Chicago Bears

This is a tough one to call…

Last year the Bears really surprised me. Not only did their early season form hold fast enough to see them make the playoffs, they did by topping the gruelling NFC North Division. For anyone who’s forgotten, that’s the division the Packers also call home.

I called the Packers Superbowl win before the 2010 season began, but I have to admit I thought they would have done it the easy way. Finishing runners-up and making it to the playoffs to face three road games, the last of which wound-up in Chicago was not ideal. And the Bears, despite flying under-the-radar, were able to more than justify their place in the NFC Championship game with their body of work last season.

But still I have trouble giving the Bears respect. They have a nightmare start to the season, having to play the Falcons (last year’s NFC No.1 seeds) and then the Saints (Superbowl Champions of two years ago) in the first fortnight. A win in either would be a big boost towards the Wild card I think they have to be aiming for. Green Bay have gotten better over the off-season (remarkably!) and look certain to secure not just the NFC North, but possibly the NFC top seed. And although the Vikings (an elie team a couple of seasons ago) have dropped off the pace, the Detroit Lions have put-in some seriously impressive offensive displays over the preseason and look set to win a few games and disrupt the Bears’ path to glory.

To the big question: can Cutler play? Yes he can! Give the guy some love! He had to adjust from a system in Denver that didn’t make best use of his gun-slinging ways, but now he’s a season older, a season wiser and a season hungrier, there’s every reason to think that his play will only benefit the Bears in the long run. They do need to sign a couple of big pass-catchers to help the guy if he gets in a tough spot, but the QB himself? No problem.

Verdict: A well-built starting team, but a shallow roster means their best will have to play at their best and stay healthy all year long if the Bears want to be doing damage in the postseason. I have them on 10-6 and in the mix for the sixth seed.


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