Some things I noticed last week: the Bears offensive line sucked at first, and wasn't even that great at the end. However, some great adjustments by Mike Tice and the line cooling down helped them play well enough against a great pass rushing team. Saying that, I think the o-line could definitely witness some improvements this year, and continue to get better. I don't think they can be dominant, I'd like to draft a lot of young talent there next year, but overall, I think they can be a little above average this year. Which says a lot.
Mike Martz is a genius. The adjustments he made. It was like wow, if this were Ron Turner we'd be running the same damn plays over and over without any adjustments. We would have definitely lost that game.
Jay Cutler is who we thought he was. Over the first two games he has 649 passing yards, 5 tds 1 int, a 68.8 completion percentage, and a rating of 121.2. That doesn't include his gaudy average of 10.1 yards per attempt. That means everytime he gets the ball out he's averaging a first down. While not true, he is putting up massive yards and I honestly wouldn't be shocked if he did get to 5,000 passing yards this year with 35+ tds.
Matt Forte is going to be deadly this year. There is a realistic shot that he could get just over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. Granted his rushing will have to improve in order to meet the rushing total, but he is certainly on pace in the receiving department with 188 yards receiving already. His current pace: 632 yards rushing 0 tds, 1,504 yards receiving 24 tds. Of course I could see his rushing yards increase and his receiving yards decrease. Which is why I'm meeting halfway: 1,000 rush yards 1,000 receiving yards. He would be only the third player ever to do that.
Wide Receivers look damn good. The tight ends, mainly Greg Olsen, are playing okay but not great. Yeah he had the long touchdown scamper but overall he isn't really getting that many grabs. His blocking has improved though.
The defense is playing well, especially the linebackers. I don't know if it was made apparent how well the linebackers are playing but they completely shut down Dallas' run game. The secondary is out there hitting hard, and so far the defense seems to be very opportunistic with 6 turnovers in 2 games. They are looking good again. My only issue so far has been the play of the d-line. I don't think they are getting as much pressure as I'd like to see. Only one player on the D-line has a sack, and that was against Detroit. Yes, Tony Romo is very elusive but I'd like to see the d-line get more pressure.
Next week, if we see the d-line play better, which I think we will b/c I don't see the Packers line being great, than I think we win the game. It doesn't matter if one team sucks and the other team is on the way to the Superbowl, this matchup almost always comes down to the wire. So, no blowouts here. I think you'll see the Bears win one at soldier field for the division lead. Bears 31-20.
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Good call however, I believe we need to get and offensive tackle to bolster Kevin S and Frank E
ReplyDeleteI feel good about the defense this year with Brian U back
Good article
I love the Linebacking core. Urlacher and Briggs are playing pissed off and reminding everyone how good they are.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Forte needs to get better production rushing the ball, but with the line, getting him the ball in open space (aka catching the ball) is where he will be most effective. Did you see how much of a mismatch he was on his TD grab?
I do think the biggest factor in Jay Cutler making it out of the game alvie was Mike Martz calling different plays to help him get the ball out of his hands quicker and try and exploit the aggressive pass rush.
I said all along, I could see the Bears winning this game, even though I wouldn't want to bet on it. Beating Green Bay and taking sole 1st place in the division would be huge. I agree we need the D-Line to play better next week to take some pressure of the young secondary playing an good QB in Rodgers
For the record I DID call it. Looking at the schedule I can easily see the Bears starting out 5-2 at worst through the first 7 games.
ReplyDeleteI like that offensive line a lot better with Kevin Shaffer in the game. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good, good football team. Hell, we even have a celebrity quarterback who is nailing one of the Hills girls. Unreal. Next week's game is HUGE.