Last Season Recap
The previous NFL betting season saw the Chicago Bears’ third coach (John Fox) in four years, and the third time was the charm. Or at least the charmer. While Da Bears did improve their record from 2014 – they went from 5-11 to 6-10 in 2015 – they still failed to reach the playoffs. To be fair, though, six of those ten losses were by less than a touchdown. However, as the man said, it don’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning’s winning. And losing’s losing. Nonetheless, the Bears did improve, both in offense and defense, thanks to new coordinators Adam Gase and Vic Fangio. So, Chicago fans who bet on NFL will be hoping the Bears continue to get better in 2016.
What’s New
The 2016 season will be the Chicago Bears’ 97th in the NFL and the second with head coach Fox. Unfortunately for the Bears, the aforementioned Gase did so well in his lone season in Chicago that he was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their new head coach. Gase was responsible for QB Jay Cutler’s career-low 11 interceptions and career-high 92.3 passer rating last year. Washington Redskins’ offensive quality control coach Dave Ragone was hired to take over from Gase. Early in the year, the Bears signed cornerback De’Vante Bausby, quarterback Matt Blanchard, center Cornelius Edison, fullback Paul Lasike, wide receivers Marcus Lucas and Nathan Palmer, linebacker Danny Mason, tight end Gannon Sinclair, defensive end Keith Browner, and guard Martin Wallace to reserve/futures contracts. In the free agency market, the Bears signed linebacker Danny Trevathan from the Denver Broncos, offensive tackle Bobby Massie from the Arizona Cardinals, inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman of the Indianapolis Colts, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks from the New England Patriots, long snapper Aaron Brewer from the Broncos, offensive linemen Manny Ramirez from the Broncos and Ted Larsen from the Cardinals, return specialist Omar Bolden also from the Broncos, quarterback Brian Hoyer from the Houston Texans, offensive tackle Nate Chandler from the Carolina Panthers, tight end Tony Moeaki from the Kansas City Chiefs, defensive lineman Marquis Jackson from the Minnesota Vikings, and quarterback Connor Shaw from the Cleveland Browns. In the draft, the Bears picked OLB Leonard Floyd, and guard Cody Whitehair, and RB Jordan Howard, among others. Matt Forte, Martellus Bennet, Jarvis Jenkins, and Matt Slauson were among the departures/releases.
What to Expect
Chicago Bears NFL betting fans might be sorry to see Forte and Bennet; the former is the second-most productive tailback in Bears’ history, and the latter is a season short of catching a career-high 90 balls. Zach Miller could step up, but Bennet’s shoes might prove too big for the tight end. Forte’s absence, though, could help Jeremy Langford, Ka’Deem Carey and, most importantly, rookie Howard grow into their roles faster. As for defense, GM Ryan Pace has upgraded the front seven, but may have overlooked the secondary. Finally, Bears NFL betting fans will pray for a healthy team this year – last season, only four players started all 16 games.
Odds to win Super Bowl LI: +6750
