By Sean Heffernan

The 2009 season wasn't pretty for Chicago Bears fans, but it's never to early to look forward to next year. The Jay Cutler trade made this season one of the most anticipated in history of the Bears organization which made the poor play on the field even harder to watch for the Solider Field faithful. For the Bears to avoid repeating the mistakes of 2009 they must make changes. Here's my two cents on what the big stories are for next season in the Windy City.

1. The Future of Lovie Smith

Lovie Smith will return next year as the head coach of the Chicago Bears having finished the season with two victories against Minnesota and Detroit for an overall record 7-9 in 2009. Since their 2006 Super Bowl appearance, the Bears have missed the playoffs three years in a row under Smith and have a under .500 winning percentage. Lovie’s saving grace is that the Bears owe Smith $11 million over the next two years. The McCaskey's fired Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron with one year left on their contracts, but insiders doubted they would let Smith walk away with that big of a check. Smith announced in a press conference Tuesday afternoon that he would not be the defensive coordinator in '10 in addition to being the head coach as was the case this season.  
 
2. Heads Fall at Halas Hall

Offensive Coordinator Ron Turner along with five other assistant coaches were not as fortunate as Lovie on Tuesday afternoon as they will not be returning to sidelines of Soldier Field next year. Turner had been under fire all season as the Bears' offense struggled both on the ground and in the air for most of the season. The additional assistant coached let go included Pep Hamilton (quarterbacks), Harry Hiestand (line) and Rob Boras (tight ends), and assistants Luke Butkus and Charles London.

Lovie Smith has will have the job this off season of hiring coordinators for both sides of the ball and filling in the assistant positions now left vacant. The incredibly unpopular Jerry Angelo will be retained for next year despite the public's call for his head. The Bears' GM was the talk of the town at the beginning of the season for his trade that brought Jay Cutler to town, but became a punching bag for pundits after most of his off season moves performed poorly in '09.

3. Can Cutler Carole the Curse of the Quarterback?

Jay Cutler was not quite the quarterback messiah fans had hoped he'd be when news first broke that  the Bears had acquired the former Denver Bronco. His season can be basically summed up in his stats: 27 TD, 26 INT.  Some of those interceptions you can credit to miscommunication with a young, inexperienced wide receiver core or the constant pressure he felt behind a poor offensive line, but you have to wonder how many more games the Bears would've won had Cutler made been better decisions with the ball. 

The lack of a running game didn't help Cutler and getting Matt Forte back on track next season could really take a lot off of the quarterback's shoulders. The Bears next offensive coordinator will have to find a way to reinforce the running game. The Bears would benefit from bringing in another running back to help carry the load on the ground as most successful teams in the NFL now utilize two to three running backs in their offensive packages.
 
4. A New Hope at Wide Receiver

On a positive note, one of the biggest worries before this past season was over the wide receiver position that lacked a true go-to-guy. As the season progressed, Johnny Knox became a deep threat for Cutler with his blazing speed and knack for making the big play. Devin Hester and former Vanderbilt teammate of Cutler's Earl Bennett both averaged 13.3 yards a catch as the Bears' leading position receivers.

 In the final few games of the season Devin Aromashodu showed signs of being a great target for Cutler next season catching four touchdowns. Aromashodu didn't see the field until week 10 which makes you wonder why Lovie & Co. didn't give this kid a shot earlier in the year.  The receiving core could benefit by adding an experienced player in the off season, but the wide out position is not on the top of Jerry Angelo's "To Do" list this coming off season.
 
5. Success Starts With the Big Boys
 
The difference in Jay Cutler's tremendous form the last two games of the season compared to the horrid stretch of ten games where the Bears only won twice could be credited to the fact that against the Vikings and Lions he didn't spend most of the game running for his life. Needless to say the offensive line is a position the Bears need to improve upon  in 2010 if they want to make a run at the playoffs. Future Hall of Famer Orlando Pace was an utter flop in Chicago at left tackle and looked very much like a guy who had played one too many years in the NFL.  

Chris Williams struggled most the year in his first season as a starter, but showed some potential the final few games of the year. Williams kept arguably the NFL's best pass rusher in Jared Allen at bay on Monday Night football when the Bears pulled off a riveting overtime victory over the NFC North Champion Minnesota Vikings. Williams along with veteran center Olin Kreutz should return to the lineup next season, but Pace and free agent signing Frank Omiyale need to be replaced for next season.  To do so the Bears may need to be creative with their limited draft picks or in free agency, but something has to be done.

On the other side of the ball a number of reserve players got valuable experience with all the injuries the Bears' defense racked up this year.  Brian Urlacher should be back for next year barring any more complications with his wrist injury that saw the six-time pro bowler miss almost all of 2009. Urlacher has always flourished when he's had two skilled defensive tackles to keep off opposing linemen from obstructing his path allowing him to use his speed and instinct to get to the ball.

This will be the first off season that Tommie Harris will not undergo surgery in three years and with hard work in off season he hopefully will return to his 2006 form. Harris' numbers were down this season and  he didn't endear himself to fans  when he was thrown out of a game against the Arizona Cardinals for punching an opposing player in the face. Anthony Adams had two six tackle performances in the final four games of the year, but was far from the dominant force the Bears need in the middle of the line. The Bears should look to add at least one more defensive tackle to compete for the job next year.

What do you think about Lovie Smith staying in Chicago for at least one more year? Where do the Bears need to improve the most? Share your thoughts below!