The Bears (playoff, league, fan, win)

[Mathguy]

Nice solid win over Indy.

Good defense, decent offense able to take advantage of Hester aided field position.

The Bears were their own worst enemy last year, the offense scoring points for the wrong team was certainly a deciding factor. (That has to kill the morale of the defense too)

Only peeve about the game is talk about how Indy and mainly Manning was rusty. Sorry, I saw a Bears D line that dominated Indy's O line stuffing key short yardage plays and getting to Manning. That was a REALLY good sign.

Also like the hit Briggs put on Adai.

[Alanboy395]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Nice solid win over Indy.

Good defense, decent offense able to take advantage of Hester aided field position.

The Bears were their own worst enemy last year, the offense scoring points for the wrong team was certainly a deciding factor. (That has to kill the morale of the defense too)

Only peeve about the game is talk about how Indy and mainly Manning was rusty. Sorry, I saw a Bears D line that dominated Indy's O line stuffing key short yardage plays and getting to Manning. That was a REALLY good sign.

Also like the hit Briggs put on Adai.

I'm not sold yet, mainly b/c they play my panthers at BofA stadium this week.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Alanboy395

I'm not sold yet, mainly b/c they play my panthers at BofA stadium this week.

Yep. Another tough road game. I am always amazed at how worked up people get over the first win or loss of the season....especially if it came against a particularily weak or strong opponent.

I guess people have just missed football so much that they get like kids on Christmas morning.

[At1WithNature]

I thought the Bears two toughest games on their schedule were @ Indianapolis in Week 1 and @ Carolina in week 2. It'll be nice to get those two out of the way at the very start of the season. Chicago plays 4 of their first 6 games on the road. But that means two different stretches in the season where chicago has 3 home games in a row!

The key for the Bears is their running game. If Kevin Jones and Matt Forte can control the clock and convert 3rd downs, the Bears will be very difficult to beat because the opposing offenses won't get that many chances to do damage against chicago's very good defense. And the less chances they have, the better for the bears. plus they have had the best special teams in the NFL for years on end...

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

I thought the Bears two toughest games on their schedule were @ Indianapolis in Week 1 and @ Carolina in week 2. It'll be nice to get those two out of the way at the very start of the season. Chicago plays 4 of their first 6 games on the road. But that means two different stretches in the season where chicago has 3 home games in a row!

The key for the Bears is their running game. If Kevin Jones and Matt Forte can control the clock and convert 3rd downs, the Bears will be very difficult to beat because the opposing offenses won't get that many chances to do damage against chicago's very good defense. And the less chances they have, the better for the bears. plus they have had the best special teams in the NFL for years on end...

I think the key pieces there are the 2 excellent tight ends the Bears have.
Makes it a whole lot tougher to come up and put lots of guys in the box to stuff the run without risking one of them slipping out for a nice catch.

[jest721]

Right behind the Indy win is the Vikings loss. We knew what Detroit would be, and Green Bay too. This is a very winable division. If the Oline keeps making holes for Forte and the D stays healthy, this will be another playoff season.

[j760]

I feel the Bears made the right decision going with Orton, they don't need him to do anything special especially if that defense can get back to what it was doing two years ago. They just need him to protect the football, make smart decisions, and not make silly mistakes, something Rex Grossman has a hard time doing.

[jest721]

I was at the Oakland game last year when Orton got injured, and Rex came in at the end of the first half. He fumbled his first snap and every bear fan in the stadium collectively had a "You've got to be ****ing kidding me!" moment. That's the long anecdotal way of saying I don't think it matters who is under center, I think consistency is much more important. If you surround either with a solid line and an exciting new RB, and we know what a healthy D and ST will be like, good things will happen.
Having said that, I did like what I saw from Orton a few years ago when Rex was injured. If he gets a chance to really build his confidence and be "the guy", I think we will be playing well into January.

[j760]

Originally Posted by jest721

Having said that, I did like what I saw from Orton a few years ago when Rex was injured. If he gets a chance to really build his confidence and be "the guy", I think we will be playing well into January.

I'm not a Bears fan but if it helps I did root for you guys to beat the Colts in the Super Bowl. And I have to say I have always liked what I've seen from Orton for the most part, he's not the most talented or flashiest QB, but I think he gives the Bears the best chance to win this season. Just from the outside looking in, I don't think your offense needs to be the 99 Rams or anything, it just needs to be consistent like you mention, and not sloppy. I like your chances this season.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by j760

I'm not a Bears fan but if it helps I did root for you guys to beat the Colts in the Super Bowl. And I have to say I have always liked what I've seen from Orton for the most part, he's not the most talented or flashiest QB, but I think he gives the Bears the best chance to win this season. Just from the outside looking in, I don't think your offense needs to be the 99 Rams or anything, it just needs to be consistent like you mention, and not sloppy. I like your chances this season.

Yeah. The Colts were the better team in the Super Bowl. If the Bears D hadn't suffered so many key injuries down the stretch I would have liked their chances.

Yeah, I too am a HUGE believer in offensive lines.
To all the other Bears fans out there, remember Jim Harbaugh?
We thought he stunk and ran him out of town.
He went to Indy with pro-bowl line, running back, tight end etc. and finished the season with the highest passer rating in the league.

Not having to scramble for your life and having a running game will hopefully be a new experience for the Bears QB's this season.