Emma: Regular Season Looms With Bears Lacking Direction
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Pyrotechnics shot into the humid air of Soldier Field as the Bears took to their home field Thursday evening. Fans emerged from their seats and cheered as the players prepared for action. It's only a preseason game, one which Chicago won 24-0 over Cleveland, but football brings fresh joy as summer turns to fall.
Then came the Bears' first drive. David Fales was in at quarterback, Josh Bellamy and Rashad Lawrence lined up at receiver, Conor Boffeli worked at left guard and Charles Leno started at left tackle. By the third quarter, fans were doing the wave, which made seven gruesome laps around Soldier Field.
In total, 29 Bears rested on the sidelines. Jay Cutler's uniform looked clean enough for a photo shoot.
"It's a challenge in that fourth game, your backups get a lot of time," Bears coach John Fox said. "I think guys made cases for themselves and made it harder on us. That's a good thing."
Training camp in Bourbonnais has come and gone, and the preseason is now complete, too. There will be 22 cuts to come by Saturday afternoon, plus perhaps a few signings off the waiver wire. But for the most part, the 2015 edition of the Chicago Bears is set -- here they are.
In 10 days, the Green Bay Packers come to Chicago. The stadium will be packed, loud and anxious, because Aaron Rodgers will be quarterbacking, not Browns third-stringer Thaddeus Lewis. The Bears' regular season begins with that.
"We're not where we want to be yet," said tackle Jordan Mills, who never secured his starting spot on the right side. "But like Coach Fox says, Rome wasn't built in a day. We got to take it each day at a time, each step at a time, to get to where we want to be."
Several themes prevailed over the Bears' preseason -- toughness, attitude and (of course) injuries. With that lack of continuity came a confusing sense that this team doesn't have clear direction. General manager Ryan Pace's long-term plan needs several drafts to work with, so this season is largely about setting a foundation, not contending. What's in store for Fox's group?
Will the Bears fight with what they have for 2015 or declare it a rebuilding effort and go young? Cuts will lend part of that answer, but nothing will be quite certain until that date with the Packers on Sept. 13. That's when this long offseason and seemingly longer preseason will reveal itself in results.
"We know where we sit," Bears receiver and returner Marc Mariani said. "We were 5-11 last year. We know that going in, and we know what a lot of people are saying about us, but we don't hear it. We're just going to work every day. We got a great group of guys that are willing to work, willing to grind."
Mindsets like that of Mariani are all around the Bears' locker room. It's a group entering this campaign with a positive attitude and budding enthusiasm for the new opportunity. Gone are many of the problems from the disaster of 2014. The "No Noise" that Brandon Marshall ironically wished for on T-shirts is real this time.
However, Pace is about to cut some of Phil Emery's failed draft picks and desperate signings. This team might have a better collective mindset, but it also isn't very good. There are too many concerns at hand.
There's no answer at right tackle, where two-time Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long may step in to start. Due to injuries, Bellamy and Lawrence are Chicago's top two receivers, unless Alshon Jeffery's three weeks of being day-to-day come to an end. Cornerback is a major concern, with nobody standing out. The laundry list goes on and on.
By far the greatest positive is that the Bears appear competent. They understand their schemes, are in the right position and making the routine plays. That wasn't always the case with Marc Trestman and his confused coaching staff. But there are too many more negatives, namely how injuries have hurt a team with little margin for error.
Success in the preseason doesn't mean much. The beaten-up Bears still lack direction for this 2015 season, which is fast approaching. Is this team ready for the regular season?
"That's what we're out there for, to make progress and get better," Fox said "We'll get to measure that in 10 days."
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
