Bears Biggest Concerns going into 2007
As previously noted, again and again and again, the recent history for the Super Bowl losing team is not good. Of the last seven losers, only the Seahawks have returned to the playoffs the following year. So with the dawn of Training Camp upon us, let's take a look at what the Bears will need in order to buck the trend and get back to the Super Bowl.
- Health. First and foremost, the Bears need to stay healthy. If they stay healthy, I think the roster is good enough and young enough to not experience much of a dropoff this year, if at all. They lose one or two key guys, though, and they could very well go 6-10. Here's one man's view of the most important Bears:
- Brian Urlacher - We saw how good the team was in 2004 without the face of the franchise. 5-4 with him, 0-7 without him.
- Tommie Harris - Now that Tank is gone, Harris' return from injury is vital because this line simply doesn't have much depth. I bet the Bears are now wishing they kept Ian Scott. He wasn't a star but he was dependable, and dependable would look awfully good right about now.
- Olin Kreutz and John Tait - The whole offensive line, really. The starters are very soild, but they're also very old. Two guys go down and this line would tumble like a deck of cards.
- Mike Brown - I'm hesitant to put his name on the list because he's become so fragile, and with the addition of Archuleta, he's not quite as important to the success of the team. Still, there was a noticeable dropoff when he got hurt last year, and it'd really be nice to have him in the playoffs.
- Cedric Benson - I like Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe, but neither exactly gives me the warm fuzzies.
- Speaking of, Benson needs to take a huge step forward. He got his wish, he's the man. He better have a big year this year or the fans will turn on him faster than you can say Rashaan Enis.
- A receiver needs to step up. The Bears didn't draft anyone, and no big-time free agents were signed. So they're going with what they got, and what they got ain't a lot. I like Berrian a lot, but he's more of a complimentary player than a star. Moose is supposed to be a star, but he's more of a possession guy than his salary would suggest. Mark Bradley might be the best receiver they have, but it doesn't matter how good you are if you can't stay on the field. Surprisingly enough, G-Reg Olsen might be the answer hear, or at least that's what I'm hoping.
- Finally, Rex Grossman needs to step it up, big time. I think the Bears have no choice but to go into the season with Sexy Rexy lined up under center, but he can't have a repeat of last year's disaster. Sure, his 23 TDs were great, but his 20 picks and dozen fumbles were inexcusable. He needs 25+ TDs and less than 15 turnovers this year or we're looking at a repeat of last year, at best.
And there you go. Bear Down in 07!