By Bryan Dietzler

Chicago Bears fans have a lot to be thankful for so far this season. Their defense is ranked, by some, as the best defense in the NFL. After years of struggle, that’s great news. And their offense isn’t bad either. They are getting great production out of the running and the passing game. Things look to be going much better for our Bears from now on. No longer does it appear that Chicago is the doormat of the NFC North.

If you hear the words Chicago Bears, what is the thing that you think of first? For some, it’s Walter Payton. For others, it’s George Halas. But, for a majority of the fans of the Bears, the word “defense” is synonymous with the team. Fans remember such guys as Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, and Doug Plank as being the “heroes” of tough Chicago bear defenses.

Fans still think about the past and how great those defenses were.

But now, it’s time to look towards the present as the Bears have assembled a strong cast of characters to help bolster a defense that is one of the league’s best. Of course, we all know that Chicago’s best defensive player is Khalil Mack but they have several other guys that help make the defense a good one. Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Kyle Fuller are just three of several guys that are making a big impact for the Bears. Almost every single guy on defense has made some kind of positive impact for the Bears and it shows in the numbers they are putting up as well as in the win/loss column.

Granted, this defense isn’t sticking it to teams like the defense of the 1985 Bears but they are doing things their own way and getting good results. If the defense can stay healthy then you can expect them to remain one of the top defenses in the NFL and be a reason why the Bears have a good year or, and this is not a stretch of the imagination, even make the playoffs.

But defense isn’t the only thing that the Bears are boasting these days. They have an offense that, despite the fact it still has some work to do, is effective. Chicago has been scoring a lot of points lately and even though some of those points have come from their opportunistic defense, their offense is putting up some strong number as well.

They should not be overlooked.

Leading the charge on offense is quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky, a second-year player who started last season and hasn’t looked back, he has provided the Bears with the spark that they need to score points on offense and move the ball down the field.

Couple his play with fairly good health all around and the Bears offense could be one of the more dominant in the league for seasons to come.

Trubisky is really starting to come into his own. Granted, he’s had some issues but we must keep in mind that he is still young. He has a lot of learning left to do. Look for him to continue to learn and grow in an offense that will help him get better and will eventually help him get the Bears to the playoffs.

Not only is Trubisky working well in the offense but some of the other weapons they have are doing well. Their running game is solid and their receivers are not that bad. They are getting a lot of production out of the tight end position. When Trubisky can get it out to his receivers, they are catching the ball and making plays.

It’s all starting to come together for the Bears and it’s happening on both sides of the ball.

If there is a part of the team that could be considered a weak point, it’s special teams. We all saw the breakdowns on that unit in their game against the New England Patriots. Had they not have made those mistakes on special teams, Chicago would have won the game. They need to get better there or else they could lose a few more games.

Special teams and, yes, the quarterback position are still two points of weakness on this team that need to be addressed. The quarterback position will be addressed by allowing Trubisky to grow in his role and improve. We have already seen massive improvement in him already, he just needs to fine-tune his game. It’s possible that he could become one of the greatest quarterbacks in Chicago Bears’ history.

So is this a balanced team? Yes, it is. Are they going places? Yes, they are.

When it’s all said and done, it appears as if Bears’ management finally got things right.

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