Emma: Broncos, Panthers Took Super Bowl Path Bears Are Trying To Emulate
By Chris Emma--
(CBS) Before the Broncos and Panthers reached their Super Bowl pinnacle, each had hit rock bottom.
In 2010, Denver endured its worst season in franchise history, going 4-12 under the disastrous tenure of Josh McDaniels. Only Carolina could top it, going 2-14 in John Fox's final year as coach. From there, both built, built and built some more until their collective prowess proved worthy of Super Bowl 50.
And that's a reminder of great significance: It was time and execution that led the Broncos and Panthers to Santa Clara. Take notice, Bears brass.
Both the Broncos and Panthers followed the best way to build a model football franchise -- by hitting through the draft and building around the homegrown core with smart free-agent acquisitions.
Names like Cam Newton and Von Miller were the top picks in the 2011 draft, Danny Trevathan and Josh Norman were the late-round steals, DeMarcus Ware and Greg Olsen solidified a championship-level roster and so on. These are the pieces of a Super Bowl participant.
In Chicago, the question has been asked more than once this week -- how far are the Bears from being a Super Bowl team?
Fox -- the last man to coach in Denver and Carolina before current coaches Gary Kubiak and Ron Rivera, respectively -- is confident with the way in which he has built a Super Bowl participant before. It started with forging an identity, something the Bears were successful with in Year 1 of the Fox era. There's a long way to go from there.
Second-year Bears general manager Ryan Pace must further dig the Bears out of an organizational hole created by Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery, hitting on draft picks early and late, finding the right free-agent fits and even getting lucky on some undrafted free agents. It's certainly sweet when a Chris Harris Jr. becomes a Pro Bowl cornerback, as he's done for the Broncos.
The Bears have a coaching staff in place that's touted for its player development -- look no further than what Fox did with these Broncos before his ouster. The key is for Pace to be successful in identifying personnel. Failures can set a franchise back years.
It will take plenty of time if the Bears are going to become a Super Bowl contender. There's a lot of work to be done.
Both the Broncos and Panthers reached the playoffs in fluke fashion before this season. Fox worked a miracle with Tim Tebow to make Denver 8-8 in 2011, and the Panthers posted an ugly 7-8-1 mark to win the NFC South in 2014. Neither team was ready for Super Bowl glory, but they found their way to the playoffs.
In 2016, the Bears have the potential to be a playoff contender, though they face a challenge in a daunting NFC North. Even if Chicago progresses well, Super Bowl contention appears several years away. Pace and his Bears brass need a few more years of drafting, signing, trading and building to bring Chicago a championship-level team.
The rise from rock bottom takes time, but the reward waiting is super.
Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.