Bears Training Camp Countdown: Nine Days

Every NFL offseason is long. Especially for the football junkies like myself who long for the days of meaningful football.

When a team misses the playoffs, it drags the offseason on. If you're like me you still stay glued to the playoffs but face it, it just isn't the same when the team you cheer for out and out isn't playing. It tarnishes the whole thing just a bit.

When your team goes out and has a horrendous season such as the Bears' 5-11 campaign last year, the offseason seems even longer. The bad taste lingers. Then the new hope of a new regime and coaching scheme and shiny new rookies create hope and the urge to see what they can produce on the gridiron.

But alas, as of today, Monday July 20, we are just NINE days away for the Chicago Bears reporting to Bourbonnais for training camp.

So the magic football number is nine. Over those next nine days I will bring you a corresponding stat, player or other Bears-related item that connects with the number. Kind of like Sesame Street.

Today's number: Nine, 9

The number of touchdown passes Jay Cutler needs to break Sid Luckman's career franchise record.

Cutler enters the season with 129 touchdown passes as a Bear, just nine away from surpassing Luckman's 137, which has stood since he last played in 1950.

Cutler has averaged 1.5 touchdown passes per game, meaning at that clip he would be on pace to break the record before Chicago's bye week in Week 7. However the stingy pass defenses the team faces early in the year (Seattle, Kansas City and Green Bay were all top 10 in pass defense a year ago) it could take Cutler a little longer.

How many games will it take Cutler to break Luckman's record and who will be the opponent?