Bears Blitz

Published by Vernon Croy on August 26, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The last few years have been pretty much the same for the Chicago Bears. They were a pretty decent team with average to terrible quarterback play.

They’ve went with Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton at the helm for the last few years. While they did win a few games over that time span, they never could get over the hump. Then as if that wasn’t a big enough problem, the vaunted defense, from previous years, wasn’t that great last year. They finished 16th overall for the year.

The big question is whether or not they can finally turn it around and be one of the elite teams once again. If your looking for Expert NFL Sports Picks then I would not pick the Chicago Bears to win their division this season.

The Good News

The biggest move of the offseason was definitely acquiring Pro-Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler.

Cutler has a gun, unlike the previous quarterbacks who held down this spot. They had a great rookie running back in Matt Forte last year. He was basically the entire offense last season even though defenses knew what was coming.

This year, they’re hoping with the threat of a passing game, Forte will be able to get off the line easier. They also brought in former Pro-Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace to protect Cutler.

The Bad News

The bad news strangely coincides with the good news. While Jay Cutler is talented, his attitude is one of the worst in the league.

While confidence is important, Cutler’s cockiness rubs a lot of people the wrong way, including teammates. He threw a temper tantrum in Denver, which is how he ended up in Chicago in the first place. Why would Chicago believe that he eventually won’t do the same thing to them? He was so mad with the Denver management because they offered him in a trade to get quarterback Matt Cassel, that he demanded to be traded. Just the thought that a coach would want any other quarterback besides him made him so upset that he couldn’t recover from it.

The Bears will also figure out quickly that Cutler does not know how to win.

Who do you think had a better win-loss record the last few years? Kyle Orton or Jay Cutler? If you said Cutler, you’d be mistaken. While he does have the big arm, his intangibles and leadership is terrible. He also throws a lot of interceptions and tries to fit the ball into bad places. On top of that, who is he going to throw the ball to? Is Devin Hester really the best receiver that the team has?

The Bears also lost a former Pro-Bowler and leader on defense in Mike Brown. A lack of leadership on the defense is not exactly what you need when you’re trying to turn the defense around again.

Outlook

While the big move was flashy, it’s questionable whether or not it’s going to pay off. Don’t look for them to win the division this year. They’ll probably win a few games, but they’re not about to beat out the Minnesota Vikings in the division.

As far as Expert NFL Sports Picks go, I would take the Chicago Bears to win at least nine games this season.

Make sure you Check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Football Picks this season.