Behind Enemy Lines: Talking about Marc Trestman's future with Bears beat writer Dan Wiederer

For the Vikings' season finale, we reached to a familiar name in the last installment of "Behind Enemy Lines." Former Star Tribune writer and current Chicago Tribune Bears bear writer Dan Wiederer answered five questions about this week's matchup against the Bears at TCF Bank Stadium.

1. Will this be Marc Trestman's final game as the Bears head coach?

DW: It sure seems to be headed down that path. And it would be a bigger shock Monday to have the Bears announce that Trestman was returning in 2015 than it would be for him to be shown the door. It's just been a miserable season across the board in Chicago and Trestman will take a heavy volume of the heat for it. He hasn't been able to spark the offense the way everyone anticipated he might. He hasn't been able to take Jay Cutler to the next level. He wasn't able to keep the team's struggles from compounding week after week after week. It's not just that the Bears have lost seven times in their past nine games, it's that they've been blown out too often. The Patriots, the Packers, the Cowboys, the Saints. All four of those teams went up at least 24 points on the Bears and coasted to victory. So the inability for the Bears to be more competitive has been disconcerting. Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is likely to be fired after another season in which the Bears' defense has struggled. Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer put himself on thin ice a few weeks ago by first anonymously criticizing Cutler to the NFL Network, then confessing to that transgression. And the Bears' special teams, under coordinator Joe DeCamillis, have been a mess this season too. So it's hard to envision a scenario where you bring any of those three coordinators back. And if you're blowing out everything at the coordinator level, the head coach is obviously in the line of fire as well.

2. Despite some offseason acquisitions, why didn't the Bears defense improve?

DW: Injuries have been a major issue. There's no doubt about that with Charles Tillman, Lance Briggs, D.J. Williams, Willie Young and Lamarr Houston all ending the year on Injured Reserve. But the Bears' troubles run much deeper than just that. Their perceived personnel changes last offseason never paid off. Jared Allen has clearly lost a little something and isn't the feared edge rusher he was at his peak with the Vikings. The Bears never did get much consistency from their linebacking unit with Shea McClellin and Jon Bostic still not showing that they are major difference makers. The secondary has been ordinary. And Tucker hasn't done a good enough job getting the best out of the playmakers he does have. Tim Jennings is without an interception this season. Allen is headed for a career low in sacks. There haven't been enough splash plays. And while the defense made strides from 2013, they were starting from an all-time low.

3. Why did the Bears decide to start quarter Jay Cutler again over rookie David Fales?

DW: Let's make something clear here. Fales was a sixth-round pick, not a guy taken in the first or second round that the team absolutely has to get a look at right away to determine their future at the position. No one in the organization envisions him as a long-term starting option. So he's a No. 2 at best. On top of that. Fales was on the practice squad until Week 15, not getting anywhere near the practice reps that Cutler and Jimmy Clausen have taken. So his command of the offense isn't where it needs to be. And it would be a borderline unfair position to put him into to simply throw him out there in the season finale just because. That's the simplest explanation there is for the Cutler-over-Fales call this week.

DW: Incomplete. Fuller has had his rough moments this year to be certain, at times looking very much like a rookie learning on the fly. But the kid has clearly shown he has the competitiveness and athleticism to be a big-time corner in the league for a decade or longer if he stays healthy. After 15 games, you can chalk that up as a hit for the Bears, a first-round pick that seems ready to jell into a difference-making starter. Beyond Fuller, the rookies haven't made much of an impact. Defensive tackles Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton have shown promise. But it's too early yet to determine just how much potential either guy has. Running back Ka'Deem Carey has been in a limited role behind Matt Forte. Safety Brock Vereen, a University of Minnesota product, had his first career interception last week and comes to the table with great savvy and a feel for the game. But Vereen has to improve his coverage skills and willingness to be more physical on the back end of the defense. We've already discussed Fales. Punter Pat O'Donnell, taken in the sixth round, has been solid but not spectacular. And seventh-rounder Charles Leno has played only sparingly as an emergency option on the offensive line. In other words, they're not chilling the champagne at Halas Hall just yet to celebrate a certain victory with their 2014 draft class.

5. What do the Bears need to do to win in the battle for last place in the NFC North?