5. Adrian Peterson (Vikings)

Peterson is a freak of nature. He has some amazing runs and blows through defenders. But, he fumbles way too much. In fact, I believe if he didn’t fumble as much he would be one of the all-time greats. I cannot look past a running back that regularly puts the ball on the turf.

4. Eli Manning (Giants)

He’s not Peyton. Considering the hype surrounding this guy, he just isn’t as good as we are led to believe. More excuses are made for Manning’s failures than any other quarterback in football. I would like to see Manning carry the Giants, which doesn’t happen very often.

3. Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears)

I do not question Jay Cutler’s toughness. I do not question Jay Cutler’s committment. I question his talent. While I think he’s talented, I don’t know if he’s as talented as we were once led to believe. Cutler throws way too many interceptions and misses open receivers. While he will make some great throws, he also makes terrible ones too. Something is missing with this guy, and I cannot put my finger on it…

2. Clay Matthews, III (Green Bay Packers)

This shouldn’t be a secret to many of you that read my work regularly, but you should be shocked that he isn’t number one. Matthews thrives in Dom Capers 3/4 defense, but put him in another city, and I am not sure if you’d see the results. Plus, this guy sucks against the run and isn’t strong in pass coverage. He’s a good football player that is helped by a system. Case closed…

1. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles)

He’s exciting to watch. He’s got freakish skills. But he’s overrated as hell. Hit him once and he stops caring. I’m not saying he doesn’t make spectacular plays…he does. But he also is a wuss that hates contact and kills dogs. For Madden and fantasy purposes, he’s a star. But besides that…you can have Vick.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHQ.

The 2011 NFL schedule makers did the Chicago Bears no favors. The first three contests will feature the 2010 NFC South Champion Atlanta Falcons at home, the 2010 Super Champion New Orleans Saints on the road and a home contest with the 2011 Super Champion Green Bay Packers. The Chicago Bears could easily start the season 0-3 and dig themselves into a deep hole. Everyone expects these three squads to be top teams in the NFC, so the Chicago Bears will be tested early. We will know a lot about this team after the first three games.

After a home contest with the Panthers, the Chicago Bears travel to Detroit for a Monday night contest. This is historical because it is the first time since October 8, 2001 that the Detroit Lions will be on the Monday night stage (remember, Detroit hosts a Thanksgiving Day game every year). This will be great for Detroit, but problematic for the Chicago Bears. This game could end up being a nightmare. The Lions are a much-improved football team, and playing on Monday night validates it.

Just because the NFL knows how much I love night games, they’ve decided to bless me with the Vikings at home the following Sunday night. Of course, after that, the Chicago Bears will play at noon in London against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (although this could be kabashed if the Collective Bargaining Agreement isn’t completed before the beginning of August). Just like the three beginning games are going to be difficult, the stretch leading into the bye week isn’t exactly a walk-in-the-park either.

Of course, another Monday night contest awaits the Chicago Bears after the bye week. The Bears will play in Philadelphia against the Eagles. A home contest with the Lions will be the last of the NFC we see for four more weeks. The Chargers will visit Soldier Field followed by a trip to Oakland before beginning December at home with the Chiefs and closing out this stretch in a match-up on-the-road with Denver. While the AFC West is a crazy group of teams, playing at Denver isn’t going to be a pretty scene for Jay Cutler. I am sure they’ll be waiting.

After the Chicago Bears close out the home schedule in a playoff rematch with the Seattle Seahawks, they travel to Green Bay for a Sunday Night contest with the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Night (although this can change if the game becomes meaningless). and a New Years’ Day game with the Minnesota Vikings (although this can change too).

I’m not a schedule ranking expert, but according to ESPN, the Chicago Bears have the 11th toughest schedule in the NFC based on the winning percentage of teams from last season. I would rather use the old eye test. This isn’t an easy schedule. There are many factors including start times and travel that make this even more difficult. While I would like to say the Chicago Bears are a good football team and will overcome this, it sets up to be a difficult season for the Chicago Bears. At this point, and I hope I am wrong, I cannot see the Chicago Bears making the playoffs. There are too many factors that will hurt their chances.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHQ.

October opens with Cam Newton’s most-likely team Carolina at home (10/2). The Chicago Bears first Monday night contest will be on the road against the much-improved Detroit Lions (10/10) and then home the following Sunday evening against the Vikings (10/16). The Buccaneers contest (10/23) will be played in London the following week unless the lock-out isn’t over by the beginning of August. If not, it’s Tampa. A bye-week will close out October.

The Bears open November in Philadelphia on Monday night (11/7). The following week will feature a home-rematch with the Lions (11/13). In the next four weeks, the Chicago Bears will play the AFC West portion of the schedule. The Chargers will visit Soldier Field (11/20) and the month will close out in Oakland (11/27).

The Chiefs will open December in Chicago (12/4). The following week will be the regular season homecoming for Jay Cutler in Denver (12/11). Think he’ll be booed? The Chicago Bears will close out the home portion of their schedule against in a playoff rematch against the Seahawks (12/18). The final two games give Chicago Bears fans two holiday division contests. Christmas night will be in Green Bay (although this could change) and then the Chicago Bears will close out in Minnesota on New Years Day.

I know one thing…this will not be an easy schedule. But the Chicago Bears will have a lot to prove on whether or not last season was a fluke.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHQ.

Throughout the season, no matter how well the Chicago Bears played, there were many doubters and critics of the team’s success. Trent Dilfer and Bill Cowher regularly hated on this team. And yet, the Chicago Bears kept winning.

Of course, after beating heavy favorites Dallas in week two, the Cowboys weren’t any good despite being a Super Bowl contender. When the Chicago Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles and shut down Michael Vick, it was the turf at Soldier Field. A win over the New York Jets was a fluke as well. Might I also remind you that the Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers in week three and damn near knocked them out of the playoffs. The championship game helped prove how incompetent Lovie Smith can be at times.

Now, I take nothing away from the Green Bay Packers, but if the Chicago Bears actually would have had a respectable backup quarterback, perhaps the Super Bowl would have been a different game. In baseball, there’s always the belief that the baseball finds your worst defender when you’d least like it to…so the same thing happened during the championship game. How could Lovie Smith and company not recognize how horrible Todd Collins was? Why in the world wasn’t this addressed? The baseball found Collins, and the Chicago Bears were left holding their private areas.

Brian Urlacher is a beast. He had one of his best seasons and almost won the championship game for the Chicago Bears. Julius Peppers struck fear in offenses. These two really helped the Chicago Bears become a strong defensive unit. Devin Hester scares every opponent. He’s potentialy a big-play whenever the ball is in his hands.

Jay Cutler had his good and not-so-good moments. He’s a talented quarterback that does make mistakes. Matt Forte established himself as a legitimate NFL halfback. Devin Hester scares every opponent. He’s potentialy a big-play whenever the ball is in his hands.

So looking back on this team, what do I think? I believe that every NFL team that’s successful has a little bit of luck (see Detroit game and Calvin Johnson), some talent, catching opponents at the right time and intangibles. The Chicago Bears were guilty of all-of-the-above. And yet, a few bounces here and there may have been the difference of a trip to the championship game or a high draft pick. It’s always been my belief that good teams create their own breaks, and the Chicago Bears are just that…a good football team.

I enjoyed this season. The Chicago Bears made the final four. With a few tweaks here and there, I do not see any reason why this team couldn’t do it again. But this is the NFL, and things can change very quickly.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHQ.

Most gambling experts will tell you that a home team usually gets a three point advantage for being at home. So basically, the Green Bay Packers are almost a touchdown favorite.

Obviously, I’m not naïve. I know that the Green Bay Packers have been many people’s pick throughout the season and the Chicago Bears haven’t been as highly regarded. But, it makes me wonder what I’m missing. Do the experts know something I’ve missed? Are the Green Bay Packers that far superior to the Chicago Bears?

If you look at the two match-ups this season, and I do recognize that the teams have both changed, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers have matched-up fairly evenly. The teams split their regular season games including the finale which meant more to Green Bay than Chicago. And yet, the Bears played a heck of a game losing 10-3.

What’s changed in the three weeks since that affair? Have the Packers taken such huge strides and the Bears gotten worse? I’ll grant you that Aaron Rodgers is playing great football. But, didn’t Jay Cutler play well against Seattle? The Packers have won two games against better teams than Seattle on paper. I’ll argue that the Eagles weren’t that much better than Seahawks at the end. If you look at how the Eagles closed the season, if it weren’t for the Giants screwing up, they weren’t playing very well. This includes a home loss to the Vikings that in the previous week were destroyed by the Bears at home. Against the Packers, the Eagles kept it close. A Michael Vick interception at the end sealed their fate.

The Falcons game was impressive. There’s no doubt about it. Rodgers played a great game. But, the Packers did make some mistakes including a Greg Jennings fumble and gave up a kick return for a touchdown. Let’s also not forget how crappy Matt Ryan played. Granted, the Packers defense was a huge part of his problem, but Ryan’s horribly timed interception at the end of the first half killed the Falcons. Instead of being down seven, he put his team down 14 on a horrible three-yard pass. Again, kudos to the Packers for winning but they were helped by some horrible Ryan decisions.

Let’s turn to the Chicago Bears. All year we hear what this team cannot do. Then what happens? They do what the experts don’t think they’ll be able to do and it falls on the other team. For example, earlier in the season the Chicago Bears played the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. The Cowboys were a Super Bowl contender and the Bears weren’t. After the Bears won that contest, then of course the Cowboys weren’t any good and the Bears caught them in turmoil. How about the win over the above-mentioned Packers in the next week? It was penalties that cost the Packers according to the experts. What wasn’t mentioned was that the Packers sloppy play led to the penalties.

Now let’s compare the two combatants. The Chicago Bears had a horrible game against the Giants in week four. It has been discussed and thrown in the Bears face since that day. Meanwhile, the Packers lost a critical game to the Lions. Now of course, in both games respectively, the starting quarterbacks were knocked out of the game. In the case of the Packers, they would have won if Rodgers played according to the experts (he wasn’t playing well before he got hurt). For the Chicago Bears, they had no chance of coming back even though they trailed by a touchdown at the time. Keep in mind that the Giants game happened in week four for the Bears and the Lions game happened in week 14 for the Packers. Oh, I failed to mention that the Chicago Bears beat the Lions in the previous week.

In fairness, I need to mention how these teams faired against the New England Patriots. In week 14, the Patriots demolished the Chicago Bears at home. Without a doubt, it was one of the worst games the Chicago Bears played all season. The next week, the Green Bay Packers traveled to New England and played a heck of a game with Matt Flynn at quarterback and lost at the end. While the Packers played an amazing game, a great man once told me there’s no style points in the NFL.

So I’m to believe that since that time the Green Bay Packers went from that team that lost a critical road game to the Lions to a team that is vastly superior to the Chicago Bears based on a loss to New England and the current playoff run. Well, my friends, the national experts feel that way and have crowned the Packers NFC Champions. Who am I to argue?

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHQ. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s my son singing Bear Down Chicago Bears. I am so proud!!!

Today’s opening game features the surprising Chiefs being visited by the Ravens (never more). Like the Chicago Bears, many experts didn’t think the Chiefs would continue their early season success. The Chargers were always the favorites to win the AFC West but in typical Chargers fashion…didn’t. Meanwhile, the Ravens were projected to be a Super Bowl contender and that could start today.

Ed Reed of the Ravens is dealing with his brother’s disappearance after being involved with a high-speed chase. Reed almost didn’t make the trip to Kansas City. But he did.

I had to turn to my in-house expert (my wife) who likes the Ravens because “their uniforms are cooler”. I’m thinking she’s right on the prediction and I’m indifferent to the uniforms. The Chiefs’ good run ends today.

In the most meaningful match-up of the day from the Chicago Bears standpoint the hated Packers visit the dog killing Eagles (or at least one member of that squad Mr. Mexico oops Vick). The Packers are still being projected by some to win the NFC while no one quite knows what to expect from the Eagles.

Despite the big comeback against the Giants a few weeks earlier, the Eagles haven’t played very well down the stretch cultivated by a Tuesday night loss to the Vikings two weeks earlier. This cost the Eagles any shot at a playoff bye.

Meanwhile, the Packers were in a dog fight (yeah I went there) with the Chicago Bears for the NFC North until the Packers decided to lose at Detroit. The Packers didn’t even know if they were making the playoffs until they beat the Chicago Bears last Sunday. While the game meant nothing to the Bears, Lovie Smith played his starters the whole game. It was a lot closer than the Packers would have liked.

My lovely wife thinks the Eagles will win today because of the home-field advantage, and I’m once again not going to argue. The Packers lack of a consistent running attack and the speed of the Eagles is a lot to handle.

Both teams squared off in week one with the Packers defeating the Eagles at home. This was before Vick was inserted as the starter (he entered because of an injury to Kevin Kolb). The Eagles mounted a comeback in the second half but it wasn’t quite enough. These are different looking teams since that game.

I think the Eagles will be in Chicago next week. Seattle scares me more because they’ve got nothing to lose. That’s a dangerous team. I presented incorrect information in yesterday’s blog when I said Seattle would be in Chicago when they won. They will be here if Green Bay wins which won’t happen. The Jets will travel to the Patriots and the Steelers get the winner of today’s AFC match-up.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons news and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

Let’s start with the less important of the two games (from a standpoint of the Chicago Bears). The Jets were many people’s pick to go to the Super Bowl from the AFC. While the Jets have looked good at times, I would hardly classify them as the class of the AFC. Standing in the Jets way are the Colts. We all know that the Colts feature Peyton Manning. However, the Colts have overcome countless injuries to win the AFC South. The Colts almost missed the playoffs, but were able to get in thanks to a mini-collapse by the Jaguars.

In this game, it will be interesting to see what Jets team shows up. There are times when the Jets look like world-beaters, but at other times, it ain’t so pretty. In the case of the Colts, they’re like McDonalds. You know what you’re going to get from a standpoint of game-play. I’m thinking the Jets will win this one for reasons unknown. The Colts dynasty is at the beginning of the end.

The game with huge implications to the Chicago Bears begins at 3:30 local time. Everyone’s favorite reason to revamp the whole playoff system (Seahawks) hosts everyone’s favorite story (Saints). For the record, am I allowed to be sick and tired of the Saints story already. The Saints didn’t save New Orleans. The Saints are a crappy franchise that finally turned the corner. That is all…there’s no silver lining and Drew Brees is a hell of a quarterback and a nice guy…and we’ll leave it at that.

The Saints have been losing players at an alarming rate. Veteran Pierre Thomas and rookie Chris Ivory are done for the season. The bulk of the running responsibility will fall on undersized Reggie Bush and over-the-hill Julius Jones. While the Saints have other weapons on offense, it is very difficult to replace the production of Thomas and Ivory. Bush just isn’t a pound-it-between-the-tackles back. Jones looks like everyone’s first car. He runs and we’ll leave it at that…

The Seahawks did defeat the Chicago Bears this season. Ageless wonder (and fellow baldy) Matt Hasselbeck looks as if he will go today instead of Charlie Whitehurst. While there are many fans of the Seahawks that would prefer to see Whitehurst, Hasselbeck is the dame they know. First year head coach (and scum bag) Pete Carroll will have his work cut out for him with the Saints. However, the Seahawks claim to have an unbelievable homefield advantage.

Guess what folks…Jonathan isn’t drunk but I am picking Seattle in this game. The Saints aren’t as good as everyone wants them to be, and the Seahawks will run the ball down their throats. The Saints may be able to throw the ball, but with a poor running attack will struggle to control the clock.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons news and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

At home, the Bears will play Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit, Seattle, Falcons, Panthers, Chiefs and Chargers.

On the road, the Bears will face Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Denver and Oakland.

Get ready for a lot of Sunday/Monday/Thursday night affairs. The Chicago Bears get ratings, and this schedule has some made-for-television drama. It would actually be nice to see the Bears play on Thanksgiving this year. It has been a long time and frankly, I think the powers that be may actually recognize that Detroit is a team on the rise and the Chicago Bears get ratings. Plus, you know the hype on Jay Cutler’s return to Denver for a meaningful game will also be hyped.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons news and more, check outwww.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

I was surrounded by Packers fans. Despite our common hatred of each other’s football team, I had a lot of fun. The tool sitting to my right that was blaming the refs for screwing over Green Bay on every call, but everyone else was great. Even the tool came around. At the end, like the gentleman I am, I shook hands with all of the fans. The NFL’s best rivalry is built on respect.

I thought the music selection was interesting. On one time out, Hip-Hop would blast through the stadium. Then during the next one, there was something completely different. The bass guitar and saxophone (Go Pack Go) was not played as often as I thought.

For those of you that have never experiencd the stadium, I am here to tell you that there is nothing like the experience. Basically, a pro sports team plays in a small town. It is all about the Packers. Nothing else in that town even matters. While there was some good teasing, fans generally respected each other. You would hear the occasional “The Bears Still Suck”, but other than that, nothing too hurtful.

The Chicago Bears showed themselves well on Sunday. They played like it actually mattered and almost pulled off the victory. However, Jay Cutler decided to have a bad game. No excuses, it was a great game. And kudos to Lovie Smith for playing his starters the whole game. As we learned today, this team needs to make some improvements. They have two weeks and a healthy roster to figure these things out. While this team is far from perfect, the Chicago Bears are a talented team.

The Chicago Bears will play a week from Sunday at noon local time against either the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints or Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Three wins baby!!!

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons news and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.

This now means that at worst, the Chicago Bears now have a first-round bye in the playoffs. If the stars align, they can still get first seed but that would require wins by Carolina and Tampa Bay along with a win by the Chicago Bears. I am guessing that much won’t happen. But you never know. This has been a strange season.

The Bears/Packers game is being played at 3:15. By that time, the Chicago Bears will know what is at stake. The Packers, on the other hand, are playing for their football lives as long as the Giants beat the Redskins and the Buccaneers beat the Saints. The Saints may be playing for nothing, so the Buccaneers could win. The Giants, on the other hand, now need to play with some urgency. If all three teams win, the Packers are in and the other two are out. If the Buccaneers win, then they are in if the Packers and Giants lose. And if the Giants win, then the Buccaneers are out and the Packers have to win. If all three lose, the Packers are in.

[picappgallerysingle id="10422822"] 

So what do the Chicago Bears do if they are playing for nothing? Do they rest the starters? I’ve been going back and forth on this one. On the one hand, the Chicago Bears owe it to the league to play as if this game means something. On the other hand, they owe the league nothing because it is important this team stay healthy for the playoffs. Now if the Packers make the playoffs before this game starts, what do they do? There is no way for them to improve seeding, so they have nothing to gain.

Now, if the Chicago Bears have a chance at the top seed, they should play to win. If they have a shot at nothing, I think the starters should play the first half and Devin Hester should not see any punts or kickoffs. He’s way too valuable. Lovie Smith says the Bears are playing this game to win, but I am sure he changed slightly after the Eagles lost tonight.

Regardless of what happens Sunday, I think that we owe the Chicago Bears a lot of credit for not screwing the pooch the way the Eagles, Packers and Giants did down the stretch.

Follow me on Twitter at BearsHq and BlueDemonsLair. For the latest DePaul Blue Demons news and more, check out www.bluedemonslair.com. Please show me the love for the Big East’s Biggest Fan at www.mybigeastvolvo.com.