Chicago Bears: Top 15 Most Disappointing Chicago Bears of the Modern Age

The Chicago Bears have a long and rich history that includes more Hall of Fame members than any other team.  

But for every Walter Payton, Richard Dent or Brian Urlacher, there were plenty of disappointments.  

The players on this list never lived up to expectations.  Some never saw the field and others just stunk it up.  But all can be defined as utterly disappointing.

Today we'll look back at the some of the biggest let-downs for the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl Era.  So without further adieu, let us wallow in the mire at the bottom of the Bears deep historic talent pool...

Number 15: Jarron Gilbert

Gilbert would be much higher on this list were he drafted higher than 68th overall.  As it is, Gilbert was still an epic disappointment.  

Jarron was the first pick of the 2009 draft from the Chicago Bears, and the staff and fans alike were excited about the athletic ability of the defensive linemen, who we all hoped would be a force on the Bears defensive line and possibly replace the oft-injured and steadily declining Tommie Harris at the 3-tech DT spot.

Instead, the Bears got a tackle who could jump out of a pool but couldn't jump into the rotation.

Gilbert suited up for just four games for the Bears in 2009, and was released in the offseason that followed.  The Jets grabbed him up and tried to rehabilitate his future, but he suited for all of one game there and was waived in November and then signed to their practice squad.

Production wise, Gilbert has posted a single tackle in two seasons.  Not exactly what the Bears envisioned when they drafted him. 

Number 14: Dan Bazuin

When the Bears grabbed Dan Bazuin up with the 62nd overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, they envisioned a fleet of foot DE with good burst and a high football intelligence.

What they got was a huge disappointment.  

Not that Bazuin couldn't have been those things.  Unfortunately they never got the chance to find out as Dan destroyed his knee in his first training camp, forcing the Bears to place him on injured reserve for his rookie season.  

Bazuin returned in the 2008 offseason ready to prove the Bears 2nd round pick was well spent.  Instead, he ended up re-injuring the same knee and requiring another surgery.  

The Bears released him and the Texans took a shot on him by signing him to their practice squad, but his speed and burst were affected by his knee injuries and he was out of the league before the end of the season.

Number 13: Bryan Cox

Cox is the only free agent acquisition on this list.  But he was no less disappointing.

The Bears have seldom delved into the free agent market looking to make a big splash, but they grabbed the most coveted free agent on the market in '96 when they signed Bryan Cox to be the next great middle linebacker in Chicago.

But instead of a career marked by greatness, Cox's stint in Chicago was marked by injury and attitude.  The temperamental MLB was often seen arguing with his coaches and his fellow players and ended up playing just 25 games for the Bears before being released in a cost-cutting move in the '98 offseason.

The Bears would have to wait until the 2000 NFL draft to get their hands on that next great middle linebacker. 

Number 12: Gary Huff

Gary Huff was drafted with the 33rd overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft.  And inexplicably, he played four years with 22 starts for the Chicago Bears.

How bad was Huff?  His career quarterback rating is a whopping 46.8 and he threw 50 interceptions to just 16 touchdowns and lost another 23 fumbles.

Gary Huffs name regularly appears on lists compiled of the worst quarterbacks in history, and the only thing more disappointing than his career was that the Bears were hurting for a quarterback so badly that Huff was actually considered their best option for 22 games. 

Number 11: Chris Williams

When the Bear drafted Vanderbilt offensive tackle Chris Williams to be their franchise left tackle, they envisioned a dominant blind-side protector that would secure the position for a decade or more.

From the start, Jerry Angelo should have been questioning this move.  

It was revealed shortly after the draft that the Bears knew Williams needed back surgery before they drafted him, which should have set off the warning bells immediately.

Williams ended up with pretty much a wasted rookie season.  He performed well, though, in his sophomore campaign, starting at the right tackle spot until veteran LT Orlando Pace went down to injury.  Williams looked well on his way after the switch to the left side and was praised for his handling of beastly defensive end Jared Allen, who was virtually erased by Williams in their late-season meeting.

But the injury bug hit Williams once more in 2010, and he was forced to sit after an unimpressive start to the season.  Upon his return, he was placed in the left guard spot because veteran backup Frank Omiyale had outperformed him in his absence.

Williams still has a chance to redeem himself, as he is the only player on this list still with the Bears, but things aren't looking bright for him.  The Bears just drafted a dominant tackle in the first round of the 2011 draft, and they appear to be very high on 2010 seventh-rounder J'Marcus Webb, who was thrown into the starting RT role last year and showed flashes of athletic brilliance and raw talent.  

He could end up making a successful switch to the left guard spot, but only time will tell. 

Number 10: Loyd Phillips

Loyd Phillips was taken with the 10th overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft to shore up the Bears pass rush.

The defensive tackle/end from Arkansas is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, but would spend three years in Chicago doing little but riding the pine.

He did record a pair of interceptions and a fumble recovery in his career, but he never came close to living up to his billing and was out of the league after the '69 season. 

Number 9: Stan Thomas

When Stan Thomas was drafted with the 22nd pick of the 1991 draft, he was thought to be the heir apparent to retired and much loved Jimbo Covert.

But it was not to be.

Thomas would start just seven games in his four-year career (all in his rookie season) and would be out of the league by '95.  The Bears let him walk after '92.

Maybe the worst part of this was that the drafting of Thomas was forced on Mike Ditka, who did not want him, by ownership in one of the moves that culminated in the departure of Da Coach.

It's pretty bad that the most entertaining memory most have of Thomas was a screaming match he had with Ditka on the sidelines of a televised Bears game in '92. 

Number 8: Rex Grossman

The video above says it all about Sexy Rexy.  The guy had all the ability in the world, but couldn't protect the ball.

His downfall was help along by the ineptitude of his offensive coordinators (Terry Shea and Ron Turner) but it was ultimately the interceptions and fumbles that forced him out of Chicago and onto fans dartboards.

The Bears and their fans spent the first three seasons of Grossman's career waiting for him to get past injury after injury.  He broke his thumb in 2003.  In 2004, he injured his knee rushing for a touchdown in a Week 3 game against Minnesota in '04 and missed the rest of the season.  And 2005 saw him break his ankle in a preseason game that kept him out most of the season.

2006 was the first full season Grossman played in Chicago and he started out on fire, being named the NFL Offensive Player of the Month for September.  But then the Good Rex/Bad Rex stuff started and Grossman and Ron Turner's offensive game plan were exposed int he famous Arizona game that led to Denny Green's meltdown. 

Most maddening, though was that Grossman often displayed the ability to be a fantastic quarterback.  He had a cannon arm and had no problem moving the ball down the field.  And the Bears reached a Super Bowl in '06 under Grossman.  

Many will point to the Bears dominant defense as a reason for that Super Bowl trip, and that would definitely be a big part of it.  But the offense was ranked higher than the defense in points (second and third, respectively) and the team scored 427 points.

But poor decision making, loose hands and one of the most predictable passing schemes in recent memory led to Grossman losing his job to Brian Griese and eventually Kyle Orton. 

Number 7: Rashaan Salaam

Salaam was taken with the 21st pick of the 1995 draft, and proceeded to rush for over 1000 yards in his first season, setting a rookie rushing record for the Bears.  But he also fumbled the ball nine times.

Salaam had all of the ability it takes to be a great Bears running back, but had small hands resulting in 13 fumbles in just 487 touches.

The former Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado had great speed and good power, but struggled with injuries and played just three seasons with Chicago and never reached the high expectations that were set for him when he was drafted.

Number 6: Curtis Enis

The bears drafted Curtis Enis with the fifth overall pick in the 1998 draft in an attempt to replace Rashaan Salaam.  Enis had incredible speed and strength and was expected to be a huge star in the run-up to the draft.

But Enis never lived up to the hype.  His rookie campaign was cut short by injury and then-coach Dick Jauron wanted Enis to lose weight to become a better pass-catching back.

Enis never adapted to Jauron's strategy and fizzled out quickly, in part due to a degenerative knee condition that forced his retirement.

But one of the reasons Enis rates so high is that the Bears were rumored to be interested in Randy Moss in that draft, as well.  But hey were too concerned with his off-field issues and decided on Enis instead.

Making it even worse?  Walter Payton advised the Bears against drafting Enis over Moss.  But then, what would Payton have known about what it takes to be a greatness as football player? 

Number 5: Cedric Benson

Benson was drafted fourth overall in 2005 to finally fill the Bears need for a great rusher that had been present since Neil Anderson retired.  But it wasn't to be.

The players took exception to Benson's drafting in what they saw a a slight to locker-room favorite Thomas Jones.  

Benson compounded this by holding out through training camp.

This became even worse as Thomas Jones came into his own as a dominant rusher while the Bears front office pushed for Benson to be on the field because of his draft status.

This culminated in Jones asking for a trade and Angelo granting it.

With Jones out of the way, Benson proceeded to do not much of anything on the field and to do too much off of it.  After his second alcohol related arrest, Benson was released by the Bears.

Ced ended up becoming a decent back with the Bengals, but as far as Chicago is concerned, he will always be a disappointment. 

Number 4: David Terrell

David Terrell was a college legend for the University of Michigan (that is all built on one season of production) and a legend in his own mind in Chicago.

Chicago grabbed up the brash wideout with the ninth pick of the 2001 draft in the hopes of replacing the oft-injured Marcus Robinson. (maybe trying to make up for taking Enis instead of Moss?)

But Terrell never went anywhere and amassed all of 1602 yards and nine touchdowns in four disappointing season with Chicago.  And making it worse was that there were so many good receivers available in this draft, including Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne and Chad Ochocinco.  

Michael Haynes

Along with Rex Grossman, Haynes made for a horrible first round for the Bears in 2003.  

Haynes was actually drafted before Grossman with the 16th overall pick.  But Haynes proved to be a wasted pick for the Bears.  He contributed all of five sacks, one interception and one forced fumble in three seasons with the Bears that disappointed everyone.

By the 2006 Super Bowl run, Haynes was sitting at home watching with the rest of us.

Making it worse was that Troy Polamalu was taken off the board two picks later and the Bears were rumored to be very interested in the safety from USC.   

Number 2: Joe Moore/Mike Hull

I chose to lump Moore and Hull together because they they were consecutive 1st round picks taken for the same reason with the same outcome.....and ultimately, their selections led to one of the greatest players of all time.

Hull was drafted with the 16th overall pick in the '68 draft and Moore was taken with the 11th pick of the '69 draft.  Both were taken in a desperate attempt to finally fill the void left by the legendary Gayle Sayers.

Both flopped in epic fashion.  Together they rushed for 483 yards and one touchdown in five collective seasons with six fumbles.  They also combined for a ho-hum 3.0 yard per carry and  166 receiving yards on 34 receptions.

The only good thing to come out of these consecutive wasted draft picks was that the Bears still needed a running back in '75.  Had either of these players not been disappointments, the Bears may have focused on another need instead of Walter Payton. 

Number 1: Cade McNown

Cade McNown is the undisputed biggest disappointment in Chicago History.  After a fantastic college career  at UCLA, the Bears wasted the 12^th overall pick (which they traded for) in the 1999 draft on the arrogant preseason holdout.

The Bears released Erik Kramer in McNown’s favor and ended up with Shane Matthews and Jim Miller doing the majority of starting.

McNown put up all of 16 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and 14 fumbles with a 54.6 percent completion rate in his two seasons with Chicago before being traded to the Dolphins, packaged with a seventh round draft pick to get them to take him, for a box of Crackerjacks and three packs of Grape Bubble-Yum.

So, what do you think?  Did we leave someone off?  Is the order all turned around?  Is someone here unfairly?  Sound off below and let us know what you think!