2006 NFL Preview: Chicago Bears

Last Year

It was supposed to be another down season in Chicago, but head coach Lovie Smith wasn't listening to all that jazz. While Minnesota succumbed to injuries and division mates Detroit and Green Bay did their cellar block tango, the Bears won 11 games on the strength of their defense and made their ascent to the top of the division.

After neglecting the laggard offense in the draft and free agency, the Bears will bank on the development of quarterback Rex Grossman and running back Cedric Benson to put them over the top.

What We Learned From Last Year

Trauma struck early for the Bears — again — targeting a position that has haunted them for so many years — again.

Top quarterback Rex Grossman broke his ankle in the preseason as a couple of St. Louis Rams defenders took him down.

The Bears had used at least three quarterbacks in six of the previous seven seasons and Chad Hutchinson/Henry Burris flashbacks were conjured as Grossman was carted off the field.

Then came the downpour of "I told you so" from fans and experts towards general manager Jerry Angelo, in regards to his decision not to incorporate a veteran quarterback on the roster.

But he would have the last laugh as a fourth-round rookie would help him out. At one point, quarterback Kyle Orton looked like a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and first-round pick during his senior season at Purdue until a season-altering fumble and lingering hip injury dropped him a few rounds.

He stepped into the Bears' starting lineup from Week 1 and granted it took him about a month to figure things out, he did a commendable job leading the Bears to success.

Let's face it, nobody really cares about the backup quarterback when making preseason predictions, but they come into play every year, and for some teams, they make or break a season. No one knows that better than the Bears.

After finding his feet, Orton limited his mistakes. With support from an outstanding defense and a career year from running back Thomas Jones, Orton and the Bears ripped off an eight-game winning streak.

Jones, who was softer than a Sara Lee sponge cake in his first couple of season in Arizona, had now fully morphed into a compact, power runner. Ironically, first-round pick Cedric Benson was drafted to add that dimension, but because of his holdout and because Jones brought pretty much everything to the table, Benson didn't see much of the field.

While the running game flourished, the passing game was dormant. It was pretty clear that aerial attack was dumbed down for Orton, which lessened the impact of prize free agent wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. Outside of him, though, the Bears drastically lacked receiving options.

Lovie Smith's formula was clear: run the ball and stop the run. As the calendar turned to the colder months, running on the Bears' defense was like trying to teach Paris Hilton Sudoku.

The Atlanta Falcons found out first hand how devastating the Bears' front four was and it was clear that they emanated an intimidating presence.

Alex Brown's continued development alongside Adewale Ogunleye at the end positions was instrumental to complement the league's deepest rotation of tackles.

Tommie Harris was a force inside, consistently breaking down double teams. With three sacks and an excellent season, he earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Ian Scott was a steady run stuffer, while Tank Johnson was a lovely surprise, with five sacks. On the other hand, Michael Haynes, a 2003 first-round pick, continued to disappoint the Bears.

The play of the secondary was up and down and eventually ended on a low, as Carolina Panthers wideout Steve Smith shredded them for 218 yards in the playoffs. Jerry Azumah was hampered by a neck injury and grew more unproductive as the season wore on. Nathan Vasher made the Pro Bowl based on 8 interceptions, but he is more qualified as a number two corner. The same can be said about Charles Tillman, who was expected to be their number one guy.

At safety, Lovie Smith was frustrated with Mike Green throughout the season and rookie Chris Harris eventually took over for him. The Bears' real standout in the secondary is Mike Brown and they are not the same team when he is not on the field.

For a team that fell only two games short of the Super Bowl, it was surprising to see them neglect a passing offense averaged a measly 125 yards per game. The perplexing question is why? And it is a question we may be asking again come January.

This Year

Well, no one can complain about the Bears not having a competent veteran quarterback this time around.

Jerry Angelo signed Brian Griese to a five-year pact. In all honesty, it is an unfortunate signing because you don't want to invest so much time or money into a backup quarterback, especially when you hope that he doesn't see the field.

On the other hand, the player that you do want to be the quarterback of the future, Rex Grossman, has started only four regular season games in the last two seasons.

The only way this signing can be a success is if Grossman is absent for a long period of time and Griese fills in.

Although Grossman hasn't seen the field much during his three seasons, he has good vision, confidence, and arm strength. As long as he stays healthy, there is no reason why he would not provide security at the position. With Kyle Orton as the third-string backup, the Bears are fairly set at quarterback.

At the running back position, it seems like there has been a bit of a role reversal between Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson this offseason. Jones, who is fresh off a career-high 1,335 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, held out through organized team activities and voluntary camps this summer while Benson, who was a holdout well into training camp last year, benefited from Jones' absence and prepared well for the upcoming season.

Jones has a strong grasp of the offense and is known for being in tip-top shape, so don't expect him to miss a beat in training camp. But Benson will steal plenty more than 67 carries this season and likely push Jones out of a job in Chicago (eventually). Jones has done everything he has been asked of in his two seasons as a Bear, but Benson just fits the mold of the power running back that offensive coordinator Ron Turner is looking for.

The offensive line remains strong, but is aging. It's a unit that is better at run blocking, but they are capable in pass protection.

While there was a thin crop of wide receivers in free agency and the draft who could have provided marginal help, the Bears decided to bank on their in-house crop instead.

Muhsin Muhammad is entering his 11th season and is nearing the top of the hill. He will still draw most of the defensive coverage in the secondary since the Bears lack a trustworthy second option. Bernard Berrian is a speedy slot receiver, but is not good enough to be a number two guy. Mark Bradley has that potential, but he is recovering from his second ACL injury in four years.

The offense did not get any help in the draft, which was somewhat puzzling. The Bears passed on Marcedes Lewis, who would have filled a huge void as a pass catching tight-end, as well as Sinorice Moss.

Instead, they opted to add a few more cogs to the defense, which should ensure that they won't be any less ferocious this season.

Second-round pick Danieal Manning will have a pretty good shot at unseating the unspectacular Chris Harris in training camp. This position has seemingly irked Lovie Smith for a couple of seasons.

The team's other second-round pick, Devin Hester, is a bit of project as a cornerback but he should give the return game a shot in the arm. Third-round pick Dusty Dvoracek will contribute right off the bat, since his former team, the Okalahoma Sooners, implement a similar defense to the one of defensive coordinator Ron Rivera.

The linebacking corps rivals any grouping in the NFL. The Brian Urlacher critics were nowhere to be found last season and he has Tommie Harris to thank for that. Urlacher is fun to watch, since he plays with uncanny intensity and with Lance Briggs and Hunter Hillenmeyer to his sides, not many running backs get to the third level. Hillenmeyer is a reliable, heady player, while Briggs is an outstanding playmaker, whom the Bears are trying to retain with a contract extension.

The cornerbacks unit is a bit of a concern for the Bears, even though they get a helping hand from the front four. Ricky Manning, Jr. signed from Carolina, but he will only fill the nickel role. Vasher and Tillman have to be more consistent and one of them has to fill the top spot. Many teams will be looking back to Steve Smith's performance and will try to use that as a blueprint to expose this defense.

With two years under his belt, Lovie Smith is the most experienced coach in the NFC North. He has the best team in the division to work with and although they don't appear to be significantly better than last season, they shouldn't have much trouble getting to the playoffs.

Over/Under: 9

The Vikings, Packers, and Lions are all turning a new leaf with untested head coaches, which indicates that the Bears division rivals are all under construction. Barring injuries, nothing will stop the Bears from winning the NFC North. They play: @GB, DET, @MIN, SEA, BUF, @ARI, SF, MIA, @NYG, @NYJ, @NE, MIN, @STL, TB, @DET, and GB.

Fantasy Sleeper

Mark Bradley was developing into a dependable number two wide receiver before he tore his ACL last season but now that he just about fully recovered, he is worth a shot as a late round selection on your fantasy team. Since Muhsin Muhammad is past his prime and Bernard Berrian is only a solution for the slot, Bradley is the only undervalued fantasy wideout with upside on this team. Keep in mind that this is a run oriented, low-scoring offense.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].