1st seed in the NFC - Possible Super Bowl Winner

Chicago Bears – (2006 record = 13-3) – Projected 2007 record = 12-4




The 2007-08 season will be a make or break season for Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman. With one of the two best defenses in the league, several excellent offensive weapons, and the best special teams in the NFL, Grossman has all the pieces in place to lead the Bears back to the Super Bowl in 2008. Grossman – the goat of last years Super Bowl loss – has by far the most pressure on him of any player in the league coming into this season, and it is imperative that he start the season well to prove to the fans and his teammates that he is the right person for the job. Right out of the gates things become very difficult for Grossman and the Bears with games against San Diego, Kansas City, and Dallas, and Grossman will be under constant pressure for these three very aggressive teams – something he struggled with mightily last year. I expect the Bears to find out very quickly whether or not Grossman is the permanent solution or if he’s just a “manage the game” kind of quarterback like the experts keep saying, and Grossman needs to be better than a game managing quarterback in order for the Bears to win the improving NFC.

The second player with the most to prove – and the one who will be the most important in aiding Grossman’s attack on opposing defenses – will be third year running back Cedric Benson. The former fourth overall pick’s wish was granted this offseason when Chicago brass traded former starting running back Thomas Jones to the Jets, allowing Benson to take over the reigns as Chicago’s number one running back. Benson’s bruising style seems to fit Chicago’s style of play and the city’s state of mind much better than Jones the previous year (a pounding, bruising, take no prisoners style of running the football). Those two factors aside, Jones was a very productive back during his time in Chicago and Benson must increase his productivity a great deal and stay healthy for the Bears to make a smooth transition between starting running backs.

Throughout the offseason – especially once the Bears traded for Darwin Walker and signed All Pro outside linebacker Lance Briggs – Bears fans and experts around the league seemed to assume that the Bears offense will continue to be one of the best in the league. And while the talent on the Bears can only be matched by the Baltimore Ravens, the one thing that the Chicago Bears must be concerned with is an injury to one of their three best players. The players that I’m talking about are Lance Briggs, Tommie Harris, and Brian Urlacher. With Urlacher and Harris, a bad precedent in the team’s success with both out. Three years ago Urlacher suffered a hamstring injury and the team did not win a single game in his three week absence and Harris’ groin injury last year left the defense crippled and with a serious hole that was continuously exploited by opposing running attacks. These three players are arguably the best at their individual positions in the league, and if any one of them got hurt it would be devastating for the Bears’ defense and their chances to return to the Super Bowl.

Star to Watch – While most of the media and the fans (including myself) will closely be watching the performance of Cedric Benson and Rex Grossman, I will continue to keep my eye on one of Chicago’s emerging players, and that is Bernard Berrian. Last year Berrian was a consistent big play threat for Chicago, and he will very important this year in the attempt to keep opposing defenses honest against the Bear’s solid running game. Berrian – teamed up with a wide receiving corps made up of Muhsin Muhammad, Mark Bradley, Rashied Davis, and converted cornerback Devin Hester – forms one of the best, and most explosive receiving units in the league. I expect Berrian to further his progression a great deal this season into one of the best big play wide receivers in the league, which is to say that I expect the play of quarterback Rex Grossman to be much better than last year.

Player to Watch – The player that I am most interested in watching transition into the Chicago defense is safety Adam Archuleta. Archuleta – in his first year with the team - had a abysmal season with the Washington Redskins playing only special teams for the last seven games of the year – and it is safe to say that Archuleta didn’t fit in Washington’s defensive scheme. But one place where Archuleta thrived was in St Louis with ex-Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. In Smith’s cover 2 based system, we will see Archuleta up at the line of scrimmage much more frequently than he was with Washington, and I believe that this will play to Archuleta’s strengths and so does the Bears coaching staff. Also watch: Mark Anderson, whose stellar rookie season might have been a fluke. Plus, Anderson will have to play better against the run than he did last year. Also Watch: Mike Brown and Ricky Manning Jr. If both play well throughout the season and stay healthy (Brown) the Bears will have the best secondary in the league with Tillman and Vasher on the corners.

What I expect from the Chicago Bears:

- I believe that the Bears will be the best team, once again, in the NFC and will secure homefield advantage with two weeks to go in the season.

- The Bears running attack will suffer a bit this year with the two back tandem from last year being broken up, but Cedric Benson will be much happier now that Thomas Jones is a New York Jet. Also, the Bears receiving threesome of Muhsin Muhammad, who I expect to have another down year and eventually get cut next offseason, Bernard Berrian, and Mark Bradley will be a very pleasant surprise to most around the league.

- The Bears defense will be great this year with superior speed and very good to great players at every single position (expect a very good year from Dusty Dvoraceck) with Brian Urlacher contending for the defensive player of the year award (more with awards and predictions tomorrow or Thursday). I predict that the Chicago defense will be ranked near or at the top in every defensive category once the year is done, but they will struggle against teams like San Diego, Denver, and Dallas who have big and physical offensive lines.

- A big reason why the Bears have been and will be successful is because of the stellar team they are able to put on the field in 3rd down and long situations. With Ricky Manning Jr joining Tillman, Vasher, Archuleta, Brown, Urlacher, and Briggs in the back seven it can plainly be said that that back seven is damn near impossible to penetrate. With this thought, it can be said that third down conversions are the most underrated stat in football, and the Bears should be glad that they are so well equiped to stop other teams in such key situations.

- Finally, what you all have been waiting for (this is just a way to amuse myself, I know nobody is reading this). I expect Rex Grossman to be very good this year. I see him progressing a great deal from last year and being a big reason why the Bears fare well against tough opponents. With this being said, Grossman will not be Peyton Manning nor should he have to be anything close. The most important thing that Grossman needs is solid offensive line play to keep the pocket secure to allow Grossman to find open receivers.

How the Chicago Bears will fare in 2007-08:

I expect the Bears to be the best team in the NFC with an 12-4 record – as was already stated – and beat New Orleans to reach the Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl, I believe that the hypothetical game I’ve set up will be very close with the Bears having a shot to win at the end because of defense and special teams controlling the field position game like they had all season. More to come on what I think the result of the 2008 Super Bowl in Arizona will on Thursday (Is it a tease to tease no one?).