Bears: September 2008 Archives

Welcome to the...parity?

Just as the season's starting to take shape - after Sunday's game, Lovie Smith will undoubtedly say the Bears have just played a quarter of their season - predicting games will look easier but become harder.

That was a long way of saying, the Bears still have a chance against Philadelphia on Sunday even though it looks bleak. Am I nuts? Or just hungry?

Here's a glimpse at the accompanying column in The Sun.

CHICAGO - When Kyle Orton threw the ball right to Tampa Bay's Gaines Adams on Sunday at Soldier Field - right to him - you couldn't help but think that Buccaneers' quarterback Brian Griese may have been the right man for the Bears job this year.

Orton, who struggled with the deep ball in a heartbreaking loss to Carolina last week, could not have made it any easier for Adams to catch the ball from inside five yards. In return, Adams made it not so easy for Orton to catch him during a 45-yard dash to the end zone.

Instead of completing a screen up the middle to tight end Desmond Clark on that play - Clark was right behind Adams - the Bucs took an early 14-6 lead, lost it for awhile, and then forced overtime before spoiling the Bears home opener with a 27-24 win.

And they couldn't have done it without Griese, who ignored three interceptions to complete 38 of 67 passes for 407 yards and two touchdowns against his old team.

"I was traded," said Griese, when asked if he expected to return to the Bears this season. "So obviously, they didn't need me."

Who's the most frustrating member of the Bears?

Players, coaches, management -- you name it. Two weeks into the season, somebody has to be bothering you Bears-wise as much as the stock market money-wise.

Is it Ron Turner's come-from-behind play-calling in late-game situations? Is it Greg Olsen's butter fingers? Is it Devin Hester's injury woes?

Looking ahead, who will be the most frustrating against Tampa Bay today? Will you pin the tail on Matt Forte? Lance Briggs? Or one of the other Bears stars off to a good start this year?

Also, check out Brad Engel's Sunday Bears column.

The Bears seem to have escaped Week 1 without any major injuries - four players were limited in practice as of Thursday -- a walk in the park compared with last year's season-opening loss at San Diego. Remember that mess?

That's when both safety Mike Brown and defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek bit the California dust for the season. But the Bears aren't out of the woods yet. With 15 more games remaining, anything can (and perhaps will) happen.

It begs the question: Which player can the Bears least afford to lose?