Before the season started, I was concerned that we got a last-minute offensive coach who could either propel the offense or crash and burn (my money was on the latter given the lack of a superstar receiver). Offensive line coach was the same guy who allowed the "Love Boat" scandal in MN on his watch. Defensive coordinator went 0 or 16 in Detroit. The players were the element I didn't credit enough. Regardless of how they finish out the year, they've outplayed my expectations.
The first four games were wins, but I felt like there was a lot of luck involved, and the Bears showed zero consistency. Cutler was getting pounded and the running game looked improved, but the offensive line seemed to be different week by week.
The next three games were more what I expected. The Giants are a great team, but I didn't expect to see Cutler get pounded like he did. Maybe that was the wake-up call. The other losses should have been wins, but you can't win 'em all (especially with a third-string QB).
Now, we're on a four-game win streak, and the last two (at least) were decisive wins. Impressive wins, really. They got over the night game thing and won against a top-tier team yesterday. I'd love to see the history of their power rankings since week one. It would have to be all over the board.
All of this said, I have noticed in recent weeks that the Bears team now is a lot like the Bears team from 2005/2006. The defense is steady and formidable. The offense is functional with a good running game as the anchor. Hester looks like he can run one back for 6 points on any given kickoff.
I'm happy to eat this crow, but before I get all excited and start making bold predictions, I'm interested to see if they put the Lions away again. There's no reason why they should lose this one.
GO BEARS!
