[CBFF] '08 outlook in a word? Well, it's not close :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar

[Aaron Stigberg]

Did Microsoft pay them for this headline?

Tom Shannon wrote:
> '08 outlook in a word? Well, it's not close :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears
> 
> '08 outlook in a word? Well, it may not be close
>  One thing certain: Bears have plenty of uncertainties
> 
> 
> January 2, 2008
> BY MIKE MULLIGAN mmulligan at suntimes.com
> 
> You know you've had a bad year when the buzzword is ''close.''
> 
> Nothing like abutting greatness to nearly bring out the imminent
> excitement in almost everyone.
> 
> » Click to enlarge image
> General manager Jerry Angelo liked what he saw in the Bears' two
> closing victories.
> (Joseph P. Meier/SouthtownStar)
> 
> 
> RELATED STORIES Inside the Bears: Updates from our blog
> 
> Close might be good enough in a messy battle between howler monkeys,
> but should fans be proud of a proximate pro football team?
> 
> Bears general manager Jerry Angelo pointed out the obvious flaw as he
> headed out of Soldier Field after a season-ending victory over New
> Orleans that accounted for the Bears' only winning streak of 2007, a
> two-game home sweep of the Packers and Saints.
> 
> ''Unfortunately, we weren't playing for the playoffs,'' Angelo said.
> ''But we did as good as we could, given the conditions. It was a good
> way to finish up. We played hard. A lot of teams at this juncture of
> the season, when you have nothing to play for, don't play hard. It
> says a lot for the players and coaches. We wanted to end on a good
> note, and hopefully it will help pull us into 2008.''
> Back to you, Jerry
> 
> This was before coach Lovie Smith unveiled his stay-the-course plan in
> two final news conferences, one after the Saints victory and another
> the next day to close out the season.
> 
> ''We're not going to overreact emotionally to anything,'' Angelo said.
> ''We'll do it right.''
> 
> ''It'' is the rebuilding or reloading needed to get the Bears back
> into contention. Closing the gap from ''close'' to playoff team or
> championship contender is a fascinating subject as the Bears face
> their most important offseason since 2002. Smith said he wants to keep
> his coaching staff intact and would like all the players out of
> contract to return, too.
> 
> That lobs the ball directly into Angelo's court. Is Smith saying the
> Bears are close only if they retain their free agents? How close are
> they if they lose Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs, top wide receiver
> Bernard Berrian, Pro Bowl special teams player Brendon Ayanbadejo and
> supposed franchise quarterback Rex Grossman? When those players leave
> -- and all but maybe Grossman are nearly certain to be gone -- should
> the buzzword be changed to ''distant'' or ''remote''?
> 
> Smith's plan might not be viewed as ingenious so much as a year late,
> but there is something to be said for continuity in a coaching staff,
> particularly when a team believes it's close enough to strike. The
> Bears maintained continuity on special teams last year, and despite
> losing five key players on those units, wound up repeating as the No.
> 1 special teams in the NFL.
> 
> They maintained continuity in the starting lineup, too, save for one
> position on each side of the ball. They traded running back Thomas
> Jones to the Jets and waived troubled defensive tackle Tank Johnson
> before the season. Now, despite the assurances from Cedric Benson that
> another running back isn't necessary, the Bears still need a running
> back and a defensive tackle -- perhaps in reverse order.
> 
> Whatever went wrong on defense -- the Bears seem to believe it was
> simply ill-placed injuries -- that unit shouldn't be overlooked during
> the offseason tweaking. Sure, the Bears have a couple of ''redshirt
> rookies'' in second-round pick Dan Bazuin and third-rounder Michael
> Okwo waiting in the wings. But they felt the same way about Dusty
> Dvoracek coming into this season, and he didn't last one game.
> Needed: an impact draft
> 
> They've known about Briggs' likely departure for a couple of years and
> have taken steps to replace him with Jamar Williams and Okwo. There
> has been speculation that Brian Urlacher could be moved from middle
> linebacker to the weak side. Had Smith been coaching the Bears when
> Urlacher arrived, it's a no-brainer that he would have been lined up
> on the weak side and told to chase the ball rather than take on
> blocks, with the idea of creating the next Derrick Brooks.
> 
> Instead, Urlacher first was used on the strong side opposite the tight
> end, then moved to the middle, where he could not only roam sideline
> to sideline, but also drop deep to protect the vulnerable spot in the
> cover-2 defense. The time to move Urlacher has long since passed.
> Weak-side linebackers sometimes move inside when they hit Urlacher's
> age, not the other way around. Briggs is a good player, but not so
> good that you need to change two or three positions to replace him.
> 
> The Bears' most significant impact should come from the draft, where
> they own the No. 14 pick and four in the first three rounds, including
> a high third-rounder from the Jones deal. The last time the Bears
> picked 14th, they selected Tommie Harris in 2004. Of course, the year
> before, they took Michael Haynes in the same slot, so you never can
> tell which way a draft will go.
> 
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