Hmmm, they don't look that intimidating...

My preseason prediction figured the Bears to lose a close one tonight, and after looking at all of the data, it’s still hard to argue against that informed opinion.  The Eagles simply have more talent, but as they have shown earlier in the season, talent doesn’t always equate to victories.  Here’s hoping the Bears to sneak one by the lovers of cheesesteaks.  Now for my unwarranted, more detailed predictions hopefully to be proven incorrect by a more positive final score:

• both teams will score a special teams TD
• Cromartie will intercept at least one Jay Cutler pass
• it will be McCoy, not Vick, who will prove to hurt Chicago the most

Final predicted score, Philly 24, Bears 20.  Prove me wrong Chicago, and you’ll be (gasp!) in position to make the playoffs!

Wherefore art thou, Aromashodu?

Jay Cutler had an almost perfect game on Sunday and the Bears find themselves in the surprising position of being undefeated with Green Bay coming to town for what will hopefully be a Monday night classic.

Cutler’s performance is the exact reason for why I started this website, though.  While Cutler had his best day as a Bear, he was still running for his life for much of the first half until some offensive line adjustments were made.  The point: trading away high draft picks and using the remaining ones on bad players has left a shell of an offense around Cutler, making him an all or nothing option.  As you know, Jay has as many bad games as he does good games, so depending on Cutler to shoulder the entire load is a bad proposition.

Giving credit where credit is due, Cutler is a very durable quarterback, playing in 16 games for three consecutive seasons before 2010.  That quality is a must for this year’s Bears, but don’t be fooled by Week 2’s win and think that all is rosy for the offense.  Cutler is competent, the running backs have talent, but beyond that, it gets scary.  Mike Martz’s schemes seem to have opened up some scoring opportunities, but it’s no surprise that the leading receiver will vary from week to week.  The in-house reason will be that Cutler has so many options that he simply picks the ones with the best matchup in a given week and exploits it for success.  The real reason is that there is no standout receiver, so a player who looks good one week can get lost in the shuffle the next (ex. Aromashodu).

So far so good, and I’m staying optimistic, but I still worry that the probability of Cutler finishing the season on the active roster decreases every time he turns his back only to find another lineman ready to pancake him to the ground.  Stay tuned…

I can hear Hank Williams Jr. screaming at me now. Or Pink. Or whomever is singing the title sequence nowadays. With a 5-9 record for the Bears, though, I’ve also got my eye on a rerun of House and a mini-marathon of Community episodes.