Chicago Bears 2009 NFL Season Preview!

Chicago Bears in 2008:

The Bears had a good season last year, finishing 9-7, 2^nd in the division, but unfortunately for the Bears that wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs.

The Bears strengths in 2008:

The Bears had some good success in many areas; the Bears best strength in 2008 was defending the run. The Bears were great at defending the run; they allowed less than 95 rush yds per game. (5^th in NFL) The Bears were also very good at forcing turnovers; the Bears forced 32 takeaways in 2008. (2^nd in NFL)

The Bears weaknesses in 2008:

The Bears had some major weaknesses in 2008 and they had some minor weaknesses in 2008. They Bears main big weakness was defending the pass; the Bears allowed 241 pass yds per game. (30^th in the NFL) The Bears had some minor problems as well; they didn’t have a huge passing attack; the Bears were only averaging 191yds passing yds per game. (21^st in the NFL) The Bears also didn’t have a great running attack either; The Bears were 24^th in the league in rush yds per game with 104.6 rush yds per game.

What the Bears need improvement in heading into the offseason:

The Bears need many improvements heading into the offseason; the Bears could use some better depth at cornerbacks, linebackers, and safety positions. They Bears need to improve that horrible pass defense in 2008. The Bears also need to get some more depth at running back position, and need their quarterback to improve in his consistency of his throws.

The Bears in the offseason:

The Bears made some major changes in the offseason; the Bears got a new quarterback, Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. The Bears traded Kyle Orton and some future draft picks to acquire Jay Cutler from the Broncos. Cutler is an elite quarterback, and he could really help this team have a much better passing attack in 2009. The Bears also drafted some major players; they drafted some offensive players as well as defensive players. The Bears drafted some key players on offense and defense, including Jarron Gilbert DT, Juaquin Iglesias WR, and D.J. Moore CB.

The Chicago Bears Positional Breakdown:

The Bears have lots of talented players at every position, but lack depth at some of these positions as well.

Quarterback:

Jay Cutler (acquired from Broncos in offseason) is a great quarterback, and he could certainly help this offense become a threat in 2009. Cutler passed for over 4500yds and threw 25 Tds. Cutler will not have some of his big wide receivers this season like Brandon Marshall or Eddie Royal, instead he will have Devin Hester and Earl Bennett. If Cutler can develop good chemistry and communication with his new wide receivers, he should have another great season.

Running Backs:

The Bears have some quality backs, but not an elite back yet. Their rookie running back, Matt Forte had an outstanding year last year; he rushed for over 1000yds and had 8 rushing Tds. Forte is developing into a great back, and he could become an elite back for the Bears in a couple years; he still has much too learn as a running back. Forte should still have another amazing season in 2009.  Other than Forte, the Bears don’t have another great back. The Bear’s back up running back, Kevin Jones didn’t play good last season; he only had 109 rush yds last year and had no Tds. Kevin Jones needs to pick up his game in 2009. Forte is a great back, but he needs some help this year.

Wide Receivers:

The Bears have some good receivers, but they are inexperienced; Devin Hester and Earl Bennett are very young. Hester is entering his 4^th NFL season, and Bennett is entering his 2^nd NFL season. Hester is a better wide receiver than Bennett is; Hester is extremely fast and a wicked wide receiver, who is developing into an elite one. . Hester also returns kicks and punts as well; Hester has 11career return Tds in 3 NFL seasons. Bennett is a quality wide receiver, but hasn’t really had that much experience in the NFL. In his rookie season, Bennett sat on the bench for the year learned how the veteran wide receivers ran routes. Bennett will be the Chicago Bears starting number 2 wide receiver this year, and he is up to the challenge and should have a great year.

Tight End:

The Bears tight end Gregg Olsen, is coming off a great season; he had over 500 receiving yds and had 5 Tds. Olson is still learning about the game; he is still young and only entering his 3^rd NFL season. Olson should have a lot more receiving yds this year because of Jay Cutler; with a better quarterback under center, Olson’s number will only be better in 2009. Desmond Clark, the back up tight end in 2008 is also competing for the starting tight end job. Clark had a productive season last year, having over 300 receiving yds and 1 Td. Clark’s numbers should go up this year because of Jay Cutler as well. Cutler is a better quarterback than Kyle Orton is and he should help all the wide receivers and tight ends have better seasons. The Bears had better make up their minds on who’s getting the starting job of the tight end position soon, Desmond Clark or Gregg Olson.

Offensive Line:

The Chicago Bears offensive line was pretty good this year; they only allowed 29 sacks this year. (13^th in the NFL) The Bears do have some experienced offensive linemen, however the Bears do lack some experience on the offensive line at left guard and right guard position. This young guys are still really physical, and should play well.

Defense:

The Bears defense has been great in the last couple of years. The Bears were a fierce defense last season. The Bears defense forced 32 takeaways last season; the Bears forced 22 interceptions and 10 fumbles in 2008, and only look to get even more in 2009. The Bears defense is trying to improve their pass defense effectively this year; the Bears had a horrible pass defense last year, they were giving up over 240 pass yds per game.(30^th in NFL) The Bears defense should be great in 2009!

The Chicago Bears in the Preseason:

The Bears have played ok in their first  preseason game of the season, but not how they wanted to play. Their quarterback, Jay Cutler had a rough preseason game against the Bills. Cutler went 5 for 10 with 64yds, 1 Int, and 0 Td. The Bears tight end Desmond Clark had an impressive preseason game against the Bills; he had 30 receiving yds against them. Forte didn’t play in the first preseason game against the Bills. Cutler played much better in their 2^nd preseason game against the Giants; Cutler went 8 for 13 with 121yds passing, 1 Td, and 0 Ints. Matt Forte played in the 2^nd preseason game against the Giants and was terrific; he had 8 carries for 58 yds and 1 Td. The two tight ends for the Bears both played well against the Giants; Desmond Clark had 1 Td in the preseason game, and Gregg Olson had 17 receiving yds against the Giants.

Chicago Bears Season Preview:

The Bears look like they could do some real damage this year. They were 9-7 last year, and now they have a much better quarterback than last year.  The Bears do have a difficult schedule this year; they play 6 playoff teams this year. I believe the Bears will really do well this year, and could win the division, but that will be a huge challenge. The Bears will have to out play the Vikings, the Packers for the division and that won’t be easy. I predict the Bears will go at least 9-7 or 10-6 this year!