Bears Go on Camping Trip
The 2007 edition of the Chicago Bears is about to tune up in Bourbanis beginning today. Here are the questions
that need to be answered at Camp Lovie:
that need to be answered at Camp Lovie:- Is Tommie Harris ready to go full speed at the start of the regular season? If not, the defense will suffer. That three position is HUGE in the cover two. HUGE. And don't forget, it's still a mystery as to who is going to line up next to Tommie.
- Is Mike Brown healthy and how many games will he actually play? The Bears will need him because the backup is Adam Archuleta, a guy who can't run anymore and was so bad, he got benched on a bad Redskin team.
- Will Alex Brown's dissatisfaction with being behind Mark Anderson on the depth chart fuel him to a more productive season? Let's hope so.
- How much will the war with the front office effect Lance Briggs? My guess is, if this is a walk year for him, he'll be ready.
- Is Cedric Benson ready to be a full time player? Is Adrian Peterson good enough for second string? Is Garrett Wolf good enough for third string? Peterson is a specialty back who is primarily a third down pass catcher (like Dennis Gentry back in the day.) His prowess as a runner is untested over long durations. Wolfe will probably be on special teams, but I think he could get killed in the NFL if he's not careful.
- Can Cedric hold on to the ball or will he win the 2007 "Curtis Enis award? Personally, I'm not a big fan of Cedric and I would have dumped him instead of Thomas Jones. I think he'll be better than Enis, but not a whole lot better. He'll cough up the ball a lot and probably have at least one injury that will limit him. For all the mouth on the guy the last couple of years, I hope he's ready to rumble.
- Can Rex Grossman
get his head out of his assfocus long enough to be consistent this year? I've said it from the moment they drafted him, Rex is not and never will be a great quarterback. He got to the Super Bowl because of an outstanding defense that kept opponents out of the end zone, but in the Super Bowl we saw the Rex Grossman we saw at Florida...the one who drove Darth Visor to the NFL. Rex Grossman is nothing more than Mike Tomczak with a higher IQ. And not that much higher. - If Rex is Bad Rex, how soon do we expect Lovie to pull the plug and give Brian Griese a chance? Are the Bears the same team with Griese in there? I think Griese is an adequate backup who, if he sticks to the game plan and doesn't try to force things, can have as much success as Grossman can.
- How will all of the coaching changes inspire the Bears to bring home the big hardware? Can Bob Babich be as inspiring a defensive coordinator as Ron Rivera? (and yes, I know the only words the Bears defensive coordinator gets to say is "Yes Lovie") How will the Bears linebackers respond to Hardy Nickerson or the D-Line to Brick Haley? What is a Pep Hamilton and can he keep Sexy Rexy from throwing off his back foot? For a team that went to the big game last year, there sure are a lot of new faces with whistles.
- Is Devin Hester a defensive or offensive player? How will one effect the other? Can he really play offense or is it a cheap stunt? I'm guessing he's a great kick returner and that pretty much is it. That's okay, it worked for Glyn Milburn.
- How much impact will Greg Olsen have his rookie year? Can he actually block someone? Olsen is a solid receiver, but questions remain on his blocking ability. I've seen Tony Gonzalez, Senator and he's no Tony Gonzalez.
- How much will a tougher schedule effect the Bears? Their first two games are against San Diego, Kansas City and Dallas and they could start off 0-3 or 1-2. There is not doubt that they will win the NFC North this season, it's just like the 80's where they have superior talent to the other three teams. The bigger question is will they get the home field advantage or will they have to play a first round or NFC championship game in New Orleans. Philadelphia or Seattle
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