The Chicago Bears went 8-8 last season and made the playoffs in 2020. Was it pretty? Not at all but at the end of the day, they found a way to accomplish their mission. Yet from the way a lot of experts are acting lately, it’s as if the Bears went 4-12 and were an afterthought in the NFC. That seems like the case among NFL executives who ranked them the 14th-best team in the conference according to Mike Sando of The Athletic.
Why so much hate? A few factors. First is the state of their offensive line. One many view among the worst in the NFL. It wasn’t that good last season and doesn’t seem to have gotten much better. Then there is the presence of Sean Desai, a rookie defensive coordinator with no experience. Last but not least? The schedule. No team plays a tougher slate of opposing quarterbacks than Chicago. Given the iffy state of their secondary, that is an obvious red flag.
Not everybody is so down on them though.
Sando spoke to one NFL coach about them and he didn’t at all seem perturbed by the question marks. He thinks the team is better coached than they get credit for. The defense played with energy most of the preseason. In his mind, the big jolt will come whenever they decide to put in Justin Fields. Once that happens, the entire offense will instantly become more explosive.
“Why would everyone put Chicago so low?” a coach who did not vote in this survey said. “Someone probably spent a lot of time looking at the schedule, but I’d put them ahead of Minnesota, who I think is way too high. I’d put them ahead of Dallas. It’s not going to be long for the kid (Fields) to play, and they will be more explosive with him. I just think they are better than they are given credit for. I saw them twice in preseason and they were running around, flying around pretty good.”
Count this man among those who feel the Bears should probably start Fields sooner than later. Something head coach Matt Nagy continues to resist despite the 11th overall pick looking so exciting in the preseason. It’s clear the team has a plan in place for him and intends to stick with it. They believe in Andy Dalton. His experience, intelligence, and savvy. With decent protection, he can run the offense fine.
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Are people underestimating the Chicago Bears?
It’s a fair question. This team has talented in a lot of areas. Allen Robinson remains a stud. David Montgomery has come into his own and Darnell Mooney has a ton of promise. Defensively they still have Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks. Eddie Goldman is back. Bilal Nichols is coming off the best year of his career. Roquan Smith is a silent star. Jaylon Johnson looks ready to ascend at cornerback. Maybe Eddie Jackson will rebound too.
This isn’t a bad roster. Granted, it has some areas of concern. The offensive line was already mentioned. Cornerback is another with everybody behind Johnson completely unproven. Both areas can be really problematic to a team if they struggle. So the pessimism is understandable, but that shouldn’t subtract from their strengths. The Chicago Bears do have the capability to be a good team this year.
It will just require a bit of luck and good play at quarterback.
Something that seems like too high of a demand for this franchise. Dalton will be the latest to try and alter that trend. He isn’t anything special talent-wise, but the guy has had success before. If he gets decent protection, he should be able to make some things happen. Whether they’ll be enough to navigate a brutal first half of the schedule remains to be seen.