Not all first-year NFL coaches are created equal. Just ask Cleveland and apparently Oakland what it's like to burn through coaches year after year. General Manager Phil Emery seemed very high on Marc Trestman after his first year with the Bears with much promise going forward.
Yes, the Bears failed to make the playoffs for the third-straight season, but for the first time in a long time, the offense is being lauded as a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the course of the season there, Trestman started to see progress with Jay Cutler before he went down with a torn groin and then a high ankle sprain. Then he worked wonders with backup quarterback Josh McCown.
We as Bears fans have seen McCown before and did not expect anything near what he did this season coming. As has been said in the Chicago papers, that coaching up of a backup QB alone could be what led to the hopes tied to the Cutler signing.
Speaking of McCown, dealing with that how he did and not letting it build into a controversy may have been one of the defining moments of his season. He led the team in the right direction. Any rumors that members of the team weren't on board with the move back to Cutler were quickly silenced and you never heard much from them the rest of the season.
One series of events that doesn't get enough talk is the end of the Baltimore game. The Ravens were inside the 10 with just under 2 minutes remaining and everyone was clamoring for Trestman to use his timeouts. He didn't use either of his two remaining, the defense held and the Ravens were held to a field goal to take the lead. It left enough time and all of the Bears timeouts to move down the field and get their own score to force overtime, where they eventually won. Asked about it afterward, Trestman explained he had worked it out and chose the timeouts over the time remaining and it worked out.
On top of all that, Trestman and Cutler seem to get along great. Something it's safe to say Jay hasn't had in a head coach or offensive coordinator since his Denver days with Mike Shanahan. That would be why the Bears brought Cutler back for seven years and linked the coach and quarterback together for what should be the rest of each of their times in the Windy City. The hope is that the relationship continues to blossom and leads to great things in the near future.
With the emergence of Alshon Jeffery as a top-tier NFL wide receiver, he is another weapon for Cutler. Matt Forte showed this offense is multi dimensional after posting a career-high for rushing yards this season.
It wasn't all roses for the Bears this season. If it were they would still be playing, but Trestman and Emery know what they have to focus on this offseason. With a defense that went from the strength of the team to the achiles heel in a season, there is much work to be done. It appears Mel Tucker will return as defensive corrdinator, so an overhaul of personnel has to be done to give Tucker another shot.
Lance Briggs will be back, Tim Jennings was resigned for four years and Julius Peppers is under contract for two more seasons, but could be on the chopping block with his high salary cap number. The promise there is one could look to the offense and see how quickly a turn for the better can be made.
This offensive line was one of the worst in the league a season ago, but this year it was the strongest unit on the team, leading to low sack numbers and a running back that was second in the NFL on the ground this season.
I cannot remember ever having this much promise for an 8-8 team that missed the playoffs, but that's exactly what Emery and Trestman have sold and made it easy to buy into. With the right tweaks to the defense and choices with personnel, it could be the unit that makes the difference next season to get the Bears into the playoffs and possibly beyond.
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