After reading a series of postings on Windy City Gridiron, some things have become obvious for Bears Fans.  I don't know what is going to happen to Lovie Smith.  I think we can assume Ron Turner will not be here next year unless somebody in charge has too many Budweisers over the Winter. 

With that said we have a great Quarterback to build around in a young Jay Cutler.  The 2010 Draft is wilted down and we have very few players to trade away for draft picks.  The bottom line is this, Halas Hall is going to have to spend some dough $$$$$$$$$. 

Financial commitments to the Free Agent market look to be the only way to make this team competitive again.  This post is going to stay on the offensive side of the ball.  I will address the defensive side in a later posting.  Here is a partial listing of potential unrestricted and restricted free agents in 2010.  I have my favorites but will reserve comment until I see what the rest of you think.

1.  Wide Receivers:

Vincent Jackson- San Diego Chargers

Brandon Marshall-Denver Broncos

Braylon Edwards-NY Jets

Terrell Owens-Buffalo Bills

Antonio Bryant-TB Bucs

Steve Breaston- Arizona Cardinals

Kevin Walter-Houston Texans

Miles Austin-Dallas Cowboys

Derrick Mason-Balt. Ravens

Chris Chambers-KC Chiefs

Lance Moore-NO Saints

Chris Henry-Cinn Bengals

Mark Bradley-KC Chiefs,(kidding).

Bobby Wade-Team Unknown,(kidding)

Domenick Hixon-NY Giants

Jason Avant-Phil. Eagles

2.. Running Backs. Note:  Adrian Peterson of the Bears is a Free Agent in 2010 also.

Ronnie Brown-Miami

Ricky Williams-Miami

Pierre Thomas-Saints

Mike Bell-Saints

Darren Sproles-Chargers

LenDale White-Titans

Kevin Faulk-NE

Le'Ron McClain-Ravens

Jerious Norwood-Falcons

Chester Taylor-Vikings

Willie Parker-Steelers

Cadillac Williams-Tampa

3.  Offensive Linemen

Jahri Evans-Saints

Logan Mankins-N.E.

Marcus McNeill-Chargers

Daryn Colledge-Packers

Jared Gaither-Ravens

Winston Justice-Eagles

Kevin Mawee-Titans

Chad Clifton-Packers

Mike Gandy-Cardinals

Willie Colon-Pitts

Jeremy Trueblood-Tampa

Conclusion:  Assuming the Bears rebuild the offensive line via Free Agency, Matt Forte should become a valuble commodity again.  He will still need a back up to add depth at the position.  I will go out on a limb and say Braylon Edwards and Brandon Marshall are the type of receivers Jay needs to have success.  I would love to have me some Ronnie Brown though.  Your thoughts Bears fans?

Upon further review the Bears do have a chance of winning this week.  It seems the Eagles much like the Bears are winless in Night games this Year.  Something has to give and it looks like the Bears will have the edge playing at Home this week.

Eagle Offense:  This Team starts with Donovan McNabb and get off the bus passing.  He was 35 for 55 last week for 450 Yards and 2 TD's in a losing effort at San Diego.  This week however he is without his partner in crime Brian Westbrook.  The Eagles will have to put their faith in Rookie Running Back LeSean McCoy a late second round pick from Pittsburg.  He is 5' 10' and 200 pounds..  McCoy had a tough one last week with 3 carries for 5 yards.  He also had 3 receptions for 18 yards. 

Hot Receiver:  Jerry Maclin, another Eagles Rookie Wide Receiver has been one of the hottest players in the NFL.  He has scored a Touchdown in each of the last 3 Weeks including a Kick Off Return.  The Eagles also have a nice Tight End in Brent Celek.  Jason Avant, Desean Jackson and Kevin Curtis round out the Receiving Corps.

Eagles Defense:  They are tough but are beat up.  Key injuries to the Linebacker Corps and some ailing Defensive Backs should help the Bears.  The Eagles overall Defense is ranked 12th in the NFL.  Their Pass Defense in number 10 in the league.  The one stat that stands out to me is they have more interceptions than Touchdowns given up.  They have given up 14 Touchdowns and have 15 Interceptions on the Season.

Keys to Winning:  The Eagles are 9th in the NFL with a scoring Offense of 26.9 points a Game.  How do you stop them?  They average 102 yards rushing a game and are missing their starting Running Back.  In the Eagles 4 losses this Year, they have averaged 66 Yards rushing.  Shut down the Run, shut down the Eagles. 

Bears Offense:  After much debate through the media about Jay Cutler playing at Night I have looked deeper into the problems regarding all the interceptions that cost the Bears Games.  I have to admit I was wrong about Jay having problem with his vision at Night.  The Night is not the problem.  Jay Cutler is the problem.  Jay Cutler is a warrior.  A warrior without an effective Offensive Line or a Run Game.  He is taking it all on his shoulders and trying to win games by himself.  This leads to bad decisions like forcing passes and throwing off his back foot when he is under seige.  The Bears need to take the pressure off of him, especially in the Red Zone.  Safe plays like screens and figuring out how to run inside the 10 Yard line takes the pressure offf of him.  So the failures are on the Coaching staff and not Jay Cutler.  If the Bears remember that 3 points on a Field Goal is better than zero points on a Red Zone turnover we should have a decent chance of winning this game.  I really hope to see more of Devin Aromashodu at Wide Out to get us to the Red Zone this Evening.

Bears Defense.  Outstanding effort last week.  Held San Francisco to 10 points and 1 TD last week on the road.  If the Bears Offense finds a way to minimize turnovers it gives the Defensive unit a chance to win this game.  Holding the Eagles to under 100 Yards rushing and the front four getting pressure on Donovan McNabb are the keys to victory. 

Conclussion:  The Eagles went on the road in week 6 and lost 13 - 9 to the Oakland Raiders.  Jamarcus Russell had a QB rating of 68.2 in that game against the Eagles.  I think the Bears are a much better team than the Raiders.   Although the Eagles are favored by 3 points I say Eagles 20 - Bears 27.  As always, your thoughts?

Garrett Wolfe has a lacerated kidney that will sideline him the rest of the year.  So who is out there?  Larry Johnson looks very tantalizing right now but our old nemisis Cincinnatti picked him up.  We are getting really thin at this position.  Can you say Tiki Barber? 

Trade deadline has passed so if Matt Forte gets hurt, we are in deep trouble.  It looks to me like the Bears are going to have to scour the practice squads of every team in the NFL to find some back-ups.  This is due to their reluctance to sign NFL players that become available.  I guess they figure they will never need the help.

UPDATE: Bears officially place Wolfe on IR.  We should see someone replace him soon, so as not to have to reduce the number of players on the practice squad.  Helmet-tip to Brad Biggs!

UPDATE #2: Kahlil Bell upgraded from practice squad to 53 man roster.

Where do we start with this Post?  This post needs to start in the Red Zone.  The following suggestions will be scoffed at, poked fun of and laughed at.  I'm okay with that as I have a thick skin.  I will however make a sincere effort to keep the Spell Police at bay.

1. Red Zone Package:

Out: Devin Hester and his 5 foot 11 inch frame.  Replacement:  The biggest TE on the Bears line up Kellen Davis lines up at Wide out.  6 Foot 7' and 262 pounds.

Out: FB Jason Mckie, he has not opened a hole inside the Five Yard line all Year.  Replacement:  Marcus Harrison at Fullback.  6 Foot 3' - 310 pounds to open up a hole for Matt Forte.  Need I remind anyone of one William ' The Fridge' Perry?

Out: WR Earl Bennett, has he even been in the Endzone this Year?  Replacement:  Devin Aromashodu, Jay's favorite receiver.  At 6 foot 2' he is our tallest Receiver.  A team needs their tallest Receiver to be in the game in that situation.

Calling all TIght Ends!  Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, 6 Foot 5' , 262# round out the Red Zone Package.  So we have our biggest Receivers and add a monster in the backfield to get the job done. 

2.  A Ball Hawk:  When is the last time we seen the Bears jump a route?  I seen in in 2006 and have not seen a lot of it since.  We have been mired in the bend but don't break Defense for some time now.  We need to take a chance sometimes is obvious passing situations.  Receivers run slants, outs, ins, post, how about a Bears Defender takes a chance and jumps in front of the stop point?  All I ever see is a zone of Defenders in front of and behind Receivers.  I nominate Nathan Vasher.  Set him free Lovie!  set him free.

3.  Max Protect Package:  What is a Max Protect?  In my mind it's when you have your usual 5 linemen and a Tight End on each end for 7 on the line.  This Leaves 2 Receivers and a Back.  In this formation you could leak out a TE if you desire.  Other NFL teams use this formation but it must be a concept that does not exist in Ron Turners brain.  I stop to wonder what Jay Cutler could do if he had an extra 1 or 2 seconds to throw the ball.  We have had what appeared to be a Max Protect formation at times but Ronny always runs out of it.  Yes, the Bears are predictable again on Offense. 

4.  I saved the best for last:  Devin Hester out as starting Receiver.  Devin needs to remain a third Receiver because that is all the former Defensive back out of college is going to be.  He goes back to where he was a success and is full time Kick Returner.  By making him the third Receiver he has gas in the tank to pull off the big runs just like the good old days.  His replacement, Devin Aromashodu, a player actually drafted as a Wide Receiver out of college.

Conclussion:  There is an old saying, ' if it isn't broke don't fix it'.  Well it's broken and they need to fix it now.  What they have implemented thus far is a FAILURE.  I welcome any other suggestions that help this team get better.  Thank you.

We all know Jay Cutler has Diabeties but does it affect him playing at Night?  Diabeties affects sight and the lower extremities.  I will break down the 3 night games he has played this Year and welcome your comments.

1.  Bears @ Green Bay, Sunday Sept. 13, 2009.

A. Jay Cutler........17/36  277 Yards.....1 TD..................4 INT...........QB Rating..........43.2

2.  Bears @ Atlanta, Sunday October 18th, 2009.

A.  Jay Cutler...............27/43 300 Yards..............2 TD's...............2 INT....................QB Rating..................79.6

3.    Bears @ San Francisco............29/52 307 Yards............0 TD.................5 INT..................QB Rating..............33.6

4.  The final numbers 6 Day Games combined, Record:  4 Wins -  2 Losses.

A.  Jay Cutler...........138/207  1,499 Yards.................11 TD's.................6 INT....................QB Rating..............93.5

5  The final numbers 3 Night Games combined, Record:  0 Wins - 3 Losses.

A.  Jay Cutler............73/131  844 Yards.............3 TD's...........11 INT.................QB Rating.............52.0

Conclussion:  One could argue that these gawdy numbers are due to a lack of a Running game and the dolts we have on Offensive line are to blame here.  What can disput that argument is that his numbers are significantly better in day games played.  Your thoughts?                 

Well Here we go.  We are going to try and see if the Bears play better on Thursday instead of Sunday.  If the Bears could not run the ball in previous games it should be interesting Tonight.  The 49'ers boast the 4th best Rushing Defense in the NFL.  And here is a little nugget to chew on.  49'ers Inside Linebacker Patrick Willis is third in the NFL in combined tackles @ 77.  As a comparison Ray Lewis ILB for the Ravens has 66 combined tackles and is 5th in the league.  So if we want to run tonight we might consider blocking Patrick Willis, your thoughts Lovie?

49'ers Offense

1.  We get a break at Quarterback this week.  No Kurt Warner or Carson Palmer.  With that said the Tampa 2 Defense employed by the Bears is capable of being destroyed by any Quarterback in the league.  I do NOT believe Alex Smith is up for the task however.  4 sacks, 3 interceptions and two fumbles last week seemed to take him out of his game.  The 49'ers Offense is 19th in scoring, 21st in the Pass and 22nd in the Rush.  Issac Bruce is on the mend and Crabtree is still learning the position.  The biggest thing we have to worry about is the Monster they have in the backfield named Frank Gore.  If we stop Gore, we win the game. 

49'er's Defense

1.  49'ers have a scoring Defense ranked 16th in the league which is middle of the pack.  They have a pass Defense ranked 24th and a rush Defense ranked number 4.  If we break down these numbers it would look like it could be very difficult to score in the Red Zone on this team.  If we have success with the pass and break some big plays it should be a long day for the 49'ers.  Sadly, this week again will all be on Cutler. 

Bears Offense

1.  The Bears Offense will have limited success running the ball this week.  This means it is imparitive that the Offensive line give Jay Cutler more then 3 seconds to throw the ball.  Matt Forte will probably not be much of a factor this week and Pass Protection will make us or break us.  If Jay gets the time to throw tonight I look for him to have 350 yards and 3 TD's.  Olsen will probably draw double coverage all Evening so it will be up to Hester and Knox to step up and break some big plays for us to win. 

Bears Defense.

1.  The numbers aren't as horrible as one would think.  21st scoring defense, 12th Pass Defense, 21st Rush Defense.  If I'm the 49'ers, I'm going to run early and often at this Defense.  If the Defense allows 150 yards and 2 TD's to Frank Gore it's going to be a long night.  The Bears have given up 514 rushing yards in the last 3 games.   8 or even 9 in the box to pressure Alex Smith and stuff Frank Gore will not be surprising to see.  We will need to get into Alex Smith's head early and minimize the damage with the 49'ers rush game to seal the victory.  Key player: Tommie Harris, love him or hate him.

X Factor:

1.  Vernon Davis, Tight End.  Vernon has been running his mouth and pulling an Ocho Cinco 'All Day Long' speech directed at the Bears Defense.  This is surprising because the 49'ers stand to lose their 5th straight game and firing up the Bears Defense with a direct challenge seems to be bad timing.  That is assuming the Bears Defense act like Men and respond to being laughed at and made fun of.  I think the edge goes to the Bears here. 

Final Score:  Bears 27  - San Francisco 24 ............ Your Thoughts?

When Ocho Cinco scored the first Touchdown against the Bears two weeks ago, he mouthed the words ' All Day long'.  How prophetic was that statement?  Because Cincinnatti did exactly that.  They scored at will 'All Game long'.  We then go ahead and beat a pathetic Cleveland team which brings us to today, 21 - 7 in the second quarter against Arizona.  What is the pulse of the game you ask?  'All Day Long', Warner to Fitzgerald and the Arizona Offense.  Now comes my rant!  How long do we as fans have to sit here and digest this sorry ass excuse of a Defense?  Any Team in the NFL with a decent or average Quarterback can come in and rip the Bears apart.  This is a running joke!  I stated before the season started that the Tampa 2 was exposed.  I was chastized for it and questioned.  Now do you believe me?  This is unacceptable and to sit here and pretend it will get better is lying to ourselves.  Lovie Smith needs to pack it in, change his scheme or hire a Defensive Coordinator.  We cannot put up with this any longer.

Here we are again hoping to hit with deadly accuracy this week.  I'm not doing rankings this week as that all goes out the window once the game starts and throws off my perception levels.  The Bengals are beat up just like the Bears.  I believe we have a deeper bench.

1.  When the Bengals have the ball


A.  They will attempt to set up the run just like the Falcons did with limited success.  Cedric Benson has been running his mouth and is going to get punched in it.  Look for Cedric Benson to have 17 carries for 47 yards on the ground. 

B.  Carson Palmer is no Matt Ryan.  He has not been the same quarterback since coming back from knee surgery.  That said, he will still throw for about 220 yards with two TD's and 2 Interceptions. 

C.  Ocho Cinco the other blabbermouth will burn us for at least 1 TD tomorrow.  Look for him to have 60 yards receiving an 1 TD. 

2.  When the Bears have the ball.

A.  The Offensive line has been EXPOSED.  I look for in game adjustments from Lovie Smith if we still cannot run the ball.  With the spotlight on their arse so look for the Offensive line to respond in a big way.  The holes open up for Matt Forte as he rushes for 105 yards and a TD.  We will all be watching you Frank 'Wonder Bread' Omiyale.

B.  Jay Cutler has his best day as a Bears QB.  He finds the open Receivers all game long and throws for 350 yards and 4 TD's.  Jay plays pretty well after a Bears loss as was evidenced against Pittsburg following a loss to the Packers.

C.  Breakout game for Johnny Knox.  He has become the go to guy for the long one.  I look for Johnny to have 130 Yards Receiving and 2 TD's on Sunday.  Desmond Clark draws coverage this week and Greg Olsen also has a nice day.  80 Yards and a TD. 

D.  Bears Defense again plays a decent game.  I look for 3 Sacks, 2 Fumble Recoveries and 2 Interceptions.

                                 Final Score:  Bears 34 - Bengals 23..................Your Thoughts?

This will be a very interesting game.  We can start out with the Offensive side of the ball. 

1. Atlanta Falcons

A.  Total Offense,  (13th), 25.5 Points Per/Game

B.  Passing Offense, (14th), 240 Yards/Game

C.  Rushing Offense,  (15th) 106 Yards/Game 6 TD

Summary:  Lots of weapons on Offense.  QB Matt Ryan, RB Michael 'The Burner 'Turner, TE Tony Gonzalez, WR Roddy White, WR Michael Jenkins.  These guys are going to get theirs.  This game plan should be to play the time of possession game and to keep them off the field as much as possible.  This can be accomplished when we look at their run Defense later on in this post.  Also keep in mind that they were coming off a bye last week when they defeated SF 49'ers 45 - 10.  45 points in a game had a lot to do with their high ranking coming into this week.

1.  Chicago Bears

A.  Total Offense, ( 22nd), 26.2 Points Per/Game

B.  Passing Offense, (19th), 214 Yards/Game

C.  Rushing Offense, (27th), 91 Yards/Game 3 TD

Summary:  We also have weapons of mass destruction.  QB Jay Cutler, RB Matt 'The Rat 'Forte, TE Greg Olsen, WR Devin Hester, WR Johnny Knox, Wr Earl Bennett.  Against a weak Rush Defense like Atlanta's, look for Forte to have a big day again.  Once we eastablish the Run Game early on in this game the floodgates will open wide for the Passing game late in the contest to seal the victory. 

Now we can explore the Defensive side of the ball.

1.  Atlanta Falcons

A.  Total Defense, (20th).

B.  Passing Defense, (22nd), 228 Yards/Game

C.  Rushing Defense, (24th), 127 Yards/Game

Summary:  The Rushing Defense is ranked 24th despite not having to play against Frank Gore last week.  This is a very telling stat.  In my opinion, if the Bears do not have a big day Rushing against Atlanta then they will not be able to Rush against anybody.

1. Chicago Bears

A. Total Defense, (13th).

B.  Passing Defense, (20th), 226 Yards/Game

C.  Rushing Defense, (9th), 93 Yards?Game

Summary:  I come from the school of Defense wins football games.  With that philosophy in mind the Bears should be able to only have minor damage in points allowed Sunday.  Like I said, Atlanta will get their but the Bears will get more.  I look for the Bears to shut down Turner with 8 in the box for most of the game.  Matt Ryan will hook up with his receivers for most of their scoring this week. 

Bear single player predictions

Jay Cutler,  250 Yards Passing, 2 TD Passing, 1 TD Rushing

Matt Forte,  145 yards combined, 1 TD

Devin Hester, 80 Yards Receiving, 1 TD

Greg Olsen, 90 Yards Receiving, 1 TD

Final Score:  Bears 34 - Atlanta 27 in a 4th Quarter shootout.  Any other predictions out there?

1.  Matt Forte get's off the snide and has 130 combined yards and 2 TD's

2.  Jay Cutler has time in the pocket and throws zero interceptions with a QB rating over 100.

3.  I again predict Devin Hester and Johnny Knox score a TD.

4.  The Bears Defense have 2 interceptions with 4 sacks and a fumble recovery on Sunday.

5.  This game will be a route.  The Bears win a laugher with a final score of Lions 10- Bears 31