Bears Preview

Though I normally hang on to my hope for the Chicago Cubs til at least September, its safe to throw the Sam Fuld jersey into the laundry pile and pull out my new Craig Steltz jersey.

The Chicago Bears are coming off the best offseason in our lifetime and it started to show in tonight's pre-season battle with defending NFC East champions the New York Giants. The Bears were able to put it all together and pull off a 17-3 victory with the first unit looking nearly flawless.

It all started upfront with the 3 new big boys adding to the staple of the Bears Offense, Olin Kruetz. Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale and former sophomore Chris Williams all move into the starting line-up and stand over 6'4" 305 pounds beefing up the front line for the Bears. Too many times last season we saw undersized linemen playing out of position and the Bears losing the battle in the trenches. With added size and depth this year, the Bears skill positions should have time to see the field and make plays.

Of course, the skill positions should be much improved with the acquisition of Jay Cutler. Sure everyone will be talking about what a great move it was for the obvious reasons, but with the Bears previous history in the early rounds of the drafts, why not take truly the best available player out there instead of gambling on a youngster who comes with a huge signing bonus?

Cutler was one of the best players coming out of college when he left Vanderbilt, an alma matter which proves he has brains to go with the big arm. And Cutler, though in limited starts, has faired better against the NFC, completing 66% of his passes, as compared to 61% against the AFC. He also has a 2.5 to 1 TD to INT ratio against NFC opponents, something the Bears hope continues as limiting offense turnovers will provide the defense with rest and help the Bears win the ever important battle of field position.

Cutler got it rolling early against the Giants completing 8-13 passes for 121 yards and an easy TD pass to a wide open Desmond Clark. This TD set up by a 38 yard pass to Devin Aromashodu. Though many say the Bears Receiver corpse lacks experience, this reporter feels its already a better group than last year. Devin Hester should now know the offense. Cutler and Hester just missed on a long ball early in the game that would have had all of Chicago rocking.

As for the rest of the group, each receiver stands over 6 feet tall and is equipped with legs and hands. Another Vanderbilt grad, Earl Bennett will get a chance to hook up with his cohort Cutler as he looks to secure the possession receiver position over the incumbent Rasheid Davis. Bennett completed Saturday's contest with 2 catches for 42 yards. Big target Brandon Rideau will look to use his size to get over the top of safeties down field. Rookie Johnny Knox adds much speed to the team and could end up a return specialist and its only a matter of time before Juaquin Iglesias is on everybody's radar as a threat to score on any play.

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner will have added toys to play with, and an interesting decision to make as to whom to start in the Tight End package. Seasoned Veteran Desmond Clark, who scored in Saturday's win, is coming off a very solid season again but Greg Olsen, who was second on the team in catches in 2008 is ready to be the starter. Olsen and Cutler seem to have developed a very nice chemistry in the early goings and hooked up for a 17 yard connection against the Giants. Michigan State Alum Kellen Davis looked like he could be an NFL starter with the catch he made Saturday night. Davis stands 6'7" and is not afraid to take a hit while making a catch. I would not be surprised if we see a plethora of the 3 tight end package in the red zone this season.

Of course the Backfield will again be anchored by sophomore Matt Forte. Forte is on everyone's radar as a top 5 fantasy player, but could be much more than that again for the Bears. Last year he was the workhorse leading the team in receptions and rushes. This year he should see less men in the box as Cutler adds downfield prowess. Forte had a very solid 2009 debut as he average over 6 yards a carry and broke off a 32 yard run for a TD.

The Bears will have to hope Kevin Jones can keep his arms around the football this season and give Forte the occassional spell over the long season if the Bears hope to make it deep into the playoffs. Jones, after a very nice run in the 2nd quarter, fumbled on his next attempt and saw his playing time immediate diminish. Speedster and outside specialist (and former high school classmate) Garrett Wolfe saw an increased work load, which resulted in a few nice runs but a not so nice fumble in the red zone. Wolfe may see continued action on 3rd down as he is equipped for screens and draws. Of course, this would cut into the work load of ever consistant Adrian Peterson who can always be counted on in short yard situations. The Bears will carry 4 backs this year and each one will have to pick their spots to help the team Win.

The Bears Defense on Saturday night reminded me of a Super Bowl team i once watched. Unfortunately that team lost to the best QB in football, but that team also didnt have a QB... how the tides have turned. The Bear defense looked vicious, angry, aggressive, violent and, most of all, prepared. With the addition of Cutler and Pace, perhaps the most overlooked addition to the team was Pisa Tinoisamoa, who is coming off his best season recording over 100 tackles last year for the lowly St Louis Rams. Tinoisamoa adds depth and brains to a pro bowl caliber linebacker crew. I wouldnt be surprised to see Sam, Mike and Willy all make the pro bowl this year for the Bears. Pisa had a great game against the Giants showing his ability to run sideline to sideline and help gang up on the ball.

Another overlooked addition is Al Afalava who looks to have secured the starting Safety spot, at least as long as Daniel Manning is injured. The Bears have struggled at the two safety spots in recent years with Kevin Payne often looking lost, Adam Archuleta being completely washed up and even Mike Brown being unreliable and ever-so-injured. Its about time the Bears think about this position for the future, and in this case, the future is now and Afalava is only 22.

The Bears Defensive line, though made up of the same players, should be nothing but better this year. Alex Brown looked like he was in midseason form on Saturday. Adawale Ogunleye is in a contract year and will have every reason to step up his game. Mark Anderson will be fighting for playing time and hopefully returns to the sack machine he was 2 years ago. Tommie Harris should finally be healthy and a friendly battle for the other DT spot between Idonije, Dvoracek and Adams should keep each player at the top of his game. But none of these reasons outweigh another huge addition by the Bears this offseason.

Rod Marinelli will now be coaching this unit. Marinelli, a genius in the trenches, will take these players back to the fundamentals and give them every possibility to be prepared to shut down the offense at the line of scrimmage. The Bears struggles at the DT position over the last 2 seasons, mostly due to injuries, has allowed offensive lineman to get through the first wave of Bears Defense and disallow Urlacher and Briggs a free shot at the opposing Runningbacks. With Marinelli at the helm, things could be very different. Also look for more aggressive defensive play calling with Lovie Smith taking the chart away from Bob Babich. Babich was often ridiculed for having the bears sitting back against the pass allowing the Bears to give up more than their fair share of 100 yard rushing games, something they did not do in previous playoff runs.

Oh ya, and how could I end a Bears scouting report without mentioning the man, the myth, the legend, Robbie Gould? The man warms up by kicking at the side of the goal post, Stud, in every aspect of the word.

Super Bowl Prediction:
New England Patriots 10, Chicago Bears 46

Hey, history does repeat itself....