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Are the Chicago Bears for real?  Many people didn’t give them much of a chance against the Carolina Panthers, a team many consider a favorite to go to the Superbowl.  The Bears were leaders of their division going into this game riding high on a 5 game winning streak.  Now they continue to lead their division and have extended their winning streak to 6 games.  They were playing the Panthers at home, and yet were still underdogs by 4.5 points.  The knock on the Bears so far this season has been that they haven’t played a real opponent yet.  Every game seemed to be against another easy team to beat, given that their division is arguably the worst in the league.  After this huge win, the Bears have now effectively said; don’t overlook what we’ve done so far this year and watch out.  They didn’t just beat the Panthers, they dominated them.    

When taking a closer look at the Bears, this team theoretically has the tools to make a strong push deep into the playoffs.  The Bears have a suffocating defense, with outstanding talent all over that side of the ball.  And to complement that defense, they have a good power running game with Thomas Jones. When Adrian Peterson comes in to give Jones a breather, they don’t miss a beat.  Rookie Cedric Benson is now out due to an injury, but he didn’t factor much into the Bears offense this year anyway.  Mushin Muhammed is the star wide out who’s counted on to get the tough catch and first down when needed.  And then there’s rookie QB Kyle Orton.  Once Rex Grossman went down yet again to injury, the Bears were instantly written off.  The thing everyone forgot is that at the QB position nowadays, it’s enough to just have someone to manage a game and not make mistakes (see Baltimore Ravens and Trent Dilfer in their Superbowl year).  This is what Kyle Orton does.  He’ll make some passes, try and minimize his mistakes, and lead his team to victory.  He’s by far the leading candidate for rookie of the year. 

Looking ahead, it seems the Bears should easily win their division.  They have a comfortable lead atop the NFC North division to begin with.  The Packers won’t do anything and Harrington and the Lions have, well, Harrington as starting QB, so they won’t challenge the Bears.  The team they have to watch out for are the Vikings, who may be turning it around late in the year.  Next week the Bears face another big test against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this time on the road.  Let’s see if they’re still for real after that contest. 

No Huddle
Kurt Warner returned to the city that made him a ‘rags to riches’ success story in St. Louis and he handed them a big loss.  Now if only he could play with that much emotion every week.  His wife still scares me. 

Denny Green has been at the helm of the Cardinals for over a year and a half now, and I still don’t see what direction he’s taking this team.  They’ve been rebuilding for what seems at least 10 years now, and Green has abandoned any developmental project he has ever started with this team, beginning with Josh McCown last year and JJ Arrington this year.  It was good to see Arrington get some touches in the win over the Rams though.  But Green will probably limit his opportunities in the future.  I don’t even think Green knows what his plans are for this team. 

The Lions have to get Joey Harrington off this team outright after the season is over.  I don’t believe there’s anyone on that team that doesn’t believe he’s the whole problem with their offense.  Rightfully so or not, his days are numbered in Detroit. 

When the Colts want to turn it on, they do, and quite easily.  In the score-fest against the Bengals, it became apparent that the Colts defense isn’t necessarily that good as advertised earlier in the season.  Just like last year, when the Colts keep scoring too much and too fast, this puts too much of a negative strain on their defense.  Of course, you can’t ask your offense to not score points.  Even when the Colts try slowing it down by running Edgerrin James more, he just runs for big TDs instead. 

The Jaguars have a very weak schedule for the remainder of the season.  They won’t catch the Colts for the division title though, but they should be a lock for one of the wild card spots. 

The Dolphins really upset me by getting blanked by the Browns.  I know that Crennel is the fabled Defensive Coordinator from the Patriots, but I didn’t believe he’d be the one to get the Browns on track.  I did however think that Saban would be able to fix the Dolphins.  Now, getting shut out by the lowly Browns, the Dolphins have a lot of explaining to do, starting with their QB.  Will Matt Leinart move from sunny California to sunny Florida?  The Dolphins need to figure out a better answer than Frerrotte at QB. 

It was surprising and refreshing to learn that the Pats have only won back to back games for the first time this season by beating the Saints.  Poor Patriots, they’ve gone through so much this season, my heart goes out to them.  As for the Saints, ya, I guess they’ve had it a bit rough too, but nothing compared to poor Belichick and his team. 

Usually when a team goes out and gets a defensive player from a Superbowl team, like the Raiders did with Burgess, it doesn’t work out.  Defensive players usually take time to adjust to a new defensive scheme, or don’t adjust at all.  Burgess however, with his 2 sack performance against the Redskins has shown tremendous ability again this season.  The Raiders really lucked out in signing him. 

And the McMahon solution is underway in Philadelphia.  Maybe this week Eagles fans should have a mock funeral for their playoff chances. 

It seems to me that more and more of the media is finally seeing Vick for who he really is; an RB playing QB.  Maybe they thought he’d end up learning how to throw after a few seasons and only now realize that he won’t.  For all the dazzling plays (runs) that he makes, he also makes the costly mistakes as well.  He gets sacked very often for someone as elusive as he is, in addition to the numerous costly fumbles he’s committed.  The Vick-NFL honeymoon may finally be over.

The Seahawks were for sure looking past the 49ers to their showdown with the Giants the following week.  Lucky for them they still escaped with the win.  The thing about overlooking the 49ers is that the Seahawks should have gotten away with it, without it being so close. 

It may be time for the Bills to go with Losman for the rest of the season.  Yes, they still have a shot at catching the Pats in the AFC East, but they need to know if he’s the future at QB or whether they have to go in another direction.  Give him the rest of this season to learn and see if he has what it takes.  The only problem with this is that the veteran players may realize that this move would be akin to abandoning the season, and may get very upset with Mularkey. 

The Jets are done this season, and I’m beginning to wonder if all the Herman Edwards rumors of him going to the Chiefs after the season may be taking their toll on that team.  Once players learn that their coach may leave them after the season, it’s hard for them to battle for him.  The other aspect of this is that the Jets are getting old and they just aren’t a good team.  It’s probably a mix of both of these. 

I never thought Big Ben meant that much to the Steelers.  I thought it was the other way around and that he kept winning because he was in the perfect situation on a good team that loved to run the ball relentlessly.  I still believe this is true, but now I’m seeing that he is also very important to the Steelers and knows how to manage a game and make the plays when called upon, which is very important to have for a winning team.  Steelers fans already knew this of course, and can’t wait to get him back in the line up. 

Bob McNair, owner of the Texans, is getting ready to clean house.  He’s said that he thinks his team should be able to put together a few wins the remainder of the season.  The Texans have had the hardest schedule of any team so far this season, but after improving every season to an 8-8 season last year, this has a be a disappointment for sure.  I believe it is time to fire Dom Capers and find someone ready to make the next step from Franchise team to Good team. 

Offensive Player of the Week:  Larry Johnson set a Chiefs single game rushing record in the Sunday nighter.  That’s a big deal when you realize he’s replacing Priest Holmes as the starting RB.  He gained 211 yards on the ground. 

Defensive Player of the Week:  The entire Bears D-Line gets this award because of their dominance over the Panthers O-Line.  They got their 8 sacks on Jake Delhomme the old fashioned way, without the aid of the blitz. 

Special Teams Player of the Week:  Billy Cundiff, K, Dallas for his 56 yard FG. 

Pet Peeve of the Week:  The Monday night game.  I don’t know of many people who want to see the pathetic Packers against the orgy loving Vikings.  Bad scheduling for the weekly showcase game of the NFL. 

Top Ten: 
1. Indianapolis Colts – The offense of last season showed up in a big way. 
2. Seattle Seahawks – Almost caught looking past the 49ers.
3. Denver Broncos – Dismantling a team they should. 
4. Jacksonville Jaguars – Survived the Titans and should coast the rest of the season. 
5. Chicago Bears – Played one of the best teams in the league and owned them. 
6. Carolina Panthers – Still good despite offensive ineptitude against the Bears. 
7. San Diego Chargers – Completely demolished a lesser team. 
8. Pittsburgh Steelers – You can’t lose to the Boller and the Ravens. 
9. Cincinnati Bengals – Good fight against the best team in the league. 
10. New York Giants – The next two games (Seattle then Dallas) will show true value.