Yup, this is going to suck.
If you listed the top 5 players the Bears couldn’t live without, it looks like 3 of them are now out and one more has been in-and-out of the lineup and may not be healthy all season.
Add in other starters like DJ Williams and Nate Collins and it’s going to get ugly fast I’m afraid, I don’t think Emery has been able to build any kind of depth yet.
5 players Bears need the most: Cutler, Forte, Marshall, Briggs, Tillman? Peppers is another who might make the list… but yeah I’d say those are the most critical guys.
The loss of DJ Williams hurts too. I saw Bostic make several dumb plays, like on the 1st big RG3 run where he ran to the outside and let himself get blocked for no reason at all.
It was nice to see competent play from a backup QB, haven’t seen that in Chicago for a while. 
Cry me a river. The Bears have been one of the healthiest teams in the NFL, being 3rd best last year, then middle of the pack in 2011, and 2nd best in 2010. Meanwhile, the Packers had the worst health last year, were average in 2011, and the 3rd worst in 2010. You’ll get no sympathy from me that the Bears now have to deal with injuries.
Pepper, Briggs, and Tillman are a good bit over 30, and Marshall is 29. DJ was a complete injury risk going in, and is 31. The fact the Bears are not ready to lose these guys is tough on the Bears, but really shouldn’t be surprising at all. The Bears got by in recent years by creating turnovers and being healthy. Now that they’re old and can’t rely on being healthy, it’s going to show the flaws that weren’t so evident before. But, again, this could be an overreaction to a bad defensive game, rather than the wheels coming off the team bus.
How long until a QB controversy starts?
I wouldn’t expect any other response from you Hamlet, thanks for not disappointing. 
With the continual poor play of the Bears defense and the safety play in particular, how long until people start talking about putting Tillman in at safety?
In order: Cutler, Marshall, Briggs, Tillman, Melton.
Peppers hasn’t been a key piece for a year and a half now and Forte is important but ultimately replaceable.
TT trades back in every draft and rolls the dice on players who slipped, usually due to durability concerns. This problem for the Packers is by design, it’s not dumb luck.
But yeah, it was fun the way you went all Dio there.
I am nothing if not predictable. 
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With the continual poor play of the Bears defense and the safety play in particular, how long until people start talking about putting Tillman in at safety?
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Charles Woodson did it during his last year with the Packers. I am not sure Peanut has the same flexibility, but I wouldn’t put it past him.
I’d be interested in any evidence of this “Packers draft more injury concerns than the Bears” theory of yours.
[Quote=Omni]
But yeah, it was fun the way you went all Dio there.
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I know you tend heavily to dislike my posts, but I, for one, would appreciate it if you actually added substance instead of lame insults.
He definitely has the flexibility, but Tillman is still excellent at CB so moving him to SS/FS would just weaken us at a more important position. If Tillman were slipping badly and/or if we had a potential star working at Nickel who could move over it might be a better plan.
Bears stay lucky.
I don’t think losing your starting QB and your Pro Bowl OLB can be considered “lucky”.
To be filed in the “what the fuck are you thinking” file, the Vikings are going back to the well o’ shit and starting Josh Freeman. As much as I think Cassell and Ponder may not be franchise QB’s, I really do think either one of them could have won that Monday night game. It was Freeman who cost them that game.
I don’t understand the Vikings decisionmakers. How can they think they’ve seen enough of Ponder, when we’ve already seen Freeman in Tampa Bay and he’s not that good? I just don’t understand their thinking.
Things that make you go Hmmmmm. Just a day after being told he’s their starting QB again, Josh Freeman has now shown “concussion like symptoms” and thinks he got a concussion during Monday night’s game against the Giants. It’s possible if he can’t go, that Ponder will get the start again.
It’s turning into a circus in Minnesota. I feel bad for Adrian Peterson.
Another weekend of NFC North football.
Detroit Lions
The Lions get to host the Dallas Cowboys in an early game this week in a battle of 4-3 teams that might have some playoff implications for the wildcard (if any team in the NFC East stops sucking and challenges the 'Girls). These two teams are very similar, with very strong offenses and not so good defenses, especially against the pass. I expect an air it out, high scoring shootout. With DeMarco Murray and DeMarcus Ware both inactive for Dallas, and with the game in Detroit, I think the Lions get a win, but if they don’t get to Romo and don’t get the turnovers, they could easily lose this game.
Packers/Vikings
These two NFC North teams face off in Minnesoat on Sunday night. The Metrodome is a tough place to play, and these intradivisional games can be rough sledding. But the Vikings are reeling and, with the problems at the QB position, not a great team. Adrian Peterson gouged the Packers last year, and could easily do so again (especially if the Packers’ tackling is poor again), but I think the Packers get another easy win against a clearly lesser team. I’m hoping to see some more improvement from the backups forced into starting for the Packers, but I don’t think it will be a very interesting game.
Bears
On bye. Good time too, because they need to get healthier. And better on defense. Glad I was right about those safeties of theirs.
Oh come on. There’s no way you can justify putting Melton on that list. I can think of about 10 more players I’d value over Melton:
DJ Williams, Peppers, Jennings, Bennett, Hester, Bushrod, Gould, maybe even Major Wright and McClellin. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to have good DT-play, but Melton is hardly a superstar. He’s a solid defender, nothing more.
The Detroit Lions have a pretty clear path to 10-6 and even 11-5. I’m not sure I’m equipped to live in this world.
Interesting factoid on SNF:
Of all the Packers, only 3 have played for anyone but the Packers.
Brian
We’re going to have to disagree. 3-technique is WAY more important than any of those players and Melton is FAR better than any of those guys you mentioned with only the possible exception of Peppers and Jennings, but I’d say Peppers has slipped so far that’s no longer true.
The precipitous decline of the Bears defense coincided with the Melton injury to emphasize his importance. And frankly, the fact that you included Bennett, Wright and McClellin in that argument sort of undermines everything else you might want to say.
Packers v. Bears week! In Primetime on Monday Night! Woo Hoo!!!
These two teams have been heading in separate directions, with the Bears going 1-3 after a 3-0 start and the Packers going 4-0 after a 1-2 start. Much to my surprise, the Packers have developed an actual running game and a pretty good defense (especially against the run) to go with one of the best QB’s in the game. And, again much to my surprise, the Bears have the #2 scoring offense and one of the worst scoring defenses in the league. What a topsy turvy world we live in.
What isn’t topsy turvy is that I fully expect the Packers to soundly beat the Bears on Monday night. The Packers have won 6 in a row against the Bears, they are 10.5 point favorites at home, the Bears are without their starting QB Jay Cutler. To me, the Packers should be able to contain Matt Forte and get a relatively easy win. But the Bears have had an extra week to prepare and usually play the Packers tough, so it could be a much tougher game than I actually expect. I think the Bears will tell their safeties to stay 20 yards downfield and not let anyone past them, and Eddie Lacy will get another 25+ carries to lead the way on offense. And despite Brandon Marshall, I don’t think the Bears have the horses to keep up with the Packers.
Meanwhile, in the “Who Cares?” pile, the Vikings are 10.5 underdogs going to play Dallas. Dallas is a team that constantly underperforms, but the Vikings are really, really bad. Barring a meltdown by the Cowboys, which is always a possibility (just ask Dallas), or a superhuman game from Adrian Peterson, which also is always a possibility, this should be an easy win by Dallas. Minnesota has some nice young talent, but their fucking around with the QB position and the decimation of their already questionable secondary have them reeling. I don’t think a trip to Dallas is going to help them heal anytime soon.
Finally, the Lions are on bye. Good for them.