The Ultimate Sports Blog's
2015-16 NFL Preview
2014-15 Record: 5-11
Last Playoff Win: 2010 Divisional vs. Seattle Seahawks
Last Playoff Appearance: 2010 NFC Championship vs. Green Bay Packers
Last Super Bowl Win: XX vs. New England Patriots (1985)
Last Super Bowl Appearance: XLI vs. Indianapolis Colts (2006)
Head Coach:
John Fox (118-89-0 all-time as NFL head coach; 0-0 in Chicago, 8-7 in playoffs)
Offensive Coordinator: Adam Gase
Defensive Coordinator: Vic Fangio
2014-15 Team Leaders:
Passing Yards: Jay Cutler (3,812 yards, 66.0% completions, 28 TD's, 18 INT's, 88.6 QB rating)
Rushing Yards: Matt Forte (266 attempts, 1,038 yards, 6 TD's)
Receiving Yards: Alshon Jeffery (85 receptions, 1,133 yards, 10 TD's)
Tackles: Ryan Mundy (103 tackles)
Interceptions: Ryan Mundy/Kyle Fuller (4 interceptions)
2014-15 Team Rankings:
Passing Offense: 15th in NFL
Rushing Offense: 27th in NFL
Points Per Game: 23rd in NFL
Least Points Allowed Per Game: 31st in NFL
2014-15 Potential Starters:
Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel
Offense:
QB: Jay Cutler
RB: Matt Forte
WR: Kevin White
WR: Alshon Jeffery
TE: Martellus Bennett
C: Will Montgomery
OG: Matt Slauson
OG: Kyle Long
OT: Jermon Bushrod
OT: Jordan Mills
Defense:
DE: Jarvis Jenkins
DE: Ego Ferguson
DT: Jeremiah Ratliff
LB: Jared Allen
LB: Pernell McPhee
LB: Mason Foster
LB: Christian Jones
CB: Tim Jennings
CB: Kyle Fuller
FS: Ryan Mundy
SS: Antrel Rolle
2014-15 Schedule:
(September 13) vs. Green Bay Packers
(September 20) vs. Arizona Cardinals
(September 27) vs. @ Seattle Seahawks
(October 4) vs. Oakland Raiders
(October 11) vs. @ Kansas City Chiefs
(October 18) vs. @ Detroit Lions
(October 25) BYE WEEK
(November 1) vs. Minnesota Vikings
(November 9) vs. @ San Diego Chargers
(November 15) vs. @ St. Louis Rams
(November 22) vs. Denver Broncos
(November 26) vs. @ Green Bay Packers
(December 6) vs. San Francisco 49ers
(December 13) vs. Washington Redskins
(December 20) vs. @ Minnesota Vikings
(December 27) vs. @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(January 3) vs. Detroit Lions
Overlook: What do you make of the Chicago Bears? That's a popular question to ask these days and it's also an extremely tough one to answer. There are just so many question marks with this team and that easily makes them one of the toughest NFL teams to predict going into the upcoming season. In a perfect world, the addition of John Fox as head coach would turn everything around in Chicago. Fox is one of the best head coaches in the NFL in my opinion and his presence alone should make Chicago scarier than they ever were under Marc Trestman. If Fox can somehow come in and turn Jay Cutler back into even an average NFL QB, there is no reason the Bears shouldn't at least flirt with a return to the playoffs this year. They have too much talent on both sides of the ball to be a 5-win NFL team.
The addition of John Fox as head coach should help the Bears make a turn around on defense. Fox's teams are historically pretty good on defense because that's where Fox's strength resides. The Bears are extremely average on paper on this side of the ball, but with players like Jeremiah Ratliff, Pernell McPhee, Tim Jennings, Ryan Mundy, and Jared Allen....there is talent there. They also have a lot of holes that need to be filled though and they had better hope that Kyle Fuller plays better than last year. The first-round pick started off the year really good and then fell off a cliff side and tumbled down in dramatic fashion. Chicago was statistcally one of the worst teams in the NFL last season, but there's just no way John Fox and company will allow that to happen under their watch. Look for some significant improvement from this unit this year.
Where the Bears are really interesting at is on the offensive side of the ball. We all know the Jay Cutler story. The once decent NFL QB's career took a huge dive last season and it looks like the guy has lost his way. Everyone thought his time in Chicago was up, but now it's time for Fox and new offensive coordinator Adam Gase to come in and "fix" Cutler. If anyone can do it, it's Gase. If Cutler can't come out and have a good year this season after an off-season with the Broncos ex-offensive coordinator, it's more than time for the Bears to cut their losses with the guy. Chicago has talent on the offensive side of the ball. Matt Forte is starting to drag his feet, but he's still a damn fine NFL running back. Alshon Jeffery is one of the most exciting wide receivers to watch in the NFL and the addition of rookie Kevin White should make him even better. Martellus Bennett is one of the best tight ends in the league, and outside of their offensive tackles (where Kyle Long is rumored to be moving over to play which would be HUGE for Chicago), their offensive line isn't terrible. You see what I mean? If John Fox and his staff can come in and have an impact on Jay Cutler and Chicago's defense, the Bears could be one of the surprise teams of the year. Don't be shocked if that happens.
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