The Good…

This offensive style has proved strong results pretty much anywhere it has been. The Rams teams in the ’90s put up huge offensive numbers and “The Greatest Show on Turf” was founded. Martz was considered a genius by pretty much everyone around the game for the ridiculous results produced by the Rams. He turned Kurt Warner from a grocery store clerk into a Hall of Fame quarterback.

He has taken this offense and had results in other places. The Detroit Lions had a strong offensive showing with John Kitna under center. I remember watching that particular Lions team play against the Bears and was really impressed with how the offense worked. While Kitna was always considered a solid QB, he played like an All-Pro with Martz. While he didn’t have the drastic results with the 49ers, they showed improvement. Martz is still considered one of the best offensive minds in the game.

Snippets of his Offense

Martz’s offense requires a quarterback to throw to a spot. Well what does this mean exactly? It means that the quarterback times his throw to where the receiver is supposed to be on the field and does not look for a specific receiver. So passes will be thrown to spots on the field where the receiver is supposed to be as opposed to where the quarterback anticipates he is going to go. Now, this sounds easy but if forces a quarterback to not think as much and just throw where he is supposed to throw. While there is a running aspect to his offense, it is safe to say that the pass is used to set up the run.

What will Jay do (WWJD)…

Cutler seems to be a guy that throws to a receiver. Martz has commented on numerous occasions how Cutler has the best arm of any quarterback he has had in the system. While Cutler found the other team as much as he found the endzone last season, this may be a few more heart attacks for us Bears fans as he throws the ball at defenders. I look at it this way…Ron Turner sucked last season so at least we have a guy that has proven he knows how to coach. Hopefully Cutler sees it that way too.

The Verdict…

The wide receivers and quarterback need to be on the same page. While I think Cutler can do this, I am not quite sure how responsive the Bears receivers will be. If this all works out, now we need to be sure the line can block as this system calls for some longer hold times up front. This was also a challenge for this group last season. Mike Tice certainly is a good line coach, and hopefully he can help with the line’s deficits. I think things will work out, but there will be growing pains.

Free Agency

It did not take a rocket scientist to notice that the Chicago Bears needed to improve in many areas this season. This included in pressuring the quarterback, running the football and blocking. Jerry Angelo and his staff did a great job addressing these areas in free agency. The additions of Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna all addressed major holes with the Chicago Bears.

Trade

The Chicago Bears had holes in the secondary last season. In order to solve this problem, they brought in a familiar face in Chris Harris. He is a playmaker in the secondary and really will help a part of the Chicago Bears that struggled last season.

The Draft

Very rarely will you hear a GM tell you that they thought the draft was a waste of time, but the Chicago Bears are very happy with Major Wright in the third round. He was considered a strong part of the Florida defense from last season. Not sure why he slipped into the third round, but the feedback on this pick has been good for the most part. As a Northwestern fan, I think getting Corey Wooten was also a solid move. Finally, many local fans are excited about Lisle’s very own Dan LeFevour. He was very productive as a QB at Central Michigan, and many feel he will be a good backup to Jay Cutler.

Other Moves of Interest

In the supplemental draft, the Chicago Bears selected BYU’s running back Harvey Unga. Unga was projected to be one of the nation’s top backs, but issues in his personal life led him to the NFL. The Bears recognized his talent and used a supplemental pick for his talents. He is the short distance running back the Bears have needed for a long time. The Bears also signed Brian Iwuh who is a solid special teams player.

The Verdict

Alex Brown will be missed, but the moves to improve the roster well outweight the loss of Brown. I think the Bears should get credit for building a roster without having many draft picks.

On a final note, I have to give a huge shout out to the Joliet JackHammers of the Northern League. I was at the Schaumburg Flyers game yesterday with my father and son, and two of the players were unbelievable. Brad Correll gave my son a baseball and Jonathan Wyatt gave him a bat. It was probably the best time I ever had at a sporting event. For those of you with children, you understand what I mean. I am still on cloud nine from how wonderful these ballplayers were to my son, and they deserve some kudos for doing the right thing with kids.

Please follow me on Twitter at BearsHQ for updates during training camp.

Offense

Chris Williams…

Defense

Brian Urlacher…

Building to The Chicago Bears Strength

It is fairly easy to find the things the Chicago Bears do not do well. In fact, the pro-White Sox media (OK, had to throw this in here…) seems to find many things wrong that the Bears do. But, this is not the worst football team on Earth. Here are a few areas of strength for the Chicago Bears.

Special Teams

Brad Maynard and Robbie Gould are one of the premier kicking duos in football. Both kick in one of the toughest venues in football and do it at a high level. The Bears also have a strong group of returners. The best of all of these dudes is Devin Hester (will the old Devin Hester please stand up). Johnny Knox and Daniel Manning have both proven valuable in this roll as well. The Bears also cover kicks and block very well. Kudos to this group!

Starting Quarterback

Jay Cutler is a gifted quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm and can move out of the pocket. While he made some bad throws last year, he didn’t get much help. With a new system in place and more experience for his wide receivers, Cutler is due for a strong season.

Tight Ends

Finally the curse of Coach Ditka is gone. The Chicago Bears are blessed with good tight ends. While I am not the biggest Greg Olsen fan, he does bring some things to the table. Desmond Clark is a solid tight end and the most valuable of the group is Brandon Manumaleuna. Having this guy will help with the blocking on the offensive line. And when you are not looking, he will slip out and catch a pass.

Linebacker

You have one Hall-of-Famer (Brian Urlacher), one possible Hall-of-Famer (Lance Briggs), and a really solid player (Pisa Tinoisamoa) starting in this group. In addition, there is one solid backup (Nick Roach) and a veteran (Hunter Hillenmeyer) in this group.

In Closing…

I wanted to give us all some good thoughts for the day. It is easy to be negative, but today, its all about the love.

Each day,  I will highlight one storyline leading into camp.

Overall Team Health…

Based on what I am hearing,  the team is healthy heading into camp.  That is something that has not been the case in the past. Even Tommy Harris is ready to roll.  The key to any team is healthy players,  and the Bears are no exception. 

If you look back at last season,  there was always injury problems and that was a contributing factor to the 7-9 record. 

Lovie Smith understands that football is a grind and doesn’t need to prove a lot in July.  However,  there is a need for contact and live action.  His teams are normally ready to roll.

So let’s keep our fingers crossed for good health.

What Pisa Brings to the Table

Tinoisamoa is a great linebacker for Lovie Smith’s system. He covers a lot of ground as well as is a good player in space. Tinoisamoa is a solid tackler and good in pass coverage. He is a real compliment to what linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs bring to the table.

The Verdict…

Jerry Angelo did a good job bringing Tinoisamoa in last season. While no one anticipated him being hurt, he showed flashes through the preseason and the little he played in the Green Bay game that he was an upgrade over others that played the position. If this group stays healthy, the Chicago Bears will have the best linebacking core in football. LET ME REPEAT MYSELF FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT LISTENING…The Chicago Bears will have the best linebacking core in football if these three stay healthy.

Sophomore Slumps Suck

Especially when these carry over for the next two seasons or so. Anderson has not been close to the player he was as a rookie. And yet, the Bears continue to have high expectations for Anderson’s play. But expectations and performance are two different things, and Anderson certainly has a lot to prove. Lovie and the gang let Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye go because of the continued faith in Anderson’s talents (and Julius Peppers didn’t exactly hurt). But in years’ past, the Bears would play Mark Anderson with the idea he would find the talent again. So far, not so good…

The Verdict

Am I the only person that understands why Anderson was such a stud his rookie year? Hello, meet Tommy Harris. Harris would force offenses to block him with a guard and tackle thus freeing up Anderson, a gifted athlete by all indications, to rush the passer. Most tight ends and running backs are unable to hold Anderson up. However, when a tackle gets his paws on Anderson, its over. So Anderson, along with the Bears defense, will go the way of Tommy Harris. So Anderson will either be the stud we’ve been waiting for or another in a long line of crappy Bears defensive ends. Hello Carl “The Truth” Reeves.

On the Bright Side

The captain of the group, Olin Kruetz had ankle surgery to remove a bone spur. This he claims slowed him down last season and he is ready to prove all of his critics wrong. Chris Williams played very well last season. Roberto Garza didn’t really do much, but also wasn’t a problem either.

Now for the problem…

Frank Omiyale was brutal at guard last season, so to make things worse, the Bears have decided to move him to left tackle. Josh Beekman stands to play one of the guard positions, and the Bears always seem to look for excuses not to play him. Kevin Shaffer will also compete with this group for playing time.

This group is not exactly what one would call…the word escapes me…good. These guys are brutal and really going to be a problem. If Kruetz was back to his old form, maybe you could get away with one weak link on the line, but not two. Tice will have his work cut out of him. Now to the Chicago Bears credit, the added Brandon Manumaleuna as a tight end, and he is an excellent blocker. This will help on the weaker side of the line, and certainly buy time for Cutler. However, it will give Cutler one less target.

The Verdict…

Get ready for some interesting games. The Chicago Bears will need to rely on a weak group upfront to protect a franchise quarterback with not exactly a top group of receivers. If the Bears are to show us anything offensively, it will take some mighty good coaching. It seems from this seat that the Bears have some good coaches in place, but talent wins in this league. Here’s hoping that the Bears have enough of it.

With all of this being said, the Chicago Bears went into last season with Forte as the only proven running back on the roster. Kevin Jones’ injury during the final preseason game did not help things, but the Bears failing to get even a below average back-up running back made things even worse. In today’s NFL, having two running backs has become an industry standard.

Thank goodness the Chicago Bears recognized this issue and signed Chester Taylor from the hated Vikings. Taylor is a really good running back that became an afterthought with fumble king Adrian Peterson in the mix. But the Vikings loss will be the Bears gain.

Taylor is a really good NFL running back. He was a team player with the Vikings and he has continued to say the right things with the Bears. Let’s face it, he obviously knows that Forte does not have the upside of Peterson, so he figures that the Chicago Bears give him a real shot at starting. Even if Forte remains the featured back, Taylor will be counted on for big things.

From all reports, Forte struggled with some nagging injuries last season. People feel that he is healthy and ready to roll. If this is the case, he will run with a lot to prove. But with a questionable offensive line, he may continue to not miss tacklers. Taylor will have the same issue of course.

The Verdict

The good, the bad and the ugly. We could be looking at any one of these three scenarios if the Bears fail to block for these guys.

As I was telling my boss earlier today, the Chicago Bears have really been under the radar these past few months with the success of the Blackhawks and the LeBron derby. This has allowed the Bears to get things ready without having the distractions of the media. If you remember last season, Cutler created all kinds of buzz around the team and really became a distraction for many people. Now those days are gone and the Bears were able to focus on football.

I am now chomping at the bit for football season to start. It is so needed in my life. So please, lets get this thing started ASAP!!!