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NFC North Fantasy Preview: Week Two
Published: September 17, 2009
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Where do we begin talking about the NFC North this week? What’s left of the Chicago Bears, or what Adrian Peterson is doing to people?
Some of my predictions from last week looked good.
For Minnesota-Cleveland, my Green Light picks were Peterson, the MIN DEF, and Joshua Cribbs. All three had good days. My sleeper for the game, Percy Harvin, caught Brett Favre’s only touchdown pass (his first).
In the other two divisional games, there were some swings that missed. Calvin Johnson had 90 yards, but on only three catches and no touchdowns. Kevin Smith was solid, though, and the Drew Brees-led Saints took advantage of the Lions defense all day.
I’ll go ahead and admit that my assumption that the Bears would be logical and run the ball out of the gate, and that Jay Cutler would look for Greg Olsen, were both terribly wrong. So was saying the Packers defense was a bad play.
In a weekend that saw, outside of Minnesota, everything go wrong that could in the division, I’ll take my success rate.
Week Two presents some new challenges because of injuries and matchups. Let’s take a look at the games.
Cincinnati @ Green Bay—Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Aaron Rodgers looked rusty Sunday night, and Ryan Grant didn’t fly out of the gates. In fact, until Greg Jennings beat Nathan Vasher like a rented mule, nobody on the Packers offense was having an exceptional night.
This week’s game could present an intriguing matchup for the Packers offense. The Bengals defense, much like the Bears in Lambeau last week, did a nice job until they got beat on a prayer to lose. The million dollar question, though, is whether or not the Bengals defense is that good, or the Broncos offense is…who we thought they were.
Similarly, the Bengals offense didn’t do much against the Denver defense last week, and the Packers took advantage of Cutler employing the Helen Keller method of reading zone coverage. Is Green Bay’s defense that good, or was Cutler that bad?
Prediction: Green Bay 34—Cincinnati 23
Green Light: Rodgers, Jennings, GB DEF
Yellow Light: Grant, Cedric Benson, Carson Palmer, Donald Lee
Red Light: CIN DEF, Chad Ochocinco
Sleeper: Laveranues Coles
Minnesota @ Detroit—Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Everyone together now: ka-ching! Minnesota looked every bit the NFC title contender against the Cleveland Browns, who figure to be more competitive than the Lions this year. Considering Mike Bell went over 100 yards for the Saints last week against Detroit, does that mean Peterson’s good for 300? Nothing against Bell, of course, but Peterson’s a machine.
On the other side, Detroit settled in and actually scored some decent points last week in their loss in New Orleans. Granted, they were chasing Brees up and down the turf, but Kevin Smith looked good. I’m not sure he’s going to get the same looks against Minnesota’s solid defense, though.
Prediction: Minnesota 43—Detroit 24
SOLID GOLD LOCK: Peterson
Green Light: Harvin, MIN DEF, Calvin Johnson
Yellow Light: Favre, Visanthe Shiancoe
Red Light: Kevin Smith, DET DEF, Stafford
Sleeper: Chester Taylor
Pittsburgh @ Chicago—Sunday 4:15 PM EST
Both of these teams are dealing with serious losses to their defenses, with Troy Polumalu and Brian Urlacher, two of the marquee defensive players in the entire NFL, being inactive. The Steelers didn’t lost much more than their star safety, though; Chicago lost half the defense.
The wild card in this game is what Pittsburgh offense comes out in Chicago’s home opener. In Week One, it was an aerial assault from Ben Roethlisberger because of a faltering run game. The Steelers would love to establish their ground game, but the Bears banged up and vulnerable secondary might make them pass-happy again.
On the other side of the ball, to say the Bears have something to prove on offense might be the understatement of the season. With all the hype that Cutler brought with him to the offense, they were miserable in the first half in Green Bay. If Cutler plays like he did in the third and most of the fourth quarters, the Bears could have something to move the ball against the Steelers. If he comes out like he did to start the game against the Packers, it could be an ugly night by Lake Michigan.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 24—Chicago 20
Green Light: Roethlisberger, Santonio Holmes
Yellow Light: Cutler, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Matt Forte, Greg Olsen, Willie Parker, PIT DEF, Heath Miller
Red Light: CHI DEF
Sleeper: Hines Ward
Source: Top Fantasy Football
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AFC North Fantasy Preview: Week Two
Published: September 17, 2009
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What a wild week for the AFC North! Other divisions might have had some ups and downs, but none like this star-crossed division.
The Steelers opened the season by winning an exciting game against the Titans that cost them Troy Polamalu. The Browns forgot that it takes four or five men to stop Adrian Peterson.
Joe Flacco became a 300-yard passer, and, in case you missed it, the Bengals were less than 40 seconds from a win against the Broncos when, according to Brandon Stokely, divine intervention became the latest to hate on Cincinnati.
Looking back at my picks from Week One, I had a few hits and a bunch of misses. I thought you should avoid Roethlisberger, who threw for over 300 yards. To the contrary, I said Willie Parker was a sure thing, and he missed by a lot.
I picked Joshua Cribbs as a green light pick, and he proved me wise. So did Cedric Benson, Joe Flacco, and Ray Rice.
Baltimore’s defense gave up how many to Kansas City, though? I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone in being surprised to see that on Sunday night.
Where do we go from here? How do you spin an encore from that hot mess?
Simple. You send the defending champions to Chicago, where everyone wants to see whether or not Jay Cutler has grown up yet.
You send the Browns to the Denver team that broke the Bengals’ hearts. Cincinnati goes to Green Bay and the Ravens head to San Diego for what figures to be a fantastic game.
Let’s take a look at these matchups.
Cincinnati @ Green Bay—Sunday 1:00 PM EST
Aaron Rodgers looked rusty Sunday night and Ryan Grant didn’t fly out of the gates. In fact, until Greg Jennings beat Nathan Vasher like a rented mule, nobody on the Packers’ offense was having an exceptional night.
This week’s game could present an intriguing matchup for the Packers’ offense. The Bengals’ defense, much like the Bears in Lambeau last week, did a nice job until it got beat on a prayer to lose.
The million dollar question, though, is whether the Bengals’ defense is that good or the Broncos’ offense is…who we thought they were.
Similarly, the Bengals’ offense didn’t do much against the Denver defense last week and the Packers took advantage of Cutler employing the Helen Keller method of reading zone coverage. Is Green Bay’s defense that good or was Cutler that bad?
Prediction: Green Bay 34 – Cincinnati 23.
Green Light: Rodgers, Jennings, GB DEF.
Yellow Light: Grant, Benson, Carson Palmer, Donald Lee.
Red Light: CIN DEF, Chad Ochocinco.
Sleeper: Laveranues Coles.
Pittsburgh @ Chicago—Sunday 4:15 PM EST
Both of these teams are dealing with serious losses to their defenses, with Troy Polamalu and Brian Urlacher, two of the marquee defensive players in the entire NFL, being inactive.
The Steelers didn’t lose much more than their star safety, though; Chicago lost half the defense.
The wild card in this game is what Pittsburgh offense comes out in Chicago’s home opener. In Week One, it was an aerial assault from Ben Roethlisberger because of a faltering run game.
The Steelers would love to establish their ground game, but the Bears banged up and vulnerable secondary might make them pass-happy again.
On the other side of the ball, to say the Bears have something to prove on offense might be the understatement of the season. With all the hype that Cutler brought with him to the offense, they were miserable in the first half in Green Bay.
If Cutler plays like he did in the third and most of the fourth quarters, the Bears could have something to move the ball against the Steelers. If he comes out like he did to start the game against the Packers, it could be an ugly night by Lake Michigan.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 24 – Chicago 20.
Green Light: Roethlisberger, Santonio Holmes.
Yellow Light: Cutler, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Matt Forte, Greg Olsen, Willie Parker, PIT DEF, Heath Miller.
Red Light: CHI DEF.
Sleeper: Hines Ward.
Baltimore @ San Diego—Sunday 4:14 PM EST
When was the last time a Baltimore game had the potential to become a shootout? The Ravens’ defense looked vulnerable against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, but they were able to get the victory behind the suddenly trigger-happy Flacco.
Meanwhile, the Chargers are a team with questions this week. LaDainian Tomlinson was on the bench for their game-winning drive on Monday night and continues to be questionable.
Given his toe injury and the Ravens’ run defense, logic would indicate that Philip Rivers will be putting the ball in the air on Sunday.
Speaking of the ball in the air, though, the Chargers’ pass defense gave up both yards and points to the Raiders on Monday night.
Given Flacco’s track record, and in light of his opening day performance, this could become a game littered with fantasy winners in the passing game.
Prediction: San Diego 27 – Baltimore 17.
Green Light: Rivers, Vincent Jackson, Ray Rice.
Yellow Light: Flacco, Derrick Mason, Antonio Gates, BAL DEF, SD DEF.
Red Light: Tomlinson, Darren Sproles.
Sleeper: Mark Clayton.
Cleveland @ Denver—Sunday 4:15 PM EST
The Browns had all sorts of offensive issues last week, but they were playing an elite defense. If you’re a fantasy owner of Brady Quinn, this week might be where you have to make the tough question: How did I wait that long to take a backup?
Just kidding. The question you need to answer is really: How bad is Denver’s defense and am I comfortable playing Quinn against it? I’m not sure I would be ready to jump on the Quinn bandwagon yet.
However, I would have no problems playing Jamal Lewis against the Broncos’ defense this week after Benson gave them a handful last week.
On the flip side of that, the Broncos’ offense didn’t do anything until the final 40 seconds last week, but the Browns couldn’t keep Adrian Peterson out of the end zone that long. Again, the great fantasy dilemmas abound.
Prediction: Cleveland 17 – Denver 13.
Green Light: Brandon Marshall, Jamal Lewis, Joshua Cribbs.
Yellow Light: CLE DEF, Brady Quinn, D’Qwell Jackson, DEN DEF, Correll Buckhalter.
Red Light: Kyle Orton.
Sleeper: Knowshon Moreno.
Source: Top Fantasy Football
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Philadelphia Eagles: Does Garcia Mean McNabb’s Injury Is Serious?
Published: September 15, 2009
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Preface: Feel free to tell me after you read this article if I’m reading too much into what’s going on with the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles.
This summer, the Philadelphia Eagles made a number of strong statements. One was allowing defensive captain Brian Dawkins to leave as a free agent for Denver. The other was taking a big chance by signing Michael Vick.
Vick was brought into Philadelphia to not only rehabilitate his image, but to add some versatility to the Eagles offense. The addition raised a number of eyebrows because the assumption in Philadelphia was that the Eagles were, at least in some fashion, committed to Kevin Kolb as the backup to Donovan McNabb.
In the first preseason game Vick played in, there was obvious friction between McNabb and the coaching staff over the use of Vick. The Wildcat apparently needed to be caged (bad pun? too soon?).
Vick is not eligible to play in a regular season game for the Eagles until the third week of the regular season because of his suspension, so the Eagles were comfortable letting a healthy McNabb and Kolb begin the season as the two quarterbacks on the active roster.
Then came Sunday.
McNabb, after scrambling for a touchdown in a game that, at that point, was well in hand, was rolled over by a couple defensive players and fractured one of his ribs.
Kolb entered the game and was underwhelming.
After the game, and in the following 48 hours, the Eagles let it be known that McNabb’s injury wasn’t serious and that they, along with McNabb, were hoping he could play against the high-powered Saints this coming weekend.
Then came the announcements on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, that the Eagles had signed free agent (and former Eagles) Jeff Garcia and activated Vick.
By my math, that means the Eagles have four quarterbacks theoretically eligible to play in Week Three. And you can only dress three.
This is where I might be reading too far into the signing of Garcia: does adding a solid veteran quarterback indicate that McNabb’s ribs might be worse than the Eagles are letting on?
Garcia must have had options to play with other teams. And he would have had he stayed on the free agent market. Within hours of his signing with Philadelphia, the Carolina Panthers signed former Eagles quarterback AJ Feeley. Looking strictly at the resume of each, one would have to think Garcia would generate more demand.
Garcia was cut by the Raiders because, in part, he wanted to see playing time for an organization that had a chance to win (i.e. not the Raiders).
That, and he has historically been a winner, which is something Al Davis hasn’t kept around that franchise in recent years.
So, and I’ll again admit to reading between the lines. If Garcia believes he can still play and wants to be on the field, then what gives with the roster in Philly?
There are three options that I can see being the cause/effect of this addition.
1) The Eagles experiment of grooming Kolb to be their “quarterback of the future” is officially over. In adding Garcia, the Eagles will allow Kolb to hit waivers with the hopes of bringing him back on the practice squad.
2) The Eagles move Michael Vick to a wide receiver. By rule in the NFL, if the quarterback listed third on the depth chart enters the game, the first two quarterbacks are no longer eligible. If Vick is going to contribute, and Garcia thinks he’s going to play, and McNabb comes back in a week or two, then someone can’t play quarterback. Logically, it would be Vick that moves.
3) McNabb’s ribs are more seriously hurt than the Eagles are letting on, and they need a starting quarterback to keep them competitive in the NFC East. They’re probably not comfortable with Vick’s abilities to lead a playoff team after two years in jail, and Sunday would lead any observer to believe that Kolb can’t do that for them either. If McNabb is going to miss significant time (more than four weeks), they need a legit NFL quarterback—like Garcia.
Again, I’m basing my thoughts here on everything that’s been said publicly by the Eagles, their players, and the players’ representatives.
They brought in Vick to get him on the field, they already had Kolb and McNabb is their starter. By most standards, that’s a crowded depth chart.
Adding Garcia makes it an intriguing puzzle.
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NEWS: Brian Urlacher Out for Season!
Published: September 14, 2009
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According to Chicago media outlets, Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher will have season-ending surgery Monday morning on a dislocated wrist that kept him out of the second half of Sunday night’s season opener.
Urlacher had three tackles in the first half.
Everything coming from Bears camp this summer was that Urlacher was finally fully healthy after two years of back and neck issues. This, however, devastates the Bears defense.
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First-Half Reaction: Chicago Bears Are Clueless
Published: September 13, 2009
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Last year, the Chicago Bears had a quarterback in Kyle Orton who had questionable arm strength. They had limited ability with their receivers to stretch the field, and refused to commit to Greg Olsen as a receiving threat at tight end.
So what did the Bears do? They traded Orton to Denver for big-armed quarterback Jay Cutler.
The key returning member of the Bears offense in 2009 is running back Matt Forte. Forte averaged nearly 24 touches per game last year, rushing for over 1,200 yards and adding almost 500 as a receiver. He was one of the better, more versatile running backs in the NFC last year.
Sunday night starts the Bears 2009 season. They have fully committed to Olsen as their starting tight end, but did little to upgrade a weak receiving group in the off-season. The offensive line is “improved,” meaning Forte should get more carries with better holes.
In theory.
In the first half of the season opener, Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner called a group of plays that can best be described as “questionable.”
Of the 33 plays the Bears have had on offense, 22 have been passes. Forte has only eight touches, and was replaced by the non-Viking Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe late in the second quarter.
And Rex Grossman… I mean Cutler… has completed almost as many passes to Packers (three) as he has to Bears (seven).
This Bears team was allegedly built to run the ball effectively and allow Cutler to create plays in space with his enormous arm. Cutler did make one nice play in the first half, a 68-yard completion to rookie receiver Johnny Knox.
But after that completion, which saw Knox go out of bounds at the six-yard line, the Bears opted to throw the ball three times inside the ten. The drive ended with Cutler getting an attempted screen pass picked off by a defensive tackle.
Turner needs to have a heart-to-heart with his playbook and remember how the Bears almost made the playoffs without a big-time quarterback in 2008. That, or he needs to have a quick refresher with his resume.
Thankfully, the Bears defense looks every bit the champion they have claimed to be all summer. The Packers haven’t been able to establish anything on offense, and Aaron Rodgers has been harassed as much as Cutler has in the first half.
The difference between Rodgers and Cutler, though, is the three interceptions.
The Bears defense has taken care of the scoring for Chicago as well, sacking Rodgers in the end zone for a safety. The score at halftime is 10-2 in favor of the Packers.
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Minnesota Vikings’ Strong Start: Favre a Non-Factor, Peterson Dominant
Published: September 13, 2009
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On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings executed the game plan they will use all season to help them to be successful in 2009.
Brett Favre was 14-21 for 110 total yards, with a touchdown pass to electric rookie receiver Percy Harvin. Even without an effective Bernard Berrian, Favre still got five players involved in the passing game, with Harvin being the lead recipient (three catches, 36 yards).
With Jim Brown in attendance, Adrian Peterson did his best impersonation of the legend by motoring around, over and through the Cleveland Browns for 180 yards on 25 carries. Despite suffering from apparent dehydration that required an IV at halftime, he still scored three touchdowns.
The Vikings defense looks to continue where it left off at the end of last year, as they allowed a good running team to accumulate only 89 yards on 20 carries. Minnesota is not going to need to score a lot of points to win games this year because of that fantastic defense.
However, for the Vikings to make a run at the NFC Championship this season, it is Peterson, not Favre, that needs to be the dominant force.
The next two games for the Vikings are very winable. They will make a trip to Detroit and then host San Francisco. Both teams have had defensive issues, and Peterson should be able to continue putting up enormous yards.
But the true test for Brad Childress and his staff will be in the fourth week, when Favre makes his first start against now-divisional rival Green Bay. The Packers have a talented offense and Favre’s heir, Aaron Rodgers, ready to throw the ball as much as needed.
The impulse will be for Childress to, at some point, get his owner’s $25 million-worth out of Favre and throw the ball more than 21 times in a game. If the Vikings can avoid the temptation to open up the passing game, the mere threat of Favre’s arm to opposing teams could be enough to lead to an incredible season for Peterson.
Harvin made a strong statement in his first NFL game, adding 99 return yards and 22 rushing yards on two carries. With his skills, and the other weapons on Minnesota’s offense, he could make a strong case to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
With a string of games like he had in Cleveland Sunday, he would be well on his way.
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News: Donovan McNabb Breaks Ribs In Win
Published: September 13, 2009
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Quarterback Donovan McNabb left the game on Sunday after taking a shot to his lower back while rushing for a touchdown. After the game, the Eagles told the media he had broken ribs on the play.
His status moving forward has not yet been determined.
With the Eagles scoring a resounding victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, McNabb was able to miss time without much of an impact, but the idea of backup Kevin Kolb being forced into action against the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees, who threw six touchdown passes on Sunday, doesn’t bode well for Philadelphia.
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New No. 1: Is Reggie Wayne the Best Fantasy Receiver?
Published: September 13, 2009
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In his first game without Marvin Harrison’s shadow hanging around the turf at Lucas Oil Arena in Indianapolis, Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne showed that he’s among fantasy football’s elite.
Against a Jacksonville team that allowed 224 passing yards per game in 2008, Wayne jumped into double-digit receptions early in the fourth quarter and was well over 150 yards with a touchdown. With Anthony Gonzalez injured, Wayne and Dallas Clark are the only consistent weapons Peyton Manning has left from 2008.
In light of Wayne’s big Sunday, is he now the top fantasy wide receiver in the NFL? To determine an answer, let’s look at the other elite receivers.
Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
Fitzgerald is, without a doubt, one of the top receivers in the game. He has a solid quarterback in Kurt Warner, and an offense that’s centered around throwing the ball. However, Fitzgerald has Anquan Boldin on the opposite side of the field from him and emerging Steve Breaston in the slot. Though the Cardinals will throw the ball around a lot, there are a lot of hands that want the ball in Arizona.
Wayne stands to have a better upside for the 2009 season because of the limited supporting cast in Indianapolis.
Randy Moss, NE
Moss could have an enormous season with the return of Tom Brady in New England. The last time they were together, both Moss and Brady set single-season records for production, and this could be another big year. But Brady also has Wes Welker to throw the ball to, and Welker’s a 100-catch guy.
Wayne doesn’t have someone to take 100 balls away from him in Indianapolis, so he should stand to put up bigger weekly numbers.
Andre Johnson, HOU
Johnson should have a monster year, but has a number of factors that could handcuff his production this year. Matt Schaub hasn’t been able to stay healthy in his career, and the emergence of Steve Slaton as a productive running back could lead to coach Gary Kubiak keeping the ball on the ground more often this year.
Wayne doesn’t have a confident running game on his side in Indy, and Manning has a more consistent health history than Schaub.
Calvin Johnson, DET
Johnson is physically as gifted as anyone in the league. Over the course of the 2009 season, he should put up monster numbers. But the reality that Detroit is starting a rookie quarterback in a division with good defenses in Chicago, Minnesota and Green Bay doesn’t help.
Wayne has a better quarterback situation than Johnson.
Steve Smith, CAR
Smith isn’t as big as anyone we’ve named so far, but he puts up numbers that are the opposite of his physical stature. The consideration for Smith, though, is the emergence of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart as an elite running back tandem.
Wayne has a situation that’s less likely to see as many rushes in Indianapolis.
Greg Jennings, GB
Jennings is coming off a big season, and has an emerging quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. Given the inconsistent history of Ryan Grant, the Packers might be looking to throw more times than you might imagine given the suddenly offensive NFC North. He might actually be the best bet on this list to emerge with Wayne as an elite superstar receiver.
Wayne, however, has Manning, who will get his 4,000 yards and there isn’t a catch-stealing threat as good as Donald Driver opposite Wayne in Indianapolis.
Roddy White, ATL
White has a number of factors that make it hard to imagine him replicating his 2008 production this year. First, the Falcons added Tony Gonzalez to their offensive arsenal, and he’ll quickly become Matt Ryan’s best friend inside the red zone. The other reality is that Michael Turner is going to get his touches as well, which could spread offensive touches thin.
Wayne will share catches with an elite tight end in Clark, but doesn’t have a running game on par with Turner.
Brandon Marshall, DEN
Two problems here: Kyle Orton and Josh McDaniels.
Wayne’s an adult, so there’s no worry he’ll take himself out of games by getting suspended the way Marshall did in 2008. Wayne also has a legit NFL quarterback, something Orton has yet to prove he can be.
Santonio Holmes, PIT
Many people would argue that Holmes wasn’t considered an elite receiver last year. But his Super Bowl performance, followed by his great start on Thursday night, have to elevate him into the conversation (nine receptions, 131 yards and a TD). Holmes is on the Steelers, though, and they traditionally do two things on offense: spread the wealth in the air and run the ball. With Heath Miller and Hines Ward in the picture, Holmes will have to share.
Wayne is in an offense more likely to throw consistently, and has fewer surrounding weapons than Holmes.
As you can see from the comparisons to the other top-producing receivers in the NFL, Wayne has a really good chance to become the top fantasy receiver in the league in 2009.
But that’s why they play the games…
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Smart Money: How Long Before Larry Fitzgerald Gets Hurt?
Published: September 11, 2009
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The cover art for Madden 2009 is Troy Polamalu hitting Larry Fitzgerald.
The two squared off in the Super Bowl in January, and shared the cover of the popular video game for this year’s edition, the cover that allegedly carries a curse.
The Madden Curse has historically been an urban legend, where whomever is on the cover has a down season statistically, or gets hurt after being the face of EA Sports’ biggest franchise.
Last night, the curse didn’t wait too long to hit the Steelers’ Polamalu.
Late in the second quarter, on a blocked field goal, Polamalu apparently sprained ligaments in his left knee and will miss three to six weeks of action. Less than 30 game minutes into the Steelers’ defense of their Super Bowl title, they lost the hairy heart of their defense.
And the Curse lives on.
Now, the smart money asks: what’s an appropriate over/under on when the Curse hits Larry Fitzgerald?
In Week One, the Cardinals play the 49ers in Arizona. If Fitzgerald catches a ball within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage, he could have a few talented, hard-hitting linebackers hunting for him.
In Week Two, the Cardinals travel to Jacksonville. That could be a game with a lot of hitting, as well.
It’s in Week Three, however, that the curse probably has it’s best chance of coming for it’s other 2009 victim.
It is then that the Cardinals host the Indianapolis Colts, who could see the return of safety Bob Sanders in time for the matchup with the league’s best group of receivers. Reports are that Sanders could miss the first five weeks of the season, but getting their best defensive back on the field against the Cardinals is obviously of interest to the Colts.
If Sanders, who is cut from the same mold as Polamalu and Baltimore’s Ed Reed, plays in Week Three, Smart Money says Fitzgerald better keep his eyes open.
Over/Under: Halftime, Week Three
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Chicago Bears: Remember The Titans?
Published: September 11, 2009
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Much has been made in the days leading up to the 2009 NFL season about the Chicago Bears.
Whether it’s new quarterback Jay Cutler and the circus that surrounded his Denver departure, or the apparent lack of a big play receiver, or the health of the secondary, there has been no shortage of reasons to talk about this group of Bears before they even step on the field.
Another story that’s been getting some ink lately is the Bears’ schedule. It’s not easy, and certainly doesn’t open in a way that, on paper, makes the road to 2-0 look a lot harder than 0-2 could be.
Cutler’s first game under center for the Bears: at Green Bay, in prime time.
Cutler’s first home game as the Chicago signal caller came against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last night the Steelers opened their title defense by defeating the Tennessee Titans in a well contested overtime game. There was plenty of hitting going on last night, with numerous players leaving the game for some time throughout the game.
One player for Pittsburgh, didn’t come back from the locker room after he went down. Safety Troy Polamalu, one of the top hitters in the game who was off to a fantastic start to the season, has was what initially diagnosed as a sprained MCL in his left knee, and will miss at least three weeks.
The Titans’ Alge Crumpler made his last name an adjective when he landed on Polamalu’s leg after the Steelers blocked a field goal attempt.
The loss of Polamalu had a noticeable effect on the Steelers’ secondary, with Tennessee receivers like rookie Kenny Britt finding seams for nice chunks of yardage in the second half.
The Steelers run defense was as strong as ever last night, allowing only 57 yards on 15 carries to speedster Chris Johnson. Getting Matt Forte off against Pittsburgh’s run defense is not going to be easy in the home opener.
But given the Bears questionable receiving group, not having to face Polamalu greatly increases the chances for Cutler and the Bears offense to be effective moving the ball through the air. Incorporating Greg Olsen, as the Bears likely will a lot this year, will be easier without Polamalu on the field.
Indeed, Polamalu is the brains and the sword on the Steelers’ defense. The fact that he won’t be available when the Bears face the Champs in their home opener could be the biggest factor if the Bears win in Week Two.
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