As the figurative end to the Bears season is sure to come far before the literal end this year — like now! — the Bears had better figure out what exactly is on the roster. Looking forward to an offseason with a cheap general manager and a lack of high draft picks, there are going to be limited avenues to really land quality projected starters for 2010.

The worst thing Lovie Smith can do at this point, is ignore the obvious and stay the course for the sake of trying to save his job. Is Chris Williams going to be able to start at left tackle? I don’t know if, maybe, someone needs to call him stupid or insult his family, but he needs to find some tenacity, a mean streak, something. He got put on his ass against the Niners a few weeks ago like he was being driven back by something made by Caterpillar. The queries on the offensive line just don’t stop there: That would be too easy. Is Josh Beekman really a center instead of a guard? Can Frank Omiyale play at right tackle, or at all? All of this and more on this week’s episode of Missed Blocks: Perpetual Futility with the Chicago Bears.

Beyond the obvious rationale of trying different things until we don’t suck, there is a greater point in giving
different players opportunities at different spots. The point being that I am not about to sit through another
offseason listening to Lovie and Jerry Angelo conjure up future failed experiments. It wasn’t a good idea to move Omiyale to guard because of his size, Jerry, because guards in the NFL have to be agile enough to block the second level. Also, as it turns out, we weren’t okay with who was at receiver or in the secondary either, no matter how confident in them you once were.

Here is a good rule of thumb for forecasting players, if it isn’t pretty easy to envision a prospective player starting on a top-ten NFL team, then they don’t belong on the Bears. In my opinion, the Bears currently have a few players who would fit nicely in that category.

For example, if the Bears truly wish in the future to be able to get off anything running, it might be prudent to amass a stable of quality backs behind Forte. Don’t rest on Garrett Wolfe’s tiny shoulders. Not saying he doesn’t belong, just not as a centerpiece. I know Kevin Jones got injured, but any NFL management that can’t anticipate injuries or react to them, shouldn’t be managing a team. Maybe we could even compile a solid O-line to block for those backs and our franchise quarterback. If only there was some kind of time-tested recipe for having a solid running game. If only!!!

So let’s definitively see if Nathan Vasher can revive his career at safety or if the Bears really have legitimate contingency options for life after Urlacher on defense. Our roster is full of high risk/reward draft picks, flex players that are questionably solid at either possible position, and players that may just be plain over the hill. With all the gambling the Bears have done with the roster, Lovie and Jerry should have no excuses heading into 2010 …  if they still have their jobs that is. (ed. note: MWHAHAHA!!)