‘The Bears are close,’ but to what?

By ANDREW DREISCHARF The Independent

“The Bears are close,” said Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo this past week.
I ask: Close to what?
I feel saddened and find it hard to believe that this Bears team was in the Super Bowl just 11 months ago. I sat at home this weekend watching the playoffs and thinking to myself: Why aren’t the Bears here? The answer is pretty clear. The Bears have so many holes going into the 2008 season that it would be like trying to patch a crack in the Hoover Dam with spackle.
For a season that was supposed to be better than last, the anti-climatic loss to the Colts in Super Bowl XLI was bad enough. Sitting through the 2007 season was gut-wrenching. Not that much changed from February to September of 2007, but the results and regression of the club were some of the hardest things I can remember.
Injuries were the main culprits that did the Bears in this season. In a 16-game season, you’re not going to survive with many of your key players out with injuries. Mike Brown was lost in the first game, and it seems the defense as a whole never recovered. Tommie Harris’ knee continues to be an issue. After having offseason surgery, he came back in 2007, but he still seemed to be hurt. He went from an incredibly explosive defensive tackle to a player who was flagged multiple times for false starts and seemed to be a step behind everyone else.
Nathan Vasher, a top cover cornerback missed 10 games with a nagging groin injury. Even when he returned, it was clear he was nowhere near 100 percent and was placed on the injured reserve list soon after. When he returned against the Minnesota Vikings in week 14, he intercepted a pass and helped Brian Urlacher make one as he threw a block on wide receiver Robert Ferguson. With Brown and Vasher missing most of the season, the Bears’ secondary unit seemed to suffer the most as this once- top defense found itself at the bottom of most statistical categories.
Even defensive captain and fan favorite Urlacher was hurt this season. An arthritic back impeded Urlacher’s play for a good part of the season. It was only the last few games of the season that he seemed to look like his old self.
Capping off all the injuries was the loss of two offensive starters-running back Cedric Benson and quarterback Rex Grossman. A broken fibula knocked out Benson, and another leg injury sidelined Grossman for the season just when both players finally started to look good.
However, injuries were not the only cause for the lackluster outcome of 2007.
The three-headed monster known as the Chicago Bears quarterback controversy once again reared its ugly head in 2007. Grossman started the season poorly only to be replaced by Brian Griese. Once Griese struggled, Grossman was given the starting nod back before getting hurt and being replaced by Kyle Orton for the remainder of the season. It was not only a season of “good Rex, bad Rex,” but it also applied to Griese, who seemed lights out one game and terrible the next.
Things will only be more complicated this offseason as Grossman is an unrestricted free agent, and the Bears hold the No. 14 pick in the April draft. Many big names will be available in the draft, but in recent years many of the quarterbacks who are great in college don’t have games that translate well to the NFL-style of play. There also will be quite a few big-name quarterbacks available via free agency, including Cleveland’s Derek Anderson. He had a career year of sorts for the first half of 2007, before falling back to earth. Buyer beware is what I say. A player who has a standout contract year often regresses back to mediocrity after signing a large contract.
Unfortunately, the quarterback position isn’t even close to being the Bears’ top problem. Keep in mind that when the defense is healthy, Grossman and Orton have both made it to the playoffs just fine.
The biggest issue in 2007 seemed to be the overnight aging process of the offensive line. The oldest in the NFL seemed ancient this season. Olin Kreutz, like Urlacher, failed to make the Pro Bowl for the first time in years. The line couldn’t block for either quarterback or the running game. Like an overused turnstile on the subway, the Bears’ offensive line let defensive linemen through to the unsuspecting player in the backfield. A 35-year-old Ruben Brown and a 34-year-old Fred Miller clearly showed their age. Rookie Josh Beekman never cracked the active roster as he struggled in practice. Kreutz and John Tait seemed to be the only ones trying, and at times both appeared sluggish and tired from carrying the weight of their teammates.
The trade of running back Thomas Jones to the New York Jets didn’t help matters.
Grossman, linebacker Lance Briggs, special teams standout Brendon Ayanbadejo and speedy wide receiver Bernard Berrian are all unrestricted free agents. All four could be gone at the drop of a hat to the highest bidder.
Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith always seem to say the same things to the media: everything is fine, and we’re comfortable with the team we have. How can they be comfortable with a team that missed the playoffs after making the Super Bowl the season before and every team in their division has only gotten better?
I say it’s time to finally make a splash in the offseason. Spend the money it takes to make the Bears an elite team, or at least try to. The Bears are notoriously thrifty for being one of the wealthiest and most followed teams in the NFL. Doesn’t this loyal fan base deserve better? Re-sign those key players. Go after the top free agents and do not settle for those on the second tier because they’re cheaper. Trade up in the draft to get your man instead of trading down and settling for what’s available to save some money.
You may think we’re close to a Super Bowl, but unless things change soon, I say we’re closer to having the top draft pick. It doesn’t have to be that way.