The Chicago Bears will have Lovie Smith returning for his 3rd year as the head coach. Smith was 5 – 11 in his first year, but road his defense to the NFL Playoffs in 2005 with a 11 – 5 record. Smith was named the AP Coach of the Year in 2005 after he succcessfully turned Chicago into a winning franchise again. Lovie hopes the offense can improve on last seasons numbers so that the Bears can make another run at the Playoffs.
Quarterback Brian Griese was signed in the off season and become the back up to starter Rex Grossman. The Bears believe Grossman is the future but wanted a solid back up should he get injuried again. Hopefully, Grossman will be able to get the ball to Muhsin Muhammad and Mark Bradley which will be the starting wide receivers. Smith drafted Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Devin Hester to potentially compete for a starting role and to help on offense. If Rex can stay healthy, the Bears should improve considerably on offense.
Bet on the Chicago Bears to win the NFC North at BetRoyal.
The Chicago Bears defense held 8 teams to single digits and only allowed 31 points in their final 6 games of 2005. Smith is looking to address the holes that were exposed in the Seattle Seahawks game. That is why he took four defensive players in the 2006 NFL Draft including strong safety Danieal Manning. 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Brian Urlacher will return to lead the Bears defense. Adelewale Ogunleye will try to top last seasons 10 sacks. The Bears will once again have a strong defense in 2006.
Head Coach: Lovie Smith
Offensive Coordinator: Ron Turner
Defensive Coordinator: Ron Rivera
Division: NFC North
2005 Record: 11 – 6
Field: Soldier Field
2006 Chicago Bears Draft Picks:
Round 2 – Danieal Manning – Strong Safety – Abilene Christian
Round 2 – Devin Hester – Wide Receiver – Miami (FL)
Round 3 – Dusty Dvoracek – Defensive Tackle – Oklahoma
Round 4 – Jamar Williams – Inside Linebacker – Arizona State
Round 5 – Mark Anderson – Defensive End – Alabama
Round 6 – JD Runnels – Fullback – Oklahoma
Round 6 – Tyler Reed – Guard – Penn State
