Chicago Bears Table: Week 7 Round-Table Discussion

The Chicago Bears roundtable returns as the Bears prepare to face the Washington Redskins this Sunday.

The Chicago Bears currently possess a record of 4-2 and that is good enough for second place in the NFC North division.

In the Bears last game against the New York Giants, middle linebacker D.J. Williams was lost for the season after suffering an injury. The injury is one of many that the Bears have had on the defensive side this season. Injuries and an inability to pressure the quarterback are the two reasons why the Bears have struggled this season on defense.

Week 7’s round-table discussion focuses on the Bears defenses while also discussing what do with quarterback Jay Cutler.

Oct 10, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) rushes the ball against the New York Giants during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

1. Funny how things work out in the NFL. There was talk in the off-season that Brian Urlacher would have been willing to start the season as a free agent and wait for an injury to happen in order to find employment. Urlacher has since retired and may have burned the bridges to any chance of coming back to the Bears. D.J. Williams is out for the season; the Bears are set to succeed or fail with rookie Jonathan Bostic. In a hypothetical scenario, would you want Urlacher back?

• Brandon Cain: Hypothetically yes I would. Urlacher brings leadership and experience to the field which the Bears have but any team could use more.
• Dylan Burn:  I personally like Jonathan Bostic and I feel he has a bright future, but this defense has no doubt struggled.  I think if the Bears were going to welcome Urlacher back it’d only be for the rest of this year.  Hypothetically, yes, I would love to see Urlacher back in a Bears uniform for a couple more games before he calls it quits for good.
• Brandon Bender: Considering the way he exited, I wouldn’t want him back even if he could. There is no room for sentimentality in the NFL, and when you decide to part ways with a franchise icon, you cut him loose and move on.
• Jordan Campbell: I Think Jay Cutler would have to text him first. There is only two aspects of Urlacher’s skill-set that Bears fans should want back. Those aspects are his leadership and intelligence when he is on the field. There are few middle linebackers better than Urlacher was when it came to identifying the different schemes of opposing offenses. But make no mistake about it, if Urlacher could play, he would have been signed by a NFL team.  The hypothetical scenario would also have to be one where Urlacher is playing like the player that built a legacy in Chicago; not the player we saw in recent seasons.

2. This is the last game before the Bears bye-week, also marking the unofficial half-way point to the Bears’ season. What are your thoughts on Jay Cutler? Re-Sign Him? Franchise him? 

• Brandon Cain: Re-sign him. Thus far we have seen Cutler buy into head coach Marc Trestman’s system in delivering quick passes and spreading the ball around. With weapons like Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery (not Jefferies), Martellus Bennett, and Matt Forte along with an improved offensive line he will want to return and should.
• Dylan Burn: Jay has performed very well.  He has a 66% completion percentage and has 12 touchdowns compared to 6 interceptions.  I have also been impressed with his ability to pick up first downs with his legs instead of his arm.  By no means is he a dual threat quarterback, but with Jay running the ball so well, that thought is definitely always in the back of the defensive teams mind.  I think you re-sign him after this year.
• Brandon Bender: The offense has been a work-in-progress all season, but with time and continuity, it will improve. In order for that to happen, however, Cutler has to stay on board for the whole ride.
• Jordan Campbell: Franchise him? That would enable a tense situation between Cutler and the team. We’ve seen this season with Henry Melton the dangers of franchising a player, and when the dangers rear their ugly head, it is not good for neither the team nor the player. Let him walk? To those that think the Bears should let Cutler walk, I challenge them to find a quarterback that will be available that is better than Cutler. The Bears won’t be drafting high enough to take advantage of the plethora of  top college quarterbacks that will be entering the NFL. There is no question that Bears should re-sign Cutler. Don’t look now but not only is Cutler in the midst of having his best season in a Bears uniform, he is in the midst of having one of the best years of his career.

3. The Bears defense is certainly a concern entering the second-half of the season. Will the defense be the down-fall of this season for the Bears?

•  Brandon Cain: The defense as a whole is not the problem but rather the defensive line. After six games Shea McClellin, Corey Wootton, and Julius Peppers combine for a dismal 2.5 sacks. That is a concern. If the Bears defensive line does not improve expect to see a decrease in turnovers from the Bears.
• Dylan Burn: If anything is going to be the down-fall of the Bears this season it is the defense.  That feels really weird to say seeing as they have been so good in the recent past, but they are starting to age a little bit and the younger guys are just starting to get used to things.
• Brandon Bender:  Injuries are piling up on defense, but we all know the Bears are offense-oriented anyway. As long as the defense keeps forcing opportunistic turnovers like it has all season, they will be fine.
• Jordan Campbell: The only downfall to the Bears season will be the Green Bay Packers or Detroit Lions. The Bears defense is simply not good. There is no other way to put it. Yes the defensive line play has been awful, but the secondary play has not been anything to write home about either. Despite their defensive struggles, the Bears possess an offense that is capable of keeping the team in games. But, as along as the Bears can get ahead of either the Packers or the Lions, there will be no downfall to this season. The team that is in second place in the NFC North division will be making the playoffs this season.