Will Offense Hold Bears Back Again in '06?

There are two ways to look at what the Chicago Bears did last season: Either their lack of preparedness at quarterback didn't hurt them because the play of their defense and the coaching of Lovie Smith carried them to a division title and a first-round playoff bye, or they wasted a Super Bowl-caliber defense and the season's best coaching job because they didn't have a Plan B at quarterback.

Whichever view you choose, at least the Bears aren't in danger of making the same mistake again.

No one did a better coaching job in the league last season than Smith, who led the Bears to 11 regular-season triumphs despite getting sub-NFL quarterbacking. Starter Rex Grossman suffered a broken ankle during the preseason, and Smith and General Manager Jerry Angelo hadn't planned for that contingency -- even with Grossman's previous lack of durability -- by signing a proven backup quarterback before the season. Chad Hutchinson was next in line but didn't even make it to the regular season as the starter, and the Bears ended up winning in spite of -- not because of -- the pitiable play of rookie Kyle Orton.

They won because tailback Thomas Jones ran for 1,335 yards, keeping prized rookie Cedric Benson mostly on the bench. And they won because their dominant defense surrendered only 12.6 points per game during the regular season, 2.8 fewer than any other team in the league yielded. Smith made the bold decision to upset a winning formula late in the regular season, benching Orton and going back to Grossman as the starter at quarterback. The move backfired, as the Bears lost an NFC semifinal at home to the Carolina Panthers.

The Bears are crossing their fingers and hoping that Grossman, who's played only eight regular-season games in his three NFL seasons, can stay healthy next season and provide some stability on offense. But this time, at least they have a fall-back position. They signed quarterback Brian Griese after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now Smith has a quarterback that he can count on if Grossman gets hurt again.

Jones, feeling underpaid and underappreciated, apparently wanted to be traded in recent weeks, and the Bears had Benson to take over as their centerpiece runner if they'd parted with Jones. But Jones remains in the fold, and it has become increasingly clear in the NFL in recent seasons that a team devoted to the running game can find enough carries to go around for two effective tailbacks.

The Bears finished second to the Washington Redskins in the bidding for a pair of free agents, wide receiver Antwaan Randle El and safety Adam Archuleta. There was reason to believe they would get both players. Randle El is a Chicago native, and Archuleta played for Smith in St. Louis when Smith was the Rams' defensive coordinator. Both, however, signed hefty contracts with the Redskins, and the Bears were left making smaller moves.

They signed cornerback Ricky Manning Jr., a restricted free agent from the Panthers, to a five-year, $21 million offer sheet, only to have Manning get arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of assault. The Panthers probably wouldn't have matched the Bears' offer anyway, but Manning's ill-timed alleged misbehavior sealed his departure from Carolina. It wasn't exactly the best way to endear yourself to a new team, but Manning can help the Bears if he can keep himself out of future trouble.

The Bears traded out of the first round on draft day and ended up with perhaps the most intriguing prospect in the entire draft, safety Danieal Manning. He had first-round talent but must make a huge jump from tiny Abilene Christian, so it's unclear how much he'll be able to contribute as a rookie. The Bears used the second of their two picks in the second round on Devin Hester, a wide receiver and cornerback in college at Miami penciled in as a cornerback in Chicago.

The curious thing about the Bears' draft was that, in a draft loaded with gifted outside linebackers, they failed to get a potential replacement for Lance Briggs, their Pro Bowl outside linebacker who is eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring. They have attempted to negotiate a contract extension with him but so far have been unable to finish one.

The Bears should be a more complete team next season, with Grossman due to have some better luck and Griese ready to take over if needed. They have all their starters back and are probably the class of the NFC North again. But the rest of the conference has gotten better, and the Bears still don't seem to be good enough on offense to go deeper in the playoffs than they did last season.

Around the League

The Jacksonville Jaguars have scheduled a news conference for today to announce the retirement of wide receiver Jimmy Smith, the seventh-leading receiver in NFL history.

Smith, 37, had 70 catches for 1,023 yards and six touchdowns last season. He spent 11 of his 12 NFL seasons with the Jaguars and finishes with 862 receptions for 12,287 yards . . . .

The Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints on Wednesday traded linebackers, with 2003 second-round draft pick Eddie Moore going to New Orleans for 2004 second-rounder Courtney Watson.

Moore's tenure with the Dolphins was significant only because former coach Dave Wannstedt passed up wide receiver Anquan Boldin, now a star with the Arizona Cardinals, to select the linebacker . . . .

Agent Carl Poston's hearing before arbitrator Roger Kaplan that had been scheduled for last week was rescheduled for June 5. Poston sought the postponement because his attorney resigned from the case. Poston is appealing the two-year suspension imposed on him by the NFL Players Association for his handling of linebacker LaVar Arrington's 2003 contract negotiations with the Redskins when Arrington claimed the team shortchanged him by $6.5 million. Arrington now is with the New York Giants.