Chicago Bears: Breaking Down the Biggest Flaws and How to Fix Each One

This has been an offseason of optimism for Bears fans and with good reason. The addition of Brandon Marshall gives Chicago its first real No. 1 wideout in...possibly ever. The offense looks to be able to compete with the best in the NFL.

As for the defense, it's getting older but still has star power with the core of Brian Urlacher and company. But all that positive energy doesn't mean that the Bears are without their flaws.

For all of the good news, there are a couple of "bad news Bears" kind of issues that need to be resolved if this team is going to reach its potential and capture Chicago's first Super Bowl title in 27 years.

Fortunately, the Bears have me as their personal advisor, though, I assure you it is an unpaid position and a largely thankless one at that.

So here are the main flaws as I see them, along with the fixes for each.

Left Tackle

I'll start with the elephant in the room—the left tackle position. I won't bore you yet again with the details of why starting tackle J'Marcus Webb was the worst at the position in the league in 2011. Instead, I'll get right to the solution.

If Gabe Carimi can prove to be healthy, I would give him a shot at claiming the position. While I know that scouts claim he doesn't have the footwork to play the position in the NFL, he was a left tackle in college.

But that's not going to happen, of course. Instead, the Bears are trying Chris Williams there. I don't know if that's the long-term solution or not, though, I have my doubts.

But at least there's some competition to stoke the fires of the sleeping giant Webb. Those who read me often may be surprised to hear this, but I actually like Webb's athleticism, and at 23, he could still evolve into a good tackle if he works hard and makes improvements.

Perhaps, the competition will serve as a final warning to Webb that he had better step it up or be replaced.

If Williams isn't the answer and Webb doesn't show improvement (and the Bears don't listen to my idea to try Carimi), they could always take a chance on free agent Marcus McNeill, who has been replaced in San Diego by Jared Gaither.

However, in addition to two knee surgeries, McNeill had a serious neck injury that ended his 2011 season, so he would be a high-risk, high-reward type of guy.

Of course, one thing the Bears must do is to run a balanced offense and provide help to the left tackle by keeping a tight end in to chip and using the occasional max-protect scheme.

Red-Zone Production

Jay Cutler and the Bears' problems in the red zone have been well documented. The Bears seem to have drives stall more often at the 20-yard line, ending up in field goals or turnovers. But this year should be different.

The solution is to ride the back of Matt Forte down the field, but once inside the red zone, either give the ball to Michael Bush, who is powerful enough to get those tough yards or throw the ball to Alshon Jeffery, who provides Cutler with a tall target who can go up and get the ball.

Additionally, Mike Tice will actually use the tight end as a receiving weapon this season. Kellen Davis and rookie Evan Rodriguez should be utilized near the goal line as well.

Finally, use Cutler's natural ability and allow him to roll out and possibly take off near the goal line. Even though the Bears won't want to do that too often for fear of getting him injured, just the threat of it should open up a quick pass or dump off for a touchdown.

Of course, if all else fails, there's always Marshall. In fact, with him being double-teamed, that should open up someone to catch a pass in the end zone.

Cover 2 Defense

Though all defenses employ Cover 2 defenses, the Bears are one of the few teams left in the NFL who use this as their base defense.

However, even the pressure defenses (Jets, Packers, Saints, Steelers, etc.) will use the 2-deep look on Sundays in certain situations.

The conventional Cover 2 defense has both safeties back, with each covering one half of the field. The safeties cover deep, while the two cornerbacks cover the short routes on their side of the field.

It also requires a hard hitting secondary to cause turnovers.

The reason that turnovers are so essential to a base Cover 2 defense is that all positions in this defense place a premium on speed, and often, the result is that they are all undersized by league standards.

The defensive linemen in this scheme have to be quick and agile enough to create pressure on the quarterback without the aid of a blitz from either the linebackers or the secondary, with the defensive tackle in the nose position having above-average tackling skills to help stop runs.

Since these players are undersized, and the defense allows a lot of accumulated yardage, the Cover 2 defense had better force a turnover or the opposing offense will score lots of points. 

Basically, it's a "bend-but-not-break" defense. And the turnover is the "not break" part of the equation.

Quarterbacks are figuring out how to beat it, especially if the four defensive linemen can't consistently pressure the pocket.

But for a team like the Bears, who take the ball away as well as any team in the NFL since head coach Lovie Smith joined the team, the Cover 2 takes away the deep ball and forces offenses to work down the field.

Another reason that turnovers are key to success when running a Cover 2 defense is that a perfectly timed seam route to the tight end is a big hole. Slant routes out of three-step drops are another problem. Plus, the continued escalation of slot receivers and pass-catching tight ends are tough challenges.

So, if you allow all that to happen, and not take the ball away, you are asking for trouble.

Naturally, if your defense is not going to get after the QB, then turnovers play a more important role in the defense. Otherwise, QBs with time to throw will march down the field and score.

In the Cover 2, the offense will march down the field, but eventually, the turnover will be forced.

The unfortunate part of Cover 2 is that strips are seen as luck, while sacks are viewed as skill. But if played correctly, the Cover 2 defense is just as effective.

Offensive Line

With the Bears, it's simply not enough to fix the left tackle position. The entire offensive line is a huge question mark for this team. If I had to pick one reason why the Bears won't win the Super Bowl, it's certainly this group.

But there's talent and depth there, if they can stay healthy. That's certainly one of the keys, but the other is that with Tice calling the plays, there will be no more seven-step drops and complicated wide receiver routes.

Just the departure of Mike Martz should help provide somewhat of a solution for this embattled group. Tice is good about getting the most out of this unit, and with Mad Mike gone, he can run a balanced offense and use max protection at times to alleviate the pressure on the line.

The other major weak spot last year was at right tackle; Lance Louis surrendered eight sacks in 13 starts. The Bears won't have to worry about him there because 2011 first-round pick Gabe Carimi will be back from a knee injury.

Pass Rush

If the Bears don’t get enough of a pass rush this season, the secondary is likely to be exposed. They ranked 28th against the pass last season, giving up 254.1 yards a game through the air.

The Bears are getting a bit long in tooth on the defensive front, and there were signs last year that Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher were slowing down. Peppers, Urlacher, Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs are all on the wrong side of 30.

One solution is to infuse some youth into the picture, which the Bears have done through the draft. Specifically, first-round pick Shea McClellin, who may be a boom-or-bust type of prospect, must be able to generate a pass rush and help out Peppers.

Last season, Israel Idonije was spotty on the pass rush, finishing strong but MIA much of the season. If McClellin can do better, that will take some pressure off Peppers.

Another solution is that while the Bears didn't sign or draft anyone with a huge resume, they did add help at the cornerback position, and that depth should help as they rotate guys in and out to take advantage of specific match-up tendencies.

A year of good health with Chris Conte would help, and I would start Craig Steltz instead of Major Wright. Wright has upside but is not as disciplined as Steltz, who played surprisingly well down the stretch.