Rookie Quarterback Led The Way
So who led this masterful rise from fourth to first at the quarterback position for Chicago? Well, that answer would be rookie Kyle Orton. Grossman suffered an ankle injury in the preseason paving the way for Orton to finish 10-5 his rookie season. After getting selected in the fourth round, Orton threw for 1869 yards with a 51.6 completion percentage. He managed the games and took care of the football, in terms of a rookie quarterback, only throwing 13 interceptions. Orton wasn’t spectacular by any means, but he got the job done relying on a strong running game led by Thomas Jones.
Similarities to 2016-17: Potential for young starting quarterback. Strong running game. Game manager that won. Winning quarterback taken in lower round.
Notes: Interestingly enough, did you know Orton finished 21-12 as a Bears starter? The current version of the Bears is built very similar to this. Jordan Howard leads a strong running game that, if coupled with a decent quarterback, could wear down opposing defenses and open up several options in the passing game. This is similar to John Fox’s style of football and keeps games closed allowing teams with the strongest defense to prevail more often than not.
Healthy Defense
As we already indicated, several top players missed games for the Bears back in 2004. Lance Briggs led the team in tackling followed by Michael Green and Todd Johnson (who the hell are they?). In 2005, when the defense was healthy, Urlacher and Briggs combined for 180 tackles, Charles Tillman had five interceptions, sixteen pass deflections and four forced fumbles while Mike Brown chipped in another three picks and over 60 tackles. They finished second in total defense and set the tone for the team the entire season winning eight games where the offense failed to score at least 20 points.
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Similarities to 2016-17: Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman are tackling machines, just like Urlacher and Briggs. Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman will eat up blocks allowing Leonard Floyd and Pernell McPhee to put pressure on the quarterback. The only thing missing are the play-making defensive backs. That is likely to be addressed in this year’s draft and/or free agency. If the unit stays healthy, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Notes: The addition of one, possibly two, impact defensive backs could put Chicago’s defense over the top. A healthy Eddie Goldman and Danny Trevathan would change the landscape of the front seven and open up several possibilities for advanced blitzing schemes. Playing a full season, Freeman, Trevathan, Hicks and Goldman are all possible Pro Bowl players, the Bears had three on their defense in 2005.
