For the past week or so, I've gotten so tired of hearing about how angry people are with the Chicago Bears. "Oh, they suck! How could they choke that badly?" Everywhere I went, negativity was running rampant. But seriously, what were your expectations of the Chicago Bears going into this season? Let's go back to the preseason in August:
* The starting quarterback job was determined by a coin toss for a preseason game. Seriously, the difference between Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton was small enough that Lovie Smith went public with the following statement: "Heads, Orton. Tails, Grossman."
* People were wondering if the tandem of Adrian Peterson and Matt Forte could combine for 1000 yards on the ground. Forte had ran for 0 career yards, no one had a clue how good the kid would be.
* Can Devin Hester make the transition to #1 receiver? Going into the season, the first option in the passing game is under 6'0.... not good for any team.
* Will the defense play like we thought it could? Remember, the Bears resigned Briggs, Harris, Vasher, Tillman, and Urlacher in the past two years. That is five Pro Bowl quality players, and that doesn't count the oft-injured Mike Brown.
Going into this season, there was NO WAY the Bears would make the playoffs, let alone make it above .500... right? Many 'experts saw them in last place in the division and some saw them behind the Detroit Lions (I'm looking at YOU, Scott Van Pelt!).
Look, I know success in the NFL is measured in the playoffs... but can't we be happy with an overachieving 9-7 year? Orton (Go Purdue!) turned out to be serviceable, even durable. Although he played better before the ankle injury, he still managed to get the "Best QB since MacMahon" tag. I mean, if Orton is starting in '09, the majority of Bears fans will feel good, if not great, about it. When was the last time that happened? Pre-Jim Miller? Matt Forte turned out to be a top 5 back in the league. As long as he doesn't pull an A-Train, or Rashaad Salaam, the Bears already have an above average passing game and a solid running game. The defense was shaky, but that is to be expected with all of the injuries this team had.
Look, you can get on the Bears all you want for losing that last game in Houston. You should, they desrve it. The door was open for a first-round playoff bid against the Eagles, but let's not get all crazy and think this was a disaster of a season. The Bears were, after all, 9-7 this year, with a legitimate chance of going 12-4 if it weren't for the early season NFC South OT losses. 9-7 is a hell of a down year. 9-7 is a hell of a stepping stone.
So where do the Bears go after this season?
#1) Get a freaking reciever: Look at the Bears' last #1 receivers: Musin Muhammed, Devin Hester, David Terrell? Go through free agency and get Orton a 6'4"+ target...even if his initials are T.O.
#2) Get bigger thru the DT position: The Bears' stellar D circa 2003 was built heavily around the DT position, with the wall of Keith Traylor and Ted Washington. Tommie Harris is a good player, but he is too unreliable with injuries to ask him to do it alone. With Alex Brown and Awanle Agunletye on the ends, and Harris in the middle, you need 1 more legit DT to allow the LBs to do their thing, which then allows the secondary to do their thing. The Cover 2 is built from the front to back. Remember this, Jerry Angelo.
#3) Give Ron Turner some game tape of Wes Welker: Wes Welker is small, fast, and good at avoiding defenders. Devin Hester is small, fast, and good at avoiding defenders. The Bears should use Hester like the Patriots use Welker. DEVIN HESTER = WES WELKER! DEVIN HESTER = WES WELKER! DEVIN HESTER = WES WELKER! DEVIN HESTER = WES WELKER! Come on, Ron Turner, DEVIN HESTER = WES WELKER!
So take the Bears '08 campaign as a building block, not a falling boulder. Take some time, look forward to '09 and enjoy the playoffs.