Ten years ago, the Bears were NFC champions facing the Colts in Super Bowl XLI in Miami. Devin Hester’s 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown provided an electrifying start to the game, but the Colts prevailed 29-17. Afterward, Lovie Smith’s team talked boldly about returning the next season to complete their mission. Chicago is still waiting.
The Bears have made only one playoff appearance since the Super Bowl, in 2010, and have finished last in the NFC North the last three seasons. They bottomed out at 3-13 this season, the franchise’s worst record since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978. How did the Bears go from the Super Bowl to also-ran in 10 years? We examine the draft choices, decision-makers, trends and key games that have added up to a decade of decline.
A decade of the draft: Grading every Bears draft pick from the last 10 years
Bears draft grades from 1 (worst) to 10 (best) over the last decade. Grades for later-round picks are based on a curve. For example, drafting cornerback Corey Graham in the fifth round in 2007 turned out to be a home run: He has been to the Pro Bowl as a special-teams player and is a starter with the Bills. A player’s entire career is evaluated, not just his time with the Bears. 2015 first-round pick Kevin White is a 1 based on 19 receptions through two seasons. Obviously, grades for players selected in the last three years could change significantly in the next couple of years. The grade assigned is where they would be after the 2016 season.
Jerry Angelo’s average rank (last 5 drafts), 2007-11 3.7
Angelo’s early drafts provided a backbone for the team that reached Super Bowl XLI, and he had a nice stretch of getting super production out of midround picks. That trend ended and busts on offensive linemen Chris Williams and Gabe Carimi in the first round was a significant part of his downfall.
Phil Emery’s average rank, 2012-14 3.6
Some excellent picks such as Kyle Long, Alshon Jeffery and Charles Leno were the exception. Too many picks failed with the Bears and didn’t make it elsewhere. It remains to be seen what will happen with his top pick in 2014, cornerback Kyle Fuller.
Ryan Pace’s average rank, 2015-16 4.0
Pace got quick production from significant number of 2016 draft picks and gets high marks for the selection of Cody Whitehair in the second round and Jordan Howard in the fifth. For this to be an excellent draft class, Leonard Floyd must improve — which a lot of folks believe will happen.
2007 Record: 7-9 Division: 4th Offensive rank: 27 Defensive rank: 28
Jerry Angelo
General Manager
Lovie Smith
Head Coach
Ron Turner
Offensive coordinator
Bob Babich
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2007 draft class Top pick: 31st overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Greg Olsen TE 10 2 Dan Bazuin DE 1 3 Garrett Wolfe RB 4 3 Michael Okwo LB 1 4 Josh Beekman C 3 5 Kevin Payne DB 3 5 Corey Graham DB 9 7 Trumaine McBride DB 7 7 Aaron Brant G 1
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Sept. 23, 2007 Cowboys 34, Bears 10 Soldier Field
Rex Grossman would go on to make five more starts for the Bears, but this loss essentially was the end of an era. Lovie Smith replaced Grossman with Brian Griese the following week. The Cowboys picked off Grossman three times, giving him 33 turnovers in his previous 17 starts, including the postseason.
2008 Record: 9-7 Division: 2nd Offensive rank: 26 Defensive rank: 21
Jerry Angelo
General Manager
Lovie Smith
Head Coach
Ron Turner
Offensive coordinator
Bob Babich
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2008 draft class Top pick: 14th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Chris Williams T 4 2 Matt Forte RB 10 3 Earl Bennett WR 5 3 Marcus Harrison DT 2 4 Craig Steltz DB 5 5 Zackary Bowman DB 5 5 Kellen Davis TE 6 7 Ervin Baldwin DE 2 7 Chester Adams G 1 7 Joey LaRocque LB 2 7 Kirk Barton T 1 7 Marcus Monk WR 1
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Dec. 28, 2008 Texans 31, Bears 24 Reliant Stadium
The Bears needed help from a handful of other teams and got it but missed a wild-card berth when they failed to win the season finale against a .500 Texans team. They blew a 10-0 lead and surrendered 455 yards of offense, highlighting a season’s worth of defensive inadequacies.
2009 Record: 7-9 Division: 3rd Offensive rank: 23 Defensive rank: 19
Jerry Angelo
General Manager
Lovie Smith
Head Coach
Ron Turner
Offensive coordinator
Bob Babich
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2009 draft class Top pick: 68th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 3 Jarron Gilbert DT 1 3 Juaquin Iglesias WR 1 4 Henry Melton DE 7 4 DJ Moore DB 4 5 Johnny Knox WR 7 5 Marcus Freeman LB 1 6 Al Afalava DB 3 7 Lance Louis G 6 7 Derek Kinder WR 1
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Oct. 25, 2009 Bengals 45, Bears 10 Paul Brown Stadium
The Bengals scored on their first seven possessions and former Bear Cedric Benson justified his selection as the fourth pick in the 2005 draft by rushing for a career-high 189 yards — for the Bengals. It was the first time under Lovie Smith the team looked completely unprepared to compete.
2010 Record: 11-5 Division: 1st Offensive rank: 30 Defensive rank: 9
Jerry Angelo
General Manager
Lovie Smith
Head Coach
Mike Martz
Offensive coordinator
Rod Marinelli
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2010 draft class Top pick: 75th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 3 Major Wright DB 5 4 Corey Wootton DE 4 5 Joshua Moore DB 1 6 Dan LeFevour QB 1 7 J’Marcus Webb T 6
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Jan. 23, 2011 Packers 21, Bears 14 Soldier Field
With a chance to reach the Super Bowl for the second time in five years, the Bears came up short. Jay Cutler was knocked out in third quarter with a knee injury. The Bears could have prevented the Packers from reaching the playoffs had they beaten their rival in Week 17 at Soldier Field.
2011 Record: 8-8 Division: 3rd Offensive rank: 24 Defensive rank: 17
Jerry Angelo
General Manager
Lovie Smith
Head Coach
Mike Martz
Offensive coordinator
Rod Marinelli
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2011 draft class Top pick: 29th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Gabe Carimi T 1 2 Stephen Paea DT 5 3 Chris Conte DB 6 5 Nathan Enderle QB 1 6 JT Thomas LB 6
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Dec. 11, 2011 Broncos 13, Bears 10 (OT) Sports Authority Field
A 7-3 start to the season unraveled in the final six weeks with painful losses like this one. The Bears blew a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter and could have iced the game had Marion Barber not run out of bounds to stop the clock and fumbled in overtime.
2012 Record: 10-6 Division: 3rd Offensive rank: 28 Defensive rank: 5
Phil Emery
General Manager
Lovie Smith
Head Coach
Mike Tice
Offensive coordinator
Rod Marinelli
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2012 draft class Top pick: 19th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Shea McClellin LB 3 2 Alshon Jeffery WR 9 3 Brandon Hardin DB 1 4 Evan Rodriguez TE 1 6 Isaiah Frey DB 3 7 Greg McCoy DB 1
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Dec. 2, 2012 Seahawks 23, Bears 17 (OT) Soldier Field
Seahawks rookie Russell Wilson passed for 293 yards and ran for 71 in what marked the final game in Brian Urlacher’s career as he suffered a pulled hamstring that sidelined him for the final four games. The Bears missed the playoffs despite a 10-6 record, leading to Lovie Smith’s firing.
2013 Record: 8-8 Division: 2nd Offensive rank: 8 Defensive rank: 30
Phil Emery
General Manager
Marc Trestman
Head Coach
Aaron Kromer
Offensive coordinator
Mel Tucker
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2013 draft class Top pick: 20th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Kyle Long G 10 2 Jonathan Bostic LB 2 4 Khaseem Greene LB 2 5 Jordan Mills T 6 6 Cornelius Washington LB 3 7 Marquess Wilson WR 3
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Dec. 22, 2013 Eagles 54, Bears 11 Lincoln Financial Field
The Bears needed one win in the final two weeks to clinch the NFC North, but in a sign of defensive failures to come the next season, they were mauled as the Eagles rolled up 514 yards of offense, including 289 on the ground.
2014 Record: 5-11 Division: 4th Offensive rank: 21 Defensive rank: 30
Phil Emery
General Manager
Marc Trestman
Head Coach
Aaron Kromer
Offensive coordinator
Mel Tucker
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2014 draft class Top pick: 14th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Kyle Fuller DB 4 2 Ego Ferguson DT 2 3 Will Sutton DT 3 4 Ka’Deem Carey RB 2 4 Brock Vereen DB 1 6 David Fales QB 2 6 Pat O’Donnell P 6 7 Charles Leno T 8
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Nov. 9, 2014 Packers 55, Bears 14 Lambeau Field
Coming off an open date and after allowing 51 points in the previous game to the Patriots, the Bears were humiliated by the Packers. The Bears became the NFL’s first team to allow more than 50 points in consecutive games since the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons.
2015 Record: 6-10 Division: 4th Offensive rank: 21 Defensive rank: 14
Ryan Pace
General Manager
John Fox
Head Coach
Adam Gase
Offensive coordinator
Vic Fangio
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2015 draft class Top pick: 7th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Kevin White WR 1 2 Eddie Goldman DT 6 3 Hroniss Grasu C 2 4 Jeremy Langford RB 4 5 Adrian Amos S 5 6 Tayo Fabuluje T 1
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Nov. 26, 2015 Bears 17, Packers 13 Lambeau Field
The Packers retired Brett Favre’s No. 4, but the Bears got a win that provided a boost for the John Fox era by upsetting the Packers. The Bears improved to 5-6, but any momentum proved to be a mirage as they lost four of the final five.
2016 Record: 3-13 Division: 4th Offensive rank: 15 Defensive rank: 15
Ryan Pace
General Manager
John Fox
Head Coach
Dowell Loggains
Offensive coordinator
Vic Fangio
Defensive coordinator
Bears’ 2016 draft class Top pick: 9th overall Rd. Player Pos. Biggs’ rating 1 Leonard Floyd OLB 6 2 Cody Whitehair G 7 3 Jonathan Bullard DT 3 4 Nick Kwiatkoski LB 5 4 Deon Bush S 3 4 Deiondre’ Hall CB 3 5 Jordan Howard RB 10 6 DeAndre Houston-Carson S 2 7 Daniel Braverman WR 2
Bears points differential
Win Loss The season in one game Nov. 13, 2016 Buccaneers 36, Bears 10 Raymond James Stadium
With the roster as healthy as it had been since training camp, the Bears emerged from their open date and laid an egg in Tampa, Fla., as Jay Cutler threw a pick-six to former Bear Chris Conte, one of the quarterback’s three turnovers.
Sources: ProFootballReference
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