2013 Chicago Bears-Defensive Defecation
New Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman donned Halas-like glasses once he debuted on the sidelines for the team. His 3-0 start was indeed Halas-like, and he brought an offensive performance not seen in Chicago since the 1940's. His team started 3-0, but an utterly, historically bad Bears defense brought hopes for ultimate success to a crushing halt.
Author's note: Since 2000, I've been writing a comprehensive story with photos, rosters, side notes, statistics, starters and schedule for every Bears season since 1979. I have finally realized that for the new seasons, this busy professional Dad does not have the time to compare with what Wikipedia's authors publish. Going forward, new season information will be limited to some notes. Older season pages on this site will be completed and expanded, as Wikipedia authors don't seem to be paying much attention to them. Thanks for reading!
BearsHistory.com's 2013 Season Thoughts
Positive thought on the season:
The Bears dominated the AFC North division, going 4-0 against those teams with victories against Cincinnati and Baltimore at home, and Pittsburgh and Cleveland on the road.
Negative thought on the postivite thought:
Record against AFC teams, other than how it affects the overall season record, does not matter in playoff determination. The Bears also finished 2-3 against the NFC North and 4-8 against NFC opponents.
Veteran breakout season:
Hands-down, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. In Jeffery's 2012 rookie season, injuries limited him to 10 games, 24 receptions, 367 yards and three touchdowns in Mike Tice's offense. With the arrival of new Head Coach Marc Trestman, Jeffery broke out furiously, catching 89 passes for 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns. He also rushed 16 times for 108 yards with this every-game end around opening up many other plays for the offense.
Worst veteran regression:
Safety Chris Conte. Drafted in third round in 2011 by the Jerry Angelo regime, Conte started for a season and a half prior to 2013 and generally played well. In 2013, he was completely exposed both against the run and pass. In Conte's defense, every defensive back looks better with a pass rush and much worse without one. The 2013 Bears could not stop the run or pass in front of Conte, and he suffered. He will always be remembered for blowing coverage on Green Bay's final play of the season finale, allowing a touchdown and the Packers to snatch the division crown from the Bears.
Best offseason decision
The hiring of an offensive-minded Bears head coach for the first time in decades with Marc Trestman. It was also a gutty, out-of-the-box move since Trestman hadn't coached in the NFL since 2004. In 2012, offensively the Bears ranked 16th in the NFL overall and 29th in passing. In 2013 these rankings jumped to second in the NFL in points scored, eighth overall in yards, fifth overall in passing yards and 16th in rushing yards. It was the highest overall ranking for the offense since 1985, and best in passing yards since before this website started tracking rankings.
Best offseason decision #2
Deciding to finally retire Mike Ditka's jersey #89 in front of the crowd on a bitterly cold Monday night against Dallas. To fans, it was unforgettable.
Worst offseason decision
Nothing specific comes to mind, but obviously the decisionmaking that led to fielding the team's worst defense in its 94-season history was flawed.
Best free agent acquisition
Left tackle Jermon Bushrod was the major splash, but the quieter signing of left guard Matt Slauson really solidified the interior of the line.
Worst free agent acquisition
Not the organization's fault, but defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis would have been a massive help to the team when Henry Melton and Nate Collins went down to injury. But Ellis decided to retire just a day into training camp.
2013 Records: Preseason 2-2; Regular Season 8-8
2013 NFL Rankings: Offense 8th overall; 5th passing; 16th rushing; Defense 30th overall; 15th passing; 32nd rushing
2013 Coaches: Marc Trestman, Head Coach, Aaron Kromer, Offensive Coordinator, Mel Tucker, Defensive Coordinator
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