Have you seen enough?
How do you think the Bears will fare after watching their final exhibition Thursday night against the Browns?
The Bears open the regular season Sept. 13 in Green Bay and the NBC-TV broadcast crew that will call the contest offered opinions on a Tuesday conference about the Bears and the rest of the NFC North.
“Watching the Packers and the way that they’re playing, I really do feel like the [Brett Favre] circus leaving town has really helped this football team,” Chris Collinsworth said. “With Dom [Capers] coming in and taking over the defense, they seem refocused despite the change. Offensively, Aaron [Rodgers] is putting on an absolute show throwing the football and you just can’t deny that they have been the best team of this preseason. I mean, they’ve been spectacular.”
Collinsworth is not totally discounting the Bears.
“I got a chance to see a much improved Bears defense, and that’s really what I focus on with the Bears,” he said. “I think their offense is going to be good. I think their receivers are going to be fine. But their defense with [coach Lovie Smith] taking over control seems so much better.”
Tony Dungy is impressed with the Packers, as well.
“I think Green Bay is probably going to come out of the chutes fast because they have their quarterback that’s been there the longest,” the former Colts coach said. “[Jay] Cutler and Favre are great quarterbacks and they have great talent, but they don’t have that same two-year window Aaron Rogers has had working with his receivers. But as the weather gets colder the defenses are going to take over and I think Chicago is going to have the best defense.”
Rodney Harrison weighed in on the Vikings’ acquisition of Favre.
“The one thing about football that I had to come to grips with is that your mind is always going to tell you can make that play, but the hard part is getting your body to follow,” Harrison said. “You get to a point where at 21 your body is basically made of steel but once you get into the 30s your body is basically made up of glass.
“So there comes a point in time where you have to walk away like I did. Brett showed us flashes that he still can play and that he is very competitive, but mentally once he’s done after this season he’s going to really have to take a look and say you know what, is this in the best interest of my body, my mind, and my family? Do I continue to play this game or do I walk away?’ ”
Overheard: Offensive coordinator Ron Turner said he was not pleased with the Bears rhythm in their 26-23 victory over the Browns on Thursday night, especially in the first half when they were limited to a pair of Robbie Gould field goals.
“It was nice to see that drive in the third quarter and come down and score (on a 25-yard pass from Caleb Hanie to Michael Gaines),” Turner said. “You are not always going to move the ball and you are not always going to score. We always talk about that. If you get a three-and-out or if you struggle a little bit, just stay the course.
“We will stay with what we believe in and we will find our rhythm.”
Turner said he feels he is in sync with new Pro Bowl quarterback Cutler, who played only briefly in the exhibition finale.
“No question about it. We spent a lot of time in training camp and on the field, and before training camp off the field,” Turner said. “We spent a lot of time talking, going over things. And he played a lot in the preseason, obviously not tonight, but the other ones.
“There is no doubt about where we are.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/
