Each week during the season, I take the time to grade every Bears player using the “coaches” film available on NFL Game Rewind and I highlight the top five best and worst performances in my weekly “Bears Rewind” columns.
The reason why I don’t include grades for every player each week is because these grades are definitely not flawless. For example, I don’t know the assignments on every play, so I’m not qualified to grade out every player on every single play during the season. There are also other variables at play, such as the NFL not always posting the coaches film 24 hours after games like they are supposed to, leaving me only the broadcast angles to use for that week’s “Bears Rewind” column. Thus, on a weekly basis, I only feel like I’m qualified to point out the very best and worst performances within each game.
But to correct for errors as much as possible, I do two things:
1) I talk to players and coaches off the record about key plays in which it is unclear on the film who missed their assignment and who played it correctly. Even in these conversations it is sometimes hard to get the correct story, but many times it allows me to adjust my grades accordingly to make them as accurate as possible.
2) At the end of the season, I go back and watch every play from every game using the coaches film, re-grading to make sure there aren’t any major discrepancies.
Doing these two things allows me to produce final grades that I believe accurately portray how each player performed during the season. Are they perfect? No. Do they differ from the Bears’ coaches/front office grades? Sure, both in evaluation and the grading scale I use. This is no different than how new GM Ryan Pace’s evaluation will differ from what Phil Emery saw this season.
And keep this in mind: Of the 15 players who graded out negatively in my 2013 grades, only six of them were brought back for 2014. Those six players were Shea McClellin, Chris Conte, Jordan Mills, Cornelius Washington, Jonathan Bostic and Sherrick McManis, all cheap players who theoretically have/had untapped potential. Other players like Blake Costanzo, Craig Steltz and Major Wright, among others, were let go.
So, here are this year’s grades, listed in order from best to worst, with a comment summarizing each player’s season.
For reference:
3.00 and above — All-Pro level
2.00-2.99 — Good to very good season
1.00-1.99 — Average to above average season, worth bringing back
0.00-0.99 — Replacement level to average, need to evaluate to determine future with team
Negative grade — Player should be replaced or stiff competition should be brought in
1. RB Matt Forte: 3.38 — Dipped slightly from 3.56 in 2013, but was also misused by Marc Trestman. Still should have made the Pro Bowl.
2. DT Jeremiah Ratliff: 3.09 — Watch the tape and you’ll see the defense’s most dominating player. Unfortunately, he missed five games due to injury.
3. WR Alshon Jeffery: 2.69 — Another solid year for the young wide receiver, but he led the Bears with a 3.94 in 2013.
4. DE Willie Young: 2.53 – Young was one of the most underrated free agent signings across the entire league last season.
5. DT Stephen Paea: 2.44 — Finally healthy for a full season, Paea significantly improved in 2014. Bears know his medicals better than any other team, though. Will they bring him back?
6. TE Martellus Bennett: 2.31 — Few players consistently get better each year like Bennett has in his career.
7. DE Jared Allen: 2.00 — Allen wasn’t as bad as many think and he was particularly good against the run, a perceived weakness. Problem is, most probably expect him to play more like a player earning a 3.00 grade.
7. LB Lance Briggs: 2.00 — Briggs only had one poor game: the season-opener against the Bills. However, he missed half the season due to injury.
9. WR Brandon Marshall: 1.85 — Not a good enough grade considering the contract extension he signed last spring. Off-the-field shenanigans bring Marshall’s value down further.
10. LB Darryl Sharpton: 1.80 — Wasn’t bad in the five games he played, but couldn’t stay healthy, which is the story of his career.
10. LG Matt Slauson: 1.80 — Like 2013, Slauson was the team’s best offensive lineman, but he only played in four games this past season.
12. DT Brandon Dunn: 1.67 — Very small sample size (only played in three games) but the rookie showed some potential when he played.
13. KR/PR Marc Mariani: 1.50 — Tell me again, why did it take until Week 12 for the Bears to find Mariani?
14. DE David Bass: 1.25 — Improved from 2013, but will be interesting to see if the ceiling goes any higher.
14. DE Lamarr Houston: 1.25 — Wasn’t horrible, but Houston didn’t exactly endear himself to the fanbase by telling them to “eat dirt” on Twitter before tearing his ACL celebrating a sack in a blowout loss to the Patriots.
14. S Ryan Mundy: 1.25 — Very solid, dependable safety, but is he a starter on a championship team?
17. LB Jon Bostic: 1.00 — Improved from the -0.38 he posted as a rookie, but Bostic shouldn’t stand in the Bears’ way of bringing in other linebackers to improve the position.
18. DT Ego Ferguson: 0.88 — The second-round pick flashed at times, but doesn’t scream future starter. Still young and raw though.
19. RG Kyle Long: 0.80 — Admittedly, I was surprised Long’s grade ended up this low and his inconsistencies in 2014 probably had a lot to do with the problems around him. He still has tremendous potential and should emerge as a top leader under the new regime.
20. LB Christian Jones: 0.75 — Not bad for an undrafted rookie who was forced into a tough situation. Not convinced he’s a future starter, but should be given the opportunity to compete for a starting job.
21. C/G Brian de la Puente: 0.67 — Did well filling in for Roberto Garza at the beginning of the year, but wasn’t as good as Pro Football Focus made him out to be.
22. RB Ka’Deem Carey: 0.57 — Probably deserves an “incomplete” grade because he was barely used.
23. CB Tim Jennings 0.44 — January DUI charge could be dropped, but questions remain after sub-par season.
24. WR Marquess Wilson 0.43 — Will be interesting what Ryan Pace thinks of the former seventh-round pick Phil Emery always hyped up.
25. S Chris Conte: 0.42 — Improved from 2013, but the injuries have piled up and his rookie contract is set to expire.
26. CB Kyle Fuller: 0.38 — Flashed big-time potential before getting slowed down by injury. Needs to make a significant jump in Year 2.
27. DT Will Sutton: 0.33 — Limited success in limited playing time.
27. LB D.J. Williams: 0.33 — Hard to see Williams back after failing to finish second-straight season.
29. P Patrick O’Donnell: 0.31 — Came on late after a very inconsistent first half of the season.
30. WR Santonio Holmes: 0.22 — Trivia question: Which team did former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes finish his career with?
31. CB Demontre Hurst: 0.20 — Not great, but a major upgrade over Isaiah Frey at the nickel spot.
32. K Robbie Gould: 0.17 — Forgettable year for Gould, who only made one field goal after Week 6, partially because of injury, partially because he missed a couple, and partially because Trestman forgot he had a kicker.
32. CB Sherrick McManis 0.17 — OK to bring him back. OK not to.
34. DE Cornelius Washington: 0.15 — Despite good size and athleticism, the former sixth round pick hasn’t done much in two seasons.
35. WR Josh Morgan 0.08 — Quiet season with limited playing time.
36. S Danny McCray: 0.07 — Didn’t have the special teams impact he was supposed to.
37. LB Khaseem Greene: 0.00 — Coaches basically gave up on the former fourth-rounder, who was inactive five times.
38. C Roberto Garza: -0.08 — His one-year extension at the end of the year will go down as Phil Emery’s final move.
39. LB DeDe Lattimore -0.10 — Yes, this guy was really on the Bears this season.
40. LS Jeremy Cain: -0.13 — No problems with any snaps all season, but his impact on punt coverage was minimal.
41. QB Jay Cutler: -0.20 — Had he posted this number in 2013, would he still be a Bear? For the record, I had Cutler down for a 2.73 the season before he got the big contract.
42. LT Jermon Bushrod: -0.21 — No story flew under the radar more than the poor play of their highly-paid left tackle, who was playing hurt.
43. DE Trevor Scott: -0.22 — After a strong preseason, Scott kind of disappeared once the regular season started.
44. RB Senorise Perry: -0.25 — Bad returner who was pretty good on coverage teams — when he wasn’t committing a penalty, that is.
45. OT Charles Leno Jr.: -0.33 — Bears tried to use him instead of Britton as their sixth offensive lineman, but the results weren’t great for the rookie seventh-round pick.
45. LB Shea McClellin: -0.33 — Believe it or not, if Bears switch to a 3-4, McClellin will probably still be around in 2015. Job won’t be guaranteed though.
47. S Brock Vereen: -0.38 — Best position is probably nickel corner, where he looked good Week 2 in San Francisco despite having not practiced at the position.
48. OT Eben Britton: -0.40 — Time for the Bears to go get a legitimate No. 2 tight end instead of using a sixth offensive lineman.
49. KR/PR Chris Williams: -0.43 — CFL star couldn’t cut it at NFL level.
50. TE Dante Rosario: -0.44 — He’s not an ideal blocking tight end and struggled when Bears would use him as a fullback.
51. CB Al Louis-Jean: -0.56 — Very young, raw corner with good size. Could still be developed but is a long shot.
52. OL Michael Ola: -1.38 — Never understood why the Bears’ coaching staff went out of their way to overhype Ola.
53. OG Ryan Groy: -1.50 — Undrafted free agent really struggled after injuries forced him into the starting lineup long before he was ready.
54. RT Jordan Mills: -1.62 — It was not a good sophomore season for Mills, who the Bears randomly moved to guard for one practice after the bye week before realizing that wasn’t going to work either.
Some other observations:
– The 2014 rookie class looked very promising back in early October, but when it was all said and done, no rookies finished with a grade above 0.88. It would be foolish to give up on any of them after just one season, but you usually hope to get a little more impact out of a couple of your first-year players.
– Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, cornerback Charles Tillman and fullback Tony Fiammetta were all excluded from the above list because they didn’t play enough. Consider their grades “incomplete.”
– Also excluded for the same reason was cornerback Isaiah Frey, who, for the record, had the worst overall grade with a -2.33 (in just three games) and ended up playing against the Bears as a member of the Buccaneers later in the season.
Tweetbag
[tweet 560177658613727232 hide_thread=’true’]
It sure seems like it. If the hiring of Vic Fangio didn’t tip it off enough, Tuesday’s announcement that Clint Hurtt will coach outside linebackers is an even bigger tell. It’s uncommon for 4-3 teams to have a position coach for just outside backers, mainly because a 4-3 team usually only carries three or four outside backers on its roster. Outside linebacker position coaches are primarily exclusive to 3-4 teams because it’s a more specialized position that includes a heavy emphasis on rushing the passer. That’s why it’s not surprising to see Hurtt, who was the Bears’ assistant defensive line coach last season, get the gig.
[tweet 560177963002388481 hide_thread=’true’]
As rough as his debut season was with the Bears, Lamarr Houston still has time to live up to his contract and a 3-4 might help him. In his career, Houston has now played as 4-3 defensive end, a 3-4 stand-up edge rusher and a 3-4 five-technique. His versatility would fit well in a 3-4. Jeremiah Ratliff will also work inside in a 3-4, but you have to wonder if he can stay healthy for the entire season. And while some doubt it, I think Willie Young is a good enough player to have success in a 3-4, whether that means bulking up or working on his ability to drop into coverage.
[tweet 560177796090044416 hide_thread=’true’]
Well, it either leaves Allen with reduced playing time as a third down pass rusher or it leaves him on a different team. I wouldn’t be surprised if Allen quietly asks for a trade and I wouldn’t blame him either. He didn’t exactly take it well when he saw his reps drop briefly after a bout with pneumonia, which is why I don’t expect him to happily accept a specialized pass rushing role either.
College Prospect Of The Week
NT Danny Shelton — Washington
I give Shelton a lot of credit for showing up to the Senior Bowl. He was already a sure Top 20 pick and when asked why he showed up in Mobile, he said, “I’ve just always wanted to play in this game.”
Well, he likely made himself some extra money by playing in the game. Much like I thought Marcus Mariota would help himself by showing up in Mobile and showcasing himself as the best player at his position, Shelton probably bumped himself into the Top 10 of the draft with his play.
At 6-2, 343 pounds, Shelton screams 3-4 nose tackle and if the Bears are really making the scheme switch, they need to invest in a young nose tackle they can rely on. Shelton is a strong, blocker-eating nose who will free up linebackers to come in and clean up. He would be an immediate help to the Bears, particularly against the run.
Extra Point
It was not surprising to see former Bears coordinators Aaron Kromer and Mel Tucker find quick work elsewhere. Despite the supposed breach of trust with Jay Cutler late in the season, Kromer didn’t really damage his reputation around the league. What he said about Cutler was true and everyone in the business knows that most coaches say things to reporters off the record. Why Kromer outed himself remains a mystery for now, but there’s probably a good reason behind it and he was likely able to share that reasoning in job interviews that he had. According to a source, Kromer had interest from multiple teams, including the Atlanta Falcons, before landing with the Buffalo Bills as the team’s offensive line coach. Furthermore, he actually received a raise from Buffalo despite it technically being a demotion from offensive coordinator. Kromer remains a well-respected coach around the NFL and it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if some day he still gets a head coaching opportunity.
As for Tucker, he ended up as the secondary coach at Alabama and he’ll get another shot in the NFL soon. Alabama is the first college program NFL teams look to when they are looking for assistants.
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for WGN Radio and WGNRadio.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.
