A Few Thoughts

Hey all, I'm new here. I've been reading around the site for a long while, thought I'd join and offer a few of my own thoughts on the Bears this year...

What I think about the 2009 Chicago Bears:

- Brian Urlacher's season ending injury hurts, but as most of you know, not as much as the average fan would think. It seems like it's every year coaches gush about Jamar Williams in OTAs and training camp, and I trust Nick Roach and Hunter Hillenmeyer to be more than capable backups, as both have had starting experience in their past.

- Jay Cutler will be fine. Perfectly fine. I'll admit I was disappointed in his performance in the debut, but it somewhat reminded me of the first preseason game of the year. After the game opposing teams fans and trolls were calling out Cutler, but quickly quieted after the second and third games. If Cutler comes back with a strong, meaningful performance against Pittsburgh with the win, things around the city will change fast. I'm also tired of people claiming Cutler is an average QB, with no head, and the next Jeff George. Our QB threw for 4500+ yards last year, and 25 tds. He's good, and he's 26 years old. Anyone who believes he's worse than Orton or Grossman is nuts. He isn't on the level of Manning, Brady, Big Ben, or probably Eli Manning or Philip Rivers. But he does have just as much if not more physical skills than all of them. He's got arguably the strongest arm in the game, which he trusts a little too much, but I hope and believe in the next few years he'll develop a better QB mindset to be able to be in that elite class. After Cutler's episode in Denver, every Bears fan know that he doesn't have that many fans outside of us. Bill Simmons said it best when he said Cutler is disliked by pretty much every non-Bears fan, but more of those type of players is what the NFL needs. And can you imagine another nice guy leading the Bears? Cutler may get a little over his head sometimes, but he has the cocky confidence that defines what a Bears QB should be like.

-Please, Zack Bowman, save us from more of any Nathan Vasher. He is no longer the Interceptor, and I'm not sure if he's a NFL cornerback.

-Frank Omiyale had one nick block against the Giants, but I've seen enough. Put in Beekman.

-Forte will be fine as long as he's heathly.. I don't think he'll catch as many passes, but he should get 1,200+ yards.

- I'm probably in the minority when I say I liked what I saw from our receivers. Earl Bennett could possibly catch 70-90 balls this year. I'd like to see a better yards per catch average, but he looks like he's going to become a nice NFL possession receiver. I might be going out on a bigger limb here when I say Hester could honestly get 1,000 yards this year on 50-60 catches. If Cutler continues to find a way for Hester to get big yardage after big yardage (As seen in his 4 catch, 90 yard game), he could do that. Remember, both Royal and Marshall last year were the two starting wideouts and each caught over 90+ balls (Though Royal was like 30 yards shy of 1000 yards). I like what Knox brings to the table, and we're all still waiting on D.A.

-Our D-Line looks pretty nice. Not gonna lie.

-Our special teams should play better this year.

-Our defense pretty much shutdown the Packers until that play to Jennings. Bad call by Smith. I'm still not convinced though our D can do it week in and week out.

-At times, I liked the calls I saw Ron Turner. Though it seems like every run play we have is up the gut with Forte. Seriously though, that was the main reason Forte ended up with 25 carries for 55 yards. We seriously need a change of pace guy to emerge. I like Wolfe at times, but with a small speedster like him why not try going outside? All I see is the dive up the middle.

-Next Sunday's game could potentially define our season. If we beat the defending champs at home, we can go on a streak from there. That would require maximum effort from every player and coach. If we leave home victorious, we begin to look like a legit contender to every NFL team. If we lose, we go on the road to Seattle where last Sunday they look pretty darn good.

That's all I have, I probably wrote a bit too much and I'll admit I'm a big Bears fan. I probably sound too optimistic for our team. I hope you guys understand I'm not nuts and won't start posting random threads on how we can put off a madden trade with Roach, Bullocks, and a 3rd rounder for Boldin...and from reading this for some good months or so I think I found the right Bears blog to become a member at...