{"id":129859,"date":"2022-02-16T17:18:52","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T22:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=129859"},"modified":"2022-02-16T17:18:52","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T22:18:52","slug":"the-super-bowl-proved-there-are-multiple-avenues-to-a-chicago-bears-turnaround","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2022\/02\/16\/the-super-bowl-proved-there-are-multiple-avenues-to-a-chicago-bears-turnaround\/","title":{"rendered":"The Super Bowl Proved There Are Multiple Avenues to a Chicago Bears Turnaround"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fans can rest assured that the Chicago Bears are in a position to be a perfect blend of both Super Bowl participants in the Cincinnati Bengals and world-champion Los Angeles Rams. No, this isn\u2019t delirium. Nor has the Kool-Aid drinking reached a fevered pitch as Ryan Poles<\/a> and Matt Eberflus<\/a> have revamped the front office and coaching staff, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attention has turned from the Senior Bowl on to the NFL Combine and, soon, free agency. We have to take stock of just how far off the Bears are. Not just from contending for the playoffs but also from appearing in the Super Bowl<\/span><\/p>\n

It really is a travesty such a historic franchise has only been to two Super Bowls.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chicago Bears Can Be a Blend of Both Super Bowl Participants Soon Enough<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Traditional Way<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cincy may have gotten close to the promised land sooner than expected. But their process was as tried and true as they come. They were a bad team that took a franchise-caliber starting quarterback. They have gone about putting the offensive line and weapons around him to facilitate his growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Burrow led the league in sacks taken during the regular season. He got dropped another 19 times in the postseason. It\u2019s clear they still have work to do on that front. But they have allocated resources there.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two things from Poles and Eberflus\u2019 introductions point to a similar approach for the Bears.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poles said he took issue with the number of times Justin Fields<\/a> would end up on his backside. He also didn’t like just how few of his offensive linemen went out of their way to pick him up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fields finished the season 10th in sacks. We all remember the national story that was following the nine-sack outing against the Cleveland Browns. It was the very first start of his career. It was also a game which, by all accounts, he was woefully unprepared for. There was also a game where the Bears started a right tackle who hadn\u2019t practiced all week.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where Eberflus, and really offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, come into play. Eberflus has talked of wanting to play fast. That was predominantly in reference to the defense. But Getsy said in no uncertain terms that they would build the offense around Fields.<\/span><\/p>\n

That means getting him some weapons as the Bengals did in selecting Ja\u2019Marr Chase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not having a first-round pick this season likely means they miss out on a Chris Olave, Fields\u2019 college teammate barring a slide by the player or an unlikely trade-up by the Bears.<\/span><\/p>\n

There could still be a gem found in the later rounds. The Bengals selected Tee Higgins with the 33rd overall pick and the Las Vegas Raiders took productive second-year man Bryan Edwards with the 39th-overall pick (where the Bears are currently slotted to make their first pick) in the same year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chicago Bears 2021 Season Awards<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n