After converting three fourth-downs, the Green Bay Packers ended the remarkable and drama-filled season of the 2013 Chicago Bears. Hopes for a playoff run in Chicago were high going into the Green Bay game. Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers crushed those hopes, but the Bears season was one of the most entertaining spectacles in the NFL this year. It was a season that had everything.
First, there was the drama of the exit, the bitterness and the eventual retirement of Brian Urlacher. Then there was new Bears coach Marc Trestman; a former NFL castoff, Trestman brought his offensive success from the Canadian Football League. In one season, Trestman significantly improved a Bears offense that was consistently stagnant under former coach Lovie Smith. Also, Trestman’s demeanor and language in press conferences was alternatively informative and sometimes even odd. Certainly, Trestman was far more interesting to listen to than the typically taciturn Smith.
The offensive line that was a disaster in 2012 was completely rebuilt. The savvy drafting of offensive linemen Jordan Mills and Kyle Long and the free agent signing of Jermon Bushrod significantly improved the line. The passing game and the running game improved immediately with the play of the offensive line.
The Bears jumped out to a 3-0 record raising hopes for Chicago that they were going to be a great team. Then the the injuries started to mount up. Henry Melton tore his ACL. Melton’s back-up Nate Collins tore his ACL a couple weeks later. Linebacker D.J. Williams tore his pectoral muscle and was out for the year. Cornerback Charles Tillman, who had been battling various injuries all season, finally was put on injured reserve in November.
On top of it all though, it was the Lance Briggs injury that really hurt. Following Briggs’ injury the Bears defense went into a free fall. During a nine-game period, the Bears defense gave up an NFL record 1,811 rushing yards. The Bears ranked dead last in allowing the most rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and a staggering 6.3 rushing yards per carry. Still the Bears stayed competitive due to their explosive offense.
But nothing compared to the quarterback Jay Cutler story arc. First, there was the drama of Cutler’s contract. Would the Bears resign him to a long-term deal? Would the Bears put a franchise tag on Cutler for one year? Or would the Bears decide to part ways with the mercurial Cutler and all the drama that he seems to cause intentionally or inadvertently.
Then, Cutler injured his groin week 7 against the Washington Redskins. Cutler was supposed to be out 4 weeks with a Grade 2 groin strain. But due to some aggressive treatment including the use of an experimental Accelerated Recovery Performance (ARP), Cutler returned in three weeks to play the Detroit Lions. The ARP treatment is believed to accelerate healing time. In addition to Cutler, running back Matt Forte, Tillman, wide receiver Brandon Marshall and other Bears players used the ARP treatment.
Cutler returned to play in the Lions game and appeared to be favoring his groin under the relentless Lion defensive pressure. The Cutler injury subplot thickened after Cutler injured his ankle and stayed in the game possibly causing more damage.
The rise of journeyman back-up Josh McCown and his successful stewardship of the Bears offense created another controversy in Chicago. First, no one could pronounce McCown’s name properly. But mainly, there was some belief that McCown ran the offense more effectively than the gunslinger and mistake prone Cutler. The return of Cutler for the Cleveland Browns game only caused more controversy.
Bears reporter Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune broke down the statistics that showed that a McCown ran offense scored more points per possession than a Cutler ran offense. Also, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery positively shined with McCown at the helm and broke his own franchise record for receiving yards against the Minnesota Vikings.
There was the subplot of the largely forgettable play of possible draft bust Shea McClellin. McClellin was not particularly effective most of the season. However, McClellin broke Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ collarbone, which could have been the most important play of the year for the Bears. The Packers did not win a game for five weeks with Rodgers out of the lineup allowing the Detroit Lions and Bears to take over the division lead.
Unfortunately, Rodgers returned to beat the Bears, win the division and end Chicago’s season. It was a whirlwind of a season, so entertaining. Now the question will be whether Cutler’s game ending interception will be his last in a Bears uniform. The drama still isn’t over. Thank goodness for that.
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