Bears Blitz

Published by Kendrick Marshall on February 17, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

With the 2010 free-agent class offering little to no punch when it comes to available wide receiver options, the Chicago Bears would be best served to cultivate their in-house talent.
 
Much of the last two campaigns have been spent on lamenting the Bears lack of pass catchers to supplement an offense seemingly stuck in neutral since the 2006 Super Bowl run.

The names of Terrell Owens, Antonio Bryant, Derrick Mason, Vincent Jackson, Miles Austin, Brandon Marshall, Braylon Edwards, Malcom Floyd will surface as targets of the Bears. Owens would appear to be too big of a risking as one factor in an all or nothing year for head coach Lovie Smith, general manager Jerry Angelo and team president Ted Phillips.

Bryant was a target of the Bears in free agency at the end of the 2007 season, but the 29-year-old decided to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers instead. He, however, is not the top tier wide receiver the Bears are looking for. Floyd, Edwards, Austin and Marshall would also be solid options,  but that quartet figures either to sign with their current organizations or seek lucrative contracts elsewhere.
 
Recently released Dante Stallworth and Torry Holt are currently on the market. Holt, 33, would figure to fit perfectly in offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s complex attack due to their relationship with the St. Louis Rams. Stallworth would come cheap after going through legal troubles that led to a season long suspension. He might be a serviceable complementary target.

Chicago has not gotten a bang for its buck in production from veteran wide outs in recent campaigns. Before the 2008 season, Angelo signed Brandon Lloyd and one-time Bear Marty Booker as stopgaps to assist then quarterback Kyle Orton.

Both turned out to be tremendous disasters combining for 575 yards and just four touchdowns. Booker was clearly playing on borrowed time, and was done by the end of the season. And Lloyd, who was playing on a one-year deal saying he had something to prove after under performing with the Washington Redskins a year earlier, only started five games and missed six due to injury.

How did the team try to fix the glaring hole on offense?

The Bears attempted to address the need at the position in 2009 by not really addressing it all. Fourth-year specialist Devin Hester was cast as the de facto No. 1 target for quarterback Jay Cutler.

Never mind that heading into training camp the team was going to rely on second-year Vanderbilt wide receiver Earl Bennett who caught one pass in 2008, rookie Johnny Knox who was a fifth-round draft pick acquired as part of the Cutler trade with the Denver Broncos.The team also banked on Cutler and former first-round selection Greg Olsen developing into one of the NFL’s best tight end-quarterback duos. 

While the plan seemed good on paper, considering Cutler was coming off a 4,500-yard season and a Pro Bowl trip in Denver before landing in Chicago, there were plenty of bumps in the road along the way in a up and down season.

Hester led all receivers with 757 yards, and Knox was a pleasant surprise after scoring five times and totaling 527 yards. Bennett, who played with Cutler in Vanderbilt, recorded 717 yards and two touchdowns. Journeyman Devin Aromashodu came on at the end of the season to catch four touchdowns in six games.

Olsen led the team in total touchdowns with eight. However, the year was filled with miscommunication issues, learning curves, and 26 interceptions along the way.

The patchwork receiving corps performed well at time, but far from the consistency needed to compete for a playoff spot.

With no true number one target in the Bears’ price range available the team needs to develop Knox, Bennett, Aromashodu and Joaquin Iglesias. No more redshirt seasons for first-year players.

It is difficult enough to win in the NFL with working components. It is even more of task to be competitive when early round draft picks are unable to step on the field due to inability to grasp the offense or master route running.

Chicago brought in Cutler with the hopes that he would solve the quarterback riddle that has stumped the franchise for nearly five decades. It was believed a quality quarterback covers up for less talented skill position players.

It turns outs that an offense needs both a steady signal-caller and reliable receivers. Smith can’t afford to place himself behind the eight ball again by failing to develop young receivers to help their franchise quarterback.

That is how teams like the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints have won over the years. The Deion Branches, Marques Colstons, Santonio Holmes, Austin Collies and Pierre Garcons of the world did not come into the NFL with great pedigrees. They were groomed by keen coaching staffs to eventually be placed in positions to succeed.

Wholesale changes were promised by Bears brass after a disappointing 7-9 season.

It should start at the wide receiver position.

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