Reply #57: You want strengths? How about their offensive line

[St. Jarvitude]

A solid O-Line - absolutely the most underrated part of any NFL team - is the cornerstone of a successful offense. Just look at what happened to Kurt Warner. Three All-Pro linemen (C Olin Kreutz, G Ruben Brown, and T John Tait) isn't too shabby.

In terms of skill positions:

QB: Grossman may not be a superstar, but he's good enough to get the job done. In his 4 starts last year, he proved to be consistent completing passes and moving the ball down the field. Cannon arm.

RB: When you have a former Rookie of the Year backing up, you know you've got good depth. Thomas Jones was explosive as a tailback for the Bucs last year and should have a strong season. Bryan Johnson is a well above-average FB and will flourish under Terry Shea.

WR: Booker is an All-Pro WR. Aside from him, here the Bears don't have much depth but have big play capability - but inconsistency - out of Justin Gage and David Terrell

TE: Desmond Clark is an OK tight end but should improve under Terry Shea's offense. Desmond Clark is an athletic receiving TE, like KC's Gonzalez. He needs to improve his blocking skills.

On defense, the Bears' strong point is their secondary. FS Mike Brown and Charles Tillman are playmakers (remember Peanut ripping the ball from Randy Moss in the end zone? That play got your boys into the playoffs. You're welcome) who will also shut down their man in coverage.. The Bears have a luxury at SS in that they have a hard-hitter in Bobby Gray for running downs and 46 situations, and an excellent coverage back in Mike Green, who will likely be their nickel back until the injured Jerry Azumah returns from neck surgery. R.W. McQuarters is a starting-quality CB who was bumped down to the nickel with the emergence of Jerry Azmuah, until his recent injury.

The Bears' linebacker corps should flourish under Lovie Smith's new speed defense. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs (future All-Pro, I guarantee it) are athletic linebackers who will get to the ball and disrupt plays before they can start. On the strong side, I wish the Bears had better than Joe Odom, but he's a decent LB who shouldn't be a hinderance.

The real weakness on the Bears is their defensive line. Michael Haynes and Alex Brown are mostly unproven pass rushers at the ends. The interior line of the Bears' defense is horrendous; rookies Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson need to develop quickly to plug the weakest position on the Bears.

On special teams, Paul Edinger is an All-Pro caliber kicker. The same goes for puner Brad Maynard. Before Jerry Azumah's inury, they had an All-Pro returning kicks and a punt returner in R.W. McQuarters who performed as well as any other returner in the NFC last year. Now the Bears will have to rely on receivers Bernard Berrian and Ahmed Merrit to return kicks, and it looks like Berrian may replace R.W returning punts as to avoid injuring another starting CB.

All-in-all, I think that, while the Bears aren't spectacular at any one position, they're good enough all-around to compete and do well in the NFL. A solid (but unproven) coaching staff doesn't hurt, either. My prediction for the Bears this year is a 9-7 record, and missing the playoffs.