Chicago Bears: 5 Reasons They Go Worst To First

May 25, 2016; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox looks on during the OTA practice at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2016; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox looks on during the OTA practice at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 25, 2016; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox looks on during the OTA practice at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2016; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox looks on during the OTA practice at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Chicago Bears aren’t garnering the big headlines heading towards the 2016 season, but there are reasons to think this team is ready for a jump from the cellar to the penthouse.

Previous Bears teams in history have made the successful jump from worst to first.  So why should anybody doubt they can do it this year?  Six of their 10 losses in 2015 were by four points or fewer.  It was apparent they knew how to stay in games against some really good opponents.  What they needed to figure out was finishing them.  Here are five reasons to believe they will get it done this time around.

John Fox

The success of any team starts with the man in charge.  If a bad head coach is running things, the team doesn’t win.  Chicago found that out with Marc Trestman, and it’s a big reason why Ryan Pace wasted no time hiring John Fox when he became available last year.  The reasoning was as basic and logical as it gets:  Fox is a winner.  In his career as a head coach dating back to 2002, the man has posted fewer than seven wins in a season just twice and has made the playoffs at least three times with each of the two prior teams he ran.

The guy hates to lose and by now has the experience of what it takes to build a winner.  All of his teams experienced significant improvements in record during their second seasons, so barring something unforeseen like another ridiculous rash of injuries it’s reasonable to think he’ll have them much better prepared to win close games this year.

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