Jay Cutler suffered a concussion in 2010, against the the New York Giants, on a night many in attendance would prefer to forget. (I’m not sure Cutler had a choice but to forget.) I was there and on that cold, awful night in New Jersey I never saw Cutler take a hit as violently direct to the head as the hit he took from Tim Dobbins of the Houston Texans Sunday night.

The Bears rested Cutler the week following the Giants debacle against the Carolina Panthers and they should do the same Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. That decision, made to protect the quarterback’s bruised brain, does not have to be a negative one. While no one will make the argument Jason Campbell gives the Bears a better chance to win, an argument can be made that starting Campbell gives the Bears an opportunity to become a better team.

How?

1. It will force the offensive coordinator to finally embrace the team’s offensive strength: the run game. When Cutler went down in 2010, the Bears ran the ball 40 times with Forte and Chester Taylor for over 200 yards. They threw sixteen passes with Todd Collins and won the game 23-6. This was all under the run-averse Mike Martz! Without Cutler on Monday night I imagine Mike Tice will allow his offensive line to do what they do best: run block for sixty minutes.
2. It will force Tice to make a call and stick with it. I’m assuming Campbell will not have the same power to audible at the line of scrimmage.
3. It strengthens the position of quarterback. The Bears offensive line didn’t suddenly get better at pass protection Sunday night and it is not a long shot to believe this team could lose Cutler in big spot in December or January. Getting Jason Campbell four quarters with this line, with these receivers, against a quality defensive opponent, will help keep the Bears from being one snap away from disaster down the stretch. (Clark Judge wrote an excellent piece on Campbell Monday. You can read it by CLICKING HERE.)
4. It might give the quarterback some perspective and I think he needs it. I’ve never played quarterback in the NFL. I’ve never called plays for an organized football game of adults. But I think Jay Cutler can use a game off, a game to watch the flow of play, a game to follow the trajectory of the play-calling. I think it might be beneficial for him to see a quarterback throwing the football away, checking down to what the defense is allowing, sliding to avoid massive contact. And if Jason Campbell ever were to have a terrific night, specifically throwing the ball, I think it would light a fire under Cutler and send a distinct message. The message? You can’t turn the ball whenever you want and expect to be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears ad infinitum.

If the season came down to Monday night’s result the Bears would be desperate to have Jay Cutler under center. But I could make a successful argument it is more important to have Cutler healthy for the month of games to follow, three of which are to be played against NFC North foes with winning records.

So get Cutler healthy Monday. Get better in the meantime. Or maybe he’ll just check out fine with the doctors this week and I’ll have wasted a few hours on this column.

Administrative Note: Please continue to send ideas for site redesign to jeff@dabearsblog.com. Thank you.

I’ve always been honest with you, the readers of this site. Because although 97% of the content is provided by one individual (me), this place has always been and will always be about you guys. I build the city. You populate it and provide its often insane personality.

At the end of December we’re leaving the Tribune’s ChicagoNow blog network – our home for the past four years. This was not an easy decision. Being part of a large network – especially one owned by the Tribune – comes with a certain amount of journalistic cache and more importantly comes with a tech team ready to troubleshoot problems as they arise. (It also came with a monthly paycheck.) But for two very specific reasons I could no longer allow the benefits of the ChicagoNow network outweigh the negative experience for both myself and the readers.

First, many of you have emailed me over the last few years, complaining about the awful experience this site provides in the comments section. Comments appearing out of order. Comments taking ten minutes to load. Inability to post links in the comments. Inability to control name-stealing troll monkeys. While I believe the ChicagoNow folks have done their best to solve those issues either they don’t seem to improve or new issues arise and we’ve lost some truly loyal readers/commenters as a result. That, to me, is unacceptable.

Second, I hate the way this site looks. Despise it. And I spend too much time and energy attempting to create something special to be embarrassed when I direct a friend or colleague to DaBearsBlog. I dealt with that embarrassment in 2011 because, quite frankly, I needed the monthly check I was receiving. But two things have changed in 2012. (1) Due to a few things breaking my way, I have more money. (2) We are having a great year – to parallel the Bears – with the podcasts, the tee shirts, traffic…etc. And I want the site to look as good as it should.

Last week I made the decision to go back on our own. Before informing ChicagoNow of that decision I sent them a note asking, in no uncertain terms, for a raise. My thought was I could withstand these issues in the short term while Noah and I spent the early part of 2013 designing and developing the new and improved DaBearsBlog. When the pay bump was refused I said, “Fuck it, let’s go.” And so we’re going.

On January 1st 2013 we will be live at DaBearsBlog.com. The transition won’t be seamless but we’ll make it as seamless as possible. We’ll set up a commenter identification system to limit trolls. We’ll have separate sections for news, audio/podcasts and main threads. We’ll have a constantly standing store to sell shirts and such. We’ll also be adding a new wing to the blog where I’ll present some long form pieces about the whole of the sports world: golf, soccer, NASCAR…etc. You don’t have to read them but they’ll be there. And it’ll all look good.

Since we have six weeks, I welcome your ideas and input. Email me (jeff@dabearsblog.com) and let me know what you’d like the site to be. We won’t incorporate every idea but we’ll do our best.

This feels right. It’s time. We thanks Jimmy and the folks at ChicagoNow for their work over the last four years. It was a good period for the site.

Sincerely,

Blogpere.

I thought it would be a game decided by a single play and it absolutely was. These were two dead even teams and the team that made the fewest mistakes won. Simple as that. Here are some thoughts…

• The boos Kellen Davis was hearing last night at Soldier Field are just the beginning as he becomes the poster child for the offense’s futility. Davis is a third string tight end, nothing more, and the quicker the Bears realize that the better off we’ll all be.
• Think about all the plays the Bears could have made. What if Robbie Gould makes the field goal? What if Brandon Marshall caught the perfectly thrown touchdown pass? What if Matt Forte or Kellen Davis catch the seam routes thrown to them? Either of those plays dramatically alter the course of this game. It just wasn’t the Bears night.
• I knew that when Michael Bush fumbled on fourth-and-one.
• We spent all week talking about J.J. Watt and he was almost a non-factor. We spent less time talking about Danieal Manning and he delivered his best performance of 2012. Hard to dislike the guy or the player.
• Hey Jay, slide.
• Hey Jay, if you’re concussed, get the hell off the field. Don’t go out there for another half quarter with a brain injury. The tough guy thing is in the books. Your health is key to this team winning a title.
• You saw the difference between Jason Campbell and Jay Cutler and it’s this: Cutler doesn’t check down. He doesn’t think conservatively. It can be infuriating at times but it’s the difference between a boring offense and an explosive one.
• I simply don’t like the Mike Tice approach to offensive football. When I can sit in a tavern and predict, with solid accuracy, 75% of your play calls…your play calls ain’t very good. If the Bears are going to struggle in the postseason, Tice is going to be the primary reason.
• The Bears have the best defense in football. I’m not complaining about them.
• How many interceptions does Tim Jennings intend to have this year? 20?
• Arian Foster played a tough, intelligent football game and his touchdown catch was simply an exceptional play.
• Okay, one complaint about the Bears defense. Chris Conte and Nick Roach. When you get up to the line of scrimmage, make a tackle.
• I am this close, THIS CLOSE, to making DaBearsBlog a non-Devin Hester as wide receiver zone. I can’t write about it anymore. It is too frustrating. Why would you throw 30-yard down field jump balls to Hester? It doesn’t make a lick of sense. Alshon Jeffery can’t get back to this field fast enough.
• Offensive line was good last night in pass protection but I’d be careful with jumping to conclusions. With that weather and those field conditions it is very difficult to rush the passer.
• Did Adam Podlesh decide one good punt was enough? Because EVERY other punt was awful.

There’s more but it’s a long week ahead. The Bears are 7-2 and grouped with the top teams in the NFC. They have a lot of work to do on offense if they’re going to string three playoff games together. But it can be done. And it starts against another good defense in San Francisco Monday night.

Above is the official prime time game thread picture: Cowbear.

Three final thoughts as the Texans come to town:

• The Bears can conceivably have this game wrecked by their inability to contain J.J. Watt and the Texans pass rush. Tonight is the kind of night where Mike Tice has to hunker down and give Matt Forte 30-35 touches. Force the run game. Use screens to keep the linebackers honest. Quick tosses outside to Hester and Marshall on first down to keep out of thirds and long. Be clever tonight, Mike.
• One or two plays can dramatically alter the outcome tonight and that means special teams must be special. Dave Toub’s group has been coming along in recent weeks but if the Bears are to win the field position battle Adam Podlesh must be better than he’s been all year. (He’s been among the bottom third statistical punters this year.)
• Health status of Owen Daniels is a huge factor. If he doesn’t play the Bears have a significant advantage. If he plays and is limited the Bears have a significant advantage. If he’s ready to go the Bears have a matchup nightmare on their hands.

Bear down.

Early Games:

• Two of the four current NFC division leaders tee off at 12 PM CT and it sure would be nice to see them both drop games. Another Giants loss (at Cincinnati) would essentially relegate them to a battle for a three or four seed come playoff time. Atlanta travels to New Orleans to face a resurgent but unable-to-tackle New Orleans Saints side. Geaux Saints.
• Who do you want contending down the stretch, Detroit or Minnesota? If you haven’t decided, here’s a simple primer. The Vikings are led by a former Bears defender, feature one of the most remarkable injury comeback stories in modern sports history (AP) and basically are no threat to anyone come playoff time. The Lions are a bunch of jackasses.
• Pull for San Diego over Tampa. Why? Go take a look at the playoff standings in the AFC. We’re getting awfully close to having the six teams sorted out by Thanksgiving due to the rise of the Andrew Luck Colts. I’m rooting for late drama and that can be achieved with Norv and the boys maintaining relevance. If they lose today the field in the AFC will more than likely be two-back with seven to play.

Late Afternoon Games:

• Dallas vs. Philadelphia is a death match between two of the most heavily-publicized crap teams in recent memory. The loser of this game sees their season drift off to sea. The winner more than likely needs to put together a 6-1 streak to close out 2012 for a crack at the tournament.
• Seahawks vs. Jets might seem innocuous enough but it may have some bearing on the Bears. The Cowboys and Eagles are scheduled for the prime time tilt on December 2nd but – ratings aside – NBC will more than likely flex out of the game should neither team be relevant. Slated for noon that day? Bears vs. Seahawks with both teams around the 8-9 win mark. (This game has particular relevance to me because I have a ticket.) So if you want that game to hold strong in the afternoon, root for the Jets.
• Rams over Niners would be nice for the numbers but it would also create an angry Harbaugh squad next Monday night. As a Bears fan you’d almost rather the Niners beat the Rams by 40+.

Game thread goes LIVE middle of the day.

DaBearsBlog Picks Contest

You know the rules. Pick a team you haven’t picked. Hope Crown loses.

(Home team in CAPS)

NEW ENGLAND -10.5 Buffalo

Have you read a masterful condemnation of Dave Wannstedt’s career? You can do so by CLICKING HERE (and thank me later). Tom Brady vs. Wanny? Yeah, I’ll take the good one. New England Patriots 41, Buffalo Bills 16

New York Giants -4 CINCINNATI

Are the Giants great? Not until January. But contrary to the New York media a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers does not constitute a slump. If they lose this one, maybe. New York Giants 30, Cincinnati Bengals 20

TAMPA BAY -3 San Diego

Vincent Jackson revenge game? Nope. Too much Doug Martin, the current darling of the NFL and the man I think will end up winning ROY. Tampa Bay Bucs 26, San Diego Chargers 24

Denver -3.5 CAROLINA

If someone could give me a reason Peyton Manning won’t put up 350-400 yards of passing offense I’d take the Panthers. Anyone? Someone? Denver Broncos 28, Carolina Panthers 20

MIAMI -6 Tennessee

I guarantee you one thing: I won’t watch a single snap of this game. Miami Dolphins 17, Tennessee Titans 13

BALTIMORE -7.5 Oakland

The most humorous contract negotiation in recent memory will be taking place between Joe Flacco’s agent and the Baltimore Ravens. It’ll involve the phrases “But guys!” and “Oh c’mon!” from the Flacco side. (His season has been deflating like a March birthday balloon in late April.) Baltimore Ravens 23, Oakland Raiders 18

Atlanta -2 NEW ORLEANS

I would absolutely take the Saints for the upset here if they showed the ability to make a SINGLE tackle against the Eagles Monday night. Atlanta is going to lose one of these games, aren’t they? Oh fuck it. New Orleans Saints 33, Atlanta Falcons 27 (OT)

Detroit -2 MINNESOTA

One of these teams is going to hit midday Sunday with a winning record and a logical chance to win the final wild card slot in the NFL. Lions going one way, Vikings going the other. Trends continue. Detroit Lions 24, Minnesota Vikings 14

SEATTLE -6 New York Jets

Seattle is the most difficult place to play in the league and the Jets are the league’s most fragile offense. Seattle Seahawks 16, New York Jets 9

Dallas -1.5 PHILADELPHIA

At what point does the NFL stop force-feeding the NFC East on the country? Cowboys stink. Eagles stink. Redskins. Folks will dress this result up as mattering. It doesn’t. Dallas Cowboys Score a Few Points, Philadelphia Eagles Score a Few Points Less

SAN FRANCISCO -11 St. Louis

How are the Rams scoring in this game? Greg. The. Leg. San Francisco 49ers 24, St. Louis Rams 12

CHICAGO -1 Houston

16-13 Bears. To read the full game preview, CLICK HERE.

Sélection du blogpère – Detroit

Both of tonight’s teams played the Chicago Bears. The combined score? Bears 82 – Colts/Jags 24.

Tonight’s picks contest bonus is all about Andrew Luck, the only player really worth tuning into NFL Network to see tonight. But the question is a tricky one. I want:

Luck’s total yardage – Luck’s passer rating = __________?

So if you believe Luck will throw for 300 yards and have a passer rating of 98, you would submit 202 as your answer. We will replace a missed week with a correct week for anyone who answers within 2 points of the actual answer. Thus a submission of 202 would be correct for any total between 200-204.

I think Luck throws for 260 yards. Passer rating of 85.5. My total is 174.5.

Good luck.

Note: All blog podcasts are supposed to be available on iTunes by searching DaBearsBlog. Let me know if it fails.

John McClain is one of the legend of the football writing business and I was honored he spent a few minutes on the phone with me Wednesday evening. On the call he discusses:

• Circumstances surrounding the Houston Oilers leaving Houston for Nashville and how an NFL franchise ultimately returned
• Similar Texas demeanors of head coaches Gary Kubiak and Lovie Smith
• Influence of Wade Phillips on the Texans organization
• Why Danieal Manning has thrived in a new city, new system
• Houston’s liability in the middle of their run defense
• Brian Urlacher’s Hall of Fame credentials (he’s a voter with influence)
• How a longtime NFL writer ends up with a side career acting in Hollywood pictures

Please make sure to follow John on Twitter by CLICKING HERE and read check out his latest works at Chron.com.

Note II: There WILL be a picks contest bonus tonight. It should go live late afternoon.

They are both 7-1. They both play terrific defense. And they are both looking for a signature win for this 2012 regular season. One of them will get it Sunday night at Soldier Field. But who will it be?

WHY DO I LIKE THE CHICAGO BEARS THIS WEEK?

• I always like the Chicago Bears.
• I think the Bears are splitting the next two and I think San Francisco, on the road on Monday night, is a tall order.

PERTINENT STATISTICS

We know the defenses are terrific. Let’s compare each team’s big 3.

• Brandon Marshall has 59 catches, 797 yards, 7 touchdowns. Andre Johnson has 42 catches, 562 yards, 2 touchdowns.
• Arian Foster averages 4 yards a carry. Matt Forte averages 5 yards a carry. But here’s the point: Foster has 85 more carries than Forte. 85! (Foster has 12 catches for 77 yards. Forte has 20 catches for 179.)
• Matt Schaub and Jay Cutler are having incredibly similar seasons in terms of completion percentage, yards and touchdowns. But there two major exceptions. Cutler has twice the interceptions (8 to 4) and Cutler has been sacked 18 more times (28 to 10).

STOPPING ARIAN FOSTER = THE GAME

Is Arian Foster a great running back? I don’t think so. But I think he is one of the more versatile backs in the game. (Outside of the tear-jerking press conference that opens the below video, just watch how many ways Kubiak uses Foster in their offense.)

The Texans want to stretch the Bears defensive line with Foster early and allow their own big, fast athletes up front to control the line of scrimmage. This will set up the cutback run game that has hurt the Bears in the past. (Head coach Gary Kubiak learned the zone-blocking system from Shanny in Denver.)

The Texans haven’t been as likely to throw Foster screen or line him up outside to this point but don’t be surprised if that element returns Sunday night. This defense is a test for any coaching staff and the Texans have a good one.

If the Bears hold Foster down – he has scored one touchdown in 12 straight games –  they can dominate on the defensive side of the ball. If they dominate on the defensive side of the ball, I think they win.

PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS? SURE…

• Owen Daniels is one of the five best receiving tight ends in the league, with 37-478-5. The Bears have done a solid job handling Jason Witten, Jared Cook and various other TEs but Daniels is Schaub’s go to man in the red zone.
• There will be a moment in this game where the Bears require a big punt from Adam Podlesh. That could mean a bomb off the Bears goal line or an angled shot to pin the Texans deep. He’s been sub-mediocre in both areas throughout 2012 and the Bears will struggle in field position battles (this week, next week) without solid efforts in the punting game.
• Okay, let’s talk about it. How are the Bears going to handle J.J. Watt? In truth, they probably won’t. They don’t have an individual on their offensive line capable of handling him in a one-on-one match-up and when Kellen Davis gets involved it seems only to compound the problem. For the Bears, the answer is simple: put Sunday night on the running game and don’t allow Watt or Antonio Smith or Brooks Reed or anybody else to tee off on the quarterback. And if the running game CONTINUALLY fails it does not mean the Bears must drop Cutler into a pocket and have him survey the field. Bubble screens to Hester. Roll out dump offs to Davis. Screens, screens, screens. Keep this pass rush off balance. Like this:

THRIVE/SURVIVE!

Thrive: When a team is as committed to the run as Houston, a big tackling linebacker can have a career game and I would not be surprised if Lance Briggs finished Sunday night’s contest with 15-20 tackles.

Survive: Well, I mean, of course it’s J’Marcus Webb. Webb was embarrassed in Green Bay by Clay Matthews and one would imagine that tape will be on a continual loop in J.J. Watt’s living room this week. Even though Carimi has been statistically worse, Webb will be the target. If Webb keeps a clean sheet Sunday night it could provide a necessary turning point for his career.

WHAT DOES THIS GAME REALLY MEAN?

It is very difficult to contextualize individual regular season games. If the Bears dominate the Texans Sunday night there will be a great many analysts and “experts” pointing to the weak schedule Houston has played and asking the Bears to repeat the effort the following Monday night in San Francisco. If the Texans dominate the Bears, those same individuals will point to the weakness in the Bears first-half schedule and claim they have little chance of making a deep playoff run against legitimate clubs with legitimate pass rushes.

The truth is neither would be true. The Bears need to be getting better each week. They need to start rushing the passer more consistently. They need to run the ball more. They need their offensive coordinator to improve at coordinating the offense. They need their quarterback to continue throwing the ball to his own players.

Would it be great to win Sunday night? Of course. Would it be doomsday if the Bears lost? Of course not. But ultimately both results will be forgotten with a solid or horrible performance in San Francisco the following week. That’s the sport in modern times. Nobody remembers the previous week. Hell, folks were saying Cutler and the offense have yet to have a game-winning drive on NFL Network Monday morning…8 days after Cutler and the offense executed a game-winning drive to beat the Carolina Panthers.

It’s the most important game of 2012 for the psyche of the Chicago Bears. Until the next most important game of 2012 for the psyche of the Chicago Bears.

PREDICTION

I love both defenses to control the line of scrimmage, pressure the opposing quarterback and limit scoring. But the Bears defense has some freakish Mojo working and Chicago’s specials are more capable of making a game-defining play. Couple those with the a fan base craving a game of this magnitude and you get…

Chicago Bears 16, Houston Texans 13

Four years ago, DaBearsBlog endorsed Barack Obama for the Presidency of the United States. This year we abstained from making an official endorsement for a great many reasons but primarily because we can not endorse any political candidate who stands idly by and watches their constituents gunned down in movie theaters and classrooms without so much as entertaining the idea of a debate on the necessity for personal ownership of automatic weapons.

Tonight, however, we congratulate President Obama on earning his second term with a somewhat resounding victory. Even if you do not like the president’s politics we believe firmly in respecting the office of the presidency and the will of the people.

Do Chicago and other Bears fans proud, Mr. President. Serve this brilliant nation well.