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.

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

According to Style Points, this is what the Seahawks will be wearing tomorrow.  I hope it’s not true.

I hope the Bears brought special light-filtering goggles to Seattle.  As SP points out, the Seahawks gameplan appears to start with cornea rape.

• Bronco fans seem pretty happy with Orton.  I hold no grudges against the guy.  He’s doing exactly what we’d expect: managing games. [Predominantly Orange]
• A great analysis of how to draft in fantasy basketball taking into account the ever-difficult to gauge percentage categories. [GMTR]
• Jay Cutler series-by-series breakdown from yesterday’s game. [Jay Cutler Superstar]
• I will always link any post I find anywhere on the internet calling for the firing of Joe Morgan.  You can print that. [Sharapova's Thigh]
• The Bears are third in average ticket price at $88 a ticket.  First place? The Cowboys at $160.  That’s fun for the whole family (if you mortgage your house and sell your car). [2009 Team Marketing Report]
• The Jewish Jordan has retired.  I heard rumors he was never that great, but it was still fun to have a “Jewish” Jordan.  I guess. [BDL]
• Some girl gets Mark Grace tattooed on her back.  Apparently she is one of his many road beef.  Oh Gracie, still impressing us after all these years. [HHR]
• Is DeRosa pondering a return to the Cubbies?  Calm down guys, its just talk right now. [Tribune]
• The Packers were not at their best this week against the Bengals.  Nice. [Midwest Sports Fans]

• Deron Williams dressed up like a goof with recspecs, a ghostbusters tee, and high socks playing dodgeball.  You have to see it to believe it. [BDL]
• I don’t usually link to this kind of stuff, but Maria Sharapova is a real looker. [Sharapova's Thigh]
• So the Milwaukee Bucks are still an NBA team, at least for fantasy purposes.  Kind of. [Give Me The Rock]
• Drew Barrymore is playing a Packer fan dressed like the Joker?  How strange…Also nice redesign Zoner! [Zoner]
• 21 different pictures of Packers fans doing what they do best: looking like fat white trash. [JCS]
• Cris Collinsworth is a complete idiot in the booth, but did you know he was a total jackass during his playing days as well? [Deadspin]
• With McNabb questionable for Week 2, it looks like the Eagles are pursuing Jeff Garcia.  Too bad Vick isn’t available. [Inside the Iggles]
• Here’s your NFL Week 2 Preview.  It’s got everything you need to know. [MidwestSportsFans]
• NFL players are donating their brains to science.  Just to make sure everyone is clear, let me die before giving me some football player’s “brain”.  Thanks.  [Bootlegger Sports]
• Another Chicago Blogger’s take on the Bears game.  Yeah, it’s negative. [Tremendous Upside Potential]
• It was NOT a good weekend for Ohio teams.  Browns, Bengals, Indians, Reds, Buckeyes all lost.  Ouch. [Paneech]
• Bruce Levine seems to think the Cubs are looking to trade Milton Bradley AND Carlos Zambrano.  It seems unlikely that they would trade both, but if the Cubs can shed bad contracts, they should.  Which begs the question: is Z a bad contract? [Bleacher Nation]
• I guess the Bengals prematurely ejaculated on the Broncos on Sunday, or at least that’s what Keith Olbermann ALMOST said.  You know he was thinking it. [Detroit4Lyfe]
• D-Wade held a charity bowling event at Ten=Pin in Chicago and a local blogger went and interviewed him.  It made me realize two things: Wade is awesome, and bloggers are dorks. [Docksquad]
• Patrick Swayze passed away, and here is a tribute to him by some sports guys. [Outside the Boxscore]

• Steve Stone talks about his Playgirl spread in the 1980s.  Yeah, Playgirl. [WBEZ]
• Predictions about Jay Cutler’s upcoming seasons from a bunch of Chicago bloggers (including me).  Check it out. [Jay Cutler Superstar]
• Looks like I’m not the only one who lost faith in Chicago baseball this week.  A depressed White Sox fan talks about no longer believing in his boys. I feel your pain. [MidwestSportsFan]
• So now the government admits that the 2003 list should not have been seized in the first place (finally), but what about the names that were illegally leaked?  I love how the court just comes down and changes their mind about this shit from idiocy to the obvious conclusion, and then they don’t have to clean up their mess.  I’m sure Sammy Sosa loves that about the courts too. [Bootlegger]
• The headline of this piece is “Milton Bradley accuses some fans of racial taunts” but it really should be “Milton Bradley accuses fans of racism again but this time we’ve completely tuned him out”. [Tribune]
• Marvin Harrison to the Bears?  I’m still sour on the idea.  How would that be different than the Muhammed situation a few years ago?  And wouldn’t it stunt the growth of the other young receivers? [Blog Down]
• You guys thought I was pissed about the Cubs?  Some Cubs fan in Jersey is so upset he started robbing ice cream and donut stores.  [WV23]
• NFL fans are kind of sick of the preseason, and Eagles fans are no exception.  I don’t mind watching Cutler get acclimated, but otherwise its just an opportunity for people to get hurt. [Inside the Iggles]
• Top 10 lottery busts of the past decade in the NBA. [BDL]
• There is a new documentary out called “Gunnin’ for that #1 spot” about 8 elite high schoolers on their journey to play in a huge tournament in Rucker Park.  The movie includes Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, Michael Beasley and others.  This is a review of it with a link to the full feature at the bottom. [Docksquad]
• I think it might be right about that time of year for me to start reading Kissing Suzy Kolber again.  Drew from KSK does a “Why Your Team Sucks” on the Bears over at Deadspin, and it is hilarious. [Deadspin]

• It looks like most of the paperwork on the Cubs sale has been completed and it will be signed soon.  Now it has to clear some bankruptcy court hurdles and be approved by Major League baseball.  I’m so sick of this story, just sell the damn team already so we can get some stability. [Bleacher Nation]
• If you haven’t heard about it yet, Kelly Dwyer gives a great analysis of the Nick Van Exel shady 23 assist game.  Apparently the Grizzlies’ scorers were giving him all kinds of assists he didn’t earn that night.  [BDL]
• What was up with Fox’s broadcast of the Bears game Saturday night?  I was most pissed about not being able to watch the Cutler interview at halftime.  Get your shit straight Fox. [Blog Down, Chicago Bears]
• So who’s the bigger douchebag, Steve Bartman, the beer throwing guy, or Bronson Arroyo?  It’s gotta be the beer throwing guy. [Ted Lilly Fan Club]
• Will there be any postseason baseball in Chicago?  It’s a good question with both teams faltering. [Zoner]
• It’s always fun to see Michael Jordan highlights.  This is another take on his top ten game winners.  I agree with most of it, but I think the shot on Ehlo should be number 1. [Pippen Ain't Easy]
• It looks like Grossman will be out for up to a month.  Oh, sex cannon…[Tribune]
• A story about a blogger trying to balance law school and blogging.  It ain’t easy, but it can be done.  Assuming you don’t mind getting C’s.  Just kidding. [Detroit4Lyfe]
• What to watch for in the Bears preseason.  I’m most concerned with our secondary, but there are plenty of other issues to keep an eye on. [MidwestSportsFan]

Bad news for Chicago that you’ve obviously heard: no Brett Favre lobbing interceptions this season.  Saw this hilarious shirt today and while I’m sure it’s not brand new, I had to share it. 

h/t: Maize n’ Brew

• A scathing review of Cubs management, ownership, and scouting.  Even though they are overpaying for an underperforming team right now, I would say 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years isn’t all that bad. [MidwestSportsFans]
• Remember that pitcher for the White Sox a few years ago, Jim Parque?  Well he admits to having done steroids and wrote this eloquent piece about the pressures he faced when he decided to do it. It’s a must-read. [Sun-Times]
• I don’t know how I missed this, but someone was holding a giant inflatable penis behind Michael Jordan during a golf tournament last weekend.  Awesome. [Detroit4lyfe]
• Hilarious Peyton Manning video from the ESPYs.  I can’t wait for him to do more commercials, something about him is just so funny. [NESW Sports]
• Another NFL player (T.J. Houshmazilli) is upset with his Madden rating.  These guys need to get over it.  You know what I’m mad about?  The Bears best wide receiver isn’t in the top 40. [No Guts No Glory]
• Is Rich Harden afraid of the sun and Wrigley Field?  The numbers sure seem to say so. [The Friendly Blogfines]
• The Bears will now have ads on their jerseys.  What is this, European soccer? [Luol's Dong]
• Everyone is so upset ESPN won’t report the Rothlisberger sexual harassment suit.  You wouldn’t be surprised about that if you knew that Mickey Mouse was involved. [Inside the Iggles]
• A lot of people are a lot better than Soriano this year.  And some of the people that are better make a lot less money than he does. [Zoner]
• Sweet Lou seems a little pissed that he never got that left-handed power bat Hendry promised him in the offseason.  And no, Bradley doesn’t count. [Bleacher Nation]
• Hey kids, Slamball is back!  If you don’t remember what it is, all you need to know is trampolines, basketball, hoops, and a lot of broken ankles. [Bootlegger]

There are plenty of good arguments on both sides of the debate regarding the Bears receiving corps.  People are right when they say that Jay Cutler could use a primary receiver to take this offense to the next level.  Others aren’t off base when they cite Matt Forte’s receiving ability and a tight end tandem as a reason the absence of a true number one is not a huge deal.

Looking back at recent Super Bowl winners, this might not be the best strategy for Chicago though.  I mean that has to be the goal for this Bears squad, right?  In a division that is up for grabs, a move like the one made for Cutler is designed to make you instant contenders.  Sure, there is some time to develop some of the young guys, get Cutler settled, and get a receiver next year, but this defense isn’t getting any younger and will have to play a major role in any kind of run to and through the postseason.

There are very few champions in the last decade-plus who have had worse receiving situations than Chicago.  Last year’s Steelers come to mind immediately, but Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward are much better than any of the Bears receivers, plus Pittsburgh had another factor working for them that sets teams without great receivers apart: an amazing defense.

After the Steelers, we’re looking at Plaxico, Harrison/Wayne, Hines Ward’s younger self, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, and a Rod Smith/Ed McCaffery combo that was solid for Denver.  Even runner-ups sported guys like Fitzgerald and Boldin, Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, TO, Randy Moss, and Steve Smith.

There were also some teams that bucked the trend, but they all had something the Bears don’t.  The Ravens, Steelers, and Bucs form a group of Super Bowl champs that didn’t wow anyone with their wideouts, but they had elite defenses and outstanding coaching. Throw the Patriots teams in there that won Super Bowls under the latter category as well.  The point is, you need some kind of X-factor if you don’t have a great wide receiver and Forte, Olsen, and Clark only make up about an M-factor.

This isn’t to say that the Bears should sell the farm to pay for what’s left of the wide receiver free agent class, or that they don’t have a chance at a successful season.  I suppose the defense has a chance to return to the form of a few years ago, but I wouldn’t count on it.  They are also lacking in the special teams department as Devin Hester tries to be that number one receiver.

Thus ends your Bears doom and gloom.  Go Lions.

Hey if nothing else, they still get to play Detroit twice and Brett Favre will probably be in the NFC North, so they will have a 50/50 chance of winning the division against the Packers.

• There you have it, after all the speculation about the deal being delayed or falling through, it looks like Ricketts came through on the purchase of the Cubs. [Reuters]
• Will Taj Gibson ever be a starter?  Or just an “energy” sub? [Pippen Ain't Easy]
• Chris Jackson aka Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf aka Chaim Shalowitz?  Just kidding, he’s not converting to Judaism, but this little fake story is pretty funny. [Ponderings from Pluto]
• Did you know the Cubs are the same amount of games out of first yesterday that they were the day Aramis got hurt?  Interesting. [Wrigleyville23]
• Did Lance Armstrong cheat yesterday?  Don’t worry, its not what you think. [Bootlegger Sports]
• So Ron Artest made up a rap about Michael Jackson.  I don’t want to say it “honors” him, because it is just too strange and terrible. [NESW Sports]
• The Bears were ranked the 69th best franchise by ESPN the magazine.  Not bad, not bad, up a few spots from last year due to, guess who, Jay Cutler. [WCG]
• The Cubs sent down Fuld and Hart and put Patton on the DL to make room for Rammy, Johnson, and Guzman. [The Friendly Blogfines]

• Could Mark DeRosa be coming back to the Cubs?  Maybe.  Don’t get too excited yet, its a pretty unreliable source. [Sons of Ivy] via [Bleacher Nation]
• So if Quentin actually has the talent to be legit, but spends the rest of his career on the DL, can I call him a fluke/bust?  Or will Sox fans get angry again? [Tribune]
• Tillman is back in practice.  He needs to get healthy if the Bears crappy secondary is going to have a chance this year. [WCG]
• Chad Ford has Dejuan Blair dropping to the Bulls at 16.  That doesn’t sound too bad. [Blogabull]
• I never really stopped hating Tim Floyd after he was such a bad coach for the Bulls, so I really have no sympathy for him now that he’s out at USC for shady recruiting (really really shady).  Good riddance. [Rush The Court]
• Some people seem to think the Cubs future looks bright, others don’t.  Personally I can’t get past the present mediocrity. [Zoner]
• Cubs draft update. [Bleacher Nation]
• According to Ben Gordon, Gar Forman and John Paxson are trading meaningless titles while Reinsdorf is the only one actually making any real decisions. [Da Bullz]
• Coach Ditka is a bit skeptical about Cutler’s ability to lead.  We’ll see. [Tribune]
• Mainstream Media vs. Blogs: Go!   Blogger: Legitimate opinion.  MSM: Bloggers are 42 year olds living in their mom’s basements. Hmmm. [HHR]
• Don’t even get me started on how unjust the NBA age rule is. [Deadspin]

What’s up everybody?  After a week absence that seemed like forever, I finally found an Internet connection from which I can post and not get fired. 

The place I’m staying for a while in Michigan doesn’t have an Internet connection.  I know, I know, you’re thinking I moved into a cabin somewhere and my neighbors are a mile away plotting serial mail bombings.  Not true.  I’m in the booming metropolis of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Home of the West Michigan Whitecaps and their Fifth/Third Burger.  We’ll try to get Stormin’ Norman up here to battle that thing. 

Anyway, I’m keeping myself busy drawing on walls and fighting people with mastadon bones, so don’t worry about me.  As for the Blackhawks, that was a hell of a last game of the season.  Everybody feels a little better about Huet now, right?  I might have a little eulogy for the Hawks season and a look forward to next at some point, but it depends on the move. 

I caught a little bit of that Cubs-Dodgers series too.  Seemed like that thing went on forever, though I suppose that could be since it was longer than their playoff series.  I’m not going into panic-mode yet, as the Cubs just need to get healthy and go on a little run to get back on top.  It’s good to see the Brewers having early season success again.  I was a little worried after their quick start, but it appears they’ll be on schedule for their late summer meltdown. 

Hmm, what else?  I saw a rumor today about Brandon Marshall to the Bears.  I couldn’t read it because ESPN requires subscriptions to their ridiculous rumors, but this would be a disaster.  The guy’s arrest record would make Chris Henry blush. 

That’s all I have for now, as I have to get going, but I’ll be back around these parts for sure in the future.  Especially after I call Al Gore to see about getting some Internet in my new place.

• The Bulls are probably going to take Tyler Hansborough with one of their picks.  Don’t be mad though, he might be a good fit (albeit a white, unathletic one). [Blogabull]
• It looks like the acquisition of Cutler may have boosted the Bears organization ratings according to a new Fox Sports study. [WCG]
• So how is Deadspin different than the MSM at this point?  Don’t restrict your commentors AJ.  Or Gawker.  Or whoever is making this bad decision. [Luol's Dong]
• Remember Luol Deng?  Yeah he was good for a while. [By The Horns]
• Curtis Granderson likes Luke Scott.  A lot.  I would respect him too if he had just single-handedly beaten my team twice in one series. [The Grandstand]
• Yes LeBron is an idiot for out and out saying he didn’t like to shake the hands of the winning team.  But come on, don’t you feel that way sometimes after you get your ass handed to you on the court? [Zoner]

• Gar Forman will be the new GM of the Chicago Bulls.  He is being promoted to replace Johnny P.  Hard to compete with a guy named Gar I suppose.  [ESPN]
• The Zooker has a Twitter account and he is finding INTENSITY wherever he goes.  Woooooooooooooooo! [Deadspin]
• Sounds like Cutler was showing off the arm strength in the first Bears OTA.  I’m sure this is nothing new after years of Sex Cannon throwing deep in camp.  [Sun-Times]
• Another tough night for the Cubs hitters as they waste a good start from Dempster and lose to the Cards 2-1.  Lee was bad, Soriano was worse, and Milton Miltoned.  [Tribune]
• Holy crap, check out Mark Buehrle’s truck! It’s so irresponsible Al Gore and Michael Moore are making a movie about it.  [Deadspin]
• So Dwight Howard broke the shot clock on a dunk last night.  Don’t see that all the time. [FanHouse]
• The Free Darko guys have done it again.  Here is the Derrick Rose version of some commercials they helped put together.  [Docksquad]