24-year old Matt Forte had a tough 2nd year after an outstanding rookie year so they need him to bounce back in 2010.  Forte played in 16 games (all starts) for the Bears last season and he carried the ball 258 times for 929 yards (3.6 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He has also caught 57 passes for 471 yards (8.3 avg) without a TD last year.  Forte has now played in 32 games (all starts) for the Bears in which he has carried the ball 574 times for 2,167 yards (3.8 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He has also caught 120 passes for 948 yards (7.9 avg) with 4 TD grabs with the Bears.  Forte will need to step up in 2010 or he’s going to see less touches.

30-year old Chester Taylor will likely back up Forte in 2010 but he could battle him for the #1 job.  Taylor played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Vikings last season in which he carried the ball 94 times for 338 yards (3.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 44 passes for 389 yards (8.8 avg) with 1 TD grab last season.  Taylor has now played in 123 games (32 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,028 times for 4,396 yards (4.3 ypc) with 22 TD runs.  He has also caught 265 passes for 2,094 yards (7.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs in his career.  Taylor, like Forte, seems to be a good fit in Mike Martz’ offense because they are both solid receivers out of the backfield.

23-year old Khalil Bell came out of nowhere last season to produce for the Bears when given a shot.  Bell played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Bears last season and he carried the ball 40 times for 220 yards (5.5 ypc) without a TD run.  He also caught 1 pass for 4 yards last season.  Bell was a undrafted rookie last season who showed he deserves some P.T. in 2010.

25-year old Garrett Wolfe is back for more in 2010.  He played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Bears last season in which he carried the ball 22 times for 120 yards (5.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Wolfe also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg) last year.  Wolfe has now played in 34 games (0 starts) in his three years with the Bears and he has carried the ball 68 times for 274 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 11 passes for 129 yards (11.7 avg) with the Bears. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BEARS RBs in 2010:  B-

27-year old Jay Cutler was not the savior the Bears thought he would be last season.  Cutler played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he completed 336 of 555 passes (60.5%) for 3,666 yards with 27 TD passes and 26 INTs (76.8 QB Rating).  Cutler also carried the ball 40 times for 173 yards (4.3 ypc) with 1 TD run last season.  Cutler has now played in 53 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,098 of 1,775 passes (61.9%) for 12,690 yards with 81 TD passes and 63 INTs (83.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 153 times for 596 yards (3.9 ypc) with 4 TD runs in his career.  Cutler now has a 24-29 (45.3%) record in the NFL as a starting QB.  Cutler has a strong arm but he often forces the ball when he shouldn’t resulting in pickoffs.  Cutler has more physical tools than any QB Mike Martz has coached to date so we’ll see if he can bring out the best in him.

The Bears might still be looking for a veteran backup QB but if they don’t find one 24-year old Caleb Hanie will likely be the #2 QB again in 2010.  Hanie played in 3 games for the Bears last season and he completed 3 of 7 passes (42.9%) for 11 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (10.7 QB Rating).  Hanie has no exceptional skills so he wouldn’t likely do too well if he were forced into action.

Rookie 6th round pick Dan LeFevour was a outstanding QB at Central Michigan but he will be hard pressed to beat out Hanie for the #2 QB job for 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BEARS QBs in 2010:  B

The Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler wont have to wait long to get his first taste of the Bears-Packers rivalry.  The Green Bay Packers will be looking to give Cutler a bad taste of that rivalry, as I am expecting them to blitz Cutler heavy and often.  The Packers run a 3-4 front, with defensive coordinator Dom Capers calling the shots.  Capers is well aware of Cutler’s big arm, so he will be looking to pressure the Bear’s new talented QB and try to force him into some mistakes.

Cutler’s primary wide receiver will be the super athletic Devin Hester, but I’m looking for Cutler and TE Greg Olsen to hook up early and often.  I think Olsen has the ability to be a Pro Bowler, as he has great hands and can move very well for a TE.  Bear’s running back Matt Forte will also probably get a lot of touches through the air, as he was the Bears leading receiver last year.  Although the Bears have a much more talented QB than they have had in years (probably decades), I would still like to see the Bears offense revolve around a strong running attack.  Matt Forte proved he is a top tier running back in this league, as he rushed for 1,238 yards last year as a rookie and led all rookie running backs in total yards and receptions.

The Bears defense will have their hands full, as the Packer’s QB Aaron Rodgers proved last year that he has what it takes to be successful in this league.  In his first year as a starter, Rogers threw for 4,038 yards with 28 TD’s and only 13 INT’s.  He had a 63.6 completion percentage and finished the year with a 93.8 passer rating.  He has a very talented Greg Jennings to throw to, as well as the proven veteran Donald Driver.  The Bears were not very good at pass rushing last year and hopefully the Bears’ defensive end Mark Anderson can look more like the Mark Anderson of three years ago when he had 12 sacks.  Lovie Smith has taken over the play calling on defense, and improving the defensive line play has been an emphasis during the offseason, but I think Rodgers will not have too many problems with the Bears’ rush as the Packers offensive line has improved.

With the Bears offense greatly improved from last year, mainly because of the Jay Cutler acquisition, and the proven Aaron Rodgers on the Packers’ side, I think this could be a high scoring affair.  I think both defenses will struggle to contain the talented QB’s and each will have his way with the oppositions defense.  The Bears have the edge at running back and even though the Packers’ Ryan Grant rushed for nearly the same amount of yards as Forte last year, Forte proved he is not a one dimensional player as he led the team in receptions.

The X-factor, as it often has been in the past for the Bears, will be Devin Hester and the special teams.  Hester struggled last year returning punts and kicks, especially on kickoff returns.  Hester was moved to just a punt-returner but I would like to see Hester back returning kicks again, as he is still a huge threat for big returns.  His problem seemed to be that he would try to do too much last year, but it could take only one good return for Hester to get that confidence back.  So, overall I think this will be a battle of the QB’s with the Bears edging out the Packers 31-28.

The Bears traded a lot to get their hands on Jay Cutler but in the end it will be well worth it.  Cutler has a great arm and his passes should be able to remain tight even in December home games.  Cutler is improving every year and this could be his true breakout season if he gets help from the skill players on offense.  He certainly doesn’t have the cast he had in Denver so he will have to step up himself and he has the potential to do so.  Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez will battle for the backup job to Cutler this summer and either way the Bears lose.  Hanie has no experience at the NFL level and Basanez doesn’t have the arm to succeed in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B+

25-year old Robbie Gould very rarely leaves points on the field for the Bears and he has a really strong leg.  Gould played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he connected on 31 of 36 field goals (86.1%).  He also converted all 33 of his extra point attempts last year.  Look for Gould to have another outstanding season for the Bears and they will need him to as the offense will likely be bogging down quite a bit in the red zone.  Gould has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has made 84 of 99 (84.8%) of his field goal attempts.  Gould also has made 99 of 100 (99%) extra points in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

The Bears have a great pair of TEs and they will likely catch a lot of football between them this season due to the shaky receiving corps the team has put together.  31-year old Desmond Clark is the grizzled veteran of the tight ends.  He has good hands and he can adust to poorly thrown footballs…..a must with the Bears.  Clark played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 44 passes for 545 yards (12.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  I have a hunch that Greg Olsen will get more catches than Clark this year but he’s still a very effective player.  Clark has now played in 130 games in his NFL career and he has caught 262 passes for 3,067 yards (11.7 avg) with 24 TD grabs.

2nd year man Greg Olsen flashed his potential last season and the Bears are confident that he will take a step forward in 2008. Olsen played in 14 games for the Bears as a rookie last season and he caught 39 passes for 391 yards (10.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Olsen’s numbers to spike upward as the Bears begin to phase Desmond Clark out of the offense.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Chicago Bears brought in two free agents (Marty Booker & Brandon Lloyd) and two rookies (Earl Bennett & Marcus Monk) to inject some new blood into the receiving corps.  Heading into training camp it appears that 31-year old Marty Booker is the #1 WR for the Bears.  Booker played in 15 games last season in Miami and he caught 50 passes for 556 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 12 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Booker did a decent job last year catching balls from a horrible corps of QBs in Miami so he should feel right at home in Chicago.  Booker has now played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has caught 509 passes for 6,311 yards (12.4 avg) with 34 TD grabs.  Booker has also carried the football 16 times for 31 yards (1.9 ypc).  Booker also has a decent arm and he can make big plays when the Bears get tricky.  Booker has completed 3 of 10 (30%) passes in his NFL career for 126 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions (118.8 QB Rating).  Booker would be a solid #3 or #4 WR but the Bears are kidding themselves if they think he can be a go-to man at this point in his career.

The Bears appear to be losing some patience with 26-year old Mark Bradley.  Bradley is a talented played but he always seems to break down.  He did play in 15 games for the Bears last season and he caught 6 passes for 71 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This will likely be Bradley’s last chance to win a starting job with the Bears and it will be interesting to see how he responds.  Bradley has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 38 passes for 583 yards (15.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

27-year old Brandon Lloyd makes a few big catches on Sportscenter every season and that’s probably why he keeps getting chances because he’s not that good of a football player.  He drops a lot of passes that hit him in the hands because he appears to be quite soft.  Lloyd played in 8 games for the Redskins last season and he caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  If Lloyd is anything more than the #4 or #5 receiver for the Bears the offense is in deep trouble.  Lloyd has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has caught 130 passes for 1,889 yards (14.5 avg) with 13 TD grabs.

Devin Hester makes his money on kickoff and punt returns but the Bears will give him every opportunity to get his hands on the football as a WR.  Hester played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 20 passes for 299 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Hester didn’t so as well running the football as he carried it 7 times for -10 yards (-1.4 ypc) last season.  If Rex Grossman is the starting QB for the Bears, Hester will catch some long TD passes but Kyle Orton doesn’t have the arm to exploit defenses deep. 

21-year old rookie Earl Bennett has been the talk of training camp so far for the Bears.  He can shoot right up the depth chart and possibly start as a rookie if he has a strong preseason.  Bennett played in 12 games (all starts) at Vanderbilt last season and he caught 75 passes for 830 yards (11.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Bennett is big enough (6’1″, 202 pounds) to take a beating and he will have to catching passes from Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton.  Bennett finished up playing in 35 games (31 starts) at Vanderbilt in his career and he caught 236 passes for 2,852 yards (12.1 avg) with 20 TD grabs.

29-year old Rashied Davis is running out of chances for the Bears.  He played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 17 passes for 165 yards (9.7 avg).  Davis will have to bust his hump on special teams to make the Bears final roster when September comes around.  He has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 39 passes for 468 yards (12.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Rookie Marcus Monk could be a big surprise for the Bears if he can just stay healthy.  Monk is a big guy at 6’4″, 222 pounds but injury problems caused him to slide into the 7th round where the Bears were more than happy to take a chance on him.  Monk played in 43 games (36 starts) in his career at Arkansas and he caught 138 passes for 2,151 yards (15.6 avg) with 27 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D

Jason McKie’s blocking was a little bit off last season and J.D. Runnels didn’t play at all last season.  The Bears will need help from these two guys if they are to have any chance of having a decent running game in 2008.  McKie is 5’11″, 245 pounds so he has enough sand in his shoes to take care of linebackers as a lead blocker.  He played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Bears last season and he carried the ball 6 times for 17 yards (2.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  McKie also caught 9 passes for 33 yards (3.7 avg).  Don’t look for McKie to get the ball much in 2008 but if he blocks well he will be doing wonders for the offense.  McKie has now played in 61 games (27 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 18 times for 58 yards (3.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 52 passes for 287 yards (5.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his career.

J.D. Runnels is 5’11″, 237 pounds and he was often the lead blocker in college for Oklahoma when Adrian Peterson was there.  He could give McKie a fight for his starting job this season.  Runnels didn’t play at all last season and he has played in only 2 games (0 starts) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Chicago Bears will likely give the starting running back job in 2008 to rookie 2nd round pick Matt Forte out of Tulane.  Forte had an incredible senior season at Tulane as he started 12 games and he carried the ball 361 times for 2,127 yards (5.9 ypc) with 23 TD runs.  He also caught 32 passes for 282 yards (8.8 avg).  Forte is a good power runner as he always seems to be moving forward but he’s not very fast (4.63 40).  Forte will likely be a busy player as a rookie as the depth behind him is very weak.

Adrian Peterson was a decent backup running back but when he was forced into starting duty by the Bears he failed miserably.  Peterson played in 16 games (5 starts) for the Bears last season and he carried the ball 151 times for 510 yards (3.4 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 51 passes for 420 yards (8.2 avg).  Look for Peterson to get a lot of work this season but don’t expect miracles out of him.  Peterson has now played in 77 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 284 times for 1,132 yards (4.0 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He also has caught 70 passes for 609 yards (8.7 avg).

Garrett Wolfe is too small to be anything more than a third down back.  He played in 13 games (0 starts) for the Bears as a rookie last season and he carried the ball 31 times for 85 yards (2.7 ypc).  Wolfe also caught 9 passes for 117 yards (13.0 avg).  Look for the Bears to increase Wolfe’s roll on third downs in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D

The Bears should have brought in a real QB for the 2008 season.   Neither Kyle Orton or Rex Grossman is the QB needed to lead the Bears anywhere this season as they are both limited players that need a strong running game for support.  That won’t happen this season unless Matt Forte is the real deal because Cedric Benson is more worried about getting drunk than improving as a football player.  Kyle Orton wrestled the starting job away from Rex Grossman late in the year and he did a good job of managing the game.  He’s a smart guy but that’s his best asset as his arm in below average and he’s not very mobile.  Orton played in 3 games (all starts) last season for the Bears and he completed 43 of 80 passes (53.8%) for 478 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 interceptions (73.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for a loss of 1 yard (-0.2 ypc).  If Orton is the starting QB the Bears will likely have to limit the playbook as he doesn’t have the arm to complete long passes down the field.  He has now played in 18 games (all starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 233 of 448 passes (52%) for 2,347 yards with 12 TD passes and 15 interceptions (62.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 29 times for 43 yards (1.5 ypc).

Rex Grossman has the physical tools to be a good QB but he isn’t the smartest player around.  In the face of a pass rush he often just throws the ball up for grabs resulting in game changing pickoffs.  Grossman does have a strong arm and his strength is throwing the bomb but he isn’t good at throwing the short stuff.  Grossman played in 8 games (7 starts) last season for the Bears and he completed 122 of 225 passes (54.2%) for 1,411 yards with 4 TD passes and 7 interceptions (66.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 14 times for 27 yards (1.9 ypc).  Grossman is a hit or miss QB and he has been that way his whole career.  It does not look like he will improve any time soon as he still makes mistakes that rookie QBs make.  Grossman has now played in 32 games (30 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 489 of 900 passes (54.3%) for 5,907 yards with 31 TD passes and 33 interceptions (70.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 52 times for 76 yards (1.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Shame on the Bears for not trying to change things up at QB this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D