Niners in town
I don't know what it is, but the San Francisco 49ers always seem to have the Bears number. The Bears simply don't have an answer for Montana, Rice, Craig...er, wait a second. This ain't 1987, and Cody Pickett is not Joe Montana. The Bears are favored by 13, and I expect them to cover. The Niners are bad. Still, this game kind of worries me. All week long, all we're hearing about is how the Carolina Panthers next week represent the first tough test of the season, as if this was a bye week. This game is a must win, because they can't afford to lose any games if they expect to take the division, especially against such an “easy” opponent. Nevertheless, I'll still take the Bears to cover. Lovie will have them ready. Bears 21, Niners 3.
Since we're here, might as well talk about some other Bears news. They cut Marc Edwards this week, the fullback that started the first half of the season and even scored a few touchdowns. Bryan Johnson's healthy, and so is Jason McKie, and the Bears aren't in the position to keep three fullbacks on the roster. The other guys apparently contribute more on special teams, and Johnson was opening up holes like a truck, so the Bears felt Edwards was expendable. It seems to make sense, but you have to wonder a bit if they're messing with a good thing. Also on offense, Fred Miller broke his jaw in a household accident and will miss a few weeks. Expect St. Clair to fill in, as he did nicely when Tait was hurt.
Finally, I've got to say something about Rex Grossman. There's been a lot of talk in the Chicago media about the “QB controversy” that will arise when Rex gets healthy in a few weeks. I don't want to hear nothing of it. Orton's been doing fine. He's struggled on occasion, but they've won four in a row with him behind center. I know it can occasionally get frustrating watching him, but does anyone remember last year? The Jonathon Krenzington experiment? Orton is a godsend. And besides, there's no evidence that Rex is any better. He's started a whopping six games in three seasons, two less than Kyle. This preseason, everyone was going ga ga over one pretty throw. That's all he had, one good throw! So he's not exactly Joe Montana. The Bears should stick with Kyle till he earns a demotion. A few games in a row like the Cincy game, and then there's a controversy. Not now. Go Bears!