Most new coaches take over rosters that are ready to rebuild. That's not the case with the Chicago Bears.
Marc Trestman inherited a team that finished 10-6 last year and doesn't have a lot of quality young talent. ESPN.com's Mike Sando crunched the numbers, noting that the Bears have the oldest cumulative projected starting lineup in the entire NFL. This especially is true on defense, where Lance Briggshas assumed the leadership void left vacant by Brian Urlacher.
After the Bears, the next five-oldest teams by this measure -- projected starters -- all made the playoffs last year: Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest non-playoff team. Some other thoughts from the list, which I find strangely fascinating.
» Seattle Seahawks fans have to be thrilled. Not only are they looking like a potential juggernaut, they are the fourth-youngest group of starters. The St. Louis Rams, set up for a nice long run with a great-looking defense, are the second-youngest.
» The Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals are two other playoff teams with very young core players.
» The Redskins somehow feel like a younger team because of Robert Griffin III, but, in reality, they are built around many aging free agents.
» The Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills fit the mold as rebuilding young teams. The Browns had the youngest projected starters in the NFL.
» The Pittsburgh Steelers have the biggest disparity between sides of the ball. They have the oldest defensive starters in the league and the third-youngest projected starters on offense. And that's after the Steelers let go of some defensive stalwarts.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
