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Chicago Bears
Overall: 103
Title track: 63
Ownership: 87
Coaching: 46
Players: 105
Fan relations: 97
Affordability: 111
Stadium experience: 102
Bang for the buck: 111
Change from last year: +11
The NFL's charter franchise ranks 103rd overall after a nine-year span where the Bears reached the playoffs once. That's up 11 from last year, but this level of futility -- Chicago has qualified for the postseason just five times since Mike Ditka was fired in the early 1990s -- puts them on the level of Cleveland or Jacksonville. The Bears promised to usher in a new era of hope when they hired general manager Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox after the Marc Trestman debacle. So far though, both have failed to deliver anything tangible for Chicago sports fans to embrace.
What's good
Chicago skyrocketed 35 spots to No. 46 overall in coaching, showing that fans were on board with Fox's hiring. But staying in the top half of teams could prove difficult. Fox has won a lot of games in the NFL but accomplished almost nothing in Chicago. And while he's surrounded by experienced assistants -- most notably veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio -- Chicago lost offensive coordinator Adam Gase to Miami in the offseason, and that is bound to hurt them in the 2017 rankings.
What's bad
The Bears rank 111th in affordability and bang for the buck. Ticket prices at Soldier Field are among the highest in the NFL -- only the Patriots, the 49ers, the Cowboys and the Giants charge more. The problem is that, unlike some of those teams, the Bears rarely reward the home fans. Under Fox, Chicago went 1-7 at Soldier Field in 2015. Why pay such expensive ticket prices if the team is bound to lose? That is the dilemma Chicagoans struggle with when it comes to the Bears. Most eventually choose to attend games at Soldier Field, but the payoff is minimal -- and often painful.
What's new
The Bears experienced slight bumps in players (up 11 spots to No. 105) and ownership (up nine, to No. 87), likely, in part, thanks to the new hirings. Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Since George McCaskey assumed the title of team chairman in 2011, the Bears have been wildly unstable, firing two head coaches (Lovie Smith, Trestman) and two general managers (Jerry Angelo, Phil Emery). The Bears have not played in a playoff game over the span. But thanks to players like Jordan Howard and Kevin White, the Bears did successfully transform the roster from one on the league's oldest to one of the youngest. Now fans just hope they can win more than six games in 2016.
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