[CBFF] Bears @ SD Predictions

[Victor Waldron]

> > 2)  LT hasn't played one snap of preseason football; IE hasn't taken one hit
> > in anger by an opponent, and everyone expects him to come out on top of his
> > game against the Bears defense?
>
> That means nothing.  He ran for 131 yards in 1 TD against Oakland last
> year, and in spite of their struggles, they still had a good defense
> last year.

Seriously? I can't see how sitting out the entire preseason can be
good. There's "in shape" and "football shape" and you can't have the
latter without some hitting. Plus you have to wonder about their O
being in sync.

> > 3)  Bear have great rotation on D-line and at ends to keep it fresh.  Doubt
> > the Dolts O-line has such rotation.
>
> They have one of the best O-lines in the league.  It will be tough for
> our d-line to stay fresh if the Chargers lead in TOP.

This doesn't say much because anytime an opponent leads in TOP your
D-line is negatively affected. The battle in the trenches will be fun
to watch.

> > 4) Regardless of what ESPN say, the Dolts really don't have a WR that can
> > scare our DB's in any way, shape or form.
>
> That's very true.  Sadly, how do you attack the cover-2?  With your
> TE.  And the Chargers have one of the best.

Then again we don't play the cover-2 in its purest form. Gates will
get his catches just as LT will get his yards but I don't see either
breaking off big plays.

> > 5) That leaves Mike Brown, Archulletta, and our linebackers to cover Gates.
>
> Guys who are stout against the runs, but short and liabilities against
> the pass.  Frankly, I'm confused why both are starting.  We're
> essentially starting two strong safeties and no free safeties.

True, but they are also extremely smart and are rarely (if ever) out
of position. The fact that SD doesn't have any scary WRs will make
coverage in the middle of the field that much easier.

> > 6)  The Dolts have a brand new coaching staff, which usually creates
> > problems for the first game.
>
> That's true.  In fact Norm Turner has a losing record as a head coach.

First Schottemheimer (sp?) now Norv Turner. Interesting choices.

> > 9) Mike Brown and Tommie Harris
>
> ...are both coming off injury.

I don't see how this limits their effectiveness during the game. I can
see being concerned about longer term durability, but it's not like
they have had only a few weeks to recover from something.

And I agree with Behr and others who say that having these two guys in
the lineup in the SB would have made a huge difference. How about next
time we pluck two ProBowl caliber players off Indy's offense the next
time we play them and see how it goes. And don't forget the impact
Sanders had on their team by returning to the lineup for the playoffs.

V