Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #28
by adelfish | 5 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #28
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
Moving right along to #28, we are now in the third straight week of these preview articles. Hopefully you've found them interesting...I sure as heck enjoy doing them.
#28 - Chicago Bears (Beat)
(4-12 Projected Record)
Do we think this is Beat's last chance? With a dismal season in Philadelphia where promises were made but not fulfilled, he earned the final choice in the CBA Coaching Carousel, and was reluctantly hired by the Chicago Bears. After a resume that has been full of disappointment and failure, it's not hard to see why Chicago faithful are jumping ship and becoming RZ Cubs fans.
If you remember from about a month ago, I did an article highlighting the five worst roster situations in the league, and the Bears clocked in at number 5. Combine that with one of the least successful head coaches in Red Zone, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.
So let's take a deeper dive into Chicago, and predict if Beat can finally shake this narrative that has been following him for years now. Can he win, and can this organization count on him to do his best to improve the roster?
One Big Question
In what many are calling Coach Mehoff's last chance, can he do enough with roster management to make the Bears competitive, and can he improve enough on the field to flirt with .500 every season?
It has been well documented acros Red Zone history books that Beat has had a very poor career in the league, but it is spotted with random successful wins that make you raise an eyebrow. Random wins against highly regarded coaches like Ricky Chapstick or Mike Mojica, then lays a month of eggs to start a season 1-4.
With a roster like Chicago's, it is going to take some disciplined team building and game planning to have success, as the little talent on offense is going to provide massive struggles. I think Beat has potential on the field if he gives it the time of day, but his roster building has always been shaky (remember when he drafted a WR #2 overall and benched him?).
His success will come first from roster management, and there is a lot of work to be done that we are going to dive into.
One Big Schedule Issue
There are so many games in a season for the Bears I don't consider them close at all in terms of competition. They play the NFC South (Tauph, Kelly, Spencer, Malik) and the AFC South (Jake, Metal, Pat, Roc) and Lefty twice as the Packers. Are you favoring him in any of those games outside of the Jaguars and maybe the Panthers? I'm not.
So that is already 8-9 games I predict he loses. I think he will likely sweep the Lions, and split with Eikim's Vikings. With games against the Giants and Rams, I don't favor him in either of those, but could see him pulling an upset.
The problem every season for Beat is going to be competing within the division. Can he take advantage of a new Lions owner in RFox, and find a way to split with Eikim, or even sweep every year? I don't give him much of a chance at all to go to Lambeau and beat Green Bay, maybe once this cycle?
Reasons for Optimism
This is basically going to be a defense versus offense breakdown.
The Bears success starts up front, mainly from #52 Khalil Mack. The trade for Mack has been discussed and dissected ad nauseum, how the amount of picks they gave up (and money) has yet to lead to the success they thought it would. I think Mack is one of the best edge rushers in the league, and is key to the success of Chicago - yes, paying him $26 million per season is tough to swallow, but he is one of the best players in the entire league.
Along with Mack is star rusher Akiem Hicks who has been a stud against the run for Chicago, and the newly signed Robert Quinn. Even Eddie Goldman has blossomed into a great nose tackle for Chicago. With these four, and the underrated Ray Robertson-Harris, this is a very deep group of rushers.
In the back end Roquan Smith is a big building block, one of the fastest linebackers in football, and has grown into a great zone defender. He will quarterback the defense. Danny Trevathan is back as well, signed through Season 66 on an extension.
In the secondary there are two elite players - Eddie Jackson and Kyle Fuller. Jackson is one of the best safeties in football, who earned an extension through Season 66, along with cornerback Kyle Fuller. The pieces are in place on this defense for long term success, and continuing to add depth through the draft will be very important for Beat.
Reasons for Negativity
The offense.
The trade for Nick Foles is as strange as it gets, with Cam Newton in free agency, or guys like Phillip Rivers and Teddy Bridgewater available, why give up a draft pick for Nick Foles' terrible contract? Yes, a quarterback battle in training camp is coming, but do you really want to commit to Foles long term?
Beat has a decision to make. Mitch Trubisky is in the final year of his contract, and Foles is signed through Season 64 at an average of $9.3 million. It is very likely that both of these quarterbacks will be gone after the season, but who to commit to for Season 62? Trubisky is the favorite, due to youth, but Foles will likely come in with better stats initially. A tough call, but I think the smart move is to let both walk and start over at the position next year.
The weapons on Chicago are brutal, outside of Allen Robinson who is a bonafide stud. Guys like Anthony Miller, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Ted Ginn are competing for snaps at wide receiver, and the Bears gave a terrible two year contract to the washed-up Jimmy Graham. Adam Shaheen has been a major disappointment in his career, and with the Bears top choice in the draft they took tight end Cole Kmet. They make a lot of strange choices.
If there is a saving grace, I really like Tarik Cohen. He provides a receiving threat out of the backfield, but I was very underwhelmed by David Montgomery's rookie season. It just seems like regardless of who is at quarterback, there isn't much to work with.
The Bears are also committing almost $20 million a year between Charles Leno and Bobby Massie who are one of the most average starting tackle combinations in the league. That is a tough pill to swallow.
Last Word
Defensively this team could win a championship, and the best part is they are locked in together for a minimum of two years, some longer. We know the blue chippers, Mack, Jackson, Hicks, Smith, Fuller. Is Beat capable of taking advantage of this? In the right hands, with a decent offense, this Bears team could make some noise in the NFC North and potentially challenge the Packers.
I worry about Beat's commitment, is he going to practice and find the right way to attack on the offensive side of the ball? With little weapons, and one of the worst quarterback controversies in the league, I struggle to see how he does.
In the future the Bears must commit massive resources to restructuring the offense; a quarterback, a 3 down running back, new wide receivers, and new tight ends, not to mention the problems at the tackle spots on the offensive line. Chicago only frees up about $24 million next offseason, and some of that needs to go to Allen Robinson.
The quarterback decision must be made in the draft for Chicago to afford it, they do not have the funds to sign a high priced free agent. With a top 5 selection likely, is Beat the right man for the job? I am not so sure.