Chicago Bears (11-5)
Last year, the Bears rode their defense to a first place finish in the NFC North and a second place finish in the NFC. They will have to do that again if they want to be successful in 2006. The Bears return all 22 starters from last season, and lost absolutely no one in free agency (not just no one important, no one period). The only departures were SS Mike Green (traded to Seattle) and CB Jerry Azumah (retired). Azumah was a good nickel back, but the Bears added CB Ricky Manning Jr. (Carolina) to fill that role, and CB Dante Wesley for depth (also from Carolina). Manning Jr. has some pending assault charges against him, but his case will probably get continued until next offseason. The Bears did not get much in return (a 6th round pick) for Green, but the team had already decided to move in another direction with SS Mike Brown and FS Chris Harris.
To cover their bases, they used the first of their two second-round picks (they did not have a first-round pick) to add SS Danieal Manning (Abilene Christian). Manning can play both safety positions (and corner, if necessary) and, like their other second-round pick, WR David Hester (Miami-FL), he can make an impact in the return game. Hester was once thought of as a "Heisman Hopeful" and can theoretically play WR or CB. He will never be good enough to play on the defensive side of the ball for Chicago, and will most likely be used almost exclusively as a return specialist. The Bears added WR Alex Bannister (cut by Seattle because of injuries) to bolster their special teams unit, and also re-signed third-string RB Adrian Peterson, who has been a standout special teams performer.
The question marks for Chicago are all on the offensive side of the football. Deciding on a starter between Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson is a nice problem to have, and it gives them two excellent options running the ball. There is less certainty in the passing game. The biggest addition is QB Brian Griese (Tampa Bay). Griese was 5-1 as a starter in 2005 before having his season cut short by injury. Rex Grossman will be the starter to begin the season, and could improve greatly. Dating back to his days at Florida, he has had to learn a new offensive system each season, which is something he does not have to do this year. The team still has Kyle Orton, who went 10-5 as the starter last season.
After Muhsin Muhammad, it is hard to figure out who else will be catching passes for Chicago. Youngsters Mark Bradley and Justin Gage are the leading candidates to start opposite Muhammad. It was a little surprising that Chicago did not address their need for pass-catchers in the draft, but their game is running the football and playing solid defense. The Bears could also do better than Desmond Clark at tight end. If Muhammad were to suffer an injury, the Bears offense could be in trouble with defenses keying on the run even more.
For the most part, the Bears are an unchanged team from last season. The defensive and special teams units should be some of the best in the NFL. However, the offense will struggle in the passing game again, and that makes it harder to run as well. For the Bears to be successful, the defense will have to be great again. The contract status of LB Lance Briggs and CB Nathan Vasher is a little disconcerting. The team just re-signed LB Hunter Hillenmeyer to an extension, and the team needs to lock up Briggs and Vasher as well.
The Bears should be about as good as they were last year, but that might not translate into the same results. Minnesota took some major steps to improve on offense, especially in the running game. Rod Marinelli will try to toughen up the Lions and Mike Martz should improve that offense considerably. And Brett Favre is back for at least one more season. The rest of the division could catch up to Chicago in a hurry, and the Bears are only one-year removed from a 5-11 season in 2004. They do get to play the easiest schedule in the NFL (their opponents had a combined record of 114-142 in 2005), so that might help them have another winning season. The Bears seem content to follow the same formula that was successful last season, but complacency does not usually lead to success in the NFL.
Key Additions: QB Brian Griese (TB), CB Ricky Manning Jr. (CAR), SS Danieal Manning (R)
Key Losses: SS Mike Green (SEA), CB Jerry Azumah (ret)
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