By Steven Suarez

Jay Cutler and the Bears opened the new NFL picks season with an emphatic win over the Atlanta Falcons. They’ll look to keep the good times rolling over the next few weeks even though some powerhouses stand in their way.

Chicago fans could not have asked for much more from their team in Week 1 of the 2011/12 NFL season.

The Bears jumped on the Falcons from the get-go, racing to a 16-3 halftime lead and finishing up strong in a 30-12 beatdown of a team that went 13-3 last season.

QB Jay Cutler threw for 312 yards and two TDs, but the day belonged to running back Matt Forte, who accumulated 158 total yards on offense. That included a 56-yard reception that he took to the house.

Reliable kicker Robbie Gould was money on all three of his field goals and the Bears also were able to keep a potent Atlanta offense at bay. Brian Urlacher returned a fumble for another Chicago touchdown in the victory.

One week down, 15 to go

In a division that features the defending Super Bowl champs (Green Bay Packers) and an up-and-coming team (Detroit Lions), the Bears needed a good start to their season and did well to manage a Week 1 W, over a very strong team no less.

Up this weekend though will be a daunting trip to the Big Easy to take on the explosive New Orleans Saints.

For their Week 2 road game, Chicago is the clear underdog in the eyes of the top sportsbooks , listed as high as 8-point pups.

The Saints showed in their Week 1 loss to the Packers that they will be able to hang with anyone offensively, with QB Drew Brees making some phenomenal plays down the stretch to keep his team in it.

Getting out of New Orleans with another win would be a huge coup for the Bears, but perhaps it’s not as far-fetched as people may think. Lovie Smith’s crew did tie for second in the NFL last season with an admirable 6-2 road record.

Storied rivals take to the gridiron in the Windy City

After the Saints comes another enormous obstacle for the Bears as they must try to contain Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at home in Week 3 in what will be a rematch of the 2010 NFC Championship Game.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will surely try to come up with a viable game-plan to slow Green Bay down, but Rodgers has quickly become one of the NFL’s elite players and has plenty of weapons at his disposal on offense, so we wish Marinelli the best of luck with that venture.

Playing such a key divisional game at Soldier Field will be a significant advantage for the Bears, knowing that they won this corresponding matchup last season in a close 20-17 outcome, thanks in large part to a mistake-filled performance from the reigning champions.

The Bears then get a slight reprieve in Week 4 when they will host the Carolina Panthers as the favorites in the football odds. The Panthers have handed the reigns to Cam Newton and he came through with a record-breaking outing in his professional debut against the Arizona Cardinals.

Two easier matchups on the horizon in Week 4 and 5

Still, in terms of NFL picks this is a game that the Bears really should win. Look for their stingy defense to pressure Newton into making mistakes from the beginning and from there Jay Cutler should take care of business versus a susceptible Panthers defensive unit.

In Week 5 another tricky divisional game is on the schedule, this time a road game against the Detroit Lions.

Detroit could very well be a contender in the NFC North this season as evident by an impressive 27-20 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. So long as Matthew Stafford stays healthy, the Lions will score plenty of points.

If last season is anything to go by then the Bears may be the NFL pick here, given they won both games over the Lions in 2010. However, the two meetings were decided by a combined total of only nine points and Detroit seems to be much-improved now.

As evident, the next couple of weeks (@ NO, vs. GB) are going to be a huge test for the Bears – they’ll be fortunate to win even one of those games – but they then have four winnable games (vs. CAR, @ DET, vs. MIN, @ TB) before their BYE in Week 8.

There’s no doubt it was an ideal start for Lovie Smith’s gang in Week 1, but we’ll see what this team is really made of over the next month.

Anyone who is in favor of an 18-game regular season schedule (with just two preseason games) cannot be a Bears fan. After watching the first half of this past weekend’s game, I feel like we should reverse the salaries of Patrick Mannelly ($850,200) and Chris Williams ($5,955,200) and move Mike Tice to the offensive line instead of having him yelling at them on the sidelines.

The Bears simply look awful after two games and this is the best proof to keep the season as it is as of now, or just eliminate one of the preseason games and leave me with a glimmer of hope the regular season will not be a heated battle for last place with the Detroit Lions.

The only nice thing to come out of the field day and the 3.5 sacks Williams allowed in the first half is the public show of camaraderie. The Chicago Bears team rallied around Williams, pledging their support and sealing that declaration with the dried blood of Cutler. Martz and the boys have been saying the game did not truly represent Williams’ growth and capacity to start at the all-too-important left end of the line.

I do not necessarily buy the PR campaign, but I also do not feel like one dreadful performance is enough to write off the entire season. So let’s give Williams one more chance this Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals.

I would also like to the see the Bears defense put a hurting on Matt Leinart and give Brian Urlacher a chance for a couple of picks on errant throws over the middle of the field (maybe he is like a struggling basketball player and just a needs a couple of easy layups to get back on his game). Of course why write out my entire wish list or even pretend I believe more than one can come true at a time (I keep dreaming about a Mike Brown-like figure emerging at strong safety in Week 2 and returning a late fourth quarter interception to re-energize the faithful and make us believe we can actually take the division this season, well that and Chicago Bears tickets for the Packers game in Week 3).

First, lets give Williams a chance to protect Cutler’s blindside, see a few more nice runs from scrimmage from Forte, and watch the thing of beauty I believe a Cutler-Knox relationship can be.

What Chicago Bears player has the most draft value? Well Chicago has a quarterback in a new system with a line many people doubt. The Bears have an interesting running back platoon with Matt Forte and Chester Taylor, but you can only draft a single back at a time. The wide receivers have yet to establish a concrete hierarchy. The tight ends have traditionally not fared well in a Mike Martz system, but he has been praising this group as the best he has ever seen. Then there is a defense with as many questions as the offense.

So, who would I feel most comfortable picking if my league went all MLB and forced me to take at least one Chicago Bears player? No, the answer is not kicker Robbie Gould (he has struggled from 40-49 yards throughout his career and that is a trend I cannot ignore). I think I have to go with Johnny Knox.

Knox is still listed behind Earl Bennett on the depth chart, but it is only a matter of preseason snaps until he gets the nod, right? He already appeared to be Cutler’s favorite target against the Chargers (well for the two series that first group was on the field). I am beginning to believe in this wide receiving group (at least Knox and Devin Aromashodu).

Picking a receiver means I am picking the best aspect of a Martz offense (more completions) without risking the worst (interceptions). I am still convinced Olsen is going to take a fantasy hit and I think Forte and Taylor are eventually going to be splitting time pretty equally by midseason. There are too many quarterbacks playing in passing friendly systems to take a chance on the guy with the most picks last season.

So, while I am happy to have a distraction from the Cubs dreadful summer and the White Sox oh so painfully losing control of the AL Central to the second-half king Minnesota Twins, I am not excited to here the overarching strategy coming out of the Chicago Bears camp.

Perhaps the scariest plan is to try and construct a Mike Martz offense. We moved Chris Williams over to left tackle, which is a drastic improvement over Orlando Pace, but the team still has a pair of lumbering guards. I neither foresee Jay Cutler having the time to wait and throw those slow-developing routes nor Matt Forte able to find a hole to run through.

The Bears also lack the personnel to catch any of these throws consistently. Johnny Knox and Devin Aaromashodu might be promising pieces for the future, but in the present they are far from ideal. This means Earl “Plodding Possession Receiver” Bennett and overmatched Devin Hester are likely to see a great deal of time on the field dropping passes and falling a yard short on third and long. The best starting receiver appears to be tight end Greg Olsen, but tight ends often find themselves in the midst of a reception in a Martz offense, so yeah, that’s great news.

The second scariest rumor I am hearing is the plan, apparently approved by Lovie Smith and Rod Marinelli, to remain true to the classic Cover-2 and use just a four-man rush to pressure quarterbacks. The optimistic version of this strategy goes like this: Sack master Julius Peppers will force a double team on the right side of the line, allowing left defensive end Tommy Harris to find a gap and flatten quarterbacks or force poor throws.

The cynical version is as such: Peppers pulls his Houdini act ala 2004, letting the opposing quarterback camp out in the pocket and notice the Bears free safety is looking at daisies.

I expect this to be Lovie Smith’s last season as head coach (and Jerry Angelo’s last as general manager). Though, I am looking forward to welcoming Bill Cowher as the 2011 Chicago Bears head coach. Of course, despite my bitching moaning, I will be in search of Chicago Bears tickets because I am a Bears’ football addict.

Isn’t it great when a new acquisition on one of the local sports teams likes to go out downtown and make himself accessible and visible to his fan base?  I don’t mean getting drunk and getting in trouble (Lance Briggs comes to mind, but there are many others).  I’m just talking about grabbing a few drinks with the local folk.  Cutler and Olsen are great about it, and it makes them seem more real.  Well the new big free agent Julius Peppers didn’t just hobnob with Chicago’s chachie scene at Crescendo Friday night, he gave them a taste of what it’s like to be paid $91 million dollars:

The new Bears defensive end purchased 25 bottles of Perrier Jouet Fleur de Champagne ($350 per bottle) at the River North club and had them distributed by staff around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday — complete with sparklers. The crowd was told it was Peppers’ way of saying thanks for the warm welcome.

It’s a good start.  Showing the your new city gratitude in the form of $1000s of dollars in expensive Champagne is never a bad thing.  Let’s just hope his on the field actions entertain us as much as these late-night ones.

This is the Bears biggest offseason ever in terms of free agency.  It all essentially happened in one day.  Here is a breakdown of exactly what occurred and how it could impact the Bears.  I’m not purely drinking kool-aid today, but as a Bears fan its hard not to.

“The Catch” — Julius Peppers

Wow.  This was the big pick-up.  Peppers was by far the best free agent out there talent-wise, and the Bears went out and made it happen.  No excuses, no mistakes, they just got it done.  They signed him to a 6-year deal at about $12 million a year with $40 million guaranteed.  Peppers rejuvenates a defensive line that seemed completely unable to get to the quarterback last season.  With Adewale leaving and Peppers coming, Brown will most likely be moved to the other side.

Here’s where I say something that most Bears fans won’t like.  The guy reminds me of Ben Wallace a bit.  Hear me out.  He is the “best free agent” on a market lacking great free agents.  Like the Bulls, the Bears have gone out and overpaid for him as a result.  Wallace’s declining skills and interest in the game proved his undoing.  Peppers skills seem to be just fine, but his focus and concentration have been questioned and may be a problem.  I’m not trying to be too negative, just looking at the reality of the situation.

“The Doubt-Maker” — Chester Taylor

Why the doubt-maker?  As great an all-purpose back as Taylor is, are we forgetting someone?  Matt Forte perhaps?  Sure they are going to say they are just trying to create a solid 2-headed backfield that is the norm in this league, but is there more going on here?  Forte didn’t have a great year last year, and this casts a lot of doubt on management’s confidence in the kid.  All that being said, Taylor brings a dynamic runner to the backfield that the Bears lacked last year.  Will he be able to overcome the horrible deficiencies in the Bears O-line?  I’m guessing not, but with the new blocking tight end in town, maybe the run game will be different…

“The Martz-Man” — Brandon Manumaleuna

Ahh, Martz got what he wanted.  A blocking tight end.  Manumaleuna is one of the best and a good blocking tight end can cover up a lot of offensive line issues.  Although this might be the most under the radar pick-up of the three big signings, it may turn out to be the best one.  He can help give Cutler more time, and hopefully help Taylor/Forte break some runs to the outside.  But what does this mean for Greg Olsen?

More To Come…?

Greg Olsen?  Well this opens the door to a possible trade.  Olsen for NE’s second rounder? Olsen for Brandon Marshall?  Olsen for Anquan Boldin?  We’ll see what happens, but this seems like the logical next step for Angelo and crew.  There are also some strong rumblings about the Bears signing Antrelle Rolle, the veteran safety.  That would be a great pick-up, since the Bears secondary is questionable at best and pure garbage at worst.

What 3 teams have been essentially the most ineffective teams in the NFL the last few years?  If you guessed Lions, Rams, and Panthers, you would be correct.  I’m not sure why that fact is appealing to the Bears front office, but they have essentially signed 19 players since 2004 that played for one of those 3 teams.  Oh and in case you forgot, our entire coaching staff is a Rams/Lions redux.  Awesome.

Check out Windy City Gridiron for the complete list of Bears that played for those 3 great teams.

The greatest show on grass?  I highly doubt it.  But apparently that’s what the Bears think Mike Martz can bring to the table.  And when I say that the Bears think he brings that to the table, what I really mean is that the other 17 crappy candidates they interviewed turned them down.  What is really going on is that Lovie is bringing in his old crew (first Marinelli, now Martz) and Angelo has no choice but to capitulate since not a single other candidate was even remotely interested in this job.

Which brings us back to where we were in the first place: having to make do with the crap we’ve got.  So what did Martz have to say in response to critics that claim his style is ill-suited for the Bears personnel?

“You know, (I’m) very pragmatic in the approach. And I think that you have to analyze your personnel, the circumstances and situation like Soldier Field, and look at what you have with the conditions and then proceed from there.

“Really, it’s about winning games and just doing whatever it takes to take advantage of your strengths.”

Okay fair enough.  If he even shows any flexibility in his stretch the field type of offense, that will be way more flexibility than Lovie has shown in his devotion to the Cover 2 in the last 5 years.  He has to understand that he doesn’t exactly have the same tools to work with as he did in St. Louis though, right?

[On Bears Wide Receivers] “Well, they’ve got some speed. And that really is kind of a diamond to me. When you look at that group, it could be a real strength of this football team. With (Devin) Aromashodu — I hope I pronounced it right. (Johnny) Knox is really a diamond to me. And Hester, with what he can do whether he’s outside or in the slot. The matchups on these guys are extreme.

“When I went to St. Louis from Washington, Isaac Bruce was too skinny. They weren’t too happy with him. He was always hurt. Had this little guy, Az Hakim, and they didn’t know what they were going to do with him. Rick Proehl, slow white guy. This is three-quarters of the Greatest Show on Turf.

“And really, what we’ll do with these guys, I think there’s plenty of talent there. I’m really excited about their speed and the potential. And what we’ll do is give them every opportunity to explore that and not make a definition on what any one of those guys can do, but let them prove to us and put no limits on them.”

[On Matt Forte] “There’s so many thing you can do with him. He has the same kind of multi-abilities as (former Rams star) Marshall (Faulk). Soft hands. Change of direction. Good route runner. He’s a very unselfish pass-blocker, so he’s willing to stick his nose in there. He’s the complete package. And the formation to get him matched up inside on linebackers and, on occasion, safeties will be a good part of what we do.”

Oh boy.  I’m having trouble suppressing my instincts here that tell me this is going to be a disaster, but let’s try.  If you think about what he said, and how his system works, he does have some speedy wide receivers.  The one thing he forgot to mention about that St. Louis team was a young guy named Tori Holt.  No one on the Bears is remotely close to that skill level.  Forte does have some Faulk-type qualities and could thrive in the offense, but what about Olsen?  Will he be wasted, as it’s common knowledge that Martz is not fond of giving tight ends touches?

This one is going to be interesting, but it might not turn out all bad.  Cutler could be a good fit if everyone on the offense can get on the same page this season.  Still don’t see anyone doing anything about that offensive line…

h/t: Chicago Breaking Sports

How would I describe the Bears’ search to fill the vacancies for Offensive and Defensive Coordinators?  Laughable.  Tragedy.  A joke.  Disaster.  You get the idea.  This has turned into a complete debacle – I really don’t think people understand the full extent of it.  For months, everyone knew that Ron “I don’t know how to draw a simple screen play” Turner would be canned after the season.  That was a given.  Luckily, the Bears knew this also and had all the time in the world to start their search for an OC early.  This is a good thing, right?  Wrong.  Pete Carroll messed up their plans and took  Bates with him to Seattle.  They next lost Rob Chudzinski, who chose to remain working for an underachieving Chargers team (and awful head coach Norv Turner – Ron’s brother).  They also missed the deadline to land Ken Zampese from the Bengals.  Last week was the lowest blow of all – Hue Jackson chose to go to THE RAIDERS (universally known as the worst coaching job in sports) over the Bears.  Adam Schefter of ESPN tweeted this last week:

“Just wondering: Have more people backed out of the Pro Bowl or the Bears offensive coordinator search?”

Sad but true – the only thing more pathetic than the Pro Bowl in the NFL right now is the Bears’ coaching staff search.  Just when we thought things couldn’t get much worse, it did.  The Chicago Sun Times reports that the Bears are interested in University of Pittsburgh’s OC Frank Cignetti for the same position.  Wow – so now we’re going after a guy who works underbleepin’ DAVE WANNSTEDT?!?!?  But like Lovie Smith said, “People will want to come coach here.”  Right Lovie, you are clearly as delusional as the rest of the Bears front office.  Can’t wait for the 2010 Bears season.

Thanks to NQTC reader Dominic for catching this little mishap.  I have no doubt in my mind that this was an accident, NQTC ads run all the time and I don’t entirely know what is going to pop up on them.  However…doesn’t this kind of thing make you uncomfortable?  I mean its funny, sure, but just a bit too soon to laugh about.

For those that don’t get what the problem is, take a look at the ad scrolling on the top of the screenshot and then think about that when put above a story about Gaines Adams.  Now do you get it?  Ouch.

Sure, the Bears this year sucked on the field, but you know where else they sucked?  Off of it.  Sure Cutler goes out downtown with his buddy Greg Olsen on Saturday nights and they have a few drinks, but where’s the character?  It’s nothing like that old Bears team of 1985.  Where’s Coach Ditka smoking giant cigars at the bars?  Those guys were a part of this city and were hilarious on top of it.  With Orton gone and Briggs not crashing Lamborghinis anymore, the fun is just not there like it used to be.

But worry not, Bears fans.  The 1985 Bears have apparently heeded your cries for character and sympathize with how crappy the team is.  Their new plan will be sure to cheer you up.  The plan?  Well see for yourself:

Boost Mobile brought back a few memorable soloists/cowbell players to recreate the famous “Shuffle” video for a Super Bowl commercial. The 30-second parody will air during the first quarter. Despite the video’s popularity, the Bears have never remade it, for various reasons. And that’s part of the joke in the commercial.

In the shoot, the participating Bears — Speedy Willie, the Punky QB (McMahon), Mama’s Boy Otis, the Sackman (Richard Dent), the guy who “runs like lightning and passes like thunder” (Steve Fuller) and the Dude Playing the Cowbell with a Panama Hat and Sunglasses (Buford) — are wearing No. 50 jerseys to highlight Boost’s new $50 plan while they sing wacky new lyrics in front of a band of aged extras.

I hate those people that are more excited for the commercials and the halftime show than the actual game (see: girls), but I have to admit I’m looking forward to this one.  I know it will be cheesy and lame, but somehow it will make me happy about something Bears, which is more than I can say for anything about the current incarnation.

h/t: Chicagoist

The news is very preliminary at this point, but Bears newly acquired defensive end Gaines Adams has been pronounced dead at a hospital in South Carolina:

The 26-year-old was reportedly taken to the emergency room at Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood County where he died, County Coroner James T. Coursey told the Greenville News.

While many were critical towards Bears management about the trade which sent a 2nd round pick to the Bucs in exchange for Gaines Adams, the man himself seemed like a good guy.  Our prayers go out to his family and friends in this difficult time.  More news to come as it becomes available.  An autopsy will be administered later today to determine the cause of death.

***UPDATE: ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that the cause of death was a heart attack.

There is one thing that the Tennessee football program and Lovie Smith have in common right now: they are both under fire.  With Lane Kiffin jumping ship to head to USC and all the insanity that has swirled around him and the Vols program over the last 14 months, it should come as no surprise that they are reaching out to some of the people they reached out to in the past before hiring Kiffin.  Apparently one of those people was Lovie Smith, although back in 2008 he quickly declined the job offer.

That brings us to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who seems to think Lovie should consider taking the job now that it has re-opened:

Frankly, it might be in everyone’s best interests for Smith to pursue the opportunity, unless he has no interest in leading a college program.  The Bears undoubtedly would have cleaned house at Halas Hall but for the buyout obligations to Smith and G.M. Jerry Angelo.  With Smith’s ability to stick around for 2011 riding on the performance of quarterback Jay Cutler and mounting uncertainty regarding a work stoppage after next season, heading to Knoxville makes plenty of sense, especially if his compensation from the Volunteers would be enhanced by a partial buyout from the Bears.

In all honesty, I do not know how good a college coach Lovie would be.  It seems like he would be a good recruiter, which is about 75% of the job of a college football coach.  His stoic demeanor and respect-inspiring personality would serve him well.  If he thinks he could handle that part of the job, why not take the position?  Everyone knows he is going to be on the hot seat all this coming year and it’s not like the Bears prospects this season are looking all that good.

On the Bears end, it would be a godsend.  Although Phillips and McCaskey have come out and said they support Angelo and Lovie and its not about money, the reality of the situation is too glaring to ignore.  With the almost inevitable work stoppage after 2010, getting Lovie’s multi-year deal off the books would be ideal.

Will this happen?  Probably not since Lovie has given no indication that he is interested in any other job than the one he has.  Regardless the possibility is there and Coach Smith should seriously consider it.

The Bears sucked this year.  I mean they really sucked this year.  But the problems with personnel, execution, coaching, and conditioning are not the only things that are wrong.  The Chicago Bears as an organization is owned by the McCaskey family.  Now don’t get me wrong, we honor the great Papa Bear Halas by keeping the team in his family (Virginia McCaskey is George Halas’s eldest daughter), but clearly the ownership has issues.  The Bears have fielded some decent squads from time to time, but the success has been short-lived and the stingy backwards way that ownership has managed the team is more negative than positive.  Jim McMahon, former Bears quarterback, decided to chime in with his take on the Bears situation this season and in general:

“I told you guys 30 years ago [sic] what an idiot that owner [Michael McCaskey] is, and maybe you guys have finally realized it.”

…McMahon obviously didn’t watch the Bears’ dog and pony news conference from Tuesday, so I told him the Bears considered firing Ron Turner and a bunch of assistants “massive change.” McMahon is no fan of Michael McCaskey, so he liked that one.”Massive change,” he said. “The only massive change they’ll ever have is if they ever sell the team, and that ain’t going to happen. While they’re still there, they ain’t going to win.”

The punky QB, although crazy as ever, is almost spot on in his analysis.  The Bears may win in spite of the awful ownership, but that doesn’t mean the McCaskeys aren’t complete idiots.

h/t: Blog Down Chicago Bears

With all the coaching issues surrounding the Bears right now, it seems an appropriate time to look back on Da Coach.  Lovie seems like a great human being, regardless of how good a coach he is, but he can never do an entertaining interview like this.  The fact that he is in his underwear is an added bonus.

Those were the good old days.

h/t: Deadspin