As the Chicago Bears prepare to host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, any media member who does “the Saints come marching into Chicago” GETS KICKED IN THE THROAT, AND HAS THEIR VOCAL CHORDS RIPPED OUT.
If you want to declare yourself an untalented hack with zero credibility, make that cliche reference this week. Do you realize how unoriginal that is to make a direct pun of the exact reason that the Saints got their team name in the first place?
Before we get to the Saints let us first address Detroit Lions Vice Chairman Bill Ford Jr. who after the Lions WHOMPED the Chicago Bears called them “a bunch of thugs.”
Way to win with class and style Lions. Then again, you’re not use to winning, so how could you know how to “act like you’ve been there before?”
Yes, I know Ford was joking when he said this at a team dinner, but here’s another joke for Bill Ford Jr:
Ford’s stock price! LOL!
The idea of investing in Ford Motor Company! ROTFLMAO!
TV: Fox Noon CDT Sunday
SPREAD: pick-em
New Orleans Saints:
Last year’s team had, by some definitions, the worst defense in NFL history. Look at the stats- it backs up that statement. This year’s unit is significantly better. They gave us just 7 points to Arizona. (I know the Cardinals aren’t world beaters) and 14 to the train wreck formerly known as Tampa Bay. But what’s more impressive is the fact that Atl and Mia only scored 17 on them.
What a difference having your coach back makes huh? And having your whole staff in sync with each other again. The Saints are a dangerous team again. Of course, it’s a no name defense. Quick, name as many Saints defenders as you can.
You can’t think of more than two or three can you?
Well, four of their defensive starters are listed as probable this week, as three more defenders in the two-deep. I’m sure all of them will play though, as football coaches lie about injuries for a living.
There’s a somewhat local flavor to this team with the Illini connection. Starting tailback Pierre Thomas went to Illinois, and he prepped at T.F. South (SICA!!!) in the south suburbs. Another Illini, and prized recruit of Ron Zook is the back-up right outside linebacker: Martez Wilson. You know him best from the Sunday Night game last year when Al Michaels predicted he would end the game by sacking Phillip Rivers.
Exactly one play before Wilson sacked Rivers to end the game.
Thomas is RB1, but they do a committee approach, with former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles all getting involved. Marques Colston needs no introduction. Neither does Drew Brees. But Jimmy Graham is the biggest weapon of all.
It’s possible Peanut Tillman lines up across from Graham this week, we’ll see.
Chicago Bears:
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the spread in a Chicago Bears game move back and forth like this. One place has NOLA the favorite, another had the the Bears. To be a home underdog in the NFL, there has to be a talent disparity, and I think the Saints have the advantage here.
What happened to the vaunted Chicago Bears defense? Do they have to score in order to stop people/be effective? Is that a lot to ask of a defense?
Why so many questions?
Well, this Chicago Bears defense has all kinds of question marks. Take Shea McClellin. Please.
What a WASTE of a first round pick. He was expected to legitimately push Corey Wootton for playing time. Instead McClellin is a horrible run defender. Terrible in getting off blocks. Now with franchise tag player Henry Melton out for the season, Julius Peppers not being even close to himself, and McClellin not contributing anything– the DL is now one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. Which is surprising, given how we thought it was supposed to be one of the Chicago Bears biggest strengths in 2013.
On the bright side, Peanut Tillman is supposedly himself again this week. But this Chicago Bears defense is the major concern. Forget your worries about Jay Cutler for now. It’s one bad game, and one inconsistent player. (at the most important position of course, but still)
Though four weeks, the Bears currently rank 20th in the league defensively at 384 yards/game. Only two teams ranked lower than the Bears have winning records, the 3-1 Miami Dolphins and the 4-0 Denver Broncos. The Broncos’ defensive numbers, much like those of the 2009 champion Saints, can largely be explained by their potent offense souring to such huge leads and defense yielding a lot of meaningless second-half yardage. Nevertheless, the Bears, Broncos and Dolphins are the only teams with winning marks in the bottom fourteen of the defensive rankings.
Brutally honest prediction:
Brutally honest record 59-22
Here’s my pick, and one NOLA cliche for this preview, courtesy of the opening scene the James Bond film “Live and Let Die.”
The Chicago Bears chances are the 00 agent and the Jazz Funeral. New Orleans Saints 31, Chicago Bears 24
Hear my Bears reports every Friday at 7:30 AM on WAOR 95.7 The Fan, Michiana’s home for Bears football.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An analyst for 95.7 The Fan and 1620 The Zone, he also writes for Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and Facebook, subscribe to his RSS feed