Ah Jonathan’s favorite Bear (cough cough). Can you spell overrated? But I must take off my Greg Olsen hater glasses for a moment and give an unbiased look at the dude. So here we go…

What will his role be???

Even with my hater glasses off, Greg Olsen cannot block. In order to work within the Mike Martz offense a tight end needs to block. But, Olsen can catch passes and has shown some moves in the red zone. So, does this mean that Martz will find a role for the Blond Bomber or will Olsen be a high paid third tight end?

The Verdict…

My guess is that Olsen will be used as a sort of H Back, or a hybrid tight end/full back that is able to get open in shorter underneath routes and once in a while get into the ten to fifteen yard range. He will be a sneaky little third target for Jay Cutler to use when needed. Olsen will be helped by not having to worry about blocking, so perhaps this will allow him to do the things he is good at…making catches. But Olsen is soft and will certainly drop his share of passes and fumble in crucial times in games…crap, my hater glasses are back. It is time for Olsen to stop talking like Tony Gonzalez and play like him. Gee, I am really sorry linebackers are kicking your tail all over the field. I am sorry safeties are all over you on a regular basis…but the great tight ends are able to make plays. So it is enough of the hype…play like your talent indicates!!!

This article was supposed to be about my feelings on the upcoming Bears season, but wouldn’t you know it but the Bears threw all of us a major curve ball. The Bears brass told all of us that they were not prepared to make a major move in free agency, but they lied. So allow me to give you my two cents on the three new Bears.

Brandon Manumaleuna (TE)

All I can say is ha Minnesota! Not only did the Bears add a great running back to the roster, but weakened the Vikings. This guy is a talented back that will push Matt Forte to want it a little more. Plus, this now means that Adrian  “Fumble” Peterson will now have to carry the ball a few more times. Couldn’t hurt to see him giving the ball away.

Julius Peppers (DE)

The cream of the crop. The best free-agent out there…and he is a new member of the Chicago Bears. Do I even need to say anything else? Mr. Peppers can play. He wanted to be a Bear and wasted little time signing on the dotted line. This was a great move…no one can argue that!

OK, so the Bears have improved. While getting a good safety would have been nice, these three are a start. Jerry Angelo, Ted Phillips and the boys deserve some credit…OK, class dismissed!

The Lions go into week five without a win and hope the firing of Matt Millen will produce some positive change. Look for Rudi Johnson and rookie Kevin Smith to split the carries until one shows they can break the Bears defense. Jon Kitna and Calvin Johnson will need to have some big hook ups, if they hope to match up against the Bears.

The Bears are the promising team in this match up and if they can limit the amount of turnovers, they will prevail. Look for Matt Forte to destroy the Lions defense and and possibly have a career day. For the Lions to have any chance, they will need to get the run game going early, which will open up the passing lanes for Kitna.

Lets take a look at how the Bears did, position by position.

Quarterback- 18/34, 199 yrds, 3 td, 2 int- Rating: 3/5

Kyle Orton started off great.  Taking the Bears down the field in three plays, all passing, on their opening drive resulting in a 19-yard pass to Greg Olsen.  Orton would finish with three touchdowns, a career high.  All three touchdowns came in the first half though.  The second half was a different story though.  In the third quarter Orton turned the ball over three times, one interception and two fumbles.  All three turnovers came on three consecutive possessions.  In the end, Orton turned out a pretty good performance, but needs to play like he did the first half more consistently if the Bears are going to make a run at the division.

Running Backs-  26 carries, 78 yrds, 3.0 avg- 6 catches, 43 yards- Rating: 3.5/5

This was not the best rushing performance by the Bears run game, but it did the job.  They picked up yards in key situations.  Matt Forte carried the ball 19 times for just 43 yards.  Kevin Jones spelled him three times for 16 yards.  Devin Hester gained 15 yards on an end around, and Marty Booker picked up three yards on what looked to be a wide receiver option.  Forte continued to be a reliable receiving option for Orton out of the backfield though, as Orton found him five times when he was getting into trouble.  In the end, you would like to see the ground game pick up more yards, but in a game where Orton shined in the first half, the ground game was able to eat away the clock in the fourth quarter.  Forte turned in a total 24 touches for 88 yards.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends- 12 catches, 157 yrds, 3 TDs- Rating: 3.5/5

The Chicago Bears reveiving core looked great as a group, but no one stood out alone.  Hester, Booker and Olsen all caught touch down passes.  Hester also dropped a pass over the middle of the field that would proably have ended in a touchdown.  He redemed himself with a 20 yard grab down the sideline for a second quarter touchdown that put Chicago up 21-14.  Olsen had three catches, and zero turnovers! Booker also got his first touchdown back with the Bears.  Brandon Lloyd, last weeks leading wide out, had two catches for 33 yards before leaving with an injury, which he did not return from.  Besides the dropped catch by Hester, the wide outs performed well.

Defensive Line- 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks – Rating: 4/5

The Chicago Bears were without pro-bowl defensive lineman Tommie Harris and did not have to face pro-bowl running back Brian Westbrook or pro-bowl guard Shaun Andrews.  They held running back Correll Buckhalter to just 66 yards rushing but he averaged 4.1 yards per carry.  The were able to keep Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on the run though, sacking him 1.5 times.  The line made a huge stop in the fourth quarter though.  As the eagles drove 75 yards down the field with hopes of tying the, the Chicago Bears stopped them at the one yard line on 3 consecutive plays, yielding a turn over on downs.

Linebackers- 11 tackles, 1 sack- Rating: 3.5/5

The Bears linebackers played a great game Sunday, although not putting up huge numbers.  Lance Briggs was continuosly chasing guys around the field, and had two crowed ‘awwing’ hits.  Hunter Hillenmeyer sacked McNabb once, and Brain Urlacher was all over the field as usual, picking up 8 tackles.

Defensive Secondary- 22 tackles, .5 sack, 1 int- Rating 4/5

The Chicago Bears secondary played very well Sunday, allowing the least amount of passing yards and touchdowns by McNabb for the season.  Danieal Manning got into the back field to assist Ogunleye in a sack.  Kevin Payne tied Urlacher for the team lead in sacks with 8 tackles, he also returned an interception for 49 yards, almost scoring a touchdown.  The secondary had a touch time trying to cover speedy rookie DeShawn Jackson who scored the only receiving touchdown for the Eagles.  Charles Tillman left in the fourth quarter after being in obvious pain after missing a tackle.  The Bears secondary was able to prevent any really big plays, something usually tough for the opposing teams to do against the Eagles offense.

Overall Team Rating: 4/5

The Chicago Bears were the clear underdogs against the Eagles, as nobody was really giving them a chance.  The Bears showed early that they were a team that should not be looked over.  The second half play by the Bears offense, mainly Orton,  was clear to why they blew second half leads the last two weeks and are only 2-2.   The defense showed its true character with their goal line stand, which was definitely the focal point of the second half.

While it was first half offense that got the Bears going in week 4, it was traditional Chicago Bears defense that finished of the game in the second half.

The Eagles on the other hand weren’t the same without Westbrook and I’m sure they would contribute his absence to their loss. The starting running back, Correll Buckhalter, had 16 carries for 66 yards and two catches for 24 yards. McNabb threw for 262 yards with one touchdown and one interception. McNabb’s only touchdown went to rookie DeShawn Jackson in the first quarter.

The Bears went into the fourth quarter with the lead and finally managed to hold it. After two huge defensive stops at the goal line, the Bears walked away with a 24 to 20 win. It was a lot closer than many fans would like to have seen, but a win is a win.

The Bears will travel next week to Detroit to face the Millenless Lions.

The last two games have been a big disappointment to Bears fans everywhere. During the last two games against the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bears have managed to let a significant lead disappear late in the game. Week two was gut wrenching in week two, but to have the same outcome in week three was heartbreaking.

If the Bears hope to have any chance this Sunday, Kyle Orton can’t afford to make any careless turnovers and Matt forte will need to average over five yards a carry, as in week one. If Chicago can get the run game going, look for Orton to take some chances deep to his favorite receiver Brandon Lloyd and hopefully find his tight ends Greg Olsen and veteran Desmond Clark.

Bears fans should be nervous this week, but hope for a week four turnaround.