The Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler wont have to wait long to get his first taste of the Bears-Packers rivalry.  The Green Bay Packers will be looking to give Cutler a bad taste of that rivalry, as I am expecting them to blitz Cutler heavy and often.  The Packers run a 3-4 front, with defensive coordinator Dom Capers calling the shots.  Capers is well aware of Cutler’s big arm, so he will be looking to pressure the Bear’s new talented QB and try to force him into some mistakes.

Cutler’s primary wide receiver will be the super athletic Devin Hester, but I’m looking for Cutler and TE Greg Olsen to hook up early and often.  I think Olsen has the ability to be a Pro Bowler, as he has great hands and can move very well for a TE.  Bear’s running back Matt Forte will also probably get a lot of touches through the air, as he was the Bears leading receiver last year.  Although the Bears have a much more talented QB than they have had in years (probably decades), I would still like to see the Bears offense revolve around a strong running attack.  Matt Forte proved he is a top tier running back in this league, as he rushed for 1,238 yards last year as a rookie and led all rookie running backs in total yards and receptions.

The Bears defense will have their hands full, as the Packer’s QB Aaron Rodgers proved last year that he has what it takes to be successful in this league.  In his first year as a starter, Rogers threw for 4,038 yards with 28 TD’s and only 13 INT’s.  He had a 63.6 completion percentage and finished the year with a 93.8 passer rating.  He has a very talented Greg Jennings to throw to, as well as the proven veteran Donald Driver.  The Bears were not very good at pass rushing last year and hopefully the Bears’ defensive end Mark Anderson can look more like the Mark Anderson of three years ago when he had 12 sacks.  Lovie Smith has taken over the play calling on defense, and improving the defensive line play has been an emphasis during the offseason, but I think Rodgers will not have too many problems with the Bears’ rush as the Packers offensive line has improved.

With the Bears offense greatly improved from last year, mainly because of the Jay Cutler acquisition, and the proven Aaron Rodgers on the Packers’ side, I think this could be a high scoring affair.  I think both defenses will struggle to contain the talented QB’s and each will have his way with the oppositions defense.  The Bears have the edge at running back and even though the Packers’ Ryan Grant rushed for nearly the same amount of yards as Forte last year, Forte proved he is not a one dimensional player as he led the team in receptions.

The X-factor, as it often has been in the past for the Bears, will be Devin Hester and the special teams.  Hester struggled last year returning punts and kicks, especially on kickoff returns.  Hester was moved to just a punt-returner but I would like to see Hester back returning kicks again, as he is still a huge threat for big returns.  His problem seemed to be that he would try to do too much last year, but it could take only one good return for Hester to get that confidence back.  So, overall I think this will be a battle of the QB’s with the Bears edging out the Packers 31-28.

The Bears traded a lot to get their hands on Jay Cutler but in the end it will be well worth it.  Cutler has a great arm and his passes should be able to remain tight even in December home games.  Cutler is improving every year and this could be his true breakout season if he gets help from the skill players on offense.  He certainly doesn’t have the cast he had in Denver so he will have to step up himself and he has the potential to do so.  Caleb Hanie and Brett Basanez will battle for the backup job to Cutler this summer and either way the Bears lose.  Hanie has no experience at the NFL level and Basanez doesn’t have the arm to succeed in the NFL.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B+

25-year old Robbie Gould very rarely leaves points on the field for the Bears and he has a really strong leg.  Gould played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he connected on 31 of 36 field goals (86.1%).  He also converted all 33 of his extra point attempts last year.  Look for Gould to have another outstanding season for the Bears and they will need him to as the offense will likely be bogging down quite a bit in the red zone.  Gould has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has made 84 of 99 (84.8%) of his field goal attempts.  Gould also has made 99 of 100 (99%) extra points in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

The Bears have a great pair of TEs and they will likely catch a lot of football between them this season due to the shaky receiving corps the team has put together.  31-year old Desmond Clark is the grizzled veteran of the tight ends.  He has good hands and he can adust to poorly thrown footballs…..a must with the Bears.  Clark played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 44 passes for 545 yards (12.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  I have a hunch that Greg Olsen will get more catches than Clark this year but he’s still a very effective player.  Clark has now played in 130 games in his NFL career and he has caught 262 passes for 3,067 yards (11.7 avg) with 24 TD grabs.

2nd year man Greg Olsen flashed his potential last season and the Bears are confident that he will take a step forward in 2008. Olsen played in 14 games for the Bears as a rookie last season and he caught 39 passes for 391 yards (10.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Olsen’s numbers to spike upward as the Bears begin to phase Desmond Clark out of the offense.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Chicago Bears brought in two free agents (Marty Booker & Brandon Lloyd) and two rookies (Earl Bennett & Marcus Monk) to inject some new blood into the receiving corps.  Heading into training camp it appears that 31-year old Marty Booker is the #1 WR for the Bears.  Booker played in 15 games last season in Miami and he caught 50 passes for 556 yards (11.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 12 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Booker did a decent job last year catching balls from a horrible corps of QBs in Miami so he should feel right at home in Chicago.  Booker has now played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has caught 509 passes for 6,311 yards (12.4 avg) with 34 TD grabs.  Booker has also carried the football 16 times for 31 yards (1.9 ypc).  Booker also has a decent arm and he can make big plays when the Bears get tricky.  Booker has completed 3 of 10 (30%) passes in his NFL career for 126 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions (118.8 QB Rating).  Booker would be a solid #3 or #4 WR but the Bears are kidding themselves if they think he can be a go-to man at this point in his career.

The Bears appear to be losing some patience with 26-year old Mark Bradley.  Bradley is a talented played but he always seems to break down.  He did play in 15 games for the Bears last season and he caught 6 passes for 71 yards (11.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This will likely be Bradley’s last chance to win a starting job with the Bears and it will be interesting to see how he responds.  Bradley has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 38 passes for 583 yards (15.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

27-year old Brandon Lloyd makes a few big catches on Sportscenter every season and that’s probably why he keeps getting chances because he’s not that good of a football player.  He drops a lot of passes that hit him in the hands because he appears to be quite soft.  Lloyd played in 8 games for the Redskins last season and he caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg).  If Lloyd is anything more than the #4 or #5 receiver for the Bears the offense is in deep trouble.  Lloyd has now played in 68 games in his NFL career and he has caught 130 passes for 1,889 yards (14.5 avg) with 13 TD grabs.

Devin Hester makes his money on kickoff and punt returns but the Bears will give him every opportunity to get his hands on the football as a WR.  Hester played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 20 passes for 299 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Hester didn’t so as well running the football as he carried it 7 times for -10 yards (-1.4 ypc) last season.  If Rex Grossman is the starting QB for the Bears, Hester will catch some long TD passes but Kyle Orton doesn’t have the arm to exploit defenses deep. 

21-year old rookie Earl Bennett has been the talk of training camp so far for the Bears.  He can shoot right up the depth chart and possibly start as a rookie if he has a strong preseason.  Bennett played in 12 games (all starts) at Vanderbilt last season and he caught 75 passes for 830 yards (11.1 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Bennett is big enough (6′1″, 202 pounds) to take a beating and he will have to catching passes from Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton.  Bennett finished up playing in 35 games (31 starts) at Vanderbilt in his career and he caught 236 passes for 2,852 yards (12.1 avg) with 20 TD grabs.

29-year old Rashied Davis is running out of chances for the Bears.  He played in all 16 games for the Bears last season and he caught 17 passes for 165 yards (9.7 avg).  Davis will have to bust his hump on special teams to make the Bears final roster when September comes around.  He has now played in 32 games in his NFL career and he has caught 39 passes for 468 yards (12.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Rookie Marcus Monk could be a big surprise for the Bears if he can just stay healthy.  Monk is a big guy at 6′4″, 222 pounds but injury problems caused him to slide into the 7th round where the Bears were more than happy to take a chance on him.  Monk played in 43 games (36 starts) in his career at Arkansas and he caught 138 passes for 2,151 yards (15.6 avg) with 27 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D