Time to end the Cutler era in Chicago?

In a season that could easily be classified as the biggest disappointment in the NFL this season, the Chicago Bears will mercifully end their season Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium.

A game that means nothing for the Bears in terms of playoffs, but everything for head coach Marc Trestman and seemingly moreso for quarterback Jay Cutler. It's been something that hard for me to fathom after the huge contract he signed at the end of last season that guaranteed him $54 million the next three years.

The fact of the matter is, Cutler's goose may alreadty be cooked, but talk of his demise has been greatly exaggerated. in reality 2014 has been one of his best years statistically in terms of touchdowns (28 is a career best), completion percentage (66.1 is a career best) and yards (He needs 57 yards to have his best season since 2008, his final season in Denver).

Of course the number that sticks out are the 18 interceptions are what everyone is talking about. It is a number that leads the NFL and is his most since his first season in Chicago, when he appeared to be trying to do too much.

Numbers will say what they will. His say, the offense has not been consistent all year. Every Trestman postgame presser starts with him saying the game was "disappointing." Most all of that falls back on the head coach and the preparation. The quarterback has to wear that, as well, and for the second half of the season it is clear the coach has lost the team, mainly because he didn't have the answers to solve the problems on either side of the ball.

As many characterized it after Cutler signed his contract, Trestman and Cutler became married at that point. They were tied to each other in success and failure and with the contract, the Bears were hoping and banking on success.

That put a ton of expectations on Cutler's 2014, and from the first game of the season he has failed to deliver. I've been one of his biggest supporters throughout the years and after a 2013 that saw the potential start to come out of him, finally, he appeared ready to take the next step. 

Give him the tools in standout wide receivers in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, a tight end in Martelus Bennett that catches anything in his vacinity and a running back in Matt Forte that is one of the best in the business and the offense was poised for greatness.

Somewhere along the way, Cutler and Trestman got their signals crossed and seemed out of sync from the first game of the season. Things have spiraled out of control the last four games and opened up on Jay, leading to his benching in the Week 16 loss to the Lions. 

All of the talk this week has been that no one at Halas Hall is safe from the CEO Ted Philips to General Manager Phil Emery, Trestman and Cutler. I have called for a house cleaning myself, but to see them all go would be unprecidented and while Cutler is the highest paid player in the league this season, he wasn't the only problem on the team, so seeing him sent packing would be far fetched.

A coaching change and a chance for Emery to take one more shot at it seems more likely. Regardless, we shall see come Monday if Trestman makes it through Black Monday.

Trestman came into own in first season with Bears

Not all first-year NFL coaches are created equal. Just ask Cleveland and apparently Oakland what it's like to burn through coaches year after year. General Manager Phil Emery seemed very high on Marc Trestman after his first year with the Bears with much promise going forward.

Yes, the Bears failed to make the playoffs for the third-straight season, but for the first time in a long time, the offense is being lauded as a force to be reckoned with. Throughout the course of the season there, Trestman started to see progress with Jay Cutler before he went down with a torn groin and then a high ankle sprain. Then he worked wonders with backup quarterback Josh McCown.

We as Bears fans have seen McCown before and did not expect anything near what he did this season coming. As has been said in the Chicago papers, that coaching up of a backup QB alone could be what led to the hopes tied to the Cutler signing. 

Speaking of McCown, dealing with that how he did and not letting it build into a controversy may have been one of the defining moments of his season. He led the team in the right direction. Any rumors that members of the team weren't on board with the move back to Cutler were quickly silenced and you never heard much from them the rest of the season.

One series of events that doesn't get enough talk is the end of the Baltimore game. The Ravens were inside the 10 with just under 2 minutes remaining and everyone was clamoring for Trestman to use his timeouts. He didn't use either of his two remaining, the defense held and the Ravens were held to a field goal to take the lead. It left enough time and all of the Bears timeouts to move down the field and get their own score to force overtime, where they eventually won. Asked about it afterward, Trestman explained he had worked it out and chose the timeouts over the time remaining and it worked out. 

On top of all that, Trestman and Cutler seem to get along great. Something it's safe to say Jay hasn't had in a head coach or offensive coordinator since his Denver days with Mike Shanahan. That would be why the Bears brought Cutler back for seven years and linked the coach and quarterback together for what should be the rest of each of their times in the Windy City. The hope is that the relationship continues to blossom and leads to great things in the near future.

With the emergence of Alshon Jeffery as a top-tier NFL wide receiver, he is another weapon for Cutler. Matt Forte showed this offense is multi dimensional after posting a career-high for rushing yards this season.

It wasn't all roses for the Bears this season. If it were they would still be playing, but Trestman and Emery know what they have to focus on this offseason. With a defense that went from the strength of the team to the achiles heel in a season, there is much work to be done. It appears Mel Tucker will return as defensive corrdinator, so an overhaul of personnel has to be done to give Tucker another shot. 

Lance Briggs will be back, Tim Jennings was resigned for four years and Julius Peppers is under contract for two more seasons, but could be on the chopping block with his high salary cap number. The promise there is one could look to the offense and see how quickly a turn for the better can be made. 

This offensive line was one of the worst in the league a season ago, but this year it was the strongest unit on the team, leading to low sack numbers and a running back that was second in the NFL on the ground this season.

I cannot remember ever having this much promise for an 8-8 team that missed the playoffs, but that's exactly what Emery and Trestman have sold and made it easy to buy into. With the right tweaks to the defense and choices with personnel, it could be the unit that makes the difference next season to get the Bears into the playoffs and possibly beyond.

Marshall, Jeffery will benefit most from Cutler signing

Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall joined the crew on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown Sunday afternoon and flashed his smile when asked about the Bears signing of Jay Cutler last week through the 2020. He's excited to know he will be catching passes from Cutler for as long as he is in Chicago. 

Marshall already knows the importance of Cutler to his career. The two started their careers together in Denver and Marshall shined. Then when Cutler got traded to the Bears, Marshall never saw the same success in Denver or Miami. When the Bears traded to reunite him with Cutler, the two rekindled their great partnership prior to the 2012 season.

Marshall has been an all-pro both years he has been with the Bears and seven more years of Cutler speaks to the connection and chemistry to the two of them have on the field.

Marshall has 218 catches in his two seasons with the Bears for 2,803 yards and 23 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. He became the first Bears receiver with 10 touchdowns in back to back seasons in team history and his 23 TDs already have him ranked in the top 10 in team history. 

Pair him with the breakout Alshon Jeffery had this season with his 89 catches for 1,421 yards and seven touchdown and the Bears have one of the top duos in the NFL as weapons for the quarterback they have secured for the next seven years.

Jeffery set team records for yards in a game twice this season, breaking his own record he set against the Saints, against the Vikings December 1 with 248 yards. His arrival made he and Marshall just the second receiving duo in Bears history to go over 1,000 yards each, beating out the 1995 tandem of Jeff Graham and Cutis Conway.

The complaint I heard from most people was that Josh McCown had an equal part in pushing the Bears offense to the next level. That very fact may have been the same one that pushed General Manager Phil Emery and coach Marc Trestman to bring Cutler back. Seeing the success McCown had and seeing the potential in Cutler with more tools to get the job done makes it appealing to see how Cutler can lead this offense.

Marshall will turn 30 this offseason and has one year remaining on his contract. You have to think it's a slam dunk he stays with the Bears beyond that. With Jeffery in just his second year in the NFL is coming into his own. Matt Forte had career highs for rushing yards this season and made another Pro Bowl. Add in Martelus Bennet's production as a tight end in this offense and Trestman has weapons all around the field for Cutler to deliver to.

As is seen around the NFL, you can have weapons and with no quarterback, they are useless. The opposite was seen in Chicago in the first years of the "Cutler era" where he had no weapons and seemed to take the entire offense on himself. Now they are together and the sky seems to be the limit in their production going forward.

Who stays, who goes amongst Bears free agents

Not in my memory has a team had as many players unrestricted free agents as the Bears and General Manager Phil Emery have this offseason. Last offseason Emery made the offense a focal point, retooling the offensive line and taking it from the worst units in the league to the strongest unit of the team.

He has promised to do the same this offseason. He has to start in deciding if Defensive Coordinator Mel Tucker will be back and beyond that has some tough choices to make starting with the players that played in Chicago this season.

Before the team signed kicker Robbie Gould and fullback Tony Fiammetta signed contracts before the Week 17 showdown with the Packers, the Bears had 29 players eligible for free agency after this season.

The list of players is long, but contains some big names, including Jay Cutler and Charles "Peanut" Tillman. I've been clear how I feel about Cutler and backup quarterback Josh McCown, who is also a free agent, but things seem to be taking shape on some of the other players. Tillman's injuries the last couple seasons make him a guy that could be on his way out. He says he's not done playing football, but might be a guy the Bears are willing to let go.

The biggest name outside of Cutler and Tillman is Devin Hester, who still has ability to be a game changer and did so throughout this year. It was his first season as just a return man and he seemed to do well. He earned just $2 million this season and if they can agree on something around that this year, I would be behind bringing him back. Otherwise, Hester has been clear he'd like to reunite with Lovie Smith, where ever he ends up this winter.

Cornerback Tim Jennings, who plays opposite Tillman, should be a guy the Bears look at signing. He's young enough and is a great playmaker. Whether he can play man coverage is something that could play a role in that.

Linebackers D.J. Williams and James Anderson are free agents, as well. Williams was the starting middle linebacker at the start of the season, but injury ended his season early on. He makes just $1 million and has been clear he wants to be back. For that salary, it would be hard to let him walk away, for depth purposes alone. Anderson could be a casualty with rookie James Bostic showing himself worth in Lance Briggs' absence during the year.

Along the offensive line center Roberto Garza was the lone holdover from last season and proved himself worthy this season. I'd be inclined to keep this group together for another season as they started all 16 games this season. Left guard Matt Slauson has said he wants to be back and I'd like to see him back, too.

Finally, Julius Peppers is an interesting name that's been brought up this week. He's not a free agent, but is set to make $18.133 million next season. If the Bears are looking to find dollars to spread around to the free agents and draft picks, that might be a spot they look to make a move. Peppers led the team with 7.5 sacks this season, but was not nearly the force he's been in past year.

I'm glad I'm not the guy crunching the numbers and dealing with the agents, but it will be interesting to see fall into place as Emery and Trestman put a team together over the next six months.

Tucker needs to be scapegoat for Bears defense

As the realization sets in that there will be now games for my Chicago Bears this weekend, the one thing clear to me (after the fact that Jay Cutler needs to be resigned) is that changes need to be abound on the defensive side of the ball, starting with Defensive Coordinator Mel Tucker.

I'm not usually the guy that calls for coaches to be fired just for the sake of making the change, but in Tucker's case it seems like a logical move to start over for a unit that did nothing but disappoint after being the backbone of the team for so long.

This Bears defense was worst in the league in rushing yards per game (161.4) and per carry (5.35) and with Lance Briggs out for seven games the unit went on to give up 100-yard rushers in six straight games, another franchise record.

Yes, this defense was historically bad, but the question around how much blame to place in Tucker's lap goes back to the fact that seven of the 11 Opening Day starters missed significant time. That led to two starting rookie linebackers playing for most of the second half of the season and teams running at will on the Bears.

Tucker was brought in because head coach Marc Trestman's thought was to continue running the Cover 2 which had been so succussful under Lovie Smith. Tucker continued the status quo on that side of the ball and continued to use the same vocabulary even. 

Even at the start of the season, it was clear this wasn't Lovie's defense and us as fans hoped they could figure things out. Some improvements were made, but things took leaps backward in the Eagles game in Week 16 where they gave up 54 points.

Then there's the Packers game and two plays may have spelled Tucker's fate with the fumble that led to a free touchdown for the Packers and the scoring play for the Packers in the final minute. An all-out blitz with man coverage on the outside, that fell apart when Chris Conte decided to jump a route at the first-down marker. 

All of the progress that had been made over previous weeks fell apart over the final two weeks. Add to that the personnel changes that could be a big factor in things, as well, with Charles Tillman, Craig Steltz, Major Wright and Tim Jennings among the free agents that might not be back. 

After the team surrendered a franchise record 6,313 yards (breaking the 24-year record by 584 yards), a change of some sort has to be in the works. If GM Phil Emery and Trestman are going to retool the personnel, it would make sense they bring in a new coach, as well.

Would it be 100 percent fair? Not necessarily, but the Bears have a history of doing so. In Lovie's first year, offensive coordinator Terry Shea after he struggled. He had quarterbacks Craig Krenzel, Jonathan Quinn and Chad Hutchinson under center that year, so it was hardly fair. It had to be done though and three years later the Bears were playing in the Super Bowl.      

Resigning Cutler, McCown must be top priority to Bears

If Brandon Marshall said it, we have to believe it. Right? If we should believe Marshall, who will probably later be creditied as "a person close to the situation," at his postgame press conference Sunday night, Jay Cutler will be back as quarterback of the Bears. And with him Josh McCown needs to be back, too. But let's start with Cutler.

It seems all parties involved want there to be a contract signed to keep Cutler, the Bears' franchise leader for passing yards, under contract going forward. From General Manager Phil Emery and the signal caller himself, the writing seems to be on the wall.

The only group that seems to be torn on this matter is some Bears fans. To steal a line from Stephen A. Smith "The fact of the matter is this..." No Bears offense has produce like the Bears offense did this season, under this coaching staff, with these weapons, than it has in the history of the team.

Cutler, the all-time leader in passing yards in franchise history with 14,913 yards. And he did that in only five seasons under center. The sky seems to be the limit with Cutler having Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennet and Matt Forte to throw the ball to for the forseable future under the tutelage of head coach Marc Trestman. At some point over the next two years Cutler will become the all-time touchdown leader with the Bears, needing just 36 to tie Sid Luckman, who has 137.

We all knew what Marshall brought to the table this year. His numbers came down a little bit, with 94 catches for 1,221 yards and 11 touchdowns, but that helped the Bears offense become multidimensional and Jeffery emerged as a top-tier receiver in this league with 86 catches for 1,341 yards and seven touchdowns. Add to that Martelus Bennett's 64 catches for 744 yards and five TDs and the Bears have big targets to make defenses crazy.

Would a change make sense there? No. Keep the parties invovled intact moving forward and let them keep building a chemistry that could carry this team going forward. It's one of those things where if a change is giong to be made, there has to be good reason. Do not do it for the sake of making a change.

Going into the draft looking to land a quarterback would be something to do with Cutler on the tail end of his career. But not right now. 

To that end, that emplores the Bears to bring McCown back, too. Some would ask why he would settle to be a backup when some team has to give him a starting job, but he seemed content being the backup in Chicago this year and this system is one he flourished in during his time with Cutler out with injury. It only makes sense the Bears would entertain the idea and they should.

For those asking, why pay a backup QB decent money, take a look around the league. Sure the Packers made the playoffs this season, but it wasn't pretty and there was a huge let down. The Bears didn't have that this year. The backup quarterback is the most important guy on the team everyone hopes never sees the field. 

When called upon, McCown delivered by completing 149 of 224 passes for over 1,800 yards and 13 touchdowns to just one interception, which computes to a 109 passer rating.

With Cutler's history of missing 12 games over the past three seasons, having a solid backup QB would be an important signing for stability of this team. That makes McCown, who is also one of Jay's best friends, that much more important to this team.

Note: This is my second blog in a week and I have plans for many more over the next month. Be sure to check my Twitter @acwilber for links and comment with any questions you have about my two favorite teams, the Bears and Brewers.

Nothing personal: All eyes on Cutler in Week 17

Nothing like a big game to bring Wilber's Way back from a near year-long hiatus! This one is for all the marbles. 

As much as the return of Aaron Rodgers to the Packers lineup Sunday seems to have pumped Green Bay fans with confidence, the key to the game lies with No. 6 Jay Cutler. Yes, Rodgers has flippped the point spread from three points in favor of the Bears to  4.5 points for the Packers, but everyone knows if Cutler has a good game, the Bears will have a shot in this NFC North title game.

His numbers against the Packers are not anything to get excited about. Since joining the Bears he's 1-7 against Green Bay during the regular season since joining the Bears in 2009. As Michael C. Wright writes on ESPN Chicago Cutler has completed 55.3 percent of his passes against the Packers for 1,702 yards with nine touchdowns and 16 interceptions. That adds up to a 61.5 quarterback rating. Comparitively against the rest of the NFC North, the Santa Claus, Indiana native has thrown for 33 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during that span.

So why would a Bears fan have confidence in Cutler? Well, just as he said, he has not played against the Packers with this offense and this coaching staff. Marc Trestman pumped Josh McCown up enough that he was able to lead this Bears team to a 27-20 win on November 4 with 442 yards of offense.

It was the first time the Bears beat the Packers since the 2010 season. Yes, there was no Aaron Rodgers, but what the Bears offense was able to do that night at Lambeau Field has shown itself over and over this season, albeit with a backup quarterback.

Cutler said in his press conference at Halas Hall earlier this week, this game was not personal and it was not about just him and "it would take everyone on the team" for the Bears to win this game and he is right. He is going to need help if the Bears are going to win this game and make the playoffs, but he still holds the key to the outcome. 

"He is in a new offense, with new coaches all around him. And I think that's probably the direction and what he was thinking," Trestman said of Cutler's comments.

According to Football Reference, Cutler is having his best year since his Denver days in terms of completion percentage (63.1), yards per game (239.5), passer rating (88.1) and the ESPN equivalent, QBR (63.81).

Last week, he had a touchdown and an interception that was returned for a touchdown, but didn't play bad in the lopsided loss. One would be more apt to look back to the Cleveland game in Week 15 for a truer gauge of where Cutler is in his progression within this offense. Trestman has been dubbed the "Quarterback Whisperer" and has turned things around for McCown. The Bears and their fans have to hope he has his QB's ear this week to put his demons to rest in this game.

Emery, Bears being thorough not frantic, in coach search

Some have called it frantic. Others have asked if Chicago Bears General Manager Phil Emery's head coaching search had any direction. Things had seemed to get so out of control ESPN had a page dedicated to ranking the candidates. But putting the pieces together from interviews around the league and it seems quite the contrary.

As ESPN's NFC North blogger Kevin Seiffert sited in his story up this weekend, Titans GM Ruston Webster said, "I know Phill Emery and Phil Emery is about as thorough a human being as I have known."

NFL insider extraordinaire Adam Shefter took that a step further after talking with two of the thirteen coaches that have been interviewed. They both said they hadn't "interviewed with anyone who was as prepared and detailed as Emery."

That said, the time has to be about up to strike for the best candidate over the course of the next week. It's become public knowledge Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians interviews today (Sunday) with the Bears. He might be the leading candidate and the advantage the Bears have is they are the first known scheduled interview stop.

The main theme amongst the candidates is an offensive mind is likely to get the job. Arians would be a choice that could work as could Mike McCoy the offensive coordinator of the Broncos. McCoy is another guy that has been linked to multiple teams and is a hot commodity.

As a fan, that would be the way I'd like them to go. Will the new coach change the scheme on defense? That is to be decided. It wouldn't necessarily have to be. The personnel is very good at running the Cover-2 scheme and a change would certainly close the window on the aging unit in its final years. Plus, as the Bears' team Web site wrote this week, a change in scheme could mean the certain departure of Brian Urlacher, something I'm not wanting to do.

Either way, stay tuned, the next week could be interesting to see how this thing shakes out!

Do Chicago Bears have what it takes in NFC North?

Some of you may have just read my NFL season preview blog. If you haven't check it out, I'll wait. Ok, now we can begin. It's time to take a look at my Chicago Bears' NFL season and why I think they have a shot to be where I predicted them to go where I did in that post.

As the photo shows Brian Urlacher at the top of the post, his presence is paramount on success on the defensive side of the ball this season. He missed all of the preseason after having his knee scoped, but has practiced all week leading up to Sunday's season opener against the Colts and should be ready to go. As good as Julius Peppers, Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman are around him on defense, the unit is not nearly as good without him on the field, he is that type of player. And with the expectations surrounding this team from Bourbonnais to Lake Forest and Halas Hall, he will be the difference on a defensive unit that looks to continue its pace of ball hawking like it had last year (11 fumbles recovered, 20 interceptions). Throw in the fact the NFC North includes the likes of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers along with Matt Stafford and the Lions and a defense that can keep you in games against those high-octane attacks is vital.

As good as the defense has been over the years, last year showed the importance of an offense for this team. Matt Forte has gotten paid, but the two biggest playmakers on this offense will be Jay Cutler and his reuniting with Brandon Marshall. When theses two were together in Denver, they were special and could be a great duo again this season. The Bears do have weapons around the offense, starting with Forte. But Devin Hester on the outside on the other side of the field and put rookie Alshon Jeffery in the slot and defenses will have nightmares figuring out what to defend. Marshall has shown throughout the preseason he is the true No. 1 receiver the Bears had been lacking over the years. The thought of what he can bring to the field, with Cutler no less, can be special.

Speaking of Cutler, his absence started the tailspin. The Bears are 18-10 in his three seasons when he is the quarterback. The Bears have gone out and gotten him weapons in Marshall and Jefferey to go with Hester and the resigned Forte. The key is going to be keeping him upright. The offensive line has been a question mark for the last few seasons and is again this year, especially on Cutler's backside. It was a point of emphasis in training camp and the preseason and will be tested in Week 1 against the Colts. If Dwight Freeney is kept in check, it will be a positive sign going forward.

As for Forte, I wouldn't expect him to have as robust rushing numbers as he has had in the past, but his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield will add to the passing game. Plus, the addition of Michael Bush, while it makes the team better, may hurt Forte's numbers. Either way, I'm not worried. As long as he stays healthy and is around in December, this team should be in the hunt for a playoff spot.

All that together has expectations high at Halas Hall. And with the window closing on the stars of this defense, things have to happen now to get back to where this team was in 2005. They have the pieces, now they just need a couple breaks.

Time for my Week 1 picks. Don't forget to join the Wilber's Way Pick 'Em league to go against me!
Cowboys at Giants
Colts at Bears
Eagles at Browns
Rams at Lions
Patriots at Titans
Falcons at Chiefs
Jaguars at Vikings
Redskins at Saints
Bills at Jets
Dolphins at Texans
49ers at Packers
Seahawks at Cardinals
Panthers at Bucs
Steelers at Broncos
Bengals at Ravens
Chargers at Raiders

Time to look into my NFL crystal ball

Every pundit seems to have a soap box for which to make their NFL predictions, which usually fall flat, and I figure, hell, I have the platform to do so, so why not make my motives known on how I think things will unfold this season in the greatest professional sports league in the world, the National Football League. Let's go conference-by-conference, then to the playoffs. I'd say cue up Hank Williams, Jr., but he doesn't do that anymore. Anyway, here goes.....

We'll head first to the AFC, where the talk all preseason has been about the Houston Texans. They have a stellar defense that put the offense on its back and carried it into the divisional round of the playoffs last season, so that makes sense. I have a couple question marks about their offense, mainly injury concerns, but feel the defense, if it can fill the hole left by the departure of Mario Williams (J.J. Watt time!), then they could be in a great position to have the No. 1 seed when all is said and done. Winning the South won't be a question, but getting that top spot could be. Andrew Luck will surprise some with how well he will play this year, but he will still make the "rookie" mistakes to put his team on the outside looking in.

Another sexy pick this offseason and preseason has been the Kansas City Chiefs and, I can see why with the team getting healthy, but now that everyone has sold out on the San Diego Chargers, I get the sense this would be the season they would put something together and shock us all and do something special. That's my longshot pick. Otherwise Romeo Crennel has the horses on defense - they kept the Chiefs in games last year when they had literally no offense to speak of - and a healthy Matt Cassel to win the West. And then there's that Peyton Manning guy joining the Broncos. With a defense that made Tim Tebow look good, seeing Peyton do anything but win is hard for me to imagine.

In the North, the Steelers and Ravens have been the class of the division for years, but the Bengals came out of nowhere last year and gave the division three teams in the playoffs. Things could be close again this year, but the rest of the conference has gotten stronger, so I'm giving the division to Pittsburgh and thinking the Ravens could get a Wild Card spot.

In the East, New England is hands down the best team, but seeing what Buffalo did this offseason to bolster its defense has to make one think about the possibilities of the Bills getting back to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Could this be the year? Not for a division title, but a Wild Card, yes. The Patriots are still too good, despite not having a running game (that Tom Brady guy is pretty good).


And now the Playoffs...
AFC Wild Card
Steelers over Chiefs
Broncos over Ravens

AFC Divisional
Texans over Steelers
Broncos over Patriots

AFC Championship
Texans over Broncos


Now to the NFC....
The NFC East is up for grabs this year as no one can seem to agree on who will emerge (everyone, but the Redskins gets a steady mention as a favorite). For me, Michael Vick doesn't stay healthy enough to lead the Eagles, and if one game is any indication, the Giants will have a hard time running the ball again this season. That makes me think this could finally be Tony Romo's year to get the Cowboys into the playoffs with a division crown.

In the South, the Saints will get a fight from the Panthers and a bigger one from the Falcons, but they still have the gunslinger in Drew Brees to lead this team, with our without a bounty system, to a division title. The Falcons may be good enough to get one of the Wild Card spots, but it's going to be close with the number of good teams in the NFC North.

Speaking of the North, this could be the best division in football this year with three teams that have a legit shot to not only win the division, but earn the No. 1 seed if things fall right. That said, even with my allegiances, the Packers have the passing game to light up the scoreboard and carry their defense to another playoff berth. Will they win the division? That all may hinge on the ability of the Chicago Bears offensive line to keep Jay Cutler upright and able to throw to his now stellar receiving core led by Brandon Marshall. Detroit can be a party spoiler, but needs to put it together on defense against both the Bears and Packers strong passing attacks.

In the West, San Francisco was the surprise of the season. This year, the 49ers will not surprise anyone and STILL get the job done with their gritty defense and a Randy Moss who has something to prove and will provide a great compliment to an offense with some already solid weapons. The Seahawks may be the surprise of this year's season, but Russell Wilson might not be enough to get them into the playoffs.

Here's the playoff breakdown
NFC Wild Card
Bears over 49ers
Saints over Falcons

NFC Divisional
Bears over Cowboys
Saints over Packers

NFC Championship
Bears over Saints

SUPER BOWL XLVII
Bears over Texans
OK, so maybe a little crazy. Maybe I'm just wishing this, but the Bears have the weapons in place and I'll break them down in the next couple days to get a look at what needs to happen to get them to this point.

Latest coaching hire shows Bears new regime gets it

The moves started the day after the final game of the regular season at Halas Hall with the Chicago Bears. Within the first week General Manager Jerry Angelo and Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz were out and change was in the air.

It started with the hiring of Phil Emery as the new GM, who is known by his peers as the "hardest worker in the room." Then the promotion of Mike Tice to offensive coordinator gave a sign the run game would be a focal point for a team with a back the likes of Matt Forte toting the rock.

Now, with Tuesday's announcement of Jeremy Bates as the new quarterbacks coach, the same man who held the same job in Jay Cutler's final two years in Denver, the direction of the team is very clear. That direction, which lacked a little with Angelo at the helm, now revolves clearly around Cutler and rightfully so. With an aging defense, the offense is clearly what needs to carry the team and has the most room for growth.

In an article today in the Chicago Tribune, Steve Rosenbloom rips the Bears for the lack of of No. 1 receiver. Well, if we can tell anything in the first month or at least weeks of the Emery era at Halas Hall, that will likely be priority No. 2 this offseason. The first, of course will be figuring out which way to go with Matt Forte. He will most certainly be a Bear next season, but the question will be whether or not he will be franchise tagged.

I like the direction things are going. I know it's in the early stages, but making Cutler happy has to be paramount and most tied to the team's success. If you doubt that, remind me again how the last month and a half went in the regular season. He has his guy on board that will keep him comfortable and grounded. In the two years with Martz calling the shots for the offense, it seemed at the start of both seasons the Mad Scientist wanted to do it his way before he had to be wrangled in and shown which way to go with things. I don't see that happening with Tice and Bates leading Cutler and the offense.

What moves will the Bears make this offseason in the first year of the Emery Era? Time will tell, but know that it will be much more thought out and much better for the team than what we saw in the Angelo Era.

Angelo, Lovie not to blame for current state of Bears

When the dust finally settled from Sunday's embarassing, awful, terrible, no good, very bad (you get the idea) loss to the Seahawks, the Bears were left at 7-7 on the outside of the playoff picture looking in with little to no hope things could be saved.

After winning five straight games and sitting at 7-3, things looked great, but starting Caleb Hanie at quarterback with Jay Cutler on the sideline and Matt Forte joining Cutler on the sideline a couple weeks later and all playoff hope has left Chicago. Now, Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune, starts firing people. Well, I can't say I'm surprised, but I wouldn't go as far as he does.

Rosenbloom is pretty good with what he does at the Trib, but he's off on this one. He wants to get rid of Hanie and Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo. The Hanie move has obvious reasoning, but the Angelo one struck me. His reasoning? He is the guy that brought in Hanie and stuck with him over the last four years as the backup quarterback.

Well, Hanie should probably go. But that isn't necessarily on Angelo or even Lovie Smith and Mike Martz. Most fans don't realize the backup quarterback gets the least practice and reps of anyone on the team. That's why teams across the league don't spend big money on their backup QBs and most go with rookies or guys that have started somewhere else, even if they have struggled. You know what you are getting and those guys know what to expect when they are stepping in. The first-string QB takes every rep in practice while the backup may take reps, but running the opposition's plays for the scout team. Not the same, at all and he's not being evaluated on things properly that way. Look around the league and you will notice this.

As for Angelo, I would have been fine with him "retiring" or being fired years ago, but if you are going to fire him and/or Lovie after this season, Bears ownership would be off base. The season was going smoothly at 7-3 with the team winning five straight and looking to be on the brink of something special. As I told a fellow bar patron yesterday, you don't fire management over injuries, and that's what you'd be doing if you let Angelo or Lovie go after this.

The arguement is that they should have brought in a veteran QB to take over after Jay. Well, I'm with them for not bringing in someone. Despite losing out on Kyle Orton (props for beating the Pack bro!), Hanie was probably their best bet, even in front of Donavon McNabb. You only need to look to Carson Palmer in Oakland to see how that went when he got to town and there just wasn't enough time left in the season after Jay went down to work out the kinks with a completely new quarterback.

Jerry's drafts haven't exactly yielded talent that has stuck with the Bears. To be honest, free agency has bailed him out over the years. When the team needed a playmaker and Tommie Harris was past his prime, the Bears went out and got the biggest fish on the market in Julius Peppers. When the team needed a quarterback, he did make the big trade for Jay Cutler, too. That move didn't have immediate impact, but for nothing of Jay's doing, the offensive line was in shambles and he couldn't stay on his feet long enough to make a worthwhile decision. And when he did he threw interceptions because he was trying to carry the team and do too much.

Lovie has shown time and time again that this is his team and every single player on the roster respects him. The old phrase goes "A team is the sum of all of its parts" and he has done more with so little in years past than anyone in the NFL. Again, I think Martz and Cutler were finally starting to go places and think you shouldn't mess with much at the top.

This team needs more offensive line help. Gabe Carimi will be a force when he gets healthy next season and Roberto Garza is the backbone of the line. They just need some quality guards. I'm still thinking a true No. 1 receiver is what the team is lacking. On the other side of the ball, there's no getting around the age of the defense. So Angelo will have to draft well for once and get depth at safety and on the defensive line.

So no, Steve Rosenbloom, don't line up the firing squad and start sending everyone packing. Just trim the fat and shore up some places. The team you want to evaluate is the one after 10 games not the one these last four weeks.

Barber's blunders highlights Bears small window for error

Marion Barber rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since 2009 Sunday, but it is safe to say, no one has been thinking about that in the last 24 hours. While no one player is solely responsible for the loss this week, one does seem to stand out as more tied to the outcome than any other on the Bears after a 13-10 overtime loss to the Denver Tebows (Broncos).

After running out of bounds on a six-yard run on second and 10 in the final two minutes set the stage for Tebow to lead a last-minute drive, leading to a game-tying 59-yard field goal, Barber was on the hook for allowing the game to go to overtime, although the Bears defense going into a super soft Cover 2 didn't exactly help wiggle Barber off said hook.

The Bears ended up winning the overtime coin toss and were in the process of getting into field goal range for Robbie Gould when Barber took a handoff and was set to at least reach the Broncos 35-yard line when on third and 10 from the Denver 38 he was stripped of the ball by Wesley Woodward. When Elvis Dumervil recovered the fumble the camera quickly went to Barber on the sideline, who was getting consultation from quarterback Caleb Hanie.

Things are pretty rough for Barber right now if you consider his not lining up on the line of scrimmage in the Chiefs game cost the Bears a touchdown which would have changed the whole complexion of the game. And should have ended in a win against Tyler Palko and company.

Again the defense allowed the Broncos to pick their way down the field and set up a 51-yard field goal. As the Bears fell for the third straight time, it became clear to my while everyone piled on Barber for his clear mistakes, this team specifically on offense, does not have a margin for error at all.

That point was clear thoughout this game. Despite the offense not doing much of anything in the first half, they did not have the big turnover that put the defense in a bad spot. That's about as perfect as Caleb Hanie has played. Well, throwing for less than 100 yards shows how little Mike Martz and the coaching staff trusted him to throw the football.

Then when the field position was in their favor Barber broke a nice run and scored a touchdown and Gould hit a Bears record 59-yard FG. Even when the defense handed the offense solid field position with a Peanut Tillman interception and a Chris Conte forced fumble of Tebow, the offense had little luck getting anything going. Add in big blunders like a run out of bounds at the end of the game which gives an offense 35 more seconds and a fumble near the 40 yard-line in overtime and most teams will find a way to make you pay.

If anything has been shown these past two weeks was how valuable Jay Cutler has been to this offense. He made the offensive line look better and the receivers the same with what his presence. This team, especially on offense and even moreso without Matt Forte, is just lacking playmakers. Credit has to go to the coaches for putting the team in a position to win this game with what they have, but it falls on the players to execute when it matters and they did not.

With Forte out, Bears playoff chances slim to none

If you know me, you know I'm usually one of the most optimistic and positive people you will meet. I'm that way with the Brewers and in the rest of my life. The recent turn of events with the Bears has the realist coming out of me and seeing the possibility of the Bears earning an NFC Wildcard spot fading fast.

I am the same person that said after the Jay Cutler injury Caleb Hanie could lead the team to three wins in six games and get the team into the playoffs and hand things back over to Cutler to lead a magical playoff run. But with Matt Forte now down for 2-3 weeks (Lovie Smith said he expects him back before the end of the regular season in his Monday presser), the possibility of the Bears winning three of their final four games seems like a bit of a reach right now with their second biggest offensive weapon on the sideline.

With one or the other of the Cutler/Forte combo on the sideline the Bears could win for a short period of time. I actually think Cutler could sustain a season without Forte playing like he had during the team's five-game winning streak, but is made vastly better by the production of Forte on the ground (he has 997 yards on the season) and as a safety valve passing option out of the backfield. That said, the offense should have leaned on Forte and Marion Barber more over the last two weeks, but instead Mike Martz chose to stay pass happy.

Hanie has six interceptions after two games as a starter (his third Sunday was on the last play of the game) and aside from one drive which ended on a drop by Roy Williams that turned into his second INT, he could not move the ball. That proof lies in the 11 third downs that were not converted by the Hanie-led offense and the man calling the plays, Martz.

Minus the remaining best threat the offense has, Hanie will have no choice but to put the ball in the air, which scares the hell out of me. There is, however, a little hope in the work Barber and Kahlil Bell did in carrying the ball after Forte went down, combining for 77 yards on 18 carries. They were effective at times and broke off some solid runs. But you give a team a chance to scheme for them during the week and know that Hanie is not much of a threat with this offensive line and things look pretty meek going forward in these final four games. Just like the story in the Chicago Tribune today, the offense is pretty weak right now.

The formula for beating the Bears is now very simple. Keep the ball away from Devin Hester in the kicking game and wear down the defense with a run game that sustains long scoring drives and get after the quarterback and force Hanie to make quick decisions. Wait, that sounds like the formula John Fox and the Denver Broncos have used with Tim Tebow to win five straight games. Yeah, it's not going to get any easier going forward.

Looking at these final four games against the Broncos, Seahawks, Packers and Vikings, only one is at home (Seattle). I'd be happy now with a 2-2 finish. The Bears defense does match up well against the Broncos in trying to stop Tebow, but he only ran the ball 10 times this week and continues to get better throwing the ball and being more selective on running the read option. With an offense that generated just three points the defense has little room for error and I'm not sure how long they can sustain things without scoring points themselves. This could be one the Bears steal, but the Broncos are rolling right now.

It's hard to find many positives in the Bears final four games right now. Yes, every other NFC Wild Card team did lose yesterday keeping them in the No. 5 spot in the playoff hunt, but they all can't lose these final four weeks and you'd hate to have it end that way anyhow. It's going to be tough to watch down the stretch. I can only wish the Bears prove me wrong.

Blame for Bears loss to Raiders goes beyond Hanie

A fake pass, leading to a "clocking" of the ball which led to an intentional grounding call was a fitting end to the first chapter of the Caleb Hanie Experience for the Chicago Bears this season. It was a rough day for Hanie, and in talking with all non Bears fans today, they are leaving the team for dead. Newsflash to the uninformed: This team will bounce back and in a big way.

I make it sound like I'm a big homer and a fan, but in the first start of Hanie's career, you almost have to expect some growing pains, not only for him, but for the play caller, who, in this case, is Mike Martz. Late in the game, Hanie finally showed the flashes the Bears coaches had been talking about, connecting on an 81-yard pass that set up a touchdown. Prior to that, he started making great connections with Johnny Knox that kept the team in the game.

That said, there was more negative than positive to take away from this game for Hanie and it has to be expected. This is a guy who has been the backup quarterback for four years and hasn't played a meaningful minute in a game aside from the NFC title game last season when he had a touchdown and two interceptions. We'll have to give him some time to get things together. Another week of taking the reps in practice and getting the work in the meeting room and I expect to see vast improvements. I'm sure playing this week's game at home against the Chiefs should help, too.

As for the blame going beyond Hanie, Martz shares quite a bit of that with Hanie. With a guy making his first start one would think you would work with him and simplify things, especially early in the game when he's still getting his bearings in the game, and focus on the running game. The fact that Matt Forte had just 12 carries for 53 yards and Marion Barber 12 carries himself, says otherwise. That has to be the strength of the offense right now. Hanie showed Sunday he can throw the ball and down the field, but cannot be asked to shoulder the load.

The goal for Hanie is simple, just don't lose the game. Martz's playcalling on the seven yard-line didn't do Hanie any favors and led to the interception and 90-yard return that set up a Raiders field goal at the end of Sunday's first half. When you have one of the best running backs in the NFL you have to utilize him. Barber was effective between the tackles on Sunday, as well, creating quite a double threat that should have been utilized more.

Do you want me to heap any blame on the defense? Sorry. they forced six field goals, but did allow the Raiders to get inside the 30 yard-line seven times. That's bending, sure, but when they were on the field as much as they were they were gased and tested against a physical group of Raiders. It's a product of the offense not being able to move the ball, going three-and-out on five of the first nine possessions (Of the other four, three resulted in interceptions).

Of course, Peanut Tillman and Brian Urlacher took some of the blame in the media. It shows what kind of team this is, taking some of the pressure off Hanie and the offense now that Jay Cutler is out. But it was unnecessary. They did their job, for the most part. they gave up one touchdown and the offense had chances throughout to seize this game.

Looking forward to the Chiefs, you have to expect a similar game. Close to the vest and defensive dominated. The Chiefs are in the same boat as the Bears and Kyle Orton could be making his return to Soldier Field. One thing we know, he doesn't make mistakes with the ball which forces Hanie and the offense to take care of things and not turn it over.

I'm not all out on Hanie, but he needs to remember the simplest things that the end of the game showed. He doesn't have to do it all. He just can't lose the game for the Bears.

Note to Bears fans: Save the doom and gloom

I went to bed last night with the thought on my mind that hopes were not as bright for the Bears as I thought they were moments after cinching up a big 31-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers at Soldier Field. When I awoke this morning that thought was still there, but I was reminded of the 2005 season and where that season ended up.

That season, Rex Grossman was injured in preseason and Kyle Orton, then a rookie drafted in the fourth round stepped in and set a team record for 10 wins by basically just not losing the game. That is basically the task put in front of Caleb Hanie when he makes his first NFL start Sunday in the Black Hole against the Raiders. Hanie will have Matt Forte carry much of the load and just have to worry about complete the short to medium passes while the defense and special teams do the rest.

That said, while I am super disapponted by this injury, made as Jay was making a tackle that saved a touchdown and was followed by Philip Rivers throwing an interception in the end zone, I'm not thinking the season is completely lost.

Just as I was about to write this, I combed the Interwebs and came across Melissa Isaacson's story on ESPNChicago.com where she basically said what I wanted to say only better and with quotes from Halas Hall today.

Can the defense carry things? Brian Urlacher thinks so and he volunteered that answer. "Our mindset now is that we are going to have to carry the team." His unit certainly has the playmakers to do it and anything to lessen the presser on Hanie is good in my eyes. Having teams dumb enough to kick to Devin Hester.

Lovie did sound rather optimistic Cutler could be back before the end of the regular season, but I wouldn't want him to rush back. I know a lot of morons in the media questioned his toughness, but the fact that he has to go under the knife to heal his broken thumb speaks to teh severity of the injury.

At 7-3, the Bears realistically need just three more wins to at least think about the playoffs. We won't worry about tie breakers and scenarios for this exercise, but about the final six games and what they have to do looking at what lies ahead.

This week the Bears go to Oakland to take on a surging Raiders team. This one could be tough for a couple reasons. First, it's Hanie's first start and the Raiders are actually playing well. This one is going to test the defense and offense. My gut even before the Cutler injury said the Bears were going to have their hands full. So now, I'm actually thinking it might be a loss.

Week 13 has the Bears hosting the Chiefs. With Matt Cassel on IR and the Chiefs falling to pieces, I'm thinking this could be Hanie's first win as a starter. This is Thomas Jones' first game back against the Bears since he was let go which should stir up some stories, but I see this one as the game they get back on track.

The final AFC West game for the Bears was set to be epic with Cutler going back to Denver to play the Broncos and show them what a real quarterback can do. Well, that's not going to happen now, but I still think this game is winnable. Then again, hasn't every team that has played Tim Tebow and he's made them pay for it? Still, I like the Bears defense against him. It won't be a pretty game, but should be another win.

The final home game of the season follows that one with Seattle coming to Soldier Field. This one is a home game, but against a Seahawks team that beat the Ravens a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure which Seattle team will show up.

The Christmas day game at Green Bay was one that scared me all season. With things rolling with Jay, I actually expected this one to be a battle. But without Jay, I don't see it being more than tough for the Bears to move the ball. The defense can slow Rodgers down, but you have to be able score points to keep up.

The season finale is at Minnesota and whether or not Cutler is healthy enough to play in this one could decide the winner. Either way, the Vikings won't have anything to play for and the Bears should. Lovie is one of the best motivators in the game and you can rest assured he'll have them ready for this one with the playoffs hanging in the balance. That's why I'm thinking they win this one.

So there, 10-6. Will it be good enough to make the playoffs and allow Cutler to make his triumphant return to the lineup? Only time will tell.

Previewing the Brewers vs. D-Backs NLDS

It's finally here! What us as Brewers fans figured would be on the horizon at the start of September is now upon us with the National League Divisional Series opening Saturday at Miller Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's a series, to be honest that is not an easy one for the Brewers, but definitely not one that are an underdog in, either.

As the Brewers learned in 2008, having an offense may be important, but winning a playoff series comes down to pitching. Both teams have named their Game 1 starters with Yovani Gallardo (17-10, 3.52 ERA), the man who started Opening Day, going for the Brewers and Ian Kennedy, who won 21 games (with a 2.88 ERA) during the season for the Diamondbacks. That's basically both aces going for Brewers manager Ron Roenicke and D-Backs skipper Kirk Gibson.

Winning Game 1 is crucial for both teams as the winner of that game gets a great advantage in this best-of-five series. You'd have to expect both guys to go deep into the game and keep that one close with things coming down to defense and clutch hitting. That's what scares me about the Brewers. There have been times this season where they just shut down with runners in scoring position and times when their defense has been shotty, at best. But they are at home and they did win 57 games there during the regular season which makes me believe they will be ready to click on all cylinders to start the series off.

If both pitchers are on their game it may take just a couple mistakes to turn the game. That's why I think the Brewers might have the edge with their offense because they can do so much with those mistakes, blasting them over the fence at Miller Park. That isn't just going on potential. In recent weeks, especially over the last week which saw them go 5-1 to close the season at Miller Park, the Brewers have been bashing home runs.
With both teams having solid bullpens with closers on both sides having over 45 saves apiece, that's what it could come down to.

Looking beyond to Game 2, the Brewers have a decision to make with Zack Greinke, but I'd lean toward him starting in Game 3 with either Shaun Marcum or Randy Wolf getting the nod in Game 2. Arizona has named starters for Games 2 and 3 with Tim Hudson (16-12, 3.49 ERA) going in Game 2 and Joe Saunders (12-12, 3.69 ERA) getting the nod in Game 4.

As a Brewers fan, part of me thinks this series will probably go four games with the Diamondbacks taking Game 2 and the Brewers pulling it together to shut down the Diamondbacks and win their first playoff series since the 1982 American League Championship Series. If it does go to a Game 5, the Brewers would most certainly tab Gallardo to get the start at home in front of what should be a rocking Miller Park. Having home field is so important to this team, rolling him out there with the home field would be what puts the Brew Crew over the top.


In case you were wondering, yes I will be in attendance for both games from the perch in section 223, row 6. A big shout out to those who I'll be spending my weekend with including @RJO25, @jessgaler and @aehlen. For the latter two, that is their first Wilber's Way shout out. Hope to see you at the tailgate to prepare for this great weekend of games! Giddy up!



Usually I'd do my Bears and NFL weekend preview in this part, but I haven't had a Brewers post in a bit and couldn't not do one heading into the weekend. That said, I still have my NFL picks and an abbreviated Bears preview.

Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, Ron "Chico" Rivera and the Panthers come to Soldier Field this weekend in a game that, honestly has me a bit worried. The Bears have to be favorites in this one, but Newton has been a highlight film through the first three weeks of the season and could post a threat against a weak Bears secondary. I still like the Bears' front four and their ability to get after Cam in the pocket and make Newton pass the ball downfield and field them, but from what we've seen from him, he can chuck it around the field.
That turns the attention back to the Bears defense. Fortunately for Mike Martz, the Panthers defense is nowhere close to the Packers defense and should make him look a little better this week. The key is simple, PUT THE BALL IN MATT FORTE'S HANDS!
Score prediction: Bears 24, Panthers 20.

Here's the rest of the picks. Last week I had another 10-6 week to push my record for the season to 33-15. Winners, as always, are in bold.
Bills at Bengals
Panthers at Bears
Titans at Browns
Lions at Cowboys
Vikings at Chiefs
Redskins at Rams
Saints at Jaguars
49ers at Eagles
Steelers at Texans
Falcons at Seahawks
Giants at Cardinals
Broncos at Packers
Patriots at Raiders
Dolphins at Chargers
Jets at Ravens
Colts at Buccaneers

Offense to blame for Bears lack of success against Packers

Jay Cutler and the Bears offense doesn't have an identity three weeks into the season and it's a problem.

After an offseason which pointed to an offense moving toward becoming more run oriented, the Chicago Bears have ran the ball and after running the ball just 12 times in each of the last two games, one has to wonder where that mindset has gone. It's a bigger question when the best player without argument on offense is the running back, Matt Forte. Forte has even been called the best player on the offense by Mike Martz, the guy calling the plays as the offensive coordinator, and it has to make the "whispers" that were surrounding his future in Chicago a lot more audible.

I normally don't get on my soapbox and say one guy either needs to change or go, but this might be the time to do so with Martz. Last season it took a stern talking to from Lovie Smith to focus more on the running game, the team took off and won eight straight en route to an NFC North title.

When a guy like Forte is responsible for over 50 percent of the offensive yardage through two weeks of the season, you know he's important and a guy the quarterback turns to in a tight spot. But to let him pretty much vanish against the Packers when it was needed doesn't make sense. Now, I get the Packers may have had a linebacker shadowing Forte when he released out of the backfield which wouldn't have given him a chance to get many yards, they are not going to do that every time and even when they do, he's a player that can create on his own in space, so you have to give him a couple chances. Especially when the running game isn't working. Essentially, those dump offs would work as an extension of the run game to give him a chance to contribute.

As for the loss to the Packers and not running, they fell behind by quite a bit and were forced to be more pass happy, which I'm not upset with, but for Forte to not be thrown to as much as he was is a problem to me. Especially when the ball was thrown down field it was either over thrown or dropped by a receiver. I don't fault Cutler for some of those overthrows, as the receiver fell down on a couple of them. The drops, however, are inexcusable but an issue all their own.

Sticking to Martz and the gameplan, with the time Jay had to throw in the first half, there were still too many three and outs. Part of that has to fall on Jay for not executing, but let's be honest, he wasn't that bad. I just don't see him and Martz seeing eye to eye on this thing. It's very clear in his quote tonight in the Chicago Tribune when he says "Until we get more consistent, I guess we don't (have an identity as an offense)."

The mistaken identity has something to do with the interceptions from Jay. Last year he threw 11 interceptions on passes that were intended for Johnny Knox. That leads one to believe he wasn't where he was supposed to be and/or he didn't fight for the ball. Well, Sunday Roy Williams was targeted four times and a whopping two of those times the pass was intercepted. I'd say there is some miscommunication there. Cutler has said it himself in the postgame, they need to get their timing better. If Roy is not on the field in the Red zone, he shouldn't be on the team. Plain and simple. 

One other thing I need to call Martz out on is his trick plays. They don't work. Throw them out of the playbook. Especially the ones involving the Wildcat formation. I like the idea of running the play and giving Forte a chance to run with it more than I actually like the play. It's just going to expose some other part of the offense that doesn't work. (See Devin Hester jumping the start)

Whatever the relationship is between Cutler and Martz, it's still not working right. The job of the coaching staff is to put the players in the best position to win games and right now, that's not happening on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it be Cutler, Williams, Forte or Knox, something isn't right and needs to get hashed out and soon, if they want to stay in this race with Detroit and Green Bay.

Matt Forte ranks 24th in the NFL in carries through three weeks. He needs to get more rushes for the Bears offense to have its identity.

Bears must focus on quieting Rodgers to win in Week 3

With all the attention this week on Jay Cutler following an all-around awful performance in New Orleans, it's hard to come back to earth a little bit and get ready for the Green Bay Packers. Yes, you know, the (Gulp!) Super Bowl Champions (I hate saying that) and Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.

That's what has me thinking this game, for the Bears to be successful and have a shot at victory, the defense led by Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Julius Peppers, needs to step up and deliver a performance similar to what they turned in last season. With both teams being very similar to last year's squads - they each have 17 of 22 starters back from last year - I'd expect something similar to last year.

But, Aaron, the Packers won two of three meetings with the Bears last season, do you want the same performance as last season? The Packers scored 17, 10 and 21 points in three games against the Bears defense last season. Tell me the Lovie Smith version of the Tampa-2 doesn't give the Packers fits and frustrate the bejesus out of them and I'll tell you to get your eyes examined. There's just something about the Bears defense that keeps these games close.

The one thing that might make this game slightly different from last season is the fact that Rodgers is absolutely ripping defenses to shreds through the first two weeks of the season. With the Bears situation at both safety spots up in the air heading into the weekend, Rodgers could have another one of those games. But, if history is accurate - and with the number of guys back from last year it should give us a good jumping off point - the Packers will not be able to run very effectively against the Bears' seven-man front. The Packers have always been a pass-first team under Mike McCarthy anyhow, so I don't see it being a big concern.

You have to expect Rodgers to take his shots downfield and find ways to get at the inexperience (at least within the Cover 2) from Brandon Merriweather and Craig Steltz, who has seen some, but not significant time in the secondary.

Of course, none of who's back there really matters if Julius Peppers has another one of the games he did when the teams played in Week 3 of last season on MNF. I'd expect him to move around on the line and bounce between the left and right ends throughout the game in hopes of exposing something and keeping the Packers guessing where to send help.

For Cutler and the Bears offense, they'll have to find a way to cope without Gabe Carimi, who is expected to miss "several weeks" with his knee injury. If things were shaky with him, imagine how it will be without him. The allure is there for this Bears offense to test the Packers pass defense, too. It has been torched in the first two games, as has the entire unit really with a pass rush, namely Clay Matthews, that has little bite to this point in the young season.

So do the Bears exploit the injury of Nick Collins in any way? Expect Mike Martz to take some shots, but they'll have to be quick. And with Johnny Knox and Devin Hester both having their druthers to this point of the season, I'm not sure it will mean much. The duo has been thrown to 34 times, but has a combined eight catches in two games. Roy Williams joins the rivalry and could have a shot at making plays down the field and might be on his own in doing so, if he's able to get healthy after missing last week's game.

Then there's Matt Forte. Is there anything he can't do? You have to expect him to be a factor in the passing game, but you'd also have to think Martz is going to make a point to run more with him this week, too, after Lovie made a point in the media to say he was going to get the pass-run ratio closer to 50-50. It will help having Marion Barber available for the first time this season and his ability to punish defenses could be the spark the Bears need on the ground to get something going and help play keepaway from the Packers offense.

The prediction: OK, here's how I see it shaking out. The Bears are at home in this one and will be ready to make big changes after losing the last two meetings last season. Whether they're big or not remains to be seen, but we'll notice them. If the defense can make the Packers work their way down the field and not give up the big play, they could force Rodgers into his first interception of the season and must find a way to create turnovers in general. That should put the offense in a good spot to produce points.
If that offense can get on track, finding an answer to the Packers blitzes with quick hits to Matt Spaeth and Forte and are allowed to run after the catch, the offense will have its desired success. Martz has told the offense the Packers  play a lot of man defensively, so to break it down even more, they have to win those one-on-one battles 100 percent of the time.
For the defense, get a turnover or two and get pressure with those front four and they'll be in good shape. It's the gameplan every week, but against this offense is paramount. They always seem to give the Packers fits and will find a way to do it again on Sunday.

The Score: This one will be tight and McCarthy still hasn't shaken that "can't win the close one" tag and that's why I have the Bears winning a 20-17 tight one. As good as Gould!

Just as I did with the NFC Championship game, I'm going to put the Twitter widget to work here. Seemed to put all the info in one central location and made it fun to see what was going on from both perspectives.


And now to the NFL Picks for Week 3. Last week I went 13-3 which puts me at 23-9 for the season. That's a 72 percent success rate which is good enough to put me in the top 4,841 in the world on ESPN.com. But enough bragging. On to this week's prognosis. Winners, as always, in bold.
Patriots at Bills
49ers at Bengals
Dolphins at Browns
Broncos at Titans
Lions at Vikings
Texans at Saints
Giants at Eagles
Jaguars at Panthers
Chiefs at Chargers
Jets at Raiders
Ravens at Rams
Falcons at Buccaneers
Packers at Bears
Cardinals at Seahawks
Steelers at Colts
Redskins at Cowboys

So that's my Bears-Packers score prediction. What is yours? Comment below and tell me one thing that will determine things beyond your score!

Is Jay Cutler controversy media created?

A Wednesday wouldn't normally be a busy day in the world of the NFL, but with it being Bears/Packers week, things usually get interesting. As I'm combing around Twitter today I come across a link from ProFootball Talk that says Fox admitted to falsifying headlines in the season opener against the Falcons.

The admittal of such things only cements my thoughts that the whole controversy surrounding Jay in the NFC Championship game last January was created by the media and specifically Fox, which broadcast the NFC Championship game.

Let's be real, a TV director of a live sporting event has a shot of all the cameras in front of them and can dictate when they show a certain camera. It's why you don't see a shot of the coach picking his nose at random times of the game or warming himself up and usually see him yelling at someone when you would expect him to be.
The quote from the Fox Sports producer was that the falsified headlines were used to better portray the national perception. Well, if you had to make them up, how did they show the national perception? I know for a fact the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times talked with practically the entire Bears locker room and every single guy in that locker room had Jay's back.

But that wouldn't fit the perception many have of Jay. They'll say they saw him on the sideline in that game "pouting" and "keeping to himself" and not "cheering on his teammates like Charles Woodson in the Super Bowl." Well, how do you know he wasn't? We were shown six random seconds with Jay kept to himself on the sideline. Who's to say he hadn't been talking with Caleb Hanie, the backup quarterback, about what to look for.

Why am I talking about this? Only because Fox has made this great decision to make the news up and tell us what to think. Makes sense this is the same organization as Fox News which also owned the News of the Wold in Britain that hacked voice mails of so many in London. I guess we shouldn't expect anything more from a company with those types of journalistic ethics.

Helping things out, I guess, too, is the fact that it is also Bears-Packers week. That also brings me to furthering the perception of Jay was his reaction to questions in the conference call with Packers beat reporters today. The reporters were asking about the incident from January and he came back with one-word answers and was no help to them. The fact of the matter is if I'm sick of talking about it, he's most certainly sick and tired of dealing with it. That's a dead horse and doesn't need to be kicked anymore. The story is up on Packers.com, if you want to take a look for yourself, and I'm pretty sure they have the audio to go with the transcript.

If I'm going to cover some media, I laughed when I saw these guys rush to Twitter and post this right away how they were shut down by him when asking questions about the game from months ago. I know these reporters aren't around Jay every day like the beat writers from the Tribune and Sun-Times, but one should know they might get some sort of reaction similar to this.

On top of it, Cutler and even coach Lovie Smith were dealing with the Fox nonsense with the Chicago media today with Lovie pretty much playing the "we get no respect" card to the team given this development. And, he's totally right.

Tomorrow is the full Bears-Packers preview, plus my NFL Week 3 picks.