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Bears 2012 Season Report Card
Quarterbacks: D
With the exception of a few games, Cutler was terrible when it counted most. He ended up near the bottom in every major passing category, and the Bears as a team were one of the worst passing teams in the league, which is remarkable considering the presence of Brandon Marshall. Jason Campbell underwhelmed when called upon, and did not justify his price tag.
Running Backs: B-
Forte ended up with 1000 yards, but was seemingly under-utilized. Michael Bush was Chester Taylor/Marion Barber V.3. Grade would be a little higher had the Bears been able to generate a consistent running game. Bears actually ended up 10th in rushing yards, which surprised me.
Wide Receivers: A-
Brandon Marshall was a top WR this year. Everyone else kind of sucked. Bennett was hurt most of the year, as was Jeffery. They get incomplete grades.
Tight Ends: F
Self-explanatory
Offensive Line: F
Self-explanatory
Defensive Line: A-
Performed well for most of the year. Got shoved around in a couple games. Henry Melton emerged as a star, and other line members picked up the slack when Julius Peppers was not 100%.
Linebackers: B+
Middle zone was a bit more leaky this year. Briggs had another exceptional year, but Urlacher was on his last legs. Roach was not outstanding, but he was not a liability, either.
Secondary: A
I have to give this group an “A” because of the emergence of Wright and Conte as NFL-caliber safeties. This had always been a weak spot, and now it appears to be shored up. Jennings and Tillman each received DPOTY consideration at some point during the season. DJ Moore and Kelvin Hayden were exposed, especially in the 2nd half of the year.
Special Teams: D
Bears managed to average less than 20 yards per kick return. Hester was pretty terrible all year, allowing several punts to go unfielded. Bears gave up a huge fake FG TD to GB early in the year. Adam Podlesh was blah. I thought Gould and Mare did decent.
Coaching: B-
Typical Lovie Smith season. Beat the bad teams, lose to the good ones. If you were told at the beginning of the year that the Bears would go 10-6, would you have been happy with that? Or would that have led you to call for Lovie’s firing?
General Manager: C
Got Brandon Marshall. Overpaid for some terrible FAs, and got next to zero production from the draft picks.
Quarterbacks: D
With the exception of a few games, Cutler was terrible when it counted most. He ended up near the bottom in every major passing category, and the Bears as a team were one of the worst passing teams in the league, which is remarkable considering the presence of Brandon Marshall. Jason Campbell underwhelmed when called upon, and did not justify his price tag.
Running Backs: B-
Forte ended up with 1000 yards, but was seemingly under-utilized. Michael Bush was Chester Taylor/Marion Barber V.3. Grade would be a little higher had the Bears been able to generate a consistent running game. Bears actually ended up 10th in rushing yards, which surprised me.
Wide Receivers: A-
Brandon Marshall was a top WR this year. Everyone else kind of sucked. Bennett was hurt most of the year, as was Jeffery. They get incomplete grades.
Tight Ends: F
Self-explanatory
Offensive Line: F
Self-explanatory
Defensive Line: A-
Performed well for most of the year. Got shoved around in a couple games. Henry Melton emerged as a star, and other line members picked up the slack when Julius Peppers was not 100%.
Linebackers: B+
Middle zone was a bit more leaky this year. Briggs had another exceptional year, but Urlacher was on his last legs. Roach was not outstanding, but he was not a liability, either.
Secondary: A
I have to give this group an “A” because of the emergence of Wright and Conte as NFL-caliber safeties. This had always been a weak spot, and now it appears to be shored up. Jennings and Tillman each received DPOTY consideration at some point during the season. DJ Moore and Kelvin Hayden were exposed, especially in the 2nd half of the year.
Special Teams: D
Bears managed to average less than 20 yards per kick return. Hester was pretty terrible all year, allowing several punts to go unfielded. Bears gave up a huge fake FG TD to GB early in the year. Adam Podlesh was blah. I thought Gould and Mare did decent.
Coaching: B-
Typical Lovie Smith season. Beat the bad teams, lose to the good ones. If you were told at the beginning of the year that the Bears would go 10-6, would you have been happy with that? Or would that have led you to call for Lovie’s firing?
General Manager: C
Got Brandon Marshall. Overpaid for some terrible FAs, and got next to zero production from the draft picks.
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