A year after the Bears defense carried the Bears offense to the Super Bowl (‘07 13 -3), there just wasn’t any gas left in the tank for the ‘07 season and the Bears finished last in the NFC Central Division (7-9).

The offense was, well, offensive. They finished 27th in total yards (293) and 30th in rush yards (83). A bad offense will kill a good defense and this certainly was the case in ‘07. The Bears D finished 28th in total yards allowed (354). Do we see any improvement, anywhere? Let’s have a closer look.

Coaching: Lovie Smith enters his forth season as Head Coach. As always, he brings his defense first standard into training camp. We don’t think he envisioned ‘08 as a rebuilding year after the SB run, but that’s what he faces. Good thing he signed that contract extension (28/2/07) through the 2011 season. Ron Turner enters his second season as Offensive Coordinator. He is going to have to figure out how to do a lot with very little. Defensive Coordinator Bob Babich also enters his second season. The D came on strong in the second half of the season and had 20 takeaways in the final 8 games, converting them into 51 points.

Stats Slant: This is a solid, though not spectacular coaching crew.

Quarterback: QB? What QB? What a mess. Brian Griese left for Tampa. That leaves Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman to battle it out for the teams #1. Either way, we don’t see this ending good for Fantasy owners in any way, shape or form.

Stats Slant: We don’t recommend you even consider a Bear QB. If you HAVE to, Orton is currently tabbed the starter. Why? He is slightly more consistent than Grossman. That being said, no Bear QB should be considered any higher than a high end 3rd QB

Running Back: The Cedric Benson era is over in Chicago before it really got started. To fill the void the Bears selected Matt Forte 13th in the second round (44 overall). Smith has said that he will not bring in a veteran RB to challenge Forte for the starting position. At 6′ 2″ and 222 he is a load who can also catch balls out of the backfield. Despite being targeted each week by opposing defenses while at Tulane, Forte still managed to put up big numbers. The Bears first pick (14th overall) was used to draft OT Chris Williams from Vanderbuilt. At 6′ 6″ and 315, Williams should step into the left tackle position and make an immediate impact. Adrian Peterson is your handcuff here.

Stats Slant: The Bears are saying Forte could have over 300 touches in ‘08. That may be a little bold as Forte/Peterson could form a dreaded RB by committee tandem. That and the fact that he is a rookie make us rank Forte as a low-end #2 RB.

Wide Receiver: Berrian went to the Vikings and Muhammad went back to the Panthers. That leaves the newly acquired Brandon Lloyd, Marty Booker, Mark Bradley and oh yes, Devin Hester as the only “viable” options at WR. Just like last year, Devin Hester is being anointed the next great one. Don’t buy it. There has also been talk out of the Bears camp that Rashied Davis has had great off-season and mini-camp workouts. Don’t buy that either.

Stats Slant: Without a QB who can get them the ball, this average group gets even more average. Pick one and take him as your 4th receiver or a bye week replacement.

Tight End: Greg Olsen starts his second year with the Bears. Injuries and QB play hampered his progress in his rookie season but the Bears still believe he is their TE of the future. Desmond Clark should also get a share of the TE catches but will be used primarily for blocking if Olsen stays healthy.

Stats Slant: We have a hard time saying anything positive about the Bears offense and that’s the case for their TE’s as well. Until he shows something to the contrary, Olson is a high-end #2 TE at best.

Place Kicker: One of the lone Fantasy bright spots for the Bears in ‘07 was the play of Robbie Gould. He finished tied for second in FG’s made (31-36) and made all 33 XP’s. Playing with great return guys but a suspect offense should get Gould a lot of chances in ‘08.

Stats Slant: Gould is a solid PK and worthy of a mid-range #1 selection.

Defense/Special Teams: The defense took one on the chops last season due primarily to the amount of time they spent on the field and to a lesser extent because of a SB hangover. As mentioned this unit excelled in the second half of the season and we look for them to be even better in ‘08. Hester leads an all-world special teams unit.

Stats Slant: Based on their ‘07 performance a lot of owners may have soured on the Bears DF/ST’s. Take another look. They have shut down corners, ball hawking safeties and a very stout line-backing core. Throw Hester into the mix and this unit is a top five DF/ST worthy of a high-end # 1 selection.

Red Flag: The QB situation in Chicago is one of the worst in the entire league.

Keep a pre-season eye on: Before spending a high draft pick on him at WR, make sure you check out Hester’s pre-season involvement with the offense. Even then, draft him with caution. How will the RB duties be dolled out?

Stats Sleeper: Watching a Bears game from start to finish. Seriously, we can’t find one.

Last word: Don’t wait too long on the Bears DF/ST. They may not be getting a lot of top ranked publicity right now, but they are going to be very good. After that, we can’t seriously recommend a Bear player who will have a major impact on your Fantasy bottom line.

Up Next: Cincinnati Bengals On Deck: Cleveland Browns In The Hole: Dallas Cowboys

StatsGuru