Quick Prediction: Detroit-27 Bears-21

Here’s hoping I’m wrong!

Bear Down!!

ktm

Chicago Bears Offensive Preview 2010

• Quarterback-Jay Cutler

o   Cutler will be looking to recover from an underwhelming 2009 campaign, a season in which he threw 27 touchdowns but was intercepted 26 times.  Sure, some of those INT’s weren’t his fault, but this year might be even more of a challenge for Cutler as new Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz has instituted a new offense in which Cutler has been told to throw to a particular spot on the field regardless of where the receiver might be.  He is also instituting deeper 5 and 7 step drops, which might produce another issue for Cutler since the offensive line isn’t exactly the best in the NFL.  I expect Cutler to have similar stats to last year, although there is a possibility that the offensive line will give up more sacks because of what Cutler and the o-line are being asked to do.

• Running Backs-Matt Forte & Chester Taylor

o   Forte will also be looking to bounce book from a disappointing 2009 season, albeit he was hurt all year with knee and hamstring problems. The Bears did everything they could to try and tell us he wasn’t, but we found out for sure that he was injured when he had offseason knee surgery.  Don’t expect Forte to produce as much as he did in his rookie season since he is in a pass-happy offense, but when he is called upon, with him being healthy, he should have a relatively productive season.

o   Chester Taylor was signed by the Bears in the offseason to give Mike Martz another weapon in his offensive system.  He is a back that will relieve Forte, but expect him to log some relatively big minutes.  He still can run the ball a little bit, but his big strength (and a big reason he was signed) is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.  Taylor’s major role will be as a third down back, catching passes out of the backfield, and providing pass protection.

• Wide Receivers-Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Rashied Davis, Devin Aromashodu, Earl Bennett,

o   This year’s receiving corps is pretty much the same as last year, with Aromashodu hopefully getting some more passes thrown his way.  Hopefully Devin Hester can play at least a little bit like a number one, but I’m more excited this year about Johnny Knox.  #13 looked good late in the year last year and has looked something like an actual NFL wide receiver in the preseason.  Earl Bennett had reliable hands for Jay Cutler last year, but his toughness leaves a bit to be desired.  And why is Rashied Davis still on the Bears??

• Tight Ends-Greg Olsen, Brandon Manumaleuna, Desmond Clark, Kellen Davis

o   It’s no secret that the Bears wanted to trade Greg Olsen (or still do for that matter), but if he stays in Chicago and is used correctly, he could end up being a tremendous threat to opposing defenses.  Manumaleuna will be used mostly as an extra offensive lineman.  Desmond Clark and Kellen Davis will continue to be reliable in goal line situations.

NFL Predictions

NFC North-

1.       Green Bay Packers-Aaron Rodgers is primed for an outstanding season with  a bunch of weapons at his disposal, and the Packer defense sure looks good right now.

2.       Minnesota Vikings-Don’t expect Brett Favre to have the same season as he did last year, but Adrian Peterson and the Viking defense also looks very solid.

3.       Detroit Lions-The Lions will be much improved from last season where they only one two games.  Matt Stafford will be a lot better, Calvin Johnson will still be one of the top receivers in the league, and Jahvid Best will be a major upgrade in the backfield.

4.       Chicago Bears-Just too many question marks.  The offensive line is spotty, Tommie Harris still isn’t healthy, the defense is another year older, and the secondary is a major concern.

NFC South-

1.       New Orleans Saints-The defending champions return pretty much the same team from last season.

2.       Atlanta Falcons-The Falcons will challenge the Saints for the division title, especially with weapons like Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez.

3.       Tampa Bay Buccanners-Tampa won’t be awful, but a team that starts Josh Freeman at quarterback isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

4.       Carolina Panthers-Is the Jimmy Clausen experience going to work out? Probably not this year.

NFC East-

1.       Dallas Cowboys-Dallas looks stacked on paper, and this will be the year that the Cowboys climb the proverbial mountain and challenge for the Lombardi Trophy.

2.       New York Giants-The Football Giants still look pretty solid on both sides of the football.

3.       Washington Redskins-As long as McNabb stays healthy, the Skins should be a somewhat decent team.

4.       Philadelphia Eagles-The Eagles are not by any means a bad team, they just played in a very tough division and have an inexperienced starting quarterback.

NFC West-

1.       San Francisco 49ers-They will be a tough team to beat, especially with their offensive weapons and Patrick Willis being arguably the best linebacker in the league.

2.       Arizona Cardinals-Derek Anderson looks like he can again be a solid quarterback, and the defense is still very good.

3.       St. Louis Rams-Originally I picked them to win the division, but I’d be kidding myself.  Sam Bradford will have growing pains and they need one more offensive weapon, but Steven Jackson, James Lauranitis, and OJ Atogwe will be good this year.  I expect the Rams to win at least 6 games.

4.       Seattle Seahawks-I like Justin Forsett, but he does not make the Seahawks a contender at all.  Matt Hasselback is old and oft injured, they lost their best receiver, and their defense does nothing for me.

Playoff Teams-Green Bay, Dallas, New Orleans, San Francisco, New York, Minnesota

NFC Champion: Green Bay Packers (sorry Bears fans, they’re really good).

ktm

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