Sometimes I still catch myself getting a little giddy that the Bears have a legitimate number one receiver. No more pining for Matt Jones, Plaxico Burress, or Terrell Owens. No more hoping Mike Haas, Brandon Rideau, or Andy Fantuz can develop into a stud. Nope, the Chicago Bears have Brandon Marshall.

Brandon. Marshall.

And we do expect 80 and 1000 from Mr. Marshall, and we'd like him in the ballpark of 10 TDs. That's not too much to ask is it?

I'll be honest, I was really close to putting Marshall at the top spot of my Most Important Bears list. And I would have if the Bears didn't spend a high draft pick on another wide out to further bolster the receiving corps. But with the Chicago Bears roster actually resembling a professional group of receivers for a change, Marshall settled into the #2 spot.

Expectations are high for Marshall Jay Cutler, and the Bears offense now that the BFFs are reunited. Cutler has been asking for a go up and get it wide receiver and that's exactly what he's got (actually 2 of them). Marshall is a physical game changing player that will give the Bears offense a dimension that it hasn't had in a very long time.

But in acquiring Marshall the Bears are taking a risk, albeit a calculated one. His past hasn't been the squeakiest, and there was an incident that occurred right around the time of the trade. Hopefully all that's behind him. Marshall has to remain off the police blotter, and all indications are that he has his life heading in the right direction. He's tackling his borderline personality disorder head on, by receiving treatment and being very open about it. He sure sounds the part of a changed man, now we'll just have to wait and see.

The List so far;
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #10 Shea McClellin
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #9 Stephen Paea
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #8 Matt Forte
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #7 Chris Conte
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #6 Julius Peppers
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #5 J'Marcus Webb
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #4 Mike Tice
The 10 Most Important Bears for 2012 - #3 Brian Urlacher