Wow.
That was my first reaction to the win. And who can blame me? We went into Dallas, played amazing defense, the offense (mostly) clicked, and made Romo look like a Division III QB. We’re 2-0 and ready to compete with the Packers next week. Right?
Not so fast. I’m still not optimistic. Here’s why:
1) Give Mike Martz and Mike Tice credit. They both had to make in-game adjustments to make sure our offense would be functional. And Frank Omiyale, of all people, did a decent enough job on DeMarcus Ware. But Cutler was hurried too much, again. If our offensive line was more solid, I’d feel better about our chances. However, it’s not, and one of these times, Cutler’s gonna take a lick that he won’t get up from.
2) Where’s our running game? I know that the Cowboys have a solid front four, but neither Matt Forte or Chester Taylor looked particularly comfortable running yesterday. You think that’ll get any easier with Clay Matthews next week? I think not.
3) Our run defense was fantastic. Props to them on two weeks of a job well done. But, our pass defense was torched. I know, I know, we got two interceptions off of Romo. You think Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, and Donald Driver are salivating at the thoughts of our CB’s?
4) Robbie Gould and Brad Maynard put in their solid work, as per usual. Our punt coverage and kickoff coverage, on the other hand, wasn’t so spectacular. It’s not all Dave Toub’s fault….ST All-World Tim Shaw isn’t here anymore. Bottom line: We’ve gotta be better. Before Dez Bryant’s return, Dallas’ offense was stuck in neutral. We can’t afford to give teams energy boosts by giving up ST points.
As always, drop your love/hate mail in the comments. For those of you kids that are into those technological things, you can interact with me on Twitter (@gavintugana). I may or may not have a bet with Boomer that I can get more Twitter followers by the end of the season than he can.
ChicagoBears.com
Larry Mayer’s breakdown of the game.
ChicagoNow
Here’s a nice breakdown of each offensive series the Bears had vs. Dallas.
Chicago Sun-Times
Even Rick Morrissey has to give the Bears their props.
….and Rick Telander is equally as shocked.
Hunter Hillenmeyer is weighing his options: retire or come back for a few more years.
Chicago Tribune
Steve Rosenbloom: This win is all for the coaches.
Fred Mitchell is following a Twitter love triangle between Dwayne Wade, Jay Cutler, and Kristin Cavallari.
Dan Pompei writes about something….still thrown off by his “I ate good fruit so the Bears are good” column before training camp.
David Haugh believes the win was a statement game.
Brad Biggs’ Four Downs: How the Bears beat the Cowboys.
CSN Chicago
John Mullin grades out the Bears’ performance.
The Bears apparently intimidated the Cowboys on Sunday. I missed this.
Daily Herald
Barry Rozner: Cutler stayed alive thanks to Mike Tice.
Mike Imrem: How are the Bears 2-0?
The Bears showed poise and swagger in the victory.
ESPN Chicago
Melissa Isaacson was happy with the Bears’ win.
The Bears aren’t surprised with their 2-0 start.
DA disappeared this week…..what happened?
Five things Jeff Dickerson learned from the game.
Here’s a nice piece on Mike Martz adjusting to the heavy blitz that the ‘Boys brought.