Lessons Learned: Looking to the Future of the Chicago Bears

Barring a pending four-game win streak, the Chicago Bears' 2008 season is coming to a disappointing and anti-climactic close. I think it's safe to assume the Bears are not going to win the Super Bowl this year, even if by some miracle they make the playoffs.

While the Bears struggle to comprehend how a group with so much talent and so many Pro-Bowlers can miss the playoffs two years in a row after going all the way in 2006, some fans look to the future of the franchise and what needs to be addressed for the Bears to become the kind of dominant team they used to be.

1. Receivers

It's easy for some Bears fans to look at Kyle Orton's last few games and wish for a new quarterback in the offseason. But I think that against Minnesota and Green Bay, Orton's biggest problem was a lack of solid receivers who could both catch well and stretch opposing secondaries. A great deal of his passes were right on target, but the receivers couldn't hold on to them.

I'd look for the Bears to pick up a receiver in the first or second round of the draft or snag a solid veteran free agent on the open market.

Lesson learned: Losing Berrian and Muhammad hurt, and having several decent receiving options doesn't make up for having no really good ones.

2. Offensive Line

Orton's other issue has been the play of the big guys in front of him. John St. Clair looked as slow as molasses against Jared Allen, and while I don't think the Bears should immediately replace him with rookie Chris Williams, St. Clair's poor performance was a great example of why the Bears need to be smart this offseason.

John Tait, Roberto Garza, and Olin Kreutz are solid veterans who have a lot of experience in the NFL. But they all seem to be getting old. It may be time to start looking for replacement offensive linemen and working them into the lineup.

The beauty of having a great offensive line is that you could have Stephen Hawking or even Cedric Benson as your running back and and he still might rush for 1,500 yards. Offensive linemen are great investments because they are good for the long haul usually.

The key here is patience. When the Bears lost the then-young Marc Columbo to a knee injury, they traded him away to Dallas, and now he has come into his own. Maybe it will take a season or two, but history has showed us that drafting offensive linemen pays dividends.

All you need to do is think back to the Bears 1983 draft, where they picked up Jimbo Covert Mark Bortz and Tom Thayer, three offensive linemen who paved the way for Walter Payton and the Bears offense to make it to the Super Bowl in only their third season in the league.

Lesson learned: Out with the old, in with the new. Give it some time.

3. Defensive Line or Secondary?

As bad as the Bears secondary has been this year, I think that there is enough young talent there to build around. Corey Graham and Kevin Payne have the potential to be great, and I think Zack Bowman and Craig Steltz might be solid players given another season or two.

But something has to give. The Bears need to come up with some answers.

To me, the secondary wouldn't be under so much scrutiny if there was a solid pass rush. The Bears need to consider drafting a young defensive end who can step in and instantly cause havoc for opposing quarterbacks.

With a defensive philosophy built around creating takeaways, the Bears' D can't waste any time in addressing the lack of consistent pass rush.

Lesson learned: Sacking the quarterback does wonders for your secondary, even if it's not as good as a takeaway.

4. Coaching

It's been said before but it bears repeating that the front office needs to fire Bob Babich in a bad way. The drop in production from the time Babich took over when they fired Ron Rivera (despite having the third ranked defense in 2005 and the fifth in 2006) couldn't be any more apparent.

I think we've been patient enough with Babich considering how long he has been with the organization.

What amazes me is the fact that Lovie Smith and the players themselves defend Babich to the death. That's why the front office needs to bite the bullet and make a change there this offseason.

It might also be time to think about Ron Turner's successor and start molding him into the kind of offensive coordinator Turner has never shaped up to be.

Lesson Learned: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

The biggest challenge the Bears will face in the next couple of seasons will be having the courage to make drastic changes like firing staff and benching under-performing "franchise players" in favor of young, promising ones.

If the Bears are willing to do this, they might be able to salvage some of the veteran talent they that they've invested so much money into keeping.

This season, we saw some teams rise from the ashes of 2007 and blossom into potential playoff contenders. Meanwhile, some of the league's perennial bottom feeders remained lousy. The difference between the Dolphins/Falcons and the Lions/Bengals has been having the courage to make these kinds of changes.

Sometimes it takes a season or two, and sometimes it doesn't work out at all. But it always starts in the offseason.