23-year old WR Johnny Knox was outstanding on kickoff returns last season.  He played in 15 games for the Bears last season and he returned 32 kickoffs for 927 yards (29.0 avg) with 1 TD (it was a 102-yarder).  It will be interesting to see if the special teams coach or the offensive co-ordinator win out about Knox.  After all, Knox could be the Bears’ #1 WR in 2010.

28-year old safety Danieal Manning is a back up safety for the Bears and he’s also a solid return man.  He played in 15 games for the Bears last season and he returned 28 kickoffs for 744 yards (26.6 avg).  Manning has now played in 61 games in his NFL career and he has returned 68 kickoffs for 1,895 yards (27.9 avg) with 1 TD return.  If the Bears choose to only play Johnny Knox on offense then Manning will be the starter on kickoff returns.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KICKOFF RETURNERS OF THE BEARS in 2010:  A

Only three positions on the offensive line appear to be locked up before training camp with battles looming at left guard and right tackle.  The left tackle will be Chris Williams.  Williams started part of the season at RT before moving to left tackle to replace the injured Orlando Pace.  Williams had a lot of penalties last season and he will need to improve his pass protection or Jay Cutler is going to need eyes in the back of his head.  But, Williams is a very good run blocker which is something to build on.  LG will feature a battle between Josh Beekman (who started all 16 games for the Bears two years ago) and Johan Asiata.  Center Olin Kreutz is the anchor of the offensive line as he has been one of the best centers in the NFL for a long time.  RG Roberto Garza is a masher in the run game as he’s just plain nasty.  At right tackle the Bears will decide between Kevin Shaffer (a superior run blocker) and Frank Omiyale (a better pass blocker).  With Mike Martz calling the plays I would put my money on Omiyale starting the year at right tackle.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BEARS O-LINE in 2010:  C

52-year old head coach Lovie Smith needs to get the Bears back on a winning track if he’s going to keep his job.  The Bears were a huge disappointment last season as they were 7-9 (43.8%).  Smith has now compiled a 52-44 (54.2%) record during the regular season and he’s 2-2 (50%) in the post season.  Smith did lead the Bears to a Super Bowl in 2006 but that can only buy him so much time if the Bears continue to underachieve.

27-year old kicker Robbie Gould has been fantastic over the years despite having to kick in some really rough conditions.  Gould played in 16 games last season for the Bears and he connected on 24 of 28 field goals (85.7%).  He also made all 33 of his extra point attempts as he finished up with 105 points last year.  Gould has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has made 134 of 156 field goals (85.9%).  Gould is also 173 of 174 on extra points as he has 575 points in his career with the Bears.  With Mike Martz now calling the plays this season look for Gould to be very busy again in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BEARS KICKERS in 2010:  A

24-year old Devin Hester will likely be the Bears’ #1 WR in 2010.  He played in 13 games (12 starts) for the Bears last season and he caught 57 passes for 757 yards (13.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  He has now played in 60 games (20 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 128 passes for 1,721 yards (13.4 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Hester has also carried the ball 19 times for 50 yards (2.6 ypc) in his NFL career.  He has only played 3 years at WR for the Bears and I think this season could be his best to date.

23-year old Johnny Knox was a nice surprise for the Bears last season as a rookie.  He played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Bears last season and he caught 45 passes for 527 yards (11.7 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Knox might really explode in his second season for the Bears with Mike Martz calling the plays.

26-year old Devin Aromashodu really stepped up late last season for the Bears.  He played in 10 games (2 starts) for the Bears last season and he caught 24 passes for 298 yards (12.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Aromashodu has now played in 16 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 31 passes for 394 yards (12.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Jay Cutler was on the same wave length with Aromashodu late last season and I expect that to carry over in 2010 for the Bears.

23-year old Earl Bennett really stepped up last season for the Bears.  He played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Bears last season and he caught 54 passes for 717 yards (13.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Bennett didn’t catch any passes in 10 games as a rookie in 2008 for the Bears.  The Bears hope Bennett’s play last season was just a glimpse of things to come.

31-year old Rashied Davis didn’t do much last season for the Bears.  He played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Bears last season and he caught 5 passes for 35 yards (7.0 avg).  He has now played in 76 games (15 starts) in his five years with the Bears and he has caught 79 passes for 948 yards (12.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Davis might have a tough time making the Bears out of training camp.

Juaquin Iglesius didn’t show much as a rookie last season.  He played in only 1 game (0 starts) in which he didn’t catch any passes.  He does have nice size at 6′1″, 205 pounds but he will have to show something this season if he wants to keep getting paid to play football.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR BEARS WRs in 2010:  C+