Urlacher Done

I'm having a very hard time maintaining my optimism about this season.

This is awful news......the loss I can handle these injuries are another story!

Start playing taps.... I think this season is now on the brink of being a disaster. They don't have the horses to score 30 every week to win.
Brian Urlacher is the heart of this defense. He has been a great player for this team through the abyss of the Jauron years, and the disfunction of much of the Smith regime. Thankfully this isn't a leg injury so he should have a chance at a comeback next season.
The bears have a chance to still be good, but I think the Super Bowl dream is dead. Just devastating..........

To say I am absolutely devastated to hear this news would be an understatement. This was supposed to be Brians comeback year, and it might have happened had this injury not occured. Does this not sound like something that you can just put a club on a play it out?? Why is this a season ending injury??

This sucks, just dealing with the game last night was tough. Now this on Monday morning....wtf.

Its crazy how much of a difference he makes on that defense, this SUX worse then losing last night.

Guys, people talked so much shit about the Pack being ustoppable yet we only lost in the last minute of the game after pissing away 3 opportunities to score. The Bears can win games and will win them this year. Nothing is unwinding. Urlacher is the heart of the defense but Briggs is the best linebacker and he is healthy. Pisa will be back as well and we have Nick Roach and Jamar Williams who will step up not to mention any free agent they bring in. The Bears will make the necessary changes and will adjust.

It was 1 fucking half of 1 fucking football game that people are freaking out about. He threw the picks, Jolly made a sick interception, Mannelly called the worst play ever, Clark missed a TD catch by 3 inches and one of the picks was returned to the 1. If it hadn't been we would have stopped them like we did all game. We still only lost in the last minute of the game. we could have just as easily won by 14. Realize that. Urlacher is good but fucking Teddy Bruschi could match him in talent at this point in his career. The d-line will step up like they did last night. We will still go 11-5 this year. BEAR DOWN = STOP BEING PUSSIES. That applies to the players AND the fans.

The Bears are going to be just fine. Cutler will settle down. They'll get the run game fixed. Vasher will phase out in favor of Bowman. The safeties will pull it together. With everything that went wrong last night, and there was a lot of it, we still almost came away with that one. I think it's only uphill from here, even if Urlacher's done (and yeah, what ever happened to putting on a big club cast and playing through it?)... The only thing that worries me right now is the idea of playing AP twice a year.

I think both teams looked like crap on a stick honestly. I have a hard time beleiving a dislocated wrist that wasn't even bad enough to require him not to be on the sidelines with an ACE bandage, will keep BU out for the season. Cast that thing up like Dawkins in pre-season and get out there, I'd rather have a one handed Urlacher than a two-handed Hillenmeyer.
Cutler's picks were inexcusible. Yes I saw one that probably wasn't his fault and then the Jolly thing was a great play but he threw 3 other balls that should have been picked and weren't; I mean he fn underthrew Bennett into quadruple coverage, that is almost as stupid as Mannely's snap.
Short story after Sunday is that if Green Bay doesn't get a RT who can play and our QB doesn't pull his head out of his ass and the Viqueens can keep Favre reigned in as a game manager; the queens will run away with this thing.

Jeff,
That post kinda makes me feel better. It really sucks that Brian is out for the mere fact that these next few seasons make or break his chances for the HOF.
I did see some good things last night and us still being in the game after #6 threw 4 picks was one of them. Midway Jay will rebound and get past these growing pains. Expect a big week out of him againts a Flying Hawiianless Steelers team.

It's not the way we'd like to see this happen (duh!), but Briggs moving to MLB is the natural progression of things. The key now is for Pisa to come back healthy by the end of the first quarter of the season. Maybe Lach comes back as LOLB next year and Briggs stays put. We'll have to see, but I by no means think the season is "over" - the D didn't fall apart in the second half; the turnovers just put GB in positions where they couldn't help but put points on the board. Hell, it's a testament to our D that they didn't absolutely bury us with the field position that we were giving up on O and the ST blunder.

I am not throwing in the towel on this season but two things.

1. If you watched that second half and could not see how much easier it was for Grant to gain rushing yards watch it again.

2. Comparing Teddy Bruschi to Urlacher at any point in his career is ridiculous, Urlacher did and always will run circles around that guy.

I am hoping/praying the coaching staff comes up with some solution and fast, champs are in next week and 0-2 is one hole they cannot afford to climb out of in this division.

Not about to make predictions... typical packers week, even if you win you lose. D looked good last nite, but no 54 changes the next 15 games. Maybe Roach or Williams steps up big time? hard to be optimistic, honestly.

I've typed and re-typed a comment about five times. Not sure what to think...

A lot of holes in the team's play, and coaching but I saw some definite positives that I'm trying to stay optimistic about.

Loss of Urlacher and Pisa in game 1 blows. Pisa will be back, but 54 gone for the season. I think they can overcome that loss though.

Who has thoughts on the clamoring for the signing of Derrick Brooks by some of the talking heads?

I with you Johnny we still got 21 weeks of Bears football.An I haven't thrown in towel yet.No one has been eliminated from the post season in week one yet in the history of football.We still got a chance.

I hate to be the BEAR-er of bad news, but the score could have been 35-15 EASILY!! Vasher was burned REPEATEDLY last night. Rodgers just over threw the receivers. Then again, could of been 35-15 BEARS if Cutty doesnt throw to green jerseys. Touche.

Call me crazy but in my opinion a Pisa/Briggs/Roach-Williams corp will be as good if not better. Briggs is a MLB no question about it, he has the size and tools to play that position and Pisa is one of the better Sams in the league. I really liked what Roach did while he was out there last night.

However my only hope is that they DO NOT put Hunter out there in the middle, I think that really weakens out D as a whole.

I cannot remember a game where inexperience at WR was so evident. All summer I had been preaching that there are 5-10 elite WRs, and that the rest of them, throughout the league, were a-dime-a-dozen.

I was wrong....

...these guys gotta get on the same page, and quick. Stopping, quitting, and/or giving up on routes is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE! This bullshit happens next week, and JA needs to swallow his pride, and bring in a FA...

That Mannelly play was god awful. BTW Jeff, he was thinking that if he could catch that 12th man, he could snap it to Garrett, and if by some chance he gets the 1st, they simply wont call the 12th man challenge. It was actually a pretty heads-up idea. He just fucked it up. Big time. In a big time spot of a big time game....

I'm not sold on our pass rush. Better? Yes, but... GB's RT may be the worst RT i have ever seen play. Wale abused that kid... Lets see how much we get against Pitt...

as far as the secondary is concerned....

CORY FUCKING GRAHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the fuck is Vash doing in that situation!?!?!?!

...and why is it that ppl prove themselves on this team (see: Rideau, Graham, Beekman), and get punished..... or cut!!??

I'm not throwing this team under the bus, but there is A LOT of work to do with the secondary, pass rush, and of course, WRs...

...I felt terrible for Jay throughout this game. I'm surprised he didnt lose his composure with our WRs.... Maybe because he was on national TV... but I guarentee that no one, whos job entails catching footballs sat next to him on the way home....

The Packers are a beatable team. All these analysts can take their piss and puke Kool-Aid, and Rodgers cock out of their mouths...

They didnt win the game. WE LOST IT.....

As a Packer fan I'm looking forward to you guys playing Pittsburgh next Sunday

Gotta agree with Diggler. GB didn't win the game, we lost it.

And to Rex Cutlerman... despite all of mistakes, miscues, and plain ineptitude, the Bears still stuck it to you guys in YOUR house.

Enjoy the gimme for this week because I bet even the Bungals give you guys a run for your money next week.

I have to agree with Jeff, every time and O lineman gets his hands on Brian, its over. He aint no Ray Lewis, and his best years are over. His INT's are down because hes lost that half step. Give Mannely a break, the guy has been rock solid for about 10 yrs. When he sees 12 men on the field he makes the call, but when hes bent over with the whole D line in front of him he can not see someone 5 or 10 yards running off the field. Im sure someone is supposed to alert him when that happens. The guy has been the perfect long snapper for so long, Gould has to give credit for some of his success to the Manelly Man. So come on Bear fans cut the man some slack!!!

Bears in heavy talks with Brooks. he wants 2-3 year deal though. What happens when Brian comes back? 3-4 defense? Adams at the nose,Wale & Brown at end, Pisa & Briggs outside,54 & Brooks in the middle? Sounds fuckin killer to me. wont happen(3-4 swith) I know, but looks good on paper.

Sorry, I just felt the need to vent these thoughts again that I posted in "Listen, it's week one."

As well as the defense played for the most part, and it was nice to see Rogers rattled by our "RUSHMEN" (There, I said it. Nice work Rod Marinelli), the Packers DID NOT turn the ball over.

Whatever good I saw last night (pass rush, Hester) is being SMOTHERED in the light of day.

In no particular order:

1) The offensive line has to BE BETTER.

2)What part of "Don't stop running your routes" do our receivers not understand?

3)What part of "Stop rolling right and throwing late back across the middle doesn't Jay Cutler seem to grasp? That is a precription for disaster even if your receivers keep running.

4)Johnny Knox, you're the fastest guy on the field, DON'T catch the ball and then swerve to the sidleine and step out of bounds! That should have been 6! Also, go re-read point #2, son.

5) FOURTEEN passes at Earl Bennett and barely a look at Greg Olsen!? Jay, 82 in white PLAYS FOR US!

6) 4 Turnovers? Technically it was FIVE when you include TURNING IT OVER ON DOWNS with Pat Manelly's Hall-Of-Shame brain cramp.

Want some MORE good news?

Uhrlacher done? I was HOPING he'd just have to put the wrist in a club, er, I mean cast and play on but I can't pretend losing him is anything but bad. Terrible.!

How bad is Tiso's knee? His face on the sideline didn't look like a guy who was coming back anytime soon. Sprained PCL? 4-5 weeks at least, no?

Well, we all wanted to cut Trumaine McBride anyway.

Oh, and before anybody gets too giddy over the fact that the Steelers come into this week minus Troy Polamalu, be advised he's missed 8 games in his career and the Steelers are 6-2 without him.
And THEY aren't just learning the 3-4.

Look, I already posted that we shouldn't panic if we go 0-2 but I didn't mean we could go 0-2 and come away looking like team TEAM RED CROSS.

The Bears came away a lot worse off than just 0-1 on the season, in the conference and in the division.

The offense better get on the same page as a unit AND FAST because they now have to protect the severely wounded defense.

PESSIMIST or REALIST? I say the glass is half-empty and
if you aren't worried this morning, you should be.

Where did you read the bears are in "Heavy talks with Brooks"????

Wow. Where do I start. What freaks me out each and every Bear game I watch is that I call the play before it even takes place. Called the picks(all 4 which should have been 6 total )Knew we'd fail in red zone. Bears beefed up line but Pace is just filling a uniform. Note to Bears: Pick up Brooks and call in Kevin Malast. Cut Vasher NOW. Play calling sucks. Lack gone for season. Nice lick on Rodgers in 1st half.Time to Bear Down. There's a huge CHIP on Bears shoulders right now. Let's clean up the problems and get back after em. Beat Pitt...

Sign Derek Brooks!! I think we need him as much for his leadership as his play on the field. Remember we've lost two captains now with BU and Mike Brown. If Brown was still here I'd feel a little better about this situation. Leadership is what we'll miss most.
BTW, I think the seat got a little hotter last night for 'Ole Lovie Smith....

Also Duff, excellent post! Especially with regards to Rideau and Grahm.

Sources for Brooks talks: Comcast Sportsnet Chicago,670 the Score Chicago, NFL Network. Everyone should really check out Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. On TV or online. All Chicago, All day.

and yes, Im watchin/listening to all of em.

gotta make a move on DB. We need a vocal leading in the group immediately.

The Lance Briggs era is about to begin boys. We all knew it was coming and now it just got here without hurting Brian's feelings and causing controversy.

Briggs was quoted today saying he's not comfortable in the middle. I think thats his way of not hurting 54's feeling cuz even he knows he's better than 54.I heard it on 670 the score.

I feel a bit better if the ridiculous fake punt was NOT a call by our coaching staff and instead just the snapper going FULL RETARD.

Cutler's long TD pass was awesome.

...but the best part of having a QB with a rocket arm when down very late in the 4th quarter is SUPPOSED to be working the sidelines, not a BAD-FAVRE/REX-like interception over the middle.

Olsen dropped an easy pass, but forgetting about that, why the hell wasn't CUTLER-TO-OLSEN or CUTLER-TO-FORTE a key component of our offense? Throwing to the tightend could have relieved some pressure off Cutler. (I think I do remember one good pass to McKie).

All this [bullshit] talk all summer about Jay "Franchise" Cutler and he comes out and shits the bed. Now, I'm not saying he can't get his shit together, because he will. But that was really fucking lousy. We lose our REAL Franchise player for the season and you write some horse shit like "If you're going to lose a star, Brian was the one to lose." That has got to be one of the most dumb fuck comments that I can remember someone saying in a long while. I think about all the fluff that you write about unproven new additions to the Bears roster and you don’t even take a post to pay respect and acknowledge what this guy (and the loss of him for the season) means to this franchise? You can talk about how his best days are behind him and all that. But the fact is, he is a difference maker. He is a presence in the locker room as well as on the field. Hell, he is a presence in the opposing team’s film room and practice field. His presence will be missed. And no second stringers are going to fill that void. Period. The confidence level of every upcoming opponent just went through the roof.

He was the only semblance of a backbone on this struggling defense trying to redefine itself after two disappointing seasons. He was poised for a great season and he was all over the field before he left the game. This was a tremendous loss to this ball club. 2 Starting LB out in week one. You guys are already talking about Pisa like he will be back in tip top shape in no time. Our secondary was piss poor. Tillman should not have even been on the field. Where the fuck was Zach Bowman? If it wasn't for the effort of our front four, this one would have been long gone early on. They harassed Rogers enough to force him to make bad throws but those receivers were WIDE OPEN ALL FUCKING NIGHT!

And I don't want to hear one more blasphemous word about Patrick Mannelly, that man is a saint! He made a bad call, a really bad call at a very pivotal point in the game. However, he has been nothing but stellar for almost a decade, if I am not mistaken.

Tough Loss[es], but this season is far from over. Its going to be a long one. Bear down.

D was pretty damn good, even with the lack of takeaways. A lot of pressure on the opposing QB.

Is it just me, or does Cutler seem like some kind of robot/computer program when he plays out there? Maybe he or the receivers just had a bad game...but it seems like he has problems adjusting on the fly when the first option (the called play)is covered.

It's like he's not REACTING to a live, constantly changing situation out there, and instead sticking to the program for long as humanly possible...AND he resents the fact that the live situation does not fit the program for the first option.

Cutler was scrambling too much in the first half. That's a partial excuse for why he was rushing throws. The coaches made some adjustments in the second half and he settled down a bit. Jason McKie states in his postgame interview that the Packers brought pressure in a way that the offense was not prepared for.

The Packers clearly keyed up on Greg Olsen. It's a shame it was so clear to them that Olsen was Cutler's favorite target.

Desmond Clark's performance was troubling.

DA will be an important part of the receiving core when healthy.

The defensive line looked significantly better. It was more than just an inexperienced right tackle making Wale look so impressive.

The poorly conditioned secondary performed pretty well all things considered. Vasher will lose his job and Tillman will be in better game shape. The Packers are argueably the best passing team in the NFL.

Very few people picked the Bears to win this game. With a -4 turnover ratio they almost did. This team will score lots of points, that won't be a problem. If the defense stays stout we'll be in the playoff picture.

Jeff, I know it's week one. Unfotunately, in a lot of ways it looked like week 1 of pre-season.

That was a lot MORE that week's worth of CRAP we had to endure last night and this team is not good enough to piss away wins this season anymore than they were last year when they pissed away wins against Atlanta and Tampa and made themselves spectators for the post season. Especially Division wins.

Frankly, I am most concerned that this coaching staff will just "rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic".

This season is so important to enjoy and savor because next season looks BLEAK.

Strike in 2011? I'm concerned about a potential LOCKOUT in 2010.
The Players Association support of the William's Wall lawsuit only throws gasoline on the grease fire that is the current state of labor negotiations. If I'm an owner and there's going to be a stoppage in 2011, I say "screw that" and lock them out in 2010 and avoid the expense of an uncapped season.

If they sign Derrick Brooks that would be a godsend. Hunter is not without talent (as many here believe), but he is not the best possible choice. If Tinoisamoa is out for any length of time, I am comfortable with Nick Roach or Jamal Williams, but the loss of Urlacher does hurt very bad.

That being said, do not despair, people!

We are all here because we love the game of football. This is football. The game throws a tangent into the best laid plans and the most fervent expectations. Jeff is damn right. If there was a spot on the team I would prefer to lose 2 players to it would be the STACKED Linebacker corps.

Jay Cutler has kinks he needs to work out. It will happen. It started to happen in the second half. He chilled out, and attacked the Packers. In the first half, I believe the gameplan was flawed. I liked the opening strategy of letting Cutler out of the gate to spread his wings and see what could happen, but that strategy was employed too long by our buddy Ron Turner. Once they settled down into traditional Bears offense, they started to get production.

Defense was very very good. I was impressed with those guys. The secondary is still very much a work in progress. Payne was good. Afalava wasn't terrible. Whenever Tillman was there he was making a difference. The 2010 offseason MUST focus on the secondary more than any other position.

There are 19 more games until the Super Bowl.

Urlacher is still a big player to lose. I can't actually believe he will be out the rest of the season. Cutler better get his head out of his ass. He also better realize there are more guys on the team than his college buddy bennett

It was my first time at Lambeau Field last night and had too deal with all those snotty little prick Packer fans all day. Thank god there were some Bear fans in my row including Big Boss Man who writes on the Bears Blog. Tailgated since noon and didn't hear a PEEP out of the Packer fans minus a couple of turds. I have learned that most of thier fans smile in your face and act all buddy buddy but deep inside hate your fucking guts and think thier shit don't stink. Then the shit storm hit! In the stands were a sea of disgruntled old men and the generations of brainwashed young just sitting there smirking at you like your a fucking alien. Seriously...what the fuck is wrong with those sheltered people? Honestly I thought I was gonna get a knife stuck in my back from some sneaky grandma, you just can't trust em'. Had a blast minus the crap the Bears left on the field theycall an offense. Seriously..when are they gonna fucking fire Ron Turner? Where was the fucking screen pass? he wanted to getCutler in a rythem early, why wouldn't you throw a screen to Forte? He had ZERO receptions!! And where was Bowman? Did I miss something? Did he not suite up because I don't think he even sniffed the field. But then again I gad about 30 beers in me and the jersey numbers started to get blurry by the second half. Well i'm gonna watch the reply and see waht I missed. So pissed right now!!

when life gives you lemons you have to make lemonade, sweet refreshing lance briggs lemonade.

Didn't Clark take a hard hit in the back early on? Let's face it their defensive backfield did a great job covering not just Olsen but everyone else, save for that long Knox reception and Hester's TD.

I agree with MattIMForte to a degree, losing Urlacher is a big blow to team morale, but any good team would adapt and overcome the loss. It's gut check time for the defense even more so than before the season started. I say move Briggs to the middle and let him do his thing and send the good back ups to the outside.

One more thing. We can't rely on our fronot 4 for our pass pressure. We have to blitz more on 3rd and long if we think our CBs and safeties can't handle the coverage.

I was there at last years opner in Indie. That defense was blitzing like fools and shaking up Mannings so bad we beat the hell out of them. I want to see that defense again...even without Urlacher.

lance briggs needs to be manning the middle as soon as possible and id like to see jamar williams in his old spot. bob babich can start making up for two years of ineptitude in a big way if the transition goes smoothly

Im going to leave last night alone and say, very simply, that Sunday's game is going to show you what type of QB Jay Cutler is. He is not the type of QB that is going to let WEEK 1 get his confidence down. I think we are all going to be impressed with how he brings it against Pit (who, for those of us who watched their week 1 game, looks pedestrian at best.)

Are we having fun yet!

....at least we didn't trade for Delhomme...

"sweet refreshing lance briggs lemonade" -HAHA good shit.

Duff, the joke in Carolina is that they gave Jake a new deal after his stink-o performance in the playoffs last season.

Fans act like the season came to an end after game one. Cutler will get in sync with his recievers as the year goes on. If fans were listening during the game Chris Collinsworth mentioned numerous times how the game was worth a lot more for the Packers since they were at home and they needed to at least hold serve against a division rival. As far as Urlacher being out for the year it is a dissapointment but Linebacker is the deepest position on the team and if you take in account Urlacher had a down year last year we aren't losing all that much. Bottom line if Cutler rebounds, Marinelli continues to motivate the Defensive line and Nathan Vasher remembers how to put one foot in front of the other and plays a half way decent corner this team can win the division and will at least make the playoffs.

Chicagobears.com is saying they are going to fill Urlachers spot with Hillenmeyer. Not a good fit IMHO. Briggs would be a much better choice to fill the middle and stuff runs.

Shamless plug:

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Any more updates on this Derrick Brooks deal??

The Bears D put pressure on a revamped Packers O line. They played very well, but I doubt the pressure on Pittsburg's QB will be as well. Had it not been for the D-line pressure the Packer's QB would have thrown for 4 TD's. That's what is scary. Pittsburg doesn't have a rookie RT and if Roesiburger (or any pro QB) gets time to pass, it may be a long, long year. I may be a Bears fan, but there was way too many things going on last night that scared me and our D-backs aren't just bad, they are terrible. Thank Heaven our D-line put pressure on Rogers or last night could have turned into a rout. If Rodger's hits one or two of those bombs it would have been ugly. The mistakes we saw in preseason showed up last night. I hope I am wrong.

News on Derrick Brooks. It sounds like it is not a matter of "if" but "when?"

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/09/14/brooks-already-talking-to-bears/

The author of that article predicts Brooks as a strong candidate for the weakside and Briggs should be moved to the middle. I disagree. You never put your prized stud in front of a plow. Lance Briggs is one of (if not the) best OLB's in the business. Let him be.

If they go Hunter in the middle it will be because of his IQ differential first and ability to pass cover second. Hunter is the smartest LB we have, injured or un-, and he's a pass covering LB which is why he normally plays strong side. He will do better than you think he would.

Can they run two TE sets with Olsen and K Davis? I would love to see that. Don't forget Gaines is out there too.

I wonder if Omi loses his starting job next week. That was a little too obvious, how much he was sucking against that lineman. Maybe they give him one more shot - but the Bears have the past have been very inflexible once they give an offensive lineman a starting job.

Johnny Chicago, loved your early post!

I bring some rare good news...Pisa may not be out for more than one game, if that. Let's hope this is the case...

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/huddleup/2009/09/linebacker-pisa-tinaisamoa-day-to-day-with-knee-sprain.html

The fact is that the Packers just got by the Bears and w/ 3 turnovers to work with. The Bears out-gained and had the time possesion advantage. This game was in green bay. For a first game and one the road, we should be happy with what we saw. GO BEARS!!!!!

Week one update: Mike Brown is still healthy.

fuck... I hope Green Bay enjoyed Christmas in September last night.

Luckily, last night is probably going to be the worst performance we'll ever see from 6.

Let the cartoons begin!

I'm pretty shocked by the underestimating of Urlacher's importance. Do you realize the defense we play? Jeff you may be right that it isn't the Url of old, and has troubles getting of blocks but he also covers the middle of the field a ton and lines up our defense. I don't think the season is over by any stretch(I also wasn't putting them in the Super Bowl already either like some), but this is a HUGE loss. We do have some talented LB's and it's our deepest position along with TE on the team but there aren't a lot of Urlachers around. I think Briggs would help our run defense in the middle but kill us in the passing game. I just don't like the thought of him continually dropping back in coverage. Even with him our defense was a couple dropped/missed passes from getting crushed. It's a long season and nobody should give up hope yet though.
I thought Delhomme played for the Panthers and Farve signed with the Queens but it looked a lot like they were playing for us last night. I can't imagine Cutler won't get it together but some of that decision making was pissing me the fuck off. You can say what you want about the young wr's but he had no business throwing some of those balls.
I'm just going to hope for a rebound game next week and would love to see us "run the ball of the bus". This oline has had me nervous from the jump about their ability to get a consistent push in the run game, unfortunately I'm nervous about their ability to pass protect now too which I thought would be their strong point.
Here's to hoping it gets turned around quickly.

Ok, I have a couple things to say...

1) I realize I am clueless, but a dislocated wrist is keeping Urlacher out all season????

Im sorry, but didn't Brian Dawkins play like 6 weeks with a FUCKIN BROKEN HAND?

Can someone explain this injury to me please? And tell me why it is season ending?

2) NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO DERRICK BROOKS!!

Don't get me wrong, I liked Brooks but he is a 36 year old out of shape WEAKSIDE linebacker.

You fucking man up, move Briggs to the inside and stick Jamar Williams on the weakside. We were ready to part with Lance Briggs several years ago because we believed Jamar could shoulder the load. PROVE IT.

Or hell, when/if Pisa gets back, you move him to MLB and stick in Roach on the strong side.

No disrespect to Brooks, but the reason we are talking to him is because he is another one of "LOVIE'S GUYS". That is it. I am tired of the Bears being the retirement home for former Lovie players. Don't bring in Brooks, elevate Marcus Freeman from the practice squad to take Brian's roster spot AND BEAR THE FUCK DOWN!

3) Rip on Vasher all you want, but it wasn't entirely his fault.

You stick anyone of our corners in a one-on-one situation against Greg Jennings and that is going to happen 4 outa 5 times.

He had to play right up on him because it was third and one and that is normally when teams run the FUCKING SLANT PATTERN. If Vash plays 5-10 yards off the ball, then the slant is open and we are ripping him for that.

4) IT IS WEEK ONE PEOPLE! Am I pissed about the way we played? Yes. Am I upset about the injuries? Well, some of them (yes to Brian and Pisa, no to Frank O"I-can't-block-shit"miyale).

But is this the end of the world? Not yet. I disagree with Jeff's overall assesment on Urlacher's importance, I think he is the heart of this D as much as Mike Brown was the soul but he is right that the season is still early and we have the deepest linebacking corps in the NFL, so if someone was to get hurt for the year, at least it is in a position that we have depth (Although signing Brooks would sort of point away from that fact).

5) Lastly, Props to you Jeff. This post made the front page of the Chicago Tribune online. Well done.

Let's not get down on Cutler. Expectations were too high. He has not won at any level since high school, even in Denver with more talent. All you people who are dumping on him because he did not win need to remember that.

Second, his game was not too bad. His throws were strong, even his interceptions; we have not had a quarterback with this kind of arm since Bobby Douglas. Give Cutler a break. He will be a winner. Go Jay!!!!

Anyone else wish we played the Lions this week? I kid, I kid.

I'm trying to get over all the negatives and move to some positives from yesterday. Anyone care to join me?

Devin Hester...he looked fantastic yesterday. The first catch on the sideline was A quality, the bomb for the TD was a beauty, and two nice quick outs (including one with a nice stiff arm down the sideline). Let's hope he keeps this up and the rest of the receivers and tight ends care to join him.

Afalava...first off, what was up with the random number change? Personally, I think 46 looks better than 24 on a safety, but I digress. I thought he played well yesterday. Granted, both him and Payne had trouble on some deeps balls, but were bailed out by the dline getting in Rodgers face to force bad throws. Still, he seems to have a nose for the ball, which is what you want with a strong safety.

The reason he cant play(54) is when the wrist is dislocated, its not a ball-socket joint. Its actually a series of small bones that need to be put back in place via surgery. might even have pins in it a few weeks/months. Got that from my surgeon who did my neck surgery. BIG BEAR FAN.

Max,
I'm not sure about Brooks because I don't know if he can play the middle still. I have heard however that the Saints said he was in phenomenal shape after he worked out for them. Don't know why he wasn't signed though.

We signed this LB?
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/09/14/bears-to-sign-linebacker-not-named-derrick-brooks/

Max, great points. I also can't possibly understand how #54 can't put a club on the hand and move forward. I hope down the line it doesn't come out that he was injured punching a door in the locker-room at halftime, and he was in fact hurt on the field. While I like the idea of Brooks and his knowledge of the defense that Lovie runs, I agree with you that I perfer youth and speed, which we have at the LB position. I hated to see us cut Freeman, and agree that bringing him back to learn what we do could be huge in the long-run. Malast is also a decent option. Pisa being day-to-day is a relief.

What would make me happiest would be seeing our guys play with the same fire and intensity that we knucklehead die-hards have poured into our comments since the game last night. If we had that kind of raw emotion and effort on the field, we'd be playing in February. BEAR DOWN.

Yay Derrick Brooks! I heard that they are also talking to Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp. Lovie and Rod are getting the band back together!

And for once I can't believe it wasn't Charles Tillman getting burned deep. Of course that was probably the reason why he wasn't trusted to cover their #1 WR to begin with!

For us fans inspiring to reach the playoffs,You can't throw the towel in yet.I waited 7 months for the season to start an I'm still excited to see where this team goes.
This season to me is going to be fact finding on the weakness/strengths this team will need/have to make this season an beyond.

I'm not giving up on making the playoffs, but I think winning the division just got a lot harder. And to that end I think a trip to Super Bowl is highly unlikely now.

I hear you, Ghost and BDG.

1)Let's not "rob Peter to pay Paul" on the linebacking crew and just leave Briggs where he's been all-pro.

2) The concept floated here that losing #54 is not HUGE is seriously flawed. Even if he is past his career zenith.

Who here thought in week 1 last year that Arizona was going to the Super Bowl? Who thought a year before that that it was going to be the Giants who'd win it all? They were GARBAGE for the first four weeks of that season. Let's calm down and see how it goes. I want to peak in four or five months, not now.

And remember, sometimes stars are born in situations like this.

Yeah these fucking recievers need to get their heads out of their asses and play right.. run the routs like u own it, go get the damn ball when it is in the air. Turner did not prepair these pussies for a real fight... so they had to learn the hard way.. so know they know most defenses in this league will beat u to a spot and know your routs better than u do most of the time .. dig in and get the damn ball.. yeah i know Culter looked like a crack head in the first half ........ because he had to make up for the last play when the reciever stopped running or did not get to the spot.. not to mention the offensive line looked like a starting gate at a horse race. Culter cannot pass the ball and catch it to .. dipshit choaches

My other thoughts.
no matter how this season turns out, we should still be excited and happy. We shouldn't freak out and be pissed if we don't win the Super Bowl. This offseason we got another key element to building a continual contender. We know have our QB,RB,TE, some decent young wr's, decent young Oline, some potential at S, some potential at CB(more if they would play Graham), and still have talent at LB. I've said it before that I'm more excited about the next few years more then I am about this season because we have a lot of pieces in place. If they add some pieces in the offseason things could be scary good here. The best part is we will still compete week in and week out with the pieces we have in place, and with a the right amount of luck we can do big things this year. This is a great era to be a Bears fan and it's only just begining.

Did anyone see the "play" that Urlacher dislocated his wrist? I must have missed it. When did it take place on the field...or did it take place on the field?

Apparently it was in the first quarter while tackling Grant. Hmmm. didn't see that one.

What was the term used by Greenspan? Irrational exhuberence? I think that applies to Jay Cutler fans. He is going to blow some games,much like Farve early on.

This game was a comedy of errors,everyone on the offensive side of the ball did something wrong.

I dont think Urlacher being out is going to hurt as much as everyone thinks,he is no longer the player he was.

If Cutler and the recievers get their act together,and our line does the same we will be alright.

I hate losing to those bastards from Green Bay,but all is not lost

People, people, people...everyone needs to take a deep breath. It's week one and we lost our MLB. Sucks but not the end of the world. Pats went 11-5 with Tom Brady on the bench last year so, clearly, a good, balanced, well-coached team can overcome the loss of a star (and before anyone gets all breathless about how much better Brady is than Urlacher I'm not comparing the two, I'm just sayin'). Cutler was both awesome and terrible last night and we still almost won. Cutler threw FOUR FUCKING INTERCEPTIONS and we still almost won. We lost our MLB for basically the whole game and we still almost won. The game was, in general, a colossal disaster and we STILL ALMOST WON! We'll all find out if the team is as balanced and well-coached as we hope they are. Reinforcements will be brought in and lest we forget, injuries do happen in football. Chin up, everyone. It's only one loss.

Per the 4-Letter's Adam Schefter: No Derek Brooks signing...at least for now.

Bears did sign former Panther and Jaguar, Tim Shaw.
A 5th round pick by Carolina in '07.

The bears should get in line for Hank Baskett. The Eagles are trying to trade him but may have to release him after signing Jeff Garcia. He's 6'4" 220 has playing experience at a decent level and he's a stud special teamer. I'd take him over Rashied or D.A.

Who the fuck is Tim Shaw and why havent we signed Brooks yet? DB can stop the bleeding and move HH on the outside while Pisa heals up. The D played well without 54 and im confident that trend will continue however Lovie and Jerry should bring in help.

Now, as for all you negative thinkers out there....SUCK IT UP! I live 2000 miles from Chicago but love this team more than my own kids (if I had any). Nothing affects me more than how the Bears are doing and it sickens me to read all the bullshit these half ass fans are posting. Point is....this stuff with the Bears affects my life almost as if im directly involved with the team. Im still supremely optimistic about this season,JC, the wr's, and the oline. Now, if you motherfuckers cant get behind us, get the fuck out of the way!!!!!!!

Briggs will bring it at MLB. Brooks needs to be signed tonight. McCaskeys are most likely holding out to get him on the cheap(as usual). Tommy Harris. "Son, Ya all got to do better than this"(Little LT there for ya) Step up Tommy Boy and show us what ya got. Wale was very good last night. Can Richard Marvin Butkus suit up? Bear Down Boys. Pitt is coming to town and they'll be cracking good. Button up and lay some wood on these guys.

Great comments everyone (Phipps, nicely put).

I'd cut my own wrist off for Urlacher if it would make things all better but he'd still have his rusty back and sore knees that have plagued us (& benefited us) in the past. Instead, I'm going to pray for a quick recovery & hope that we see him late season.

Also praying that Cutler sits down over some grub with his fellow teammates to do some 'male bonding' so they can play nicely together in weeks to come. Hell, it can't hurt.

It was a hard day to stand tall but it's what we do- we're Bears fans.

We are the CHICAGO BEARS. yea the game was a tuff loss but hey we have a great football team and lets get ready for the steelers. think of this way people. the packers didnt beat us we beat ourselves. we had so many chances to win the game but we couldnt pull the trigger. we are a way better team than green bay. BEARDOWN cause we got 15 more games left...........

Guys, we had 3 chances in the red zone and couldn't get TD's on any one of those chances. That's a lot of points left on the field. The Pack fucking sucks and we let them have the game. Let me reiterate that we are going to fucking kill teams this year if we play defense like we did in the first half. we may give up some plays but you have to be a little excited about the fact that the Pack was so highly regarded and we fucked them up as much as they picked off Cutty. Rodgers hit the ground so many times he couldn't even throw a pass to wide open recievers. Tillman will get better, Bowman has to step up, Volcano will get better and we had better blitz that fucking pyschopath Manning off the corner. he was like a damn cheetah chasing down Neckbeard II. 11-5 motherfuckers...it's on

Has anyone left a "FIRE RON TURNER" post yet???? That was some of the most god awful play calling I have ever seen in my life. Why is Garrett Wolff ever in on a passing down??!?!?!?! Sure Forte Ounces needs a break but thats what we have AP for. buck seventy Wolf does not stand a snowball chance at blocking a 260lb linebacker!!!!!! There needs to be better play calling on the offensive end and that is something I am not sure that Ron Turner is capable of. If the offense explodes and begins to dominate, it will be in spite of RT, not because of him.

On the other hand I think that defensively the calls that Lovie made were pretty good but I don't think that Nathan Vasher should step foot on the field again unless there are ungodly amounts of injuries. That includes us re-signing Rod Hood and then him going down, then Nathan Vasher can touch the field. The fact is the man just is not a very good football player anymore. He is passed his peak, which was his rookie year. Where the fuck is corey graham????

I would still LOOOOOOVVVVEE someone to tell me why we did not sign Brian Dawkins. would he not have been a PERFECT replacement for mike brown? NOt just from his play but from his vocal leadership, which the defense could use quite a bit right now.

Derrick Brooks........ New Orleans, if he was in that good of playing shape, why did you not sign him???? Not sure if he can play anymore but I would be willing to take a chance still just to see if we can catch lightning in a bottle for one year.

Why did between Forte/Olsen was there ONE RECEPTION?!?!?!?!?!?! ONE FUCKING RECEPTION!!!! Off the top of my head I dont think they were even thrown to more than 3 times between the both of them. I was under the impression that they were going to be Midway Jays biggest targets. I do not blame JC because I still am putting all my eggs in one basket with him, I rather blame Ron Turner. And no, I have never jumped on the Ron Turner bandwagon I have been calling for him to be hung in red square for years that John Shoop play calling mother fucker. By the way, is John Shoop available? We should have a competition who can fuck up our signal callers career more him or ron turner.

The season is not over it has just begun. We will beat a Flying Hawaiinless Pitt Sunday with a score of 17-13. (or something like that)

Ghost (I know you left that comment about 40 comments aga),

You hit on the most important fact I have thought about yesterdays game, except I slightly disagree with it. Yes it was too long they tried to get Cutler out of the gate. The question is how long is too long for Ron Turner? For me, it's one three and out, then you go to the running game, if the running game is failing, so what you were going three and out anyways and you were making your QB run for his life and creating the interception scenario due to that fact and the lack of receiver experience, bad routes ect...

So Ron Turner should have abandoned that after the first drive and then just tried to run some high percentage screens, sweeps, draws to Forte, even an end around or something, just set up some play action stuff for future plays in the game when the offense has settled down.

Ron Turner set Jay up for failure period! Even after that the D kept them in it for a chance to win and then they seemed to settle for the field goal. I would have loved the fantasy of Jay marching down the field to provide a game winning drive with 1:11 on the clock, but today that wasnt happening.

December 13th should be nice and cold and our offense should be looking much better by then.

I just don't want to hear the same crap from them, I think I am going to sequestor myself until the next game.

Here's another one for you guys, the Pats are looking like they might lose to Buffalo who played so badly in preseason...

Do you think the world will be writing them off because they lost to Buffalo?

um yea, that's what happens when I speak too soon, I mean arent the refs supposed to do an under two minute review there?

And that's how it goes for teams like the pats and teams like the Bills and Bears.

Never underestimate Dick Jauron's team to blow a game. Fucking Patriots.

That was nothing to do with Jauron and everything to do with a retarded kick returner trying to do too much. Man I hate the fucking Pats. I thought Buffaloe looked great tonight till that kick return.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/bears/2009/09/why_cant_urlacher_return_with.html

A little objective feedback from a Packer fan - it is too bad about Urlacher - the whole league loses when a great player is injured. The game was kept unnaturally close by poor officiating - two critical 3rd down stops were reversed by calls so blatantly bad that even the announcers commented on them - a non-existant hold and the Bears wide-out lining-up in an illegal formation (with 2 wide-outs being in back of the line of scrimmage the Bears only had 6 on the line....must have at least 7.) but the Pack eneded-up getting called for illegal contact. Of course these can happen in any game and you have to take the good and bad calls - but this cost the Pack a total of 10 points. But your defense did play tough and it was a typical divisional match-up - lots of emotion and not too pretty. But seriously, where outside of Pee-Wee football do you get picked 4 times and say it was anything but a bust?

Right now was the first time I could physically handle reading this blog. For nearly 24 hours I have had that salty saliva taste in my mouth that lets you know that you are about to vomit. But I took a deep breath, drank some water, and now I can finally take a look at next week.

I think Briggs will shine next week and the young guns will take advantage of the opportunity. Hillenmeyer played great last night too, which was great to see. His past contributions seem to have been forgotten after the trade for Pisa. Don't get me wrong, we upgraded. But Jeff is right we may have the deepest linebacking corps in the NFL. I think they can prove to be one of the best as well.

When I reflect on last night within the full context of the season, I don't get sick. If Cutler is going to have a game like that, I'm glad it happened early. His decision making was awful, but I think it was triggered by the atrocious route running.

All in all, it doesn't tell us much. The offense has changed so much and it was only week one. It just so happened to turn out to be Packer week. Big Ben went down a lot against Tennessee. I wouldn't be surprised if Wale takes 2 or 3 more sacks. Forced fumbles. Oh yeah, NO POLAMALU.

Everyone who fucked up last night knows it. Cutler has too big of a chip on his shoulder not to fix whatever was broken. We got knocked on our asses after a summer of unprecedented optimism. Jay is our quarterback. Lance is our Mike. Bear the fuck down!

by the way this is a Bears blog. shouldn't you be on another site?

Food for thought if you get bored:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/254506-derrick-brooks-to-chicago-bears-thanks-but-no-thanks

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/254731-lost-among-the-loss-devin-hester-looks-like-a-real-receiver

I agree, for this reason: Urlacher 2004 is not Urlacher 2009. Urlacher 2004 was in his prime as a physical freak who could cover up for holes in the defense; this year, we were simply hoping he wouldn't BE a hole in the defense--that is, that he would be a solid player who made spectacular plays, not the guy who is outshined by Briggs.

So yeah, losing him is a big blow. But depending on who steps in (especially at SAM if Pisa is out for a long time), there is a silver lining--without a speed-freak like 54, the defense will move away from the MIKE playing deep middle (particularly if HH is the long-term replacement). Meaning tougher against the run. Meaning less Tampa-2 and more of a traditional FS in deep middle. Meaning maybe Manning can get in the starting lineup and be a more traditional FS, where his sometimes-questionable instincts will be covered up by a big cushion and HIS crazy speed.

Plus, you have young guys like Roach and Williams, who I think are good enough to start in the NFL. Let's see what they can do.

I'm adamantly opposed to Briggs moving to MIKE. He knows the WILL position, and really, in any defense the Bears play (the Tampa-2 or any variation Lovie runs), the WILL is the clean-up hitter, anyway. So moving Briggs to MIKE means putting a less-experienced guy into a position at least as important as the MIKE. I say HH for MIKE, and on passing downs rotate HH out and keep Pisa (or Roach, or Williams, or whoever is playing SAM) in.

Make Briggs captain in Urlacher's place.

There is a silver lining here. Honestly, it's better to lose #54 at this point in the season than in the stretch run. He can heal up and be ready for next season right away (it'll be interesting to see if they put him on IR or if they hold him off in hopes of him being ready for the playoffs), and the younger guys get a full season's worth of reps, instead of trying to step into the void in the middle of a playoff run.

Oh, and Derrick Brooks? Sure, bring him in. Just don't expect him to replace #54 anytime soon, or play on special teams.

Sad AND devastating. Who calls the signals ? Who's the man ? The man's gone. I can't believe this Hunter Hillenmeyer ? Nick Roach ? Please.....

I cannot believe some of the Homer comments on here ... a la

"It's only week one guys, like c'mon ..."
- F**k off. We lost two linebackers, we don't have a 'new improved' OL, in fact WE DON'T HAVE AN OL ! Our TEs are not as good as we thought they were. Olsen cannot catch balls under pressure (ref Carolina last year - 2 TDs dropped). Footsteps. Nuff said.

"Urlacher wasn't our best linebacker, we've still got Briggs"
-- yeah, right. Let's see how good ol'Lance is without big brother Brian beside him. Call those keys Lance. Hunter Hillenmeyer weighs 238 lbs. Next

"Cutler was terrible ... he was scrambling too much."
- Duh. Was he supposed to stand still and get murdered in the stampede? Our OL = revolving doors. Cutler wasn't that bad. Isn't that bad. No one can perform in the face of a never-ending onslaught. On the few occasions he could actually set his feet, he threw some beautiful passes.

I thought we were going to the Super Bowl this year, didn't see anyone in the NFC to stop us. I've been smiling since April 2. And now this. An O-line who are who we thought they were - Sunday night saw the Return Of The Line. A receiving corps who are worse than I had estimated - and that includes both of our TEs. Greg Olsen appears to be who he was against the Panthers last year. Mr. Butterfingers. Ron Turner needs to be shot. Now. On the sideline Lovie looks like a learning disabled kid trying to add up two numbers in his head. This is our lot as Bears fans ... get those hopes built up ... and then week one comes ... not so fast there fans - this is the Bears !! Give me a f**king break. And that excuse "we were trying to catch an extra player on the field" BS!! So snap the frakkin ball ! Why does it have to go to the RB? By the way, in case no one has realised - our backup RB is a midget. He 'threw a block' on Sunday ... and the guy stepped over him like he was a crack in the pavement. Jeez. Okay, it's 4th and 11, you are deep in your own half, your defense has been playing well ... Do you ?... (A) Punt the ball ....

Actually, Hester looked like a receiver last night, in fairness. And Bennett has his moments. We need to get Brandon Rideau back. Knox should only be sent route one as he is not a route runner yet, and has no idea what a QB like Cutler is thinking when things break down. Greg Olsen, you'd better man up and grow a pair real quick. This is football. You're going to get hit. That's why they pay you all that green, you pussy. Dez Clarke, man you're a vet, run your route. Damn.

Bright spots ? Wale, way to do it my man, nice. Good, effective blitzing, generally good calling by Lovie except for the last TD. Obvious. Jay Cutler and Matt Forte are not currently on IR. If we can find four replacements for the guys playing to the left of Chris Williams, we might have a future.

Man this sucks ass. A good test for how much this affects our D comes this Sunday. A balanced Pitt should let us know how much Urlacher meant to the middle. In my estimate, it will hurt a lot. Much more than just individual skill. It will hurt because of lost trust, I never saw Briggs even hesitate to give himself up and take out a blocker with blind faith that 54 would then be able to make the tackle; will he be so trusting in 92. How will Briggs handle being keyed on now that there isn't a fast giant MLB to worry about. Moving Briggs to MLB is a really dumb idea, like really really dumb. So you lose a pro bowl Mike and you voluntarilly lose a perennial pro bowl Will to have average players at both spots. Gosh I guess I'll go with no. If Olsen goes down do we shift Forte to TE, how much sense does that make? And that's not even mentioning that Briggs isn't really big enough to play ILB in a 3-4 much less be the Mike in our 4-3. On top of all of that look down the middle of our field now... Anthony Adams, Hillenmeyer, and Manning.... I am scared.

I would think it aint gonna take long to figure out just where the Bears are this season come Sunday. The Steelers, the champs coming to town. The last time we played them at Pittsburgh,they pimp-slapped us all over the field.

Our team is going to have to grow-up fast.It is gonna take a total team effort to hang with Pittsburgh.

Can the Bears offense play worse than they did Sunday night? I hope not.

I am gonna be scared if the score Sunday is 30-3 Pittsburgh. If we can hang with them or pull out a win things are gonna be alright.

Officially retiring from blogging. I can't spend all of my time trying to convince alot of you not to cry, piss and moan about the fact that we may not win the super bowl this year. There is just too much rookie whining going on here. We took some major steps this year and will continue to add pieces to the puzzle while we build a perennial contender.

To Jeff, Ghost, Al, Max, Shonbear, Shady, Phil and the rest of the guys that actually present valid arguments...It was a pleasure discussing Da Bears with you.

To the guys that spent their time here bitching and moaning...I hope your perfect team with no weaknesses that you built in Madden 10 works out for you.

To those that still believe in the Bears...I will see you in the playoffs. And if it is not this year it will be next year. Long live Cutty!

Adios!

This is the first chance I have had to weigh in since the game, but I am shocked at all the ledge jumpers here. Personally, I think this is a big loss, obviously, but not to the extent everyone is making it. What I took from that game is Cutler was nervous and rushing his throws in a huge opening game with a new offense and all new receivers (that are very inexperienced). They WILL play better.

We have some depth at LB, Roach and Jamar need to see some more time than Hunter and Graham needs to be playing over Vasher if Tillman or Bowman cant go at 100%.

This is not the end of the world...this team will respond.

Keep in mind we almost won that game against everyone's trendy pick to go to the Superbowl...

Johnny, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Stick aroound bud. We need you.

Look I don't think the season is in the toilet, I just really find it hard to believe that expectations for how many games you will win as a team don't change with the loss of the only Defender we have in the middle of the the field who will probably be in the pro bowl.
Can they make the playoffs, sure. Will they have to score some more points to get there, probably. Can Cutler deliver, my bet is yes. The problem is that if the Defense slips at all against Pitt, it could very easily get in those guys head that they can't do it without 54, or at least that's an acceptable excuse; we're just a different Defense. If that begins to happen then the wheels could come off. I am really hoping they come out and play very well againt Pitt and get us to 1-1 but I am not sure about 12-4 anymore, I think 10 or 11 wins is going to have to get us in now.

I now know how much a of a pussy Brett Favre feels like. i couldn't even stop blogging and made myself look silly in the process like an attention grabbing media whore...a Brett Favre if you will. I'm going to go on a stealth mission to some GB and Minny blogs to insult and chastise them...

I will stay true to my colors and predict that our D will do fine on Sunday. Hunter is a smart dude - no Urlacher, but plays within himself and doesn't make lots of mistakes. Roach is very athletic and speedier than his replacement. Not any slam against 54 but I agree with Jeff when I say he's several seasons down the road from him at his best. Briggs IS at his best, Roach is an up-and-comer and Hunter is a smart player with experience at this position who is also in his prime. Coupled with starting Tillman and Bowman (which I hope we can do), the D line which no doubt is playing much better than last year, and Payne (I love) and Manning (I like better than what Brownie was able to bring last year) - we're going to be okay.

I'm also going out on a limb with an early prediction -

Bears 24
Steelers 15

Bears are 1-1 going into the (improved) Seahawks game.

But that's just me!

I'm sure it's hard for everybody(as it is for me)to consider the positives and strengths of this team after Sunday night. I feel that we are vastly improved this year, and possess a stronger core group of players than we have in a decade. I'm impressed with the things I'm seeing from Bennett, Hester and Knox. I think they will continue to improve during the season. I like Payne, Afalava and Manning in the secondary and hope Lovie brings more safety blitzes. The D-line is solid, but I hope to see more out of Adams and Tommy(as his knee improves). If Turner can't put together a coherent game plan offensively, hopefully Jay can improvise as he gets more comfortable with his weapons. Olsen has to play tougher, and we have to exploit the defenses that double him and take him away with double moves and pump fakes. Our speed on the outside with Hester and Knox is unrivaled in the league, we just need to see Jay utilize it. I'm pumped, and looking forward to punching the Steelers in the mouth.

I think Sun nite was a good lesson for everyone. It proves what Jay has been saying all along "We've still got a lot of work to do", so I'm gonna give them 4 games to get everyone on the same page, and then I'll start to get worried.

Welcome back Johnny Waffle from I believe your second blog retirement in the last 2 months. haha Your one I like to read because I may not agree with all the time but your fucking passionate and that's what it's all about.