Chicago Bears Report Card: Grading Every 2011 Starter

For all intents and purposes, the 2011 season basically ended for the Chicago Bears when QB Jay Cutler got hurt. However, despite missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, they did have some solid performances.

When Cutler went down, the Bears were 7-3 and seemingly on their way to a Wild Card berth. From that point on, they went a dismal 1-5 to finish the season at 8-8.

While the team's lack of depth at QB showed, they also had holes on the offensive line, at safety and at the wide receiver position, among other problems.

Meanwhile, as the kids get ready to return to school following Christmas break, let's get out our No. 2 pencils and mark down the grades for the Bears for the 2011 season.

Jay Cutler, Quaterback

It's fairly easy to see the value of Jay Cutler as a starting QB, especially when you consider that the Bears wen 1-5 without him.

Cutler was playing well when he fractured his thumb, and the offense was rolling.

In fact, Cutler was playing so well that he masked the problems on the offensive line as well as the lack of quality receivers.

However, I won't give him an "A," because if he deserves that grade, then what would QBs like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers get?

But there is no question that Cutler is the most vital piece to this Bears team. I wish we could clone him.

Cutler took a step forward in leadership this season, being more vocal, and was largely responsible for putting "Mad" Mike Martz in his place.

Despite almost getting killed (again!), he finished with 2,319 yards, 13 TDs and seven interceptions, completing 58 percent of his passes. 

Grade: B+

Caleb Hanie, Quarterback

Hanie did not perform like I figured he would, at least based on his second-half performance in last year's NFC Championship game against Green Bay.

Even accounting for the poor offensive line and bad receivers, as well as the loss of Matt Forte, Hanie simply did not look like an NFL QB. Not even a legitimate backup QB.  

This was his chance to shine, but unlike the Packers' Matt Flynn, Hanie only lowered his stock with this awful performance.

Grade: F

Josh McCown, Quarterback

If McCown had been the QB to replace Cutler, as opposed to Hanie, I believe the Bears would have at least been in the conversation, if not won the Wild Card outright.

It's not that McCown was brilliant, but he at least played like a competent backup. And when you consider that he hadn't started a game since 2007, he did pretty well.

The 32-year-old McCown completed 35-of-55 passes for 414 yards, two TDs, four interceptions and a completion percentage of 63.6.

Grade: C

Matt Forte, Running Back

Forte was having an outstanding season in 2011, though his season ended early with a knee injury.

At the time of the injury, he was leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage. He also blocked well and was the Bears' best receiver.

Forte ended up with 997 yards rushing, a 4.9 yards per carry average and three TDs. He also caught 52 passes for 490 yards and a TD.

Grade: A

Tyler Clutts, Fullback

Clutts had a decent season blocking for Forte, though it's tough to judge the fullback position on a Mike Martz-coached offense.

In addition to blocking, he caught eight passes for 48 yards.

Grade: C

Kellen Davis, Tight End

Davis is listed on the Bears depth chart as the starter, though Matt Spaeth probably got more time on the field. That's because Martz valued Spaeth's blocking much more than Davis' catching ability.

We should have a better idea of whether Davis can be a true asset from the TE position once a new coordinator is named.

Davis finished 2011 with 18 catches for 206 yards with five touchdowns.

Grade: C

J'Marcus Webb, Left Tackle

The Bears gave Webb the starting LT job based on his athleticism. While he may be able to move his feet better than a statue, he certainly didn't block well.

Protecting Cutler's blind side is definately an area in need of an upgrade.

Grade: D 

Gabe Carimi and Lance Louis, Right Tackle

Carimi had his share of rookie mistakes, but did not play badly in his stint. An injury ended his season early. After arthroscopic surgery did not do the job, he had knee surgery later in the season to stabilize his right knee.

The Bears expect Carimi to return for at least part of preseason.

His replacement, Lance Louis, played very well for the first three or four weeks. Then, he was hobbled a bit and did not play well. Louis is still a mystery, and given Carimi's injury, we'll go with an incomplete grade here.

Grade: INC

Roberto Garza, Center

Overall, Garza played the best of all of the offensive linemen this season. He wasn't great, but the way he seamlessly picked up the center position following Olin Kreutz's departure was admirable.

Grade: C+ 

Chris Williams, Left Guard

After trying him at several position on the offensive line, Williams seemed to finally have found a home at left guard when he went down with an injury.

Williams was playing well when he dislocated his left wrist, requiring surgery after the Bears home win over the Lions and missing the rest of the season.

Grade: C+

Chris Spencer, Right Guard

Spencer was signed to play center after the departure of Kreutz, but did not show much there, so they made him a second-string guard.

He ended the season atop the Bears depth chart at right guard, though he did not play well.

Grade: D

Roy Williams, WR

Don't let his last couple of games fool you. Roy Williams had a lousy season for the Bears and likely will not return.

He has alligator arms and drops too many balls. Why the Bears thought he could duplicate his one good season just because he was reunited with Martz is beyond me.

I also hated his attitude that nothing was ever his fault.  

Williams caught 37 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns in 2011.

Grade: D

Devin Hester, WR

Keep in mind, Hester is being rated here based solely on his wide receiver skills. And those are sadly lacking in my opinion.

Hester simply shouldn't be a wideout; he should stick to returning kicks and punts. He has done nothing to prove he is capable of emerging as a viable No. 1 or 2 receiver

Hester finished 2011 with 26 catches for 369 yards with one touchdown.

Grade: D

Brian Urlacher, Middle Linebacker

Urlacher started and ended the season strong, although in the middle were stretches where he not only did not make any big plays, but he didn't even have a ton of tackles like usual.

He could be slowing down; except at times, he still flashes good speed, so I don't know what to think, unless he was hiding an injury.

He will be playing in 2012 at age 34, so he may be nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career. But overall, he still had a solid season, with 102 tackles and three interceptions in 2011 and another Pro Bowl selection.

His season ended with a knee injury, but he is expected to be ready for next season.

Grade: B

Lance Briggs, Weak Linebacker

Despite complaining about his contract all year, Briggs had a very productive season for Chicago in 2011.

He led the Bears with 105 tackles, the third time in four years that Briggs has led the Bears in this category.

Grade: B

Nick Roach, Strong Linebacker

Roach finished with 38 tackles in 2011. He showed some development this year, and while he made mistakes in coverage, he played decently for much of the season.

Grade: C

Henry Melton, Defensive Tackle

I felt that Melton was ready for a breakout season in 2011, and while he had his ups and downs, he did show a lot of improvement.

This fourth round pick in 2009 finished with seven sacks. Melton was one of the best interior defensive lineman this season despite being hampered by a late season shin injury. He should only get better come 2012, as he is still just 25.

Grade: B-

Matt Toeaina, Nose Tackle

Toeaina finished 2011 with 17 tackles and will remain a swing defensive tackle in 2012.

Grade: C

Charles Tillman, Right Cornerback

Tillman had another solid season and finally earned a Pro Bowl bid in the process.

He was masterful against Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. He set a Bears record with his fifth career interception return for a touchdown.

Grade: B+

Tim Jennings, Left Cornerback

Jennings was playing fairly well when he had a bad game against the Seahawks. Actually, he only had a bad quarter—his third quarter in that game was admittedly awful.

For that one quarter, he got into Lovie Smith's doghouse and had to earn playing time after that.

He did come back to redeem himself, and the little guy played decently. He will never be a shutdown corner, but he is capable in limited action. The man may be small, but he is not afraid.

But, Jennings does not seem well liked by Smith and is an unrestricted free agent, so he may not return.

Grade: C+

Julius Peppers, Right Defensive End

Peppers is the one of the most disruptive defensive players in the game when he wants to play. Unfortunately, I think we started seeing some of what the people in Carolina used to say about his taking plays off at times in 2011.

Yet, despite being hobbled by injury (in fact, he seemed to play better when hurt), Peppers increased his sack total slightly from 2010 even though there was little pressure coming from anywhere else on the line.

Peppers is a beast when he wants to be.

Grade: B+

Israel Idonije, Left Defensive End

Idonije had a disappointing season in 2011, though he finished the season strong. Idonije was the most consistently disruptive Bears defender in Week 17, with five tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and two QB hits.

Unfortunately, despite having Peppers at the other DE slot, he just didn't have the consistent year that he had in 2010.

Grade: C-

Major Wright, Strong Safety

Major Wright has yet to prove that he's a dependable starter, though with youth on his side, he will likely get another chance next season.

Meanwhile, with Meriweather not expected back and Craig Steltz headed for unrestricted free agency, the Bears are very thin at this position.

Grade: D

Chris Conte, Free Safety

The Cover-2 Bears actually used quiet a bit man-to-man coverage (roughly 50 percent of the time) since Chris Conte took over at safety.

He played deep, but he played well. I wouldn't jump the shark on him just yet, but he looks much more promising than I thought he would be when drafted by the Bears.

Conte was injured late in the year, but should be the team's starting free safety in 2012, while DJ Moore should return as the nickle back.

Meanwhile, Brandon Meriweather played awful football and will not be back.

Grade: C+

Robbie Gould, Kicker

Robbie Gould's leg actually seemed to have gotten stronger as he has gotten older, something that is quite unusual. Gould hit a surprising six field goals from 50-plus in 2011.

Add to that his always fine accuracy, and you have one of the best kickers in the game.

Gould connected on 28-of-32 field goals and 37-of-37 extra points in 2011.

Grade: A

Adam Podelesh, Punter

Podlesh quietly had a good season for the Bears this year. In fact, he had the best year since 1966 for a Bears punter in terms of net average (40.9). 

While he only tied for 20th in punts inside the 20 (21) and his average of 43.9 ranked just 21st, his net average ranked sixth among all punters.

He had good hang time too, although his being tied for third among all punters with 27 fair catches was also the result of good coverage by Bears special teamers. 

Grade: B 

Devin Hester, Kick and Punt Returner

It's awfully difficult to grade a player who, on the one hand, has been historically great at his position, and yet was such a non-factor for the last six games of the season.

Hester was severely limited by nagging injuries the second half of the year, making him almost a non-factor on special teams.

Still, he had 1,177 return yards with three touchdowns and recorded his NFL-record 11th punt return for a touchdown.

Hester also extended his NFL record for combined touchdowns on kick returns with his 16th when he ran a kickoff back 98 yards against the Vikings. 

Grade: A-