Post by Deleted on May 2, 2018 15:20:23 GMT -6
Bears over/under win total for 2018 set at 6.5
Expectations are not too high outside of the Windy City for the Chicago Bears in 2018.
Matt Eurich - May 1, 3:24 PM
(Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)
With the NFL Draft in the books, it is time to start looking forward to training camp battles, the preseason and eventually the start of the regular season. For the Chicago Bears, the organization has some newfound hope due to all the changes that have been made this offseason. Chicago has won just 14 games over the course of the last three seasons combined with its best season coming back in 2013 when the Bears went 8-8 under then-head coach Marc Trestman. Chicago was last in the playoffs in 2010 when it went 11-5 under Lovie Smith.
Expectations are a bit higher this year around but the oddsmakers are not sold on the team just yet. CBS Sports' Will Brinson went ahead and set win/loss totals for every team in the league and set Chicago right at 6.5 wins. Here's what he had to say about the young Bears:
"If you listen to the latest episode of the Pick Six Podcast, you know that Nick Kostos and I see the 2018 Chicago Bears as a poor man's version of the 2017 Los Angeles Rams. TBD if we're correct but they've followed the blueprint this offseason."
The comparisons to the Los Angles Rams from 2017 has been the hot topic all offseason. The Bears got rid of a defensive-minded head coach in John Fox (like the Rams did with Jeff Fisher) and hired an upstart offensive-minded coach in Matt Nagy (like the Rams did with Sean McVay). The Bears have a young quarterback in play in Mitch Trubisky and have done a lot to surround him with weapons this offseason after the team won just five games last season.
This year Trubisky will have a brand new offense under Nagy that will feature the likes of Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller at wide receiver with tight ends Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Dion Sims serving as other weapons in this offense. In the backfield the team should see more out of second-year back Tarik Cohen. The dynamic running back showed flashes of his potential last season and only stands to show improvement in an offense that will know how to properly use his skill set. The offensive line also got a boost this offseason with the drafting of Iowa interior offensive lineman James Daniels in the second round.
On the defensive side of the ball, Chicago finished last season 10th in total defense. The unit brought back cornerbacks Kyle Fuller, Prince Amukamara and Bryce Callahan in free agency with all three expected to be major contributors. In this year's draft, the Bears also got a potential new face of the defense in inside linebacker Roquan Smith. Selected eighth overall, Smith has the potential to become a dominating force in the middle of the defense for years to come. The biggest area of concern on the defense, and the team as a whole, is at the outside linebacker position. Leonard Floyd is coming off a season-ending injury and the team also moved on from veterans Willie Young and Pernell McPhee during the offseason. If the Bears can get anything out of veteran Aaron Lynch and rookie Kylie Fitts it will be viewed as a win.
It would be easy for some to put a higher win total on the Bears considering the moves they made this offseason, but until Trubisky and company can prove they have mastered Nagy's offense the 6.5-win total appears to be the right number.
Author/Matt Eurich @matteurich
