Bears Blitz

Published by Scott Ottersen on August 17, 2009
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

I didn’t get as much of a response as I was hoping, so I thought I’d throw out my email again, because I REALLY do want people to email me about the Bears.  I enjoy talking about the Bears, and love to hear your opinions about my writing, or about the Bears in general.  So, email me your questions/concerns/comments and I will post them in my later editions of Bears Mail Call.

My email is ScottOttersen@yahoo.com.  Or, just send me a private message on this site. 

Thank you, and let’s get to the few emails I did receive.

“Whats up Scott and Chicago nation!

Huge fan for 22yrs.  I believe DA BEARS will win the North baring no injures.  It will be tough with the vikes and pack looking pretty good, but the vikes don’t have that great of an offense other than AP and the pack’s D is their downfall even though they will be better this year.  DA BEARS receivers are unproven but I think Bennett, Hester, and Olsen will all have 700 plus yards and that is hard for any D to cover.  I am from Omaha , NE so I know what a stud Bowman is.  Dude was once a projected 1^st rounder so lets hope he stays healthy.  Our D line is deep and nasty so hopefully they can stay healthy and make the QB get out of the pocket.  Then you add Forte to the mix with Kevin Jones who came into camp looking ready to try and compete for the starting position (even though it will never happen).  DA BEARS do have a legitimate chance of going to the SB.  Even though our receivers aren’t proven this might be one of the best BEARS team I have seen in a long time.  I think week 2 vs steel-town will let the NFL no where DA BEARS stand.  Man..I hope we start the season off 2-0.
 
Lets flood DA sites with BEARS talk.  Let me know what you think of my take.  email me at baileyXL23@hotmail.com
 
Predictions:  DA BEARS 11-5 or 12-4″

-Adam B.

I am most happy to hear that Bear fandom is spreading across the nation!  I agree that the Bears have a great chance at winning the North, but I wouldn’t sleep on the Vikings offense that much.  I think Sage Rosenfels is underrated as a starting quarterback, and Visanthe Shiancoe is a great TE that can control the middle of the field, and keep safeties honest enough to open the outside up for Berrian and Percy Harvin.  And, with AP running the ball, you are always at risk to give up a touchdown.  It is going to be a tough win this season, but if the Bears play up to potential, they are going to compete for the NFC North title, for sure.

“I think this is a sorry excuse for an article.  Why don’t you write about something more important or something that is going on with the actual team, rather than just posting other people’s ideas and thoughts?”

-Mike

Well Mike, I thought this was a refreshing idea for an article, because with the amount of writers on Bleacher Report, it is hard to ever have an original idea come across in your articles.  After I write every article, I always have someone post a comment or send me a message about how they JUST wrote about the same thing, or mentioned my same thoughts in a recent article.  So, instead of writing about the same thing as everyone else, I thought I’d throw out something fresh to everyone.  And, with this, I thought it would be a great way to spread the word about what everyone felt about the Bears, rather than just only reading my personal opinion time and time again.  But, thanks for the comment/question, Mike.  I do appreciate it.  Keep them coming.

“Did you catch the game against the Bills?  They looked horrible in the fourth quarter.  Any chance that is the true Bears we saw?”

-Andrew V.

I never put any stock into anything that goes on in a preseason game.  Yes, Cutler threw a pick.  Yes, Basanez cemented his spot at the bottom of the pecking order.  But, we played without Forte and Olsen, and our third and fourth stringers were out on the field most of the game.  Some of the bad plays on offense were those plays that you just can’t do anything about, like the one pick that Basanez threw that went through the receivers hands and bounced right into the hands of the Bills player.  Those types of things happen throughout the season.  I am not worried at all about the game.  Yes, we lost.  But, it was our first preseason game.  It was not the true Bears that we saw out there.  I would ask that everyone stop putting so much stock into the preseason.  It’s just like the NBA preseason where people like JJ Redick win the Summer League MVPs.  It has no effect on the regular season, other than getting the players into game shape.

“Do you think Caleb Hanie is a better quarterback than Kyle Orton”

-Allison

Simple answer…yes.

Complex answer…yes.  I don’t think he is far and above a better quarterback, but I do think he is a better fit for being an NFL quarterback.  I think he has a good arm, makes good decisions, and if given the opportunity, could be a playoff quarterback, as long as he had good options to throw to.  I don’t think he can carry an offense, but I do think he can make a good offense better, which is something Kyle Orton can’t do.  He is someone that will maintain the offense.  Orton isn’t going to be the type of player that makes a good receiver great.  I’m not saying Caleb Hanie is that guy, but I think he has a better chance at becoming that guy, if he is ever given the chance.  I don’t see him getting that chance, but he is going to be a good career backup quarterback.

“Do you think we would have won that game (the Bears-Bills preseason game) had Forte played, and Lovie given Cutler a few more stabs at it?”

– Justin

I don’t think so.  You never do know, but for a first preseason game, Forte probably only would have played the first series, so it’s unlikely he would have made too much of a difference.  With Cutler playing on that first series with him, the Bears probably would have looked to establish Cutler’s passing more than Forte’s running, so I wouldn’t imagine he would have broken off a nice run to help the Bears score.  As for Cutler playing longer, like I said, it’s the first preseason game, and most coaches just want to get their starters a little bit of playing time to let them get a taste of the action.  The coaches don’t want to overdo it right now.  They are still getting into condition for a full game, so there is no reason to burn a guy out in his debut for a new team.  I don’t think Cutler looked all that great while he was in, so it was the right time to take him out when he did come out.  It would have been nice to let him go for a TD, but it’s just a preseason game.  These games don’t count, and I look forward to him being able to prove himself in the regular season, when the games truly matter.

That is all I have for you guys this time around.  I am hoping that more people write to me, so that I can start doing this every week with around 10-15 questions/comments/concerns.  I look forward to reading what you have to say, whether it be good or bad.