To see the entirety of the 2014 Bears schedule, CLICK HERE.

Guessing which teams will be good and which teams will not is a futile endeavor in the middle of April. So addressing the strength of the Chicago Bears 2014 schedule is also futile. But the schedule does offer many talking points, mostly about logistics, worth thinking about as we prepare to switch our attention around here to the NFL Draft.

• Bears opening with five of their first eight on the road is tough sledding for any franchise but especially one that’ll be installing what is essentially a new defensive structure. Bears season may be a matter of early survival.
• Perfect bye week, right in the middle of the year. One thing I always think about when it comes to the bye week is the PUP list. If the Bears suffer a significant injury between now and Labor Day and are forced to utilize the PUP list, they may be able to give that player an additional three weeks before calling him back into action.
• I don’t care what form the Niners are in come early September, the Bears will be double-digit underdogs when they help open the Dungaree Ballpark outside San Fran. Those fans are already quite rowdy without the excitement of christening the sloop and a full day of imbibing Scrimshaw.

• How’s this for a five-game stretch? At Panthers, at Falcons, home Dolphins, at Pats, Bye, at Packers. 3-2 through that stretch and this may very well be a title contender.
• Love the Bears finishing at Minnesota, their coldest game of the year. NFC North belongs outdoors.
• Dream scenario for this schedule? Force the Cowboys and Saints to visit Chicago, in December, in primetime. Cowboys withered a year ago. Saints have withered in Chicago in winter for a decade.
• DaBearsBlog will definitely be in Atlanta for October 12th. Anybody who wants to get together at Manuel’s (the best bar in the city) simply drop us an email.
• Three of the final four games at home and the only road game the aforementioned Minnesota contest? No team in the NFL would pass on that finish to the schedule.
• Where do I stand on the Bears playing Thanksgiving in Detroit? I’m on the fence. Part of me enjoys the relative stress-free, fill my stomach with meat and booze, watch other teams play approach of Thanksgiving. But let’s be honest. The Bears are kicking off before noon CT. There’s still plenty of time to do all that.
• NFL allowing CBS to bring the Bears into their Thanksgiving slate and not forcing the network to choose between Miami and Buffalo at Detroit is a stroke of genius. And it also save the league from having to take the Lions and Cowboys off Thanksgiving.
• There is a new trend happening with Bears seasons and I don’t like it: the slow erosion of the Sunday schedule. From November 24th until December 20th, the  Bears will play three games and none of them on Sundays. It’s the heart of the NFL season and I’ll be waking up on Sunday mornings checking to see what time the Packers play? I don’t care for it.
• I hate the idea the Packers and Bears will be finished playing one another by November 9th. They may play in two games where the weather never dips below 60.
• I think the NFL made a mistake not scheduling the Bucs and Bears earlier in the year. My contention? If you’re not going to play the game in primetime, why not slow McCown v. Cutler, Lovie v. Bears right at the top of the schedule? Too much can happen in two and a half months to assume there’ll still be thickness to the rivalry.
• Yes, there is a NASCAR race in Charlotte on Saturday night October 11th and yes, I was rooting for the Bears to play there the following day. Missed by a week. I always do.

Final Thought…

It is an interesting schedule. A tough logistical road through the first eight, a perfectly placed bye week and a smooth landing area. It’s not a schedule the Bears will be able to exploit to make the postseason. They will need to be a good team to contend. The way it should be.