5 Mistakes Chicago Bears Can't Repeat in 2015 Offseason
In order for the Chicago Bears to get themselves back into playoff contention in 2015, they cannot repeat the same mistakes they made last offseason.
This offseason started off with a bang when the organization decided to fire general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman the day after the team's Week 17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Under the guidance of consultant Ernie Accorsi, team president Ted Phillips and chairman George McCaskey hired 37-year old Ryan Pace to be the team's new general manager. At his introductory press conference, Pace laid out a very simple plan for the team moving forward.
"Guys, it's all about winning games, and that's what I'm here to do. Every decision we make goes back to what's best for this organization," he said, via the Chicago Tribune. "It's as simple as that.”
Pace quickly got to work trying to find a new head coach and landed former Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos coach John Fox late last week.
"#Bears have hired John Fox as 15th head coach in franchise history.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 16, 2015"
Fox assured the media and fans in his introductory press conference on Monday morning that he is going to do all he can to bring a championship back to Chicago.
“I can’t make any promises other than I’m gonna give you all I got,” he said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Tribune.
Now that the team has a general manager and head coach in place, the organization can start looking toward the future.
Here are five mistakes the Bears cannot repeat in the 2015 offseason.
Overspending on Aging Veterans
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Even though the Bears signed defensive ends Lamarr Houston and Willie Young to deals last offseason, then-general manager Phil Emery decided to give veteran Jared Allen a four-year, $32 million deal to improve the team's pass rush.
Allen struggled for much of the season to get into a rhythm. After a bout with pneumonia early in the season, he started to put things together near the end of the year, but the 11-year veteran finished with 55 tackles and just 5.5 sacks, the lowest totals of his career.
Obviously, Emery had no way of knowing Allen would come down with pneumonia, but the majority of Allen's success since 2008 came playing on turf inside the Metrodome with the Minnesota Vikings.
Allen will undoubtedly enter the Hall of Fame after his career ends, but it is rare for any player to have the same impact at 32 that he had when he was in his mid-20s.
Both Houston and Young injured themselves last season, and there is no guarantee either will return at the start of the 2015 season, meaning the Bears will likely have to live at least another year with Allen on the roster. In addition to the uncertainty with Houston and Young, Allen is owed $12.5 million in guaranteed money next season, according to Over the Cap.
When the season ended, Allen made it clear he was not going to be a Bear for just one season.
“I didn’t come here for a one-and-done shot," he said, via John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. "I know I’ve still got a lot of football left in me.”
Even though his numbers were down last season, Allen still feels like he can make an impact moving forward.
“Even though the sack numbers were down, it’d be one thing if I wasn’t getting to the quarterback,” he said. “I’m not into explaining things away. I’ve got enough people around me who’d tell me, ‘Dude, you’re terrible, hang it up.’ I don’t have a bunch of yes-men."
While Allen's approach to the 2015 season is all well and good, it was clearly a mistake last season to sign him for that much money. Because of the way the deal was structured, the team is stuck with him for at least one more season.
There is nothing wrong with going out and signing proven veteran players, but the Bears would be wise to limit the amount of guaranteed money they are willing to give any veteran who has played 10 or more years in the league.
Staying Complacent on Defense
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When Trestman was hired as the head coach of the Bears back in 2013, the team was coming off a 10-win season under Lovie Smith, and the organization wanted to keep Smith's defense intact moving forward.
The team tried to keep defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli in place to continue running Smith's version of the Cover 2, but Marinelli bolted for Dallas to serve as the Cowboys defensive line coach.
Mel Tucker was hired to replace Marinelli but was forced to run the Cover 2 because most of the defensive personnel remained the same. During Tucker's tenure in Chicago as the team's defensive coordinator, the defense had two of the worst seasons in team history.
"Marc Trestman's 2 seasons in Chicago resulted in the 2 highest PPG allowed over a season in Bears history. 2014 - 27.6 ppg, 2013 - 29.9 ppg
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 29, 2014"
Chicago's defense became so predictable over the last two seasons, particularly in terms of coverage, that most opposing teams knew exactly how to attack the team's weak zone coverage.
Rookie Kyle Fuller was manhandled at times last season in zone coverage because he was not allowed to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage, one of his strengths in college. Even though Fuller was getting beaten when forced to play seven yards off the line of scrimmage, Tucker failed to make any adjustments to his scheme.
Now that Fox is in place as head coach, the Bears should be able to break away from their complacency on defense.
The team has not announced who the defensive coordinator will be, but San Francisco's Vic Fangio interviewed for the position over the weekend, via sports anchor for NBC4 D.C. Dianna Marie Russini:
"Vic Fangio will meet with the Chicago Bears first, then he will come to Washington DC to interview for defensive coordinator #Redskins
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) January 17, 2015"
No matter who the new defensive coordinator is, Fox has a history of turning around defenses quickly. When he took over the Panthers in 2002 they went from 31st in the league in total defense to second. The Broncos finished last in total defense in 2010 and jumped up to second in Fox's first year in 2011.
As long as Fox takes the same approach to the Bears defense in 2015 as he did when taking over in Carolina and Denver, there should be no worries that the team will remain complacent on defense.
Passing on Middle Linebacker Upgrade
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Ever since Brian Urlacher's departure following the 2012 season, the Bears have struggled to find someone who can man the middle of the field.
D.J. Williams struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons, while Jon Bostic proved he is far better suited to playing outside at weak-side linebacker than inside. Even though expectations were high for Bostic at middle linebacker in his rookie season in 2013, he proved that the team needed to look in a different direction in 2014.
Instead of trying to address the position in free agency or the draft, Emery opted to stick with what he had in 2014.
Free agency last offseason provided very little in terms of above-average middle linebackers, but Emery may have made a mistake with his first pick in the draft, opting to go with Kyle Fuller over C.J. Mosley.
Mosley was picked three spots behind Fuller by Baltimore and had a stellar rookie season. He started all 16 games and finished with 133 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and two interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and name to the All-Pro Second Team.
It is easy in hindsight to say Emery was foolish to pass on Mosley, but considering the team's need at middle linebacker, Fuller may not have been the best choice. Granted, Fuller showed some flashes last season and has the ability to develop into a very good cornerback, but Mosley filled a far bigger need.
In retrospect, the Fuller pick worked out because he was able to get plenty of snaps after Charles Tillman was lost for the year in Week 2, but had Tillman been healthy all season, Fuller likely would not have been on the field as often.
The 2015 middle linebacker class does not appear to have anyone near the level of Mosley who could be selected in the first round, but guys like Cincinnati's Rey Maualuga, Buffalo's Brandon Spikes or Dallas' Rolando McClain could all be available in free agency.
As long as the team tries to find a Day 1 starter at middle linebacker through either the draft or free agency, the defense should see some improvement in 2015.
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Basing the Offense Solely Around Jay Cutler and the Passing Game
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2014 was supposed to be a breakout year for quarterback Jay Cutler after he signed a seven-year, $126.7 million deal last January.
With Trestman's offense in place for a second offseason, the assumption was Cutler would be able to build on his improved 2013 season. He only started 11 games in 2013 due to injuries but completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 2,621 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those were certainly not elite numbers, but he did show some improvement in his first year under Trestman.
The team became very pass-heavy on offense in 2014 with Cutler under center. His 561 pass attempts were the second-most of his career and most since 2008. He completed a career-high 66 percent of his passes and finished with 3,812 yards through the air.
While those numbers on the surface sound good, Cutler threw 18 interceptions and fumbled the football 12 times.
He was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen in Week 16 before an injury forced him back into the lineup for the final game of the season.
Even though the offense was struggling each and every week, Trestman continued to try to push the ball through the air instead of leaning on running back Matt Forte.
With Trestman and Emery out of the picture, it is not entirely clear whether or not Cutler will return in 2015. Pace was noncommittal about Cutler's future at his introductory press conference. He did note that the team is not just about the quarterback but rather all 53 guys on the roster.
“The quarterback obviously is a critical, critical position to achieve sustained success. But it’s not the only position. For us to have a lot of success, all 53 guys are going to be accounted for,” Pace said, via Michael C. Wright of ESPNChicago.com.
“So, yeah, I witnessed things with Drew Brees that I have in my mind that I know why he was successful, and those are ingrained in me. But I want to get to know Jay. I want to get to know him further before I come to these conclusions.”
There have been no announcements made as to who will be Fox's offensive coordinator in Chicago, but Cutler's history in Chicago would suggest that it is best to focus on using the running game to open up the passing game moving forward.
Letting the Players Control the Locker Room
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Trestman's offense struggled mightily in his two seasons as head coach, but one of his biggest downfalls during his tenure in Chicago was losing control of the locker room.
After the team fired the much-admired Lovie Smith after a 10-win season in 2012, it was going to be difficult for any coach to command immediate respect in the locker room. Some players voiced their disappointment at Smith's firing, but it appeared that many were on board with Trestman in his first season.
Even though the Bears finished 2013 with an 8-8 record, they were expected to take big strides in 2014. The team ultimately finished 5-11 last season, and Trestman was shown the door.
Obviously, part of his undoing was the team's struggles on both sides of the football, but he clearly never had control of the locker room.
The best example of Trestman's lack of control was when veteran linebacker Lance Briggs decided to skip a practice the week leading up to the team's season opener against the Buffalo Bills to open a restaurant in California.
“[Trestman] just trusted (me),” Briggs said, via Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “It was trust. I asked him for a personal day. He said OK. I guess my announcing the opening of my restaurant made bigger news than we expected."
Briggs never explained to Trestman his need for taking the day off, only that he was taking a personal day.
"I just stand by what I've said with each and every player that has missed a practice," Trestman later said, via Wright. "I listen to what they have to say. I always call it a personal decision because I don't think it's my business or anybody's business from my end, from a player's standpoint. Every decision we make is made for the best interest of the team."
At that moment, Briggs, as well as many of the other veterans, knew they could walk all over Trestman if they needed to.
As the Bears struggled out of the gate, the locker room became increasingly on edge until a loss to the Miami Dolphins in October led to a full-fledged meltdown by Brandon Marshall.
According to Wright, Marshall was heard yelling in the locker room after the game and singled out quarterback Jay Cutler.
"OK, were you in here?" Marshall asked when questioned about the yelling after the game, via Wright. "Were you in this locker room? This is a team matter. That has nothing to do with you. There's a lot of guys this means a lot to. We're 3-4. We need to play better. That's unacceptable. That's unacceptable. Unacceptable; shouldn't have lost today, shouldn't be 3-4."
It is not rare for players to yell in the locker room following a rough loss, but the team's frustration appeared to boil over each and every week. Luckily for the Bears, Fox should help give the team new leadership.
Since Fox's hiring late last week, many of his former players have discussed how good a leader he is, including quarterback Jake Delhomme.
"He can manage egos to a great extent,” he said, via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s not afraid to have a conversation with the big-ego guy and tell it like it is.”
As long as Fox can "tell it like it is" with the players in this locker room, the team likely won't make the same mistake and let the players rule over the coaches in 2015.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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