Chicago Bears: Team still gets snubbed by national media

After the Chicago Bears reset the roster and showed a new look, the fans got excited. The excitement didn’t run nationally, where the team still ranks low.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace set out this offseason to get the team moving in the right direction. After a 14-34 record in the past three seasons, things had to change. About a week after the season, the Bears hired Matt Nagy as the head coach. Nagy is a full-throttle offensive-minded coach who comes in to help an anemic offense that ranked near the bottom in nearly all categories.

To help with that transition, the Bears also hired former Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich. Helfrich shares Nagy’s high-powered offense philosophy.

In order for the team to improve they need the players, right? Well, Pace hit free agency and signed wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel. Also, he signed tight end Trey Burton and kicker Cody Parker. That helps second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the new face of the franchise, to succeed.

In addition, Pace re-signed cornerbacks Kyle Butler and Prince Amukamara and signed linebacker Aaron Lynch to help on defense.

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Pace didn’t stop there, however. He drafted arguably the best defensive player in the draft, Roquan Smith. Also, he drafted potential starters James Daniels and Anthony Miller in the second round. All told, that makes seven starters on the roster who weren’t there last season. This isn’t last year’s team, and it isn’t your father’s old Chicago Bears.

Bears fans now have the hope of a modern-day offense to go with a defense that was top-ten last season. In addition to hope, it also brought a lot of excitement to Chicago.

Well, the excitement hasn’t reached nationally, and ESPN specifically. In their post-draft NFL Power Rankings, the Bears didn’t move. In fact, they stood pat. Heading into the draft, the Bears ranked 28th. After the draft, they ranked…you guessed it, 28th.

Here’s what they said about the Bears’ draft:

"The Bears drafted linebacker Roquan Smith eighth overall, the earliest they’ve drafted a defensive player since 1990, when they took safety Mark Carrier sixth overall. They’re hoping Smith can transform the defense the way another top-10 linebacker did for them; the Bears had the best scoring defense the season after selecting Brian Urlacher ninth overall in 2000."

All they could mention is Smith?

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The Bears have a lot to do to change the national thinking of the Bears. They are 11 seasons from their last Super Bowl appearance and seven from a playoff appearance. They are a forgotten franchise and it shows. No matter what they do on paper, it’s time for them to show it on the field. This season, however, may be when they finally do it.