Bears Blitz

Published by Paul Grossinger on March 9, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

NFL’s free agency frenzy is coming soon and Bears fans should be very hopeful for 2012. If the franchise’s new front office brain-trust addresses a few critical concerns, the team could be a Super Bowl contender in 2012.

I hear laughing from some readers but before you snicker consider some important facts. The Bears finished the season on one of the most embarrassing losing streaks in recent sports history.  But that tidily masks the fact that the team sported a 7-3 record mid-season and was viewed as the NFL’s most dangerous playoff wild card. 

Without Jay Cutler’s injury, the Bears would almost certainly have gone 11-5 and made the playoffs as a very dangerous floater.

This offseason, the Bears will enter free agency and the NFL draft with critical holes to address.  The franchise desperately needs to find an elite wide receiver. The team needs to replace the woeful Ja’Marcus Webb. 

Cornerback and safety could each use depth and, as always, the team needs to stockpile talent on the defensive line and at linebacker to replace their ageing talent at those positions.

But the Bears were not a 7-3 mirage last season, the team’s foundation is solid and its problems are fixable. Several elite wide receivers, headlined by San Diego Chargers star Vincent Jackson, are available in free agency and the Bears should sign Jackson to a lucrative deal. That move alone would solve the Bears’ biggest problem. 

Considering their horrifying collapse last season, they have the incentive to make that splash this year.

Offensive line remains an area of need but fixes abound. Last year’s first round pick Gabe Carimi showed promise before injury and should become a viable starting tackle. So the Bears will be able to use their first round pick on a second foundation tackle if they sign an elite receiver. 

If that happens, the Bears will have a young, solid offensive line and Jay Cutler will benefit from addition protection and produce accordingly in 2012.

The team’s other problems can be addressed by a mix of free agency and the draft. The team could use a starting safety but, since it’s not a premium position that pays top dollar, that problem can be addressed along with wide receiver in free agency. Or, if the team wants to conserve financial resources, a future starting safety will almost certainly be available in the second round of the draft. 

Put it all together and, if the Bears make the right moves, you have a strong contender for the Super Bowl next year.  

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