Fridays around here consist of Pete personal time. Any topic that will inspire coherent thoughts for a span of a blog. I'm taking suggestions or requests for topics of the wild card variety. If it exists, I've probably got an opinion on it. I'm going to cater to the majority of the initial week readers with a sports related topic today, especially with the start of training camp in roughly a half hour down in Kankakee County.
Let's begin this journey back in the offseason when news broke of the Jay Cutler trade. First of all I was shocked to see this regime make a momentus move such as this. After the initial shock wore off, I gave my first opinion to my fellow coworkers which I'll share with you now. The trade makes the Bears franchise better over the next 5 to 8 years. It was a brilliant move by Jerry Angelo basically deifying himself in the eyes of fans for bringing in the long lost QB. He also got rid of first round draft picks which typically cause fans to turn against him with his limited success. Combine this missing QB acquisition with giving Lovie his sidekick in Rod Marinelli while putting Lovie directly in charge of the defense, and you've got yourself a man who just put his head coach in line for anything that stops this team short of a long playoff run. Brilliant move for Angelo, and a welcome consideration for the fandom as they know who to assault on talk radio if things go wrong.
From there, we progressed through the offseason with an Orlando Pace move that could pay dividends or it could be disastrous. If Pace can't stay healthy, you will have already switch Chris Williams to an unnatrual position at right tackle. We also don't even know if Williams can play at an NFL level. If it works out, it should be an immediate upgrade for a beleagured offensive line. However, no help was added to the worst receiving corps in the league. Devin Hester is the closest thing to an NFL receiver and as a receiver he's a great return man. Forte and Greg Olson will need to be big parts of the receiving game to make this offense work. In addition to question marks on the offensive side, we're still looking at the 22nd ranked defense in the NFL. The secondary is brutal with no playmakers at safety, a hipless Tillman, and a bad Vasher. The linebackers should carry the team and make other players better. Urlacher does seemed prime for that big year in the second portion of his career. Briggs is a top 5 linebacker in the NFL as well. I do actually expect Marinelli to extract some life out of Tommie Harris, but if the DT play improves the DE play is likely to decline as Brown and Ogunleye age. Anderson has proven he can't play on run downs.
Overall, this Bears squad will likely be pretty similar to last season's collection. 9-7 would be a slight overachievement when you take off the Cutler-scented cologne and Blue/Orange shades. People need to realize that if this team doesn't make the playoffs, the Jay Cutler trade wasn't a failure. The value of this trade will be realized over a much larger window with a better offensive line and complementary players at the skill positions, but more importantly a retooled defense. At least QB is one less hurdle when the former Decatur Staleys return to drafting in the first round. With all that said, you should be excited for the start of training camp and optomistic that the Bears could make a run if things fall into place. If the Cardinals can make the Super Bowl, anything is possible. Just don't come here looking for answers when this squad as assembled today goes 8-8 and looks up at the Pack and Vikings in the NFC North.
Weekend Wonderment
I said that every Friday I would give you guidance on how to occupy your weekend, and I figure I shouldn't fail you on the first week. If you're bored on Saturday or Sunday, gas up the car, fill the cooler, and head down to Olivet Nazarene to catch some Bears training camp. It's a no risk proposition because everybody other than Peter Tom Willis looks good in half pads and shorts. It will add to your early NFL buzz. I understand that sports aren't for everyone especially women who are trying to extract some interaction out of their husbands before the NFL season starts. If you fall into that category, find yourself a local farmer's market on Saturday or Sunday, get yourself some fresh produce, and make a delicious meal from the best food money can buy. Talk to some of the farmers to understand their craft and learn what will be available soon in the growing season. Not only does it make for a wonderful start to the day, but it helps local farmers stay in business and might help our starving economy. If you can't find a local market, head into Chicago on Sunday for the Green Market and prepare to taste what real food is.
By the way, if the Bears article on the start of training camp doesn't spark some interest/comments, then I will lose all hope in you people.
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