Holy Crap! Bears are alone in first place!
While I was fuming over the Cubs over the past week, the Bears thoroughly whipped the Lions and took sole possession of first place in the NFC North. While it was an impressive win, we must remember that it was Detroit. Man, they're bad. They look as bad as any Lions team I've ever seen. Scratch that, any football team that I've ever seen - including D-III. They looked almost as bad as the Cubs against L.A. (Damn it! You see where my mind is at, still. Back to the Bears.)
So the Bears are in first place. Here's what has impressed me the most:
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Matt Forte - Clearly the rookie RB is a massive upgrade over last year. Not only does he hit the holes with authority, he catches the ball and rarely misses a block. He's a true find for Jerry Angelo and I expect him to be a fixture in the backfield for the next three years. (Sadly, runningbacks don't age well at all.)
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Kyle Orton - Last year and all offseason, I was screaming for Orton. Give him a chance! After two weeks this year, I wanted a mulligan. Now he has seven TDs in his last three games and I'm telling everyone I knew it all along. I still think they should draft a QB high next year, but they won't have to rush him into the lineup and they might be able to live with Kyle under center for another year or two. (Rookie QBs almost never work and are often better served by sitting for a year.) But then again, he might pull a Derek Anderson and start sucking. Let's just keep evaluating Kyle for the next 11 games and see where we stand in January.
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The Receivers - with solid Quarterbacking comes solid receiving. There still aren't any Pro Bowlers in this group, and I highly doubt that any of the Bears would start for more than a handful of teams. But Lloyd, Hester, and company aren't the worst group of receivers we've ever had. Bernard who?
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The Offensive Line - Wow, it doesn't completely suck. Orton was under constant pressure against the Eagles, but every QB is under pressure against them. Other than that game, they've done a pretty solid job - far better than I could have ever imagined. And just wait till Chris Williams is ready! (Please note the sarcasm in that last statement.)
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The Defensive Line - If you had told me that Tommie Harris would be a complete no-show and that the line would still be among the strongest units on the team, I'd have thought you were crazy. But Dusty Dvoracek, Marcus Harrison, and Israel Idonije have all done a tremendous job stuffing the run and getting to the passer. Imagine if Harris was playing! (No sarcasm there.)
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The Secondary - Kevin Payne and Mike Brown have been great. Tillman was a beast against the Lions. Vasher hasn't done much, but he hasn't been bad either. Solid group.
This week the Bears face the Falcons at the Georgia Dome. They, too, are a surprise team in the NFC this season - led by former NIU runningback Michael "The Burner" Turner and rookie QB Matt Ryan (who, it turns out, may be an exception to the rookie QB rule). I heard today somewhere that this is a bad matchup for the Bears. (I read/listen to so much content, it's hard to keep track of it all. 50-50 shot that I heard it on ESPN.) Anyways, bad matchup? Really? Last I checked, only Jonathon Stewart had any success on this group. Everyone else got stuffed like a burrito. Yes, the Falcons beat Aaron Rodgers and the suddenly crappy Green Bay defense at Lambeau - but they haven't seen a powerhouse like Kyle Orton and the CHICAGO BEARS yet, either. I'll go with the Bears in a tight one. 17-13.
BEAR DOWN.