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.

Bears success in Week 2 lies on Jay Cutler's shoulders

After making a statement that they should not be overlooked this season back in Week 1, the Bears go on the road this week to take on the New Orleans Saints.
All of the talk this week revolves around the noise in the SuperDome and the blitzes the Saints and defensive coordinator Greg Williams will send at Jay Cutler. That makes Cutler's game Sunday the most important of any other player on the field, or maybe a close second to the five guys on the offensive line in picking up those rushers and dealing with the noise.
It's an area, that could get rough considering the three sacks the Bears gave up last week without much blitzing from the Falcons. If the Saints are able to load up on one side and the linemen are a couple paces slow in getting off the ball because they can't hear the snap count, things could get dicey. I put things then on Jay's shoulders to make the quick reads and calls to get the ball out of there in time from the play calls of Mike Martz.
As I wrote Monday, Martz showed some signs of helping out his quarterback in Week 1 with short passes mixed with the down-the-field routes and Jay hit them, specifically the touchdown pass to Matt Forte and the long pass and run by Devin Hester that set up another touchdown. He'll have to adapt the same way this week. A change this year is his playcalling from the booth, which gives a different vantage point and focusing on the weapons this offense has next to Jay.
Martz seemed to do a decent job calling plays that featured each of those weapons in Matt (Pay the man!) Forte, Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Roy Williams. All four guys, and I could throw Matt Spaeth in the mix, too, had an impact last week. How often has a Bears fan been able to say that of four and maybe five receivers? The credit for that goes to both Martz and Cutler for getting them in position to make the right plays.
Will that pay off this week in New Orleans? With the blitzers coming from all angles, it will if Jay get's that extra second over the middle to get the ball out and let those receivers run after the catch. That's the one area the sending of blitzers from all angles allows. If Hester catches a ball in space and has a chance to turn on the jets, he can run away from anyone.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears got a great performance from their front four and saw Brian Urlacher have one of his better games in the last couple years. If the line can have a similar effort this week, they will be in a great spot to win.
It's no secret Drew Brees can pick a defense apart if he has time to survey the field and find an open receiver. If the Bears are able to get pressure on him with the likes of Julius Peppers, Harry Melton, Anthony Adams and Israel Idonoje they could have a good shot at winning.
The one question mark is what they do about the Saints' running backs of Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram. Ingram would be a more conventional back, but Sproles ripped apart the Packers defense at times and I'd be tempted to put a safety or a defensive back on him if he splits out wide. There really isn't another way to keep up with him. I'm not sure Lance Briggs can keep up with him and I know Nick Roach can't, which is why the DB option makes sense. The Bears will have to find a way to quiet that down, as you'd expect Sean Payton to exploit that matchup in some way.
The biggest thing that might propel this defense is having the heart and soul of it back in Urlacher who left to lay his mother to rest in Texas Wednesday, after she passed away Monday. You know he is going to play possessed and I expect the other 10 guys on the field to play for him. Knowing this unit, they are very close knit and have been together for a long time. I heard it in an interview with Lance Briggs today and he was feeling for Lac and it just seems like a week for this unit to have one of those games where they make the great plays. It is just meant to be.
The Pick: I see a few scores in this game and it will be a close one. But I'm confident the Bears line can continue to improve and, if they can get out front early in this game to take the crowd out of things a bit, can get the job done against the blitzes. On defense, I know Julius Peppers will have a great game, but would expect someone else to emerge on the line. Adams? Maybe.
That's why I see Bears 30, Saints 27 as the final score. It's that close and if the Bears can come away with this road win, they have to be taken very seriously heading into Week 3.

NFL Picks
Last week I went 10-6, which for the first week wasn't that bad. Once the landscape of the league gets laid out, it will get better. Let's jump right into Week 2. My picks are in bold, as always.
Raiders at Bills
Bears at Saints
Browns at Colts
Chiefs at Lions
Packers at Panthers
Ravens at Titans
Bucs at Vikings
Jaguars at Jets
Cardinals at Redskins
Seahawks at Steelers
Cowboys at 49ers
Bengals at Broncos
Texans at Dolphins
Chargers at Patriots
Eagles at Falcons
Rams at Giants

Bears make statement with Week 1 win over Falcons

Let's be honest, you didn't have the Bears beating the Falcons Sunday to open the NFL season did you? I'll be honest, I figured if they were going to win, it was going to be close. As the game progressed it was clear one team came into the game prepared, the other was not.
The Bears were clearly prepared on both sides of the ball. I'll start with the defense because with plays from Julius Peppers and the above pictured Brian Urlacher, the unit dominated Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense. It was more than just Urlacher and "Pepp" as Henry Melton became an opening day starter and made his presence felt. As Brad Biggs said in his "10 Thoughts" in today's Chicago Tribune, Melton showed flashes last season (his first career sack was the one that ended Brett Favre) and playing the Three technique in this scheme means he will play a prominent role. He had two sacks Sunday and an unbelievable seven hits on Ryan meaning he practically lived in the offensive backfield. He has a chance to be a big part of this defense this season and could be a great compliment to Peppers and Israel Idonije on the other end, along with tackle Anthony Adams. I will not anoint him just yet, as he has to back it up with another game, but he's well on his way.
Of course, Melton's emergence would add young blood to the "usual suspects" that contributed on defense. I mentioned Peppers, who had a couple sacks and won't get credit, but forced the fumble Urlacher recovered and ran in for a touchdown. Urlacher's interception showed he's still as athletic as ever. And then there's Charles Tillman. I tweeted during the game about Peanut after he forced yet another fumble. In the NFL Preview edition of SI, Peter King broke down the best players at knocking the ball loose and he was not mentioned. He's just notorious for it.
On the offensive side of the ball, what a difference nine months made for Jay Cutler, who threw for two touchdowns and over 300 yards. If you're a "real" Bears fan, you can't not root for the guy (Yes, I know that's a double negative. Figure it out.) and he delivered. The offensive line was not great, but wasn't awful and has time to get better as the season moves on as Jay had time to throw and make decisions out there. I'd have to say the biggest part in that was the play calling by Mike Martz who, aside from a couple bone headed Wildcat and end around calls, kept the Falcons defense off balance with enough plays downfield to open up the screen passes intended for Matt Forte and short plays for Devin Hester that allowed both to get out and roam.
I'd have to say the wide receivers in this game had a big hand in things, too. Roy Williams may have had just a couple catches before leaving with a groin injury, but he opened some things up for Johnny Knox and Hester, who both made big catches on some long third downs. It has seemed to be something that was missing for this team in recent years. If they can stretch the field, it will only make Jay more dangerous of a passer.

So, I'm not anointing the Bears anything after one win, but it has to make the people that picked them to finish the season 7-9 take notice and show this division will not be handed to Green Bay. Seems every year Lovie Smith is under estimated as a coach and year after year finds a way to get the most out of his players on a team that has won the NFC North three of the last six years.

New faces set to push Bears; Plus Week 1 NFL picks

All week I've been building up to the start of the season. Yesterday I made my Super Bowl prediction, which was a bit outside of the box and Tuesday I took a stab at each division, setting the table for the playoffs. Now it's time to take a closer look at my favorite team, the Chicago Bears. They're on the flag at the top of the page if that comes as a surprise.

The offseason for the Bears was like every other team, jam packed into a month. General Manager Jerry Angelo made some moves to bring new faces into the fold at key positions and it has to be the biggest question mark heading into the campaign. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but given the (lack of) offseason teams had, it becomes more an issue.
The biggest names entering the fold are on offense in the form of Roy Williams at wide receiver, who I am not excited to have as the No. 1 receiver ahead of Johnny Knox. Apparently Knox isn't either and it only looks like a matter of time before Knox gets his spot back as the top guy. That might best suit the offense and quarterback Jay Cutler, who can use the weapons of Williams and another former Cowboy in Sam Herd to make an impact. If anything, the front office went out and got guys to push the guys in the receiving corps to step their games up, which they have.
Of course, the key to everything with this team is the offensive line. It is why Angelo and coach Lovie Smith decided to take former Wisconsin Badger Gabe Carimi with their first pick and put him at right tackle.
The biggest move in the offseason wasn't one that had the Bears adding players, but rather sending one away in the Greg Olsen trade to Carolina. It has to seem like offensive coordinator Mike Martz was allowed to call some shots with his offensive personnel. If they don't show signs early, expect coach Lovie Smith to step in like he did last season and get this team turned in the right direction.
One thing not being talked about is how strong Jay Cutler has looked in camp and in preseason. He's clearly slimmer and has made it clear football is his No. 1 focus after his wedding was broken off just before the end of the lockout. I'd say this could be a better season than last for Jay and one where he steps up and leads this team more so than ever before.
My reasoning for that thought is what some are considering a weakness for this team and that is the aging defense. Guys like Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman continue to play at very high levels alongside Lance Briggs and Julius Peppers. They may have lost a step, but with the lockout, that may put them at an advantage, at least to start the season. Chris Harris remains at the top of his game from his safety position and the addition of Brandon Meriweather from New England could be one that pays dividends, as well. He's a guy that's made the Pro Bowl in two of the last four seasons and could be a factor immediately.
Am I worried about the distractions of Matt Forte trying to negotiate a contract and Lance Briggs asking for a trade? As Jerry Angelo told the media today at Halas Hall, no. Both know what is at stake as the season approaches and they are in prep mode for the season. So, if he's not worried, I'm not either.
What am I thinking about this team's finish? Well, the first three weeks are going to be tough with the Falcons at home, a trip to New Orleans and the Packers all on the docket. Things turn around after that with winnable games against the Panthers and Lions and Vikings. I'd be happy to get through that run at 4-3 and then get ready to make a run in the second half of the season.
Season prediction: As the season goes on, this offensive line will only get better. With the youth up front, that's an obvious point, but it will pay dividends after the Bye Week and a trip to London. The Packers seem too good to not win the division title, but don't count the Bears out of a Wild Card berth. I see them going 10-6 and getting the No. 5 seed.

Falcons at Bears Preview
I might as well get into the Week 1 matchup with the Falcons while I'm going strong here and it is definitely a tough one for the Bears and promises to be one of the better ones to kickoff the season.
Carimi has to be one of the main focuses in this one with the guys the Falcons have on the outside to rush the passer.
Those matchups will go a long way in determining if the Bears will be able to do anything on offense. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Cutler is going to rely on softening things up by looking to Matt Forte early and often and going with short routes that will allow him to start to look downfield. To me, the secondary is where you can beat the Falcons. The key is just having time to throw the ball down field.
As for the other side of the ball, the Bears defense in recent years has found way to keep Michael Turner in check and make Matt Ryan beat them. The only problem is that he has done just that. They were all close games and this one should follow that trend, too. I'm saying that guy at the top of the page is going to need to be a big factor and he will be.
Score: Bears 24, Falcons 21

And now to the NFL picks. Winners are in bold. I'll have the results in next week's picks post.
Saints at Packers
Falcons at Bears
Bills at Chiefs
Bengals at Browns
Lions at Bucs
Titans at Jaguars
Colts at Texans
Eagles at Rams
Steelers at Ravens
Vikings at Chargers
Giants at Redskins
Panthers at Cardinals
Seahawks at 49ers
Cowboys at Jets
Patriots at Dolphins
Raiders at Broncos

Wilber's Way Super Bowl predictions made

Yesterday I broke down my NFL regular season picks, picking division winners and Wild Card teams that will make up January's playoffs. So here we go with the seeds and the matchups with my Super Bowl XLVI picks that will be certainly scrutinized throughout the season.

NFC Playoff teams and seeds
1. Packers (12-4)
2. Eagles (11-5)
3. Falcons (10-6)
4. Rams (9-7)
5. Bears (10-6)
6. Saints (10-6)

Wild Card matchups
Saints at Falcons: I see these two splitting during the season and the home team will have the advantage. That's why I see the Falcons taking this very tight and close game.
Bears at Rams: Can Sam Bradford take it to the Bears defense? That will be the difference in this game. This game is all about Julius Peppers, which is why I see the Bears winning a spot in the Divisional round. As I'll talk about in my Bears season preview tomorrow, I expect this offensive line to come together in a few weeks and solidify. With that Jay Cutler will have a career year that carries this team.

Divisional Round
Falcons at Eagles: Michael Vick in big games means bad things for the Eagles. Add to that the chip on the Falcons' shoulder from the thumping handed down by the Packers last season and this team has its eye on the prize and gets it done on the road. The so-called dream team can't get it done when it matters most, just showing chalk doesn't rule in the NFL playoffs.
Bears at Packers: Lambeau Field is a place the Bears historically don't play well (Well at least since Rex Grossman left town). No Packers fan I know is giving the Bears a shot in this game, but they'll have a lead for most of the game before Aaron Rodgers steps in and cements himself with a great fourth quarter comeback to break my heart once again. Yeah, I hate the guy.

NFC Championship
Falcons at Packers: The Falcons will be looking for payback from the last season's playoffs, but coming into Lambeau evens things out. Repeating as champs is one of the most difficult things a team can do and I have a hard time seeing all the breaks go the way of Green Bay another season. That's not to say this one won't be close, but just like the last time the Packers hosted an NFC Title game, a bad break late will turn the tide and the Falcons will head to the Super Bowl.

AFC Playoff teams and seeds
1.Chargers (13-3)
2. Patriots (12-4)
3. Steelers (11-5)
4. Texans (10-6)
5. Ravens (10-6)
6. Jets (10-6)

Wild Card matchups
Jets at Steelers: This was last year's AFC Title game. A lot of things will change for these teams throughout the season. If the Jets can find a way to limit the mistakes from Mark Sanchez, they'll be in this game. And with a Jets defense that will limit Ben Roethlisberger, I see the Jets taking this one on the road.
Ravens at Texans: Houston not only makes the playoffs, but hosts a playoff game. And with the young guns on offense and a revamped defense, it's almost like a passing of the guard in Houston as the Texans take it to Ray Lewis and company.

Divisional Round
Texans at Patriots: As good as the Texans could look the week prior, they will be humbled by the machine in Foxboro. The Pats will be just too good this season on both sides of the ball. This one might be ugly.
Jets at Chargers: The best offense in the league with Philip Rivers at the helm will meet a defense with all the wrinkles it needs to shut it down. This one will be knock down and drag out with Gang Green finding a way and LT putting the dagger in his old team's season.

AFC Championship
Jets at Patriots: You thought that Bears/Packers NFC Championship game last season was big, wait until this one jumps off. The coaches are huge personalities and players on both sides will make this a great one and a true chess match. So will it be the old guard or the new guard? I think Rex Ryan finally backs up his talk and guides his team to the Super Bowl with a big play from the Jets defense on Tom Brady that sets it up for Mark Sanchez to deliver to Plaxico Burress.

OK, got all that? Here we go...
Super Bowl XLVI....... Falcons vs. Jets: The Falcons have the advantage at quarterback, wide receiver and running back, but going against the Jets defense, it turns the attention to the Jets offense. Can Sanchez do it on the big stage? The Falcons aren't as talked about on defense, but I still think they are solid, especially with their front seven. That could be the difference as I see the Jets leaning on a running game with Sanchez.
With things close, it will come down to which defense can make the big play that gives a short field to its offense, and that's where I think the Jets make their move and make life easy on LT and Sanchez.
Score: Jets 24, Falcons 20.

NOTE:
There ya go. What did you think? Be sure to comment below and tell me where I screwed up.
Remember, Thursday I'll have my full Bears preview and my Week 1 picks for the Pick 'em polls.

Wilber's Way NFL Preview edition is here!

The time has finally come! It's opening week of the NFL season, so I'm going to shift the blog a bit this week in that direction to get things kicked off. I'll introduce a couple staples along the way I'll try to have posted each week so you'll be sure to check in and see what I'm thinking on some things.
 In past year's I've broken down each division. This year, like last season, I'm thinking that is just too much work for something no one really reads. I, basically just want to go on record with my NFL picks so people can come back to them later in the season.
Well, here we go.

First, the NFC
North: This kind of spoils my Bears preview in a couple days, but I can't see the Packers losing the division this season.  As much of a Bears fan as I am I read a lot about the team I live two hours from and know what they're doing. Their only weakness is going to be that O-line again, just as it was last year. I didn't watch a second of preseason and know there were hiccups of epic proportions at times. Aaron Rodgers is too good to let it drag him down and that defense flies around the field and causes chaos unlike anything else in the league. They'll be a force and will be 12-4 this season. That will not be without a fight from my Bears, who I have earning a Wild Card spot this season. Sorry, one of my favorite publications has the Lions making the playoffs which I cannot disagree with more. I know you know football, but you have to walk before you can run. Donovan McNabb in Minnesota will have its ups and downs and that defense is awful. So my Bears find a way and make the dance.

East: Is anyone on the planet not picking the Eagles to win this division? Well, I'm right there, with them. All the publications are jumping on Michael Vick for MVP. I'm not there yet, as he was very pedestrian towards the end of last season (starting with the Bears game). But he'll be better this season with the big money in his back pocket and all of their weapons around him are just too good. Oh, and the moves they made with their defense have them in a very good spot too. Tight ends and running backs are going to be the only guys getting passes when you play that D. That's why I have them going 11-5 this season.

West: Last year the Seahawks made the playoffs with a 7-9 record and knocked off the defending champs in the Wild Card round. Sam Bradford will continue to be the savior in St. Louis and the Rams will win this division as he makes huge strides toward being one of the premiere passers in this league as I see them going 9-7 this season. Not great, but a step in the right direction for a team that continues to get better on both sides of the ball. 

South: This might be the best division in the NFC and even the league this season and could come down to a three-horse race. But really, it's a two-team race with New Orleans and Atlanta holding the key to the division title. The Saints defense was gashed last season at times and hasn't gotten any better. In fact, they've probably gotten worse, despite what you read in SI saying otherwise, I disagree. On offense, yes Drew Brees is a beast, but naming Olin Kruetz as a key offensive line acquistion shows it wasn't that great of a free agent periord. He's a great leader, but was slightly above average, at best over the last couple seasons. I don't see their line and running game being that much of a consistent factor this season, opening the door for the Falcons to repeat as division champs. That playoff loss last season opened their eyes and they will be focused. For the Bucs, they have a shot at helping the South sweep the Wild Card spots in the playoffs if they can continue to build on last season. I really like their quarterback Josh Freeman. Speaking of QBs, it's going to be a rough year again in Carolina for Cam Newton. It was a rough rookie year for Peyton Manning, too, so don't read too much into it. I'm not sold on him being great, but I'm not sold on him being awful, either. We'll have to see.

Wild Cards: Bears (10-6)- They key will be how will Roy Williams steps up, or allows Johnny Knox to take over the No. 1 receiver position. That, of course, means the offensive line has to give Jay enough time to throw the ball. I'll have more on them tomorrow, so I won't get too deep into it now.
Saints (10-6)- Drew Brees is too good to let this team miss the playoffs. This year will be all about the shootouts if they want to string wins together.

Playoff teams and seeds
1. Packers (12-4)
2. Eagles (11-5)
3. Falcons (10-6)
4. Rams (9-7)
5. Bears (10-6)
6. Saints (10-6)

 AFC
North: This division comes down to the Steelers or the Ravens. Which will it be? The Steelers just seem to get it done in those big games and it's all because of Ben Roethlisberger. I like Joe Flacco, but Big Ben is just on a diffeent level that performs in those big games. He gets it done in those games and the Steelers are winning this division. The Bengals and Browns? Well, the stripes in Cinncy won't be a factor and the Browns will show flashes, but can't compete with Steel City or B-More. Give me the Steelers winning this division with an 11-5 mark and the Ravens close behind in a Wild Card spot.

South: When was the last time the Colts weren't a lock to win this divison? It's been forever. Peyton Manning's neck and lack of arm strength have everyone, including me question who will win the division this season. I worked it by process of elimination. The Jaguars just cut David Garrard and are going with a rookie this season under center. Something tells me Jack Del Rio won't be around after this season. Too many headaches, sorry Jags fans, the blackouts will be the beginnings of your worries. In Tennessee there's a coach not named Jeff Fischer on the sidelines and that doesn't sit well with me. Plus, Matt Hasselback is in town with a rookie itching to get in the game. Things go south, and they will, look for this thing to go even more out of control. That leaves Houston. They have a premiere wide receiver in Andre Johnson, what could be a top-tier running back in Arian Foster and a QB in Matt Schaub that could make this offense very dangerous. The question mark lies on defense where Wade Phillips has made Mario Williams an outside linebacker in installing his 3-4 defense. Not a big deal, but you have to expect some hiccups along the way. This all comes down to how long Peyton is out for and how well he plays, but I might be on board with everyone else in thinking if Houston is finally going to make the playoffs and have its first winning season in franchise history, this is the year.

East: Another year and another Patriots division title? Yep. And this year could be another one of those great years for the Pats, who welcome Chad Ochocinco into the fold and will have him determined the way Randy Moss was when he first got to Boston. Look for that defense to get a little better this year, too, and be a force that will have Bill Bellichek's boys 11-5 this season. The Jets will be right in the mix, as well, but after missing out on getting a shutdown corner to compliment Darelle Revis on the other side, this secondary might be a little soft (not awful, just with a hole or two) that good quarterbacks will find ways to exploit. The Bills will make vast improvements this season and the Dolphins will be solid, too, but I don't see them being on the level of the Jets and Pats.

West: The Chargers had the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense last season and missed the playoffs because their special teams were absolutely horrendous at times. That won't happen again, even with Norv Turner leading the way, as this team will go 13-3. I know Philip Rivers is getting a lot of MVP talks and he deserves it with the year he had last year with his best receiver a no-show until November. Their closest run should come from the Broncos and Kyle Orton. I just like John Fox and his style and think he'll have this team in a position to win. Why no Chiefs in the hunt? Their starters lost to the Packers backups in the preseason finale. They've looked absolutely awful in preseason and will take a couple steps back this year. Just hand the ball off to Thomas Jones

Wild Cards: Ravens (10-6) This team is solid, but comes up short in the regular season against the Steelers. That's the difference between the division champs.
Jets (10-6) There is little to not like about this team, but when you reside in the same division as the Patriots, you earn Wild Card spots every year. Rex Ryan can hate me now and yell at me.

 Playoff teams and seeds
1.Chargers (13-3)
2. Patriots (12-4)
3. Steelers (11-5)
4. Texans (10-6)
5. Ravens (10-6)
6. Jets (10-6)

NOTE:
The main one during the NFL season will be my picks. I am in a few Pick 'em groups on the Interwebs and will post my picks each week (straight up) for EVERY game. Over the last couple of years I've posted about a 70 percent success rate. I plan on having that up on Wednesday or Thursday's throughout the year. Be sure to check out my Twitter or Facebook for updates to be sure when I'll have them posted.
Here's the schedule of what's to come this week:

Wednesday: Today was my NFL preview for the regular season. I'm going to make you come back and check out my Playoff preview tomorrow to see who I have winning the Super Bowl. Yeah, I'm cruel, but like the hits. You'll be back! Plus, I feel the need to pop off on why Peter King, one of my fave NFL writers is off base with his picks in the latest NFL preview issue.

Thursday: My full Chicago Bears Preview - I can't get enough of Jay Cutler or Brian Urlacher. I've got some things I'm ready to pop off on. Plus, I have to get my NFL picks in for the Kickoff game. People in Wisconsin are pumped for this game, I guess.

Yuni B carrying the Brewers? Yu Bet!

Way back at the beginning of the season I wrote a blog asking how good Yuniesky Betancourt had to be to not be vilified by Brewers fans this season. To be honest, there were times he was downright horrible and you could bank on him swining at the first pitch and looking silly in the process.
But, as has been talked about a bit by beat writers Tom Haudricourt and Todd Rosiak in the Journal-Sentinel, Yuni B, or as the 223 calls him, Yu Bet, has blazed a trail in the second half of the season and is carrying the bottom half of the batting order for the Brewers. You might laugh at that and until I trotted on over to Baseball-reference.com, I didn't quite believe it either. Yuni is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak, including back-to-back three hit games, just his fourth three-hit affairs of the season.
His numbers during this 22-game stretch are pretty ridiculous. He is hitting .388 since the All-Star break with 31 hits, three of which are home runs. That's more impressive considering he only has eight on the season. He's also driven in 18 runs to push his total to 48 on the season. Most importantly, his batting average is now approaching .270. Be honest, you didn't think in your wildest dreams he would even come close to that number this season.
Even Ron Roenicke has touched on the fact that Yuni has had his struggles this season, and while he toyed - for a game- with putting him in the No. 5 spot in the lineup, the No. 6 spot (or No. 7 when Rickie was hitting fifth and Casey McGehee sixth)  is where he belongs. It's what earned him the Player of the Month honors on the team for the month of July and to be honest it couldn't have come at a better time.
The loss of Rickie Weeks for what could be six weeks (he won't be back until at earliest Sept. 1 to save the team from making the decision on who to let go) could have been something that sent the team into a tail spin. While the pitching on this team has been great, the Brewers still need runs to come in to score, and they need something behind Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, especially deeper in the lineup. Both Ryan and Prince are hitting well right now, so Yuni has come through at almost the time the team needed him to most by delivering them and helping this group seize control of the NL Central.
Yes, Jonathan Lucroy has been solid in the No. 8 slot, but Yuni was looked at as a black hole in front of him. As was talked about on the D-List today, Drew Olson made a point that even Yuni's defense somehow looks better with him hitting so well. Now really it isn't but with McGehee finally coming back to where the team expected he'd be, things are coming together behind Ryan and Prince in some equally important RBI spots in the batting order.
I'm not asking Yuni to keep up this horrid pace, but it's been a welcome help in keeping the team rolling. Now with Corey Hart's bruised hand and day-to-day status and McGehee's knee pain, there are not many pops behind Prince in the batting order and help is needed to bridge the gap until all the boppers get healthy and return to the lineup.


Moving on to my faithful Chicago Bears. We are now a week into training camp and storylines are taking more shape beyond free agents. The biggest one on Bears camp in the last couple of days that was not related to the cancelling of Family Night at Solider Field on Friday Night (Ridiculous!) is the naming of all five starting offensive linemen. It was actually a bit of a surprise this would get done this early with the first preseason game coming Saturday night.
Even a tad more of a surprise was the guys themselves who will make up the five and a key omission by line coach Mike Tice. He named J'Marcus Webb as the starting left tackle, Chris Williams to left guard, Roberto Garza to replace Olin Kruetz at Center, Lance Louis to RG and rookie Gabe Carimi the starting right tackle.
The key ommission was newly acquaired center Chris Spencer as a free agent from the Seahawks. I would take this as a sign he's not ready to be the guy to lead this team at the line of scrimmage at the moment and Garza can step in now.
So why is this a big deal? It's no secret the line was what held the Bears back at the start of last season and I don't really want to remember the game against the Giants that nearly got Jay Cutler killed. By the second half of the season, the line had gelled and things started to come together with the same five guys anchoring things in front as a solid unit. This way the group has five weeks to come together in time for the Sept. 11 opener. The feeling among those close to the Bears in the media is this group could surprise some people this season.
The first glimpse of that comes Saturday night against those dreaded NY Giants.

Finally, it's time for the Nussie Hunter portion of our broadcast. I'm pretty sure you've heard of Bar Rafaeli by now. She's been on the cover of the SI Swimsuit Iussue in the past and dated Leo DiCaprio. She might be one of the most perfect looking women in the world. Seriously, find a blemish on her. That might be why she models bathing suits. My boys at Guyism found her modeling a whole ton of them today and my jaw nearly dropped. Here's a link to the entire album. And here's a sample (or two).

Can Brewers weather storm without Weeks?

The news of Rickie Weeks severely sprained ankle might go down as the biggest injury to this team since 2008 when Ben Sheets went down at the end of the season and it cost the Brewers a shot to advance in the postseason.
Doug Melvin and the Brewers front office had set their sights on a shortstop or third baseman, but now have to shift gears to possibly bring in a second baseman for three to six weeks. as the Brewers look to make a move in the NL Central standings.
The list of Brewers needs now becomes rather simple and I'm not sure which order to put them in. The lack of a left hander in the bullpen is cause for concern. It hasn't been exposed yet, but it's a weakness that could bite this team when playing a team with strong lefties (read the Phillies). The other need is now a second baseman. Both Melvin and Ron Roenicke have both made it clear you don't replace a Rickie Weeks, so it leads me to my next question, which way to the Brewers go with this move?
The answer might be answered by the rest of the guys on the team and in the lineup when Rickie is out. With Yuniesky Betancourt, Casey McGehee and Wednesday's second baseman, Craig Counsel, both having subpar years at the plate, it would seem offense has to take priority.
Felipe Lopez was acquired and sent to Triple-A, but I'm not sure that would be anything more than a last resort. I'd have to guess sending him to Triple A signals just that. The call-up of Eric Farris, who had played second at Nashville was nothing more than a temporary roster fill to have a second baseman in town if needed. I don't see him logging much time.
It's hard to say what's out there, and as Melvin and Roenicke have both said, teams know the Brewers are desperate and can hike the price and even a midlevel guy. Regardless, I still see something getting done. In 2008, the Brewers went after Ray Durham and he played well. They need to find the 2011 Ray Durham to hold things together at the bottom of the batting order and at second base until Slick Rick returns.
As big as the K-Rod deal was, I'd venture to say, this could be the biggest move Melvin makes this season.


The Bears had been quiet in the crazy world that is NFL free agency to this point, but that all changed today. The big move of the day was one that upset me more than almost any other player on the team other than Brian Urlacher. The decision to trade Greg Olsen to the Panthers for a player to be named and a late-round draft pick, was one that was dictated by Mike Martz no doubt. We all knew he doesn't utilize a tight end, so Olsen was dealt for parts. Truth be told, he might have been my favorite Bear not named Brian Urlacher in the last five years. (Besides Rex Grossman)
The shuffling at tight end does not mean much to me behind Olsen, but it means the team is going to turn more to wide receivers and Matt Forte out of the backfield. Both of those positions were also in the news today with the possiblity of Forte holding out and Roy Williams becoming a target at wide receiver. My take on the Forte issue is quick. He knows a holdout is not good for either side, but at the same time, he is as big a part of the offense as Jay Cutler and is not getting paid anything near his worth. So he is going to do what he has to do. I am not worried he'll miss much time in the regular season.
On the Williams front, I'm not sure I'm sold on him. He took plays off in Detroit and in Dallas and will be the guy that does not have Jay's back when lame media types try to pin the game on him. That's not what they need in the locker room. He is a big target, however, and can get it done with his route running that sit well with Martz in the offensive scheme. That should be the biggest attempt at getting a No. 1 receiver in town for a while and moves Johnny Knox to the No. 2 guy and means we won't see Devin Hester unless it's a four-receiver set. Both things should make both guys better on offense.
It's a wait and see as things unfold on the rest of the possibilities that are out there. It's hard to choose what to and what not to believe when it comes to which teams are linked to which players. With camp opening Saturday and guys reporting tomorrow, things should unfold quickly. Stay tuned.

I now have a little two-part Nussie Hunter for you all. Melanie Iglesias won the Maxim Hometown Hottie Contest last year and is taking over the modeling game. She has a YouTube channel, too, which usually isn't worth a damn. She did put out a video the other day that was pretty cool that I saw on Twitter. Take a look at it. Here's also a photo for you traditionalists out there,
with a link to her Maxim gallery.

Super Bowl XLV a microcosm of Packers season

Rub your eyes and pinch yourself, I am going to speak the praises of the Green Bay Packers and for good reason. They started the season with one group of guys and essentially had to work with another group of guys to bring it all together and make a run when they needed to to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Think about it. They score two touchdowns in 24 seconds (Jack Bauer would be proud), making us all think they were going to roll to an easy win. And heck, even at 21-3 in the second quarter, I figured the rout was on.
They were doing everything right, getting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and making him make throws that he didn't make. The interception return for a touchdown came on a play were Ben's arm was hit, leaving the ball to float like a punt.
Ben had another interception in the game and throughout just didn't look himself. Having led a game-winning drive against the Cardinals just two years ago in the Super Bowl, you almost figured he was going to deliver the same magic, again, but never came through. His three straight incompletions to end the game showed how erratic he was.
Then, things got interesting in the second half. Just like the Packers season when, in Week 6, that team was 3-3 and didn't look like they'd be able to live up to all the "Super" expectations put on the team at the start of the season.
Even as Aaron Rodgers looked pedestrian in the third quarter, the Packers defense came up and slowed things down enough to keep the Packers in the game. The offense needed it too, as James Jones and Jordy Nelson at times looked like they couldn't catch anything and had no business being on the field.
To me, they were the single biggest reason the Steelers were even in the game. There was easily one touchdown in there and a couple others, that, if caught, could lead to more points.
Either way, Rodgers had tons of time to throw all game, which is a tribute to his offensive line. I cannot remember Troy Polamalu even being a factory in the game really, which is a tribute to that front and to Rodgers for not making the silly throw with him in coverage.
Then, of course is the Packers defense. it gave up 398 yards, putting the Steelers on a short list of Super Bowl teams to outgain an opponent and lose. But Clay Matthews, who missed out on Defensive Player of the Year by two first-place votes, made the big play forcing a Rashard Mendenhal fumble on the Packers 33 yard line, the Steelers third turnover of the game, which slammed the door and got the Packers the momentum back. You have to think if they keep going with that drive, the Steelers kick the Packers even farther back on their heels, take the lead and seem to ride on to victory. Matthews knew it was his time to make a play and he did it. That's what a big-time player does.
I can do nothing more than bid the Packers congrats on the victory. Oh, and, if you read the blog Friday, you saw my score prediction of 33-28. Well, it was 31-25, so I was pretty close.

Alright, now to the other big part of yesterday: the commercials. They were not as good as in past years, but a couple stuck with me.
My man, Eminem, was in two of them, which were pretty good. This Brisk one:


This Chrysler one was my fave though. Here's the extended cut...


My fave of the day, though, had to be the Volkswagon Passat commercial. This is why I like VW.


Oh, and how can I forget this one, from the NFL itself.


Now for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast on the Super Bowl Sunday recap edition of the blog. One inparticular stood out to me, featuring Kim Kardashian.


But, she is not our Nussie Hunter feature of the day. For that, we go to Jaime Edmondson. We have to pay tribute to the Super Bowl Champs, no? To be fair, she pays tribute to every NFL team, here, but hey.

Why this meeting with Seahawks will be different for Bears

It became official last night around 7 o'clock the Chicago Bears would get a shot at righting a wrong by taking on the Seattle Seahawks Sunday - this writer's birthday - at noon at Soldier Field where the early forecast has temperatures set to be around 15 degrees on the Lakefront.
The loss the Seahawks dealt the Bears back on Oct. 17 was one that stung for Bears players in hearing their talk in the locker room today at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. The vow things will change and I'm right there with them. Here are 10 reasons why this one will be very different, counting down to the most important). I have to give some credit to former Bears star Jerry Azumah for giving me the idea for this piece.
10. The Seahawks were coming off a bye and had two weeks to gameplan for the Bears. Their gameplan was on point using a hurry up offense and muddle offense to keep the Bears defense off balance. They could go that route a again, but the Bears will be ready for it this time.
9. The Bears are 10-point favorites. I know New Orleans was also 10.5 point favorites, but they were on the road. This is the NFL, people, and the teams are so close. The home team automatically gets 3 points in Vegas because of it. The Bears are the home team this week and you can expect them to have an advantage when they take the field.
8. Johnny Knox had five catches for 120 yards in the first meeting and will get Earl Bennett back from injury this week. Expect the two of them to play a role in this one in the intermediate passing game.
7. The Bears turned their touchdowns per game average around after the first meeting. The Bears entered the first meeting with 1.8 touchdowns per game, but have averaged 3 TDs per game since.
6. Devin Hester had kickoff returns of 93 yards and another for a touchdown in the first meeting. Expect he and Leon Washington to do battle Sunday in the kicking game. Hester has shown he can go the distance against this coverage unit.
--- They get MUCH bigger as we enter the Top 5. These will be vital in the game Sunday. --
5. Lance Briggs did not play Oct. 17. Yes Brian Urlacher and Julius Peppers are the co-MVPs of this defense, but take one of the Pro Bowl players out of the puzzle and things change. Briggs will be on the field Sunday and promises to be a difference maker.
4. The Bears had no turnovers in the 23-20 loss at Soldier Field that day. For a team that had just three games where they did not commit a turnover, I'm not even talking about being on the plus-side of the turnover margin, just forcing a turnover, and went 1-2 in those games. The other loss was to the Patriots. The only win was the narrow win at Ford Field over the Lions.
3. The Bears are the only team to rush the ball more than they threw it since Week 9 (their first game since the Bye). This is a different team since the bye week with Mike Martz moving towards the run and calling 238 runs to 231 passes. That was not the case in the first meeting when the Bears ran the Ball for just 91 yards on just 14 carries (the fewest this season). Chester Taylor ran the ball four times for 31 yards and Matt Forte had eight for 11 yards. Again, that has not been the formula for the Bears success during the second half of the season. It works two ways, really, in keeping Jay Cutler grounded.
2. Speaking of Cutler, he completed just 17 of 39 passes for 242 yards without a TD or an INT in the first meeting with a passer rating of 69.4. He was also sacked five times. If the running game can get going like it has for much of the second half of the season, Cutler relaxes (this will be his first playoff game) and is more composed in the pocket. It also allows the offensive line to impose their will on the Seahawks.
1. The biggest key to success for the Bears Sunday is converting on third down. The Bears were an awful 0 for 12 back in October during a stretch where they converted just 17.9 percent of third downs. Since the bye, however, the Bears have converted on 44.1 percent of their third downs, good enough for ninth in the NFL over that span.
Things will be vastly different than in the first meeting. I also feel the Seahawks caught lighting in a bottle last week and will run into a team that will not overlook them as they look to erase October's defeat.



James Starks and the Packers made the game with the Seahawks possible with their strong showing at Philly Sunday night. I went 2 for 4 with my Wild Card Weekend picks, getting both games Sunday right.
I like the matchup with the Packers and the Falcons, as it should be a tight one in the Georgia Dome Saturday night.
In the AFC, the Ravens get the Steelers and the Jets (Boo!) get the Patriots for the third time this season. Both should be great games between teams that know each other very well. I'll have a full breakdown later in the week, but it promises to be another great week of football.


Now it's time for the Nussie Hunter portion of today's episode and I'm not sure how many of you checked out the new show on NBC called "The Cape" but it was great. A stellar action super hero show. One of the great parts of the show is female star Summer Glau. She doesn't wear a cape, but is the tech and brains behind a lot of what goes on in the show. Plus, she can probably kick my ass. So, I have to put her here! Enjoy and watch the show on Hulu before next Monday's episode.

What a difference a year makes for Lovie Smith

A year ago this week Chicago Bears President Ted Phillips, General Manager Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith pleaded with fans to accept their explanation for what had gone wrong as the Bears missed the playoffs for the third straight year. Lovie stayed on as coach, but had to give up his defensive coordinator post, handing it over to Rod Marinelli, and Mike Martz was brought on to run the offense. In fact, I was even one of those questioning whether it was right to let Lovie go. And I had been one of the biggest Lovie backers, so that is saying something.
The results this season could not have shown any better the Bears brain trust made the right decision in keeping Lovie on board as coach as the Bears went 11-5 when the "experts" did not see them doing much of anything. Lovie has always had one thing with this Bears team and that is loyalty. There have been zero players speak out against him or show any signs of the players not buying into what he has to dole out. The biggest sell to that end might be from the biggest name on the team, Brian Urlacher. It has become quite known that Urlacher absolutely hates this defense, but he is loyal and it has been shown to be successful so Urlacher buys in and performs at a high level.
Now with Urlacher back in the fold and a division title in hand, Angelo has gone as far as to call this team, the "best football team that we've had" referring to the teams he and Smith have built together, including the one that went to the Super Bowl after the 2006 season.
And amidst Jim Harbaugh getting offered Oprah money to coach in the NFL without ever coaching a game at this level, Lovie, who has one year left on his current contract, stands to cash in. The idea David Haugh at the Chicago Tribune gets by reading between the lines from Angelo is that Smith will cashing in depends on the Bears winning at least one game in these playoffs.
I'm down with that. He's shown the ability to work with what he has and coach them up to get a performance greater than the sum of the parts. And again, even when times got tough over the three seasons, everyone stood behind Lovie and that has to speak for what the locker room thought of him. I'd say he deserves everything he gets.


Speaking of playoffs, the Bears have been given a three-day weekend with the first-round bye meaning Wild Card Weekend has arrived. I told you the other day I would be back to break down the games and make some picks. So here we go.
Let's go in order. We'll start with Saturday's games.
Saints (11-5) @ Seahawks (7-9): A home team is an 11-point dog at home in the playoffs? That's what happens when you're the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record. Count the 'Hawks out? Not so fast. Now, they'll get Matt Hasselback back under center which should help, but they'll need EVERY break to go their way on defense in forcing a couple of turnovers to be in this one.
That's why I'm taking Saints.
Jets (11-5) at Colts (10-6): Will someone please shut Rex Ryan up? Yes, you, wearing the No. 18 blue jersey. Peyton Manning! Please, end this loser's face time and send the Jets packing. Maybe I'm not being totally fair here, but I hate how Ryan gets in front of a mic and takes all the attention off the players and onto him. I know that's his ploy, but all those ESPN losers don't even talk about the game. Know this, Manning is 6-1 in games he starts against a Ryan team. The one he lost, last year when he was pulled in the final game of the season.
So give me the Colts and ALL the points. It is personal. Shut this clown up Peyton!
Ravens (12-4) at Chiefs (10-6): We're on to Sunday's games and prior to Matt Cassel getting his face pounded in by the Raiders in Week 17, I'd have picked the Chiefs without hesitation, has they had yet to lose a game at Arrowhead this season. Had they not tried, that would be one thing, but Cassel kept getting sent out there and he threw a pair of INTs. Well, bring the Ravens ball-hawking defense to town and things get a little dicier. The Chiefs are good, don't get me wrong, and they are going to need a lot of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones (TJ!) to take the pressure off Cassel and I don't think they'll do it.
This will be a close one, but I'm taking the Ravens to go into KC and get the win.
Packers (10-6) at Eagles (10-6): The Packers are 3-5 on the road and the Eagles are 4-4 at home. I don't put much weight in the Week 1 game between the teams as Michael Vick didn't start and it was so long ago that many of the faces on both sides of the ball have changed. So you have to look at what the teams have done lately and how they're trending. Aaron Rodgers played OK in the Bears game, not great, but Vick is a game changer. The difference in the game is not letting him get time to throw. The talk has been not letting him run, well, he hasn't been running that much of late, relying more on his arm and the accuracy he's gained this season. The Packers must get pressure on him in the pocket. I'm talking quick pressure to not let him get the ball to DeShaun Jackson if they want to have a shot in this one.
I'm saying they do and the Eagles defense won't be able to stop the one-sided Packers attack.

As a side note, the NFL's new Playoff Overtime Rule goes into effect this week. Here's a great piece on ESPN.com on the matter that should break it down for you.

Alrighty, on to the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. The Playmate of the Year competition is heating up quickly and we here at Wilber's Way have a candidate we fully support. Her name is Francesca Frigo. A latin bombshell you can follow on  Twitter, or see more of on Model Mayhem (she linked it) with a sample below!

Forte, not Cutler Bears most valuable weapon

Note: Before I get started today, I just wanted to say thanks and Happy New Year to all the loyal "Followers" of The Way. I have made it a resolution to make this more of a priority to write in the New Year. To think I made 100 posts during the first sixth months, but just 55 over the last year and it showed I have slipped. Well, it's time to get back at it. So here goes edition No. 1. Hope you enjoy it!


I know all of my Packers fans friends are gloating today because their team knocked off the Bears Sunday at Lambeau Field. For a game that meant nothing, I thought the Bears played well enough to have a chance to win at the end, which they did. What do I take from it? Well, that was a bit hard to come to, but after a little thought I finally did. If a team can take away the special teams edge the Bears usually get with Devin Hester either returning the ball or forcing bad punts and big turnovers, the offense has a hard time going 80 yards consistently. But whose offense doesn't? I'm not worried about that.
Yes, most of the offensive attention goes to Jay Cutler, but with the production of the pictured above, Matt Forte, the Bears have a guy that for the first time since some player named Walter Payton to run for 1,000 yards and have 500 receiving yards. And to think he did most of that with just about half a season to work after Mike Martz didn't utilize him fully at the start of the season. He said so himself after Sunday night's game to the Chicago Tribune, "If we had run it a little earlier we may have 1,500 or 1,600 yards." He's not looking back and I'm pretty sure the offense not going to Forte more in Sunday's game was a way to not give too much away going into playoffs. He and Chester Taylor are the keys to the offense and are the balance needed from keeping Jay Cutler from going catatonic and throwing balls to the guys in the wrong colored jerseys.
Those back-to-back 20+ yard runs were great and we should have seen more from him. We can't let this go to waste.
And talk all you will about the defense giving up yards, the fact is, they don't give up points. So don't worry!


The playoffs and the road to Super Bowl 45 is set. Can you see any one team in the NFC having a bigger advantage over another team? I don't. I can see the Bears winning two games and going to Dallas and at the same time, I can see them laying an egg on my birthday and ending the season. That's how close I think this NFC field is. That's including the Seahawks who are 11-point home dogs to the defending champion Saints.
The Packers go on the road to Philly and I am leaning towards giving the Packers the edge. Both teams are completely different than what they were in Week 1 of the season with the edge when it comes to shutting down Mike Vick and that offense. If they can keep DeShaun Jackson from going nuts on them on both offense and on kick returns like they did Devin Hester Sunday, they have a shot. But the one thing the Eagles have to do is keep Aaron Rodgers from getting into any kind of rhythm and the complete lack of a running game will make this a nightmare for the Packers.
In the other NFC game, the Saints are the big favorite, but I wouldn't count them out. I like their secondary against Drew Brees to at least give the Seahawks a chance to do some damage and keep it close. If they do that, all it takes is one big play when it matters and things go their way. That said, I think the Saints can find a way to win this game because of the speed they have in Reggie Bush underneath. It's one thing to confuse a rookie in Sam Bradford, but to keep Drew Brees guessing, that takes something special.
Does the AFC picture even matter? A little, sure, but does anyone stand a shot against the Patriots? I'll have my full Wildcard Weekend preview later this week.

OK folks, time to get on to the Nussie Hunter portion of today's broadcast. There is news today one of our favorites here at Wilber's Way, Mila Kunis, is now single. And she was dating Macaulay Culkin of all people? Well, they have parted ways and has put him as the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter all day since news broke. We need to change that and get the attention back on her. So here you go with a great shot below and this link to more great photos of the best thing to come out of That '70s Show.

Marcum 'Just the start' could mean good things for Brewers

When news dropped Sunday the Brewers had dealt Brett Lawrie to Toronto for Shaun Marcum, I was immediately excited. I had to double check the stats, to be honest, but knew Doug Melvin would get a guy that could make an immediate impact if he could.
That's exactly what he did. Last year Marcum went 13-8 with a 3.64 ERA (FULL STATS) in the brutal AL East. Yes he did miss all of 2009 after having Tommy John Surgery, but he bounced back and threw 195 innings. That makes me a little less worried about him being a so-called "injury risk" and more excited he will contribute for most of 2011. He was the ace of the Toronto staff after Doc Haladay left town and will fit right between Randy Wolf and the ace of the Brewers, Yovanni Gallardo. The new man at the helm, Ron Roenicke, has already gone on record and said he's "very excited" about the arrival of Marcum to the staff having watched him from the opposing dugout.
Of course, the quote from Melvin still rings out that his is "just the start" of what he wants to do this winter. I'm hoping they can put together something for one more arm - not sure on Carl Pavano, but I saw he talked to his agent - to round out the rotation that already includes Yo, Marcum, Wolf and Chris Narveson. What that move is, I don't know yet, but I'm sure it has to be something of importance. Yes, they would like to deal Carlos Gomez, but you can't just ship your trash out the door and get something great for him. You can't get too much into the rumors you read during the day on Twitter - There's a lot of them - you just have to wait and see what gets finalized.
Let's just hope Marcum is nothing like the douche it has been revealed that Brett Lawrie was. A blog I've mentioned on these pages before, Miller Park Drunk, has posted pictures from Lawrie's Facebook page and let's just say the guy is a bit of a tool. Here's the link. What is up with CLEAN Eminem lyrics? I know you are a bit of a public figure, but what the hell?


Moving on now to my Bears, who had to get a ripping from the usually lax Coach Lovie at halftime in Detroit to move to 9-3. They still aren't getting any respect and the skeptics stood up and pointed when things got dicey at Ford Field, but this Bears team is for real. Make no mistake, they have come along since the beginning of the season, but they are for real.
I watched some video on ESPN.com today that featured Trent Dilfer telling me why the Bears were not Super Bowl contenders and he said because they are built around defense and don't ask the offense to do most of the heavy lifting, they are not even being considered, or shouldn't be.
Hey Trent, what were you on that Tampa Bay team that won the Super Bowl? The defense did everything and you were asked to just not mess it up.
Now, I'm not saying the Bears are going to win the Super Bowl, but being in a spot to earn a bye in the NFC playoffs has to put them in the discussion and he's being asinine for dismissing them so quickly. They surely have the defense that will make noise in December and we'll get to see it get tested in the final four weeks of the season. With games against the Patriots, Vikings, Jets and Packers, that defense will need to step up if they want to hold on to the NFC North lead and earn that bye. Yes, the team is built around defense, but since the bye week (Week 9), the Bears have the second highest third down conversion percentage at just over 52 percent and Jay Cutler is not making the stupid plays. The biggest key has been the emergence of BOTH Matt Forte and Chester Taylor. That means the offensive line has figured it out, having played the same five guys since then.

Alright, I don't get into college football much here on the blog, but that "Teach me how to Bucky" was quite ridiculously awesome. So, when the same folks to another video, you have to take notice. This time "We're Smelling Roses."


It is now time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. Today, I introduce you to a woman you probably don't know. Her name is Daphne Joy and she's downright amazing. I found her on Twitter and you can too, here.

Give all the credit to the man at the top: Lovie

The talk at the start of the season from those who follow the NFL, especially the Bears, was that this was going to be a rough season for the Bears and head coach Lovie Smith. I'll admit, I thought they would do better than most had them for this year, but the way things have unfolded over the last month has been beyond my expectations.
Yes, the defense has been playing well, Jay Cutler has been reigned in and the offensive line has pieced it together enough to keep Jay upright and make lanes for Matt Forte to run through, but there is one person to give credit for this (what could be) great season. You guessed it, Lovie.
When teams around the NFL are broken and has guys stepping out and making it about themselves, no nonsense is coming out of Halas Hall in Lake Forest and the Bears are unified going forward each week. It's one of those things where it's known the defense is the mainstay of the team, and the offense has to do "just enough" to get the team over the top. Never, though, has there been any finger pointing, even last year, at Jay or the offensive line (including O-line coach Mike Tice) to get it together.
Who gets the credit for that? Yep, Lovie. He's done it every year he's been in Chicago and this might be the best he's done as a coach, and yes I'm talking even better than 2006. There were no expectations and many questions abound on this team on how things would go this season, after the disappointment of last year.
And all the questions about the Bears not beating anyone with a winning record before Sunday, who cares? Is it the Bears fault their schedule is the way it is? Hell no. Sunday, against the team EVERYONE said was the new front runner to win the NFC, the Bears were in control for most of the game. Yes, the Eagles rallied late, but they are a good team, heck, they're great, and the Bears weathered the storm. The offense played great behind both Jay and Forte (who had 100+ yards) and the defense kept Michael Vick in check for the most part in what was the highest rated NFL game of the season (per Jay Glazer).
There are five games left and one five teams of the last 59 have missed the playoffs with an 8-3 record. That means things are looking good for this team to make the playoffs.
Why is it, when there is talk about coach of the year, am I not hearing Lovie Smith's name mentioned? He should be. He HAS to be. He has brought this team together and is leading them to a possible NFC North title.
I guess the Bears, got a little respect for this win? If not, it doesn't really bother Brian Urlacher.

Keeping on my NFL tip, I'm sure you've seen the Derek Anderson flip out video by now. My take on it is this: He was a bit out of line for blowing up. I was unsure in reading some things on Twitter about it, but hearing what the reporter said to him was not out of line. He was essentially throwing him a rope to save him from the fan backlash and he completely lost it and handled it the wrong way.
This is a bit like a scene in "Fever Pitch" when the guys see Johnny Damon, Trot and some Red Sox players out after falling behind the Yanks 3-0 in the ALCS. I can support the guys having some sort of laugh on the sideline regarding the score. It has to upset you being down in a game, but you can't get too down or upset because it will effect your play on the field. In Anderson's case, he's so bad, he could be upset and it wouldn't help him. Just saying.



The other hot topic in the NFL this week was the Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson fight in the Texans and Titans game. This highlight is obviously taken from a show on Sunday and the two have both since gotten just a $25,000 fine and no suspension. Finnegan calls himself the "dirtiest player in the game." This isn't the WWE and unlike Ric Flair having that monicker, it is not a good one to have in the NFL. The guy is a scumbag. While I don't condone throwing punches, you have to defend yourself and Johnson did just that and teaching that punk a lesson. While I talked earlier about bringing a team together and being disciplined, is it time we question the job Steve Fischer is doing in Tennessee? He has the Vince Young problem. Randy Moss is in town now. Then there's this jerk. The NFL has no place for that.


Enough football, it's time for the ladies of the day to take over. Today's Nussie Hunter segment of the broadcast is the exotic Francia Raisa, who appeared in the movie For Colored Girls. I'm not too into the movie, but the fine folks at Guyism.com have more pics of her from the premiere.

Fixing the Bears: What's the biggest key?

Two days removed now from Jay Cutler's historic interception fest with DeAngelo Hall and things are starting to come out about what the Bears saw and why they went after the former Falcons and Raiders DB.
Mike Martz told WBBM Chicago Hall just "guessed" and they had planned on going after him all game coming in and he guessed right throughout the second half.
Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I guess Jay must have gotten shell shocked with what what going on after the first couple that he could not make the adjustments in his head and make better throws when the rush was around him.
Martz does not throw Cutler under the bus in the interview, and actually talks him up.
Things are pretty clear though heading into the bye week for the Bears. They are ranked No. 5 in total defense and No. 30 in offense. That's why they are 4-3 and still in first place of the NFC North.
Going forward, things need to get better. If there is a way to cinch up the offensive line, that needs to be done. Mike Tice (yes former Vikings coach) runs that unit and to be honest, he's kind of in the same boat as Brewers manager Ken Macha was with pitching. There isn't much help there to work with and guys are just being taken to task. It's not so much they are missing one or two fundamental keys they can work on, it's much more than that with this crew.
But I look back at the Carolina game when the Bears HAD to run the football to get ahead and rely on Matt Forte to get them where they wanted to go. Well, with Jay back from injury, they went right back to a 65-35 pass-run split and at time forgot they had he and Chester Taylor in the backfield. It's been rather disappointing at times. The line showed, if for just a little bit, they could run block. So maybe they need to build some confidence that way and it will lend itself to the pass blocking. I"m just thinking out loud here.
The schedule doesn't lend itself to much more time to figure this out and the losses could start to pile up if things continue to go south in the second half of the season.


Now to turn attention to my other favorite sports team, the Brewers. Word from my guy Tom Haudricourt, is that the Crew has narrowed its list of candidates from eight to four. Only two of the four finalists are known, at the moment, though with White Sox bench coach Joey Cora (above) among them. The other is former D-Backs manager and current Mets scout Bob Melvin (below).
Since we know just two guys, I'm going to talk about those two, one of which I'm pretty high on, the other I'm kind of lukewarm on.
Cora would be coming from Chicago where he has seen how Ozzie Guillen has handled the Sox the last few years. Say what you will about Ozzie, but I'd guess those guys in the clubhouse love him because he gets every single one of those guys as players and can relate to them (after they figure out what he's saying, of course). Cora likely plays a big role in that, too, just a few years removed from being a player himself. That might be the one thing missing with Macha. The guys didn't really get along with him in the clubhouse and didn't really have his back. Makes it rather hard for guys to get motivated after he says something they don't find much sense in.
On the Melvin side, he has been away from the game a bit and his last stint at manager ended with him getting fired into a season and did not really show much after some of his talent went away. I know a coach and manager is only as good as what is around him, but it kind of shows what he really meant for the team: not much.
I'd almost lean toward the fresh face to breathe some life into the position and let the young players flourish. We went the old manager and bringing them back into the game before and he didn't really sync up with Ryan and Prince and it ended badly here. The second interviews are going down as we speak in Milwaukee and GM Doug Melvin, Asst. GM Gord Ash and owner Mark Attanasio are working on the matter. I'm hoping they make the right decision.


Today is opening night in the NBA boys and girls. To be real, I'm not really that into the NBA (but I could go for a game of the new NBA Jam about now). There is one storyline I am watching though, and that is how LeBron James and the Heat will fair this season and how will they be perceived. Early on it looks like the "Evil Empire of the Association" has been born. But with Dwyane Wade and King James being two of the biggest names in the game and with big endorsers, Nike and Jordan can't sit back and let their names be tarnished for long. I'm sure you've seen the ads by now, but here they are for D3 and King James.


And now King James:


We're pretty ACTION PACKED today, but I have one more thing before we get to the Nussies. Today, Oct. 26, 2010, is the 25th anniversary to the date in the first Back to the Future that Doc Emmit Brown is at Twin Pines Mall and has a run in with some Pakistanis. I encourage you to watch it if you call yourself a fan. I know I will be! GREAT SCOTT!

Alright, time for the Nussie Hunter portion of the broadcast. I was on the subject of Jay Cutler earlier and it's well known now that he is dating former The Hills star Kristin Cavallari. Well, she posted on her Twitter the other day that the two of them carved pumpkins. Be sure to check out the photo here (Shouts to BearsGoggleson.com).
I figure since we put one side of the couple at the top of the page, why not put the side you and me would rather look at, here. Then check out more pics of her, here.

The league on notice, time to hit the Big Apple for the Bears

After Week 2 everyone said the Bears made a statement. Well, after Week 3 was put to rest, the statement got its punctuation. Yes, there were 18 penalties on the Packers, but the Bears took advantage and became the NFC's only 3-0 team.
They have areas they need to improve, but the positives do out number the negative which is promising heading forward this season.
Devin Hester shined and got that first return touchdown in two years and it helped Jay Cutler put it together. Yes, I'm not giving my full endorsement of his performance, but he did enough.
As usual, it was the defense that made the big statements ring true. The leader of all of that was the biggest acquisition made in the offseason, Julius Peppers. How amazing was he in the third quarter?
The stats might not show that the Bears did a lot of things right in terms of getting to the quarterback, but three big holding penalties and an intentional grounding speak for that.
Also, Brian Urlacher (So great to have him back) and Lance Briggs just continue to show how great they are together. Yes the Bears are 3-0 by way of a bit of some help, but you have to win those games if you're going to be a successful team and you have to give them credit for that.
This week, the New York Giants are on the docket, as the Bears get to check out the new Meadowlands. For once this season, the Bears are favored in a game and they'd rather be the underdogs. I think they have reveled in being the underdog and want us to not give them a shot so they can prove us wrong.
The Giants have shown they are not disciplined at all the last two weeks, and I'm not so sure that can go away after a week. It could be the key, again, for the Bears to win. I have not been impressed by Eli Manning all season and this could be another chance for the Bears to take a step forward.
Prediction: Bears 24, Giants 14


Before I get into my picks, I got an E-mail from a big Giants fan this week, that I have agreed to not talk about the game with this week so we wouldn't say anything lame to upset each other. Yes, On The Line Sports' own Vaughan Gartrelle wanted to chime in as things led into the game. These are his thoughts on the week:
"This is the week where it sucks to have two of your closest friends be bears fans. I will tell you this much my New York Giants will come out swinging. We have many problems but we are a team that plays extremely well under the owners pressure i.e. 2007. If I was in thee Giants locker room my pregame speech would sound something like this :

We played a damn good week one, instead of taking that momentum into week two for our game against big brother we let the media convince us we had no chance. And then in week three we did exactly what we should have done for week two and took that terrible momentum into a game that we should have won. No look at where it has us behind the eight ball let's just be glad we have many other shots before that's our concern. Now we must go out today and be the reverse of ourselves and be GIANT KILLERS. Let's go win on the big stage.

If this is the speech 20-13 giants if not 31-6 bears."



That was pretty good from V. But it's now time for my NFL Picks. Last week I delivered a great week and went 10-6 to push my record on the year to 28-20 for the season. Here is Week 4 with the winners in bold.
49ers at Falcons
Jets at Bills
Bengals at Browns
Lions at Packers
Broncos at Titans
Seahawks at Rams
Panthers at Saints
Ravens at Steelers
Colts at Jaguars
Cardinals at Chargers
Redskins at Eagles
Bears at Giants
Patriots (17) at Dolphins (14)

It should be a big week and the Nussie Hunter wanted to give you a girl that is a fan of sports to close things out. Is there one hotter than Kelly Brook right now? Yes she's made the blog twice in recent months, but that's because she's at the top of her game. Just check out the photo below. Then head over to Guyism.com to see her in a red dress. ALL HOT!

Making a statement: At 2-0 Bears turn heads

Did you think the Bears could beat the Cowboys? Be honest when you answer that! I know every single "expert" on Fox picked the Cowboys to roll without a second thought. You know what, I had my doubts, but check my picks on the last blog post. Yes, I'm a Bears fan, so I picked them, but be real here. They went on the road to a place not many teams can really go and win and you had to think many of the mistakes the Cowboys made in their loss to the Redskins would go away when they got to the friendly confines of Cowboys Stadium.
Well, they didn't and every time it looked like the Cowboys scored and looked like they were going to take over the game, Jay Cutler (and his 5 TDs and lone INT) led drives that got points with touchdown passes to Greg Olsen (beating an all-out blitz), Devin Hester (You are RIDICULOUS!) AND Matt Forte (after a missed FG that would have tied it to put the game away). Yes, this may be the Jay Cutler Jerry Angelo thought he was going to get when he traded a pair of first round picks and Kyle Orton for him.
Yes he took a ton of hits and at times looked to be in a ton of pain, but he persevered and made the big throws that everyone has been waiting for him to make.
Add to it the fact that the Bears defense allowed just 38 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Yes, this might be the beginning of something big. Heck, look around the division and the Vikings are 0-2, so things could be going in the Bears way.
As much as they'll say in the locker room over and over that they are not thinking about the "haters" when they came home with a win, you know they had some fresh crow ready to be served to the media at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.
Can't say you blame them. You can't put a lot of weight in an 0-4 preseason, but the way the Bears went 0-4 there wasn't a lot of positives you can take from it. You have to hand it to the team for being able to turn it on when it matters and do what they have done the first two weeks of the season.


Up next though is a visit from Clay Matthews, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to Soldier Field on Monday Night Football. For six quarters they didn't look like the team many expected to see to start the season, but the second half of the Bills game last week was very impressive. Aaron Rodgers finally got the offense in a groove and Clay Matthews.... I'll say it again Clay Matthews. Yes he is a man beast and yes he has turned quarterbacks into his own rag doll through two games.
It's going to make for a great night on the Lake in Chi-City. I'll have my preview this weekend in what should be a great game and maybe one that is the Bears official coming out party. A win in this one and do the Bears become a sexy Super Bowl pick? Heck after this one, they could go undefeated into the bye week in Week 8 or even 6-1 with a loss. That's if things keep trending up. Yes, this team could be something special. We'll have to see how things unfold over the course of the week.

Alright, time to get on to the Nussie Hunter portion of this broadcast. In checking my "dude blogs" today I found some great stuff. I remember watching Holly Madison dating Hugh Hefner for something like seven years, but now she's single and is in UFC Magazine. All I can say is she looks incredible these days. The good folks at Guyism have all the photos. Here's a sample.

The Bears & Boys, plus all of Week 2 in the NFL

For two teams that really didn't do a lot of things right, Week 2 of the NFL season has the Bears in Dallas to take on the Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The only difference from Week 1 for the Bears and 'Boys was that the Bears were the benefactor of an odd call.
The key to this game will be which offensive line can pick it up late in the game. I'm imagining both defenses living the the backfield and meeting at the quarterback all game, making things rough for Jay Cutler and Tony Romo. Last week, former Bears first-round pick Marc Colombo cost them the game with a holding call in the final seconds. I'm not sure which unit will step up, but I know it's the key. I see both defenses running amok in this one and creating chaos all over the field.
If Cutler can hit Matt Forte out of the backfield on some short passes to counteract that quick rush, it could put the Bears in a position to do some damage.
I have made my picks and the team I picked to win shouldn't surprise you.
Prediction: Bears 20, Cowboys 17 in a close one in the Jerry Dome.

Now for my Week 1 picks. Last week was a rough one, as I only went 8-8. It's time to get better in Week 2. Here they are (Bold teams are winners):
Cardinals at Falcons
Ravens at Bengals
Chiefs at Browns
Bears at Cowboys
Eagles at Lions
Bills at Packers
Steelers at Titans
Dolphins at Vikings
Buccaneers at Panthers
Seahawks at Broncos
Rams at Raiders
Patriots at Jets
Jaguars at Chargers
Texans at Redskins
Giants at Colts
Saints (28) at 49ers (13)

Alright, got a quick Nussie Hunter to present in today's broadcast and it's a woman that shares a name with one of my fave teams. Nicole Brewer was on CoEdMagazine.com this week and look amazing. I'm thinking the Brewers need to get her some sort of appearance deal! Here's a great sample below. You can see the rest of them here.

I'll take a 1-0 start to the season anyday!

Well, let's get right into it. The Bears' 19-14 win over the Lions Sunday at Soldier Field was not without the play that will be felt and replayed over and over again throughout this NFL season.
My initial thought was, OK, this game is a loss. There are 24 seconds left, they have three timeouts, but that doesn't make things easier. But when I saw the play had been ruled an incomplete pass and I saw the replay, I had a gut feeling the play would not be overturned. Yes he caught the ball initially, but how he was holding it with one hand and just setting it down when his hand hit the ground, cost the Lions the score. It's simple really. That's why coaches teach high school kids to put the ball to their chest when they catch it. Had he down that and tossed the ball to a ref or even spiked the ball, the touchdown would have stood.
The best explanation of the thing is from former Director of Officials in Mike Pereira, who now works for Fox Sports. Here he is...

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=84f74ba3-944b-4246-8a5b-a50d8c618c1c&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="Online OT: Pereira's Week 1 Calls">Video: Online OT: Pereira's Week 1 Calls</a>


Alright, now time for a look at the rest of the game and the good and the bad from this team.
I'll say the best thing I saw in the day was the throw Jay Cutler made to Matt Forte to get the Bears the lead. It is clear if Mike Martz has things his way, Forte will play the role of Marshall Faulk in this offense. He is capable of doing so and the 151 receiving yards in the opener is the most for a running back on opening day in NFL history.
And I cannot go a game recap post without mentioning the man above wearing No. 6. No folks, Kevin Butler is long retired, but Jay Cutler had 371 yards with two touchdowns. He looked poised and ready to spread the ball over the field. That's the work in the Martz offense that I wanted to see in the preseason. It was apparently kept under wraps and was ceremoniously unveiled Sunday. There is also one Cutler stat that stands out to me and it is the one interception he threw. Yes, Aaron Rodgers, the guy many gave the MVP to, including myself has more interceptions that Cutler. So all the pundits can sit down (at least for now).
There were some things that upset me. Namely the turnovers that kept this game close.  It's not rocket science and a coach doesn't even had to mention it to the players. It's like a pitching coach telling a pitcher to throw strikes. He's going to respond with a "No kidding, thanks for the help." The Greg Olsen cough up in side the five was the biggest one to me. Last year the Bears were the worst inside the redzone and you can't expect them to be that bad again. this start to the season isn't exactly encouraging, though.
I am pretty sure it will get fixed and we will not be talking about this for long.
Week 2 is at Dallas and it should be another good one. Look for the preview on that one during the week!

Time now for the Nussie Hunter and we go no farther than the WWE to find our gorgeous guest for today. It's the one and only Maryse Oulett.  The fine folks at Guyism.com have more photos of her. Be sure to take a look! Here's a preview: