2010 Chicago Bears-Inspiring Season, Epic Disappointment
The Chicago Bears offense lines up to score on January 16, 2011 in their 35-24 divisional playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks at Soldier Field..
In early September 2010, the Chicago Bears organization invited season ticket holders for the first time to enter the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall for a "state of the team" address, hosted by President Ted Phillips, General Manager Jerry Angelo, and Head Coach Lovie Smith. It was a noble gesture by the organization even if the execution was off; the metal Payton center was acoustically a horrible place to host the event. Fans seated 20 feet away from those speaking couldn't hear what they were saying due to the reverb.
During the talk many attendees shook their heads and rolled their eyes, listening to the brain trust talk of the impact the major changes made in the offseason would have on the team's success. Remember, this pep talk came on the heels of only the second winless preseason in 30 years, a preseason in which the team looked offensively and defensively overmatched and out-coached.
Thus the 2010 Chicago Bears began the season surrounded by skepticism felt by their fans, the media, and their peers. Despite having made major changes throughout the organization, the team was roundly predicted to finish with seven wins or less and far below the records of division rivals Green Bay and Minnesota. At the end of the campaign, the club would astonishingly host the NFC Championship game with the chance to beat their arch-rival for a trip to Super Bowl 45. While the Bears' 2010 season turned out breathtakingly exciting for its followers, in the end the team lost out in the worst way it possibly could, at the hands of their arch rival of 89 years.
The 2009 season had ended on a sour note for Bears fans, despite the team finishing by winning their final two games and spoiling the rival Vikings' hopes for home field advantage in the playoffs. In December, many fans were calling for the firing of Smith and Angelo, even pooling money to purchase a billboard advertisement pushing for such a move. At the conclusion of the season, the team acted quickly by firing not Smith or Angelo, but virtually the entire offensive coaching staff that had been led by coordinator Ron Turner since 2005. The move came just two days after the season ended on January 3rd.
Just prior to the offensive purge, the team called a press conference addressing the disappointed season, at which Phillips, Angelo and Smith spoke. Their theme was feeling the fans' frustration and admitting that they all "know they have to do a better job" at winning.
In addition to needing to fill an entirely new offensive coaching staff, Smith needed to find a new defensive coordinator. After two disastrous defensive seasons under Smith's good friend Bob Babich, in 2009 Smith had decided to control the defense himself as coordinator. The result was his unit ranking 17th overall, 23rd against the run and 13th against the pass. These rankings were actually better than the previous two seasons, but clearly not good enough to compete. Smith stated that for 2010 he would hire a defensive coordinator.
Early candidates mentioned for the coordinator roles were the most obvious. Prior to taking the head coaching job with the Bears, Smith had spent three seasons as defensive coordinator for Mike Martz with the St. Louis Rams. Martz had spent 2009 out of football, after being dismissed from both the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers in his previous two stints. Some questioned the viability of Martz not only based on his previous two failures, but because he had vocally criticized Bears quarterback Jay Cutler in his analyst role with NFL Network. For the defense, it was assumed early on that defensive line coach and great Smith friend Rod Marinelli would win up as defensive coordinator. After all, it was Marinelli whom Smith favored initially as his coordinator in 2004, before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers refused to allow him to interview for a promotion.
Throughout January, the Bears cast a wide net in their coordinator search, just as Jerry Angelo did to find a head coach in 2004. Strangely Angelo was met with the same response as he did six years before, seemingly the top candidates wanted nothing to do with the Bears' openings. Top choices on offense were Jeremy Bates, Jay Cutler's former quarterbacks coach in Denver, and Tom Clements, Packer quarterbacks coach. On defense, the Bears actively pursued former Smith disciple Perry Fewell, who recently had served as interim head coach of the Buffalo Bills but was not retained. One by one the top candidates refused the Bears' offer, and some speculated it was due to the fact that without a strong performance in 2010, Lovie Smith and his staff might be fired after just one more season. Bates accepted the Seattle Seahawks' offer to become their offensive coordinator, Clements was refused the opportunity to interview by the Packers, and Fewell took the defensive coordinator job with the New York Giants. In the meantime, in a curious move the Bears on January 15th hired Mike Tice to become their offensive line coach prior to having a coordinator in place, a peculiar move. Tice was former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and currently employed as an offensive assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Then after a lull of several weeks, with most observers having no clue as to what the Bears would do, the team announced on February 1st that Martz would be hired to head up the offense. Four days later they quietly announced that Marinelli was given the defensive head job. Thus a month after announcing the moves needed to be made, the Bears had their offensive and defensive coaching staffs in place. As usual it was long after most other assistant coaching vacancies around the league had been filled. (This had also been the case when Dick Jauron and Smith's staffs had been assembled in 1999 and 2004.) While it seemed that the appointments were made because the team had no other choice, they also put the Bears in the position of having three former NFL head coaches in assistant coaching positions, which was not the norm for the Chicago Bears.
Martz was roundly regarded as one of the most innovative offensive minds in the history of the game. In his first season as an offensive coordinator, with the 1999 St. Louis Rams, he built a super bowl winner forever to be known as the "Greatest Show on Turf." A disciple of legendary offensive coach Don Coryell, Martz' system featured the long passing game at its heart, requiring a tough, intelligent quarterback, talented wide receivers and running backs, and most importantly a solid offensive line that could protect the passer that frequently made long throws off seven-step drops.
Problem number one for the 2010 Bears was that their offensive line was highly suspect. Left tackle Chris Williams had finished the 2009 season strong, but was still unproven. Guard Frank Omiyale, given an enormous 2009 free agent payday, did not have a good season at that position. Center Olin Kreutz and right guard Roberto Garza were toward the end of their careers. Massive changes needed to be made, and all had to hope that tremendous progress in the group's play would take place. Observers guessed that Omiyale would be moved to his natural position of tackle on the right side, opening up a guard spot for a newcomer that would have to perform.
In the March free agency period, one player was coveted by teams more than any other. That player was Carolina Panther defensive end Julius Peppers. Peppers was the second overall pick in the 2002 draft, and while he was capable of dominating offenses at times, he also had stretches when he would seemingly disappear. He had been designated as Carolina's franchise player, but the Panthers had been unable to work out a long-term deal with the player to keep him in the fold. To the surprise of many, the Bears were players for Peppers from the stroke of midnight, when Smith flew to Carolina to convince the prize to sign. By the first morning of free agency, the Bears had lured him with a six-year, $91.5 million contract. Also on the first day Chicago signed running back Chester Taylor from the Vikings, and tight end Brandon Manumaleuna from San Diego. Later in the offseason they would acquire cornerback Tim Jennings and linebacker Brian Iwuh.
The Bears' 2010 draft haul was depleted for the second consecutive season due to the Jay Cutler trade, but also even more after they had traded their second-round pick to Tampa for defensive end Gaines Adams. (Adams died in his sleep in January of 2010 due to an undiagnosed heart condition). So the Bears were forced to wait out the draft's first night without a pick. The morning of the second day, Florida safety Major Wright became the Bears' first pick in the third round. Subsequent draft picks were Northwestern defensive end Corey Wootton, Kansas State cornerback Joshua Moore, QB Dan LeFevour, and finally massive offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb from tiny West Texas A&M. The LeFevour pick became controversial late in the season when it was disclosed that the Bears had advised Buffalo running back James Starks that he would be selected, only to renege on the promise. Starks would go on to success with the rival Packers, while LeFevour was cut following training camp. The Bears would also use a sixth-round pick in the July 2010 supplemental draft to select running back Harvey Unga from BYU. Unga spent the season on injured reserve.
In the preseason, the team looked out of synch, unfocused, and poorly coached. They lost their first two meetings by 15 points to San Diego and Oakland, and in the third and most important game, lost again to the Arizona Cardinals. In the finale against Cleveland, new backup quarterback Todd Collins, 38 years old and lured out of retirement, looked surprisingly good, but the Bears still lost. Preseason games are meaningless, but both the offense and defense looked no better than they had in a disappointing 2009 campaign.
But all of the controversy was put to rest on September 12th, when the Bears hosted the Detroit Lions on opening day. The Lions jumped to a 14-3 lead over the Bears until running back Matt Forte took a screen pass 89 yards for a touchdown just before the half. Chicago still trailed into the fourth quarter, until Forte caught another touchdown pass from Cutler, this one on a 28-yard wheel route. Failing to convert a two-point attempt, the Bears led the lions 19-14 when the game's final drive commenced. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, the Lions needed to drive 83 yards for a touchdown to take the game from the Bears. And drive they did. Four plays later, on the arm of backup quarterback Shaun Hill, the Lions were at Chicago's 25 yard line with 31 seconds remaining. Hill appeared to complete a touchdown pass to receiver Calvin Johnson, giving Detroit the victory. However, as Johnson rose up to celebrate, the ball slipped from the one hand in which he had it gripped, and the winning catch was ruled an incomplete pass. Despite mass protests from the Lions and many in the league, the Bears squeaked by with a 19-14 victory.
The following week the Bears traveled to Dallas to face a Super Bowl favorite in the Cowboys. Few gave the Bears a chance. After the day was over, the Bears had beaten the Cowboys 27-20 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. It was Chicago's first victory in Dallas since 1986, and they returned home for a Monday Night matchup with their hated rivals, the equally 2-0 Green Bay Packers.
The Bears were three point underdogs to the Packers, who for the second year were heavily favored to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Thanks in part to a team-record 18 penalties committed by Green Bay, the Bears prevailed by a score of 20-17. The game featured a 62-yard punt return touchdown by Bear Devin Hester, his first scoring return since the 2007 season. The 2010 Bears at that time were one of the surprises of the NFL, at 3-0 one of only a handful of undefeated teams left after three games.
Despite the undefeated record, there were glitches in the Bears' game. Martz was throwing the ball at an alarming percentage, and in turn Cutler was being sacked at an almost unprecedented rate. Despite racking up yardage, the team was having a terrible time scoring from inside the opponents' 10 yard line. These issues would come back to haunt the Bears when they traveled the following week to face the Giants on Sunday night. New York was 1-2, and it looked as if the Bears might be able to deal the blow that knocked the Giants out for the season. Instead it was the hosts that dealt all the blows. The Giants sacked Bears quarterbacks 10 times in the game, and by halftime Cutler was knocked out. Despite the punishment Chicago's offense took, the Bear defense played valiantly, holding the Giants to 10 points until late in the game. By that point, the Bears' offense under backup quarterbacks Collins and Caleb Hanie couldn't keep the ball, and the defenders were worn down. Chicago lost 17-3, managing only 163 total yards.
Jay Cutler would miss his first game as Bears quarterback with a concussion the following week at Carolina, but Chicago easily won that game 23-6 over reeling Carolina, despite Collins amassing 32 yards passing and four interceptions in Cutler's absence. But alarmingly, even with Cutler back the Bears lost the next two games at home to Washington and Seattle to fall to 4-3. During the first seven games of the season, Martz continued to virtually ignore the running game while the team struggled to score even when they were inside the opponents' five-yard line. Against Washington, Cutler threw four interceptions to the Redskins' DeAngelo Hall. And after Cutler appeared to have scored on a quarterback sneak, the officials ruled that he had fumbled, a ruling Smith refused to challenge. Chicago's bye week came at this point, and much had to have been discussed among the organization and coaching staff during the break.
The Bears' first game after the bye was mercilessly against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto, Canada, and the stadium seemed to be filled with Chicago sports fans. In this game the offense did still lean toward the pass, but with 26 rushes to 30 passes, the offense was somewhat more balanced. Thanks to a late interception by Jennings, the Bears held on for a 22-19 victory.
Following the win over the Bills, the Bears won four straight games to build their record to 9-3. With each game it seemed a heavier and heavier emphasis was placed on the running game. Coinciding with the winning streak were changes to the offensive line that moved Omiyale from right to left tackle, Williams to left guard, and the insertion of rookie J'Marcus Webb at right tackle. These changes along with the emphasis on the running game turned the Bears' offensive fortunes for the better.
On December 12th, following victories over Minnesota, Miami, Detroit and a huge upset over the red-hot Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears faced another tough test against the NFL's best team, the New England Patriots. On a snowy field following a week of hype, the Bears were steamrolled 36-7 by Tom Brady and company. But despite that demoralizing loss, the following Monday night saw the Bears with the opportunity to clinch their first NFC North championship with a win in the great outdoors at the University of Minnesota's stadium. The game was moved to that venue following the collapse of the roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis, and the Bears rocked to a 40-14 victory over the reeling Vikings. Not only did they crush their opponents, but the Bears knocked Viking quarterback Brett Favre from his final game with a concussion, and Hester broke the existing NFL record with his 14th total touchdown return.
The following week the Bears would have to defeat the loud and boisterous New York Jets to continue their quest for a playoff bye and did just that with a 38-34 victory. The win gave the Bears a bye and second playoff seeding on the virtue of an improbable Minnesota victory over Philadelphia. In the final week of the season the question was would the Bears play their starters at Green Bay, with the Packers needing a victory to make the playoffs as a wildcard? Or would they rest, fearing injuries? Smith decided to play his starters throughout the game, although the Bears looked like they played less than their best, also admitting later that they kept their game plan basic and didn't change the same receiver hot routes they used in the first meeting. Despite a strong effort, the Bears lost to the Packers 10-3 in the season finale, granting the dangerous Packers entry into the postseason.
In the first round of the NFC playoffs, the league was stunned when the 7-9 Seahawks, with the worst record for a playoff team in NFL history, shocked the defending NFL Champion Saints in a 41-36 victory. This win, combined with a Packer defeat of the Eagles in Philadelphia, brought Seattle to Chicago and allowed Green Bay to tackle the #1 seeded Falcons in Atlanta. While the Bears cruised to 35-24 victory over the Seahawks, the Packers pulled another shocker by manhandling Atlanta. These two victories brought the NFC Championship to Chicago, the home of an NFL team no one gave a chance to have a winning season in 2010. It would be the first playoff meeting between the bitter rivals since 1941, and a week of unprecedented hype preceded the game.
The Packers wrapped up the week prior to the game as 3 1/2 point favorites over the host Bears. And despite so very many things falling perfectly into place for the 2010 Chicago Bears, in the end, they lost the NFC Championship game 21-14 to the Packers. True to form for a team that has started 23 different quarterbacks since 1992, a stretch during which the Packers have started three, the Bears wound up finishing the game with their third-stringer nearly rallying them to victory. But with a fourth down deep in Packer territory and less than two minutes remaining to play, Hanie was intercepted to end the Bears' Super Bowl dreams.
Losing at home in the NFC Championship to your most hated rival certainly has to be the worst way to go down. But what a ride it was.
Quote of the Year: "Hell no I'm not rooting for the Packers in the Super Bowl. I have a ton of respect for that organization and the head coach, but I don't want them to win the Super Bowl. They're in our division, I want them to lose." - Brian Urlacher on Green Bay's trip to Super Bowl 45, as told to ESPN 1000's Waddle and Silvy.
2010 Records: 0-4 Preseason, 11-5 Regular Season, 1-1 Playoffs
2010 NFL Rankings: Offense 30th Overall, 22nd Rushing, 28th Passing; Defense 9th Overall, 2nd Rushing, 20th Passing
2010 Coaches: Lovie Smith, Head Coach; Rod Marinelli, Defensive Coordinator; Mike Martz, Offensive Coordinator
DATE
TEAM
RESULT
NOTES
8/14
Chargers
10-25
Preseason
8/21
Raiders
17-32
Preseason
8/28
Cardinals
9-14
Preseason
9/2
Browns
10-13
Preseason
9/12
Lions
19-14
Controversial win.
9/19
Cowboys
27-20
Shocking upset.
9/27
Packers
20-17
They won!
10/3
Giants
3-17
Bears run over.
10/10
Panthers
23-6
Dominant run game.
10/17
Seahawks
20-23
Embarassment #1
10/24
Redskins
14-17
Embarassment #2
10/31
Bye
-
-
11/7
Bills
22-19
Too Close for Comfort
11/14
Vikings
27-13
Favre Dominated
11/18
Dolphins
16-0
Miami shutout
11/28
Eagles
31-26
HUGE win.
12/5
Lions
24-20
Squeaker.
12/12
Patriots
7-36
Killed at home.
12/20
Vikings
40-14
Dominant champions!
12/26
Jets
38-34
Surprising Shootout
1/2
Packers
3-10
Slight letdown.
1/16
Seahawks
35-24
Playoff win!
1/23
Packers
14-21
Most Bitter Loss
HOME
AWAY
Passing: Jay Cutler- Cutler narrowly missed becoming the first Bear QB to start two full seasons in a row since..we have no idea because it's been so long. He finished with 3,274 yards passing and 23 touchdowns. 
Rushing: Matt Forte- Forte bounced back from a down 2009 by rushing for 1,069 yards and 6 touchdowns.  He also caught 51 passes for 547 yards and three scores. 
Receiving: Johnny Knox-  In Mike Martz' offense, it was expected that Knox would easily surpass 1,000 yards.  Knox barely missed that mark, but caught 51 balls for 960 yards and five touchdowns. 
Scoring: Robbie Gould-  Gould led the Bears in scoring once again with 110 total points.  He continued his stellar accuracy by hitting on 25 of his 30 field goal attempts and all 35 extra points.
Sacks- Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije- Both players finished the season with eight sacks, but Peppers was a force all over the field even when he didn't get to the quarterback in time. 
Interceptions: Charles Tillman and Chris Harris-  The cornerback and safety each had five intereceptions on the season. 
2010 Chicago Bears Expected Starters
Jay Cutler Matt Forte Johnny Knox Devin Hester Earl Bennett Frank Omiyale Chris Williams Olin Kreutz Roberto Garza J'Marcus Webb Greg Olsen Robbie Gould
QB
RB
WR
WR
WR
LT
LG
C
RG
RT
TE
K
Israel Idonije Matt Toeaina Anthony Adams Julius Peppers Lance Briggs Brian Urlacher Pisa Tinoisamoa Charles Tillman Danieal Manning Chris Harris Tim Jennings Brad Maynard
DE
DT
DT
DE
LB
MLB
LB
CB
SS
FS
CB
P
2010 Chicago Bears starters.  Left to Right: Offense Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Frank Omiyale, Chris Williams, Olin Kreutz, Roberto Garza, J'Marcus Webb, Greg Olsen, Robbie Gould.  Defense  Israel Idonije, Matt Toeaina, Anthony Adams, Julius Peppers, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Charles Tillman, Danieal Manning, Chris Harris, Tim Jennings, Brad Maynard.
#
Pos.
Name
School
Exp.
4
P
Brad Maynard
Ball State
14
6
QB
Jay Cutler
Vanderbilt
5
9
K
Robbie Gould
Penn State
6
10
QB
Todd Collins
Michigan
16
12
QB
Caleb Hanie
Colorado St.
3
13
WR
Johnny Knox
Abilene Christian
2
17
WR
Juaquin Iglesias
Oklahoma
1
19
WR
Devin Aromashodu
Auburn
4
20
S
Craig Steltz
LSU
3
21
CB
Corey Graham
New Hampshire
4
22
RB
Matt Forte
Tulane
3
23
WR
Devin Hester
Miami
5
25
RB
Garrett Wolfe
Northern Illinois
4
26
CB
Tim Jennings
Georgia
5
27
S
Major Wright
Florida
R
29
RB
Chester Taylor
Toledo
9
30
CB
D.J. Moore
Vanderbilt
2
31
CB
Joshua Moore
Kansas State
R
32
RB
Kahlil Bell
UCLA
2
33
CB
Charles Tillman
Louis. Lafay.
8
35
CB
Zack Bowman
Nebraska
3
36
S
Josh Bullocks
Nebraska
6
38
S
Danieal Manning
Abeilene Christian
5
43
FB
Eddie Williams
Idaho
2
46
S
Chris Harris
Louisana-Monroe
6
52
LB
Brian Iwuh
Colorado
5
53
LB
Nick Roach
Northwestern
4
54
LB
Brian Urlacher
New Mexico
11
55
LB
Lance Briggs
Arizona
8
57
C
Olin Kreutz
Washington
13
58
LB
Rod Wilson
South Carolina
3
59
LB
Pisa Tinoisamoa
Hawaii
8
60
G
Lance Louis
San Diego State
2
62
G
Johan Asiata
UNLV
1
63
G-C
Roberto Garza
Texas A&M-K
10
65
LS
Patrick Mannelly
Duke
13
67
G
Herman Johnson
LSU
2
68
G
Frank Omiyale
Tennessee Tech
6
69
DL
Henry Melton
Texas
2
70PS
DE
Ervin Baldwin
Michigan State
2
70
G
Edwin Williams
Maryland
2
71
DE
Israel Idonije
Manitoba
7
72
T
James Marten
Boston College
3
73
T
J'Marcus Webb
West Texas A&M
R
74
G
Chris Williams
Vanderbilt
3
75
DT
Matt Toeaina
Oregon
3
78
T
Kevin Shaffer
Tulsa
9
79
T
Levi Horn
Montana
R
80
WR
Earl Bennett
Vanderbilt
3
81
WR
Rashied Davis
San Jose St.
6
82
TE
Greg Olsen
Miami
4
84
WR
Rashaun Greer
Colorado State
R
86
TE
Brandon Manumaleuna
Arizona
10
87
TE
Kellen Davis
Michigan St.
3
88
TE
Desmond Clark
Wake Forest
12
90
DE
Julius Peppers
North Carolina
9
91
DT
Tommie Harris
Oklahoma
7
92
LB
Hunter Hillenmeyer
Vanderbilt
8
93
LB
Chris Johnson
South Dakota State
R
95
DT
Anthony Adams
Penn State
8
98
DE
Corey Wootton
Northwestern
R
99
DT
Marcus Harrison
Arkansas
3
Jay Cutler's Championship Fall
If they had hoped to defeat the offensively and defensively powerful Green Bay Packers in the 2010 NFC Championship game, surely the host Bears knew they had to be prepared to play the game of their lives. And seemingly, they weren't. Quarterback Jay Cutler, fresh off one of the best playoff debuts by a quarterback in NFL history, injured his knee and found himself in the center of a wave of controversy following the loss. Blame him for looking unfocused and playing horribly, but the rest of the criticism to us is totally unfounded.
Cutler has been criticized throughout his NFL career for being a jerk off the field to fans and the media, and on the field for "not being a winner," refusing to change flawed mechanics, and making bad choices of where he throws the ball. But the fact is undisputable-Cutler has the best talent of any Chicago Bears quarterback since Sid Luckman in the 1940's. Yes, Jim McMahon won a championship and had his moments, but was also hurt more frequently than he was healthy. And no expert would dispute Cutler's advantage in physical skills.
Thus entering the NFC Championship game, Cutler faced pressure before he even stepped on the field to deliver or incur further wrath of his critics. The quarterback was, as expected, faced with a blistering Packer pass rush. While he did play in the game, he was not sharp, completing just 6 of 14 passes for 80 yards and an interception. He missed at least 2 touchdown passes to open receivers. What we didn't know until after halftime was that at some point he had injured his MCL ligament in his left knee. The point of the injury is unknown, but it obviously contributed to his erratic play.
Cutler attempted a return early in the second half but it became clear he was unable to play at a required level to stay in the NFC Championship game. At that point the entire nation seemingly turned on Cutler as a "coward", with numerous other NFL players taking to Twitter to criticize the quarterback for not gutting it out. The fact of the matter is that Cutler wanted to play, attempted to play, but was ruled out of the game by Chicago's medical staff.
As of this writing the author still has not been able to bear watching a recording of the game, as he was at the stadium, but apparently many TV shots of Cutler on the bench showed him "seemingly disinterested" in the game. Why would observers jump to conclusions about his demeanor? How does anyone not involved with the Bears organization know whether Cutler was directed to assist Chicago's backups, or directed to give them room?
Go ahead and criticize Cutler for his poor performance in the NFC Championship game. But to us, questioning his will to play in the biggest game of his life is lunacy.
On January 5, 2010, the Bears called a press conference recapping their disappointing 2009 season. They also announced that they had fired offensive coordinator Ron Turner and several members of his coaching staff. On January 15th, prior to hiring a new offensive coordinator, Mike Tice was hired as offensive line coach. On February 1st, Mike Martz was hired as offensive coordinator, and on the 5th defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was named defensive coordinator. Coaching staff shuffles were nothing new to Lovie Smith, and he shook up his staff in 2005, 2007 and 2008 as well. The Bears have been known for 30 years at least to not hire experience on their assistant staffs, but for 2010 they would have three former head coaches assisting them. In the NFL's first season without a salary cap since 1992, the Bears struck big in free agency, signing defensive end Julius Peppers, running back Chester Taylor, and tight end Brandon Manumaluena to contracts totaling $119.1 million on the first day. Peppers' season was fantastic. He finished with just nine sacks, but was a force to be reckoned with on every play, in every phase of the defense. Taylor rushed for just 267 yards on the season, a 2.4 average, and roundly Manumaleuna was a non-factor. The tight end's most frustrating play of the season was when he whiffed blocking defensive back Charles Woodson in the season finale against Green Bay, causing a Jay Cutler sack. Just days after the NFL draft, the Bears traded linebacker Jamar Williams to Carolina in exchange for former Bear safety Chris Harris. Late in December it was disclosed that the Bears had advised Buffalo running back James Starks that they would be selecting him in the sixth round, only to decide to pick Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour. LeFevour would be cut following training camp, while Starks would go on to have success with Green Bay. The Bears were roundly criticized following their season-opening win over the Lions, because of a questionable NFL rule that negated Calvin Johnson's seemingly game-winning touchdown pass. Criticize the rule and take it out, but the call followed the NFL rule. Much was made of the bye week shift Martz made in his offensive philosophy, changing from averaging 60% pass calls to more than 50% runs. The change seemed to shift the Bears' fortunes, as they finished the season 11-5 after starting 4-3 (7-2 over the final nine weeks of the season). Defensive end Mark Anderson, counted on to apply pass rushing pressure opposite Julius Peppers, was released on October 5th. In his place, Israel Idonije equalled Peppers with nine sacks. The return of Chris Harris solidified the Bears' defensive backfield for the first time since the 2006 Super Bowl season. Harris started at free saftey next to Danieal Manning, who was moved to strong safety. Manning had the most successful season of his career. In week four, starting cornerback Zack Bowman was benched for free agent signee Tim Jennings, who would start opposite Charles "Peanut" Tillman for the rest of the season. The Bears defense, ranked 23rd against the run in 2009, rebounded to rank fourth in 2010. This change was no doubt helped by the resurgence of linebacker Brian Urlacher, who at age 32 started 16 games, registering 97 solo tackles, four sacks, and an interception and forced fumble. Urlacher made his first Pro Bowl since the 2006 season. Joining Urlacher in the all-star game were Peppers, Lance Briggs, and returner Devin Hester. Hester broke out of his slump he had been in from 2007-2009 by returning three punts for touchdowns and setting the NFL record for return touchdowns in a career. This feat was accomplished in only his fifth season as a pro. Running back Matt Forte became the first Bear since Walter Payton to rush for over 1,000 yards and catch passes for over 500 yards.
TBD
2010 Bears Draft
Rd
Pos
Name
School
3
S
Major Wright
Florida
4
DE
Corey Wootton
Northwestern
5
CB
Joshua Moore
Kansas State
6
QB
Dan LeFevour
Central Michigan
7
OT
J'Marcus Webb
W. Texas A&M
2010 Bears Trades
Traded LB Jamar Williams to Carolina for S Chris Harris.
 
Notable Free Agent Signings
Julius Peppers, DE, Carolina
Chester Taylor, RB, Minnesota
Brandon Manumaleuna, TE, San Diego
Tim Jennings, CB, Indianapolis
2010 Bears Retirements
Orlando Pace, T
2010 Chicago Bears Awards
Matt Forte, NFC Offensive Player of the Week, Week 1
Devin Hester, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Week 10
Julius Peppers, NFC Defensive Player of the Week, Week 11
Jay Cutler, NFC Offensive Player of the Week, Week 12
Julius Peppers, NFC Defensive Player of the Month, November
Devin Hester, NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Week 15
Brian Urlacher, NFC Defensive Player of the Month, December
Julius Peppers, Pro Bowl Starter
Brian Urlacher, Pro Bowl Starter
Lance Briggs, Pro Bowl Starter
Devin Hester, Pro Bowl Starter







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