Chicago Bears
Head Coach: Marc Trestman (8-8 all-time in Chicago)
Last Year's Results: 8-8, no playoffs
Projected Starters:
(My Player Rankings Guide:
E - Elite Starter: Franchise changing player at his position
HQ - High Quality Starter: One of the best in the game at his position
GS - Good Starter: If this guy's on your team, he's likely starting and you should be perfectly fine with it
AS - Average Starter: This guy is OK, but if possible, I'd be looking for an upgrade
BAS - Below Average Starer: This guy should not be starting, but he will because he's the best option
??? - Not enough information regarding this guy and the jury is still out on him
R - Rookie: Pretty self-explanatory
PS - Poor Starter: This guy shouldn't be starting for your football team. NO EXCUSES!)
OFFENSE:
QB: Jay Cutler (GS)
RB: Matt Forte (GS)
FB: Tony Fiammetta (PS)
WR: Brandon Marshall (E)
WR: Alshon Jeffery (HQ)
TE: Martellus Bennett (GS)
C: Roberto Garza (AS)
RG: Kyle Long (AS)
LG: Matt Slauson (GS)
RT: Jordan Mills (PS)
LT: Jermon Bushrod (AS)
DEFENSE:
DE: Lamarr Houston (GS)
DE: Jared Allen (AS)
DT: Stephen Paea (AS)
DT: Jeremiah Ratliff (AS)
WLB: Lance Briggs (GS)
MLB: D.J. Williams (BAS)
SLB: Jon Bostic (BAS)
CB: Charles Tillman (GS)
CB: Tim Jennings (GS)
SS: Ryan Mundy (AS)
FS: Chris Conte (BAS)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K: Robbie Gould
P: Pat O'Donnell
Schedule:
vs. Buffalo
vs. @ San Francisco
vs. @ New York Jets
vs. Green Bay
vs. @ Carolina
vs. @ Atlanta
vs. Miami
vs. @ New England
BYE WEEK
vs. @ Green Bay
vs. Minnesota
vs. Tampa Bay
vs. @ Detroit
vs. Dallas
vs. New Orleans
vs. Detroit
vs. @ Minnesota
Predicted Results: 11-5 (4-2 in division)
Team Analysis: The Chicago Bears are my "super duper" Super Bowl sleeper for 2014. While I think there's way too much talent in the NFC for the Bears to realistically win the "big one" this year, I like what this team has done recently and they are definitely a team on the rise in the NFL, and it all started last season. After controversially deciding to release head coach Lovie Smith (a move I absolutely hated), the Bears brought in Marc Trestman to run the show and NFL experts everywhere blasted the decision. Why would the Bears let a guy like Lovie Smith go and bring in a relative unknown CFL coach? Well, after a 3-0 start and the offense looking more in sync than ever before, Bears fans quickly realized that Trestman is the real deal and the man has a magic wand and all he has to do is touch a QB and he turns them from Luke McCown into "Peyton Manning-lite". Trestman still doesn't get a whole lot of love from fans as far as being one of the best offensive coaches in the NFL, but people should stand up and take notice after everyone sees what he can do in season two.
Offensively, the Bears are still going to be dominant. Jay Cutler only played in 11 games last season, but he was on his way to one of his best seasons ever and should continue on that streak this season. When you have guys like Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Martellus Bennett to throw the ball to, you are going to have exceptional results. It also helps when you have a guy like Matt Forte in the backfield. Forte had arguably his best season last year under Trestman and should continue to improve as Cutler and the WR corp get back into rhythm as the season progresses. Of course, the Bears are really hoping that Cutler can stay healthy this season, because if he goes down again, Chicago doesn't have Luke McCown to rescue them this season. McCown is with the Buccaneers now and Cutler's back-ups are Jordan Palmer and Jimmy Clausen, two QB's who I don't even think Trestman could fix. The Bears are going to need all they can get from their offensive line, and with the talent they have...it won't be much. Pray that Cutler stays healthy Bears fans, because your offensive line probably won't do much to protect him.
On the defensive side of things, the once dominant Bears are pretty much just average. They have no players that I would consider "elite" or "high quality". They lost Julius Peppers, but bring in a washed-up Jared Allen. If Allen can return to his old form, he'll provide a nice little spark on the defensive line for Chicago, but that's probably asking too much. Chicago is also pretty depleted at linebacker and in the secondary, which is going to be a huge problem come playoff time. This team is going to be a little unusual to watch for Chicago fans. Chicago fans are usually use to seeing a dominant defense win them NFL games to make up for the offense's lack of production. Not anymore. Now this offense is going to have to put up a crap ton of points to help make up for the defense's deficiencies. The good news is, it should be extremely fun to watch. Like I said earlier, Bear's fans should strap themselves in for the ride because it's going to be a fun year. I know it feels weird to draft a Chicago Bears player in fantasy football, but don't be afraid to pull the trigger. This team is going to put up a lot of points and it's going to be something to watch it happen.....
No comments:
Post a Comment