I know it's early and pre-season, but the Bears are executing very well on offense. Nice check off by Cutler and a couple of great throws and Forte just busted a 33 yard TD run.

Forget the Vikings, the Bears could be very scary this year. In reality, the NFC North could be a tough division. I see improvements on all the teams this year.

In case you didn't know it, the Packers are playing as well. You are now officially a troll in my book.

Yea, I am watching both and what is with the troll comment...???

Not cool at all, dude.

What is not cool is your attitude. Check you last 10 posts. I did. PM recieved and replied to. I now have you on ignore. Really don't need you bringing me down when the team is playing with such passion.

Show some better class than calling someone a troll if you disagree with an opinion or if you are not happy with a topic. Otherwise, stay out.

As far as your PM goes...what a crock and hardly needs a response. None coming.

Anyway, back on topic for anyone interested in the other NFC teams:

Urlacher did not look so good as he got knocked down a few times by the Giants RB's. Jacobs nailed him good. He might be showing his age and he seems to have lost a step. The defense in general looks good.

Hester should have had a TD as Cutler overthrew him and he was about 10 yards behind the defense. That kid has speed......

I find him comical and yes, I have him on ignore too. It is nice to use ignore. See the poster, take a deep breath and read knowing what is coming before you read the actual post. Most of the time, this allows me to disregard their post all together... Most of the time, that is....

I need to find that ignore button too!

What did you guys have for breakfast?? Well, never mind them Packer Backer. It's perfectly legit reporting how the Bears are doing. I, for one, am interested in how our competition looks.

I watched some of the bears game as well. The giants are doing aweful. The bears did make a good play or two but its really a case of the giants being so bad the bears look good. Cutler hit a few defenders in the chest with the ball. Threw into tight and double coverage. The right side of their O-line was less then solid.

I think they dont look awhole lot better this year then last so far. Still middle of the road.

NY also had alot of starters on defense out with injuries, at least 5 maybe more?

I also think that team falls back to earth offensively a bit this year. Just my hunch though.

I was a little surprised when people wrote off Cutler after the trade. IMO he immediatly made them a legitimate offense. I think now they will start adding weapons at WR.

I actually think NY Packerbacker has an excellent point. I have been thinking for some time that the NFC north has a chance of being the strongest division in the nfc this year.

The Packers look like they have finally gelled. The emergence of Finley gives them a two tight end offense where we can both run, and pass. And not just short passes. We can be dangerous deeper down the field from the two tight end set. Our defense looks tough. Last night we were dangerous with four rushers-- but Buffalo never knew which four. AJ hawk picking up th efumble force by Jolly-- many never thought you would see him with that kind of pressure. Raji was just an animal pushing the o-line around after only a couple days of practice.

Many pundits think that the new QB in Minnesota completes them-- we'll see. It is not clear to me that they are better than the bears.

Cutler and his backup put up good numbers against one of the pundits' favorites last night. Did New York suck because they wanted to sort through the cuts they have to make-- possibly. The Giants are a good team with good depth, so it speaks to the Bears ability to be able to take advantage of them early.

I know its early in pre-season, but I would love for the Packers to win a division that has 3 teams that are regarded as legitimate contenders. A lot can happen, but I sure like what I see from the Packers now.

If only we had played the same team the Bears have in pre-season so we could get a bit of apples-to-apples comparison. Oh, wait... that's right, we did:

Pre-season week 1:

Bears 3 3 7 7 20
Bills 0 6 7 14 27


Pre-season week 2:

Bills 0 0 7 14 21
GBP 14 10 0 7 31

I like those numbers.

Remember though, it was the bears first game, new QB and all, against the Bills in their second game.

I am hopeful that our opener agains Chicago will be fun to watch. Hope to make the Bears look more like the Cubs.

This IS the NFC North Forum which the Bears are in.

Not sure why you went off.

I definitely think the Bears and the Vikes will be contending for the North title along with the Pack, but the Vikes will be the bigger threat I think.

If you look at the Bear's and Vike's offenses, they have very similar strengths:

strong armed quarterback
excellent RB
tight ends who are threats in the passing game

However, both have mediocre WR's although the Vikes are better. Berrian is a deep threat as is Hester.

I think the Bears defense is a big question mark this year relative to years past. Their secondary is a mess. Who knows how productive Urlacher and Harris will be this year. Pass rush is still very suspect.

Bears looked good. I won't lie. Offensively, Cutler looked sharp. Forte looks like a beast. And the WR's made plays, which I was hoping wouldn't happen. Defensively, either the Bears's D is back, or the Giants O was stuck in gear. It was tough for me to decipher.

Regardless, this division is shaping up to be the best it's been in a long while. Back to the Black & Blue.

I think it might have been a combination of both. Giants are off to a slow start and have not really seemed to gel.

What I do like is how our offense will match up with their defense. I think we can score a lot of points on them and keep them throwing, instead of running and controlling the clock. Urlacher is showing his age and I suspect their secondary will be vulnernable.

I think Hester will be a bigger weapon than what people think. He has some serious speed and good moves.

I hope the division is tough this year. I would rather beat good teams then rollover a bunch of marshmellows. It will give us the confidence we need in the playoffs to take that next step.

Can't wait for Sunday night!

So was I, but I think a lot of it had to do with his WR corp.... or just pure hatred of the division rivals.

I think the Packers are the best team in the Division, that maybe my green and gold glasses blurring my vision. This will be a tough Division well fought for, will certainly help whomever wins it prepare for the playoffs. I think we have the best QB in the division, due in fact to AR having the same receiver corp returning. Favre is past his prime, but still a wiley veteran, with a running game. Cutler is talented and has weapons in the TE and a running game.

Oh I do not have you on ignore

I have to agree and thanks!

What ignore option (I'm not going to use it but I don't recall seeing that option here)?

I never see the need to use it.

as good as the Packers have looked lets all take a breath and remember this is pre season. Coaches do not game plan for games 1 and 2 for the most part, they are looking at players and situations and how they are handled and executed. Now game 3 will tell us ALOT more. Most coaches treat this like a real deal.

Last week I posted that I think the Packers will get an assist from da' bears to help them win the NFC North. I believe the bears will beat minnesota twice, because Lovie Smith's defenses have been very troublesome to the minnesota QB. I think that will hold true again.

Overall, I expect chicago have a VERY stout defensive again this year. Charles Tillman is hurt, and may be out for a while. But Tommie Harris is back and da' bears picked up Pisa Tinoisamoa as a free agent. This guy is a tackling machine and makes things happen. This is from da' bear website:

Joined the Bears during the 2009 offseason after spending all six of his NFL seasons with St. Louis (2003-08)... Credited with 661 tackles (418 solo), 10.0 sacks, 7 INTs and 25 PBUs... Also forced 6 fumbles and recovered 3 fumbles... Led the Rams in tackles in four of the six seasons he played in St. Louis: 2003 (121), 2004 (145), 2005 (134) and 2008 (135)... Started 83-of-84 career games played... Started all 16 games for the Rams over four seasons...

chicago's offense may be improved, but I don't see that they have any established WRs. Hester has only been a situational receiver, and I think he'll cough the ball up quite a bit as an every down player. I think their biggest weapons on offense are Olsen at TE, and Forte at RB, and these two could have BIG years. I don't see Cutler putting chicago over the hump, and in any case, they paid WAY too much for him!

That's my take and I'm stickin' to it!

JQ ( - : #

Someone stated that Detroit was 4-0 in the preseason last year. That did not get them much in their 0-16 regular season. Now GB is going to win a lot of games, but let us not get too far ahead. The entire pre-season is just that. Nothing will be settled until a few games into the regular season. Then the fawning can begin, IMO.

I use it a lot. When I believe that a poster will continue to make the same negative response, I put them on ignore. Select the poster and then on the left is a tab called options. Select ignore user. This brings you to your list of ignored posters. Here you can add the new one. Also, you can remove the ignore here as well. The next time that poster writes anything, you will get two choices, one is to read this post and the other is to un-ignore the poster. I still read many of the posts, mind you, but I put myself into a different mindset before I read them. The post doesn't sneak up on you. I have no problem with anyone ignoring my posts, it is his/her choice. I guess some posters believe that everyone should not only read, but agree with his/her posts at all times.

Comments on the Bears OL:


The Bears should have a better offensive line in 2009 than they did last season. The addition of veteran left tackle Orlando Pace will help solidify the pass protection. Pace looks to be in great shape, almost better than at any time I've seen him in recent years. Second-year player Chris Williams will start at right tackle. Williams, the team's first-round pick last year, missed time with a back injury that isn't bothering him now. But he didn't practice well the days I saw him play. If there is a concern with those two at tackles, it's that both are more finesse players rather than dominant run players. That could help Cutler and the passing game.


HC Smith makes calls as DC:


Bears coach Lovie Smith is now serving as the team's defensive coordinator. He will make the calls on Sundays for the first time since he became a head coach. "I'm going to be more involved," Smith said. "My role has changed a little bit. I love it. We have an excellent defensive staff. My job is pretty easy. Offensive guys have been doing it for a long time. How many offensive guys call the plays? I've been a head coach for a few years, and I know how much time things take and I feel comfortable in this role." The Bears were 21st on defense last season, so Smith has a task trying to get them better. He was a defensive coordinator in St. Louis before getting the Bears job.

I still contend that the Bears defense is very suspect. Peanut Tillman is still out with an injury. Vasher on the other side has been very inconsistent and is trending downward in his play. The Bears are counting on a 6th round draft pick to be a starting safety. Their secondary is really, really suspect. Couple that with a mediocre pass rush and that's trouble. I agree that their linebacking corps is very good, even with Urlacher starting the decline. For once, and it seems odd, the Bears defense will be the question mark this year, not their offense.

Bears injury:

The Bears got some bad news Friday, learning that backup RB Kevin Jones will miss the 2009 season after tearing a ligament in his left ankle in the first quarter of the team's preseason finale against the Browns Thursday evening. The 27-year old Jones, who signed a two-year, $3.5 million deal with the Bears this offseason after testing the free-agent waters, is expected to take up to 10 months to recover.

No stranger to injury, Jones had taken more than a year to fully recover from the torn ACL that ended his career with the Lions a couple of seasons ago. Jones was a first-round draft choice of the Lions who rushed for 1,133 yards in his rookie season in Detroit. With Jones sidelined, Garrett Wolfe and Adrian Peterson are expected to compete for the No. 2 RB job behind starter Matt Forté.

It was also learned Friday that CB Rod Hood, who had just been signed as a free agent by the Bears not long after being released by the Browns, was told by Bears DB coach Jon Hoke that he was going to be released. The Bears will officially announce all of their final cuts Saturday.

Here are my questions about the Bears:

1 - Who is their OC? Ron Turner. Bears fans have been complaining about him since he took the job. I tend to agree with them. It remains to be seen if Turner can use Cutler effectively. He will likely be the sacrificial lamb at the end of this season when the Bears fail to score enough points.

2 - Is it still 2006? No. In 2007 and 2008, the Bears defense was below average. #30 pass defense in 2008. Only 28 sacks in 2008. #21 overall in 2008, #28 overall in 2007. Yeah, they can stop the run, but, who cares when teams carve you up through the air. How have the Bears improved on defense from 2007 & 2008?

Even Bear fans and writers acknolwedge the fact that the Packer offense is dynamic and could pose a lot of trouble:

http://midwayillustrated.com/2009-articles...se-hold-up.html

They do not seem that confident going into Sunday nights game.

But where on this site is there an ignore option? I must be going blind...

You have to go into their profile, then find the box that says "options". It's one of the options.

OIC!! No wonder I didn't see it.

Wish I could see the Packers this clearly (had them at 14-2, stupid me, green & gold glasses).

But, it's always easy to see the Bears for what they are.

Anyway, the Bears are crumbling. Ron Turner's name is on Chicago radio every day, hanging by a thread over the pitchforks. I still believe he will be the sacrificial lamb (his contract expires at season's end, too, so it won't cost the Bears a thing). Bears ownership is too cheap to eat Lovie's contract, so, he'll be back with a new OC.

Many are blaming Cutler and Turner. But, really the O-line is garbage and the WR's are bad. Orlando Pace is washed up at LT, and C Krutz is starting to fade. The run blocking has disappeared.

The defense is a shambles of the 2006 squad. The cover-2 doesn't work without good NT's, and Tommie Harris just isn't any good anymore even when he plays.

Going into 2010, the Bears need a LT and a WR, otherwise Cutler is a wasted asset. They also need a NT, a CB, and a cover-2 safety. Good luck filling those holes without any 1st or 2nd round picks.

Finally, Devin Hester. What a colossal waste of talent. Has any coach ever misused a player so badly? He should still be on special teams, leading the league in returns.