Bears vs Panthers Preseason Game 1: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Game One is in the bag…

Aug 9, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bears return specialist Devin Hester (23) wide receiver Josh Lenz (11) wide receiver Brittan Golden (82) and safety Tom Zbikowski (36) take to the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Well Bear fans, it has begun! The emotional roller coaster known as the NFL…the only place I am aware of where you can go from elation to misery…back to elation in a 3 hour span! Preseason game one is in the bag and all I keep telling myself is that we are only in preseason….that is code for the Bears didn’t play that well. They did not, though I am not surprised nor am I overly alarmed either.

The Good

Turnovers again for the Bears. They accumulated four takeaways and managed to get their hands on 3 other passes that easily could have been intercepted. Again, the defense managed to score as many touchdowns as the offense.  Continuity from the defense is absolutely essential to success in 2013.

Bostic sure looks the part of middle linebacker and I truly believe the job is his to lose at this point. Kaseem Greene also looked solid as well. All in all, the defense looked like the defense we Bear fans have enjoyed for many years.  Watching Marquess Wilson make the big reception late in the game brought a smile to my face.  I know these late round picks are long shots, but this guy is young, talented and we all hope he will reach his full potential as a Bear.

The Bad

Injuries are always a concern. The Bears had two injuries of significance as long snapper Patrick Mannelly went down with a rib injury. Stud DT Henry Melton suffered a concussion as well during the game and is very much a concern moving forward. As we all learn more about concussions, there is reason to be concerned. Some players just have a tendency or seem to be susceptible to concussions. I am not saying that Melton has a propensity to be concussed, however it is cause for alarm for the team and warrants watching closely.

The Ugly

Drop back on first play in the new offense and viola! turn the ball over on an interception! I could not believe my eyes…I was yelling at the television “you have got to be kidding me!”. We need better out of Jay Cutler and Alshon Jeffery to be successful. I am like every other Bear fan in that I just want competency from the offense and this was not how you start a game.

There was one other thing…the biggest thing in my opinion…the offensive line still stinks! J’Marcus Webb is horrible! This offense will not function without pass protection. I am going to single out Webb for this rant because the other linemen are new and I am expecting improvement. Webb, on the other hand, has an entire body of work with the Bears that is …well it is bad…with a capital “B”. It might be that the Bears don’t have many options that are better, but I am telling all Bear fans that to continue with this guy is pure insanity! Insanity being defined as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.

I don’t need to watch, or see any more preseason games to know Webb is who I think he is. He is the same guy I’ve be watching for the past couple of seasons giving up sack after sack, false starting and blowing blocking assignments.  Yes I have read and heard that he wasn’t that bad last year.  He was average in fact…average on one of the worst offensive lines in the league!

Well, it is only one game. A meaningless preseason game. A game where individual effort and film mean more than the collective outcome. Game one and there were both winners and losers. I say game two is pivotal for several players. The Bears have too many decent receivers, too many running backs that can play and probably safeties as well. They need a Right Tackle in the worst way.  The Defensive Line is exposed with current injury concerns but overall, I think the game went largely like I thought it would. The Defense looked solid and the offense looked shaky and that is really what I expected.

All in all, the Bears kind of looked like…well they looked like the Bears! So Bear fans, will the offense come out of hibernation before game one?