John Fox: Bears Have Shown 'Steady Improvement' This Season
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Bears eclipsed last season's win total with a 26-21 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday that moved them to 6-9, and although the best they can hope for is a 7-9 season, coach John Fox said his team is getting better and in good shape for next season.
"Our record doesn't indicate it, but our guys really competed all season long," Fox told WBBM Newsradio's Geroge Ofman on Monday morning. "We've seen steady improvement, and we've made adjustments to the roster, and I think we're in pretty good shape moving forward."
One of those areas has been the defense, which held the league's second-leading rusher, Doug Martin, to only 49 yards Sunday and forced him to fumble twice. The Bears managed to score 10 points off those turnovers.
While it's unclear which current players on defense -- aside from guys like Pernell McPhee and Kyle Fuller -- will be key parts of the team in 2016, a number of young players have impressed this season, from rookie safety Adrian Amos to undrafted free agent linebacker John Timu. Meanwhile, veterans Lamarr Houston and Willie Young have recovered from serious injuries last season and played well in recent weeks, answering some questions about whether they could fit in the new 3-4 scheme.
"That's what we're playing for now, to finish this season strong and identify and sign up the guys that we think can be our core moving forward," Fox said.
Two players Fox thinks definitely will be part of that core are running backs Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey, who both played pivotal roles in Sunday's win. Langford had 83 rushing yards, and Carey scored both Bears' touchdowns. The Bears closed out their win with starter Matt Forte on the bench and Langford and Carey excelling as they paced the offense late in the game.
You can hear more of Fox's thoughts on Sunday's win and the season finale against the Lions at the link below.