Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE
When the Chicago Bears acquired Jay Cutler back in 2010, the assumption amongst Bears fans was that this was done with the idea of making the Monsters of the Midway an elite offensive team. Considering the Bears haven’t had an elite quarterback since Sid Luckman, this appeared to be a move in the right direction.
Rumors from inside of Halas Hall were that then-general manager Jerry Angelo wasn’t the most keen on this move. He felt that quarterback Kyle Orton was good enough and the Bears shouldn’t surrender all of the draft picks associated with landing Cutler. There are many reasons why Angelo isn’t with the organization any longer, and one can guess it had to do with this type of player personnel decisions.
When Phil Emery was hired, his actions spoke much louder than his words. He traded for Brandon Marshall, drafted Alshon Jeffrey and signed Michael Bush to make an immediate impact while securing Jason Campbell to back up Cutler. He also drafted Evan Rodriguez to improve a poor group of tight ends. All of these moves established the Bears’ new-found commitment to creating an elite offense. For years, the Bears’ defense was the talk of the town, but there was a new commitment to offense.
So I pose this question to the group: are the Bears an elite offense? While I know it has only been one game and the competition wasn’t great, the Bears did some things offensively I haven’t seen in my 38 years on this earth. They actually put on an offensive display. Cutler was allowed to make some real-time throws setting up the running game to do its work as well. In other words, the Bears are using the pass to set up the run? Yes, I ask that as a question, more out of shock and awe than anything else.
I look at what the Bears can do offensively and it translates well to making adjustments due to the weather. Early on, the Bears can throw the football. As the weather turns, they can focus on using the running game more effectively. The option to throw is still available, but the necessity to defend the Bears on a variety of fronts becomes a nightmare to other teams.
On Thursday, the weather forecast isn’t ideal for the track meet that football fans were hoping for at Green Bay. But what we will see is the Bears using one of their strengths to attack the Green Bay Packers. This will give us a slightly different look at the team. Instead of throwing the ball all over the field, the Bears can concentrate on running the football and using the pass in the short-to-intermediate range. This offensive diversity is why I think the Bears are close to being an elite offensive team, and one that is built to play in February. A lot can happen between now and then, but I like what I’m seeing and thinking so far.
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