The Chicago Bears are 27-1 at the sportsbook to win the Super Bowl. The Bears have a lot of optimism for 2010 but they also have a lot of pressure.
General Manager Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith will likely be on their way out if the Bears don’t make the playoffs this season. That might be easier said than done vs. sportsbook online odds as Chicago plays in a tough division with Green Bay and Minnesota.
Chicago has a losing record of 23-25 since their loss in Super Bowl XLI to the Indianapolis Colts. Last season the Bears did not play well and high priced quarterback Jay Cutler threw a ton of interceptions. The Bears have brought in Mike Martz to run the offense this season and perhaps he can make a difference. Chicago’s defense was also a problem last year as it collapsed after Brian Urlacher got hurt.
While the optimism is high in Chicago, it may not be realistic. Martz has not really done very well in his last two stops in San Francisco and Detroit. He does have a strong armed quarterback in Cutler but Chicago’s receiving corps is weak. The Bears will have to hope that Devin Aromashodu can build upon his solid season of a year ago. Chicago also doesn’t have a strong running game although the addition of Chester Taylor should really help. He is a running back in the mold of Marshall Faulk and he could have a huge year under Martz. Chicago does need to play better up front though or nothing Martz does with the offense will matter.
Chicago made big move in the off-season on defense as they signed defensive end Julius Peppers to a six-year, $84 million contract. He is a great player when he shows up to play. Getting Urlacher back from injury will definitely help although he has seen better days. Lance Briggs is the best defensive player on the team, not Urlacher. He should be even better this season with Urlacher back to help.
Chicago has some big name players and if everything goes right they could make the playoffs. The problem is that the Bears have a lot of flaws which leaves them no margin for error.