Saints 30, Bears 13- Outclassed.

Sorry for the late recap, folks. I was on the road most of yesterday, so I've had time to exhale before putting this together. I'm not going to do a good/bad. The good was the under-utilized Matt Forte (at least as a runner, anyway) and the fact that Jay Cutler survived in one piece. The bad was everything else, but especially Major Wright (YOU CANNOT COMMIT THE CARDINAL SIN OF LETTING A MAN GET BEHIND YOU IN THE COVER 2, MAJOR), the injuries (Earl's bruised sternum should heal soon, but the worse injury, Carimi's, could take up to a month), the return of Frank F*&king Omiyale, and most of all, Mike Martz. The rest of this recap will consist solely of my rant about Mike, so if you aren't interested feel free to move on.

I thought we were past this, Mike. I thought you'd learned the value of Matt Forte, runningback. Hell, yesterday's game started off with a beautiful 87 yard drive that was pretty much entirely Forte running his ass off. Alas, the rest of the game played out much like the Seahawks game during last year's regular season. Clearly, Mike panics when he's confronted with a team down by a mere 6 points, because much as Mike abandoned the run and had a 47-14 ratio in that game when down just 7 points for much of the game, he abandoned a running game that was averaging FIVE YARDS PER CARRY while he was down just 16-10.

I know the sack totals have been ugly for both games, but the offensive line, at least while Carimi was in, wasn't bad. They've generally held up well. There've been some lapses, and some plays where Jay held the ball too long, but since the beginning of the preseason they've been clearing holes in the run game and that's opened up everything else. Why did Mike just go the hell away from it? The breakdown came in the second half after the offensive line was forced to stand up to blitzes of six or even seven rushers on dropback after dropback while Mike stubbornly refused to do what the Saints were daring him to do and run the ball. Obviously Mike went in convinced that he could pass on that secondary and do what Green Bay did, and he thought that the screens he had dialed up would be good enough to slow down the rush. When the screens didn't work, he had nothing and he refused to admit it.

We've seen this movie before. The only way it ends well is if Martz runs the ball. He doesn't have to cut the playbook down like last year. The line is better than it was. I still believe that. They can block for five and seven step drops, especially if Roy Williams and Earl Bennett get back and do a better job of finding holes and getting separation, something that Devin and Johnny failed to do yesterday. But the only way they can do that is if Mike takes some of the teeth out of the blitz by making teams pay on the ground. He has a back that can do it, and whatever liabilities this line may have in pass protection, they have the sheer size to run it. Just do it. It's not that hard, and it might keep your quarterback alive.

Prognostication Bukakke, NFL Week 2

Bears (1-0) @ Saints (0-1)

Code Red: The Saints defense looked terrible, even if it was the Packers. I know Aaron Rodgers can put up 42 points on a lot of teams, but Matt Hasselbeck can't, and those are the last two Qbs who have faced the Saints and done just that. Plus, Breesus is going to have a rough go against that Bears defensive line. Luckily he has the intangibles of Olin Kreutz to pick his ass up off the ground. Bears win.

Iggins!: Incredibly, the Bears are still getting little respect, with the media focusing on Atlanta being bad rather than Chicago being good. Does that make any sense? The Falcons offense could only have gotten better! Surprisingly, the most stalwart part of the Bear defense was the Pass D (most of Ryan's yards came after the game was won) and that bodes well against the Saints, plus that Saint defense can't stop anything. Bears win. As a side note, I live in Des Moines, IA, and it seems that everything East of here and West of here will show the Bears game on Sunday... but Des Moines will show the Packers. GODDAMNIT.

Mrs. Code Red: Bears, because they're the f*&king Bears, and because I've come around to the idea of not rooting against them just to get ahead in this.

Code Red: Amen.

Raiders (1-0) @ Bills (1-0)

Iggins!: A battle of mighty unbeatens! I'll take the Bills to win at home here and shake my head quizically as it happens.

Code Red: I was impressed by the Bills, but more so by a fierce Raiders pass rush that should be able to get to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Raiders win.

Mrs. Code Red: Raiders, because their defense looked pretty solid.

Browns (0-1) @ Colts (0-1)

Code Red: One of these teams sucked like it was supposed to in week one, the other suffered a huge letdown against the Bengals. I'm going to assume the Colts can't stop Peyton Hillis. Browns win.

Iggins!: I don't understand the Browns very well, but what I do understand is that they only play well against great teams, so Colts win.

Mrs. Code Red: Poor Colts, they deserve a win, don't they? Colts.

Code Red: They've had enough of them. This shit's funny. Learn to acquire the schadenfreude gland, honey.

Bucs (0-1) @ Vikings (0-1)

Iggins!: The Bucs threw the ball 43 times Sunday. They ran it 16. I predict the Bucs will understand why they barely moved the ball against Detroit and will win this game. Bucs win.

Code Red: Bucs, because Minnesota blows, and the only thing Tampa did well last week was stop the run.

Mrs. Code Red: Bucs, because I want the Vikings to lose.

Packers (1-0) @ Carolina (0-1)

Code Red: Well, either Arizona's pass defense is absolutely atrocious (quite possible) or I'm way wrong on Cam Newton. Well, Cam, if you're going to throw for a billion yards, do it against the Packers. I'm not crazy enough to pick them, though. Packers win.

Iggins!: I DO NOT WANT TO SEE THIS GAME, DES MOINES. Could I possibly, finally, be right about a QB that Red was wrong about? I'll save my gloating for after the season. Packers win.

Mrs. Code Red: Packers. I don't feel an explanation is necessary.

Code Red: It's really not.

Seattle (0-1) @ Pittsburgh (0-1)

Iggins!: The Seahawks here will play the role of Ty Cobb's wife after a bad game. Pittsburgh abuses.

Code Red: Indeed. Tarvaris Jackson is a crime against football itself. Pittsburgh wins.

Mrs. Code Red: Even though I usually like Seattle teams for their uniforms, I gotta face the facts at some point that none of them are very good. Steelers win.

Jags (1-0) @ Jets (1-0)

Code Red: Well, I don't expect that Luke McCown will be enough to get past a defense much better than Tennessee's. Jets win.

Iggins!: If the Jets traded for Luke McCown I would probably take them to win the Super Bowl, oddly. Jets win.

Mrs. Code Red: Jets, I don't really know why. The Jaguars are really boring. You never hear anything about them, I don't think I've ever even seen them on TV.

Code Red: No one has, actually. Not even in Jacksonville.

Ravens (1-0) @ Titans (0-1)

Iggins!: HAHAHA oh my this is going to be painful. Ravens win.

Code Red: Ravens.

Mrs. Code Red: Ravens. Again, no explanation necessary.

Chiefs (0-1) @ Lions (1-0)

Code Red: Well, the Chiefs got destroyed by the Bills. That doesn't bode well against a pretty decent (yet overrated) Lions squad. However, I want LIONS FEVER to die down soon, so I will take a chance on a Chiefs redemption. Chiefs win.

Iggins!: I will say this; Jamaal Charles will keep it close, but the Lions win in the end.

Mrs. Code Red: The Chiefs looked like absolute shit last week. Lions win.

Cardinals (1-0) @ Redskins (1-0)

Iggins!: This game will answer questions about 4 different teams. I will answer them beforehand for you: Yes, the Giants are that bad. Yes, Cam Newton is a freak of nature. No, Rex Grossman still sucks. No, the Cardinal defense isn't THAT bad. Cardinals win.

Code Red: My heart wants to choose the Sexy Rexy, but I just can't buy the Redskins yet. Cardinals win.

Mrs. Code Red: My heart can. Do yo' thang, Sexy Rexy! Redskins win.

Cowboys (0-1) @ 49ers (1-0)

Code Red: The 49ers got two special teams touchdowns to beat the Seahawks, but I just checked, and the Cowboys starting QB is not Tarvaris Jackson. Cowboys win.

Iggins!: Oh yeah, make no mistake, the 49ers are still terrible. Cowboys win.

Mrs. Code Reds: If Tony Romo can get his shit together this should be no problem. Cowboys win.

Bengals (1-0) @ Broncos (0-1)

Iggins!: I do not trust the Bengals to be anything more than the worst team in the NFL. Broncos win.

Code Red: My gut, too, tells me to go with Kyle Orton. Broncos win.

Mrs. Code Red: I too, shall trust Kyle Orton and the Broncos, even if they don't start Tim Tebow. (SARCASM). Broncos win.

Chargers (1-0)@ Patriots (1-0)

Code Red: The Chargers generally play the Patriots pretty tough, and I have nothing but spite and malice for New England. Chargers win.

Iggins!: So the Chargers almost lost to the Vikings... and they always start slow...2+2 equals Patriots win.

Mrs. Code Red: WELKAH! Patriots.

Code Red: Sigh. Her father is from Boston. The Masshole escapes sometimes. It's a work in progress.

Texans (1-0) @ Dolphins (0-1)

Iggins!: I liked what I saw from the Fins a lot (Brady can do that to a lot of teams) especially on offense. Henne has improved and is playing within himself, Reggie Bush looked like he was playing with more tenacity than he ever has in the NFL, and the defense won't be that bad again. I think the Dolphins win by a point.

Code Red: Every year you have to find some way to talk yourself into thinking a mediocre team is more than that. Last year it was the Titans. Now it's the Dolphins. I'm going with Schaub. Texans win.

Mrs. Code Red: Iggins!, Henne is one of the main reasons they didn't win. THROW TO BRANDON MARSHALL IN THE RED ZONE DAMMIT. Also, I refuse to believe I paid 67 dollars for Arrian Foster for no reason. Texans win.

Code Red: The Mrs. is also trying fantasy football this year for the first time, so you can tell from the preceding statements that her opening weekend went splendidly.

Eagles (1-0) @ Falcons (0-1)

Code Red: Its early in the season, so spite and malice are tainting all of my picks. Vick had a ton of yards rushing, but the 14/32 line passing makes me think the Old Mike Vick may not be as dead as people want to believe. Philly's O-Line is shaky, and the Falcons defensive ends actually are pretty good. Common sense and everything says Philly, but I'll take the Falcons because I just want them to win.

Iggins!: Vick was sloppy in game one, and something people haven't been talking about is that the Eagles got burned by both Steven Jackson early on and CADILLAC WILLIAMS after that. Turner is going to go nuts and the Falcons D, not to mention the Falcon fans, will get to Vick often. Falcons win.

Mrs. Code Red: Eagles because Michael Vick probably isn't that bad...yet.

Rams (0-1) @ Giants (0-1)

Iggins!: The Giants are very bad. Much worse than previously thought. Rams win and New York gets pissed.

Code Red: I'll flip the coin. Giants it is.

Mrs. Code Red: Rams, I guess. Sam Bradford is adorable.

The Return of Prognostication Bukakke! (Again). NCAA Week 2

It's back, folks. The weekly feature where I and the reclusive co-founder of SKO, Iggins!, match wits and predict the winner of this week's football games. As usual, we pick the ten best college football games and then predict every NFL game. This year I've also decided to have Mrs. SKO join us for the whole year, as she joined for the last several weeks last year as part of an exercise in which I, already up 25 games on Iggins!, decided to demonstrate that even someone with absolutely minimal football acumen could destroy him. Which she did. I laughed hard, so now I'm bringing her on full time. Without further bullshit, here come the picks:

LSU @ Mississippi State (1-1)

Code Red: Mississippi State really shocked me with their incredibly shoddy defense against Auburn. I'd expect them to right the ship against the Tigers defensively, but LSU's defense is a holy terror. LSU wins.

Iggins!: It's near impossible to pick MSU in this game, which is unfortunate considering how high the expectations were just a week ago. LSU wins.

Mrs. Code Red: Geaux Tigers! LSU wins.

Tennessee (2-0) @ Florida (2-0)

Iggins!: This game is going to be extremely close, but I'll give the edge to Florida here. Florida wins.

Code Red: I don't know that it'll be that close. I think Charlie Weis will really make something out of Jonathan Brantley. Florida wins.

Mrs. Code Red: Florida, because Volunteers is a stupid name and bright orange uniforms are nauseating.

Michigan State (2-0) @ Notre Dame (0-2)

Code Red: Notre Dame has really been a tough luck loser so far, but that doesn't change the fact that they're staring at 0-3. MSU wins.

Iggins!: Damn, I was really hoping you'd take Notre Dame here. Michigan State wins by at least 10 points.

Mrs. Code Red: I actually watched Notre Dame last week. I don't think they can stop anything. MSU wins.

Oklahoma (1-0) @ Florida State (2-0)

Iggins!: I'll trust the ACC when I see it do... anything? Oklahoma wins.

Code Red: God dammit, too much agreement this week. Oklahoma wins.

Mrs. Code Red: I'll take Florida State because it's fun to be controversial.

Arizona State (2-0) @ Illinois (2-0)

Code Red: Illinois has looked quite dominant against two shitty teams. Their schedule is really stacked in their favor, as their only tough non-conference opponent has to travel all the way to Champaign. I'm definitely taking my beloved Illini here.

Iggins!: If this were in the desert I would take ASU by a TD, but without that ridiculous home-field advantage versus the midwest, this game plays out in reverse. Illini win by 20.

Mrs. Code Red: Illinois, because....home state loyalty?

Utah (1-1) @ BYU (1-1)

Iggins!: Wow. So this is a game between a Pac-12 school and an independent... not a Mountain West conference game? Neither of these teams is very good, but I'll take BYU to win by a hair.

Code Red: Well, BYU played Texas tough last week, but I want to believe that that's just because Texas sucks. Utah.

Mrs. Code Red: BYU, but they're both losers because I don't like the state of Utah.

Code Red: Seems like an odd state to hate, but if there's anything I approve of, it's unexplained rage.

Stanford (2-0) @ Arizona (1-1)

Code Red: After watching OK State demolish the Wildcats I can't imagine Andrew Luck not doing the same. Stanford wins.

Iggins!: Though I don't think Stanford has a more potent offense than OK State I do think this game will be a win for Stanford.

Mrs. Code Red: Stanford, because Andrew Luck is pretty dreamy.

Code Red: Yes, yes he is.

Syracuse (2-0) @ USC (2-0)

Iggins!: Who the hell scheduled this nightmare? Aren't these two schools about as far apart as possible? USC wins partially due to Syracuse being Syracuse and partially due to massive jetlag.

Code Red: I say Syracuse, because USC's been flirting with disaster and Syracuse is better than people think.

Mrs. Code Red: USC, because they're cheater, cheater, pumpkin eaters. And this is America, so cheaters win.

Code Red: She went third grade on yo ass, Lane Kiffin.

Ohio State (2-0) @ Miami (FL) (0-1)

Code Red: Apparently Miami is plotting to vacate their possible win here later on by starting Jacory Harris. I'm going to with Miami, here, since fucking Toledo's scrambling Qbs gave OSU fits last week.

Iggins!: Jesus you took all my upsets! Miami wins because God hates OSU even more, surprisingly.

Mrs. Code Red: I'll take The Ohio State University, because everyone knows it apparently makes you better than everyone else if you put a "The" in front of your name.

Louisville (1-1) @ Kentucky (2-0)

Iggins!: Kentucky wins. Anybody who watches this game loses.

Code Red: Well, you made this easy on me then. Louisville wins. My eyes can never unsee the ugliness of Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky. They show that game on loop in football hell.

Mrs. Code Red: Do I have to pick one? I know nothing about these teams. I'll take Kentucky since they have the better record? And because I like disagreeing with you.

Week 1 NFL Roundup

What an amazing opening weekend for football. 14 passers threw for over 300 yards this weekend, the most in a single week in NFL history. Our beloved Bears shocked the NFL by curb-stomping the Falcons, the Packers and the Saints had a shootout for the ages, and some idiots (Iggins!) managed to get knocked out of their suicide pools by picking the Browns over the Bengals. Now for the specifics:

Packers 42, Saints 34
Not to take anything away from Aaron Rodgers, who put on a fucking clinic, but you have to wonder what the hell has gone wrong with Gregg William's scheme to allow Matt Hasselbeck and Rodgers both to shred them in their last two games. Hopefully it keeps up for a week. I liked that the Saints couldn't get pressure with their front four. Martz loves to exploit the blitz.
As for Green Bay, Drew Brees or no, I don't ever remember seeing them look that bad on defense last year. Their special teams coverage remains an issue. Of course they're still the favorites, but there are chinks in the armor somewhere.

Eagles 31, Rams 13
The Eagles are another team with some concerns hidden by their win. They allowed the Rams to average 5.9 yards per rush, and they allowed 3 sacks. Vick completed a paltry 43.8% of his passes for just 5.8 ypa, and given his weak preseason, you have to wonder a bit if his late season issues last year were indicative that perhaps his "improved" passing was actually the byproduct of an incredibly hot streak rather than a complete transformation into a pocket passer. Like the Packers, I certainly wouldn't discount the hype, but you also can't expect them to coast. As for the Rams, well, injuries to Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson have to suck. That division is still garbage, though.

Bills 41, Chiefs 7
Well, nobody saw that coming. I was quite sure the Chiefs were headed down because Haley's an asshole, Matt Cassel is overrated, and they had a pathetically weak schedule last year, but I still didn't expect a massacre at the hands of the Bills. I guess we'll find out this week whether Buffalo's just that much better or Kansas City's that much worse.

Lions 27, Bucs 20
Matt Stafford and the Lions justified the hype for a week, but I still think they're more likely a 7 or 8 win team than a playoff contender. We'll see, though. You win this round, Detroit.

Jaguars 16, Titans 14
Both of these teams suck.

Bengals 27, Browns 17
Apparently, the Browns suck too. Whoda thunk? Oh, you did? Yeah, I guess I kinda did too. I still think the Bengals will end up with the worse record of the two by the end of the year.

Ravens 34, Steelers 7
Holy shit, that was an ass whoopin. It defies logic, but man, Pittsburgh really falls apart the year after they go to a Superbowl. As for the Ravens, if they can have that kind of balance, with Joe Flacco throwing for 288 yards and Ray Rice over 100 on the ground, against the Steelers it makes you wonder who besides maybe New England could stop them in the AFC.

Texans 34, Colts 7
I had my suspicions that the Colts were in trouble this year even with Manning, but man, they're destined for a top five draft pick without him. If the Texans can't win the South this year they should just disband the entire franchise.

Redskins 28, Giants 14
Good Rex made yet another appearance and the Redskins beat the badly ailing Giants. I don't know if they're contenders in the east, but they do appear much improved. I don't think Rex is ever going to be much of a star, but if he's managed to level out his highs and lows under Shanny's tutelage he could certainly have a nice mid-to-late career run as a quality starter, much like Jake Plummer managed to tame himself in Denver in order to put together a couple of playoff appearances. As for the Giants, well..things are looking bleak. Outside of their defensive line I don't see much to be excited about for a team that's already been hit hard by injury.

Chargers 24, Vikings 17
As I mentioned, 14 quarterbacks threw for 300 or more yards this weekend. One of them was Philip Rivers, who appears to be leading the AFC West's best team once more. Donovan McNabb, however, was not, as he managed THIRTY NINE yards for the Vikings. It's going to be a long, long year for Vikings fans.

Cardinals 28, Panthers 21
Oh come on. I wasn't the only one who thought Cam Newton would suck. It could still happen, of course, but damn, he looked dynamic yesterday. On the other hand, that Arizona defense is still a work in progress, even if Kolb looked like the real deal. They'll probably still be good enough to win the West, but they're still a one-sided team at best.

49ers 33, Seahawks 17
Ted Ginn's late game heroics hid the incredibly disgusting performance of offensive football that was most of this game. There was only one offensive play on either side that went for over 27 yards. The NFC West, folks. It still really, really sucks.

Jets 27, Cowboys 24
Tony Romo cost them the game, undoubtedly, but the Cowboys deserved to lose for the shame of allowing Mark Sanchez to throw for over 300 yards against their defense. The Cowboys will be better this year than last, but I don't see them as a much of a Superbowl contender.

Patriots 38, Dolphins 24
Well, at least New England's defense looked like shit? I'll just be glad for now that New England is nowhere to be found on the Bear's schedule this year. Kudos for Chad Henne, though. Most of them were garbage time yards, but he still had a career game. Won't mean anything at all in the long run, but hey, it's a dark time to be a Dolphins fan.

Raiders 23, Broncos 20
Oakland's defensive line was impressive, and Run DMC seems like he's going to stay on the elite tier where he put himself last year. That combination should be enough to keep Oakland in the race against San Diego for awhile. Denver, however, remains in serious trouble. I love Kyle, but the switch away from McDaniels appears to have really hurt him. Denver's taken him out of the spread and he won't have the easy throws that masked his deficiencies over the last two seasons. The fans chanting for Tebow will be sorely disappointed, however, whether they get their wish or not.

College Football Round Up

Sorry I skipped week one, but most of those games were meaningless anyway, so this week I'm rolling out all of the regular features: the college football roundup (generally Mondays), the NFL roundup (Tuesdays), and the Prognostication Bukakke (Wednesday and Thursday if I don't get lazy). So let's begin with this year's first NCAAF roundup:

Notable Top 25 Games-

#9 Oklahoma State 37, Arizona 14.
This game wasn't even as close as it looked. There might eventually be some noticeable drop-off in this offense thanks to the loss of coordinator Dana Holgorsen and runningback Kendall Hunter after last year, but as long as they have Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon they'll remain an elite offense and a serious threat to Oklahoma's title hopes, both Big 12 and National.

#21 Missouri 30, Arizona State 37
Words cannot express how glad I am that Arizona State has to leave the desert and come to Champaign this week. Bad things just seem to happen to midwest schools that head out west. That said, I think Missouri was a bit overrated coming into this year and I feel confident that Arizona State's offense can be contained at home.

#16 Mississippi State 34, Auburn 41
A big surprise here. I'm not shocked that Gus Malzahn has figured out a way to put up points without Cam Newton, but I am shocked that Mississippi State's typically stellar defense fell apart so easily. I have no idea what to expect from either of these teams from here on out.

#11 Virginia Tech 17, East Carolina 10
East Carolina is probably one of the best 0-2 teams in the country, considering they've given South Carolina and Virginia Tech huge scares the last two weeks. They have a phenomenal QB in Domonique Douglass. As for VT, their chances this year really hinge on new QB Logan Thomas, who came in with a lot of hype, but he's looked like garbage so far.

#12 South Carolina 45, Georgia 42
Poor Mark Richt. I've always liked him. He's totally fired, but he seems like such a nice guy.

#24 Texas 17, BYU 16.
Must be nice to be Texas. They've been declining in nearly all phases since Vince Young left, but no one noticed until Colt McCoy wasn't there to patch up the holes. Then ESPN gives them a TV network and people rank them anyway, despite no certifiable offense to speak of.

Big Ten-

Michigan State 44, FAU 0
Poor Schnelly.

Illinois 56, South Dakota State 3
I'm so happy Illinois has learned to schedule non-conference games like a real team. Illinois' schedule is set up quite favorably for them to make enough noise to get to a January 1st bowl game, hopefully.

#8 Wisconsin 35, Oregon State 0
The whole Russell Wilson thing seems to be working out well.

#3 Alabama 27, #23 Penn State 11
I'm not discussing this game for the unsurprising final score (although Alabama's QB issues will haunt them somewhere down the road), but I'm wondering what the hell Penn State had done to have earned a ranking before last week. They were incredibly mediocre last year, got destroyed in their bowl game, have no QB or offense of any kind, and a rebuilding defense. There are several teams I'd rank in the Big Ten alone before I got to PSU. Oh well.

#15 Ohio State 27, Toledo 22
Toledo's not a terrible MAC team, but the fact that they shut down Ohio State's offense and put a lot of pressure on their defense should be very concerning for Buckeye fans. Ohio State is now forced to field the third incarnation of Craig Krenzel, Joel Bauserman, and each incarnation seems to get worse (see Todd Boeckman). They're not going to be able to just coast by on their defense and run game in the Big Ten this year. This team's set up for a fall.

Iowa State 44, Iowa 41
I watched this game live with Iggins!, and it was awesome as he fatalistically predicted every single Iowa State score. His first quarter prophecy that "Iowa would lose because they can't stop a running quarterback...ever" was square on the nose. Not looking like a good year for the Hawkeyes.

Rice 24, Purdue 22
There are so many horrible forms of torture in this world, from waterboarding to The Rack, that I would consider before willfully watching Purdue football at this point.

Nex Mexico State 28, Minnesota 21
I'm not at all surprised that it's taken two games of coaching Minnesota football to give Jerry Kill a seizure. New Mexico State? Their last bowl came during the Eisenhower Administration. No joke.

Northwestern 42, Eastern Illinois 21
Yeah, that sounds right.

Virginia 34, Indiana 31
Well, Indiana is still terrible. So there's that. You want awesome? Illinois gets Purdue, Indiana, and Minnesota. Give me my Capitol One Bowl, please.

#10 Nebraska 42, Fresno State 29
Fresno State is just a giant pain in the ass.

Michigan 35, Notre Dame 31
Both of these teams have just god awful defenses. Michigan is incredibly inconsistent on offense, and I don't think a lot of teams are going to allow this watered-down version of Denard Robinson to put up 330+ yards passing on just 11 completions. Glad to see that we definitely won't have to listen to any "wake up the echoes!" bullshit this year from the Domers.

That's all for now. See you tomorrow for the NFL roundup.

Bears 30, Falcons 12-Mother. F*&king. Football.

That was the best opening day win the Bears have had in my lifetime. The Bears dominated in all three phases in one of their most impressive wins, period, in years, but one that looks especially good for an opener. There were some sloppy penalties, and the five sacks, while misleading, weren't great, but other than that this is going to be one happy breakdown:

The Good:
-Jay Cutler: Given the painful memories we all had of the last time Jay Cutler played a meaningful game at Soldier Field, it seems fitting to put him first since had a spectacular game. There were some tipped passes, including the one that Bierrmann made an incredible play on for the INT TD, and he should have thrown the ball away on three of the five sacks he took, but outside of that he played one of his best games as a Bear, if not ever. For the day he finished 22/32 (68.8%) for 312 yds (9.8 YPA) 2 TDs, 1 INT, and a 107.8 rating. Those are stellar and they really showed just how comfortable he's getting in this offense and just how dangerous he can be downfield when he's got time to scan the field.

-Matt Forte: He had a tough going on the ground early on, but finished with a respectable 4.3 avg (16 rushes for 68 yds) but, much like last year's opener, made his big damage through the air with 5 receptions for 90 yds and a TD. I like this team's chances if he's going to put up 158 yards from scrimmage weekly.

-Roy Williams: Roy made the first catch of the game and finished with 4 catches for 55 yds. Not a dominating performance, but impressive in that all four catches were for big first downs. He doesn't have to get 1,000 yds to justify his status on this team, he just needs to be a target Cutler can find to move the chains consistently. He was today.

-Devin Hester: 3 catches for 60 yards, with one very long reception leading to a touchdown.

-Johnny Knox: Knox, like Hester, had 3 catches for 60 yds. Four different receivers had over 50 yards today, a good sign of the depth this team has and the weapons Jay can utilize if he has time.

-Brian Urlacher: Oh man, this is the kind of game that reminds us all just why I get so angry when people say Urlacher is overrated. 10 tackles, 1 INT, and a fumble returned for a TD that absolutely broke the Falcon's back. Stay healthy, Brian.

-Henry Melton: My pick for the most improved player on this defense has been Henry all offseason. He's a bit undersized for a DT, but he has a quickness and violence to him that reminds me of John Randle. He had 2 sacks today and was a total menace.

-Julius Peppers: You know all about this guy, of course. He only had 2 sacks, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery. No big deal.

-The rest of the defensive line: 5 sacks on Matt Ryan. They had consistent gap penetration all game long. The Falcons run game was mostly held in check outside of the 53 yard run and Matt Ryan had one hell of a time once he was forced to drop back on every down. Some idiot will find a way to criticize all of the yards the defense gave up, but Lovie-ball worked to perfection and the only numbers I know the Bears or anyone should care about are the 5 sacks, the 3 turnovers, and the 6 points allowed by the defense.

-Charles Tillman: He takes a lot of shit from the fans for playing how he's supposed to play in this defense, but today they had him playing tight on Roddy White very early on and he fucking owned him holding him to 61 yds on the day (just 7.6 yards per catch) and he had yet another of his glorious punches to force a fumble. Someday, when P'nut is retired, they need to build a statue of him just punching a football through the air.

The Bad:

Penalties: Too damn many (eight), along with some missed tackles. Perfectly acceptable opening day mistakes, but they'd best tighten things up soon. Winning the turnover battle 3-1 really helps.

Webb/Carimi: They actually held their own pretty well against two very good edge rushers in John Abraham and Ray Edwards (21 combined sacks last yr), but there were enough breakdowns and two holding penalties that really hurt. As I said, Cutler should have thrown the ball away on two of his sacks as he had plenty of time, and on the last sack of the game Cutler simply slid on what wasn't really a sack so much as a run for no gain, so they really only allowed 2 bad sacks, but you have to hope for some improvement primarily in the penalty department.

Matt Ryan: That was the weakest 319 yard game I've ever seen. The Falcons got destroyed by the Packers passing game in the playoffs and apparently decided they needed to get Julio Jones to compensate. Ryan made that look even dumber but not even attempting to go downfield until the game was well out of hand. He finished with an average of 6.8 YPA and a rating of 76.5 on 47 attempts, but was sacked five times and had a fumble that led to a huge Bears score. I've been saying for awhile I didn't think he'd ever be much more than an overrated game manager. Today he sure didn't prove me wrong.

That's all for now. I haven't been this jazzed after an opener since 2006. Hopefully this season has even more fun in store for us than that one. You all have a good night. Go Bears.

Also, I'm not not one for moralizing here, so I'll just say on the 10th anniversary of that horrible day....God Bless America.

Your 2011 Chicago Bears (and, Fuck Yeah, Brandon Meriweather)

Apparently I'm not supposed to be excited about the Bears acquisition of Brandon Meriweather because A) He's an asshole and B) BILL BELICHICK IS TOO SMART TO GET RID OF SOMEONE GOOD. Well, as far as the asshole thing goes they've told me for two years that my franchise quarterback is a cancer and I'm still pretty fond of him. As for B, I'd like anyone to look at the following players who left the Patriot organization and were still productive players for several years: Lawyer Milloy. Ty Law. Asante Samuel. Willie McGinest. Drew Bledsoe. Richard Seymour.

I have a hard time believing that Brandon Meriweather is suddenly a shitty player, unless there's a medical reason for it. If he passes a physical I have a hard time seeing where he's just going to disappear. At the very least, he's one hell of an insurance plan for Major Wright. That should be good news for everyone involved.

That said, it's time for my half-assed preview of the 2011 Bears. I never get much into previews since I spend the whole offseason talking about what I expect, so none of this is really new information. Anywho, let's start with the 53 man roster broken down by position:

Starters in italics-
Offense (24):
QB: #6 Jay Cutler, #12 Caleb Hanie, #10 Nathan Enderle
RB: #22 Matt Forte, #24 Marion Barber, #32 Kahlil Bell, #44 Will Ta'ufo'ou.
WR: #11 Roy Williams, #23 Devin Hester, #80 Earl Bennett, #13 Johnny Knox, #81 Sam Hurd, #18 Dane Sanzenbacher
TE: #87 Kellen Davis, #89 Matt Spaeth, #86 Kyle Adams
OT: #73 J'Marcus Webb, #72 Gabe Carimi, #68 Frank Omiyale,
OG: #60 Lance Louis, #74 Chris Williams, #70 Edwin Williams
C: #63 Roberto Garza, #67 Chris Spencer

Defense (26):
DE: #90 Julius Peppers, #71 Israel Idonije, #96 Mario Addison, #98 Corey Wootton, #94 Nick Reed
DT: #95 Anthony Adams, #69 Henry Melton, #91 Amobi Okoye, #92 Stephen Paea, #75 Matt Toeaina
OLB: #55 Lance Briggs, #53 Nick Roach, #52 Brian Iwuh
MLB: #54 Brian Urlacher, #58 Dom DeCicco
CB: #33 Charles Tillman, #26 Tim Jennings, #30 DJ Moore, #35 Zack Bowman, #21 Corey Graham
S: #46 Chris Harris, #27 Major Wright, #31 Brandon Meriweather, #47 Chris Conte, #20 Craig Steltz, #49 Winston Venable

Specialists (3):
K: #9 Robbie Gould
P: #8 Adam Podlesh
LS: #65 Pat Mannelly

There's a few surprises with the final roster cutdown. I'm still surprised the team is so thin at backup linebacker, and I'd expect at some point they'll find someone and cut DeCicco. Until then, congrats to the rookie. I'm pleased that Martz finally broke down and admitted his offense Does use a fullback and kept one accordingly. I was sad to see Dez Clark go, but Kyle Adams played very well this preseason. Of course, everyone's thrilled to see that Gritty McGrindenwhitey made the roster as a sixth wide receiver, but I'm not sure who he's going to take meaningful reps away from, because I doubt he's a better receiver than Williams, Hester, Knox, or the BBE. Probably a smart move that the team has a billion safeties, since that position always seems to suffer attrition, plus Chris Conte has experience at corner if needed.

On offense this year I'd expect vast improvement. It's dangerous to take too much away from the stellar pass blocking we saw in the last three preseason games, but there's a lot to like about the infusion of size and youth on this offensive line. I think you'll see a much more successful running game from the outset, with the pass blocking to come. The wide receiver corps is undoubtedly upgraded, Marion Barber should be so much better than Chester Taylor that it isn't funny, and the tight ends appear to be capable blockers, which is all anyone will ask of them this year. I'd be willing to stake everything on the 2011 Bears scoring more points than the 2010 edition.

On defense, I'm incredibly psyched about this defensive line. The only sure-fire star may be Peppers, but I don't think there are many teams out there that can bring in fresh, quality bodies at both end and tackle like this team can. There are quality run-stuffers in Anthony Adams, Paea, and Idonije, and young, fast legs that can help on third and long in Okoye, Wootton (assuming he's healthy), Melton, and Toeiana. I'm not sure what to expect from Mario Addison and Nick Reed, but they both had great preseasons and Addison racked up double digit sacks last year at Troy.

Lance Briggs may be a heaping pile of douche, but the linebacking corps should be just as solid as last year if it stays healthy. The safety position may have been upgraded if Meriweather gets up to speed quickly. Corner remains a concern, but if the other units are as good as I hope it shouldn't be too much of a concern since cornerbacks are the sacrificial lambs of Lovie's defense anyway.

I expect good things from this team, but you already know that. I hope you agree with me. It's been another long and painful offseason and everyone and their mother would have you know that the Bears were just a lucky team and that they're screwed this year thanks to the presence of the unstoppable Packers and the ascending Lions. Well, fuck that. Actual football games are about to start, so the meaningless predictions stop here. I'll see you all on Sunday.

Go Bears.

UPDATE: Two seconds after I praise Martz for keeping a fullback, he waives him. There's an open roster spot for now INTRIGUE.

Bears-Titans Notes

The third preseason game is in the books, and the information that can be gleaned from the 2 1/1 quarters played by the Bears starters is promising:

The Good:

- Matt Forte- Last week Matt was devastating in the screen game, and this week he dominated between the tackles. Forte ran hard between the tackles (where he was helped by some huge holes) and was awesome on draw plays and the inside zone. He finished with 17 carries for 74 yards and a TD (4.4 yards per carry) and added a 15 yard reception. He's more than ready for the regular season, and it was pleasing to see Martz design a largely successful game plan around him tonight. Now pay the man, Jerry.

-Earl Bennett- The BBE was huge again tonight with 6 receptions for 89 yards. While the appellation I gave him mostly refers to his sure hands and his reliability on third down, it should be noted that Earl can get downfield when he's asked to and has been a pretty good deep threat this preseason as well.

-Amobi Okoye- The defensive tackle has seized his opportunity and at this point, after three preseason sacks, has to be a lock for the roster, if not the starting lineup. He's certainly a threat on passing downs, something the team has desperately needed at the 3-technique for the last couple of years during the Tommie Harris decline.

-The offensive line- They were exceptional in run blocking tonight, giving Forte some holes (especially on draw plays) that he's probably never seen before. In pass protection they allowed some pressure off of the edges but still allowed just 1 sack and have really allowed Martz and Cutler to work the seven step game. I'm beginning to breathe a little bit. So far they've been pretty stout against four man rushes, which is great. If team's have to blitz to generate pressure, Martz's offense will click and he'll be able to scheme to get the ball to the free receiver. Last year teams didn't even have to bring an extra guy to get to Jay.

-Jay Cutler- Jay was damn near perfect tonight, even if the stat sheet shows a mediocre 67 rating. His only interception was clearly Roy Williams fault (more on Roy later) as it went off both of Roy's hands into the hands of the defense. Other than that, Cutler was accurate (13 of 21, despite 2-3 drops yet again) and, more importantly, he was effective downfield (averaged 8.1 YPA, 13.1 YPC) and he wasn't sacked a single time. Over his last four full quarters in these two preseason games Jay is 25 of 42 (60%) for 341 yards (8.1 YPA, 13.6 YPC) despite his receivers struggles in the drop department (Hester had 2 tonight, as did Roy Williams, to go with 4 last week). Jay was extremely quick with his decisions tonight and stared down the blitz quite well. My obvious homerism notwithstanding, I think he's going to do some very special things in year two of this system. You can only draw so much from the preseason, but the velocity and accuracy Cutler has shown (and the protection he's got) bodes well, considering everything looked awry during last year's bumbling preseason and the up-and-down offense of the first half bore out those results. There's no guarantees, but it's promising to see him look so sharp early.

The Bad:

- Roy Williams: I'm level-headed,normally. I've defended this move from every rational standpoint, and still do, considering this was an extremely low-risk, high-reward move, but Jesus, Roy Williams could try not to piss on himself for one fucking series or something. He caused Cutler's interception, he went out of bounds before completing the catch on another throw, then he had a second drop. He's also looked terrible blocking this preseason, so there's that. I hope he pans out, but damn, you're not making this easy, Roy.

-Desmond Clark: Dez himself did nothing wrong, but the fact that he had to be carted off gives me the sads. He was going to be no more than a back up this year, so this doesn't kill the team, but Dez has always been a solid player and a great guy (as far as anyone can tell with any of these guys) and it would suck to see the team bring him back just to see this happen.

-Marion Barber: Same here. Marion played well on his two touches, but his calf injury is concerning. If he's not healthy, that may mean more Chester Taylor, which causes my blood to boil. Considering Chester didn't get any carries tonight it seems more likely that the team will roll with Khalil Bell until Marion gets healthy and they'll still cut Chester, but, damn, it would suck to have Barber out for long after how good he's looked so far.

That's all for now. I've been pleased with what I've seen from the first teams on offense and defense so far these last two games. I think they're going to be just fine by the time Atlanta comes to Soldier Field. Meanwhile, enjoy hearing about how awesome the Lions are.

Good News Everyone!

Tomorrow night is the Bears third preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. Since this is a game of utmost importance we will treat it like a real game, with the first official SKOscast of the year. Meet us in the SKO shoutbox on Saturday at seven, and we'll all verbally harass Roy Williams together. See ya then, folks.

Bears-Giants Observations

I haven't seen too many people overreacting to a 41-13 preseason blowout (a somewhat misleading score, since the Bears racked up a healthy 414 yards of offense and had the edge in time of possession), so I'm happy about that, although maybe I'm just not looking hard enough. There were some interesting things to take out of the first half, however (where the score was 13-6 before the starting defense, which was without Lance Briggs to begin with, left the game). Here's my observations:

The Good:

- Matt Forte didn't carry the ball much, since the team seems interested in protecting him from injury with the contract dispute still up in the air, but he looked very effective in the screen game, a huge component of what Martz likes to do to negate the pass rush.

-Earl Bennett (The Black Bobby Engram). 'Nuff said.

-The First-Team Defense: They forced three and outs on the Giants first two drives and held the Giants to 13 pts despite being victimized by poor field position (especially after a 73 yard kickoff return that preceded the only TD they allowed. They held Eli Manning to 78 yards on 16 attempts for a meager 4.9 YPA. All in all, good work by the first team unit, which is good, since the second team unit spent 2 1/2 quarters shitting all over themselves.

- Jay Cutler: 12 of 21 for 171 yards in one half (8.1 YPA, 14.5 YPC) is pretty solid for an exhibition game where Martz was clearly testing his ability to work the 7 step route tree against a tough pass rush, but the numbers are actually even better when you consider he suffered from four dropped passes (one of which cost him a TD pass) and Hester also fell down on what would have been a wide-open TD pass. The one sack of the game was his fault and he needs to do a better job of throwing the ball away, but I was very pleased with the vast improvement from last week.

- The offensive line: 1 sack (that wasn't even their fault). Very promising. The two false starts and the hold were concerning, but that'll happen given the youth on the line. The important thing is that they kept Cutler clean. If mental mistakes are the biggest problem, this line is definitely improved from last year.

The Bad:

- Roy Williams: I'm willing to give the Roy Williams Experiment some time, especially since Johnny Knox is still there in the wings as insurance, but man, Roy did himself no favors last night. He dropped two third down passes from Cutler, looked terrible blocking for Forte on the screen and seemed to be lagging behind elsewhere. Good luck, Roy, because the fans are out for blood in Chicago.

-The Second-String Defense: Well, that was hideous. Oh well. You can only hope to contain David Carr, not stop him.

-The Special Teams: Very rare to see a Dave Toub unit get torched like this. A 73 yard kick return and a blocked punt? Surprising, but such a rarity that I wouldn't be concerned, although it did contribute to the misleadingly-lopsided score.

-Eli Manning: I just don't like looking at him.

That's all for now. See ya Saturday night. Go Bears.

Overreact Much, David Haugh?

Ahh. Do you smell it? It's time for the first fisking of the summer. David Haugh wants Mike Martz to know that he's not happy about the demotion of Caleb Hanie that didn't actually happen, since Martz said Caleb will be the #2 at the start of the season barring injury. Anywho, you know the drill: Haugh's in italics, I'm not.

Almost singlehandedly, Mike Martz has all but stopped Caleb "Hania" from spreading throughout Kankakee County this summer.

Other things that have stopped Caleb Hania:
1. It's a stupid term
2. He's the back up quarterback.
3. No, seriously, he's the back up quarterback.

It seems the Bears offensive coordinator has spent more time in the backup quarterback's head this month than his own dorm room. As a result, Hanie's confidence evacuated. His consistency scattered.

See, what Haugh is going to argue here is that Hanie is playing poorly because Martz doesn't believe in him. This is actually a good stance to argue, because Martz is thus always wrong, even if Martz is actually criticizing Hanie because...you know, he's playing poorly.

Suddenly the Bears have to be careful handling Hanie, who finds his career at a crossroads out here in corn country.

Indeed, if the Bears aren't careful with Caleb here, he may end up nothing more than a back up quarterback.

"I haven't played as well as I wanted, especially (Saturday),'' Hanie admitted Wednesday.

But Martz shouldn't criticize him for that. Or something. What's a coach for again?

So began the preseason's most ridiculous and avoidable controversy when Hanie didn't exactly look like a million bucks — or the $1.2 million for which the Bears signed him. He struggled, only flashing hints of the play-making ability that made him notable in the NFC Championship game.

It's ridiculous and avoidable for 2 reasons: it's a back up quarterback, and it doesn't exist. He didn't get as many reps during ONE DAY of practice. The depth chart never changed any point.

But if the first exhibition game means so little, why did Martz make Hanie watch fifth-round rookie Nathan Enderle replace him as the No. 2 quarterback the next practice? Why create a problem with a guy who clearly must be part of the solution?

Because it was just for one practice. He also stated he was rewarding Enderle (who was 7 of 10 for 110 yards) by giving him some more reps. This is called "building a young QB's confidence", note this, since David Haugh is supposedly all for it.

This is how you stunt the growth of a promising young quarterback, how you kill confident Caleb. This is when you are supposed to build Hanie up rather than tear him down, one subtle, psychological move at a time.

This is how you expose David Haugh as a f&%king hypocrite. Here's Haugh in a piece last year:

I have doubts Martz can. Martz has made a career out of designing ways to make quarterbacks pile up big numbers. What he has done mostly with Cutler is enlarge his ego. End the bro-mance. A struggling, self-destructive quarterback doesn't need to hear how brilliant he is. He needs to be threatened with his job if he throws four picks again.

So, when the young QB is Caleb Hanie, Martz needs to go out of his way to protect his fragile ego. When it's Jay Cutler or Nathan Enderle? F*&k those guys, man, this is a results business.

Like most young quarterbacks, Hanie has flaws. He needs to economize his body movement when setting his feet and learn how to use his vision more effectively. He has to unload the ball quicker. He is far from beyond criticism.

That criticism just shouldn't come from Mike Martz, apparently. David Haugh will be the arbiter of when, who, how, and why should be criticized under the Lovie Smith regime.

But Hanie possesses a knack for making plays, a quality that turned him into Mr. August every training camp before this one. Those traits resurfaced Wednesday in a solid practice, the same instincts that carried Hanie in a playoff performance that apparently impressed everybody in Chicago but Martz.

He also has a knack for throwing the ball to defensive tackles. I love Caleb, I really do, but he's in no way an established player. In his career he's completed 21 of 34 passes (61.7%) for 219 yards (6.4 YPA), 1 TD, and 3 INTs (including the playoff game, of course) and a 53.4 rating. None of those numbers are going to blow anybody's mind. He's proven nothing other than that he's a promising back up quarterback. The key thing to remember here is that Martz Hasn't demoted Caleb. Also, we have no idea whether Nathan Enderle could possibly be better. Martz may want to find out. That's a pretty novel concept. Last year we all criticized Mike for going with the shitty, established veteran over the young guy. Now we're criticizing him for at least seeing what the younger guy can do with a few more reps? Ridiculous.

Also, according to everyone but David Haugh, Caleb looked abysmal in that practice and threw three interceptions, following a poor preseason performance and five interceptions the week before in practice.

Martz inherited Hanie but he has to stop inhibiting him. Keep doubting a quarterback and eventually his tentative play will prove a coach right. But throw support behind a guy through adversity and often that faith is rewarded.

Always support your quarterback, Martz. Don't criticize him. But don't build up his ego, either. Maybe even make up some rumors about trading him for Donovan McNabb. Either way, Caleb Hanie needs to know there will be consequences if he plays poorly. No, wait. That's Jay Cutler. Caleb needs the bromance that you're not supposed to have with Jay, or something. I don't know. Why the hell does David Haugh get paid for this?

Hell Yes, It's College Football Ranking Time

College football season is now just fifteen days away. The two week mark is about the time when I begin to wake up, realize that I have absolutely no reason to even acknowledge baseball anymore, and get ready for the five months that make life worth living. It's also time for me to release my annual authoritative college football rankings. I say authoritative because I have about as much relevance as the Harris Poll, which I'm still convinced is voted on by a sinister cabal of insane Nazis, and because hell, I probably do more research. Mostly of this sort:


That is Phil Steele's annual college football preview and it is nothing short of the work of the Gods, given only to those humans wise enough to listen. If you think I haven't relentlessly scanned all 328 pages of this tome, well, you don't understand me at all. I'm fully prepared to declare the North Texas Mean Green as a potential Sun Belt sleeper. Do not trifle with me.

With that said, most people only give a shit about the top 10 (okay maybe you care about the top 25, but that's a lot of freaking work) and I'm sure most of the people reading this here site are Big 4x3 (10+2?, 24/2?) fans, so I'll give both my top 10 and my predicted order of finish for the "Legends" and "Leaders" divisions. Miami will not be appearing in this film. On with the rankings!

1. Oklahoma- They're the consensus number one for good reason. Landry Jones may not approach the freakish numbers Sam Bradford posted during his legendary 2008 season, but he'll come close and this is the best Sooner team since then.

2. Alabama- I have issues with this, because I actually think Alabama will falter at some point without much experience on offense beyond Trent Richardson, but it's hard to argue with Saban's typical soul-crushing defense.

3. LSU- I don't like gambling on a Les Miles coached team, but if they receive any kind of positive contributions from the QB position (and they've done just fine without it since 2008, so maybe it doesn't matter) they'll be a very dangerous team. The defense is scary good, and the offense expunged itself of Gary Crowton, who has now declined from innovator at Lousiana Tech to curiosity as Bears offensive coordinator to head-coaching flop to a twice-failed offensive coordinator.

4. Stanford- I, too, am just that much in love with Andrew Luck, and I think their schedule is manageable since they get both Oregon and Notre Dame (probably their two most difficult games) at home. I think Harbaugh left an experienced team behind him that'll probably manage to keep the ship running.

5. Oklahoma State- Losing Dana Holgorson to West Virginia will hurt, since he's one of the most brilliant and entertaining minds in college football at the moment, but the combination of Weeden-to-Blackmon should be enough to keep them highly competitive in a crumbling Big 12 (is there Any team in the old Big 12 North that's even remotely scary? No?).

6. Wisconsin- Thanks to the transfer of Russell Wilson I'd say they're my favorite now over Nebraska in the first year of the Big 36/3. Wilson's a very accurate and productive passer who is a threat as a runner at well, meaning that Wisconsin will have more than just another HandoffBot9000 in the Sorgi/Bollinger/Stocco/Tolzien tradition to pair with that beefy offensive line and 2 of it's 3 superb runningbacks from last year.

7. Boise State- They tried running off to the Mountain West to increase their strength of schedule, since they thought they'd be joining a conference with BYU, TCU, and Utah that would easily surpass the Big East and ACC as a BCS-caliber conference, but instead they're left to battle it out with TCU for a year before TCU scrambles off to the Big East. TCU suffered much higher attrition than Boise did from last year's awesome squads and has the all-important factors of an experienced quarterback and homefield advantage (the Mountain West switched the game from a TCU home game to a Boise home game after TCU announced they were leaving the conference next year. Highly amusing dickery if you ask me) in their matchup.

8. Virginia Tech- The Hokies have incredible depth, the usual mediocre ACC slate to face, and an incredibly promising young quarterback in Logan Thomas. They always wind up here eventually.

9. Nebraska- Their schedule is tough, and they have the misfortune of facing Ohio State after the five-game suspensions are over, but I still think this team will go far in the Leaders division if they can keep Taylor Martinez healthy. They also still have a healthy defense led by Jared Crick. They'll be fine.

10. Florida State- I'm not a fan of the hype on this team, because I still like to believe FSU is closer to the shambles of the Late Bowden Era than it is to a resurgence under Jimbo Fisher, but their defensive talent is undeniable and E.J. Manuel is more experienced than most first year starters given the brittle nature of Christian Ponder. So, guh. They'll probably win at least ten. Assholes.

Big Ten Standings:
Legends:
1. Nebraska- For reasons stated above. Michigan doesn't have the defense to stop them, Michigan State is bound to fall from a lucky 2010 season, and Iowa's lost a ton of experience.

2. Iowa- Never underestimate a Kirk Ferentz team with low expectations. They've suffered heavy attrition but should adjust enough to get to the 7-8 wins they're comfortable with, which should be enough to fit them in at second in a thin division.

3. Michigan State- I'm down on them, I can't help it. They got absolutely thrashed in the games they lost last year and had too many close wins. They'll still be a bowl team, but nowhere near the 11 wins they got last year.

4. Northwestern- Because you know they'll be just good enough to lose a bowl game.

5. Michigan- If they had kept Rich Rod and continued to build based on the players he finally had recruited for his scheme, I'd say they're the second best team in this division, but they're right back to the mismatch of talent/scheme they were a few years ago. Robinson will still point up points, but they'll be handicapped trying to run a power offense with spread personnel while their defense still blows.

6. Minnesota- Duh.

Leaders:
1. Wisconsin- See above.

2. Ohio State- Even without Tressel, the loss of so many skill players for all or part of the season should make them the most Tressely-Tresselball team ever, but they still have enough talent on defense and in the run game that they can probably manage their way to 8-9 wins.

3. Illinois- I'm a homer, naturally, but there's logic behind this despite the loss of LeShoure, Martez Wilson, and Corey Liuget. The decline in schedule strength should compensate for the loss of talent, as Illinois no longer begins with the brutal match up with Missouri and instead starts with 5 straight home games (and 8 overall) and enough winnable matchups that an 8-10 win season seems well within the realm of probability. The Zook Factor applies, however, so I may swallow these words. And a lot of tears. And then some scotch.

4. Penn State- Because neither of their quarterbacks excite me, they've lost Evan Royster, and their defense was average last year.

5. Purdue- Until Danny Hope shows me anything worth believing he can actually right the ship, they're stuck in the basement.

6. Indiana- Recruiting Gunner Kiel was a huge score for them, but he won't arrive on campus until next year. Instead they're left with a gaping hole where Ben Chappell used to be (hehe, Chappell was fat. Great QB, though), and he was the only reason they were competitive in some games last year. It don't look good, folks.

In the new title game I expect Wisconsin to eke out a win over Nebraska. So there you have it. You are, of course, complete welcome to disregard my rankings since they're as full of shit as everyone else's, but hey, ain't college football great?

Two weeks. Thank you, almighty football lords.

Walk Away, Carlos

I don't write much about the Cubs anymore. For one, this is a football blog and, while I wrote some Cubs stuff a few years ago, there are many people out there who do that job better and frankly, I just don't care enough anymore. I feel compelled to give my 2 cents on Carlos Zambrano, though, so bear with me.

I'm a Cubs fan because of my grandfather. My dad's a Cubs fan as well, but he had to spend all of his time when I was a kid working his ass off during the day and, as the father of three snot-nosed brats, he never really had much control over the television remote when he came home. So I watched the Cubs at Grandpa's house. Grandpa was long-suffering and he lived and died with his team. I admired that. I embody that to an extent, except for the last few years the Cubs have actually managed to break me. I don't watch anymore, and that bugs me. I can't enjoy them because they aren't enjoyable and they sure as hell don't seem interested in getting there any time soon. Jim Hendry's going to stay. The Ricketts just think it's swell to own a goddamn baseball team, even if the product on the field is a total abortion. So I can't just stomach it like my Grandpa could. That's fine. I'm not my Grandpa. He also lived through the Great Depression and spent a year freezing in a foxhole in the frozen hell of North Korea. I couldn't do that either.

I don't think Carlos Zambrano is built much like my grandfather, either. For what it's worth, I think people that are trying to cast Zambrano as a selfish guy who excludes himself from blame when he's ranting about playing for a shitty team are wrong. Every one of Zambrano's outbursts has been directed at himself and they generally only involved his teammate's when they've chosen to get too close to the hurricane. Sure, I get why he's easy to dislike. He's really a raving lunatic and he's immature and, despite my constant argument that Jay Cutler's personality has no impact on the field, Carlos's rage does since it clearly affects his control and allows bad games to snowball on him. He needed to handle things better, but he's not built that way. He's pissed that the team sucks. He's pissed that he sucks. I don't think Carlos sees the point of playing shitty baseball for a shitty baseball team. I've heard meatball fans for years bitching about how Aramis Ramirez or Alfonso Soriano look like they're happy just to cash a check for underachieving, yet they're now ripping into Zambrano for deciding that it just isn't worth it anymore.

I don't think what Zambrano did was right, but I'm also tired of society constantly policing the attitudes of players. How many star athletes do we get in every generation who perfectly embody all of the proper standards of performance and intangibles and behavior that we set for them? Maybe a handful? Hell, most of the ones we think "do it the right way" collapse into a heap of lies at some point like Tiger Woods or Brett Favre or Alex Rodriguez. I'm done with that. If Carlos thinks this shit sucks and he wants to walk away, I hope he does it and I hope he doesn't let anyone talk him out of it. I think this shit sucks, too. I've spent most of the last two summers not watching the Cubs and the worst part is that I don't even miss them. They've killed the part of me that just liked watching baseball because I've long since become accustomed to the idea that they care a hell of a lot less about putting a winning product on the field than I do, and the fact that they're trashing Carlos Zambrano while endorsing the man who not only signed Carlos to a massive contract but also built the shitty team around him says all I need to know. I really have a hard time caring about the Chicago Cubs these days, and they're responsible for it. I'm not surprised they've driven away Carlos Zambrano, too.

Bears-Bills Observations

I've said many times that the worst mistake you can make as a football fan is to overrate anything you see in the preseason. If you need evidence of that I can always direct you to my favorite stick-poking of Bears fandom's greatest ledge-jumper. That said, you can occasionally glean some useful information from individual matchups during preseason games, and I really had just one hope for this game, which was that the offensive line might try to be something better than a total embarrassment.

Well....

Okay, it looked bad. Raw sack totals are always misleading, though. I'm throwing out the five second-half sacks of Nathan Enderle because all of the back-ups were in at that point and trying to take anything meaningful from the second half of the first preseason game is an endeavor well beyond foolishness. The four first half sacks are certainly concerning, however. I'll say that the overall size and strength of the unit appears to be much better, since the runblocking was pretty stellar for Marion Barber and Khalil Bell, who capitalized for 120 yards at 6.0 ypc.

As for those four sacks of Cutler and Hanie, the positive that I can take away is that no one appeared to be consistently defeated. Unlike last year's Kamerion Wimbley/Chris Williams shellacking in the 2nd game of the preseason, this year the responsibility for those four sacks belongs to J'Marcus Webb, Lance Louis, Roberto Garza, and Caleb Hanie, in that order.

Webb was certainly the most egregious defender, as he allowed pressure from Shawne Merriman that forced Cutler to step into Marcell Dareus (who was forcing his way through Lance Louis after a missed double-team assignment) and he allowed Merriman to sack Hanie as well. On Merriman's second sack, Webb did his job and blocked Merriman before passing him off to Garza, but Garza faltered and allowed Hanie to go down, however, as Erik Kramer pointed out, Hanie needed to get the ball out quicker on that one, as he had an open receiver to his left and failed to pull the trigger. Lance Louis struggled one-on-one with Marcell Dareus, but he should have had help on the first sack he allowed.

I think things will get better. I'm not going to blow smoke up anyone's ass and I'm still scared as hell of this unit, but this is, for the most part, a young unit that has plenty of promise, unlike last year, where Kreutz and an injured Garza were two aging question marks and Frank Omiyale proved once more that he's beyond redemption. Lance Louis struggled Saturday night but allowed just one sack in five starts last year and has performed well in camp. Chris Williams actually played well, to the shock of all. Carimi seemed to be as good as advertised. John Mullin thinks they'll be alright as well, and notes that the team can make some lineup changes as well. I think the struggles in this first game were mostly missed assignments or technical issues, and the concern will come in the future if Webb fails to shake off this week's game or if the line appears to be physically overwhelmed, which wasn't the impression that I got, and I'd say that's supported by the rushing totals.

As for other highlights, it was good to see Amobi Okoye make an impact with 2 sacks, and I think he'll be a great situational pass-rusher at defensive tackle. As I said before, his biggest problems in Texas stemmed from weaknesses in run support and a general failure to hold up as a 3-down player. In Chicago he could simply sub in for Anthony Adams on third down and be a defensive tackle version of the 2006 Mark Anderson. The linebacking crew looked stellar as always, Johnny Knox performed well as a kick returner, and Major Wright seemed to be around the ball every time he was on the field. I was glad to see Lovie get Cutler and Forte out of there ASAP on a night where the field was sloppy and wet and the line was struggling. Hopefully things will be better this weekend, when the starters should get a few more reps that may give us something more hopeful.

Go Bears.

The Bears Offensive Line: Talking Myself Off of the Ledge

So Mike Tice has declared the starting five combination that he wants to take into the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. That starting five consists of J'Marcus Webb at left tackle, Chris Williams at left guard, Roberto Garza at center, Lance Louis at right guard, and Gabe Carimi at right tackle. Now that starting five doesn't really appear to be inspiring much confidence in most people because four of those give gentlemen were on last year's roster during the 56 sack-a-palooza and the fifth guy is an untested rookie.

Now, dear reader, I understand your concern because, well, I myself have been shitting solid bricks over Jerry's inactivity regarding the offensive line during free agency. While I think the team truly will be better at the center position with Chris Spencer rather than Olin Kreutz (although Garza at center is at total wild card, the man's not a bad player and is bigger than Kreutz so he could do just fine there), I too am not sold on the idea that the Bears can count on Webb, Carimi, Louis, and Williams ALL to pan out. Unfortunately, however, help doesn't appear to be on the way. Those are the guys you're stuck with, so here's why you and I shouldn't start drinking Clorox, or something.

1. The biggest offender of 2010 is no longer in the lineup.
Funny thing about last year. After Chris Williams went down in week two against the Cowboys, Frank Omiyale moved over from right tackle to left tackle and stayed there for the rest of the season. After that we were force-fed horseplop about how Omiyale was "surprisingly solid" at left tackle blah blah blah. Omiyale allowed 13 sacks last year, by far the highest total of anyone on the team. Hell, Orlando Pace allowed 3 sacks in 11 games in 2009, for comparison, and while raw sack totals are sometimes flawed and Orlando allowed a hell of a lot of pressure overall, Omiyale sucked and let no one tell you otherwise. While Frank was certainly an improvement of Chris Williams/Kevin Shaffer at left tackle in the run game, he was still in my opinion the weakest link of the unit and he's been relegated to the bench, hopefully for good. That's a bonus.

2. They're bigger.
Mike Martz's offense calls for five big, beefy offensive linemen who can hold their own in the passing game. Olin Kreutz as a 292 pound center was a poor fit, and moving Garza to center in order to get greater size at both center and guard makes sense. As it stands right now, that starting five combo of Webb, Williams, Garza, Louis, and Carimi would average about 312 LBs per man. Hopefully that size alone should cut down on some of the interior penetration which caused so much trouble last year. If this group can simply fall down and make a mess of things in the middle and allow Cutler to scramble outside of the pocket, well, that's an improvement over the disaster that was the first half of last year.

3. The unit that ended last season is not the unit that started last season.
There are a lot of enduring, painful images of last year's offensive line that have us all sweating balls about this group. It's worth noting however that the unit that ended last season was far different than the unit that was responsible for debacles like the 10 sack game vs. the Giants, the 6 sack against the Seahawks, and the 4 sack games against the Lions and the Redskins. The Bears opened the season last year with a left-to-right alignment of Chris Williams, Garza, Kreutz, Louis, and Omiyale and got the following results:

-Chris Williams at left tackle was a disaster, and he went down in week two with an injury shortly after getting pantsed by DeMarcus Ware on consecutive possessions. That forced Omiyale over to left tackle, where he was only an improvement compared to Chris Williams, and sent Kevin Shaffer in at right tackle.

-Kevin Shaffer blew and was absolutely shellacked by the Giants (2 sacks, 2 false starts in just 1 start), so he was benched after one start for J'Marcus Webb at RT.

-Roberto Garza struggled with a knee injury early on before he missed two starts after surgery. In his place Edwin Williams was less than spectacular, allowing 1 sack and several pressures in two starts.

-Louis played well, but it was hard to tell between the overrated mediocrity of Olin Kreutz and the general suckitude of Kevin Shaffer. Louis missed one start due to injury and then was lost in the shuffle after Chris Williams returned to play left guard.

The Bears didn't settle on a group of five that lasted more than one game until the eighth game of the season against Buffalo. After that, things got better:

First Seven Games: 31 sacks (4.4 per game), 89 yards rushing per game, 18 PPG
Last Nine Games: 25 sacks (2.7 per game), 111 yards rushing per game, 23 PPG

So the Bears have now replaced two weak links on that much less embarrassing second half offensive line (Kreutz, Omiyale) with Roberto Garza at center and Gabe Carimi at right tackle. Will it work? I don't know, but there's reasons ot believe it can and will, but there's also little reason to fear a regression to last year's nightmarish first half numbers. At the very least this a group that should be able to run the ball effectively.

4. There's Some depth.
Chris Spencer isn't currently in the starting lineup, and I do believe Tice when he says he'd prefer to go into the season with Roberto Garza at center. Roberto has been a quality linemen (except in the four games last year before his knee surgery) in his time for the Bears and a move to center could prolong his career. He also knows the Martz playbook and all of the line calls and seems to be handling center well after a rough start to camp. And hell, if he botches a few snaps, has a couple false starts, and maybe can't handle a shotgun snap real well, it's not like he's any worse than vaunted leader Olin Kreutz in that department. However, Garza can always move back to guard to replace either Louis or Williams if either of them falters, and hopefully by that point Spencer will be ready to step in at center. Spencer's also got an entire 16-game season of experience at guard under his belt, so the Bears may go that route if need be.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Bears didn't score the big-name free agent linemen that we (and they) were hoping for and now they have to hope one of their young guys can play better than whatever over-priced, lower-tier free agent they could bring in at this point. If you're asking me, I'd say Carimi will be in improvement over the Omiyale/Shaffer/Rookie Webb combo at RT, while it won't take much from Webb to be an improvement over Omiyale at left tackle. Garza can probably handle center, and I'm high on Lance Louis.

My biggest worry is Chris Williams, but I'd say that the worst case scenario for the Bears at this point would be marginal improvement over last year's second half-numbers (the acquisition of Matt Spaeth, who HAS to be a better blocker than the Manu/Olsen combo of last year, should help as well), while anyone fearing a retreat back to the full-on CutlerRape of the first half can probably cease the pants-wetting. As for the best case scenario? I don't know. If Carimi and Webb can be what Mike Tice believes they can be, this could be one very good offense. If not, well, they could probably survive another year with an offensive line like the one they took into the playoffs last year, just not the offensive line they took into the Meadowlands.

Or they could be fucked, in which case somebody's getting fired, and that's always fun, no?

Getting to Know Your New Chicago Bears

So it's been a pretty eventful offseason as far as player movement goes for the Bears, and while I recapped the team's free agent efforts, I still feel some of you may want some more information on the more notable additions to the Bears roster, be they draft picks, undrafted rookies, or free agents. So without further ado, meet your newest Bears:

WR Roy Williams
HT: 6'3'' WT: 210 LBs
Years in the League: 7 Seasons
Draft: 1st Rd, 7th Pick, 2004 NFL Draft (Lions)
So for the last year meathead Bears fans have been screaming from the top of their lungs that they wanted a big target for Jay Cutler. The Bears went out and got one in Roy Williams, whom most fans have already decided to hate. Now, I myself hate Williams' personality and the useless bravado he exhibited with the Lions, but I have no beef with the signing. He fits well in Martz's offense and, considering I have more faith in the Bears' current crop of wideouts than most, I think the team will be fine whether Roy pans out or not.

However, many fans are pissed because Roy didn't produce much as Romo's third or even fourth option in Dallas as he had just 37 receptions for 530 yds and 5 TDs last year. Now, Bears fans, in their infinite wisdom, are smarter than Jerry Angelo and know that a guy like Sidney Rice (averages 44.4 ypg in his career, Roy averages 52.1) would have been a much better option, since Roy Williams is a fluke who only has one 1300 yard season in his career to hang his hat on. Oh, wait. That sounds like it might apply to Sidney Rice, too.

Well, the Bears at least should have gotten Plaxico Burress, because a guy who is older than Roy Williams and hasn't played a down since 2008 must automatically be better than Roy.

Okay, well the Bears should have gone with Mike Sims-Walker, even though he's never had a 1,000 yard season and he's averaged 43.4 ypg in his career. Maybe, just maybe, this WR crop in FA wasn't as great as people made it out to be and MAYBE, given Roy's previous sucess in the system and the fact that he's actually produced better in his career than both Rice and Sims-Walker, he actually was the smart pick. I don't know.

WR Sam Hurd
HT: 6'2'' WT: 187
Years in the League: Five
Draft: Undrafted
As I mentioned the other day, Hurd's biggest contributions will come on special teams, where, based on the reports I've heard, he's possibly an upgrade over Rashied Davis and, considering Rashied generally couldn't catch Syphilis in a 16th century French brothel, I'm guessing Sam would be at least a mild upgrade if forced to take meaningful reps at wide receiver. He also went to Northern Illinois, for all of you Huskie homers.

WR Dane Sanzenbacher
HT: 5'11 WT: 185 LBs
Years in the League: Rookie
Draft: Undrafted Free Agent
It'll be alright if Roy Williams doesn't pan out, however, because the meatball crowd now has Dane Sanzenbacher, scrappy white wide receiver from Ohio State, to root for. If you're on twitter, do a quick search for "Sanzenbacher" and marvel at the results from Bears fans already stating that he'll be better than Roy Williams and inquiring desperately about his roster status. I'd be truly sad if this annual tradition wasn't kept up. I'm sure he'll be just as great as Mike Haass. He also went to Ohio State, so, you know, f*&k him.

WR Andy Fantuz
HT: 6'4'' WT: 220 LBs
Years in the League: Rookie
Draft: Undrafted, Acquired from CFL
As a CFL fan, I'd normally root for any guy like Fantuz to succeed in the NFL and legitimize the league, but Fantuz played for the Roughriders, sworn enemies of Smilin' Hank Burris' Calgary Stampeders, so woe unto him. Also he's just a tall, slow wide receiver that can't block. And you thought they'd miss Greg Olsen.

DE Vernon Gholston
HT: 6'4'' WT: 265 LBs
Years in the League: 3
Draft: 1st Rd, 6th Pick, 2008 Draft (Jets)
Gholston was a beast in college, where he had 22.5 sacks and 30.5 tackles for a loss in 34 games. In the NFL he was a surprisingly poor fit after switching from a 4-3 DE to a 3-4 OLB. Then Rex Ryan moved him to a 3-4 defensive end, which is never much of a premier pass rushing position. The Jets then brought in veteran 3-4 DE Trevor Pryce, and Gholston had just 2 starts while attempting to learn an entirely new position. In my opinion, Gholston never should have been put anywhere in a 3-4. He's still got incredible burst and straight-line speed for a 4-3 DE (4.56 40 time) and he may very well progress into something resembling the guy he was supposed to be under Rod Marinelli. At worst, he's a big upgrade at the #4 DE spot over Mark Anderson, who broke camp at that position last year, and over Henry Melton, who was more of a fit at defensive tackle, where he now lines up this year. At best...he could be a terror in a pass-rushing rotation with Peppers, Idonije, and Corey Wooton. The standard response as I've mentioned before was "LOL, look at ol' Angelo pickin' through the trash," but I absolutely support this move. There's nothing to lose.

DT Amobi Okoye
HT: 6'2'' WT: 292 LBs
Years in the League: 4
Draft: 1st Rd, 10th Pick, 2007 Draft (Texans)
Akoye is another "bust" the Bears have picked up for their DL, but unlike Gholston he actually has produced in short stints. He had 5.5 sacks as a rookie, a very solid total for a DT, and he has 11 sacks overall, for an average of 3 a year. In Chicago he's not going to be asked to be a three-down defensive tackle, eliminating his struggles against the run, and if he manages to be part of the 3-technique rotation during passing downs, I think his speed will be a benefit to the team. Some people are pissed the Bears failed to add some secondary depth during this offseason and instead addressed the DL. If the Bears can get similar production from their line as last year, they'll be able to get by once more with the secondary they have. If they get improved production from guys like Idonije, Wooton, Melton, and Toeiana they'll be in really good shape, and if guys like Gholston and Okoye tap into their potential you'll probably stop hearing all of that crap about Detroit's defensive line being something near-godlike (especially since Fairley is already hurt). The only constant on the Bears' D-Line this year may be Peppers, but if the other three spots can keep up a consistent pass-rush by committee, the entire Tampa-Two will click better than it has since 2006.

DT Stephen Paea
HT: 6'1'' WT: 311 LBs
Years in the League: Rookie
Draft: 2nd Rd, 2011 Draft (Bears)
Of course, one key to ensuring that the Bears defensive line turns into the monster unit I'm optimistic that it can be is if Paea is able to earn his way to a starting job and become a force either at the three-technique or the nose tackle. Paea's versatility is an asset, since he's got the size to take over for Anthony Adams at the nose if Melton or Okoye proves to be a better penetrator at under-tackle, but his burst and his absolutely ludicrous showing at the combine (that's a video of him doing 49 bench press reps of 225 lbs. No big deal) indicate that he's got the quickness and brute strength necessary to be a disruptive pass-rushing force at under-tackle. Plus, he an Toeiana give the Bears a +1 over Detroit and Green Bay in the all-important category of Polynesian defensive linemen. Suh, Raji, your move.

OT Gabe Carimi
HT: 6'7'' WT: 315 LBs
Years in the League: Rookie
Draft: 1st RD, 29th Pick, 2011 Draft (Bears)
Of course, Gabe Carimi will be the most watched rookie on the Bears this year and the one that absolutely must make an impact. I've heard some minor hand-wringing about the Bears moving J'Marcus Webb to LT and Carimi to right, but I don't really consider it an issue. Webb was a small school talent with similar overall measurables to a guy like Carimi who got much better as the season went along last year and has every bit as much of the potential to be a starting LT as Carimi does, plus a slight edge as far as experience goes. Carimi by all accounts could be a great left tackle in the NFL, but there's some disagreement there, while I haven't heard anyone yet say that he wouldn't be a great right tackle in the NFL. Carimi's greatest strength is plowing people over in the run game, while he's an above-average, but not elite blocker in pass protection. Hopefully they both work out. If Carimi and Webb can lock down both ends of the line the team then the team will be in great shape for years to come at two of the most important positions on offense. I understand the fear that the team may be lying about their faith in Webb given the $33 million contract they offered to Willie Colon, but reports that I heard even then seemed to indicate that Willie would be moved to guard in Chicago and only moved to tackle if Webb struggled. So hopefully this is a move that pays off. Either way, I'd expect Carimi to succeed at right tackle, to say the least.

C Chris Spencer
HT: 6'3" WT: 309 LBs
Years in the League: 7
Draft: 1st Rd, 26th Pick, 2005 Draft (Seahawks)
Spencer is now the replacement for Olin Kreutz at center. I gave my feelings on letting Olin go before, and I definitely think Spencer can be an improvement over what Olin gave the Bears over the last several years, even if he's a step down from the Pro-Bowl caliber center that Olin Kreutz used to be (and that apparently some people still imagine he is). For one, Spencer has both height and a nearly 20 pound weight advantage over Kreutz, which should hopefully allow the team to reduce the amount of pressure up the middle from guys like Suh and Raji. Spencer's only 29, and he's also got a full year's experience playing guard under his belt. While some have ragged on Spencer for inconsistency, he's generally performed adequately when he hasn't struggled with injuries, something that plagued him from 07-09. Last year Pro Football Focus had him as comparable to Kreutz in pass protection and a much better run blocker. Spencer at 29 should be able to sustain that production, if he doesn't improve under Tice, while Kreutz at 34 is likely to continue his decline. Spencer may not be an all-pro, but he was certainly the best center on the market, and that market included Olin Kreutz.

Those are all of the additions I deem worthy of an actual breakdown, although I will add that the Bears signed Oregon State's center Alex Linnenkohl (6'2'', 303 LBs), who was the highest rated center that wasn't drafted this year. While he's not ready to start now, he's a strong candidate for the practice squad or a guy who can be stashed on injured reserve for a year while he adds strength and could possibly replace Spencer if he Spencer disappoints over his two-year contract.