Summary

The Bear had an interesting 2011. First brother Chris nailed the draft for Bri, nabbing Cam Newton, DeMarco Murray and Titus Young with the Bear's first three picks. Unfortunately, Murray was traded away for Mario Manningham just before he broke out and Newton was forced to watch from the bench as Tom Brady had another outstanding year. The emergence of Newton had Bri fielding trade offers all season long for one of his elite signal callers, but Bri was unable to part with either player. The players he would have gotten in return likely would have given the Bear the depth they needed to make a playoff run instead of fading over the final month of the season. Bri is already on record saying that Newton is sticking around long term and that Brady is a Bear Poop for life.

Cam Newton will have a front row seat to the 2012 season

Critical Question

Who plays RB? The Bear have the weakest group of RBs in the YFFL and most if not all will be cut. Jacquizz Rodgers has the best chance of sticking on the roster but he will be a third down back and doubtfully much more. Drafting a RB with the 6th overall draft spot will be a must and Bri will have to hope David Wilson or Doug Martin are still around when the Bear are on the clock.

Player To Watch

Titus Young, WR - Young has gotten a ton of press this offseason, whether it be for starting fist fights at practice or that he looks like he is going to be a break-out player this season. Young will likely move up to the #2 WR job in Detroit by the end of training camp and that is a lucrative position to be in. Young should see single coverage on every snap and will likely end up with 60-70 points.

Lineup

Tom Brady, Draft Pick, Greg Jennings, Titus Young, Santana Moss, Jermichael Finley, Rob Bironas, Mario Manningham

Outlook

The Bear have some nice pieces and should be able to land an immediate contributor with the #6 pick in the draft, but unless they unload one of their QBs to get some more depth they likely will not be competing for a title in 2012. The AFC East is fairly wide open so winning the Division is certainly a possibility but title aspirations should be tempered. I think in the end the Bear win the division on a monster season by Tom Brady but their lack of depth ultimately costs them a deep playoff run.

Predictions

8-5; 585 Points; 1st Place AFC East