Bears' curse of high expectations
Arrival of Cutler gave us false hope that Bears were better than they are
The Bears beat the Browns by 24 points, and everyone is complaining. Go figure. At this point in the season, don't we have a pretty good inkling of what the Bears are all about?
I guess we should blame Jay Cutler for this, too. When the Bears traded for him this offseason, expectations soared. Many in the media got carried away, predicting that the Bears would compete for the division title. Ten or even 11 wins became a possibility. One national writer, Peter King of Sports Illustrated, predicted the Bears would not only win the NFC North, but represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Now that the Bears finally had acquired that elusive franchise quarterback, it seemed like everything else would fall into place.
A lot of fans jumped on board too. Overnight, the Bears became legitimate. Many convinced themselves that the offensive line would be vastly improved over last season, and that the inexperienced receiving corps would instantly mature. Such was the magic of Cutler.
But then the season started. And each week we have learned a little more about the Bears' offense. The offensive line is even worse than last season. The receivers have shown promise, but are raw and inconsistent. The running game is terrible. The Bears have an excellent quarterback in Cutler, but no, he can't do it alone.
The Bears were demolished by the Packers. They needed help in the form of a couple wayward kickers to beat the Steelers and Seahawks. They beat the hapless Lions, but lost to a good Falcons team, and were destroyed by the Bengals on the last Sunday of October. Shouldn't we have been steadily adjusting our expectations downward?
The Browns game came at a good time, because the Bears might not win again this month. Their next four -- the Cardinals at home, 49ers on the road, Eagles at home, and Vikings on the road -- will be really tough. Instead of fretting over the victory over the Browns, we should be savoring it. The Bears are not a very good football team. Anyone still expecting them to make the playoffs is an eternal optimist or a little whacky. And the scariest part? The future no longer looks so bright.
By obtaining Cutler, the Bears were positioning themselves for what should be a long, competitive run. That was the thought. But the offense has regressed. Offensive coordinator Ron Turner is talking about going back to basics, paring down a scheme that already has looked predictable and rudimentary. And we can be sure Turner did not arrive at this decision lightly. The Bears can't run block and they can't pass block, which makes it difficult to run a respectable offense. Cutler is put at risk every time he drops back to pass. Thank goodness he signed that extension a couple weeks ago and is locked up through 2013. After the way the Browns beat him up, he might be regretting that decision.
The offensive line will need a major overhaul at season's end. And the Bears won't be able to count on the draft for much help, because they traded away their top pick to get Cutler and their second round pick for defensive end Gaines Adams. I suppose there's always free agency. But general manager Jerry Angelo tried that last offseason, signing Frank Omiyale. How well did that work out?
The Bears also need to obtain a true No. 1 wide receiver. And they might need to rethink the running back position as well, because Matt Forte's production has been very disappointing. But how much of that is Forte's fault, and how much of it can be attributed to poor line play? It's tough to know for certain.
Many angry fingers have been pointed at the coaching staff, particularly Turner. (Yes, there are plenty of defensive concerns, as well. But one side of the ball at a time.) But is it coaching, or is it personnel? Is there a coach in the league who could find success with the Bears' dysfunctional line? We see how little time Cutler has to throw. We know how lousy the running game has been. We know the receiving corp is average, at best. Maybe Turner's not to blame.
The Bears have won four of seven games, but they might not even be that good. That's a frightening thought. And while this never was meant to be a championship season, it was supposed to be a new beginning. With Cutler on board, the Bears would start their climb to the top. Instead, Cutler's presence has magnified their deficiencies. No matter how good he is, he can't win games all by himself.