It was the strangest of moments.

The goalline was pure steel and Jay Cutler seemed to have magnets in his ass pockets for the first half of the first quarter. The first drive was unique. Kellen Davis whiffed on a Robert Mathis block and Cutty was sent hard to the turf by the ageless pass rusher. Roberto Garza followed the sack by ten-pinning a snap and it was over before it started.

Cutler wasn’t having that on the second drive. With one swing of his mighty arm he complete – to Jerrell Freeman – one of the worst interceptions of his Bears career. 7-0. Colts.

Josie Woods went silent. My palms went sweaty. The half-pint of Coors Lights went down my throat. Then I had the most amazing of thoughts. It was one of those thoughts I never thought I’d have in my Bears fan life. I thought, “We’re going to beat this team by 30.”

And I believed it. Without ever seeing this new-look offense complete a pass I was fully convinced the franchise quarterback and Phil Emery-constructed receiving corps would score. A lot. I started remembering the 2005 season – a time when a seven-point hole was insurmountable. I started remembering the mid-90s under Dave Wannstedt – a time when a one-point hole was reason enough to turn off the television or head for the exits.

And I smiled. Because the Bears can score points now. A lot of them. At will. This might not be a revelation on par with some of Einstein’s better work but damn it if I didn’t think it a miraculous moment.

I can’t imagine a game starting uglier for the Chicago Bears. Sacks. False starts. Cutler throws one of the worst interceptions I’ve ever seen. The first half of the first quarter was grotesque. But life got better in a hurry. Here are a bunch of thoughts.

• In my lifetime I can’t remember a corner playing a better single game than Tim Jennings played yesterday. I predicted Jennings to have four interceptions and a Pro Bowl-caliber year. I didn’t expect him to have two in the opener.
• So…Jay Cutler is apparently going to throw the ball to Brandon Marshall no matter how many defenders are near him?
• Cutler’s touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery was perfection. No other way to describe it.
• I’d have to revisit the tape but on first viewing I thought J’Marcus Webb played a solid game at left tackle.
• If Adam Podlesh couldn’t punt, why was he punting?
• The image of Brian Urlacher spending the bulk of the second half on the sidelines was a little disturbing. If Lovie Smith is monitoring 54’s reps in Week One it does not bode well for the man’s ability to get through the rigors of an entire NFL season. And Urlacher wasn’t fighting it. He wasn’t mad. And that might have been the most telling sign. A great career is on the homestretch.
• Let’s retire the Devin Hester end around.
• I said all along the talk of Devin Hester and Kellen Davis was silly. Yesterday it was Earl Bennett thriving in the slot and Kyle Adams looking like the Bears most explosive tight end on the roster.
• The depth along the Bears defensive line is borderline frightening and we could spend a few minutes on McClellin, Wootton, Peppers…etc. But I am going to lay the gauntlet for Henry Melton. Let’s see that performance for sixteen weeks. Sixteen weeks. Melton has all the talent in the world and the Bears need the push from the middle to have a successful defensive year.
• Michael Bush belongs on the Bears.
• So does Blake Costanzo.
• So does Brandon Marshall.
• So does Phil Emery.
• Can’t say enough for Matt Forte – both running and catching the ball. There simply isn’t a more versatile back in the league. (I still can’t believe the contract Emery convinced him to sign.)
• My favorite play of the day: Kelvin Hayden’s hit on Donnie Avery. Perfect technique and perfectly legal, Hayden laid the wood.

It was one of those games you over-analyze at your own peril, as the second half was essentially a runaway. The Bears got a dominant win and move on to the Packers.

Thanks to my girlfriend Sarah’s bongos. And her drums.

I will have a something resembling a full recap of this afternoon’s game either late tonight or first thing tomorrow morning. It will involve Tim Jennings quite a bit. Then we begin the quick sprint. Because remember kids…

‘Tis Packer Week.

Three final things to watch heading into today’s opener:

1. How does Shea McClellin fare on third downs in exclusive pass rushing situations? I expect the Bears to have success on early downs, specifically against the run, and Shea’s emergence opposite Julius Peppers will be key to the Bears getting off the field on defense.
2. How do the Bears tight ends work into the offense? Will Kellen Davis become the primary receiver? (Tony Scheffler had nearly 700 yards in Denver in 2008.) Will Mat Spaeth be strict protection for J’Marcus Webb on the left side? Will Evan Rodriguez have a role in the base offense as a FB/HB hybrid? Will Kyle Adams even be active?
3. How does Urlacher’s knee look after contact? How does he look in the third and fourth quarters?

Bear down.

It is tradition around here.

Bear down.

Enjoy.

Remember you can still make an entry into the the picks contest but that selection must be made on THE INITIAL POST. No picks made on this post or tomorrow’s game thread will be accepted.

The Week’s Lines.

Remember:

• You only pick one team against the spread.
• Once you select the team they are unavailable to you for the remainder of the season.
  
• It is NOT a survival pool. The highest winning percentage at Week 15 will be awarded the prize. If there are ties, we’ll decide in Weeks 16 and 17 by increasing the number of games selected incrementally.
  
• You don’t need to pick every week. But you must make ten selections between Week One and Week Fifteen.
  
• DO NOT MAKE YOUR SELECTION IN THE BODY OF ANOTHER COMMENT. YOUR SELECTION SHOULD BE IT’S OWN COMMENT AND CONTAIN ONLY THE NAME OF THE TEAM YOU ARE SELECTING. (Otherwise it’s a terrible bitch for me to tally up each week.)
• Picks are due by kickoff of the early games Sunday. Picks will only be accepted in the comments of THIS post.
  

(Home team in CAPS)

DENVER -1.5 Pittsburgh

Seattle -3 ARIZONA

Carolina -3 TAMPA BAY

GREEN BAY -5 San Francisco

Atlanta -3 KANSAS CITY

DETROIT -7 St. Louis

HOUSTON -11.5 Miami

MINNESOTA -3.5 Jacksonville

New England -5 TENNESSEE

NEW ORLEANS -7 Washington

NEW YORK JETS -3 Buffalo

Philadelphia -9 CLEVELAND

CHICAGO -10 Indianapolis

And so it begins: the most anticipated season in the modern era of the Chicago Bears. Sunday begins a campaign many believe CAN end with a Super Bowl trophy being hoisted in the great city of New Orleans. But celebratory Pimm’s Cups and muffuletta at the Napoleon House will have to wait until an entire NFL season and postseason are played. Can the Bears make a magical run? We shall see.

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

• I always like the Chicago Bears.
• Mike Chappell of the Indy Star has documented the Colts’ struggles at corner throughout the preseason. Until they made a seemingly ludicrous trade for Vontae Davis the Colts did not have a second professional corner on the roster. Now they’ve given up a second-round pick for Davis and Davis has the unenviable task of drawing former teammate Brandon Marshall at Soldier Field.
• Robert Griffin did not have big numbers in the third preseason game against the Colts due to his own fault. There were wide open receivers deep all first half. I expect the Bears to take multiple shots on this secondary and put on a show for the home fans.
• What should worry the Bears is the impact of the interior blitz from the Colts. As Freeney and Mathis struggle early to adapt to new positions in a new scheme, I expect Chuck Pagano’s Baltimore roots to shine through as he attempts to overwhelm the interior of the Bears offensive line on obvious passing downs. And he may be successful if the Bears don’t avoid obvious passing downs.
• I don’t expect Andrew Luck to test the back end of the Bears secondary. If he does it is because the Bears are mounting zero pass rush. I think Bruce Arians will settle Luck’s debut by relying on a series of quick slants and screens and Arians will run, run, run until he can’t run anymore. If the Bears can get a lead in this game they could force Luck & Co. into some big game-ending mistakes.
• I think the Bears should dominate the Colts coverage units. Young teams without depth struggle to field solid special teams units.
• I expect the Bears to get Cutler out of the pocket more than we’ve seen all preseason and it should open up pockets downfield. (It also should lead to many of us saying “Oh, that Kellen Davis” on Monday morning.)
• I expect the Bears to play games with Luck all afternoon. I think we’ll see linebackers and defensive backs hovering around the line of scrimmage and disguising blitzes on almost every play.
• If the Bears sack Luck three times Sunday, they’ll win handily.
• I think the Colts will rely on a steady stream in the seam, attempting to test Urlacher’s range in the middle of the field. I don’t think it will be effective.
• Don’t underestimate the energy you’ll feel in Soldier Field. Normally I think this is an overrated element but I’d imagine you’ll be able to sense the expectation while you’re in line for the $10 MGD.
• Hunger. It may sound strange but I believe a lot of Bears will be hungry opening week. I believe Brian Urlacher is hungry to show the media they don’t know shit about his injury. (His comment about David Haugh on Waddle & Silvy Tuesday was a thing of beauty.) I believe Mike Tice is hungry to show he knew what he was doing when he assembled this offensive line. I believe Matt Forte is hungry to show everyone he was worth the drama accompanying his contract extension. I believe Charles Tillman will be hungry to show the Giants preseason game was a meaningless preseason game and some moron Bears fans should shut their mouths. Cutler. Marshall. McClellin. I believe there is far more to prove on the home sideline Sunday than the visitor sideline – where they know the pressure won’t start until year three of this new regime.

My score prediction. The only two times the Bears have made the Super Bowl they opened the season with a 38-28 win over Tampa Bay (1985) and a 26-0 victory over the Packers (2006). I’ll split the difference.

Chicago Bears 32, Indianapolis Colts 14

I’ve never liked the picks contest on the site. It’s always been far too much work for me and the prize was never worth the effort. Then I gave away a pair of lower tier tickets at this year’s Draft Party in Chicago and saw far more fun can be had the better the prize is. And now Ms. Ronetta Smith is going from Cortland’s Garage in Bucktown to Soldier Field on October 28th and sitting downstairs with the fancy lads.

So this year I’ve concocted a new contest and a new prize. A prize I think is fun and will make the contest worth watching/following. First the rules…

PICKS CONTEST RULES

• I will post the point spreads for the Sunday games each Saturday morning. The contest will not involve the Thursday night or Monday night contests. Only the Sunday games. You must have your pick on the site by kickoff of the early games Sunday.
• You pick one game each week against the spread. One game only.
• You can only select a team once. Once you pick a team they are unavailable to you for the remainder of the season. (Survivor pool rules.)
• I know lives get busy and sometimes folks miss posts. But you must make 10 selections over the course of the season to be eligible for the prize. If you do not make ten picks, you’re out. No exceptions.
• The regular season for the contest will end after Week 15 – Sunday, December 16th. If we have a single winner, they will be awarded the prize. If we have multiple individuals tied at the top, we will decide the winner over the final two weeks by increasing the number of selections made.

CONTEST PRIZE

You’ll be invited as special guest of DaBearsBlog to this year’s Round One Draft Party on Thursday night, April 25th at Cortland’s Garage in Bucktown. The prize includes:

• Accommodation for draft night at The Willows Hotel, Lakeview. To see the hotel, CLICK HERE. I’ll also be in the hotel and will gladly take you for a drink at the local spot Monsignor Murphy’s if you so choose.
• DaBearsBlog will cover the open bar for you and a +1 at the event.
• $50 gift certificate for you/wife/husband/family to any of the Lou Malnati’s locations across the Chicagoland area.
• Two automatic entries into the ticket contest giveaway that evening. (We’ll announce the particular game and details once the schedule is released next spring.)
• A pair of 2012 DaBearsBlog tee-shirts.

This is my way of thanking those of you who’ve made this site your home over these years and to show I’m constantly looking for new ways to improve the experience around here. The first spreads will be available here on Saturday.

As the World Champion New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys step onto the field in the New Jersey Meadowlands, we welcome the NFL back into our lives. There is no professional sports league in the world like it. None close. And the NFL celebrates its return with its version of Christmas Eve. The night before the day. (In the case the day is 72 hours away.) And we celebrate its return.

The 2008 Chicago Bears struggled to defend throughout the preseason and on opening night – against the Indianapolis Colts – put on a road clinic and won 29-13. (Adewale Ogunleye looked like he was headed for Defensive Player of the Year honors.) The team finished 9-7 and out of the money. (Ogunleye did NOT win Defensive POY.)

The 2009 Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers on opening day. Doomsday! Season over! Raining frogs! The Bears subsequently won the next three games and it was hope! Love! Charity! All it took was a bye week for the season to fall apart. 7-9. Well out of the money.

The 2010 Chicago Bears opening day victory over the “lowly” Detroit Lions was overshadowed by a still-popular discussion of officiating. Calvin Johnson ridiculously laid the football to the turf after scoring the “game-winning touchdown” and the local media let us all know the Bears were opening their campaign with an asterisk. The Bears took it to heart. They went to the NFC Championship game.

2011 is fresh in all our minds but do you remember how it started? With an absolute Shermanesque shelling of Atlanta. The Bears dominated the Falcons at Soldier Field 30-12 and all was right with the world. It only took losing three of the next four games – often in glorious fashion – for the entirety of the Bears universe to forget the ecstasy of the opener.

Because we love the NFL. Because we love the Chicago Bears. Because we have all waited nine months to see the Bears play an official NFL game again we are all prone to analyze and over-analyze every snap of this week’s opener against the Indianapolis Colts. We will place way-too-much emphasis on Shea McClellin’s debut, Brian Urlacher’s knee, Cutler’s chemistry with the wide receivers and Evan Rodriguez’ ability to fill the void at fullback. And the truth of the opener is this: the performance has almost no historical connection to the season’s outcome.

The result absolutely does – especially in today’s NFL. The Bears are playing at home. They are almost a double-digit favorite. They are facing a rookie quarterback. That rookie, while much ballyhooed, is leading the worst team in football a year ago. The Bears must win this game because they are the superior team but also because this is the deepest NFC in almost a decade.

And that is a point not to be understated. Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, Packers, Lions, Panthers, Niners, Panthers…etc. Not only can 9 or 10 of the sixteen conference sides make the postseason but 6 or 7 can actually make the Super Bowl. 10 wins may not be enough to earn the final wild card position, nevertheless top the league’s best team (Green Bay) for the division title. I’ve always believed that the first half of the season is about accumulating victories. The second half of the season is about rounding into playoff form. Due to the talented rosters competing for those six tournament positions I would argue it is as true in 2012 as it ever has been.

The Bears must win Sunday. 3-0. 6-3. 31-0. 43-42 in OT. It does not matter. Style points in week one are the equivalent of good looks in high school. They’re fun to have but when you’re going through a second stint in AA after losing your third wife, the visible jaw bones in that yearbook photo become nothing more than a haunting reminder of what life could have been.

I can’t top that sentence.