2009 is the Year of Chicago's Bears

I grew up in Chicago consuming vast quantities of Italian beef, Italian sausage, combinations of the two, pizza and, of course, Polish sausage before it became fashionable or faddish to do so. Every Sunday I would turn on the television or the radio watching in amazement or apprehensively listening to my favorite team - the Chicago Bears. The Monsters of the Midway, as they were once touted, before crass commercialism turned them into 'da Bears. Even after my departure from Chicago, I remained a Bear fan.

Defense has always been the mainstay of the Bears. Bill George, Doug Buffone, Doug Atkins, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, William "the Refrigerator" Perry often come to mind when I watch the current team play. For the Bears to hoist the Super Bowl trophy over their heads again, the defense will have to improve. The Bears finished the 2008 season 9-7. While the defense held against the rush , allowing only 93.5 yds per game (5th), they failed to stop opposing quarterbacks in the passing game. The Bears finished 30th in the League allowing 241.2 passing yards and giving up 334.7 yds per game to end in 21st place. The road to success is the path to the opposing QB.

Brian Urlacher is coming off a lackluster '08 season and will need to kick it up a notch to provide the impetus for the Bears to excel. The addition of Pisa Tinoisamoa at OLB should prove favorable. He led his former teammates, the St. Louis Rams, in tackles for four straight years. What he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in determination and gutsy play. DE Adewale Ogunleye and OLB Lance Briggs have proved in the past that they possess the ability to dominate defensively.

The Chicago Bear QB controversy has been resolved with the acquisition of Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. Cutler passed for 4500 plus yards and should provide the zip needed to revamp a mediocre offense. With opposing teams focusing on Matt Forte, grinding out the yardage coupled with his ability as a receiver, TE Greg Olsen and WR Devin Hester could go undetected into the secondary to make the big plays.

The first two exhibition games may set the tone for the season. The Bears play the Buffalo Bills on August 15 and then the New York Giants a week later. Both games are crucial in circling the wagons and finding the depth necessary for a successful season. Likewise, the first two games of the regular season find the Bears pitted against their fiercest rivals, the Green Bay Packers, and the 2008 Super Bowl Champs, Pittsburgh Steelers respectively. Both games are critical, not in the sense of win or loss, but to determine the tenor of their desire to be champions.

I'll go out on a limb and predict the Chicago Bears to finish 12-4 for the season and defeat the Steelers in a defensive struggle , 13-10, for the Super Bowl win.

Sources: www.nfl.com
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