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The Bears will put the finishing touches on a disappointing 2007 season today when they host the Saints. After a Super Bowl appearance 10 months ago, Chicago's front office is already looking forward to free agency and the draft, and at 6-9, for good reason.

A team that seemingly needed just a few tweaks last off-season now could face major overhauls before training camp in August. Linebacker Lance Briggs is as good as gone, and quarterback Rex Grossman's fate has yet to be decided.

The Bears would love to have a healthy Mike Brown back at strong safety, but he's missed 43 of 64 games the last four seasons. He won't be invited back for yet another comeback unless it's at a lesser salary or with a reworked, incentive-laden contract based on playing time. ...

Darwin Walker has no chance of getting a $5.2 million roster bonus in March, especially since the Bears found out they could get more production and better effort from Matt Toeaina, a player they picked off the Bengals' practice squad and threw into the lineup six days later.

And then there are the skill positions: wideout Bernard Berrian will probably test free agency, and who knows what to make of the running game. Chicago traded Thomas Jones last off-season and Cedric Benson struggled before getting injured. And after the Bears finally decide on a quarterback, the offensive line will need some overhauling. Basically, to parrot Marvin Lewis, Chicago needs to "blow it up" and start over.