Is this Year the Year?

Well, we’re talking the Bears and I’m fairly certain the Chicago sports fan (pick any sport, they virtually all apply) mantra is “this is going to be the year.”  This is pretty much always followed by “next year is going to be the year.”  So is this year the year for the Bears?  Probably not, but I’m liking what I’m seeing so far.

Last week in the match-up against the Giants, Cutler looked good (even if his teammates don’t like him).  The return of Forte didn’t hurt either.  In the 17-3 win over the G-Men it was clear that things may be coming together for the Chicago team.  Now I’m a supporter (first love = da bears) of the Giants, but Chicago proved last week that they have the ability to make things happen offensively.  The Bears are always solid defensively, but it was refreshing to see the offense making plays too.

Both teams are still struggling to find their passing game given a young/lack of WR roster, but it was clear that Chicago was able to get around that obstacle last week.  Cutler and Hester still need to learn to connect, but hey, a 17-3 win against another team with some serious potential?  I’ll take it!

And that brings us to this weekend.  Broncos and Bears will meet in Denver with Orton going up against Cutler following the trade that took place this past spring.  It’s going to be a good one.  It’s looking good for my Bears, especially now that Denver announced today that they have suspended WR Brandon Marshall for the rest of the preseason.

Either way, definitely a game worth watching.  A game that I can’t watch all of because I will be flying back to New York.  Why can’t United get live games on their planes?  You’ve already forced me to check my carry-on which I packed unusually sparsely for the exact reason so that I could bring it onto the plane; throw a girl a bone. (I’m clearly still salty about this)

My prediction: Bears over the Broncos with a good amount of points on the board from both teams.  This may not be the year where the Bears go all the way (or they could surprise me), but it is going to be a year for some solid football coming out of Chicago.

For those of you who don’t appreciate the bears in the same way that I do, here is a gift from me to you.

Preseason Football

The days are once again growing shorter and the steam is rising from the hot NYC streets.  It’s that time of year again for preseason football.  Nothing makes me more excited for fall (and less unhappy that the carefree days of summer are coming to a close) than the upcoming football season.

Preseason play offers teams the opportunity to sort out their lineups and prepare for the smash-mouth football of the months to come.  While preseason games can be extremely beneficial in preparing teams for the season, they do come with some risks.

As I was watching the Jets/Rams game (Rams won over Jets 23-20) on Friday night, I witnessed one of those hits that elicits audible gasps from fans as it is replayed over and over in slow-mo.  WR Wallace Wright received a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit from LB Chris Chamberlain (see about 7 minutes into the highlight video).  Wright, fortunately, was able to walk away from the injury and even came back to make plays.  Others aren’t always so lucky.  Baltimore Ravens WR Marcus Smith will be out for the season after sustaining a tear to his right anterior ligament following Thursday’s 23-0 win over the Washington Redskins.

Several friends have expressed that they actually dislike preseason play for exactly this reason.  While there may be benefits to playing these games that are somewhat “off the record,” there are huge risks to players.  While the outcomes of these games tend to be relatively unimportant into the fall, the effects of injuries during these matches can be felt well into the regular season.

I’m not advocating against preseason play entirely; I think it is a vital way to prepare football organizations for the months to come.  I do think (and I know that organizations do try to do this already) that teams need to be smart in how they play and utilize players.  Nothing is worse than seeing your highly anticipated, star player riding the bench in the fall due to injury.

Note: I apologize, but because I can’t embed the video, you will have to navigate away from this site to watch it.