The Chicago Bears haven't been in this position for a long time. A team with Super Bowl expectations, not just aspirations. Last memories of this feeling were 2010 and 2011 when the team looked and felt like a potential champion. Not only because they had a strong enough roster, but also because the landscape around didn't feel overwhelming in any way.
However, that team had flaws. Not only were they on the older side, they also seemed rather top heavy on both sides of the ball. Sure they had plenty of star power, especially on defense but it always felt like they were one injury away from becoming a .500 football team. That was proven true when Jay Cutler went down midway through the 2011 run.
One NFL expert believes this 2019 is more like the group that emerged in the mid-2000s during the peak of the Lovie Smith era. Back when they not only were a younger roster but also a deeper one. Adam Rank of NFL.com sees a ton of similarities, with one key difference.
"The NFC is wide open. There are a lot of good teams, namely the Rams, Eagles, Saints and a few others. But I'm hard-pressed to find a team in the conference that is more balanced top-to-bottom than the Bears. Chicago should accept nothing short of a Super Bowl run. This feels like the mid-2000s again, only this time with a better quarterback."
Chicago Bears in 2006 would've killed to have Mitch Trubisky
There were plenty of reasons why the 2006 Bears didn't complete the mission of winning Super Bowl XLI. Not having stud defenders Mike Brown and Tommie Harris was a big one. However, most will say that their inadequacies at quarterback were exposed in that game. Rex Grossman, despite completing over 71% of his passes, threw two costly interceptions including that backbreaking pick-six to Kelvin Hayden in the second half.
He also fumbled twice. This was made even more maddening since they only gave the ball to running back Thomas Jones 15 times. He finished with 112 yards.
How different might things have been if Trubisky had been the quarterback that day? Not only is he a superior thrower to Grossman, who always had problems when he couldn't go down the field, but he also has the added mobility element. Something the Colts never had to worry about in that game. There is no question the 2019 Bears have upgraded at the position when the '06 team fell short.
That doesn't guarantee anything, but it at least improves their odds. That's all Chicago fans can ask for.
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