Bear(ing) the News – A Chicago Bears Blog

Positivity is a wonderful thing.  In fact, the ability to simply believe that something can be done is the first step in accomplishing anything in life.  But what happens when one closes one’s eyes to reality all together, that is a bit of a different issue.

Unfortunately this is something we encounter all to often amongst NFL fans this time of  year.  New coach, new schedule, new draft, new season.  Everything thing is new.  Everything is rosy.  Few people want to face the colder realities of the NFL before the season even starts.  They’d rather ride on hope.  Hope that so and so blossoms or another guy from the draft is going to solve some of, or even all of, the team’s issues.

The tragedy for me, personally, is that I can’t do that.  I don’t mean I won’t do it.  I mean I’m totally incapable of losing myself in the kind of thinking that only sees the Bears in a positive light.  Oh, I see the positives.  I love them.  I just can’t make them so dominant over other factors that aren’t so sunny and nice.

The reason is actually very simple.  As much as I enjoy the highs of being an NFL fan I also dread the lows.  I prefer to prepare myself mentally, not for the worst, but for both the bad and the good.  This flattens the emotional road ahead.  That preparation, for me, starts in January and usually kicks into top gear right about now just before and after the draft.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I read the latest State of the Team article on the Bears by Andy Benoit at Football Outsiders.  Benoit is one of the most astute NFL observers out there, writing for, amongst many other publications, The New York Times.

If I didn’t agree with everything in this article, I would at least call his evaluation extremely fair and balanced.  But some of you are going to absolutely hate it.  In fact, I would dare say a lot of you aren’t going to finish reading it.  The following excerpt addressing the offensive line will be sufficient to demonstrate:

“[New offensive tackle Jermon] Bushrod is the latest major investment the Bears have wishfully made in an effort to turn around their awful offensive line. The ex-Saint showed admirable improvement last season but, overall, he still must be described as an above-average athlete with below-average pass-blocking acumen. He’s very good when moving forward and very iffy when moving backwards. Which means, in all likelihood, the Bears will have to give him help in a lot of third-and-long situations. Is Bushrod really worth $22.4 million guaranteed?

Inside, [center Roberto] Garza can suffice, but there are concerns about the guys flanking him. Outside, [tackle J’Marcus] Webb should be better on the right than he was on the left, but a change in position does not denote a change in talent. With slow, heavy feet, he will still need help in pass protection. There’s not much depth here either; [Ebon] Britton brings position versatility, but he was bad wherever he lined up in Jacksonville last year. That was likely the function of injuries, but those injuries have been the defining mark of his career.

The sad conclusion: despite continued changes, the Bears are liable to still have a lot of the same blocking issues and play-calling restrictions that have hindered them in recent years.

Anyone who manages to continue on to the defense is going to read a lot more positive comments.  He also says some nice things about Matt Forte that I whole heartedly agree with.

But that isn’t what I’ll hear about.  What I’ll hear is that the Bears haven’t even drafted yet and Benoit is (and by proxy I am) already trashing them.  I’ve heard it all before.  I’ll hear it years from now again during another shiny new offseason.

So those of you who don’t want to hear it in April, go ahead and get your hopes up.  But be warned.  Come September, these future issues are going to be present reality and no amount of positivity will hide them then.  And its going to make your disappointment all the greater.

Mark Potash at the Chicago Sun-Times thinks the Bears have drawn a tough schedule next year:

“Things can change between now and Sept. 8, but at first blush, it doesn’t appear [Bears head coach Marc] Trestman and his staff will have the wind at their backs. The Bears will face 12 teams that made the playoffs in at least one of the last two seasons, including in each of their first 10 games. That’s more than any team in the NFL.”

Yes, ordinarily its perilous to try to judge the schedule based upon past records.  Things go up and down in the NFL very fast and teams you thought were going to be good can turn into duds very quickly.  And teams with low expectations can rise above them just as fast. Consider the Vikings last year as a prime example of a team no one thought would win many games.  They were competing for a playoffs spot in the second half of the season.

But the Bears face a special situation this year.  They’re playing every team in the AFC North including the Steelers and the Ravens.  They’re up against every team in the NFC East including the Giants and the Cowboys.  The Bengals and the Redskins both finished strong last year.  Add the Saints into the mix and you’ve got a real problem.

Its not that the Bears can’t beat these teams.  In fact, they did beat the Cowboys in a poorly played game last year.  And they should be able to handle the Browns.  But beyond that, both of these divisions are extremely competitive and  the teams in them are uncommonly consistent year to year.  While most of the NFL see-saws up and down, you can count on the Steelers, Ravens and the Giants to be looking to make the playoffs nearly every year.  And you can count on the Cowboys, Eagles and Bengals to give you a pretty rough time most games.  Even in what is considered to be down years for most of those teams, they’re going to make you earn every game more than most.

That means that we aren’t likely to look back on 2013 and say, “Wow.  That turned out to be easier than I thought”.  More likely, the Bears are going to have to play above their heads – and a lot better than they did last year – if they are going to make the playoffs.

Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune reports some good news on defensive end Shea McClellin as he writes about how crucial it is for last years draft class to step it up this year:

“The team can get a big boost on both sides of the ball if defensive end Shea McClellin and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery are prepared for bigger roles in their second seasons. McClellin has bulked up some as he has been able to train for football rather than predraft tests such as the 40-yard dash, bench press and agility drills.”

“McClellin was mostly a situational pass rusher who played 34.7 percent of the time in 2012 with 21/2 sacks.”

“McClellin said he has added 5 to 7 pounds and is about 258, meaning he was playing below his listed weight of 260 last season.

“‘I need to take a big step,’ McClellin said. ‘That is what I am planning on doing. … Still trying to get quicker and faster. Working on hands, everything in pass rush.'”

Adam L. Jahns puts it even more bluntly:

“Is he a three-down player?

“‘He’ll get what he earns,’ [defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said.”

Let’s hope he earns a lot of playing time because, despite the perception that there’s depth at the position, they may need a lot more from McClellin than anyone thinks.  Corey Wooton had a good year for the Bears last year but I’m still not sold on him as a starter.  The Bears are still trying to sign Israel Idonije.

McClellin played really small last year.  He’s quick but he was far too easy to push around, especially against the run, to be a regular starter.  Physically he looked like a boy amongst men.  If he gains a more weight and upper body strength this offseason without losing a lot of quickness, he’ll be much more valuable.

I’m sure general manager Phil Emery was counting on that when he drafted him as it was apparent that both Jeffery and McClellin were projects that were likely to take a year to bloom.  That might be something to bear in mind as we approach the draft this year.  Emery looks like he might be a lot more likely to take a player he thinks can develop rather than one who he is counting on helping much this year.

Matt Bowen at the Chicago Tribune runs through things he wants to see about Marc Trestman’s new offensive and defensive schemes and personnel during this week’s minicamp.  Amongst the things he’s curious about are how Trestman and offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer will use new tight end Martellus Bennet.

“With Bennett, and second-year pro Evan Rodriguez, the Bears can bring their Ace personnel (two receivers, two tight ends, one back) on the field to create matchups versus base defensive fronts and try to exploit the second level of the defense. There will be opportunities here for [quarterback Jay] Cutler to use the tight end to beat up the middle of the field.”

Only if they can run the ball with that personnel.  If both Bennett and Rodriguez can block well enough to force an opponent to use a base scheme against that personnel, they’ll be able to do something.  But as of now if I’m a defensive coordinator, the Bears will rarely see a full compliment of linebackers against that personnel.  Certainly not in anything that looks even close to a passing situation.

The problem is that you won’t really be able to evaluate that in a mini camp.  The Bears won’t really know what they have until the players get out of shorts and start hitting people.