Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) throws in the pocket as center Ryan Cook (63) blocks against Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton (98) at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys are up next as we’re whizzing our way through the Reader’s Mock Draft.  The biggest news the Cowboys made this offseason was inking quarterback Tony Romo to a monster contract extension that could open the door for the non-Super Bowl winning QB’s like Jay Cutler to big paydays.

Will the Cowboys try to protect their big investment with an offensive lineman?  The top tier left tackles and guards are off the board, so could they go for right tackle DJ Fluker?  Can they pass on a top prospect sliding down the draft board?   Do they address their need for a linebacker and swipe one out from under the Bears’ nose?  (more…)

The Chicago Bears take on the Dallas Cowboys in Big D on Monday Night Football.  What could be bigger?  Well, um, nothing.  Both teams come in with 2-1 records but still fans are a little anxious on both side of this one.

To help us get ready for this big matchup in Big D, we reached out to Steve Mullenax at The Landry Hat to do our weekly Q&A.  Be sure to check out my answers to his questions in this post. (more…)

Brian Urlacher watches as Chris Gronkowski does a faceplant during the Cowboys 27-20 loss to the Bears in 2010 in Dallas. (Photo Courtesy of Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

In Week 4, the Chicago Bears (2-1) and Dallas Cowboys (2-1) will reignite a rivalry that dates back to 1960.  The Cowboys lead the series, winning 13 of 22 meetings.  Two of the most scrutinized quarterbacks in the league, Jay Cutler and Tony Romo, will square off in Dallas on Monday night.

The Cowboys offense has struggled this season, scoring only 15.7 points per game, but the defense has only given up 18.0 points per game.  Led by DeMarcus Ware, who has 4 sacks on the season and 103.5 for his career (23^rd all time), the Cowboys defense will be ready to feast on J’Marcus Webb and the Bears sub-par offensive line.  J’Marcus vs. DeMarcus will be a key matchup to watch.  However, a smart game plan by Mike Tice could keep the Cowboys top-ranked defense at bay.

As good as the Cowboys defense has been, the Bears defense has looked even better.  They lead the league in sacks with 14 and are second in takeaways with 9.  You can bet the Bears defensive line, which boasts 7 players with at least half of a sack, will be able to pressure Romo (3 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles this season) into making a few costly turnovers.  Tim Jennings is quickly becoming an elite defensive back with 5 interceptions (10 pass deflections) in his last 4 games, dating back to Week 17 last year.  The Bears versus the Cowboys in primetime looks to be another defensive battle…which means we will probably see an offensive explosion.

But as Cutler said to ESPN’s Waddle and Silvy, “These are guesses. You’re guessing…”  So, let’s get to some hardcore facts and figures for Week 4.

7:  Number of sacks by Julius Peppers in 6 career regular season games against the Cowboys.

194:  Brandon Marshall’s receiving yards against the Cowboys in 2 career games.

136.7:  Cutler’s quarterback rating the last time he faced the Cowboys (2010), leading the Bears to a 27-20 victory in Dallas.

841:  Total yards given up by the Bears defense in their last two games against the Cowboys.

18:  Jersey number of the Cowboys backup quarterback, ex-Bear Kyle Orton.

1:  Number of passes Orton has thrown against the Bears in his career.  Also, the number of fingers Orton injured against the Bears last year.

97.0:  Cutler’s career quarterback rating when playing indoors.

104.7:  Romo’s career quarterback rating when playing indoors.

7-2:  Lovie Smith’s record on Monday Night Football with the Bears, averaging 26.4 points per game.

31:  Penalties committed by the Cowboys this season, second most in the league.

18:  Longest running play by a running back against the Bears this season.

24.3:  Opponents third down conversion percentage against the Bears this season, second best in the league.

16-1:  Bears record when they lead after the first quarter since 2010.

13:  Sacks by the Bears defensive line this season, more than any other entire defense in the NFL after Week 3.

4.9:  Opposing quarterback’s passer rating this season when throwing to receivers that Tim Jennings is covering.

9:  Consecutive field goals of 50 yards or longer made by Gould dating back to 2010.

99:  Passing yards needed by Cutler to reach 10,000 in a Bears uniform, ranking him fifth all-time among Bears quarterbacks.

11-3:  Bears record since 2010 when they lose the coin toss.

You all should know by now, I’m not a Lovie-backer, and I’m going to throw the last stat in my bucket of things that irk me about Lovie.  When they win the coin toss he is 10-11.  It’s not the most convincing argument for him being a bad decision maker, but I thought it was an interesting nugget.  If he can lead the Bears to a Super Bowl victory, all will be forgiven.  But until that day comes, I’ll always be skeptical.  A victory in Dallas on Monday would be a big step in the right direction for the Bears and finishing up the first quarter of the season at 3-1 will show a lot of people that they are among the NFC elite.

Rex Grossman is starting again for the Redskins. His first outing with them didn't go so well.

If you think we have problems in Chicago, try being a Washington Redskins fan.  Your team isn’t winning, you’ve suspended Albert Haynesworth and now you’re bring Sexy Rexy back.  ESPN reports that Donovan McNabb is going to be benched this week and ex-Bear Rex Grossman will be the starting QB for the Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys.  Rex is their quarterback.  But Sexy isn’t going to a Super Bowl this year, as the Redskins are already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.  This moves seems to be an audition for Rex, who has potential to be the Redskins starter next year (to the amazement of all). 

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Devin Hester's great 1-handed TD catch was a key play in the Bears' 27-20 win over the Cowboys. (Photo courtesy of NFL.com)

The Bears beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-20 on the road in Dallas to shock and surprise me and many other fans.   Check out the NFL.com highlights here.

Here are some quick bullet points of my immediate reactions:

• Give HUGE credit to Mike Martz and Mike Tice.  Early on, Jay Cutler was getting used and abused by the Dallas defense.  Give them credit for making some adjustments to hit a few quick-hitting plays and shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic of an offensive line to slow down the rush and settle the offense down.
• The Bears’ rushing defense is FOR REAL.  They allowed a paltry 36 yards rushing to the Cowboys.
• If you missed the RIDICULOUS Devin Hester TD catch, check it out here.   Is Hester growing into a legit NFL receiver?
• Someone please put up an Amber Alert for Devin Aromashodu.   Although he was active and played on Special Teams, he was not part of the offense.  They seemed to do fine without him, but there were moments in the game where I felt a big target would have helped Jay Cutler.
• Speaking of MIA, the Bears’ running attack is stuck in neutral.  They gained 38 yards on the ground.
• At the rate at which he’s getting hit, Jay Cutler will not survive the season.  Even when he successfully gets the ball away, he’s getting killed.
• DJ Moore had a nice game with a couple of nice INT’s.  He also secured the tackle when Peanut Tillman forced another turnover with a punchout late in the game.
• In case there was any doubt, Lance Briggs has taken over as the #1 linebacker on this team.  He was all over the place today.  He knifed through for a couple more tackles for loss and had a couple of passes defensed to boot.  Urlacher was good; Briggs was great.
• A couple of potentially costly injuries with Chris Williams going down with a hammy early in the first quarter.  I thought it was whiplash with how fast DeMarcus Ware got around him, but sideline reports confirmed it was a hamstring.  Major Wright had a leg injury of his own.  I hope this kid isn’t Mike Brown 2.0.
• Special Teams still remain a slight concern.  Dez Bryant got loose for a punt return for touchdown.   I can’t remember the last time the Bears gave up a special teams score.

I am not sure if the Bears are really this good or the Cowboys are this bad.  It doesn’t matter, all that does is that the Bears are 2-0 and tied atop the NFC North with a Monday Night Football date with the Packers next week with sole possession of first place on the line.

Tune in for plenty more analysis of the Bears’ surprising win and a look ahead to Packers week.  Get all your Bears news from Bear Goggles On!

BEAR DOWN!!!

It’s your 1-0 Chicago Bears headed down to Dallas to take on the 0-1 Cowboys.  The Bears barely eked one out over the lowly Lions while the ‘Boys struggled in Washington.  The Bears head into Dallas as the #1 ranked offense in the league.  Don’t believe me, check out this graphic I pulled off NFL.com:

Heck, the Bears come in ranked #2 in overall defense.   I had to capture that image because I have a bad feeling that it won’t be true after Week 2 is in the books.

The Cowboys will be re-vitalized coming home and getting a couple of offensive linemen back from injury won’t hurt either.  Simply put, the Bears ain’t playin’ the Lions.   I’ve outlined my keys to the game here.

Otherwise, you know how this is supposed to work.  Post your comments and observations in the Comments section below.  I will be around for the game, so I’ll try to chime in when and where appropriate.  Enjoy the game and…

BEAR DOWN!!!

• Cowboys Stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world.
• It has the world’s largest column-free interior
• It has the largest retractable end zone doors in the world.  The five 38′ panels can be fully opened in 18 minutes.
• The stadium is 3 football fields long from end zone door to end zone door and encompasses 104 million cubic feet of volume.
• It has the world’s largest hi-definition video monitor, measuring 160′ wide x 72′ high, spanning between the 20 yard lines (like the Bears’ offense)
• Standard football capacity is 80,000 but it’s expandable to 111,000 with standard room only.
• The record attendance for a football game is 105,121 when the Cowboys opened the stadium against the New York Giants last season.
• Cowboys Stadium with host the 2011 Super Bowl.  The Cowboys hope to be the first “home team” to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.