The Bears have been all hush hush (shocking, I know) about the status of their running backs for next Monday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.  Matt Forte’s status is still up in the air and Michael Bush seems to be a little dinged up.  Fullback/H-back Evan Rodriguez is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks with a sprained MCL that he suffered vs the Rams.

Tuesday was an off day for the Bears players, but the front office was busy, bringing in running backs Ryan Grant and Jacob Hester a week after working out Steve Slaton and signing back Kahlil Bell.  Early reports indicate that Matt Forte will miss Week 4 vs Dallas and as I’ve said all along, it makes the most sense for him to sit through the Week 6 bye and be ready for the push in the second half of the season.

While I was at the game last Sunday, I noticed that Bush was conspicuously missing in the final 10 minutes of a tight ballgame while reputed fumbler Kahlil Bell was given the bulk of the work and thought that something must be wrong with Bush.  Here was head coach Lovie Smith’s assessment of Bush:

“We have a lot of guys that got a little banged up (Sunday) from the physical play of the game,” Smith said. “No, we were playing Kahlil Bell before that. Mike took some good shots. You know, he came out one play on a hard hit but it was that type of game.”

I looked back through the film and checked Bush’s last carry early in the 4th quarter and couldn’t see anything that would have caused him to leave the game.  There’s been some speculation that he could have suffered a mild concussion, but again, nothing is substantiated.  If Bush is indeed banged up and misses the Cowboys game and Forte also sits out while healing up his bum ankle, the Bears and the ground game could be in for a rough game against the Cowboys and puts that much more pressure on Jay Cutler and the passing game.  Just in time for DeMarcus Ware. Gulp.

The Packers this past off season decided to part ways with Ryan Grant who had a very productive career as their featured running back since 2007. He collected back to back 1,200 yard rushing totals before a devastating ankle injury on opening day 2010 derailed him.  He returned to play in 15 games this past season as a backup to James Starks, but Grant still managed 559 yards rushing while splitting time.

Jan 15, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back James Starks (44) runs with the ball against the New York Giants at the Lambeau Field. The Giants beat the Packers 37-20. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

The running back position now will now feature James Starks.  After a great premiere in the 2010 playoff run to the Super Bowl, Starks was very average at best when given the spotlight in the 2011 regular season gaining only 578 yards on the ground even though he did have some big runs to seal games in the 4th quarter.  The concerns for Starks going into 2012 are that Grant is now gone and Starks has very little running back help behind him, and Starks had some nagging injuries last season that led him to miss 3 games. This must be some concern to the Packers faithful even though this is not the Power Sweep days of Vince Lombardi under  Coach McCarthy.

To say the position is incredibly thin at running back is an understatement.  Starks is now the starter and he has a career total of 679 yards rushing.  Second year running back Alex Green is the backup and he didn’t participate in Mini-Camp because he is still recovering from knee reconstruction surgery that Green had 6 months ago.  It is still uncertain if Green will be ready to go when training camps open in July.  Green career totals are 3 rushes for 11 yards.  If Green isn’t healthy enough to backup Starks who will be the backup come training camp? Brandon Saine would be with his career total of 18 rushes for 69 yards.  So you can see the backfield for the 2012 season has 759 career rushing yards combined.  Aaron Rogers could be in line to throw 50 passes a game next season with this kind of production waiting for him in the backfield.

Even though Matt Forte is not happy with the money Michael Bush received in the off season, the  Chicago Bears are way deeper at the running back position with Forte and Bush than any other team in the division, and especially the Packers running back position.  It makes you wonder why the Packers didn’t want Grants services back for another season? They seem to have a lot of faith in guys that have not produced a lot at the NFL level.

It was BEARly worth mentioning, but they are our BIGGEST rival!

DA BEARS!!!

Despite his fumblitis, Adrian Peterson is the top back in the NFC North.

The NFC North FanSided bloggers continue to build our All-NFC North team.  The QB search is well underway and some Packer fans must’ve had someone teach them how to read because Aaron Rodgers is out to a commanding lead.  Meanwhile, my colleague at The Viking Age is running a poll to determine the top TE.  Vote early and vote often – it’s the Chicago way!

Meanwhile, we’ll try to set the backfield here.  Our roster calls for two running backs and it’s a good thing because there are plenty to choose from in the Norris division.  I am going to say this through gritted teach, but I’m going to concede the #1 spot to Purple Jesus, Adrian Peterson.  Despite the severe case of fumblitis that AP suffers from, he is the most talented back in the division.  For our NFC North team, AP may need to get pulled late in a close ballgame so he doesn’t cough one up at a critical time, so this post will focus on choosing the #2 running back in the division.  Let’s check out the talent:

Meanwhile, the Bears have lost 7 out of their last 9 games and the 2 wins came against the Lions and Browns, so do those really count?  Then again, they haven’t beaten a winning team all season, so as Tommie Harris so eloquently put it, “It’s just one of those years.”  Um, understatement much?  Anyone can have a bad century, right Cub fans?

The tone for the game was set on the Packers first play from scrimmage, a 62-yard touchdown scamper by the Pack’s Ryan Grant.  Green Bay kept threatening to turn it into a blowout, but to the Bears’ credit, the defense got organized and actually kept it close.

This week it was the offense’s turn to spit the bit.  Jay Cutler’s added 2 interceptions, running his league leading t0tal to 22. There’s nowhere else to look besides JC on these picks.

I’m sick and tired of trying to defend Cutler, trying to say he doesn’t have time or his receivers are no good.  It’s time to hold him accountable for what’s going on between the white lines.

Most of all, though, this sloppy game falls on the coaching staff.   13 penalties for over 100 yards is all about discipline and that speaks to coaching.  Clock and time out management fall squarely on Lovie and his staff.  (more…)

As you head into the playoffs, beware of your WRs playing against Revis…I am talking to you owners of Roddy White (week 14) and Reggie Wayne (week 15) as Revis could dampen your playoff spirits.  You always have to roll with your studs and White and Wayne qualify as such, but hopefully the rest of your roster can pick you up if Revis continues to climb to the top of the CB mountain.  This is likely the last week of your regular season and you might be jockeying for playoff position, so hopefully I can be some help to you as you fill out your lineups…

Guys I Like

1. Matt Forte vs St. Louis – Playing against the 28th ranked D against the run that has allowed 16 TDs on the ground this season better be able to cure the Bears running game.  If nothing else, maybe this will be a reason to watch the Beloved as they play out the string.
2. DeAngelo Williams vs Tampa Bay – Thankfully, Jake Delhomme is likely to sit this week and the Panthers running game should be in full effect.  Add to that the fact that D-Will has run for 338 yds and 4 TDs against the Bucs in his last 2 games against them and you should be very happy with his performance.  D-Will does have an ankle, but he is expected to be full go on Sunday.
3. Jeremy Maclin @ Atlanta - With DeSean Jackson concussed, Maclin’s targets should increase significantly.  With the Eagles O 3rd in the league in passing plays of more than 20 yds with 53, you can likely count of Maclin for some big numbers.
4. Brandon Marshall @ Kansas City - Denver seems to have righted the ship with Ole Neckbeard at the helm and B-Marsh should shred the KC secondary struggles with tall wide bodied WRs.  B-Marsh should be no exception.  (more…)

White Meat Plays (guys I like)

1. Aaron Rodgers, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings and Ryan Grant @ Detroit – Hell, I would probably also throw Jermichael Finley into this bunch…I think GB comes out and stomps Detroit.  I know Detroit plays tough on Turkey Day, because it is their birth right to host a game every year, but not this year my friends.  GB wins and wins big!!!
2. Marion Barber vs Oakland – Shocker, I am picking a RB to light up Oakland, but until they can stop anyone on the ground, I will keep picking against them.  The Oakland D is 30th against the run and they have allowed a league high 16 rushing TDs.  Surprisingly, they are not so bad against the pass, so I expect Barber to gain > 100yds on the ground and likely 2 TDs.
3. Brett Favre vs Bears - There is really no explanation needed.  The Beloved are hurting and Favre’s colors have changed, but the song remains the same.  Oh, and he has a pretty good running game to support a lot of play action over the top of our vaunted Tampa Two defense.
4. Whichever Cincy RB starts vs Cleveland - Whether it is Cedric Benson or Bernard Scott starting for Cincy, they should be starting for you.  They will light up Cleveland!!!

Dark Meat Plays (guys I don’t like)  (more…)

Guys I Like this Week

1. Matt Forte vs Cleveland – I am calling Forte out…perform this week or I drop you from 2 of my squads…Cleveland???  Come on…and in the orange jerseys to boot…this has to be his week!!!
2. LeSean McCoy vs NYG – Westbrook’s concussion gives McCoy a chance to shine…not the best matchup, but AZ ran pretty well against the Giants last week.
3. Kevin Smith and Steven Jackson in the Toilet Bowl (StL @ Det) – This is probably the worst game on the schedule this week, but both defenses are suspect and I think both RBs have a chance to shine.
4. LaDanian Tomlinson vs Oakland – I don’t know why because LT has been disappointing, but there is something appealing to me about LT at home versus Oakland with a firm chip on his shoulder that sounds like a winning combo to me in favor of LT owners… (more…)

I would love to see the San Diego Chargers defeat the New England Patriots and get the AFC trophy, but with a banged up LaDainian Tomlinson and gimpy Phillip Rivers the Chargers may have to hope for another miracle from their back ups Michael Turner and Billy Volek. Although, if you told me the fate of the Chargers season would rest on a touchdown drive led by Volek and Turner I would probably tell you their season would end early. Somehow they managed to manufacture a game-winning drive in the face of the NFL defensive MVP Bob Sanders. Is it even feasible to imagine the same thing could happen to the Patriots? I’m grounded by the reality that the Colts defense was missing several key players and had been over performing down the stretch. The reality is with the amount of injuries on the Indianapolis Colts it should have been no surprise that they were ousted by a team using replacement parts.

Now the Chargers are thrust into the same role the Colts played this past weekend. They go into the AFC championship game banged up and possibly missing pro bowl players that are key to their team. When you take L.T. and Antonio Gates off the field, what do the Chargers have left on offense? Chris Chambers is going to lead this team past the Patriots?

Normally I don’t waste my time writing on the AFC but I make the exception because of how much I despise the Patriots. I despise the way they disregarded the old NFL unspoken rule against running up the score against opponents. I despise the way they managed to horde so much talent on one team much the way basketball teams were for many years and contributed to the drop off of the NBA. I despise that Tony Romo gets criticized for taking his celebrity girlfriend on a trip but there is no accountability for Tom Brady dating supermodels and having children with different women. I despise the way they play the game more like a video game than real football.

I already know what all the Patriots fan are saying, if you don’t like it then find a way to beat us. That’s the part that really disgusts me. Even with their bastardized version of football, no one has been able to find a way to stop them. It’s also the reason why it will never be duplicated. The main reason the Patriots offense has been so good is the matching up of a great receiving corps, mostly due to the horrible trade made with the Oakland Raiders to get Randy Moss. Shame on the Raiders for giving up Moss to the Patriots without making the Patriots give up some talent in return. It was a fluke that probably will never be able to be repeated by any other team. They also have a benefit of a defense made up of some of the best defensive players in the league. Somehow Junior Seau has been an ageless wonder and still manages to contribute. Eventually this team will get too old and too expensive to keep together and balance will be restored to the league.

So should I admire the Patriots for putting this team together? I don’t think so, that still doesn’t excuse the way they humiliated teams for their own ego.

The New York Giants played a great game against the Dallas Cowboys but you have to admit the Cowboys didn’t look like the Cowboys on Sunday. They looked confused and couldn’t get a balance on offense, mostly due to allowing the Giants pass rush to have their way with Tony Romo. Brett Favre has many more years under his belt on knowing how to avoid a pass rush, plus a Packers offense that has shown they can rely on the pass and spread the field. So as far as I’m concerned the Packers already have their place set for the NFC trophy.

That’s possibly what makes the Packers and Patriots match up so compelling. While the Packers have shown they can take over a game with running back Ryan Grant, it wasn’t too long ago they were winning games by passing the entire game, much the way the Patriots have been winning. The possibility of a shoot out Super Bowl will be exciting and fun to watch. If the Giants upset and get into the Super Bowl, the Patriots defense will be able to confuse Eli Manning and take control of the game. Favre is old, but has a lot of wisdom when it comes to playing the game and the Super Bowl.

So you tell me, do Bears fans root for the Patriots to run the table and make NFL history by mocking the league, or do you root for the hated, rival Packers, even though they may be the last saviors of the league by giving the Patriots their own style of pass happy offense and suffocating defense?