Chicago Bears Review

One of the most maligned positions on the Chicago Bears last season was unquestionably the offensive line. The big men up front were unable to open holes for the running game or sufficiently protect Jay Cutler when passing the ball. The Bears have made moves this off season for defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor, and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna already, but not much has been done to solve their problems up front on the offensive side of the ball. Orlando Pace was signed after not being able to rediscover his Pro Bowl caliber form last season at 34. Josh Beekman, Frank Omiyale, Chris Williams, Roberto Garza, and Olin Kreutz will all return this year, but the Bears can expect to put out the line expect different results. Young guys like Lance Louis and John Asiata will have a chance show they can compete for a job this spring, but hopefully the Bears will be able to find a lineman or two in the draft. Otherwise the Bears could look into signed available free agent linemen Flozell Adams (past his prime at age 34), Jermon Bushrod (who started this year for the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints), Jeromey Clary (who played in 42 NFL games in his three seasons with the Chargers), or names like Mike Gandy, Jared Gaither, Brandon Gronin, Stephon Heyer, and Montrae Holland.

Lovie Smith talked about what he had planned for the 2010 Chicago Bears at the annual owners’ meeting down in Orlando this week. The off season moves for Julius Peppers and Chester Taylor have given Bears fans some things to get excited about this season. The Bears also signed tight end Brandon Manumaleun and corner back Tim Jennings already this off season. Smith told reporters that Devin Hester will remain a primary receiver in the Bears’ offense and will return punt returns. At the quarterback position Smith hinted that the Bears were interested in bringing in a veteran player to give the team more of insurance should Jay Cutler go down at any point this season. Lovie said that linebacker Nick Roach proved himself last season and heading into camp he will be the team’s strong side linebacker. Smith also told the press that the team voted in favor of the overtime rule the league just put in place for playoff games. Let’s hope the typically tight-lipped Smith keeps on being loquacious and letting fans in on what to expect next year.

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Scheftner called the Chicago Bears the most desperate team in the NFL this week, because they are coming off a dismal season, their coaching staff is fighting for their jobs, and they are lost at the defensive end. The spotlight has now shifted to free agent defensive end Julius Peppers who will be the biggest name on the NFL free agency market this season. The Bears can expect Alex Brown in camp next year, but with Adewale Ogunleye a free agent and the tragic death of Gaines Adams, Chicago needs help at the defensive end position. Brown is a consistent player, but he’s not going to be the pass rusher you need every week in the NFL. Peppers will likely commands upwards to $15 million dollars next season, but the Bears front office and coaches might be willing to break the bank to save their jobs. Peppers had 10 1/2 sacks last season with the Carolina Panthers and 14 in 2008. The next week should tell us a lot more about the seriousness of the Bears plans for going after Peppers.

Going into what seems will most defiantly be a uncapped year in the NFL no one knows how much the Bears are willing to spend on free agency. If the Bears are going to make changes to their roster they will have to explore signing players looking for work as oppose to doing so in the first two rounds of the draft. When GM Jerry Angelo made the move for Jay Cutler he gave up the Bears’ 2010 first two draft picks. Last season was a huge disappointment to football fans in the Windy City with all the anticipation Jay Cutler brought to the city and the poor results on the field. Running back Brian Westbrook, who was recently released from the Philadelphia Eagles, told the ESPN 1000’s Waddle & Silvy radio show that he’d love to play in Chicago next season. The Bears really lacked a second running back behind Matt Forte and the NFL is quickly becoming a league where you need a pair of running backs that can run and catch the ball. Westbrook is 30-years-old, but for the right price he could be a nice addition. However, if the Bears offensive line doesn’t improve this season than it doesn’t matter who or how many guys they have in the backfield.

After naming his old boss Mike Martz as the Bears offensive coordinator, Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears have decided to elevate Rod Marinelli from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator. The Bears interviewed candidates for the job such as former Bears assistant Perry Fuel, but some experts have been wondering lately if Smith would just give the keys to defense to Marinelli. Marinelli was hired as a defensive line coach last season by his former Tampa Bay Buccaneers colleague Lovie Smith where two served under Tony Dungy. Head coach Lovie Smith called the plays last season in which the Bears defense was ranked 17th in NFL (not terrible). The defensive line didn’t make any great leaps forward last year under Marinelli’s watch with neither starting defensive ends getting more than six and a half sacks. Marinelli is an experienced NFL coach with 14 years experience coaching in the league including three years as the Detroit Lions head coach where in 2008 the team made history by not winning a single game. One piece of drama for the 2010 season will be how Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz coexist considering that Marinelli fired Martz in 2007 from the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator position.

It has been reported that New Orleans Saints tight end coach Terry Malone is a candidate for the offensive coordinator job with the Chicago Bears.  Malone has been successful in taming the one-time problem-player Jeremy Shockey as the former New York Giant has rediscovered his good form in New Orleans. Prior to his time in the NFL Malone was the offensive coordinator at the University of Michigan he was a finalist in 2003 for the Broyles Award (given to the nation’s best assistant coach) when the Wolverines offense set school records for passing with a freshmen quarterback in Chad Henne. Malone also had success calling plays at Bowling Green University where in 1994 the Falcons went 9-2.  The Bears would have to wait to interview Malone until after the Super Bowl where the Saints take on the Indianapolis Colts.

San Diego Chargers Tight Ends coach Rob Chudzinski will not be calling plays for the Chicago Bears in 2010. The former Cleveland Browns Offensive Coordinator interviewed with the Bears last Thursday, but Lovie Smith and company have decided to look for other candidates. The hiring of a new coach to run the offense has been a big point of interest for Bears fans since Ron Turner was dismissed after the conclusion of this past season. Chudzinski had success as the offensive coordinator at the University of Miami before making the jump to professional football with the Chargers. In Cleveland Chudzinski had a good year in 2007 when the Browns surprised most experts by going 10-6. The following year did not go as well for the Browns and Chudzinski made he way back to San Diego when Romeo Crennel was fired after the 2008 season. Where the Bears will turn next in their job search is unclear, but names like Mike Martz and Ken Zampese have been mentioned as coaches of interest.

There were rumors throughout the last two days that Lovie Smith might be headed to the Tennessee Volunteers. He was apparently approached by them a couple years ago and he declined because the Bears were doing well. Last offseason, they went for Lane Kiffin, who pledged his utmost loyalty to the Tennessee Volunteers flag. But suddenly this week, he threw that all away and decided to take the USC coaching job that opened up. Apparently his players were very unhappy about it and someone said that everyone was lucky to get out safely. But the rumors that Smith might be interested prompted more rumors that the plane and limo had already been rented to welcome him to town for an interview. But it would appear that an athletic director from another organization has decided to take the job and Lovie will remain with the mess that continues to brew here in Chicago.

Lovie Smith obviously has some problems ahead when he tries to get his team back on track for next year. He has essentially one shot to get it right and he has to pick the right guys. A couple of the potential offensive coordinators that he was looking into turned out not to be possible, especially those that have taken other positions. Then there are the philosophical differences that might crop up. Smith has a particular idea in mind for his defense, which isn’t going to change in any particular way. But according to the Chicago radio this morning, he probably won’t have much say on what happens on offense, because his new coordinator will hopefully have enough experience and smarts to design a good strong offense. This might turn out to be a successful way to approach the coaching moving forwards. They say that they don’t expect the Bears winning to be a long-term process. Hope they’re right!

When Mike Martz’s name came up for consideration for the offensive coordinator position in Chicago, there were some upset people. Some people are concerned about the fact that he has been the coach of the St Louis Rams all this time and that team isn’t known for being one of the best in the NFL. One official from the Rams said that he would ruin our quarterback and the Bears in general. But other people are saying that Martz is going to be one of the best candidates for coordinator that the Bears are considering. Obviously, the Bears need someone to reset the playbook. There weren’t quite enough plays in their book this year so that they can switch it up a bit. Moving pockets, good pass plays. Martz has been able to bring in some interesting assistants and plays in St Louis. Let’s see the rest of the short list for coordinators.