There are a thousand different books, magazines, websites and TV shows trying to predict what’s going to happen this season. Some use formulas that project how many games a team is going to win; some say a team is looking confident and the writer just thinks they’re going to win. Whether they use objective statistics or old-timey anecdotes, it’s still only a prediction.

With training camp around the corner, there are issues that aren’t predictions any more. For the most part, rosters are set. So, is this the best the Bears could?

Not, “Do the Bears have the best defensive ends in the league?” But, considering the limitations of one off-season, is there another move they should have made. Because every season it happens: A particular player struggles and someone writes or asks, “Why didn’t they sign so-and-so? So-and-so was a free agent; so-and-so definitely would have signed here, if only the Bears were smart enough to go after him.”

It’s tiresome to have the same hindsight conversations. So, let’s do it now, before it’s hindsight.

Bears Brain Trust will go over each position and see how the Bears did. We’ll look at how the Bears finished in 2009, what they tried to do during the offseason, and how well they executed -- and if they should have done anything differently.

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Still here:
Mark Anderson, had two sacks and 22 tackles in 16 games last season
Henry Melton, did not play

Out:
Gaines Adams, died of cardiac arrest
Alex Brown, released and signed with Saints
Adewale Ogunleye, not re-signed and still unsigned

In:
Julius Peppers, signed six-year deal worth $91 million ($42 million guaranteed)
Israel Idonije, Lovie Smith says he’d like to lock Idonije in more at DE than DT
Corey Wootton, drafted in the fourth round
Barry Turner, undrafted free agent

If Alex Brown were still on the roster, it would be impossible to complain about the Bears' decisions this off-season. Not that I’m complaining; it’s just after adding the best free agent available at any position (Julius Peppers), it’s difficult to find other things to be upset about.

Not that the talent -- top to bottom -- is the best in the league -- (it’s definitely not). But considering the situation, the Bears put together a unit with enough talent at the top to possibly be competent enough to keep Rod Marinelli from sending five and six pass-rushers, and taking the Bears out of the Cover 2.

2009 review: Help!

As a whole, the Bears’ defensive line was a huge problem; it’d be fair to blame either the inside or outside of the D-line. Both are partly to blame for the Bears having to send 6+ people at the quarterback more than all but two teams in the NFL, just to generate some kind of pressure. But, whether you want to blame the interior or the exterior, the Bears could have used an upgrade at defensive end.

Alex Brown graded well at ProFootballFocus.com; Adewale Ogunleye did not. At ProFootballFocus.com, Ogunleye was rated as a below average defensive end, was especially awful against the run, and his 6.5 sacks did little to make up for his poor run support.

Considering the 2009 cap hit for Ogunleye and Brown, combined, was over $10 million and 12-percent of the team’s total salary, the Bears were certainly not getting their money’s worth.

2010 offseason plan: Hurry, throw money at it

The Bears’ desperately needed to upgrade their pass rush; they have a lot of money already invested at defensive tackle (Tommie Harris, mainly); so, the Bears threw money at the defensive end spot.

Harris’ 2009 cap hit was just over $9 million. Harris’ actual value was nowhere close to that, and actually, according to ProFootballFocus.com, he was one of the worst defensive tackles or nose tackles in the game.

Yet, as bad as Harris was the hope going into this season is that he’s healthy for the first time. A healthy (good) Harris would be the best thing for the Bears’ pass rush; if he’s not good, even if he's healthy, the Bears already have so much money invested in the position. With this much invested, it made more sense to take the money and draft picks at defensive end.

(Yes, I know it's an uncapped year; still, there's a budget. You're not going to spend $30 or $40 million on one position.)

Because unlike the dream scenario -- Harris is able to stay healthy and bounce back as a top defensive tackle -- there was no hope of a dramatic turnaround at end. With aging veterans in Ogunleye and Brown, no draft picks until the third round, and especially after Gaines Adams' death in the offseason, the Bears’ only choice was to go the free agency route at defensive end.

Execution: Yeah, he'll work

To throw money at the pass rush problem, means the Bears threw money at Julius Peppers. Peppers was the best free agent available, forget position; in that regard, the Bears succeeded.

Here were/are the five of the best available defensive ends, besides Peppers:

• Richard Seymour; franchised by Raiders; $12.4 million
• Aaron Kampman; signed by Jaguars; four years, $26 million with $11 million guaranteed
• Paul Spicer, unsigned
• Derrick Burgess; re-signed by Patriots; one year, $1.5 million
• Leonard Little, unsigned

Peppers’ six-year, $91 million contract (with $42 million guaranteed) is considerably larger than all of those deals -- combined. At the same time, is there anyone listed above who could possibly improve an entire unit by himself? No.

I don’t know if Peppers can do it, but in an uncapped year with the position the Bears’ coaches and management are in, it’s worth a shot, right?