One position at a time....

QB - The Bears QB situation is top heavy to say the least. Jay Cutler is a former Pro Bowl QB who has all the physical talent in the world. In fact, he has a more complete physical skill set than any QB that Mike Martz has had the pleasure of working with, and Martz has a track record of turning out highly productive QB's in his system. But Cutler's limitations are between his ears. He's bright, but his decision making is often suspect and the pressure he puts on himself to carry the team instead of playing within the system results in turnovers in droves. Under Martz, Cutler has to get learn the system quickly, and then figure out how to trust a system like Martz that relies on deception, route development, and open windows. Cutler has to trust that his WR's are going to be where they are supposed to be at any given moment in time. If the OL holds up, Cutler has the ability to explode this season under Martz's tutelage. If Jon Kitna can throw for 4,000 yards in year one, then you would have to believe that Cutler could have 4,500 up his sleeve in a best case scenario. Behind Cutler, the pickings are slim. Caleb Hanie is an undrafted free agent that was supposedly a 5th Round talent that fell out of the Draft. So far, he's seen very little of the field and has been tough to gauge in terms of his ability as a #2 QB for this team. Dan LeFevour was selected in with a later selection in this year's Draft, and regardless of what you think of his fit with the Bears and Mike Martz, the reality of the situation is that based on NFL history, where he was selected, and number of years in the league (rookie), the likelihood that he sees the field are slim and that he actually plays well are borderline non-existent. Cutler likely has to stay healthy in order for this position to pan out.

Expectation - My expectation is driven by the OL. I think Cutler's decision making improves under Martz and that the result will be some eye popping numbers with the smaller, speed based WR's the Bears will put on the field this year. Cutler will have a half dozen capable targets to throw the ball to this season, but will need time to do that with Martz's late developing deep routes.

Camp Interest - Surely the battle for the #2 job is all that you have here. I expect to see Hanie win out the #2 job, but LeFevour to be the long term solution as the #2 QB down the road, with just the lack of NFL experience holding him back. If LeFevour is able to beat out Hanie in CAMP, a known commodity, it will be an indication that LeFevour is picking up the Offense quickly and actually beginning to show something in practice.

Didn't Martz have Kurt Warner as a QB? Even if Cutler is a better runner than Warner I still can't see how you can say he has a more complete physical skill set. Warner is far superior at the things that are really important for a QB. Running is a secondary skill for a QB and if it isn't it's normally because the QB can't throw.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Once again,Angelo has foisted the "No second option at QB" to Bears fans. Do we have that short of a memory as a fandom? Angelo tried this a few years back until the #1 got hurt (Or was ineffective,I forgot),the season was over. I know Brian Griese wasn't Earl Morrall but he did win some games for the Bears. I would not mind an expierienced QB backing up Cutler.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I think what he implied is that Cutler has a stronger arm and a better athlete than Warner. The difference between the two (so far) is between the ears.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

i think the trust factor between Cutler and his WRs is going to be a big issue. Hester isnt the smartest guy in the world and we have seen him in the past years not knowing his alignments or assignments in simpler offenses. His line is a question mark with Kruetz coming off surgery and a bunch of no names. I do like the style of receivers they have because it reminds me of the trio of Holt, Bruce and Hakim like Martz had in St Louis. Not talking skill level just type.

The one factor is what the nickname of the St Louis team was? The greatest show on TURF. What are we going to do when late November and December roll around and its bitter cold at Soldier Field or(no schedule handy) another cold weather stadium. The other stop was Detroit another dome. Any other places he has coached? It will be interesting to see how Martz will balance the offense run/pass wise.

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Andy Rooney= biggest PUTZ of the dead

With concerns of the OL if Cutler gets hurt, and how many Qb's play the whole year? So experience backup should be a #1 priority

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

We did address this issue when we asked, retired for a few years, Trent Green.

There's nobody else right?

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Andy Rooney= biggest PUTZ of the dead

RB - The Bears RB situation appears to have the makings of a unit tailor made for Martz's Offense. With Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, the Bears have as good a 1-2 punch at the position as they've had in 15+ years. Forte's rookie season was an indication of what he's capable of, leading the Bears in receptions and rushing, and launching himself into Offensive Rookie of the Year consideration. He can be a shifty back with excellent balance and power, who demonstrates great hands out of the backfield. Breakaway speed is lacking, but at proper angles of attack, Forte is capable of breaking a tackle to beat the last line of Defense and taking it to the house. One of two things is going to happen in 2010. Either his rookie season or last season will prove to have been the anomaly, and Forte's true colors will rise to the surface. Last year was a mess. We've heard the OL blamed, Forte's overall health, and even the Offensive scheme under Ron Turner, as well. Maybe it was the excessive lack of touches as a rookie. We're about to find out. The OL is still a question mark, but a unit that played much better at the end of last year is taking the field this season, so perhaps a slight improvement. Forte appears to be coming into Camp healthy this year, and Martz is in to replace Turner. Forte's workload is about to be divided to reduce the wear and tear on his body so he's not putting a season and a half on his frame each year like LT in San Diego. This year is make or break for Forte, as the real RB will be asked to stand up. Behind him, and maybe only a half step behind him based on that lucrative offseason contract required to keep him out of Minnesota, is Chester Taylor. Taylor is one of the better #2 backs in the league and a perfect fit for Martz's Offense. He's a quick, shifty back, with excellent hands. He runs well and blocks well. He's a complete back, but only at a solid level. Nobody is going to confuse Taylor for Marshall Faulk, but he can get the job done if Forte can't. There is room for both of these guys in this Offense and Martz will use them both extensively this season. Out of the two, one is likely to be at least be solid, and is Taylor. Will Forte be good enough to hold him off and prove that he is the future? We'll see. Behind these two is a battle for the #3 RB spot. In 1st place heading into Camp is Garret Wolfe. If he was just 3" and 35 lbs. bigger, Wolfe would be an adequate #2 back in the League. He's not. And because of that, he's better suited as a rarely used change of pace/3rd down back. Had it not been for excellent special teams play, Wolfe wouldn't be on this roster today. But ST play will only keep you on the roster until next season, at which point you'll have to prove that you are better than a guy with "upside" who can also play ST. Such is Wolfe's predicament now. Harvey Unga is in to Camp as a Supplemental rookie with a 4th/5th Round grade at a 7th Round cost. His primary reason for entering the Supplemental? Premarital sex. Not exactly a major off the field issue. Unga will be given every opportunity to make this roster and with his combination of size, speed, and overall athleticism, I believe the team has every intention on him doing that. But if he doesn't, he's a 7th Round price, which isn't much in terms of the NFL Draft. Khalil Bell is probably suited for the practice squad won't make this team, as the Bears clearly don't see him as an adequate #2 RB and he's not a special teams standout like Wolfe.

Expectation: I expect Forte to win and hold the starting job, but Taylor to see about 25-30% of the snaps to keep both backs fresh and utilize both of their skill sets to the max (Martz's specialty). Unga is likely to make this roster based on his upside and draft history, so Wolfe's only shot to me is to prove that we need 4 RB's and not 3.

The only thing I'm looking forward to is the Bears Post Game Show with Doug and OB. Some of the most hilarious radio I have ever heard before.

Just go over to Cutler's house and skullfuck him with a crowbar already.

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If you remember when "Rex was our quarterback" as head coach Lovie Smith kept reminding us about Rex Grossman when he was here, the perception was that no matter who was brought in, the veteran QB would NEVER have a chance to even challenge for the starting job. That being said, I wouldn't mind the Bears going after a veteran backup, but they must see something in Caleb Hanie that makes looking for a journeyman QB unnecessary...right now.

I don't think there is a sport BD loves more than football. You can always count on his books during the football season. Smells like Bears weather.

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WR - The reality with this group is that it's all going to come down to the system. On paper, this group looks like an ideal fit for what Mike Martz is going to do on Offense. They are small in stature, but incredibly fast as a unit. They add the right mix of size via Devin Aromashadu and the TE unit, which we will get to shortly. The trick here will be the same as with the rest of this Offense. It is complicated as far as Offenses go, so how quickly will this team pick this up. They will need to learn and execute this Offense in one offseason, when most times Martz has taken over, his teams have had at least a year and a half to really be clicking on all cylinders. Both starting receivers have been to the Pro Bowl, even though both were as return men, but that goes a long way in demonstrating their incredible athleticism and agility. Both have top end, take-it-to-the-house-on-every-touch speed. Combined with Cutler, who may be cocky, but has never had his intelligence question (he's a Vanderbilt grad), I have to believe the ball will be on target if he has the time to throw. Hester and Knox have excellent hands, and so does Aromashadu. The top three WR's seem locked into place at this point. What order they see the field may ultimately be irrelevant because Martz will likely use four WR/TE packages the majority of the time, utilizing four wide, three wide with a TE, or dual split wide with double tights in any number of configurations. Behind these guys is really where it looks interesting. The Bears have a three man battle for two open spots that will pit a pair of youngsters looking to take the next step against a Nas veteran who has tried to hang onto his job for years now. The youngsters are Earl Bennett and Juaquin Iglesias. Bennett really started to flash at the end of last season and of the three, I feel like he'll likely emerge as the unquestionable #4 WR in this group. Iglesias took more of a traditional Chicago Bear redshirt season for mid round picks and saw little action at all. Rashied Davis has been the veteran who makes little impact and barely hangs on from year to year, who may finally be pushed over the edge if these youngsters show flashes of what they were drafted for. The reason is that the Bears have what seems like a dozen qualified return men on the roster, so Davis isn't truly valued there. He's also a proven commodity with basically no upside. We've seen all we're going to see out of Davis, whose career has plateaued, which means the next stop is a gradual decline in production until retirement. The other two are young, learning the game, and are filled with the dreaded "P" word...potential.

Prediction: Knox and Hester are listed as the starters, but Aromashadu is also in that group in reality in three man sets. Earl Bennett and Juaquin Iglesias also make the team as the #4 and #5 WR's, but Rashied Davis cannot convince the Bears to keep 6 WR's when they may take 4 TE's and 4 RB/FB's. Davis becomes the first notable cut in our review.

TE - The Chicago Bears likely have one of the three best units in the NFL at the position. They have a full package of talents and abilities, experience and understanding at TE. The top two TE's on this roster are really starter 1A and 1B. Olsen, who is not a good fit and was likely the subject of several trade scenarios in the offseason, is the freakish athlete. While he clocks a sub 4.5 in the 40 in shorts and t-shirts, he never seems to move quite that fast on the field. That being said, he is faster than most LB's who try and cover him and too big for most Safeties if that be the method of choice. In other words, he's a matchup problem. Faster than the big guys and bigger than the fast guys, Olsen's a real wild card in Martz's Offense, which is designed around creating and exploiting mismatches and making defensive players make either/or decisions that QB's can capitalize on. Olsen does all of those things, but he has one major weakness. He can't block. At least, not very well and not in the way that Martz wants his TE's to block, which is to practically be able to man up on an elite pass rusher in a double team with an OT to buy time for his QB's 7 step, 10 yard drop and then read. Martz is the king of the deep in route and if there isn't adequate time to throw the ball downfield, Defenses such as the Vikings with Jared Allen, can take that entire option out of the playbook, shortening the field for Martz's QB's to work with. Olsen is not a blocker and probably never will be at that level, so the enigma at the position will be how Martz uses his athletic mismatch creating ability. Will he only be able to do it with two TE's on the field. Will we see less of Olsen or more of him lined up at WR, which Martz originally said he would likely not do, opting instead to have another WR on the field? Perhaps as a goalline threat primarily, outjumping undersized CB's in the flat or outmuscling smaller safeties in front of the goalposts? We'll have to see. TE starter 1B is Brandon Manumaleuna, affectionately referred to as Brandon Manualdfjlajfsdljss from here on out because I don't feel like actually trying to spell his name correctly going forward. Big B is just that. He's big. Realy big. The nearly 300 lbs TE was Martz's first choice for a TE this offseason because of his ideal fit in the system. With that very large size and outstanding blocking ability (one of the best blocking TE's in the NFL), Manulajsdl;js;fjsl can chip or double speed rushers off the edge with either OT creating valuable seconds for Cutler to read the Defense and deliver a deep downfield strike with his rocket arm in the evitable holes in the coverage that Mike Martz is famous for creating. But what really separates the big man is his ability to slip out of the backfield and catch the ball. He's very capable of chipping and then sliding into the flat on a three second delay and getting that big body in the open field on a CB is very dangerous. Manualjdlsjflss's hands are impressive and you have to believe that he will be on the field as much, if not more than Greg Olsen. Lost in this shuffle is Desmond Clark. Clark's issues, and the only ones that could threaten his roster spot, are his age and his cost. As a #3 TE, he'll probably be the most expensive third stringer in the League at the position and the Bears may feel that Kellen Davis is a cheaper and younger version of Clark anyway. If that happens, Clark may be asked to take a paycut to keep him around. Kellen Davis gives the Bears an embarrassment of riches at the position as he's realistically a good #2 TE on most NFL rosters. For the Bears, heading into Camp, he's their 4th TE. Several key factors ranging from health, to cost, to production and development will determine if the Bears ultimately decide to keep three or four TE's this season.

Prediction: Tough one. I think the Bears go with their best players and decide that Kellen Davis and Des Clark are better than retaining an extra WR like Rashied Davis, but that could require a pay cut for Clark. The TE's will be a heavy focus of this offense, either as a pass protecting necessity should Omiyale fail or falter on the right side, or as a receiving weapon like Olsen running wild in a open mid range passing game created by a pair of tremendous deep threats on the edges with Hester and Knox.