2008 NFL Preview: Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears will suck in 2008 for many reasons. After reading all the comments on my NFC North preview article and everyone crying about how the Bears wont be that bad...well, I'll tell you why they WILL be that bad.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line is getting old, and even though they added a good young rookie in Chris Williams, are they really going to be able to stop a Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, AJ Hawk, or a KGB? The answer is no, and this is a major problem, because all offenses rely on the line.

QUARTERBACK

The Bears don't have one. For some reason, they decided not to draft one this year. That is fine if you think there wasn't one that could flourish under your system, but now your relying on Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton.

They could be great backups, but they are not starters. Grossman is under way too much pressure to carry a youth football team, let alone the Chicago Bears. Orton won a bunch of games in that fluke, and yes I mean fluke, year.

RUNNING BACK

After drafting Cedric Benson with the fourth pick overall, he has been nothing but a disappointment. He held out right out of the gate and didn't come to training camp until it has half over.

He got a big contract and never gave the numbers on the field. This can't all be Benson's fault. The O-line is old, and the offense is so limited that defenses will stack the box.

RECEIVERS

The Bears' only real bright spot on the offense is at tight end. With a solid veteran in Clark and an up-and-coming second-year man in Greg Olson, the bears will be set for awhile.

Now the real problem. The Bears' No. 1 guy is Marty Booker—the same Marty Booker that led the 2007 Dolphins to a 1-15 record. He is old, and after him is not much better talent. Mark Bradley is always injured, Devin Hester drops passes left and right, and they traded their best receiver to the Vikings.

DEFENSE

The Bears have and probably always will rely on defense. Their defense was good last year, but they ranked third in their own division. With drama from the Brian Urlacher situation and Tommie Harris coming off two years of injuries, the defense could be in trouble.

If the Bears wish to compete, they need to stay healthy on the defensive side of the ball. Hopefully, Mike Brown can give a full year of not tearing something to give the Bears a chance.

OVERALL

The offense is horrendous; the defense needs to stay healthy but can't; they play the Vikings and Packers four times; they have to play the Colts, Jags and the rest of AFC South; and it's called a rebuilding year.

If you look through their schedule, you can't pick out more than five wins. With maybe a gimme win down the stretch from the Pack or Vikings who will already have clinched something, the Bears will look to collect five or so wins.