Smith: Bears To Focus On Passing Game

(WSCR) Since Jay Cutler joined the Bears in 2009, the quarterback have lacked a physical, No. 1 wide receiver.

At the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday, The Score's Zach Zaidman caught up with Bears head coach Lovie Smith for an exclusive interview to discuss the upcoming season. While Smith wouldn't tip his hand as to which wide receiver the Bears will target, he did say the the team will begin to focus on the passing game.

"You have to be able to pass," Smith said. "When you have a special quarterback, a franchise quarterback like we do in Jay Cutler, we have to keep developing our passing game and get our passing game up to where it needs to be. Our running game has been productive, we have to bring the passing game along to.

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"We'll have a big emphasis on the run, along with the pass. That's how I'm misquoted sometimes when I talk about getting off the bus running the ball. That's because people just tend to forget the run.

Another key aspect the Bears need to focus on this offseason is the fate of free-agent running back Matt Forte.

"If Matt didn't like us and we didn't like Matt, then I think we would have a problem," Smith said. "Matt Forte loves being the tailback for the Chicago Bears. We love him being the tailback for the Chicago Bears. I think once you start with that foundation, you can get things done."

Smith also said improvements need to be made on the defensive side of the ball.

"Our front four is the engine of our defense," he said. "We got good pressure, but we can get better. Linebacker-wise, even though we have our core in place, they'll tell you, they can still make some more plays. I'm going to say the same thing in the secondary. Going through the evaluation of our defense, we did a lot of good things, but again it just wasn't good enough."