2008: The Year in Preview
BEARS IN BOURBONNAIS | 10 story lines to follow with Bears camp set to open
<!-- Article Publish Date -->July 20, 2008
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<!-- Article By Line -->BY
BRAD BIGGS bbiggs@suntimes.com
<!-- Article's First Paragraph --><!-- BlogBurst ContentStart -->There's no jinx for the Bears to contend with this time around.
The Super Bowl hangover has worn off, and they won't be trying to prove they can bounce back from the Big One. Instead, they find themselves in the familiar position of hoping to pull a worst-to-first maneuver in the NFC North.
Coach Lovie Smith's Bears begin training camp this week.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
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<!-- BlogBurst ContentStart -->It's a feat Lovie Smith's team achieved in his second season, when Kyle Orton started 15 games as a rookie in 2005.
It could be the team turns to Orton again, but that won't be determined until a good old-fashioned quarterback derby is held. That might not be decided until late August, but the Bears would prefer to have a decision before the third preseason game Aug. 21 against San Francisco.
The judgment process begins Wednesday with the first practice of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill.
A sometimes bumpy offseason was highlighted by the re-signing of two perennial Pro Bowl players on defense -- tackle Tommie Harris and linebacker Lance Briggs -- to long-term contracts.
The Bears know the formula for success -- run the ball, play defense and create an advantage on special teams. If they can do that, a third playoff appearance in four seasons could be within reach.
Here are 10 story lines to watch in Bourbonnais:
1 * QB derby
Amid swirling rumors that the Bears might be interested in Chris Simms as a No. 3 quarterback, we still don't know who the No. 1 will be. Leave it to the Bears. Have we seen enough of the Rex Grossman show? Has Orton improved enough since going 10-5 as a rookie starter in 2005? This has been the boogeyman position forever for this franchise, and given the fact
Grossman (above) is on a one-year deal and Orton is signed through 2009, no one is pretending it has been solved. The most effective quarterback last season could be the one that led the team to a come-from-behind victory at Philadelphia, Brian Griese. He's gone, and the position is a national punch line with a wide-open competition about to begin. This isn't a situation that's suddenly going to be fixed in three-plus weeks in Bourbonnais. The Bears should at least find some short-term clarity. The pressing question is, has Orton gotten good enough to take over?
2 * Defense first
The Bears plummeted to 28th in team defense last season, and it's yet to be determined if it was an injury-induced aberration or a signal that
Bob Babich (above) could be on the hot seat. Injuries up the middle -- defensive tackle, linebacker and safety -- gutted the unit at times. How else do you explain the drop-off? If you say it was injuries -- and the Bears were eighth in the league in man starts lost, with the bulk coming on this side of the ball -- combined with a Super Bowl hangover, fine. If not, there could be a serious flaw. They don't have to be in the top five in the league, but if the defense is in the bottom half, this team has no chance.
3 * Urlacher saga
This could become the No. 1 story line if Brian Urlacher's contract squabble blows up. Even if he isn't in camp,
Urlacher (above) will be game-ready for the regular season because he's a workout warrior. Some have been concerned about a decline because he didn't make the Pro Bowl, but at the end of last season, Urlacher was playing as well as any defensive player in the league. He didn't show any ill effects from offseason neck surgery or his back issue in minicamp. Finding a way to appease him will go a long way toward developing some positive mojo in the locker room that was sorely missing last year.
4 * Line dance
None of the other rebuilding phases on offense will be particularly successful if the overhauled line doesn't mesh. Rookie
Chris Williams (above) will be the key, and his development in the coming weeks at left tackle is critical. If the first-round pick from Vanderbilt can't handle the job -- and it's no small task -- this unit will remain at least a year away. Center Olin Kreutz remains one of the NFL's best, and the good news is the organization has familiar faces that have been in the system. The question is, can Terrence Metcalf or John St. Clair show something more now that at least one of them will be called on to do something more than maintain a supporting role? John Tait should be among the top right tackles in the NFC, provided Williams fits in, and Roberto Garza is solid at right guard.
5 * Born to run
There certainly won't be a distraction this summer with disappointing running back Cedric Benson gone.
Matt Forte (above) certainly won't be under pressure to exceed Benson's production. It's about replacing Thomas Jones. Remember him? Forte is a gifted runner the Bears believe is a first-round talent. It's one of the easiest positions for rookies to make an immediate impact at, and Forte will need to because newly signed Kevin Jones might not be ready at the beginning of the season in his return from a torn ACL in his right knee. Jones could prove to be a bargain find, but both backs will have to find some measure of success against eight-man fronts because you have to imagine they'll be seeing plenty of them.
6 * Hesterized
The company line is the Bears are never going to prevent Devin Hester from excelling at what he does best -- returning kicks. But there's an issue of how much he'll be used as a receiver and how that will affect his availability for special teams.
Hester (above) is on a historic pace as a return man, and you can understand the desire to get the ball in his hands more. His bid for a new contract doesn't seem like it will be an issue -- he's signed through 2009 -- but the Bears are going to have to measure his use on offense vs. the potential loss of field position and points via special teams. Getting him 25-plus snaps a game on offense strikes as a great plan, and his usage during camp is worth tracking.
7 * Special stuff
The Bears took a step back on defense, at least temporarily, and have never gotten their act together on offense under Lovie Smith, but the one area you could always count on was Dave Toub's special-teams unit. There are two concerns now, topped by the dilemma involving Hester. Second, while there are a lot of potential replacements, losing Pro Bowl stalwart Brendon Ayanbadejo creates a hole on the coverage teams. A lot of guys can rack up high tackle numbers, but few can be as disruptive as Ayanbadejo. Smith is committed to special teams, and
Toub (above) seems to have a knack for developing stars. Remember, Ayanbadejo had not made a Pro Bowl before coming here. By the time it's all said and done, it could be Ayanbadejo is replaced in group fashion.
8 * Catching on
Expectations are created by two things: contract status and draft position. That helps you shape your vision for the corps of receivers. None is highly paid or came highly drafted. Bernard Berrian is gone after developing into a fine deep threat, and the Bears don't have a No. 1. The question is, do they have a No. 2 or a team of No. 3s? While it looks bleak from a distance, maybe it's not as bad as some suspect.
Marty Booker (above) has had success here before, and while he's not a No. 1, he replaces a possession receiver in Muhsin Muhammad. Brandon Lloyd has enjoyed brief success in the league and has a last-chance shot with his college coach, Ron Turner. He might just find himself and become one of the true bargains of the offseason. Hester has untapped potential, and receivers coach Darryl Drake singled out Rashied Davis as the most improved player during the offseason. Then you have Mark Bradley, who probably faces a final chance to prove he can stay healthy, and third-round pick Earl Bennett.
9 * True leader
Veteran Mike Brown is beloved by Bears fans for all the right reasons. He's the emotional leader of the team and an outstanding player when healthy. The Bears are 14-2 in the last 16 games he has started and haven't lost a game he has started and finished since Oct. 9, 2005, at Cleveland. But it's almost shocking the team has stuck with
Brown (above) as long as it has. As much as you'd like to dismiss his injuries as happenstance and bad luck, there's a track record here. He has never had a problem making it to the regular season healthy, and his body must hold up. The question here is, do the Bears have another free safety? They claim the positions are interchangeable. Are they? Relying on him will create the ultimate reward for patience or prove to be a foolish act of wishful thinking.
10 * Great Nate
As much as Brown's absence hurt the defense, you can make a case the Bears missed cornerback Nathan Vasher more when he was out 12 games with a torn groin muscle.
Vasher (above) is at full strength and should look like the Pro Bowl player he has been in the past. The defense also needs right end Mark Anderson to bounce back from a second-half slump. Alex Brown is expected to regain the starting job, and Anderson might be best served as a situational pass rusher, a role he flourished in as a rookie in 2006 with 12 sacks.
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