Packers vs Saints in NFL 2011 Kickoff: Scouting the Bears Next 2 Opponents

The 2011 NFL Season is set to kick off with the last two Super Bowl Champions, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, battling it out at Lambeau Field.  It also gives the Bears and their fans a great opportunity to do a little advanced scouting.

After the Bears lid-lifter vs the Atlanta Falcons, they’ll head down to New Orleans to face the Saints before coming back to Soldier Field to renew the oldest rivalry in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.  Tough schedule to open the season, huh?

On the Saints sideline, a familiar face in Olin Kreutz will be anchoring their offensive line.  Try not to cry in your beer too much Bears fans.  Olin will be just fine in the Big Sleezy.  Otherwise, it begins and ends with Drew Brees.  They’ll go as far as he takes them.  Gone is Reggie Bush and in is rookie running back Mark Ingram, who had a nice preseason.  Can he keep it up in the preseason?

For the reigning champs (and you have no idea how painful it is for me to type that), it’s all about Aaron Rodgers.  Packer backers will chirp about winning the Super Bowl despite how many players ended up on IR last season.  That’s great, but all it takes is a serious injury to one Aaron Rodgers to shatter another Super Bowl dream.  (I’ve virtually assured an injury to Rodgers by selecting him to my fantasy squad).

Here’s my homework assignment for you – When you’re watching the game, as a Bears fan, ask yourself this question – “What do the Bears do better than the Saints/Packers?”  Think about how the Bears offense can attack these defenses.  Can the Bears defense stop these two powerhouse offenses?

Football is back.  All is right with the world again.