New general manager Phil Emery and veteran coach Lovie Smith like the looks of the pre-draft Chicago Bears, but the team still has pressing needs. The Bears need help along the defensive line, at linebacker, in the secondary and, hey, let’s throw an offensive lineman and maybe a receiver in there too.

Expectations are high for Emery, who replaced Jerry Angelo in January. Amazingly, not one of Angelo’s first-round picks, in 10 years as general manager, was on the active roster when he was fired (Chris Williams, #14 in 2008, and Gabe Carimi, #29 in 2011, were both on injured reserve). The McCaskeys, and fans, will be expecting better after a decade of draft frustration.

The Bears have already added wide receiver Brandon Marshall, running back Michael Bush, linebacker Geno Hayes and offensive guard Chilo Rachal, so some needs have been partly addressed. The additions also give the Bears some flexibility with where they might go in the draft.

Here are some prospects that Emery and the Bears might be taking a look at (overall pick numbers in parenthesis):

1 (#19): Nick Perry, DE (USC), Quinton Couples, DE (North Carolina) – Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli personally worked Perry out and likes his potential. There are questions about Couples’ motivation, but the Bears heard the same thing about Julius Peppers; if Couples is available, he’d be a steal. Some people might pick linebacker Whitney Mercilus here, but was he a one-season wonder last season at Illinois? There’ll be a couple of good receivers left at #19, but I don’t expect the Bears to bite.

2 (#50): Devon Still, DT (Penn State) – If available, Still is a pro-ready prospect with the size needed to play nose tackle and the speed to play defensive tackle.

3 (#79): Keenan Robinson, LB (Texas) – Robinson doesn’t have blazing speed, but has the skill set needed to add depth at linebacker. He was a second-team AP All-Big 12 selection this past season, and led the Longhorns with 113 tackles.

4 (#111): Tommy Streeter, WR (Miami) – Streeter has the size (6-foot-5, 219 pounds) and speed to make him a legitimate down the field, go up and get it type of threat. Has the potential to make an impact as a rookie. He’d be a perfect complement to Brandon Marshall.

5-7 (5/#150, #6/184, #7/220): The Bears will be looking for depth at key positions in the lower rounds; look for picks in the secondary and offensive line.

Sources:

Sam Farmer’s NFL mock draft, Chicago Tribune; Bears seem to have options in Emery’s first draft, SI.com; Smith likes look of Bears’ pre-draft roster, Chicago Tribune; 2012 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears draft picks, team needs and recent results, The Sporting News; Bears seem to have options in Emery’s first draft, Associated Press

YCN featured sports contributor Steve Merritt is – for better or worse – a lifelong Chicago Bulls, Bears and Cubs fan. He’s followed the Bulls since 1969, when he tuned in after bedtime on a cheap dime store radio tucked under his pillow.

CHICAGO (AP) From the moment the Chicago Bears hired him as general manager in January, Phil Emery has been a busy man.

His next task? The draft that starts Thursday night.

The Bears hold the 19th pick, and it seems there are a number of ways they could go in the first round and beyond. There are issues on both lines, a need for a young linebacker and holes at receiver even with Brandon Marshall in the mix.

The only certainty so far is this. The Bears will have a different look next season.

”What we’ve done in free agency really allows us the chance to go one way or the other,” Emery said. ”It’s given us flexibility in terms of we can draft into perceived strength so that we make sure we get the player who’s going to help us win a championship the quickest way possible, or we can go and fill in what we perceive as a need. So it has given us great flexibility.”

Emery said the Bears have about seven players in mind for the 19th pick, and it’s a good bet at least a few of them are defensive ends, considering Chicago tied three other teams for 19th last season with 33 sacks. Julius Peppers would love to see another end to take some of the double-teams away from him, and options could include Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw, North Carolina’s Quinton Coples and Illinois’ Whitney Mercilus.

The Bears finished 8-8 last season following a late collapse. Coming off a run to the NFC championship game, they were sailing along at 7-3 until Jay Cutler broke his right thumb trying to make a tackle following a late interception against San Diego in the 10th game. The offense suffered another huge blow when Matt Forte sprained the MCL in his right knee against Kansas City on Dec. 4, and the late slump ultimately cost general manager Jerry Angelo his job.

Now, the Bears appear to be in a better spot.

”You want to have your roster as strong as it can be before the draft,” coach Lovie Smith said. ”We feel like we’ve done that.”

Emery made a huge splash when he acquired Pro Bowl receiver Marshall from Miami, addressing Chicago’s biggest need, but that isn’t the only hole he addressed. He filled a big one at backup quarterback, signing Jason Campbell from Oakland, and beefed up the backfield by signing former Raiders running back Michael Bush to a four-year, $14 million deal to team with the unhappy Forte.

Emery also added special teams star Eric Weems, with Johnny Knox’s status uncertain because of a back injury, along with guard Chilo Rachal and linebacker Geno Hayes. The Bears also took care of some of their own, most notably giving linebacker Lance Briggs an extension through 2014, even though he had two years left on a six-year, $36 million deal, but Forte’s situation remains unresolved. He hasn’t signed his $7.74 million franchise tender.

Even so, the Bears believe they have narrowed the gap with Green Bay.

”We got better,” linebacker Brian Urlacher said. ”On paper we’re a better football team than we were last year at the end of the season, so I’m excited about that. Phil Emery knows what he’s doing, obviously.”

Emery did not mention any specific prospects during his news conference this week, but he did say wide receiver, defensive end and defensive tackle are strong positions in this draft and added there are several offensive tackles who will likely be interior lineman as pros.

”That mid-level is probably the toughest level because there’s so many things that can happen in front of you,” Emery said. ”The further you get away from those top 10 picks the more you have a feel for the players that will be available from say 25 to 35, that are going to fall in that range and you can get it down to maybe three. In that middle range, so much can happen, trades.”

Bears fans are eager to see what Emery can do. Emery was an area scout for the Bears from 1998-2004 and was the Kansas City Chiefs’ director of college scouting when the Bears came calling.

The team will have a new look on the sideline, too.

Gone is offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who had an expiring contract, and quarterbacks coach Shane Day. Offensive line coach Mike Tice is the new coordinator following a promotion.

Emery was given one mandate from president Ted Phillips: Close the talent gap with Green Bay and Detroit in the NFC North.

During Angelo’s 11-year run, the Bears won four division championships, reached the Super Bowl and got back to the NFC championship game last season. But he was undone on several fronts – especially when backup Caleb Hanie struggled after Cutler was hurt.

(WSCR) 670TheScore.com is the only place to be for coverage from the 2012 NFL Draft.

The Score has you covered in all facets of this year’s draft as the Bears prepare to use the 19th overall selection.

Here’s a roundup of what you can expect:

• Mock drafts from all of our NFL experts
• A round table draft discussion featuring The Score’s Laurence Holmes, Zach Zaidman, Mike Mulligan and the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, Dan Pompei and Matt Bowen
• A live broadcast on 670TheScore.com during the draft featuring Adam Hoge
• Reaction/analysis from all The Score’s Bears experts before, during and after the draft
• Live thread to interact with other fans during the draft

The Chicago Bears improved their offensive line depth by signing Chilo Rachal today. Chilo Rachal started 38 games at right guard the last four years for the San Francisco 49ers. But he made most of those starts when the 49ers were a losing team.

This signing would be a lot more exciting if Rachal hadn’t started only three games last year when the 49ers were 13-3.

Rachal was replaced in the starting lineup early last season by a relative journeyman, but he was a second-round draft pick in 2008. Someone at some time thought Chilo Rachal was a top prospect, something that can’t be said of too many Bears offensive linemen in recent years.

The above story also bills him as a powerful straight-ahead run blocker, which the Bears could use, but says he is poor at pass blocking or pulling and blocking on the move. That does not bode well. Many Bear linemen have struggled with blocking schemes the last two years; when the Bears showed improvement in the second half of the 2010 season, that was after line coach Mike Tice simplified many of the blocking assignments.

He should do the same in 2012. I don’t know if Chilo Rachal can help Jay Cutler stay upright, but he should help Chicago running backs. At worst, he is a better backup than the Bears had before. At best, he’s a slight improvement in the starting lineup, mostly in the running game.

(WSCR) The stars of the 2012 NFL Draft may be aligning perfectly for the Chicago Bears.

New general manager Phil Emery met with the media today to discuss the upcoming Draft, specifically discussing what needs the Bears have. 670 The Score’s Bears expert Zach Zaidman joined The McNeil and Spiegel Show shortly after to discuss Emery’s comments.

“I think what Emery said today is key,” Zaidman explained. “He said in his opinion, this is a draft that is deep at defensive end, wide receiver and defensive tackle – not coincidentally, you could make a case that those are the three biggest needs that the Bears have entering the draft. He said for the 19th overall pick, the Bears have seven guys targeted right now. They’re preparing for any possible scenario.  … The Bears have said that they’ve gotten calls from teams both above them and beneath them. So, it’s a very fluid situation right now.”

LISTEN: Zach Zaidman on The McNeil and Spiegel Show

For the rest of this interview and other 670 The Score interviews click here.

Zaidman said the Bears are expecting their first-round pick to contribute immediately — something that hasn’t been done since the Bears drafted Tommie Harris in 2004.

“The Bears want players right now that can help them win,” Zaidman said. “(Emery) wants, at least form the first couple of rounds, guys that can immediately contribute to helping their team win.”

The Chicago Bears signed linebacker Geno Hayes to a one-year contract today (terms were not disclosed). Hayes was a low-round draft choice (sixth round in 2008), but he started 13 of 16 games for Tampa Bay last year and 42 games in four years for the Bucs.

The Bears have mostly been signing a slew of backups and special teams players since beginning the free-agency period with a block-buster trade for receiver Brandon Marshall, but Hayes could play a bigger role in Chicago than most of those other backups. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound weakside linebacker out of Florida State has made 334 tackles in four years, with seven sacks and four interceptions, one of them returned for a touchdown. He also has 36 tackles for losses.

Hayes has broken up 16 passes, forced four fumbles and recovered one fumble. He also has played special teams and once blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.

He also fits the Bears profile as a player who can tackle a runner before he gets started. Chicago under Lovie Smith has ranked among the league leaders in “stuffs” every year. A “stuff” is tackling a running back for negative yardage. Hayes led the NFL with 11 stuffs in 2009 and was tied for second with 11.5 in 2010. According to STATS, he ranks second in the NFL in stuffs over the last four seasons with 29.5.

Sounds good. Except for two things. Geno Hayes dropped off drastically last year. He had no sacks (after having four sacks and three sacks the previous two years). His 44 tackles were also just a shadow of the 80 he had in 2009 and 73 he had in 2010.

The other problem is Hayes is a weakside linebacker, the same position that Lance Briggs has made seven consecutive Pro Bowls at. Hayes adds depth, but would be a better addition if he played strongside linebacker. On the other hand, the strongside isn’t nearly as important of a position, as the Bears usually pull that starter for a nickel back in their nickel package. Look for the Bears to also try Geno Hayes on the strongside, where he could challenge current starter Nick Roach, who had only 30 tackles in 15 starts last year.

The Bears cut wide receiver Max Komar to make room for Hayes.

Through April 22, via polls, we’re asking you every day to make first-round picks for each of two teams. The polls go up on cleveland.com at approximate 12-hour intervals, around 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. each day. We list 10 prospects for you to pick from in each poll. On April 23-24, you’ll be asked to make the picks for each of three teams (at approximate eight-hour intervals) both days, completing the 32-pick first round.

Here’s who the fans have selected so far:

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

3: Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, Southern Cal

4. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, Louisiana State

6. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

8. Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

9. Carolina Panthers: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

10. Buffalo Bills: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

11. Kansas City Chiefs: David DeCastro, G, Stanford

12. Seattle Seahawks: Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

13. Arizona Cardinals: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

14. Dallas Cowboys: Mark Barron, SS, Alabama

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

16. New York Jets: Courtney Upshaw, LB-DE, Alabama

17: Cincinnati Bengals: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

18. San Diego Chargers: Whitney Mercilus, defensive end-linebacker, Illinois

The 19th pick in the first round of the draft belongs to the Chicago Bears. The Bears finished the 2011 season with an 8-8 record.

The Bears’ primary needs include the offensive line, wide receiver, tight end, defensive end and the secondary.

Continue to check The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com for Browns and NFL coverage.

Chicago Bears on the clock: Who should they draft with the 19th pick in the first round?

The Chicago Bears have been looking for a player to add competition on the offensive line and found him Wednesday, agreeing to terms with Chilo Rachal, a former second-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers, on a one-year contract.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network first reported the news.

Rachal, 26, was the 39th overall pick in the 2008 draft out of USC, where he was a first-team All-Pac 10 performer. He started 38 games in four seasons with the 49ers, including 29 in 2009 and 2010, but quickly was relegated to backup status at right guard behind Adam Snyder last season when San Francisco cruised to a 13-3 record and the NFC West title under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh.

Rachal, 6-5, 323 pounds, is an interior lineman and he’s not going to enter a situation where he is handed a starting job. The Bears and offensive coordinator Mike Tice have a variety of players to choose from on the interior.

Former first-round draft pick Chris Williams is returning from a wrist injury and will have his first offseason to work at the position. Veteran Chris Spencer proved to be a quality addition last season. There also are younger players like Lance Louis, who is expected to move back inside after a year at right tackle, and Edwin Williams, who received playing time in the second half of the season.

The Bears pursued Anthony Herrera, a veteran that developed under Tice in Minnesota, at the outset of free agency. But he remains on the street, meaning the player either didn’t like the offer he received or wasn’t deemed healthy. They also recently checked out Adam Goldberg, another former Tice protégé.

The addition of Rachal is yet another sign that general manager Phil Emery will focus his efforts early in the draft on the defense.

On Tuesday, the Bears waived wide receiver Max Komar, citing a non-football injury.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

The NFL has released the 2012 schedule, and the Chicago Bears will have a tough road ahead of them if they hope to make the postseason. Between three Monday night games and tough competition in the NFC North, the Bears have their work cut out for them. The first game may be the key to giving the team the boost that they need to get them through the season and make it to the playoffs.

Season Opener May Provide a Confidence Boost

The Bears will host the Indianapolis Colts in their first game of the year. With a new head coach and a new starting quarterback, the Colts may not be as steady for the first game as they may be later in the season. It is presumed, of course, that Andrew Luck will go to the Colts in the first round of the draft. Constant comparisons to Peyton Manning won’t do much to calm the rookie’s nerves in his NFL debut. Look for the Bears to have a strong pass rush this game.

Monday night games present challenges

The Bears have three Monday night games this season. They will meet the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and the San Francisco 49ers in the three games. None of the teams will be easy to beat, but expect the Lions game to be especially brutal. Neither team has forgotten the ugly game last year; D.J. Moore was ejected from the game, and there were plenty personal fouls accrued on both sides of the field. The game won’t just be about bruised egos from last season; both teams are contenders this year. It may just turn out to be the best Monday night game of the season.

NFC North Will Be A Tough Conference

The Lions are expected to do as well as last season or better, and the Green Bay Packers are still the Packers, so the four games that the Bears have against the teams won’t be easy victories. Green Bay will host the Bears in the second game of the season, and Chicago will only have a few days rest between the opener and this game. The only break that the Bears may get will be in the two games against the Minnesota Vikings, since this season should be a rebuilding year for them. The Bears will meet all three other teams in the conference in the final four weeks of the regular season, with their last game being played in Detroit.

Bears Regular-Season Schedule

Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 9, vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 2: Thursday, Sept. 13, at Green Bay Packers

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 23, vs. St. Louis Rams

Week 4: Monday, Oct. 1, at Dallas Cowboys

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 7, at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 6: Bye Week

Week 7: Monday, Oct. 22, vs. Detroit Lions

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 28, vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 4, at Tennessee Titans

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 11, vs. Houston Texans

Week 11: Monday, Nov. 19, at San Francisco 49ers

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 25, vs Minnesota Vikings

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 2, vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 9, at Minnesota Vikings

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 16, vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 23, at Arizona Cardinals

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 30, at Detroit Lions

Whitney Levon is a Chicago native whose dedication to the Bears goes back to her first football memory; the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl victory. She has been covering the Chicago Bears and other Chicago teams since 2010. You can follow her on Twitter @wlevon1 .

Adding wide receiver Brandon Marshall to what was a .500 team has made the Chicago Bears popular.

That is evident as they totaled the maximum number of prime-time games – five — when the NFL released the 2012 schedule Tuesday evening. Their first night game will be at Green Bay in Week 2 on Thursday, Sept. 13, as the league has expanded to Thursday games throughout nearly theentire season starting this year.

The Bears open the preseason with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Thursday, Aug. 9, and then start the regular season with his former team. They will host the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 9 at Soldier Field, setting them up for a likely matchup with Andrew Luck, the Stanford quarterbackexpected to be the No. 1 pick in next week’s draft.

Since 1984, the Bears are  16-3 when they open the season at home.

“We started our offseason program yesterday and received our schedule today, so our 2012 season is officially underway,” coach Lovie Smith said in a statement released by the team. “I love starting the season at home in front of our fans. I don’t think there is a better place to kick off the season than playing at Soldier Field on the lakefront. Playing five of our first 10 games in prime time also stands out. Each week brings its own challenge and we are excited to begin our pursuit of a world championship.”

The Colts are the first opponent in a stretch that could help the Bears to a fast start. While it will be difficult facing the defending NFC North champion Packers on a short week in Green Bay, they then return home to host the Rams at noon on Sept. 23 and then go to Dallas on Monday night, Oct. 1, in Week 4 for the second-prime time game. The other three prime-time games are vs. Detroit at home on Monday, Oct. 22; vs. Houston at home on Sunday, Nov. 11; and at San Francisco on Monday, Nov. 19.

In Week 5, the Bears play at Jacksonville at 3:05 p.m., the third opponent of the first five starting with a new coaching staff. The Bears will be off the week of Oct. 14. After hosting the Lions, they will host
Cam Newton and Carolina on Oct. 28. Next up are two games against the AFC South: at Tennessee on Nov. 4 and home vs. Houston.

After visiting San Francisco, the Bears will host Minnesota on Nov. 25 and Seattle on Dec. 2. Then come two games against division rivals: at Minnesota on Dec. 9 and home vs. the Packers on Dec. 16,their final regular-season home game.

The Bears close the season on the road at Arizona on Dec. 23 and Detroit on Dec. 30. While they have three of their final four games on the road, the Vikings and Cardinals both struggled last season.

The Bears have opened at Soldier Field in each of the previous two seasons after starting on the road for five consecutive years. Game times for the final six games are subject to change because of flexscheduling.

Based on the Aug. 9 date for the first preseason game, the Bears will be able to hold their first practice of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais on July 26. The club has not released
the training camp schedule yet. 

Other Bears schedule notes:

*Last year, the Bears had four prime-time games, appearing twice in NBC’s Sunday night slot and twice on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” The team is 1-6 in its last seven appearances on Sunday night. Overall, the Bears are 8-8 in the time slot under Lovie Smith. The team has done well on Mondays in recent history, winning seven of the last nine dating back to the wild 24-23 victory at Arizona during the 2006 Super Bowl season.

*The Bears will play at Jacksonville and Tennessee for the first time since 2004. It marks quarterback Jay Cutler’s first trip to Nashville in the regular season as a member of the Bears. It will only be the second regular-season game the Bears have played in the city.

*The week off falls in Week 6. The Bears have been fortunate to have their week off near the middle of the season in the recent past. In three of the last four seasons, the Bears’ bye came in Week 8 and in2007 it was in Week 9.

*The Bears will play the Seahawks for the fourth consecutive year and the eighth time total since 2006, counting playoff games in 2006 and 2010. All but two of the games have been played at Soldier Field. The Seahawks are not the only NFC West foe frequently on the docket. The trip to San Francisco marks the fifth time the teams have met under Smith and the sixth time since 2003.
 
*In five of the previous eight seasons, the Bears’ final regular-season game was vs. Green Bay or Minnesota. The league has placed a premium on having division games played late in the season in an effort to ensure as many games as possible have significance in the closing weeks. In the final three weeks over the previous eight years, the Bears played 15 NFC North games (out of a possible total of 24).

*It used to be the Bears tangled with the Lions regularly on Thanksgiving. But Detroit hosts Houston this season in its annual holiday appearance. The Lions and Cowboys rotate between hosting an AFC team and an NFC team for television purposes with the Fox and CBS contracts. The Bears have not played at Detroit on Thanksgiving since 1999. That’s a 13-year stretch. From 1977 to 1999, the Bears had seven meetings with the Lions on Thanksgiving at the old Pontiac Silverdome. The previous longest stretch without a Thanksgiving meeting between the clubs was from 1965 to 1976. It used to be the Bears and Chicago Cardinals did battle in Thanksgiving annually. They played annually from 1922 to 1933.

*Counting preseason, the schedule adds up to 14,256 air miles for the Bears. That is less than the 20,118 they logged last season thanks to the London game against the Buccaneers. It’s the fifth-most for the franchise since 1998.

bmbiggs@tribune.com

Twitter @BradBiggs

The Chicago Bears just announced the 2012 schedule. NFL.com noted the Bears have a few tough short weeks on the schedule, starting the season with two games within five days. The Bears also play three Monday night games, one primetime Sunday game and a Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers in week 2.

The schedule is below. See the Bears website for more information.

PRESEASON
Thursday, Aug. 9, Broncos, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 18, Redskins, 7 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 24, @ Giants 7 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 30, @ Browns, 6:30 p.m.

REGULAR SEASON
Sunday, Sept. 9, Colts, 12 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 13, @ Packers, 7:20 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 23, Rams, 12 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 1, @ Cowboys, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 7, @ Jaguars, 3:05 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 22, Lions, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 28, Panthers, 12 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 4, @ Titans, 12 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 11, Texans, 7:20 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 19, @ 49ers, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 25, Vikings, 12 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 2, Seahawks, 12 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 9, @ Vikings, 12 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 16, Packers, 12 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 23, @ Cardinals, 3:15 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 30, @ Lions, 12 p.m.