Going into the 2009 NFL season, the big story for the Chicago Bears was Jay Cutler. For the first time, probably since the days of Sid Luckman, the Bears had a franchise quarterback who was going to lead them back to glory. Unfortunately, some pretty poor line play led to the lack of a successful running game, leaving the Bears to throw more than they wanted to, with Cutler forcing many of those throws due to lack of pass protection, while on the defensive side of the ball, team leader Brian Urlacher suffered a season-ending injury midway through the first game of the season.

There were plenty of signs that Cutler will become the player the Chicago Bears hoped he would be. He had 27 touchdown passes, just two shy of the franchise record for a single season, and also threw for the second most single season passing yards in franchise history (3,666), while also becoming the first Bears quarterback since 1970 to have a 100+ passer rating in three straight games, and the first to throw four touchdown passes in back-to-back games. On the negative side, Cutler also threw the second-most interceptions (27) in team history for a single season, but while he did have some issues, many were not entirely his responsibility and there is reason for hope going forward at the Bears’ quarterback position.

There were a few other positives for the offense to build on looking forward to the 2010 season; the emergence of wide out/kick returner Johnny Knox, who not only went to the NFL Pro Bowl as a return man (32 KR, 927 YDS, 1 TD – 102 yards), but also became first Bears rookie since Walter Payton to score a touchdown in four consecutive games (45 REC, 527 YDS, 5 TD). Devin Hester is still coming along at wide receiver, leading Chicago with 757 yards receiving, while tight end Greg Olsen accounted for 60 catches (612 YDS) and 8 touchdowns, both second in team history for a Bears tight end, behind the legendary Mike Ditka. In the backfield, second-year running back Matt Forte became one of only three players in Chicago history to have multiple seasons with 1,400+ plus yards from scrimmage (929 rushing, 471 receiving in ’09 and 1,238 rushing, 477 receiving in ‘08), joining Walter Payton and Neal Anderson. As you can see, along with Cutler’s Vanderbilt teammate Earl Bennett (54 REC, 717 YDS, 2 TD) and the explosive Devin Aromashodu (24 REC, 298 YDS, 4 TD after Week 10 due to prior injury) at wide recover, and the hiring of offensive guru Mike Martz as Offensive Coordinator, the Chicago Bears could be quite the offensive threat this season.

While the Bears have been commonly known for their defense in years past, 2009 was not one of those years. Losing Brian Urlacher in their first game did not help, and while Hunter Hillenmeyer (90 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles) filled in admirably, five of Chicago’s top ten tacklers were defensive backs, which is definitely a sign that things are not getting done at the first two levels of the D. In Urlacher’s absence, while it was Hillenmeyer calling the plays from the middle, it was linebacker Lance Briggs who dominated from sideline to sideline with a team leading 118 tackles (93 solos, 25 assists) in addition to 2.5 sacks and 5 tackles for loss. Upfront it was defensive ends Adewale Ogunleye and Alex Brown with 12.5 sacks between them; despite missing the final two games of the season with a broken leg, Ogunleye led the Bears with 6.5 sacks, compared to Brown’s 6 to go along with being second on the team with 6 tackles for loss, behind linebacker Nick Roach (7) who also added 3 forced fumbles and 2 sacks. As usual, cornerback Charles Tillman led the Bears with 6 forced fumbles – many consider him the best in the NFL at stripping the ball – while fellow-corner Zack Bowman headed up the passes defended (10) and interception (6) columns. With a healthy Urlacher back, and a new Defensive Coordinator in Rod Marinelli, look for the Bears to get back to their dominant defensive ways!

This is a team which just went through a nearly complete housecleaning of all coaches below Lovie Smith, and it was all for one reason – making their way back to the top of the NFC North! Get your Chicago Bears tickets now and be there as this proud team begins its march back to prominence at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.