Chicago Bears season preview Year of transition

sharonorn

's season preview goes to the NFC North.Change we can believe inIt remains to be seen if Adam Gase can fix and a broken offense, but the hiring of Vic Fangio -- one of the game's most respected defensive minds -- was one of the great under-the-radar moves of the offseason.The payoff might be a year or two away because the personnel was ill-suited to Fangio's 3-4 scheme, but there are some interesting nucleus players in free-agent acquisition and promising second-year corner . The release of Charlie Becker Jersey  and the early season suspension of have overshadowed the emergence of defensive tackle , who has been Fangio's in preseason action.Fangio will build upon those three keystones as he overhauls the defense in his own image.Biggest concernThe pa sing attack was already in question after got benched for the inimitable down the stretch last season. Now the receiving corps is in shambles. First-round rookie , expected to replace , is in danger of mi sing the entire season with a stre s fracture in his leg. A calf injury has forced to mi s the entire preseason. Veteran slot receiver is currently dealing with a hip injury, while is nursing a hamstring strain. Even if that trio is ready to suit up for Week 1, early season rust is a valid concern.Training camp surpriseComing off back-to-back appearances, veteran cornerback signed a four-year, $22.4 million in January of 2014. Just a year and a half later, the ' new regime decided they had no use for Jennings, releasing him on Monday. With veteran safety looking a step slow and rookie taking inconsistent routes to the ball, Chicago's secondary appears to be a weak spot beyond Fuller.What we'll be saying in FebruaryAlthough the defense showed signs of life under Fangio, the understand it's well past time to cut the cord on Cutler -- or at least bring in real competition. With due to reach free agency, a changing of the guard is in order for Gase's offense.Predicted finish: Fourth place in NFC North, No. 14 in NFC, No. 30 overall in 's Power Poll.  Josh Placzek Jersey