Chicago Bears: Preseason Hype Is Now a Distant Memory

The Chicago Bears are a 5-8 team and out of the playoff picture as we head into the middle of December. This is a statement neither the Bears nor their fans expected to hear after coming into this season with high expectations.

After all, the Bears were returning an offense that ended 2013 ranked second in points per game (27.8), fifth in passing yards per game (268), and eighth in total yards per game (381). And while their defense was almost equally as bad last year finishing 31st in points allowed per game (29.9) and 30th in yards allowed per game (394), they had made some seemingly significant upgrades on that side of the ball.

Sadly, it hasn't made a difference and a team that finished last season at 8-8 will now have to win their last three games just to match last year's win total.

This will now make the fourth straight season they have missed the playoffs and seven of the last eight seasons. It's not exactly what you would call a dynasty, and certainly unacceptable in the eyes of Bears fans.

The reality is the Bears are indeed an underachieving football team. And now the question that looms is, where do they go from here? They have three games remaining this season and with the playoffs not being a realistic possibility, how do they approach the final few weeks of the season?

They are in the unenviable position of possibly having to win out to save their head coach's job, but if they do that they will also lose the chance at a possibly high draft pick. As a player and as a fan it's the equivalent to football hell. No player ever wants to tank the rest of the season, but at the same time they are aware of the possible effect winning games will have on the team's future success.

How and why the Bears have underachieved so badly is what everyone is trying to figure out. Most of the finger pointing tends to go in the direction of quarterback Jay Cutler, who has certainly been a part of the problem, but not the only problem. The list of issues heading into the offseason is lengthy, and for me it starts at the top, not only with head coach Marc Trestman and his entire staff, but also with general manager Phil Emery.

Emery is the guy who brought in Trestman before last season and then went out and built a seemingly talented offense for the offensive-minded head coach, which has translated to all of five wins to this point of the season after only eight wins last season. It's apparent Emery may have made a big mistake on his selection of head coach and that decision cannot be undone.

And while he has hit on some draft picks such as Kyle Fuller, Kyle Long and Alshon Jeffery he has also missed big on guys like Shea McClellin, Brandon Hardin, and Evan Rodriguez. He has to be better if the Bears ever hope to get back to being a contender.

It's certainly evident to most observers that Trestman may not be NFL head coach material as he just has not been able to get this team where it needs to be, and more importantly, where most expected it to be.

Granted, the defensive talent has not been what it was prior to Trestman's arrival, but it has been good enough for most of this season, while the offense has not held up its end of the bargain. And that falls directly on Trestman, as does having his football team ready to play each and every Sunday, which has most definitely not been the case.

In terms of personnel, the Bears have some work to do. Despite adding veterans Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston to the defensive line last off season, the overall defense didn't improve much this year. Actually they have dropped to last in the league this year in points allowed (29.1) even though statistically they have been slightly better this year.

As many were afraid of, Allen doesn't look like the same player (five sacks) who was dominant for many years in Minnesota and his best years are probably behind him. At the other end, Houston was solid against the run prior to the happy dance that ended his season, but he didn't get after the quarterback (one sack) much and didn't appear to be worth the contract he was given. 

On top of this, they don't have a linebacking corps to speak of and are just hoping Jon Bostic will turn into a guy who can help anchor the defense going forward. In the secondary, Fuller looks like the real deal, but after that it's hard to say what they have.

Some positives were the play of free-agent acquisition Willie Young (8.5 sacks) and the young defensive tackles, Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton, but this defense has a long way to go.

Offensively nobody seems to know what happened. With one of the best all-around backs in the game in Matt Forte, a pair of elite receivers in Brandon Marshall and Jeffery and a talented tight end in Martellus Bennett, it's hard to imagine how they have struggled so mightily at times this season. The offensive line has not been as steady as it was last year due to injuries and the regression of guys like Jordan Mills, but they haven't been terrible either.

They just haven't gotten it done offensively this year as they have dropped to 14th in the league in scoring at 21.6 points per game and 19th in yards per game with 343, which includes only 88 yards per game on the ground (26th in league) with one of the games best backs in Matt Forte.

Of course, that brings us to the play of quarterback Jay Cutler, which has been talked about a time or two over the past couple of years. I have never been a Cutler hater during his time in Chicago because he is, after all, the most talented quarterback the Bears have ever had, but I have been frustrated at times just like all other Bears fans.

I think it is fair at this point to question whether he is the guy who can lead the Bears to a championship. There's never been a doubt about his talent, but the numbers indicate he just may not be the guy to take the Bears to the promised land. In nine seasons Cutler has exactly one playoff win, and that to me says it all. It's not likely that he will suddenly start taking his team to the playoffs every year starting in his 10th year in the league. And to most people that's the only statistic that matters.

There are three games remaining this season and sadly two of those will be played on the Chicago lakefront, likely in front of sparse crowds who deserve better than what they've gotten this year.

The Bears will once again have some important decisions to make during this off season. It would be nice if they could start making the right ones.