Bears fans, you dreams could soon be a reality.

Martz was at Halas Hall on Friday interviewing with Lovie Smith, Jerry Angelo and the other position coaches. Sources say concerns about Martz passing too much for the Bears' liking appear to have been allayed.

Mike Martz took the next step in the interview process by meeting up with quarterback Jay Cutler in Nashville this Saturday.

Jay Cutler has been a vital part of the interviewing process. He lobbied hard for his former quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates before he decided to go to Seattle.

If Martz doesn't work out, there is always the possibility of Kevin Rogers who interviewed for the job on Thursday.

After breaking down the quarterbacks from the last installment of Position-by-Position Breakdown, we will stay in the offensive back field and breakdown all the tailbacks on the roster including running backs and fullbacks.

Running Back. A position that was once the most important position in the NFL has dwindled down the list of positions. In the 1970s teams used to run the ball over 60% of the time on offense. Nowadays, teams in the NFL only run the ball 40% of the time. Lets look at it this way, are there any "run first" teams that are in the Superbowl? But none the less, having a sound running attack is important no matter what type of offense you run.

The Bears have always been a running team ever since George Halas started the team in 1924. Lovie Smith has that same mentality, as he would like to call it "getting off the bus running." Well this year, that "bus" never really got going. The Bears ranked an atrocious 29th in rushing, one of the lowest rankings in Bears history. Although there was a somewhat effective passing game, the "one-legged" running game negated it, ranking the Bears 23rd in total offense. Lets take a look at the players who were apart of this more than disappointing performance.

MATT FORTE- Forte broke out onto the scene as a rookie rushing 315 times and caught 63 passes. Many said he was going to be the next Edgerrin James with his ability to explode thought the hole, juke defenders, catch the ball and pass block effectively. In fact, Matt Forte was so highly thought of after his outstanding rookie season that most fantasy experts predicted him to be in the top five. Sadly for the Bears and his fantasy owners around the world, Matt Forte went into what people call "the sophomore slump". Forte saw his carries go down to 258 and 57 catches. Although those numbers may be misleading, what's not is the fact that his yards per carry went down from 3.9 to 3.6 which in football terms is a significant amount.
But his poor numbers were not completely his fault. Offensive coordinator gave the Bears some of the worse play calling we've seen in a while, passing in third and short and running the infamous draw in third and long. The offensive line was also one of the bigger factors that held Forte back as he was met by defenders consistently behind the line of scrimmage.
The Bears told the media at the end of the season that Matt Forte was playing with a nagging knee injury that he acquired in week 3 against the Seahawks.

MATT FORTE'S FUTURE- In the last two weeks, Matt Forte had arthroscopic knee surgery to fix the injury that restricted him from being the explosive player he was in 2008. But he should be back 100% by the time summer rolls in. Forte remains the best running back that the Bears have on the roster and is a definite lock to be the starter next year. But with his soft hands and uncanny ability to pick up the blitz, Forte would be the ideal "long yardage situation"/change of pace guy for any other team with an elite running back. Can Forte be an elite back? Stay tuned.

KAHLIL BELL- Undrafted free out of UCLA couldn't have started his career better. A 70 yard gallop that was immediately trenched in Bears lore. Bell made the most out of his carries averaging 5.5 yards per carry, an astonishing number for any running back in the NFL. But Bell still needs to prove that he can produce on a more consistent basis.

KAHLIL BELL'S FUTURE- Bell showed explosiveness, great acceleration and good vision. But Bell lacks that break away speed and to seal the deal and the power to pick up short yardage. Still, Bell excelled when given the opportunity and that's the reason he should be given the chance to come back next year and compete for the backup position. Bell is under contract terms undisclosed.

GARRET WOLFE- Ah, the poor man's Darren Sproles. The Chicago native has been used sparingly in his first two seasons but saw his carries more than double this year and he delivered averaging an impressive 5.5 yards per carry. Wolfe seemed to be the change of pace guy until he was placed on injured reserve due to a lacerated kidney.

GARRET WOLFE'S FUTURE- Wolfe possesses great speed to get to the outside, soft hands and the ability to make defenders miss in the open field but does not have the ability to power forward, shed off tacklers and pass block. The biggest thing that sets Wolfe back is his size, at 5'6 185 lbs. he is not the ideal running back for any NFL team. It was disappointing to see Wofle end up on IR again. He's set to make $550,000 this season, so his chances of staying are 50/50. The only life line he has right now is his outstanding special teams performance.

KEVIN JONES- Former first round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 2005. He was outstanding his first few seasons with Detroit and showed the league that he was the real deal. Unfortunately , an ACL injury ended his season and he was never the same. Last year he signed with the Bears and was barely ever used. In fact, he was inactive for most of the season. The Bears promised to increase his carries and make him the official backup for Matt Forte. But in a preseason game against the Browns, Jones sprained his MCL and was placed on injured reserve.

KEVIN JONES' FUTURE- Yes, Jones had the potential to be one of the better backup running backs in the NFL this season. But no matter how good he is, injuries have set him too far back. It's time to let Jones go now especially since he is due to make $350,000. It would be a surprise to me if the Bears decide to keep him.

ADRIAN PETERSON- The real Adrian Peterson. Good ol' reliable. He's not flashy or anything close to it but the best part about Peterson is consistency. In his 8 year career, Peterson has averaged 4.1 yards and added to his resume by posting 9.3 yards per carry this season. Only problem with that figure is that he only ran the ball 7 times. Even then, Peterson gets the yardage that's given to him, not an inch less. He has been one of the best non-linebacker special teams player this organization has ever seen. Don't understand why he wasn't used more often. You can't go wrong with AP.

ADRIAN PETERSON'S FUTURE- Peterson is set to become a free agent after the Super Bowl. Peterson is definitely a fan favorite and it would be painful to see him leave. But with the Bears situation right now and the way contracts are structured nowadays, a deal isn't going to happen for the faithful veteran. But there's no doubt he can be helpful elsewhere.

JASON McKIE- Effective yet ineffective is the only way to describe the veteran fullback. Doesn't possess good speed, size, run blocking skills or power to be considered a "good" fullback. But he is still one of the more solid fullbacks in the NFL just because of the fact that he knows his assignments and doesn't make mistakes.

JASON McKIE'S FUTURE- With the Bears implementing more shotgun and double tight-end sets, the need for a fullback has dwindled but the Bears would do the right thing by keeping McKie to stay on the safe side.

WILL TA'UFO'OU- If you've seen Will (First names easier.), you've witnessed a tank. He looks like the ideal fullback, compact yet huge. We saw his athletic ability in the preseason game against the Bills when he hauled in a pass from Basanez and raced towards the pylon for a spectacular touchdown (the only one of his entire football career). Power, speed and hands. Not much more you can ask for in a fullback.

WILL TA'UFO'OU'S FUTURE- Placed on the practice squad this season but is invited to training camp. He has a good shot at beating out veteran Jason McKie for the starting position. If not, he will be a practice squad lock.

OVERVIEW- As of now, Forte looks to be the answer going forward with Bell or Wolfe spelling him. If our hoping that the Bears will sign one of the amazing free agents out there like Sproles or Chester Taylor, think again. Jerry Angelo will never sign anybody they don't need for the wrong price. Don't see the Bears drafting any running backs or fullbacks this season because of the lack of draft picks.


Stay tuned for the Wide Receiver edition.
Go Bears!

You asked for it and now your about to get it.

Breaking (and surprising) news today at Halas Hall. Ex-Rams head coach Mike Martz arrived at Halas Hall this afternoon to interviewing for the offensive coordinator position. And after several coordinators declined to take the job, the rejections might just be coming to an end at Martz.

Smith and Martz go way back. Lovie Smith was Martz' defensive coordinator in St. Louis and the two have remained friends. Martz is known for his "air it out" style offense, which might just be the best way to utilize Cutler's abilities. But then again, the only apparent reason Lovie would not hire Martz because he doesn't "get off the bus running".

After being the Head coach of the Rams, he was the offensive coordinator for one year in Detroit where Jon Kitna passed for over 4,000 yards and lead them to a somewhat impressive 7-9 record (The most impressive part about the season was that they didn't finish in last place that year.) He also spent one season with the 49ers before taking a leave in 2009.

Now that the season is over, we can officially start to analyze the Bear's roster one position at a time (no matter how painful that can be). And what better place to start at then the position of all positions: quarterback.

For more than 20 years now, the Bears have been the laughing stock of the NFL at the quarterback position. A couple of years ago, former first-round draft pick Rex Grossman looked to be the answer to all of the Bears problems until he showed us that he could not stay consistent. Then Kyle Orton stepped in, he flashed signs of hope. Unfortunately an ankle injury set him back a ton. So who would've called GM Jerry Angelo would pull the biggest trade in Chicago Bears history? Now, the weight of a franchise lies on a young, big-mouthed, big-armed quarterback, Jay Cutler.

JAY CUTLER OVERVIEW- Yes, Jay Cutler had a rocky start in Chicago. In week one against Green Bay Cutler completely embarrassed himself in front of the entire nation by throwing four of the ugliest interceptions you will ever see. It seemed as though things couldn't have gotten worse. Cutler would later say in a press conference, "That'll never happen again". Jay responded to the media and fans by leading back to incredible back fourth quarter comebacks... And then it got bad again. Cutler threw interception after interception, some not his fault but then again...he threw it. He blew the Bears chances to win several key games early in the season including a horrific 5-interception game against the 49ers. Cutler was also unable to respond in blowouts to the Bengals, Cardinals, Vikings and Ravens. In the final two games, however, Cutler had stellar outings. Cutler flashed his true accuracy, arm strength, athleticism and decision making against a rock solid Viking's defense and again against the bottom-feeding Lions.
JAY CUTLER'S FUTURE- There is no doubting Cutlers raw skills, he was born to play the quarterback position. But at the same time Cutler needs to learn how to make better decisions and how to carry himself on and off the field. Cutler is the answer to quarterback and for years to come due to the amount of potential he has. He can only get better.

CALEB HANIE- Hanie has been a preseason favorite for the past two years. He was an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State. He has played very well in his preseason games and shows a lot of potential. He resembles a young(er) Jay Cutler. Big arm, good on the run, tough and athletic. But Hanie has been used sparingly in regular season games. He only took 7 snaps, completed 3 of those and tack on an ugly interception...not the kind of numbers you'd like to hear.
CALEB HANIES' FUTURE- Hanie seems to have a lot of potential to be a solid backup in the NFL. But is potential worth anything if you've barely ever played? Can we really trust Hanie to step in if something happens to Cutler? Still think its worth it for the Bears to keep him given the durability of Cutler.

BRETT BASANEZ- Seemed to be the next great quarterback when he was at Northwestern. Basanez has not shown he can perform efficiently and consistently enough to keep his spot on the practice squad. In fact, its possible that he's not eligible for the practice squad anymore after being active for the last game of the season.

OUTLOOK: Don't be surprised if the Bears sign a veteran quarterback to add some experience to this young corpse of play-callers. It would also make sense to sign a veteran to have a proven backup on hand. Can't see the Bears drafting a quarterback, especially since they have a limited amount of draft picks and a lot of other needs.


Stay tuned for the Running Back edition.

Go Bears

Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Rodgers is currently at Halas Hall and is interviewing for the offensive coordinator job.

Rodgers will be the sixth candidate the Bears have attempted to make their offensive coordinator.

The Bears have had zero success in attracting a candidate for the position. Bates (Cutlers preference), Chudzinski (San Diegos's tight ends coach) and Jackson (Ravens quarterbacks coach) have all denied the offer. The Packers denied the Bears to interview quarterbacks coach Clemens who was a well-qualified candidate. Bengal's quarterbacks coach Zampese was also an intriguing candidate but the Bears did not act quick enough and decided to stay with the Bengals.

Rodgers, 58 has spent four years with the Vikings after spending 28 years coaching at the college level, most recently at Virginia Tech (2002-05), Notre Dame (1999-2001) and Syracuse (1991-98).

This season, Rodgers made a big name for himself when 40 year old Brett Favre post the best passer rating (107.2), completion percentage (68.4) and touchdown/interception ratio (33/7). (Now as much as we hate Favre, lets not give Rodgers all the credit.)

If the Bears can land the NFC North coach then I think he can help Jay Cutler to reach his potential.

Stay tuned.

The Chicago Tribune reports that center Olin Kreutz will have undergo surgery today to repair an ailing achillies tendon.

The six-time Pro Bowler, who was an All Pro in 2006, is expected to need four to six months to recover and should return in time for training camp.

Kreutz missed out on a part of the season because of the tendon. He is expected to return to pro bowl form after.

Nothing official as of now, but don't be surprised if the Bears re-sign linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa.

Inside sources say that Tinoisamoa will be re-signed by the Bears soon.
Tinoisamoa was signed in 2009 to a one-year deal and is set to become a free agent.

The Bears seemed to be lacking at the linebacker position (mainly because of the injury to Urlacher) and it is definitely a position they have to address.

Tinoisamoa was injured for the majority of the year and ended up on IR. But the veteran linebacker has been excellent when healthy and he just may be the Bears best solution

Stay tuned.

Go Bears.

While Johnny Knox is preparing for his Pro Bowl debut this weekend, another Bears player is getting recognition for his hard work in a disappointing season.

Tim Shaw, the free agent from Penn State was signed by the Chicago Bears in the middle of the season. He truely burst on to the scene as a special teams standout. In the prime time game against Philly, Shaw made three outstanding tackles. He followed up by making six special teams tackles in five weeks and ended the season with a career-high six special teams tackles against Detroit including a forced fumble.

There's no doubt in my mind that had Shaw been playing for the Bears from the beginning of the season he would have easily made the Pro-Bowl. There's no doubting his raw talent to play special teams and he will be a big asset for special teams coach Dave Toub.

But for now, he'll have to settle for the Joe Bowl.

Go bears.

Hey there Bears fans.
Just made a twitter account, never seen or tried it before but it looks like it'll be the perfect way to update you on news and articles on Da Bears Blog.

So make sure to follow me on Twitter... DaBear55

GO BEARS!