the postseason in 2009 than anyone considered the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens or Atlanta Falcons to be in 2008. Those three are in a group of seven teams to reach the playoffs that didn't do so a year ago, and they made up the most ground by far. - Last year, the Dolphins were a Week 15 victory away from beating the Detroit Lions in the race to finish 0-16. The Dolphins' rebound from 1-15 to AFC East champions is nothing short of spectacular. The Ravens reversed their fortunes from a 5-11 season to earn an AFC wild-card bid, and the upstart Falcons rallied from 4-12 a year ago to capture an NFC wild-card spot. - Record-wise, the Bears don't have nearly as far to go. A victory last Sunday at Houston would've gotten them into the playoffs. Instead, they finished 9-7 for the third winning season in five years under Smith, who again repeated his belief the team was close Monday. - ''Lovie is a great leader, and all great leaders create hope,'' general manager Jerry Angelo said. ''He does not want anybody -- our fans, our players -- ever thinking there isn't hope. I know that's what he meant.''

So if the Bears aren't far off, can parallels be drawn to the remarkable turnarounds of first-year coaches Tony Sparano, John Harbaugh and Mike Smith?

Not at the top, they can't. Smith is back for sure, and it appears his top lieutenants -- offensive coordinator Ron Turner and defensive coordinator Bob Babich -- are returning.

The other common theme among the instant success stories is at quarterback. It's no wonder Angelo said quarterback is his top priority -- for the eighth year running -- this offseason.

The turnarounds in all three cities were driven by strong play under center. The Falcons' Matt Ryan ran away with offensive rookie of the year honors. The Ravens' Joe Flacco would've been offensive rookie of the year almost any other season, getting his chance when Troy Smith fell ill in preseason and never looking back. Chad Pennington was cast away by the Brett Favre-struck New York Jets and scooped up by the Dolphins, for whom he won comeback player of the year honors.

There's no guarantee Kyle Orton will take that step forward in 2009, and the problem with Angelo starting his to-do list at quarterback is he's diverting focus from where the real issue is. The Bears can blame the offense all they want, but at the end of the season, they still got better production out of that unit than anyone expected. The issue is on defense.

The story line he created -- putting the focus on Orton -- only distracts us from the obvious: Smith's highly paid defense is in as much disarray as when he arrived.

They've locked into blaming ousted defensive backs coach Steve Wilks, who helped develop cornerback Corey Graham, and they're expected to pin the lack of a pass rush on defensive line coach Brick Haley. That doesn't solve the problem, and with every defensive starter under contract with the exception of strong safety Mike Brown and strong-side linebacker Nick Roach (he's an exclusive- rights free agent expected to return), the parts aren't going to change. The scheme, too, is expected to remain the same.

Smith is right when he says the Bears don't have far to go, but it's also possible they could turn the other way. What they must avoid, at all costs, is a major dropoff. They've at least begun to address the defensive problems with changes on the coaching staff. Is that enough?

Angelo hasn't drafted well. It has been five drafts since he last found a Pro Bowl position player -- defensive tackle Tommie Harris. Smith and Angelo are making a push for fired Lions coach Rod Marinelli because they think he can fix the defensive line.

With Angelo and Smith still publicly committed to Orton, the quick fix must happen elsewhere.

Five keys to a postseason return

Sign Marinelli now

1The Lions owe their former coach $2 million for 2009, so he'll come at a steep discount in Year 1. Smith always has wanted to reunite with a guy he called ''roomie'' when they started together at Tampa Bay. If anyone can get top production again from Harris, it's Marinelli (above), who long was considered one of the finest position coaches in the league. The three-technique tackle is the motor to the cover-2, and if Marinelli can't remold Mark Anderson, he'll at least be able to bring along young tackle Marcus Harrison. Yes, Marinelli was an absolute failure for an abysmal franchise as a head coach. That doesn't mean he has forgotten how to work with linemen.

Add a pass rusher

2The first thing Smith figured out when he arrived was he didn't have an end to make his scheme work. So the Bears dealt for Adewale Ogunleye, who will be entering the final year of his contract. That ought to provide Ogunleye with motivation entering his free-agent year, but Smith can't take that gamble. He also can't count on Anderson panning out again, so an edge rusher is first and foremost on Lovie's list. If they get the pass rush from the front four worked out, they won't have to monkey around with linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs at the line of scrimmage and can let them return to doing what they do best.

Get a safety

3Smith knows he has been operating without a true free safety and bemoaned the problem in his season-ending news conference. It's time to be bold in the draft; remember, they have to make moves at all costs. If USC junior Taylor Mays (left) comes out and is within reach in the first round, Angelo needs to get him. Mays is the kind of big, physical safety who can run all day and would be an instant playmaker in a secondary that thrives on takeaways. The Bears haven't spent more than a fourth-round pick on a safety since Mike Brown in the second round in 2000, a big reason the position has been in flux for so long.

Stick with your strength

4Want to make Orton better? Make the running game better. Rookie Matt Forte was impressive, but the Bears were still 24th in the league in rushing. They need to find a complement to Forte and not hesitate to use him. Otherwise, they'll run Forte into the ground.

Get a receiver

5Rookie wide receivers are impossible to predict, and there are more pressing needs, so spend some money on a free-agent wide receiver who can be a reliable threat. A veteran such as the St. Louis Rams' Torry Holt (below) might be available. The Bears' offense will be a tough sell in free agency, but money talks, and so does a chance to win. This will not be a long-term solution, but trying to add a true No. 1 receiver before knowing the quarterback situation is fixed might be a fruitless exercise.

Conclusion

Of course, all of this hinges on a number of other issues, not the least of which is first-round pick Chris Williams being productive at left tackle.

No one said the move from 9-7 to the playoffs is going to be easy, but these steps aren't drastic. No, this plan doesn't outline an immediate fix at quarterback, but the Bears have proved they can succeed with modest contributions under center.

''You're never going to hear me say 'rebuilding' or we have to take a step backward or subliminally send a message to our fans that we aren't going to be a good team or we can't, irrelevant of what the situation is,'' Angelo said.

Angelo will have to learn to say ''can't'' if the defense can't be turned around. Fixing it is the true mission of the offseason.

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