Week 3: Bears @ Minnesota - Sunday, Sept. 24th, 12 pm CST

[Banedon]

24-10 Vikings.

 

Is that a mistype? You think the Vikings offense is going to score 24 on the Bears?

[David]

24-10 Vikings.

 

Is that a mistype? You think the Vikings offense is going to score 24 on the Bears?

 

Yea, it's definitely a typo. I went ahead and fixed it for him already.

[UMFan83]

Simmons picks against the Bears (ATS, even though its only 3 points). I believe hes picked against the Bears (again, ATS) all 3 weeks too.

[Banedon]

Simmons picks against the Bears (ATS, even though its only 3 points). I believe hes picked against the Bears (again, ATS) all 3 weeks too.

 

Yep. Him and his wife both have. I sent him a message asking them to both keep picking against the Bears.

[UMFan83]

Simmons picks against the Bears (ATS, even though its only 3 points). I believe hes picked against the Bears (again, ATS) all 3 weeks too.

 

Yep. Him and his wife both have. I sent him a message asking them to both keep picking against the Bears.

 

The funny thing is that the Bears were his sleeper team every week last year. Now they are overrated or something.

[Chocolate Milk]

Simmons picks against the Bears (ATS, even though its only 3 points). I believe hes picked against the Bears (again, ATS) all 3 weeks too.

 

Yep. Him and his wife both have. I sent him a message asking them to both keep picking against the Bears.

 

The funny thing is that the Bears were his sleeper team every week last year. Now they are overrated or something.

 

I think his wife picked the Bears last week. His wife was 11-5 ATS last week!

[Banedon]

Rookie quarterback Tarvaris Jackson suffered cartilage damage in his right knee during practice Thursday and likely will have surgery Monday, Vikings coach Brad Childress said today.

 

Childress predicted a recovery timetable of around a month, similar to the time it took rookie cornerback Charles Gordon to recover from a similar procedure this summer.

 

Childress said he was not sure how the team would handle its No. 3 quarterback position Sunday against Chicago. But it seems the Vikings will need to identify a position player who can play in an emergency if starter Brad Johnson and backup Brooks Bollinger are both injured and can’t play during the game.

 

More to come on this issue.

 

Tarvaris Jackson was the #2 QB behind Brad Johnson. This would only be an issue obviously if Johnson goes down.

[hawkeyecub]

Rookie quarterback Tarvaris Jackson suffered cartilage damage in his right knee during practice Thursday and likely will have surgery Monday, Vikings coach Brad Childress said today.

 

Childress predicted a recovery timetable of around a month, similar to the time it took rookie cornerback Charles Gordon to recover from a similar procedure this summer.

 

Childress said he was not sure how the team would handle its No. 3 quarterback position Sunday against Chicago. But it seems the Vikings will need to identify a position player who can play in an emergency if starter Brad Johnson and backup Brooks Bollinger are both injured and can’t play during the game.

 

More to come on this issue.

 

Tarvaris Jackson was the #2 QB behind Brad Johnson. This would only be an issue obviously if Johnson goes down.

 

It would only be an issue if Johnson and Brooks Bollinger go down. He hasn't been the #2 QB since the first week. They don't want Jackson to have to play at all during his rookie year and Mike McMahon was awful during the preseason. So during the last pre-season game they traded for Bollinger.

 

Tarvaris was the backup for the Washington game because Bollinger wasn't ready yet, but since then he's been #3.

[USSoccer]

24-10 Vikings.

 

Is that a mistype? You think the Vikings offense is going to score 24 on the Bears?

 

Yea, it's definitely a typo. I went ahead and fixed it for him already.

 

Minnesota is a tough place to play, and I have concerns about Rex on that turf. I also have concerns about the offense and the noise that the Dome can create.

 

Also, I don't really think the defense has played a good game yet. Detroit moved the ball pretty well, but shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with penalties. Green Bay's offense is just downright awful.

 

Plus, maybe I'm going for a reverse jinx...

[Balsa]

Jones starts his running game back up again, Grossman throws a touchdown pass, but also an interception. Bears defense stuff the Viking run and sack the QB four times. Gould kicks in three points.

 

17-7 Bears

[TruffleShuffle]

3 out of the 6 experts so far have chosen the Vikings. Geez how many more points do we have to beat our opponents by to get some respect.

 

Getting picked to lose a road game to a 2-0 divisional opponent - a pretty good team, at that - is not a sign of disrespect. The Bears aren't going to win every game this year. This is a game they could conceiveably lose... it's not like they're hosting the Raiders and half the guys are picking against the Bears.

[ctcf]

3 out of the 6 experts so far have chosen the Vikings. Geez how many more points do we have to beat our opponents by to get some respect.

 

Getting picked to lose a road game to a 2-0 divisional opponent - a pretty good team, at that - is not a sign of disrespect. The Bears aren't going to win every game this year. This is a game they could conceiveably lose... it's not like they're hosting the Raiders and half the guys are picking against the Bears.

 

Schlereth and Bill Simmons have picked against the Bears for three straight weeks however.

[bukie]

3 out of the 6 experts so far have chosen the Vikings. Geez how many more points do we have to beat our opponents by to get some respect.

 

Getting picked to lose a road game to a 2-0 divisional opponent - a pretty good team, at that - is not a sign of disrespect. The Bears aren't going to win every game this year. This is a game they could conceiveably lose... it's not like they're hosting the Raiders and half the guys are picking against the Bears.

 

Schlereth and Bill Simmons have picked against the Bears for three straight weeks however.

 

Again, Simmons picked against the spread each week, and the spreads for the first two games, beforehand, seemed pretty high without hindsight.

 

This week, this could be the toughest road game they play all year.

[TruffleShuffle]

3 out of the 6 experts so far have chosen the Vikings. Geez how many more points do we have to beat our opponents by to get some respect.

 

Getting picked to lose a road game to a 2-0 divisional opponent - a pretty good team, at that - is not a sign of disrespect. The Bears aren't going to win every game this year. This is a game they could conceiveably lose... it's not like they're hosting the Raiders and half the guys are picking against the Bears.

 

Schlereth and Bill Simmons have picked against the Bears for three straight weeks however.

 

Again, Simmons picked against the spread each week, and the spreads for the first two games, beforehand, seemed pretty high without hindsight.

 

This week, this could be the toughest road game they play all year.

 

I'd have to say @NE and @NYG are tougher. What the experts think has nothing to do with the spread - that's determined by casinos initially and then by the betting market. The GB pick I could see (although I picked the Bears) because people probably gave the Packers a chance to be decent in their first game, and it was in Lambeau. Picking the Lions to beat the Bears made no sense at all to me.

[BigbadB]

All road games are tough. Wasn't that the first time the Bears have shut out Green Bay at home?

 

I won't think any less of the Bears if they lose this game, but I think they're a much better team than the Vikings. Take out Johnson, who is a better QB than Grossman, and they are way better than the Vikings.

 

I'm with Banedon that the Bears have not played that great defensively yet. Not as good as they can be and not as good as they likely will be. Urlacher needs to step up this week if he wants to continue having the label of best LB in the NFL. Because Shawne Merriman is about to pass him.

[BigbadB]

I'd have to say @NE and @NYG are tougher.

 

Both games will definitely show how the Bears stack up against other playoff potential teams.

[TruffleShuffle]

All road games are tough. Wasn't that the first time the Bears have shut out Green Bay at home?

 

I won't think any less of the Bears if they lose this game, but I think they're a much better team than the Vikings. Take out Johnson, who is a better QB than Grossman, and they are way better than the Vikings.

 

I wouldn't say way better, but then again I'm not even sure that Johnson is better than Grossman. Johnson is more proven at managing a game, I will say that.

 

The Bears and Vikings are pretty similar in that they're fairly weak at the skill positions on offense - probably average RBs and slightly below-average WRs. I don't know all that much about the OLs, but I get the impression that the Bears' OL is at least in the top half of the league. McKinnie and Hutchinson are very good linemen, and Birk is as well, if he's recovered from the bad hip injury from last year.

 

I'd say overall I give the Vikings a very small edge on offense, but the Bears have a larger edge on defense. I love the Bears' defensive line, both in terms of talent and depth, while the Vikings' line seems average at best. I'm a big believer that games are won in the trenches - the Eagles had a very good offense with the mediocre Stinkston and Trash at WR, because the OL was very good. Also, the Bears' are very similar to the early-2000s Eagles because they have a great defensive backfield, which should allow them to commit more guys toward stopping the run and rushing the passer.

 

That's my breakdown - surely not as informed as a Bears fan, but not completely ignorant either.

[BigbadB]

The Bears offense doesn't get a whole lot of respect, and honestly, they haven't done enough to earn it.

 

But, I do think the offense is a lot better than people realize. In time, I think it will be proven that they are pretty good. Now, offensively, they will never compare to the teams that air it out game in and game out. The Bears are still a ball control offense. Grossman's passer rating will likely slide to below middle of the pack. The Bears aren't big chance takers. They like the dump pass and run it down their throats until they puke offense.

 

What Grossman can do is hit an open man down the field, which a lot of the other ball control oriented Bear passers didn't possess. I think this element to his game is what will make ball control much more effective.

 

With the defense as strong as it is and everyone healthy, Grossman can have a bad game and the team can still win. The goal is to limit how many bad games he might have and still generate enough points in those games to earn a little home field advantage in the playoffs.

 

:wink:

[TruffleShuffle]

With the defense as strong as it is and everyone healthy, Grossman can have a bad game and the team can still win. The goal is to limit how many bad games he might have and still generate enough points in those games to earn a little home field advantage in the playoffs.

 

Yeah, he can look across the field on Sunday and see what the Bears need him to be. Brad Johnson isn't great but he won't screw up and kill his team either. If Grossman can make a couple of plays and the running game can be at least somewhat effective, the Bears should win a lot of games. It's a good model for success and consistency in the NFL, really.

[BigbadB]

Oh, and yes, I'm quite biased. :D

[rawaction]

With the defense as strong as it is and everyone healthy, Grossman can have a bad game and the team can still win. The goal is to limit how many bad games he might have and still generate enough points in those games to earn a little home field advantage in the playoffs.

 

Yeah, he can look across the field on Sunday and see what the Bears need him to be. Brad Johnson isn't great but he won't screw up and kill his team either. If Grossman can make a couple of plays and the running game can be at least somewhat effective, the Bears should win a lot of games. It's a good model for success and consistency in the NFL, really.

 

I don't agree with the first 2 statements. Grossman shouldn't and doesn't need to be like Brad Johnson. Bad teams or not, Grossman in his career has shown that he's not one of the "don't make mistakes" guys. He's a playmaker. He has a big arm and he doesn't work well in a "safe" conservative offensive scheme. And with the defense he has, he can afford to take chances. Griese as the QB would be the model for a team that focuses on the QB not screwing up.

[Banedon]

I'm with Banedon that the Bears have not played that great defensively yet. Not as good as they can be and not as good as they likely will be. Urlacher needs to step up this week if he wants to continue having the label of best LB in the NFL. Because Shawne Merriman is about to pass him.

 

I'm glad you agree with me, as you always should, of course. However, I never said that...USSoccer did...in a post where he was explaining his prediction of a Bears loss...:)

Edited September 23, 2006 by Banedon

[sweetpeteman]

Man, I was just looking at the schedule, and does anyone else think is weird that the Bears play two straight road games in the same stadium?

[Soriano12]

did anyone read the turd of an article dropped by Morrisey today

 

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/cs-060921morrissey,1,5615772.column?coll=cs-bears-utility

 

 

Seriously. What more can the Bears do?

 

Yeah they are 2-0 against 2 meiocre teams..but they destroyed them.

 

What the hell did Pro-Bowl QB Hasselback do against Detroit?

Nothing.

 

I'm not trying to put Rex in the hall of fame...but he is the best QB this town

has seen in a very very long time.

[hawkeyecub]

I'm not trying to put Rex in the hall of fame...but he is the best QB this town

has seen in a very very long time.

 

And that's saying A LOT. The competition he had to beat out to get that distinction is fierce.