Phil Emery has said that the Chicago Bears have to improve their defense before the start of the 2014 NFL season.

The NFC North side ranked second in the league in the regular season in scoring, but missed out on a place in the playoffs.

The general manager told the team's official website: "We need to improve as a defense. We had a lot of tough days defensively and we had a tough season. There are no excuses for it. I know our fans are frustrated. I know everybody in this city is frustrated. The team is frustrated.

"We had injuries, they are not excuse. So for me, I have to look at, did we have enough depth to win football games? The answer is no. From a personnel perspective, from my perspective I had not done enough to provide depth.

"I will just tell you we're going to be a younger defense. The Draft will be focused in that area. We're going to continue to do all we can to get on the road to win championships, and to do that you have to continue to find weapons and playmakers."

The Bears made 30 sacks, forced 17 fumbles and took 13 interceptions in 2013.