Team In Turmoil: Chicago Bears

For the Chicago Bears, losing 3 games last season was great. They were clearly the best team in the NFC, and not surprisingly, got to the super bowl. Although they lost to the Colts, the Bears still had a great season and looked to become even better this year. While, guess what? They have 3 losses, just like last year. Just one difference: 3 losses are coming this year at week 4, not week 17.

Chicago has struggled out of the gate in this odd beginning of the 2007 NFL season. They currently are ranked 30th in total offense in the NFL, and a decent but not good enough for a supposed best defense in the NFL 15th in defense. There are many reasons for this, and here they are.

First, lets take a look at this 30th ranked offense. The big problem everyone knows about from the media cramming it down our throats is the quarterback situation. What Has Happened: Much criticized Rex Grossman, after starting the first 3 games, compiling a 1-2 record, was benched in favor of Brian Griese. Grossman ranked 31st in quarterback rating, and only threw for 1 touchdown. 1 in 3 games. And remember that little goal he had of getting single digit interceptions? Well, if he remains benched, he'll get it, as he has thrown 6 interceptions in just 3 games. Not only did Rex not make plays, but he actually made a negative impact on the rest of the team. So, in comes Brian Griese to try and stop the bleeding with a win over the Lions last Sunday. Well, he did just the opposite of that, throwing 3 interceptions, with 2 of those being in the redzone. In fact, he looked so bad, that many people called him rex-like. Now, to be fair, this was the first game he's started in about 2 years, so one can expect him to be rusty. But he simply didn't have the tools with his weak arm to win. He did look better than Rex in the sense that he made plays. He threw 2 touchdowns, although 1 was in the last few minutes of the game. How To Fix It: I believe that the Bears have to keep Griese out there at least for another 3 starts. He really does need to keep down his mistakes to be able to win. Lets say he has another 3 games like the one he had against Detroit. What would head coach Lovie Smith do? Do you go back to Rex, or keep Griese in? I would put Grossman back in, simply because of this: If he stops making stupid decisions, he has the arm to be a good quarterback. That is what is so frustrating to Bears fans. Grossman makes 2 or 3 bad mistakes during a game that can easily be avoided if he's thinking. What does he do if he sees a linemen coming at him in the backfield. Try to float a ball into a receivers hands that is 10 feet away from him, that will almost need a miracle to be completed. What does a good one do? Take the sack, or throw the ball at the receiver's feet. If both guys don't work, then I think it's time to turn back to Kyle Orton. Not necessarily because Orton is good, but because the position needs a change. Orton will be the last resort however, because I think Lovie Smith will almost certainly go back to Grossman if the Griese experiment fails. By then, it might already be too late for the Bears.

So, going along with the dismal quarterback spot, is the running back position. What Has Happened: Cedric Benson has become the teams feature back in his 3rd season in the league. So far, he ranks 24th in the NFL in rushing yards, with only 1 touchdown. He is only averaging 3.2 yards per carry, and has put it on the ground 3 times. This comes after the team traded away 1000 yard rusher Thomas Jones away to the New York Jets. Although Jones hasn't exactly been tearing it up this season for the Jets so far, one has to wonder if the Bears made a mistake in trading him away. To go along with Benson, Adrian Peterson has compiled 75 yards, with a good average of 4.2 yards per carry, but he has fumbled 2 times in just 4 games. How To Fix It: The Bears running game has been dismal so far this season. Some of that can be put on the offensive line, but the 2 main running backs, Benson and Peterson, have not been good at all. Not only has Cedric Benson not been getting good gains when running, but he's also been making mistakes when he fumbles. Sounds familiar? That is exactly what the quarterback position has gone through thus far. I think that the fix is simple here, mostly because there is only one possible way to fix it. That way is to start being Adrian Peterson and rookie Garret Wolfe more carries. I have been slightly impressed with Peterson these last 2 years, and I think that he can get some nice yardage for the Bears if he is given 5-10 carries per game. Bringing these guys in will not only make Chicago find someone that can run the ball, but will add competition for Benson, hopefully pushing him to do better. One is for sure though, and that is that the running backs have to stop fumbling the ball. A combined 5 fumbles in 4 games is not a way to go about running. But, when it comes down to it, the Bears will have to have a much better offensive line if they want to be able to run the ball.