I realize the Bears still have significant issues to address on the defense, but it appears the big, physical wide receivers never garner much separation and/or the opposition safeties are there to take away the inside routes resulting in Jay Cutler needing to fit the ball into tight spaces. Should a Day 2 pick be used on a speed receiver (see Sammie Coates, Auburn) to take the top off the defense and keep the safeties honest? -- Vic F., Springfield, Va., from email

I think the big frames of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery give them separation at times. Yes, a speedy wide receiver would be a nice complement to the offense. No question about it. Just because a player is fast doesn’t mean he’s going to be a good fit in an offense. It’s tough to come up with a draft pick like Johnny Knox, who comes out of nowhere to be productive. A Day 2 pick might be a little rich for the Bears in terms of a wide receiver too. The draft is a three-day process now and the second day of the draft is...

It seems for the last decade or more the Bears have mostly been pretty good, usually just missing or losing early in the playoffs. So they have drafted in the lower half each year. But I wonder if it's better to really stink for a few years and build a team by drafting early in each round for a stretch? Have the Bears been mediocre for so long at least in part because they've had mediocre drafting positions? – Rick G., Tucson, Ariz., from email

I don’t know if it is better to stink for a few years. Aspiring to be mediocre or worse is a tough plan to sell ownership and an even more difficult one to sell a fan base. Business partners of the Bears don’t want to write big checks to the McCaskeys in promise of a bad product in return for a few seasons. I tackled the topic of the Bears’ draft position in recent years in July before training camp opened.

Here is part of what I wrote:

The top of the draft is where it is easiest to find elite talent but the Bears have not been there. They are...

How much do you think the offensive line injuries (and substitutions) have affected the overall performance? I was looking a Pro Football Focus ratings and I noted that teams that had strong guard play along with good continuity do pretty well. Teams that have to start over, like the Panthers, struggle on offense. I reflect on the great benefit the Packers have with Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang anchoring the middle. I think losing Roberto Garza and Matt Slauson to start and then Slauson after only playing four and a half games really hurt. Add in Jordan Mills not really being right from his foot injury and the Bears have a big issue. -- Hank S., from email

No question the turnover up front has hurt the Bears. Right guard Kyle Long is the only starter that has not missed a game and the others, as you referenced, have been held out of several games. That has affected the continuity. While the pass protection hasn’t been great, I don’t think it has been atrocious either, certainly better...

I subscribe to ProFootballFocus.com. Tim Jennings, Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs and Jeremiah Ratliff are the only defensive players who have played above average this year. Considering their injuries, aren't the problems on defense related more to the far below league average caliber of defensive players than they are to Mel Tucker? -- J.R., Carmel, Ind., from email

PFF provides grades on players but teams don’t take their results as gospel. I can tell you that much. As far as a grade on Tillman, we’re talking about a player that was injured in Week 2. That would be an incomplete anyway you look at it. I don’t know that Jennings has been quite what the Bears had hoped for this season, either. He certainly hasn’t been involved in takeaways like he was in the past. You’re talking about a chicken and the egg discussion when it comes to bad defense. The Bears have not played well and coordinator Mel Tucker gets a lot of the blame. That’s the way it goes and he understand that. Tucker is...

What are the most important moves the Bears should or could make in the offseason? -- Danny, from email

They’ve got to find a way to get improved and consistent quarterback play without so many turnovers. The Bears are far behind the Packers right now and although they have a game remaining against the Lions, it appears they have slipped a good distance behind Detroit as well. They also have to find young talent to build a restructured defense around. Simply put, they don’t have enough young, talented players on defense. They have to hit in the May draft and not just with the first-round pick, which will likely be in the top 12 or so. They need impact players.

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With the 49ers wanting to trade Jim Harbaugh at the end of the season, don't you think the Bears should try trading for him? He played for the Bears and he's a much better coach than Marc Trestman. -- Anthony, Salinas, Calif., from email

I don’t know that the 49ers are definitely going to trade Harbaugh. That situation has become so messy and toxic that he might end up simply being fired. Teams interested in Harbaugh could simply wait to watch him get his walking papers and not have to fork over draft pick(s). The first question you have to ask yourself is are the Bears interested in seeking a coach that is going to command a big pay day? Harbaugh has one year remaining on what was reported to be a $25 million, five-year contract. After three straight trips to the NFC Championship Game, I could easily see Harbaugh seeking $7 million per season or something in that range. I don’t know if the Bears will be in that game.

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