Here is the second part of the Chicago Bears Twitter mailbag. Appreciate all the feedback.
@ESPNChiBears Do you believe the Bears can make the playoffs? #bearsmailbag
— Danny Pedretti (@DannyPedretti) April 22, 2015@ESPNChiBears: My belief is the Bears will miss the postseason in 2015. I believe the organization is on the way up with John Fox, Ryan Pace, Adam Gase, Vic Fangio, etc., but a large gap exists between Chicago and Green Bay. Until the Bears prove they can consistently beat Aaron Rodgers, I have a difficult time projecting them as a strong playoff contender. By the way, the schedule is ridiculous. Green Bay, Arizona and Seattle to begin the regular season? Ouch. The back-to-back games vs. Peyton Manning and Rodgers (on a short week) look tricky as well. I don’t expect the Bears to play dead like last year. I bet Fox’s crew pulls off a couple surprise wins. But I predicted 7-9 when the schedule came out Tuesday. Some of my colleagues even told me I was too generous. But I believe seven wins is realistic, maybe even eight. After that, I’ll have to see it to believe it.
@ESPNChiBears A stretch, but stranger things have happened: Bears trade Cutler and picks to SD for Rivers. Possible? #Bearsmailbag
— Ian White (@ian_c_w) April 22, 2015@ESPNChiBears: Ian, I suspect the Chargers want a young quarterback to replace Philip Rivers, not Cutler. From the Bears’ vantage point: do they want to obtain a 33-year old quarterback and pay him big money after already sinking a ton of cash into the Cutler deal? Look, I appreciate Rivers. I know people in San Diego that rave about the guy. He’s had a great career. I also understand that John Fox is 60-years old and probably doesn’t want to wait around forever for the Bears to win. Even though expectations are low in 2015, there is a sense of urgency for Fox to make the postseason in the very near future. But how much would Rivers cost? Are the Bears in a position to surrender future first-round picks? Taking it all into consideration, I’d be surprised if it happened. Honestly, I think San Diego should keep Rivers and just franchise tag him in 2016. Why let him go? The whole concept of Rivers balking at the idea of the Chargers relocating to Los Angeles doesn’t make a ton of sense. If Rivers is traded, he’s going to have to relocate, and probably to a city much further away from San Diego.
@ESPNChiBears do you think the defense can gel considering all the 1 year contracts? #bearsmailbag
— mvarga99 (@mvarga99) April 22, 2015@ESPNChiBears: One-year contracts are common in the NFL. I don’t see that being an issue. In fact, I like the concept of forcing guys to play on one-year deals with the hope of securing a longer-term agreement in the future. In theory, players should be hungrier. My concerns on defense have little to do with contracts. Can the Bears rush the passer? Is there a competent, run-stopping nose tackle on the roster that can stay healthy? Can Ray McDonald stay out of trouble? Can Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston or Willie Young play OLB? Will Tim Jennings recover from a bad year? Who is the third corner? Can Antrel Rolle hold up physically? These are the defensive issues on my radar. One-year contracts are a good thing, except for the players. It stinks for them. I understand. But this is how the business works.