THROUGH THE HALFWAY POINT…

…here’s some of what we might know about the Chicago Bears.

• Jeremy Langford might be a better fit for a John Fox team than Matt Forte for one reason: short-yardage. Forte is one of the best all around backs in Bears history but his primary weakness has been the ability to get that one yard when the Bears need it, especially around the goal line. Langford runs like a taller Maurice Jones-Drew.
• If Jay Cutler is the Bears quarterback in 2016, the Bears might have no problem being playoff contenders in 2016.
• Eddie Goldman, Adrian Amos and Pernell McPhee are players. Jarvis Jenkins, Lamarr Houston (late development) and Tracy Porter might be capable of contribution. Every other position on the defensive side of the ball is up for debate moving forward.
• Alshon Jeffery might be capable of being a number one receiver. (Will the Bears pay him like one?)
• Phil Emery might have stolen the Bears a left tackle at the tail end of the 2014 draft. But the next eight games will go a long way towards that determination.

THE GAME POEM

This is a poem by Jim Moore that appeared on the walls of NYC subway cars for a while. It’s brilliant. Not sure what it has to do with this game but I’m also not sure I care.

I remember my mother toward the end,
folding the tablecloth after dinner
so carefully,
as if it were the flag
of a country that no longer existed,
but once had ruled the world.

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Rumor is I made a few picks last week. I have no recollection of this but it has been brought to my attention by several associates. (I was not disappointed in the Rams pick. That game could have gone either way. But I just didn’t think the Packers would lose back-to-back games or that the Bears defense could hold the Charger offense to 12 points.) This week, a rebound…and a theme! Road dogs!

BUFFALO BILLS +3 AT NEW YORK JETS

Here’s why I like the Bills to win outright tonight:

• When Buffalo’s had their starting quarterback and star wide receiver, they’ve been a different team. Both will be looking to make their 2015 statement in front of a national audience tonight and thrust their team into the playoff race.
• Jets defense has hit a wall. The Patriots got them for 30, the Raiders got them for 34 and last week the Jags offense managed 23 and – most importantly – kept the game close throughout.
• I know the coaching staffs are entirely different (including a swap) but the combined score of the Bills/Jets games in 2014 were 81-26.

CHICAGO BEARS +7 AT ST. LOUIS RAMS

St. Louis will be in the 20s. The Bears should be in the 20s. Points just seem too many for a team quarterbacked by Nick Foles.

DETROIT LIONS +11 AT GREEN BAY PACKERS

This has all the makings of a back door cover, especially against a defense that just allowed the Broncos and Panthers – two struggling offenses – 29 and 37 respectively. I’ll take the points.

Season Record: 13-12-2

I’m putting $100 on each of these bets all season. Will be keeping my total down below. (For those of you who are not gamblers, if you lose a $100 bet you actually lose $110. If you push a $100 bet, you lose the $10 vig.)

Tennessee +2 at Cleveland

Anti-Manziel pick. When I watch Johnny Football on an NFL field he reminds me of a young kid wearing his father’s suit. His lack of awareness inside the pocket is usurped only by his lack of understanding that the men sharing the field with him are faster and smarter than just about every player he faced at Texas A&M. Titans 23, Browns 16

St. Louis -3 at Washington

Washington v. Miami was the worst game played last Sunday. Neither deserved to win. Now the Redskins, without Desean Jackson, face the most ferocious defense in the NFC? Rams win on the road. Rams 20, Redskins 7

Jacksonville +6 vs Miami

Line is too high. Simple as that. Dolphins 24, Jags 21

Record Through One Week: 1-1-1

(-$20)

Does Sunday’s loss to the St. Louis Rams really warrant a rapid fire recap? Do the folks who read this site daily not understand that Chris Conte takes terrible angles to running backs, Josh McCown is a wonderful caretaker for the offense, Julius Peppers plays well every other week, blah blah blah? Do I really need to take each member of the Bears defense to task for being who they are when most of them have less than two months remaining in a Bears uniform? My opinion on the Bears defense and the entirety of the Bears loss Sunday was summed up in two of my Tweets:

Bears fans. Ask yourself how many defenders on the unit are good. Not how many can be good or used to be. How many defenders today are good?

Sad fact: answer might be one. Tim Jennings.

Blaming Mel Tucker is silly. Bears are not being out-coached on the defensive side of the ball. They are being beaten in every single one-on-one match-up. And there’s a very simple reason. They’re not talented.

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No chat this week as I’m attempting to work out some kinks.

If you read my game preview closely you know I think this is a terrible match-up for the Bears defense. They have one goal today: get out of St. Louis with a victory. No style points needed. 9-6 is fine. 44-43 is fine. Just win, baby. If you have some time pregame, here’s my spot on 1490 the Jock Thursday night.

Run the ball and stop the run. That’s what we were told makes successful football teams for the majority of my life. Run the ball and stop the run. Well after ten games the Bears are the 18th best rushing team in the league and only the Jacksonville Jaguars are worse at defending the run. (This is almost unfair being that Jacksonville has a points differential of -189 and teams are basically running at them non-stop from the middle of the third quarter on.)

Where does this mediocre rushing attack/awful rush defense currently sit? Of course! They’re tied for first place! So why do I like the Chicago Bears this week?

I always like the Chicago Bears.

BUT WHAT FOOTBALL REASONS, JEFF?

• The NFL now ranks the Bears as the 9th best offense in terms of yardage and the Aikman Efficiency Rankings have them 8th. So now matter what numbers you’re looking at the Bears are a top 10 offense in the sport. If Bears fans had been told in August the team would be ravaged by injury on defense and play Josh McCown for two and a half of the first ten games and STILL be tied for first place in the division…how hard would the laughter be? That’s how impressive a first year this has been for head coach Marc Trestman.

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