With the success of Y1's Saints winning the Super Bowl, the favorite team of yours truly is about to embark on a pivotal point in their illustrious history. Only 3 short years ago, the Bears were in the Super Bowl, and even though they lost, the franchise looked set to begin an era of dominance at the top of the NFC. Now, the brain trust of Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith are entering the most frenzied free agency period of all-time looking to make a splash to save their jobs. Will they strike gold and take the Bears back to the promised land? Let's look into the crystal ball...
Before we get into the Bears specifically, every NFL fan should know this will be the most unpredictable, craziest NFL offseason in history. With the uncertainty of the CBA and no salary floor or ceiling, teams have a wealth of options at their disposal. Greedy owners in struggling markets might sacrifice the good of the team to make a handy profit (think the Pittsburgh Pirates on horse steroids). Hypercompetitive moneybags like Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones will drive dump trucks of money up to free agents' doors to win this season, future financial ramifications be damned. And everyone else... is anybody's guess.
Which brings us to Da Bears, the single most schizophreninic team to ever enter into free agency. Many have described them as the most desperate of all 32 NFL teams to make a big splash in free agency, while being universally regarded as one of the cheapest franchises in the league. However, GM Jerry Angelo successfully showed last season he and the Bears braintrust are willing to buck the stereotypes surrounding the McCaskey era of the Bears when he traded for potential franchise QB Jay Cutler. So, while it might be shocking to long-time Bears fans, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Bears go after the likes of Julius Peppers, Antrell Rolle, and Chester Taylor.
But, then again, Bears fans need to ask themselves if they trust a management team who has made every single wrong move since Super Bowl XLI. Whether it be firing Ron Rivera, trading Thomas Jones, releasing Cedric Benson, or worthless draft pick after worthless draft pick - forgive even the most optimistic fan from trusting Jerry and Lovie to recruit the right fit for free agency. Leave it to the Bears to find themselves without a draft pick in the first two rounds of the most talented draft in almost 30 years! And it's not like the rumored names the Bears are going after are surefire fixes to the numerous holes on this team.
What's to keep Julius Peppers from completely tanking after receiving the payday he's been searching for for years? Would Chester Taylor be a good fit in Mike Martz's offense? Why is the best idea to upgrade Jay Cutler's weapons trading his favorite target, Greg Olsen? What long term financial stability will the team have with all of these lucrative free agents signing in one offseason? Will Antrell Rolle make a difference on defense when Chicago will be on their 3rd defensive coordinator in three seasons?
Why are there so many questions? Because Lovie Smith and Jerry Angelo have done precisely nothing to inspire faith in their decision making... and that was before they were faced with the ultimatum to win this season, or else. So, what do they have to lose? Do you think for a second they have the long-term health of the franchise in mind? Of course not! The GM, coach, even Team President Ted Phillips are all going to try their hardest at midnight to sell their souls to the devil to win this season.
The only problem is that might not be good enough. Even if every player on the Bears long wish list came to Chicago, it's not a guarantee the franchise will return to glory (see Cutler, Jay). This free agency/rebuilding crisis is merely scratching the surface of the Bears' issues that run from owner to coach to Soldier Field groundskeeper. Be warned, instead of setting course for a return to the Super Bowl, the Bears may just be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. And many more franchises may be in the same big boat.
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