. During the offseason, the Bears brought in former Lions head coach Rod Marinelli to coach the defensive line. Getting pressure with the front four is key if the Bears want to stay healthy.

Injuries to Tommie Harris, Brian Urlacher and Nathan Vasher have killed the defense in the past, but have yet another chance this year to regain the dominance they once showed a mere three seasons ago. 

However, the Bears window is certainly shutting.  

Urlacher is not getting any younger and it is only realistic to think that his production will soon start to fall off.  If Tommie Harris can stay healthy, there's no question that he can be almost Haynesworth dominant.  Up until he was hurt in the Super Bowl year, an argument could be made that no defensive player was playing at a higher level than Harris.

Another key player that has seen an alarming drop—off in production the past couple of seasons is defensive end Mark Anderson. Anderson exploded onto the scene recording 12 sacks in his rookie campaign. Expect the arrival of Marinelli to help all of the line, but especially Anderson who has had only five sacks since his rookie season.

The secondary has been riddled with injuries the past several years as well.  

Now departed safety Mike Brown was almost guaranteed to be on the IR for a window of about two seasons. Nathan Vasher has also been a constant on the injured list.  

With the departure of Brown, the Bears lost a leader for their defense. Second year safety Craig Steltz and rookie cornerback D.J. Moore may be asked to step into roles that asks them to play significant time this season.  

Expect Zachary Bowman to surprise people, and maybe give Vasher a run for his money for a starting spot, especially if Vasher struggles out of the gates.

Strength of Schedule?

The Bears play in one of the weaker divisions in the NFL with two games a year against the Lions, Packers and Vikings—none of which strike the fear in anyone's eyes.  

In addition to playing in one of the admittedly weaker divisions, the Bears play four games against teams that picked in the top six of this year's draft as well as the rebuilding 49ers.  

The Bears need to be able to take advantage of one of the weaker schedules in the NFL.

In the end, I think the Bears, being blessed with a weak schedule and an improved team, sneak into the playoffs winning the division in a tiebreaker.  

There's still too many questions surrounding the quarterback situation in Minnesota, and Green Bay needs to show that it can actually stop someone this year. Look for the win total to be in the neighborhood of ten and a home game in the division round.

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