Article:NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Chicago Bears

Today, I continue my preview of the NFC North, minus the Green Bay Packers. I'll now focus on the Chicago Bears.

If I wrote Blues songs, most of them would be about Rex Grossman. There's no shortage of Blues in the city of Chicago. It doesn't help that the Bears are indecisive at the quarterback position.

Last season, the Bears started Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton. Those three would throw for a combined 3700 yards, 18 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Griese led the three with 1800 yards.

This season, it comes down to two guys, Grossman and Orton. With Grossman, you have a guy who has a rocket for an arm. Grossman has the ability to throw it downfield. However, when under pressure, Grossman tends to fold up like a chair.

With Orton, you have a guy who can run the Bears offense, which is a predominant running game. Orton can control the game and not make mistakes. However, he's not a strong passer, which means he can't get it downfield like Grossman can.

To say that the quarterback position is the only problem is stupid. The Bears have plenty of issues on the offensive line. They can't protect the quarterback or help out the running game and they get penalized a lot for false starts and holding calls.

We can't forget about the wide receivers. The two top receivers on the depth chart right now are Marty Booker and Brandon Lloyd. Booker was the last Bear to catch for 1000 yards. He did so in 2002.

This team has a lot of woes on the offense and I never brought up the running game (and I won't). Only time will tell if the Bears offense will have things figured out or not.

The Bears open the regular season on the road on Sunday night against their opponent from Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis Colts. The Bears have some tough games at home as they face Tennessee, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. On the road, they'll face Houston, Carolina, St. Louis and Atlanta.

Time for those burnin non- Brett Favre questions (yearbook style):


 * Who starts the most games at quarterback in 2008: Rex Grossman (13 games)
 * Yards Grossman throws for: 2500
 * Touchdowns Grossman throws: 16
 * Interceptions for Grossman: 19
 * Fumbles for Grossman: Too many (Okay 6)
 * Starting running back for the Bears: Kevin Jones.....No Matt Forte.....No Adrian Peterson (Not the Viking running back)
 * Number of return touchdowns for Devin Hester this season: 6
 * In 2008, Brian Urlacher will: Not holdout, yet will get injured (UPDATE: He signed an extension)
 * The Bears defense will: Somehow not give up a lot of points
 * Coolest names (Top 3): Israel Idonije, Nate Vasher, Lousaka Polite
 * 80s song that best describes the Bears: Hold Me Now- Thompson Twins
 * In 2008, the Bears will: Finish the season 7-9

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