Watching the Bears this year had to be my most dismal experience as a fan.
I watched as a quarterback that had just come off his best season as a pro dropped to third on the depth chart.
I watched a flawless defense from a year before blow coverages, and miss tackle after tackle after tackle as though every running back in the NFL was riding in an invisible steam roller.
And don’t even get me started on Cedric Benson (that would take at least 4 articles).
Now (thankfully) this season is over, and we’re forced to call the New York Giants the best team in the NFL. Those that are lucky enough to have good teams that made the playoffs will reflect on the season that was. For the rest of us, we started looking forward to next year a long time ago.
My Bears have a long offseason ahead of them and if they want to make it to the Promised Land once again, they had better get their priorities straight.
1) Draft an Offensive Lineman in the First Round:I don’t care how deep this draft is at D’s T and E, that’s why we have proven talent named Brown, Harris, Ogunleye, and Anderson. One of those talents doesn’t even start. On the other side of the ball, our line is aging and deteriorating right before our very eyes. We have the injury prone John Tait, the sack prone Terrence Metcalf, and the penalty prone Fred Miller. Not to mention the ancient Ruben Brown. Time to get younger and FYI the Draft’s depth at o-line isn’t so bad either. While there’s virtually no shot of landing a studly Jake Long, Boise’s Ryan Clady or USC’s Chilo Rachal could bolster a porous front five.
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2) Sign a Running Back…..a GOOD Running Back:
This is the NFL, Cedric, where the big boys play. And there’s a reason why Klenex doesn’t sponsor the NFL. Big boys don’t cry. Crying got you the contract and number one on the depth chart, but (and I know this sounds harsh, and it might make your feelings hurt) you play like the biggest pussy on the face of the planet.
It’s a miracle the wind doesn’t blow you over, because the smallest tap sends you crashing to the turf. It wouldn’t make a bit of difference if you were fast or could make people miss, but then you’d actually be earning your huge paycheck. Unless you believe 3.4 yards* per carry warrants an all-pro salary.
No Cedric, your time here is over. Time to usher in a back that can win us games and take pressure away from the passing game. This year’s free agents have a wide array of talented backs for the choosing:
How about a young unrestricted Michael Turner, eager to prove his worth, after riding the pine behind the league’s premier back? Maybe he learned a few tricks along the way.
Or perhaps a tough and rejuvenated Jamal Lewis*, coming fresh off his first full season in three years. He’s a huge reason the revamped Browns could even think playoffs in December. Nine TD’s and a steady 1,176 would look nice in navy blue and orange.
Maybe make a play for the restricted Derrick Ward*, a reason the now defending champs were even in contention. Those of us in Chicago haven’t forgotten the buck fifty you steamrolled on us in week 13. Not to mention the fact that you averaged a full 1.5 yards more per carry than our number 1.
3) Time to hand over the Playbook:
Ron Turner’s days in Chicago have to be numbered. I’m reminded of the 2002 year in which the offense was generalled by a man named John Schoop, a man who on third and fifteen was notorious for calling a wide receiver screen which NEVER worked. The Bears were ranked 27th in the NFL in total offense*, 29th in third down proficiency*, 30th in rushing*, an abysmal 32nd in yards per carry at 3.1.*, and was 4th in interceptions thrown*. That screams that it’s time to clean house, but let’s take it one step at a time. Turner’s first.
What are the chances that a Bears front office rep is perusing the blogs of a 19 year old die hard such as myself? None. My voice will go unheard by those I am trying to reach. But sometimes it’s good to vent.
And there’s always a chance they will address the needs I specified. Bottom line is, something needs to change, or this coming year will be a de ja vu of the mundane. Pretty soon we won’t even have “at least we swept the Packers,” to hang our hats on.
*All stats in this article can be found at NFL.com
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6 months ago
How can you blame it all on Benson? He saw 3 crappy QBs rotate playing time along with a terrible offensive line along with terrible coaching. There were a few games that Benson took off and they only gave him 10 carries?? What about the last 3 games when Benson and the O-line started clicking and he busted off a bunch of runs over 20 yards? But here's what kills me....everyone blames Benson and they were calling for Peterson all year. What did Peterson do when he got the call??? Averaged the same yards per carry as Benson did. Why do you think that is? Because they have no QB and NO O-Line!! Teams come into these games with the mindset of "Ok Rex, beat us with the pass" and he can't. They are stacking the box. There is no RB in the league that could have had a good season running the ball with the bears offense. You say bring in Jamal Lewis?? The offensive line is the best in the league over in Cleveland which is why Jamal was rejuvinated. He didn't do anything over the past couple years. Also the reason why Derek Anderson had a fantastic year....the O-LINE!!! You put Benson on Cleveland this year and I bet he has a better year than Lewis. I would love to see another RB like Michael Turner come in and stink it up. Peterson stunk and so would another back. It's too bad Benson takes all the blame.
from 6 months ago
You say Peterson and Benson averaged the same amount of yards, so why pay Benson an all-pro salary to produce as much as his backup? As a starter, Cedric has shown no promise of living up to his potential. While I agree our three QB's aren't so great, it doesn't take a pro-bowler to hand the ball off. And while I also agree that our o-line was porous this year (hence the reason addressing it is priority number 1 in this article) he is running behind one of the best centers in the game. Our front five was one of the best in '06, it didn't magically turn into one of the worst in the course of a year with no significant change in personel. They're not great, but not the worst, just old. The fact that our offense was predictable didn't help their cause, which is why Turner needs to go (priority number 3).
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