Bear Down: Previewing The 2009 Chicago Bears
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Sep 11, 2009 3:00PM
Jay Cutler -- one addition forever changed the course of the Bears' franchise and one name changed the expectations of Bears fans for the upcoming season, which begins on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. When the unique opportunity to transform the team by adding a young, Pro Bowl quarterback presented itself, GM Jerry Angelo boldly traded for cannon-armed Cutler. Denver's loss is Chicago's gain, as the Bears gave up Kyle Orton and a package of draft picks to add their best passer since Sid Luckman.
With the high profile addition comes high expectations for 2009. In 2008, the Bears came up just short of making the playoffs with a 9-7 record. The season saw the emergence of rookie running back Matt Forte and Kyle Orton's beating out Rex Grossman atop the QB depth chart once and for all. At the same time, the defense failed to live up to expectations, as they fell to the middle of the pack in points allowed.
Coach Lovie Smith effectively demoted defensive coordinator Bob Babich by deciding that he himself would call in the defensive plays while having Babich focus on coaching the linebackers. Smith also hired Rod Marinelli as defensive line coach -- sure he went 0-16 as Detroit's head coach last season, but the D-line is his area of expertise and the line has look much improved during the preseason. On the other hand, the Bears secondary remains an area of concern.
Offensively, the Bears tuned up their offensive line with the addition of future Hall of Famer Orlando Pace, as well as Kevin Shaffer and Frank Omiyale. Last year's top pick Chris Williams is healthy, too. But the Bears did little to address their deficiencies at wide receiver -- especially given the Cutler addition. Devin Hester remains their top receiver, along with a group that includes only one wideout who's even caught a pass in an NFL game. During the preseason, however, Cutler seems to have develop a nice rapport with tight ends Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark. The biggest question for 2009 is what kind of vertical passing game can we expect? If Cutler can make his receivers better and can hit the tight ends, that will also open up more holes for Forte, as it'll keep opposing defenses honest.
Key Additions:
Jay Cutler - QB
Orlando Pace - OT
Kevin Shaffer - LT
Key Departures:
Kyle Orton - QB
Rex Grossman - QB
John Tait - OT
John St. Clair - OT
Mike Brown - S
So what do we foresee for the Bears in 2009? We don't think it's foolish to dream of another trip to the Super Bowl for this team. Without a vertical passing game and with a poorly performing defense, this team just missed the playoffs. Without a doubt, the offense will be better--both on the ground and through the air. We predict a defensive renaissance with the coaching changes as well as players like Brian Urlacher finally fully healthy again. We can't imagine the Bears not winning the NFC North, and come January anything's possible.
Week-by-Week Predictions:
Week 1. @Packers -- W
Week 2. STEELERS -- L
Week 3. @Seahawks -- L
Week 4. LIONS -- W
Week 5. @Falcons --W
Week 6. @Bengals -- W
Week 7. BROWNS -- W
Week 8. CARDINALS -- W
Week 9. @49ers -- W
Week 10. EAGLES -- W
Week 11. @Vikings -- L
Week 12. RAMS -- W
Week 13. PACKERS -- L
Week 14. @Ravens -- W
Week 15. VIKINGS -- W
Week 16. @Lions -- W
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Final Record: 12-4