The Chicago Bears had a great season in 2005. They went 11-6 and made the playoffs. His only problem was scoring. Many in the media have touted the Bears as the NFC North champions. They are correct? Let’s take a look at the 2006 Chicago Bears. Fortunately for them, their division isn’t that difficult.

key moves

An important move for the Bears was the addition of Brian Griese. The offense had ups and downs last season. Griese will fight for a job. He comes in as a backup, but if Grossman fails to impress, Griese could take over. His defense loses a good player in Jerry Azumah. Despite being only 28 years old, he had to leave it. His body got the best of him.

quarterbacks

One of the topics last season was Rex Grossman’s health. He is expected to be healthy this season. Grossman could help the Bears’ offense soar. The signing of Brian Griese gives the Bears a solid endorsement. Even if Grossman goes down, they won’t experience a horrible fall. None of the quarterbacks is a higher echelon. The Bears QB situation is just above average.

runners

The Bears are sitting pretty in the running game. Thomas Jones should have another great year. They also have Cedric Benson on the wings. The Bears’ running game is the strong point of the offense. Throw in Bryan Johnson’s hard blocking and you have a running game that eats up yards. Thomas Jones had 1,335 yards last season. As nice as he is, Cedric Benson is expected to be better when he’s ready.

receivers

The receiver core is a bit lackluster. Sure, there’s Muhsin Muhammad, but he’s not getting any younger. Aside from Muhammad, there’s not much to get excited about, yet. The Bears’ young receivers are talented and could become solid contributors on the field. At this time, the receiving core is in the middle.

Defense and Special Teams

Last season it was all about defense. The Bears’ defense constantly made critical plays and kept their team in the game. The 2006 Bears’ defense is above average again. The best component of the defense is the linebacking unit. They are off the charts. The weak part of the defense is the secondary. Losing Jerry Azumah didn’t help matters. The Bears took cornerbacks Ricky Manning and Dante Wesley. The secondary will have to step up in 2006. The special teams union has its ups and downs. Kicker Brad Maynard needs to have a better season. The Bears hope kicker Robbie Gould isn’t just a one-year wonder. On the plus side, the Bears added a couple of returns that could be home run-types.

2006 prediction

It’s possible the Bears will win their division, because the division is weak. However, I think they will be an 8-8 team. The schedule isn’t too difficult, but it’s not quite the walk in the park it was in 2005. In 2005, the Bears were 2-4 against really good teams. That’s why they failed in the playoffs. They weren’t as good as their track record indicated. In 2006, they have 8 games that seem to be pretty tough, 2 that are midfield and 6 that are against lower level teams.