Defensively, the Bears have to do a better job of stopping the pass than they showed in the preseason. The Bears plan to attack more with their defensive lineman, and can take some pressure off the defensive backs by getting the ball out of opposing QB’s hands as quickly as possible. Special teams, especially the return game, should be greatly improved with the addition of some good, young talent.
Bottom Line: The Bears are being overlooked by a lot of people this year because of their injury-filled demise last year. If they can stay healthy this year, they are going to catch some teams by surprise. I don’t think they will challenge for the division title, but with there being so many unanswered questions on every team in the division, the Bears could sneak in there like they did in 2001.
4. Detroit Lions
Matt Millen paid a big price to sign Steve Mariucci, but he is a perfect fit for this team. He has some good, young talent to work with, especially after a very good draft in April. Quarterback Joey Harrington has another training camp under his belt, a rookie receiver with elite speed, and a new running back. The Lions are hoping rookie Charles Rogers can make a consistent contribution as a deep threat, which can be a lot to ask of a rookie receiver. Running back Olandis Gary was brought in when starter James Stewart went down with a shoulder injury in the preseason.
On defense, the Lions don’t look too bad in the front seven. Defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson should take up some space in the middle, making it a little tougher to run against this group. Most teams will probably attack Detroit’s secondary, which was suspect before starting corner Chris Cash suffered a major knee injury.
Bottom Line: The Lions have added speed to the offense and defense, but they still have too many holes to contend for the playoffs. I’d be surprised if this team approaches eight wins this year.
