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Chicago Bears
Overall: 114
Title track: 73
Ownership: 96
Coaching: 81
Players: 116
Fan relations: 112
Affordability: 113
Stadium experience: 109
Bang for the buck: 98
Change from last year: -37
The Bears are ranked 114th overall -- a steep drop from No. 77 last year -- and their title track rating dropped from No. 49 in 2014 to No. 73. Chicago has not won a Super Bowl since the 1985 season, and the Bears have missed the postseason in seven of the past eight years. But change is afoot, and there is renewed championship optimism in the city.
What's good
The Bears are in the midst of a difficult rebuild brought about by years of personnel misevaluation. But there's a bright spot here: Three of the rookies from this year's six-person draft class have already been serious contributors -- Adrian Amos (fifth round), Eddie Goldman (second) and Jeremy Langford (fourth). So the potential is there to raise their No. 116 players ranking (which includes league low scores for likable players and player accessibility).
What's bad
Ranked No. 81 in coaching (down from No. 53 in 2014), the Bears bottomed out last year under former head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery. This caused their fan relations ranking to plummet to No. 112, down from No. 78 in 2014. It got so ugly for the old regime that Bears fans lost trust in the organization. The offseason decision to sign troubled defensive end Ray McDonald and the subsequent fallout after McDonald's Memorial Day arrest and release further put a wedge between the Bears and their fan base.
What's new
The Bears went from a stabilized franchise under head coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo (both of whom were gone after the 2012 season) to an absolute mess by last year. In response, the team revamped its coaching staff in the offseason. Hired in January 2015, head coach John Fox brings a successful track record (a career 127-96 record before this year) from his time in Carolina (2002-2010) and Denver (2011-2014); both of those teams made it to a Super Bowl under Fox. The San Diego State alumnus has also surrounded himself with top-flight coordinators in Adam Gase, who is viewed as a future NFL head coach, and Vic Fangio.
Next: San Diego Chargers | Full rankings