Last Year:
After wining 13 games in 2001 the Bears were one of the biggest disappointments of 2002. The clock hit midnight on this Cinderella team as things that were two year?s ago, just simply were not last year. Along with several injuries, the most notable disappearing act was of Anthony Thomas. His rushing totals were shaved by about 400+ yards, and with his ineffectiveness the average quarterback play from the Chicago Bear?s was exposed. Offensive struggles forced the Bears to ask more from their defense which it simply could not give. The magic just was not there. Although Dick Jauron is a coach who is loved by his players, he is quickly falling out of favor with others. If he wants to continue his work in Chicago he has to prove that this team?s 1 winning season during his time as their head coach was not a fluke.
What we Learned from Last Year:
Many people look at a team like the Chicago Bears and they say: ?How in the world is it possible to go from 13 ? 3 to 4 ? 12?? The Chicago Bears have a very good game plan that fits their team perfectly. That plan is run the ball, and stop the run. What that means is that they plan to run the ball (successfully) which should simplify their average passing game and which allows them to put points on the board. Defensively, with their fast linebackers they attempt to protect against the run, and force teams into longer third down situations, and try to break them down like that. So if this game plan works, this team is fairly competitive, but with a lack of talent at QB this team doesn?t really have a backup plan? Last year when A-Train derailed, and opposing defences were expecting Chicago to pass, Miller just could not get the job done.
On top of their offensive failures, the defense also went into the tank. Either that, or maybe their defense wasn?t that good to begin with. Everyone knows that running the ball against Chicago with hasty Brian Urlacher on patrol is not going to be very smart. But passing against the likes of R.W. McQuarters and Jerry Azumah who combined for a total of 1 interception last year is nothing to worry about. Besides Mike Brown in the secondary this is one of the team's weaknesses.
Make no mistakes about it, every team single team in the league would falter if their running game was at one point exceptional and then vanished but since this team relied so much on Anthony Thomas that is why they underwent such a big drop-off in wins.
What has changed?:
The biggest change on this porous team will be at the quarterback position. Gone is the average/steady Jim Miller and in is ex-Pittsburgh Steeler standout Kordell Stewart. Unfortunately he was a standout for all the wrong reasons such as inconsistency. As bad as this may sound, the Bears have actually made an upgrade at this position. They will now be more athletic at the position and will be able to go down the field more often. The only problem is that Kordell is prone to the ?big mistake?. I really don?t know how much more successful he will be in Chicago on a worse offensive without his awesome offensive coordinator. His coordinator in Pittsburgh, Mike Mularkey, is one of the main reasons Kordell career came out of the gutter. If they can get some consistent smart decisions out of this guy they might be an average team.
As I mentioned before now that they have Kordell Stewart this team has the ability to go down the field more often. That is something that they rarely did with Jim Miller at the helm. Although right now it looks like this team doesn?t have a lot of talent in the receiving corps, David Terrell is a very athletic and a capable receiver. He might be able to have a breakout year this year if he can build a good rapport with Special K. Dez White is another speed receiver who might benefit from Kordell?s athleticism. All this team needs is for Kordell to stay away from game-breaking turnovers but I?m not even sure they can get that from him. Da Bears drafted, what is more likely to be their future QB, Rex Grossman out of Florida. He was a very polished QB is Florida and although he has veteran Chris Chandler in front of him in the depth chart he might be starting games by the end of the year.
Anthony Thomas may have gone into a sophomore slump, but he better snap out of it pretty quick. He is going through back spasms in training camp, but he must be healthy and effective by the time the season starts for this team. A lot of what they do offensively depends on him. A-Train running the ball consistently well will probably make an easier time of things for Kordell.
One thing that puzzles me about this team is the way they draft. A couple of years ago this team was in desperate need of a running back and they passed on Deuce McCallister in the first round only to select Anthony Thomas in the second round. This year this team needs an impact cornerback and they need help in the secondary. They play 7 of the top 11 passing teams from last year but they only got one guy to bolster the secondary in the whole draft. Instead of possibly trading up to draft to their weakness, they spend a pick to add to a strength (D-Line). At least they got somebody in the second round. On the whole they had a decent draft but it?s uncertain how many influential players they acquired through the draft.
So what has changed? The D-line is still good, the linebackers are still good, the secondary is still awful besides Mike Brown, the offense will be inconsistent which all adds up to a couple more wins from last year.
O/U 6.5:
At the beginning of last year many people would have said that the Bears could sweep the Lions, sweep the Vikings, and possibly get a split with the Packers. A season later, this team will be fighting to get a split with any of their division opponents. What will help this team is that they are back in their real home, Soldier Field. What won?t help this team is Kordell Stewart?s inconsistencies and a defence that can?t protect very well against the pass. Here?s who they play: @49ers, Raiders, @Saints, @Seahawks, Chargers, Rams, @Broncos, Cardinals, Redskins, @Chiefs. Two years ago experts predicted this team would be garbage and they finished 13 ? 3. Last year everyone predicted they would be a contender again and they finished with 4 wins. This is a tough team to figure out which is why it may be best to stay away from this total.
Fantasy Sleeper:
If this team is going to be playing from behind as much as they did last year, you might want to have a look at one of their young receivers. Dez White has not shown too much and David Terrell should be primed for a break out year. If you?re not so keen on him, just remember to keep an eye on the A-train. He is a big part of what they do offensively and many people will pass on him due to his awful season last year. Many rookies go through sophomore slumps and he?ll try to atone for his pitiful season last year.
After wining 13 games in 2001 the Bears were one of the biggest disappointments of 2002. The clock hit midnight on this Cinderella team as things that were two year?s ago, just simply were not last year. Along with several injuries, the most notable disappearing act was of Anthony Thomas. His rushing totals were shaved by about 400+ yards, and with his ineffectiveness the average quarterback play from the Chicago Bear?s was exposed. Offensive struggles forced the Bears to ask more from their defense which it simply could not give. The magic just was not there. Although Dick Jauron is a coach who is loved by his players, he is quickly falling out of favor with others. If he wants to continue his work in Chicago he has to prove that this team?s 1 winning season during his time as their head coach was not a fluke.
What we Learned from Last Year:
Many people look at a team like the Chicago Bears and they say: ?How in the world is it possible to go from 13 ? 3 to 4 ? 12?? The Chicago Bears have a very good game plan that fits their team perfectly. That plan is run the ball, and stop the run. What that means is that they plan to run the ball (successfully) which should simplify their average passing game and which allows them to put points on the board. Defensively, with their fast linebackers they attempt to protect against the run, and force teams into longer third down situations, and try to break them down like that. So if this game plan works, this team is fairly competitive, but with a lack of talent at QB this team doesn?t really have a backup plan? Last year when A-Train derailed, and opposing defences were expecting Chicago to pass, Miller just could not get the job done.
On top of their offensive failures, the defense also went into the tank. Either that, or maybe their defense wasn?t that good to begin with. Everyone knows that running the ball against Chicago with hasty Brian Urlacher on patrol is not going to be very smart. But passing against the likes of R.W. McQuarters and Jerry Azumah who combined for a total of 1 interception last year is nothing to worry about. Besides Mike Brown in the secondary this is one of the team's weaknesses.
Make no mistakes about it, every team single team in the league would falter if their running game was at one point exceptional and then vanished but since this team relied so much on Anthony Thomas that is why they underwent such a big drop-off in wins.
What has changed?:
The biggest change on this porous team will be at the quarterback position. Gone is the average/steady Jim Miller and in is ex-Pittsburgh Steeler standout Kordell Stewart. Unfortunately he was a standout for all the wrong reasons such as inconsistency. As bad as this may sound, the Bears have actually made an upgrade at this position. They will now be more athletic at the position and will be able to go down the field more often. The only problem is that Kordell is prone to the ?big mistake?. I really don?t know how much more successful he will be in Chicago on a worse offensive without his awesome offensive coordinator. His coordinator in Pittsburgh, Mike Mularkey, is one of the main reasons Kordell career came out of the gutter. If they can get some consistent smart decisions out of this guy they might be an average team.
As I mentioned before now that they have Kordell Stewart this team has the ability to go down the field more often. That is something that they rarely did with Jim Miller at the helm. Although right now it looks like this team doesn?t have a lot of talent in the receiving corps, David Terrell is a very athletic and a capable receiver. He might be able to have a breakout year this year if he can build a good rapport with Special K. Dez White is another speed receiver who might benefit from Kordell?s athleticism. All this team needs is for Kordell to stay away from game-breaking turnovers but I?m not even sure they can get that from him. Da Bears drafted, what is more likely to be their future QB, Rex Grossman out of Florida. He was a very polished QB is Florida and although he has veteran Chris Chandler in front of him in the depth chart he might be starting games by the end of the year.
Anthony Thomas may have gone into a sophomore slump, but he better snap out of it pretty quick. He is going through back spasms in training camp, but he must be healthy and effective by the time the season starts for this team. A lot of what they do offensively depends on him. A-Train running the ball consistently well will probably make an easier time of things for Kordell.
One thing that puzzles me about this team is the way they draft. A couple of years ago this team was in desperate need of a running back and they passed on Deuce McCallister in the first round only to select Anthony Thomas in the second round. This year this team needs an impact cornerback and they need help in the secondary. They play 7 of the top 11 passing teams from last year but they only got one guy to bolster the secondary in the whole draft. Instead of possibly trading up to draft to their weakness, they spend a pick to add to a strength (D-Line). At least they got somebody in the second round. On the whole they had a decent draft but it?s uncertain how many influential players they acquired through the draft.
So what has changed? The D-line is still good, the linebackers are still good, the secondary is still awful besides Mike Brown, the offense will be inconsistent which all adds up to a couple more wins from last year.
O/U 6.5:
At the beginning of last year many people would have said that the Bears could sweep the Lions, sweep the Vikings, and possibly get a split with the Packers. A season later, this team will be fighting to get a split with any of their division opponents. What will help this team is that they are back in their real home, Soldier Field. What won?t help this team is Kordell Stewart?s inconsistencies and a defence that can?t protect very well against the pass. Here?s who they play: @49ers, Raiders, @Saints, @Seahawks, Chargers, Rams, @Broncos, Cardinals, Redskins, @Chiefs. Two years ago experts predicted this team would be garbage and they finished 13 ? 3. Last year everyone predicted they would be a contender again and they finished with 4 wins. This is a tough team to figure out which is why it may be best to stay away from this total.
Fantasy Sleeper:
If this team is going to be playing from behind as much as they did last year, you might want to have a look at one of their young receivers. Dez White has not shown too much and David Terrell should be primed for a break out year. If you?re not so keen on him, just remember to keep an eye on the A-train. He is a big part of what they do offensively and many people will pass on him due to his awful season last year. Many rookies go through sophomore slumps and he?ll try to atone for his pitiful season last year.
