While the Bears did have a good season in 2010, the NFC game against the Packers showed various areas where Chicago is still vulnerable. In order to be able to keep pace with Green Bay, as well as the rest of the NFC, the Bears will need to improve in a couple of different areas. The offensive line, who gave up more sacks than any other unit in the league with 57, definitely needs to do a better job of holding its own against the blitz. It doesn’t matter who is at the QB position if he doesn’t have time to get rid of the ball. I give the unit credit for playing much better during the second half of the season but this area definitely needs to be addressed if Chicago hopes to play well on the offensive side of the ball. Another area where the Bears need to improve is at the wide receiver position. I like Devin Hester and Johnny Knox but neither has shown the ability to be a consistent deep threat against the opposing secondary. The duo combined for only one catch against the Packers in the regular season finale and they were held in check again in the NFC championship game. The Bears cannot advance any further if they don’t somehow acquire a player who can change the game at this position. The last area where I feel the Bears need to be more consistent with is their play-calling. During the first half of last season, the team barely played above .500 (4-3) due to depending heavily on the passing game. Once an effort was made to balance the run and the pass, the Bears won seven of their last remaining games and advanced to the post-season for the first time in four seasons. Needless to say the Bears are a much better when they can run and pass well consistently. Hopefully this will be the blueprint going into next season. I give the Bears credit for the improvement they made from 2009 to 2010 but they must improve even more if they want to give the Packers a run for their money in 2011.
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