Countdown to Kickoff… James Anderson Days Until Chicago Bears Season Opener

November 4, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs with the ball as Carolina Panthers strong safety Charles Godfrey (30) and Panthers outside linebacker James Anderson (50) chase in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

We decided to do a countdown to the Chicago Bears season opener on September 8th versus the Cincinnati Bengals.  Thanks to one of our Twitter followers,se decided to combine the countdown with a roster preview of sorts.

We’re James Anderson days away from the start of the Bears season.  Just think, if Nick Roach had signed back on with the Bears, we’d be commemorating Mike Singletary days from kickoff.

One of the odd storylines this offseason was the drama surrounding #50.  Anderson, a veteran entering his eighth season, has always worn #50 during his tenure with the Carolina Panthers.  Coming to the Bears, no one had worn #50 since Samuri Mike hung it up back in 1992.

Anderson was a tackling machine for the Panthers.  In seven season, he’s piled up over 450 tackles, recording a career high of 145 total tackles back in 2011.  Anderson is penciled in as the starting strong side linebacker, taking the place of Nick Roach, who bolted for the Raiders in free agency.

Anderson will be pushed by rookie linebacker Khaseem Greene, who could break through later in the season and supplant him as the starter.   Anderson is only signed to a one-year deal, so it’s apparent that he’s a rental that will become expendable if Greene can catch on to Mel Tucker’s defense.  It will be an interesting positional battle to monitor throughout training camp and the preseason.

We’re halfway through our roster preview and just 50 days from kickoff.  Are you ready???