Chicago Bears

Even after the draft and free agency, it's still fun to poke at the team and see if there's still anything that needs to be addressed. And Football Outsiders put together their division by division outlooks looking at each team's remaining biggest need. You need an ESPN Insider subscription to read the whole piece, but the NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert pulled out some snippets from the piece and under the Bears they wrote: Football Outsiders' issue: Receiver Football Outsiders comment: "When we pointed to wide receiver as a major flaw for the current Bears early in the offseason, it was to the consternation of a lot of Bears fans who saw the offensive line as the larger issue. The problem is that Jay Cutler is a see-it, throw-it passer. He's still a solid quarterback, but he's never thrown receivers open on a consistent basis. That amplifies the Bears' receiving problems, and while scheming can create the occasional big play for Devin Hester, Eric Weems, or Earl Bennett, they can't defeat man coverage often enough to benefit Cutler." Seifert followed up by saying he doesn't agree with that classification of Cutler (that he's a "see-it, throw-it" passer), but that there still isn't much behind Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery or Bennett, so on that level he agrees with FO's assessment. If we hop in the DeLorean (or simply use Google or the FO homepage), we get to the article they wrote prior to free agency and the draft, at the end of February about each team's biggest needs. And about the Bears, they wrote: Biggest hole: Wide receiver and tight endRemember when the Bears traded for Brandon Marshall? That was a fairly adept move by new Bears GM Phil Emery, because if Marshall hadn't been around last season, Jay Cutler might not have completed a pass. Marshall absorbed 192 targets, third-most in the league behind Calvin Johnson and Reggie Wayne, and he had to do this because the Bears had no other receivers who could beat man coverage. While part of that falls on the diminishing returns of year five of the Devin Hester ExperimentTM, as well as the general lack of receiving depth Chicago had while waiting for Alshon Jeffery to develop, another big factor was the trade of Greg Olsen to the Panthers back in 2011 by predecessor Jerry Angelo. Without a reliable tight end to serve as an underneath threat, Cutler was forced to spend a lot more of last season scrambling while waiting for his targets to get open.Kellen Davis had a truly magical season, dropping seven passes on just 44 targets, and finishing with a -26.6% DVOA rating that placed him 46th out of 49 qualifying tight ends. Secondary tight end Matt Spaeth, primarily a blocker, caught the ball about as well as you'd expect a blocking tight end to, accumulating a -34.6% DVOA on the 10 passes thrown his way. The Bears often had no choice but to use both of their tight ends as blockers rather than waste their time trying to throw to them. So the Bears had what can only be considered a sucking black hole at receiving tight end (two sucking black holes, actually), and that sucking black hole contributed to Cutler having to sit around (or run around) the pocket and heave the ball to Marshall because no one else could beat man coverage quickly enough. I like Martellus Bennett as much as the next guy, but he's still only one receiving tight end. But if they're worrying about not having another receiver that can beat man coverage... Are they calling for a fourth wide receiver to be the team's biggest need? And don't they have a guy that can beat man coverage in Jeffery as he develops? If the Bears' biggest need is still a receiver, then they're in a very good place. What are your thoughts on FO's post-draft commentary?

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We dissect the current competition for Chicago’s second and third tight end spots, a positional battle that features players of varying skill sets.

The biggest reason cited for off-loading former General Manager Jerry Angelo last offseason was a failure to close the talent gap between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers. Since then, the Bears have added a new GM (Phil Emery), their second coaching staff (Marc Trestman et al), acquired Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, attempted to rebuild the offensive line, nearly replaced an entire linebacking unit... You get the point. Per John "Moon" Mullin's estimation, the Bears may have as many as ten new starters between 2012 and 2013. But Ted Phillips isn't ready to declare victory. "We're going to find out," Phillips said... ... ‘You know I don't do that," Phillips said, laughing. "[But] I'm happy with how things are in the offseason. I like the coaching staff, everything's going in the right direction and I can't wait for the season to get started." I'd say that's about as much as you're going to get from anybody. It's the offseason, everything's happy happy fun times until the games start being played and people start screaming "How come we didn't draft/sign/trade for Player X," "Why did this offense call for that play at that time," et cetera. I'm in the Phillips boat here - of course it's too soon to tell - but on paper, the Bears' offense is getting closer. Do you think the Bears are getting closer to closing the talent gap? Has that gap closed already?

Jan 5, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers fans during the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. The Packers won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports They’ll put anything on TV these days.  As proof of that, TBS is getting ready to launch a new reality show called Cheeseheads, which will follow a group of Green Bay Packers fans. TBS is also developing Cheeseheads (working title), which looks at the fans of Wisconsin’s Green Bay Packers. Billing promises that the show “will take viewers into the hilarious subculture through the eyes of a group of proud Wisconsinites as they navigate life in the only way they know how – loud, proud and with lots of beer.” I’ve happened across a number of Bears fans who roll their eyes at this news.  I say they’re sorely mistaken.  I can’t wait for Cheeseheads! (more…)

Past Performance: 2012: 10 games, 6 starts - 48 targets, 24 receptions, 367 yards, 3 touchdowns, 17 first downs Jeffery's 2012 was a mixed bag of results. He had some solid play and flashed the ability that made the Bears spend a fifth-round pick to jump up in the second round to grab him (such as when I wrote after the Jaguars game that he'd taken over the #2 receiver role before he got hurt), but he also had some "WTF" moments such as, oh, the three-Offensive-Pass-Interference-Game for one. The second-round rookie missed time with a knee surgery and a hand injury suffered in the Jaguars game, but prior to that caught a pass in every game and led all rookies in receiving (also until Justin Blackmon remembered he was supposed to be Justin Blackmon). Was Jeffery productive? Oh yeah. Could he have been more so? Oh hell yes. What's New? As with Shea McClellin, more opportunity, though Jeffery had already started to take hold of a starting role. Step one is learning what he can and can't get away with at the NFL level - the Green Bay game was a harsh awakening to that, but watching Brandon Marshall should give him some pointers for year two. But if that's step one, one-A has to be having more time and more offensive throws in his direction. Marshall's still the undisputed number one of this offense and will be as long as he's in town, but Jeffery's going to get his over the course of the year as well. 48 targets was fourth on the team behind Marshall (194!!), Matt Forte (60!!) and Earl Bennett (49), which should tell you about the state of the Bears' offense last year. With the improvement in the offensive line and that had Jeffery not been injured for six games those target totals would have been second on the team, Jeffery should get more throws in his direction in year two. The 2013 Season Trestman's offense will make sure more throws get around to whoever gets open wherever they line up. The offensive line should give Jay Cutler more time to find open targets when Marshall is actually covered. Jeffery should be able to get open more in year two. The one question I have is if the Bears have a legit receiver corps yet. The answer is, well, I'm not sure. Marshall and Jeffery are a very nice one-two combo (Marshall's a one-two all by himself sometimes), but behind that, there's still no "speed" threat to "stretch the field." Do the Bears need that, though? It helps, but the point is more "Catch ball, move ball downfield." You want the big, streaking-downfield, 60-yards-in-the-air throw, but if a ten-yard catch and move gets that accomplished, that works too - and it's not like anybody's slow on the roster. The Way-Too-Early 16-Game Prediction In May: 90 Targets, 48 receptions, 600 yards, 7 touchdowns

Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports The Chicago Bears need to get younger on the defensive side of the ball. Although the team has a number of All-Pro and Pro Bowl players on all levels of the vaunted defense, the fact remains that Julius Peppers, Lance Briggs and Charles “Peanut” Tillman are all in their 30s. It is only a matter of time before their respective ages start to show, be it a decrease in on the field production or a rash of injuries that will prevent them from making a start. This might sound like doom and gloom but it’s the hard cold truth. Thankfully, Bears GM Phil Emery addressed the future of the franchise in this past April’s draft having used several picks to add to the defensive depth chart. With Brian Urlacher no longer on the team, the position of need for the Bears was within the linebacker core. Using second and forth-round picks, the Bears added linebackers Jonathan Bostic and Khaseem Greene to the mix. Bostic, out of the University of Florida, was an All-SEC player during his time in Gainesville who finished his collegiate career with 237 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, five interceptions and two forced fumbles. Greene much like Urlacher is a converted safety. The Rutgers University graduate was named a first team All-American and he is a two-time Big East defensive player of the year as a linebacker as well as Second Team All-Conference as safety during his sophomore campaign. Greene’s career includes 387 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. According to his NFL.com draft profile, Greene “consistently goes for the strip or takes a strong punch at the ball,” which will fit in nicely with Tillman and the other Bears defensive ball-hawks. At this point, regards of players college resumes it’s all about promise and potential. No one knows for sure who’s going to go down in the annuls of NFL history as a Hall of Famer or a draft bust. At this point for Bostic and Green, the only thing the can do his work and make the most of their opportunities, while fans and pundits alike can only wait patiently to see what products on the field of play. M. Quann Boyd is a writer for RantSports.com Follow him on Twitter @MQuannBoyd. “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

The Chicago Bears slapped the franchise tag on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Henry Melton to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent this off season. Melton accepted and signed his tag without the drama that surrounded last years tagged Bears player, Matt Forte. Melton is set to make $8,450,000 for his '13 season, but the Bears and Melton are expected to try and get a long term contract worked out before the July 15th deadline. Brad Biggs of the Tribune speculated on what a potential long term deal could look like. If the Bears use Forte's contract as a way of doing business with Melton, it will be easy to predict what kind of guarantee Melton could be looking at. Forte's franchise tag was for $7.742 million and the $17.1 million guaranteed he received was nearly the same as the cost the club would have had to tag Forte twice - a 120 percent raise in the second year. That figure would have been $17.03 million. Using that as a rough outline, Melton could be looking at a potential guarantee of $18.59 million ($8.45 million for 2013 and a 120 percent raise to $10.14 million in 2014 under a second franchise tag). But there are a myriad of variables to consider. Melton plays a different position. Both sides can make the case the market has changed. The length of the deal could differ as well. Whether he plays under the tag money or signs something long term, that's still a serious chunk of change. He finally broke through and made a Pro Bowl in 2012, and his first step and quickness is tailor made for the one gap defense the Bears run. What I wonder about his play however, is the best from Henry Melton yet to come? He chalked up 7 sacks two years ago, and another 6 last year, but what does 2013 hold? Will his Pro Bowl play plateau? Will the still young (26 years old) Melton take another jump in his play for 2013? What do expect out of Henry Melton this season?

There aren't many, and certainly not many available, who bring more to role than Bears' No. 2.Bears fans may be more panicked about Josh McCown being the team's backup quarterback than they were about the Chicago-area water levels being higher than sled hills last month.