Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher are ready to maul the Panthers. (photo courtesy of ESPN.com)

This week we will observe one of nature’s great rivalries, Bears (3-1) vs. Panthers(0-4) and break down the key matchups.  It will be a true battle for dominance between a wise old grizzly, Bears QB Todd Collins and a young cub, Panthers QB Jimmy Clausen.  The two will lead their packs into the wild kingdom that is Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

The Bears have their reputations on the line as a real contender in the NFC, but will be without their alpha male, QB Jay Cutler (concussion).  The Panthers, after losing their first four games, limp into week 5 and will most likely be without their ferocious WR Steve Smith (injured paw).   They will have to rely on two young kittens, WR David Gettis and WR Brandon LaFell, to protect the Panther’s home den.  Let’s take a look at some key matchups that will help decide this week struggle for NFL survival:

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Doesn't Todd Collins look excited to be making his first start since 2008? (Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune)

Jay Cutler will be tucked safely away on the sidelines (or possibly cuddled up on the couch next to Kristen Cavallari) on Sunday after an independent doctor failed to clear him to play against the Panthers.  This from Chicago Breaking Sports:

Cutler practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, but after being examined by an independent doctor, it was determined that although he was making progress in his recovery from the injury, he shouldn’t play against the Panthers.

Gee, I thought the Bears’ doctors or Lovie Smith read my Lower the Boom post which said Cutler should sit.  Thankfully the NFL has a process in place to protect players from this situation.  Had it not been for the independent doctor, I can assure you Cutler would be rushed back.  Lovie and Co. have their jobs on the line after all.

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Todd Collins broke a sweat for the first time in a Bears uniform (AP Photo via NFL.com)

The Chicago Bears put the finishing touches on a perfect preseason – perfectly awful.  After their 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Bears dropped to 0-4 on the preseason and failed to win a single preseason game for the first time since 1998.  Ask anyone in the Bears’ locker room and they’ll tell you that it’s just practice and it doesn’t matter, but let’s face it – this team simply doesn’t pass the sniff test.  I am willing to throw the record out if I had seen something – ANYTHING – that resembled good football in these preseason “glorified practices.”

There have been gaping holes along the offensive line, allowing 19 sacks in the preseaon including 10 of starter Jay Cutler. But the holes along the offensive line are minuscule compared to the holes in Lovie Smith’s Cover-Who defense.  Teams continued to convert 3rd downs at an alarming rate.  Even the usually sold special teams showed major lapses, including poor coverage, blocked kicks and blocked punts in three of the four games.

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Only after the second preseaon mess game, did the Bears realize that they needed a more credible backup and ponied up to get Todd Collins.  Gutierrez never appeared in a game.

Other players cut were former Northwestern wide receiver Zeke Markshausen and defensive lineman Maurice Evans.  Two more players will need to be dispatched between now and Tuesday afternoon.  Any chance the could cut Lovie and Jerry?  You can’t blame a guy for asking, can you?

The Bears added veteran QB Todd Collins to back up Jay Cutler.

After Saturday night’s disappointing loss to the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, the Bears saw enough to go out and sign veteran quarterback Todd Collins to be Cutler’s backup.

Not sure if the 5 first-half sacks of Jay Cutler or the second-half performance of Dan LeFevour that served as the tipping point to have the Bears commit some guaranteed money, but Collins should be thankful that he waited to sign.  Maybe if he waited until after the Cardinals game this Saturday, he could get even more up-front cash?

Collins is set to report to Halas Hall for at least six figures and if he cracks the opening day roster, he could be getting something in the $1 million range.  It’s a good thing considering what life insurance costs these days.  Collins has some experience running the Martz offense, but you have to question his intelligence.  Did he watch the game on Saturday?  The dude is gonna get himself killed!

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Gutierrez, who was with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, was an undrafted free agent from Idaho State. He spent 2007 and 2008 with the New England Patriots. The 26-year-old appeared briefly last season with the Chiefs, throwing one pass in the regular season.

Gutierrez, 26, has good size at 6-4, 230 pounds, and drew solid reviews for a while out of New England, which has done a solid job developing backup quarterbacks.

Gutierrez comes in after Collins, Huard and Green rejected the Bears and apparently Josh McCown couldn’t get out of his UFL contract.  The impending signing is telling in a few ways:

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The 15-year veteran quarterback turned down an offer to sign with the club after he was offered a contract for the minimum salary Monday. Backup Caleb Hanie is sidelined with an AC joint sprain, leaving the Bears with only starter Jay Cutler and rookie sixth-round pick Dan Lefevour, who struggled mightily in practice Monday.

Collins’ agent Brad Blank explained that the Bears would not offer a small signing bonus or guarantee any money, and the 38-year-old Collins feared he would just to be a camp arm and be cut in a matter of weeks. NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora first reported the development Tuesday morning.

First of all, what kind of signing bonus do you need to offer a veteran backup?  About $150k from what I’ve heard.  Alligator arms McCaskey couldn’t come up with that?

Collins is at least the third quarterback to say no thanks to the Bears, as Trent Green and Damon Huard couldn’t be coaxed out of retirement.

Maybe they should hire a search firm?  This is becoming a theme around Halas Hall.  First they couldn’t find an offensive or defensive coordinator, now they can’t get a backup QB.  What the heck is going on up there?

In the meantime, enjoy Todd LeFevour in the second half of Saturday’s preseason tilt with the Raiders and pray nothing happens to Cutler in the first half.

Caleb Hanie's shoulder injury has Bears on prowl for vet QB.

With Caleb Hanie injuring his shoulder in the preseason opener against the Chargers on Saturday night, the Bears are suddenly very shorthanded at the quarterback position.

Hanie saw extensive time Saturday after starter Jay Cutler was pulled after a successful 8 snap series that led to a field goal and staked the Bears to a short-lived 3-0 lead.  Hanie left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and was seen in a sling around the campus of Olivet Nazarene on Monday.  He is confident that the injury is not too serious:

“I’ve never missed any games, so if I have to miss a game this is new territory,” Hanie said. “I’m not worried about losing my (No. 2) job. That’s not even a worry for me. What I have is not a season-ending injury, not half-season, not even beginning of the season. I am definitely not worried about losing my position.

“The MRI was just precautionary. I don’t show any signs of structural damage. I expect (the MRI) to come back positively negative.”

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