The Bears are 7-1 after eight games – my best case scenario at the start of the season. They are playing their best defense since the vaunted 1985 group, their special teams are coming alive and their offense is beginning, ever so slowly, to find their identity. Before we begin to look at Houston, San Fran and the back eight of the schedule we shall do our best to wrap up the first half.

OFFENSIVE MVP – Brandon Marshall, WR

I spent time last week selling Marshall as a possible MVP of the entire league. He rewarded me by turning in a receiving performance for the Bears ages. On a day in Nashville where the Bears needed minimal offensive output, Marshall caught 9 passes, for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has turned in the eight finest games in Bears receiving history.

Runners Up: none. Jay Cutler has yet to hit his stride and Matt Forte simply hasn’t been given enough reps.

DEFENSIVE MVP – Charles “Peanut” Tillman, CB

I am sparing some of you. You know who you are. The folks who commented below or emailed me things like “Are the Bears going to cut Tillman?” after he struggled mightily in a meaningless preseason game at the Meadowlands. I am sparing you because I have a heart. Tillman hasn’t only been the best defensive player on the Bears. He’s been the best defensive player in the sport and he’s turned his patented ball punch/fumble force into a near-mythological feat.

Even President Obama endorsed Tillman as Defensive POY:

Runners Up: Lance Briggs is playing as well as I’ve ever seen him play and Tim Jennings is complimenting Peanut’s shutdown side with the perfect amount of speed and ballhawk.

COACH OF THE YEAR – Lovie Smith, Head Coach

I’ve given this prize at year’s end to Dave Toub several years in a row but Lovie has been a masterful leader in 2012. He’s developed terrific young talent along the defensive line and not struggled with the challenge/clock issues that have dogged his past on the sideline. He may finally be settling in as a terrific head coach.

Runner Up: Rod Marinelli’s mixing of looks pre and post snap has been a thing of beauty and kept opposing quarterbacks uneasy all year.

FIVE THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST HALF AND BEYOND

1. Matt Forte is averaging five yards a carry and nine yards a reception. He is also averaging just north of 15 touches a game. That number doesn’t need to go up. He needs to go up DOUBLE DIGITS. Forte is a weapon in the passing game and its on Tice and Cutler to make sure he is utilized. (If he touches the ball less than 25 times against the Texans and Niners, I think the Bears may lose both games.)
2. If the team has an Achilles heel it is what we saw on that awful Thursday night in Green Bay. The Bears offensive line can run block and they can even pass protect in spots. But if the Bears find themselves down two touchdowns late and HAVE to throw they simply won’t hold up against the game’s better pass rushing lines. Fortunately for the Bears their defense has not allowed many folks to get up multiple scores.
3. Was the first half of the schedule easier than the second? Of course. But it’s not as if the Bears struggled to win games. (Outside of one poor effort against the Carolina Panthers.) The Bears will be favored for a majority of their second half games but there won’t be any 51-20s to be found. One of the reasons the Bears offense hasn’t played a complete four quarters is they haven’t HAD TO play a complete four quarters. That changes Sunday night against the Houston Texans.
4. The pass rush should still be considered a concern as they’ve not been great over the last month. It is wonderful to force turnovers but my belief is turnovers can not be required/depended on to play dominant defense. The Bears need their front four to take over games again if they intend to make a deep run in the postseason and beat Rodgers, Eli, Ryan…etc.
5. I tend to spend more time watching the punter than most folks and Adam Podlesh just isn’t impressive. He’s not a good directional kicker, he has a terrible track record of pinning teams deep and he seems to be at his weakest when the Bears need him to bomb a ball out of their zone. As the defenses improve field position and Podlesh will be in the spotlight more and more.

HOW DO I SEE THE REGULAR SEASON FINISHING?

I think the Bears split these next two games against the Texans and 49ers. I think they’ll also split their four remaining games against the NFC North. That leaves a home tilt with the Seahawks and a road trip to Arizona and I think they’ll win both of those games.

That puts the Bears 5-3 down the stretch. 12-4 on the season. Champions of the NFC North. #2 seed in the NFC with a first round bye.

There were a lot of odd things happening  Sunday at LP Field – a beautiful ballpark on the banks of the Cumberland River. Things I’ve never seen or heard at an NFL stadium in my twenty-plus years going to NFL games.

First, let’s set the scene. No one, not a single person in the city of Nashville, will convince me there were more Titans fans than Bears fans at LP. On every beer line, in every men’s room, in the parking lots, on the pedestrian foot bridge…navy blue and orange. Everywhere. Bears fans not only took over the stadium for three hours Sunday. They took over the city for three days. It was as impressive a road display as I’ve ever seen.

Then there was the game. Before the unraveling of a giant American flag cut to the shape of the United States and an expensively thrilling flyover, I turned to Noah and questioned in a polite whisper, “Do you think we’ll hear boos when the Titans come out of the tunnel?”

We did. And they were resounding.

I couldn’t help think what the reaction would be to something so offensive happening at Soldier Field – if another team’s fans overwhelmed the world’s greatest sporting facility and booed the Bears as they emerged from the tunnel. I would stab someone with a harpoon. What would you do?

And, oh, it got worse. Much worse.

Chants of “let’s go Bears” filled every area of the park. Bears players were running up and down the sideline, asking for and receiving noise from fans in the stands. “Bear Down” was being sung at multiple urinals. Every time Packers highlights appeared on the Jumbotron, the boos could have been heard in Memphis. It was a surreal experience for a Bears fan. It must have been a sad one for the 7 Titans fans who didn’t sell their tickets.

I’m not a big believer in “the fourth phase” bullshit. I think it’s a marketing pitch to make fans think they’re more involved than they actually are. But you’d have to Helen Keller’s more blind and deaf cousin to not recognize the impact Bears fans were having on Bears players yesterday. I’ve been to many Bears games but as we gave the offense and defense standing ovations in the fourth quarter, I felt a kinship with them perhaps for the first time. We fans were thanking them for their effort and they were rewarding us with point after point after point.

And Noah and I stayed there. Stayed in our seats until the last Bears player, Chilo Rachal, had left the field. It was a respect thing. Like when you don’t leave the dinner table until your father has finished eating. Because without him there’s be no dinner. Without the Bears we’d have just been twenty thousand oddly coordinated dressers in the Music City. With them we truly were the fourth phase. We were part of it. And it’s a memory that will never fade.

No editing tonight. Deal with it.

We’ll go rapid fire because we don’t have the energy.

• Unbelievable
• Performance by Bears fans in Nashville. I have never seen the road team ask the crowd to make noise but the Bears did Sunday and it was amazing.
• I thought Mike Tice’s play calling was horrendous early. But I will save criticism for games where it matters.
• Matt Forte. Gold.
• Jay Cutler’s deep touchdown toss to Brandon Marshall was gold.
• Charles Tillman had his best game against the Lions a few weeks ago. He had his most Peanutty game Sunday.
• Urlacher had a few wonderful plays Sunday but I was most impressed with him playing solid man-coverage with Chris Johnson down the sideline. Excellent.
• Where’s the pass rush?
• As good as Gabe Carimi is in the run, that’s how bad he is in the pass game.
• Brandon Marshall is the Bears MVP.
• Adam Podlesh isn’t very good.
• Lance Briggs is.
• Earl Bennett was clearly a starter. It showed.

Okay. More to come tomorrow. This was a Bears city today. And it showed.

Jay, Earl and DJ return to the scenes of their collegiate crimes. Four final thoughts:

• If the Bears don’t disrupt the rhythm of Matt Hasselbeck, he will dissect them. Hasselbeck has taken what Lovie’s defense gives him for a decade and he’s got the group of receivers in Tennessee who’ll sit underneath the corners and move the chains. They may not score touchdowns but they’ll keep the football.
• One of these weeks we’re going to get a 350+ yard performance from Jay Cutler. I thought it was coming against Detroit until he was slammed to the ground. This Tennessee defense is one of the worst in football and the table is set.
• If the Bears run the ball 30-35 times, they win. Easily.
• I have never quite experienced anything like this weekend in Nashville. It literally seems like the town is entirely populated by Bears fans. Made me very proud.

Bear down.

P.S. I am going to do my best to get a postgame wrap-up of some kind up here either tonight or tomorrow morning. But if I don’t, forgive me. I’m Honky-Tonkin’. Make sure you follow me on Twitter – @DaBearsBlog – for my instantaneous updates from inside LP Field and beyond.

Blog Picks Contest:

You know the rules. If you don’t know the rules you are probably not in the contest and thus don’t NEED TO KNOW the rules.

(Home Team in CAPS)

Denver -4 CINCINNATI

GREEN BAY -10 Arizona

Miami -2 INDIANAPOLIS

Baltimore -3.5 CLEVELAND

HOUSTON -10 Buffalo

WASHINGTON -3 Carolina

Detroit -3 JACKSONVILLE

Chicago -3.5 TENNESSEE

SEATTLE -5 Minnesota

OAKLAND -1.5 Tampa Bay

NEW YORK GIANTS -3 Pittsburgh

ATLANTA -4 Dallas

Sélection du blogpère

Call me crazy but I think it’s over for Minnesota and now they go to the most difficult place to play in the NFL. I’m taking Pete Carroll and the Seahawks to stop Adrian Peterson and harass Christian Ponder into an afternoon of mistakes. I’m laying the 5 and reemerging in this contest (kinda).

Former Bears safety Cameron Worrell joins us for his weekly spot and:

• Discusses Chris Conte’s technique struggles against the Carolina Panthers
•  Wonders whether Steve Smith simply has a good masseuse in Chicago
•  Dissects why the Bears struggle with the quarterback draw inside the ten yard-line
• Opines that the difference between Bennett and Hester at WR is the quarterback’s confidence
•  Breaks down the system’s approach to a quarterback like Matt Hasselbeck

Next we’re joined by Titans beat writer (and Vanderbilt season ticket holder since he was 7) Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. Jim discusses:

• Chris Johnson’s return to being Chris Johnson over the last five weeks
• The struggling Titans defense and maligned coordinator Jerry Gray
• The reaction Cutler & the Vandy alum should expect from a combination of Vandy and UT fans
• Recommendations on where to get the best country grub in the great city of Nashville

I’m off to Nashville! For those Bears fans looking to get together, the plan is to meet post-game Sunday at watch Giants v. Steelers at Nashville’s best Steelers bar, Piranhas. For those looking to buy Noah and I drinks, section 310, row C.

Reverend’s Rant and Picks Contest tomorrow.

Here’s my idea for how the NFL could make tonight’s awful Thursday night football game interesting. Losing team fires their coach on the spot. We all know Norv and Romeo are not coming back next season so why not create some brilliant television drama. Good idea, right?

A few notes on the Picks Contest:

• Just because Crown has a dominant record does not mean this contest is over. Far from it. Remember there will be bonuses for the next seven weeks and you’ll have 10+ chances to eliminate poor weeks.
• If you do not see your name below it is because you have been ruled ineligible due to either: (a) only having made one selection until this point or (b) having chosen the same team twice.
• If you have any questions or would like to dispute your standing (I do make mistakes) simply send me an email: jeff@dabearsblog.com

The Standings (with teams used):

Crown 8-0 (SF, Chi, Stl, NO, TB, Ind, Det)

MikeV in OR 4-0 (Chi, NO, GB, Dal)

Chris Odom 2-0 (NO, Min)

MonkeyNuts 6-1 (NE, Ind, Was, NYG, Cin, Dal, Den)

Viva 6-1 (Car, Pit, Buf, SD, Atl, Dal, Oak, Det)

Bearfanincb 5-1 (Phi, Cin, Buf, Den, NE, Atl, NO)

Sirwiz 4-1 (NYJ, Chi, Stl, GB, Den)

BobbyDouglass 4-1 (Atl, SD, Chi, Sea, Bal, Min)

OsosFan 3-1 (Jax, TB, Min, Stl)

505Bears! 3-1 (Atl, Cin, NO, NE)Perno 2-1 (TB, Mia, GB)

Artoo 6-2 (NE, Hou, Chi, Cin, GB, Atl, Ind, NYG)

I Bleed Navy + Orange 6-2 (Phi, Ind, Chi, Cin, SF, Atl, GB, NE)

Blogfader 5-2 (NE, Ind, Chi, SF, Cin, Dal, Was)

Ben in norcal 5-2 (Den, Cin, Hou, NE, Chi, NO, SD)

Enderwiggin 5-2 (TB, Bal, Ind, NYG, Chi, Hou, NYJ, Cle)

evantonio 4-2 (Jax, Buf, Cin, Bal, Hou, NYJ, Cle)

TheFifth 4-2 (Sea, SF, Chi, GB, Ind, SD)

jmcyclone 4-2 (NE, Buf, SF, Ari, Chi, Bal, Pit)

Bears-4-Ever 5-3 (NO, SF, Chi, Sea, Atl, Bal, GB, NYG)

#76 Mongo Murph 4-4 (Buf, Was, Det, Cin, Chi, Stl, NYJ, NO)

AlbertinTuscon 3-3 (NO, NE, Stl, GB, Min, Car)

Santa Claus Gave us a QB 2-2 (Min, Cin, Chi, NYG)

ChiRy 2-2 (Chi, Oak, TB, Atl)

PombeGeek 2-2 (GB, Min, Dal, Det)

Bearsssssssssssss 1-1 (SF, NYG)

Nagurski 1-1 (Buf, Sea)

Slsmth54 1-1 (Sea, Was)

Bigboar3 1-1 (ATL, Mia)

BearDown85 3-4 (Car, Bal, Ind, Chi, Ind, Stl, Sea)

FQD1911 3-4 (Ari, Car, Min, Oak, Chi, NO, Phi)

lindemrm 3-4 (Det, Ind, Min, SF, GB, NYG, SD)

DYLbear23 2-3 (Buf, Oak, Cin, NO, Ind)

JohnnyWad 3-5 (SF, Bal, NYJ, NYG, Ind, Oak, Chi)

MB30SD 3-5 (TB, NO, Chi, Atl, Was, Hou, Buf, Ind)

Shady 3-5 (Min, Ind, Stl, SD, Cin, Sea, Car, Dal)

Tobijohn 3-5 (Car, Oak, Ind, Atl, Chi, Ari, GB, Det)

Doc Nitty 34 3-5 (KC, Sea, Ind, Oak, Cin, Phi, Hou, NYG)

IrishSweetness 2-4 (Phi, Was, Cin, Chi, Min, Stl)

reprisal 2-4 (KC, Hou, Sea, Chi, Cin, Cle)

SC Dave 2-4 (Buf, Det, NE, TB, Stl, NO)

BigHurtNYC 2-5 (Car, Sea, NYJ, Den, Ari, Buf, Dal)

4ever85 (AKA Butch DeadLift) 2-5 (Det, Ind, Ari, Chi, Was, Oak, Ten)

CanadaBear 2-5 (KC, Hou, SF, Oak, GB, NYG, Atl)

NewBearinTown 1-2 (Cle, Dal, NYJ)

Michael L 1-4 (Hou, Jax, Den, SF, TB)

McFlipside 0-3 (Buf, Atl, Pit)

MikeBrownHadaPosse 0-4 (Det, Mia, Bal, Ind)

MattySouthside 0-4 (Det, Ind, Ari, Bal)

___________________________________________

TONIGHT’S PICKS CONTEST BONUS

• I would like Matt Cassel’s completion percentage. You must be within a single (1) point. Meaning if you select 50.5 you will be awarded a correct week for everything from 49.5 to 51.5.

My guess is 58.5%.

DaBearsBlog – myself and Noah – are traveling to Nashville this weekend Bears vs. Titans and staying at the swanky hotel seen above. We are arriving with a mission: good food, great drink and the world’s best Honky-Tonkin’. We’ll be focused and driven. Will the Bears? I think so.

WHY DO I LIKE THE CHICAGO BEARS THIS WEEK?

• I always like the Chicago Bears.
• I was completely wrong about the Bears last Sunday against the Panthers. They were flat and lifeless. But I think a day or two of watching that tape will humble all 53 men on the roster and provide Lovie Smith with the kind of motivational tools a head coach often requires to inspire a good team mid-season.
• It is Music City! And no football organization is responsible for sweeter music.

PERTINENT STATISTICS

Matt Hasselbeck’s last four starts against Chicago:

• 2010 Postseason: 24-46, 258 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
• 2010: 25-40, 242 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
• 2007: 30-44, 337 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
• 2006 Postseason: 18-33, 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Chris Johnson’s only game against a Lovie Smith defense:

• 2008: 14 carries, 8 yards, 0 confidence

Rankings for the Tennessee Titans:

• Titans have the league’s worst defense in terms of total yardage AND points, although Buffalo allows slightly more PPG.
• Titans are 24th in yards per game on offense and 18th in points per game. They again they have also scored points like this:

ANALYSIS 

• Tennessee has only eleven sacks on the season (even after attaining the Phil Emery-desired Kamerion Wimbley) so this should be a game the Bears are able to give Jay Cutler a decent enough pocket to look down the field. If they do I expect him to get the ball to Brandon Marshall and Earl Bennett with relative ease.
• Tennessee is also among the league’s worst run stopping defenses. Lovie Smith is Mr. Off the Bus Running and he can’t be pleased with the way Tice/Cutler maneuvered away from Matt Forte Sunday. I expect the Double Deuce to have a big afternoon.
• Tennessee have receivers of quality and  we’ve seen Matt Hasselbeck turn trash into trophies against the Bears. (Cough, Mike Williams, Cough) Nate Washington, Kendall Wright and Kenny Britt can each play and will be rough for the Bears to handle on the outside.
• I don’t know if Jared Cook’s trade demands will influence his play on-field but he could prove a tricky match-up for the center of the Bears defense, especially if Brian Urlacher is limited in space.
• Pass rush, pass rush, pass rush. If the Bears can pressure Hasselbeck consistently they will win the game. He lacks the mobility to extend plays and beat the Bears with improvisation. They need that consistency to develop opposite Julius Peppers on the outside from either Izzy, Woot or (I’d prefer) a more-involved Shea McClellin.

THRIVE/SURVIVE

• Thrive: Devin Hester. The criticism of him has now left the receiver world and engulfed the return game. I think he hears it and breaks one against Tennessee.
• Survive: Me, Noah. We have a poor track record at Bears games together and we need to break the streak. (Our last three as a pair: 2006 blowout loss at home to Joey Harrington, the blizzard blowout loss to New England, the 40-sack debacle in the Meadowlands.)

CHRIS JOHNSON & RUNNING BACKS GETTING PAID

I found myself in the middle of the Matt Forte contract debate this summer, with former Bears Jason McKie and Desmond Clark both taking an opportunity to jab my opinions on the Twitter machine. My points were simple: (1) Forte was, in fact, a great running back but…(2) great running backs are no longer worth the cap space they once were.

Look at the teams with HUGE money tied up in the running back position. Carolina has two such backs, one win and neither back has performed even moderately well this season. (The team is desperately trying to deal DeAngelo Williams.) Steven Jackson signed for more than double what Forte signed and has been on the field for about half the snaps since he put pen to paper. Trent Richardson warranted a top five selection in the draft and has not looked the part. Adrian Peterson, as I’ve written many times, is the exception because he is capable of scoring on every single play from scrimmage and may very well be one of the greatest running backs to ever live.

Enter Chris Johnson. CJ looked like the most explosive young player in the game. Tennessee gave him an $80+million deal (with a boatload guaranteed) after an extensive hold out. CJ has rewarded them by looking like a player who no longer interested in contact sports; wrapping up the ball AND his body prior to entering the atmosphere of a defender’s planet. CJ’s contract is Jason Bay. It’s ARod. It was the last of a dying breed.

What the Bears (and to a lesser extent the Texans and Seahawks) did was re-set the marketplace for the running back position. And you’ll see that play out as Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice enter the coming off-season.

PREDICTION

I’m going to take a cautious approach. I believe the Bears could easily walk out of Nashville with a 25-30 point victory and charge into the more-difficult second half of the year. But I could also see Matt Hasselbeck playing error free football, moving the chains and keeping the Titans in it all four quarters. I’ll go with the latter.

Chicago Bears 23, Tennessee Titans 16

Tee Shirts Sales Close Today

Orders will take some time. We will be processing them and sending them out by December 1st. (It would have been sooner but we’ve had some storm-related issues.)  To get your shirt (pictured above) simply CLICK HERE. We simply don’t have the manpower to take orders on a rolling basis. So get them in by midnight tonight and you’re all set.

Not Bears But Hysterical: Asante Samuel

Just watch this video. It’s enjoyable.

Brandon Marshall Should Be Mentioned in the MVP Race

I predicted I would writing something like t by midyear and sure enough I am. But just imagine where the Chicago Bears would be today if Brandon Marshall were not on the roster. While the defense has carried the club thus far Marshall has been a revelation at wide receiver.

• Marshall is on pace for 115 catches. The record is 100 for Marty Booker in 2001.

• Marshall is on pace for 1,542 yards. Marcus Robinson had 1400 in 1999.
• Marshall is on pace for 10 touchdowns. Dick Gordon had 13 in 1974 and Ken Kavanaugh had 13 in 1947.

I still think we haven’t seen Marshall’s best. It’s coming. 15 catches, 250 yards and a bunch of touchdowns. Just a matter of time.

The Psychological Importance of 7-1

The Bears lacked urgency on Sunday. They lacked focus. They lacked energy. They delivered a three-quarter dud and a better team, a more dynamic offense, would have beat them by two or three touchdowns. You would hope that performance and their tape study will be a significant wake up call and they’ll play inspired Sunday in Nashville. Because it’s a pivotal game. Why?

Not just because of the schedule. Sure it would be nice to maintain a no less than two-game cushion over the Packers heading into the more difficult second half of their season. But the Bears follow Sunday’s game with a Sunday night contest against Houston and a road trip to San Francisco the following Monday – two terrific teams with two of the league’s three best defenses. The Bears could conceivably play well and lose both those games. They need a win keep the media’s questions on game results and not on the more general contender/pretender nonsense. Because if they lose to Tennessee the media will make Sunday night against Houston a referendum on their entire season. (It won’t be but the media won’t care to let fact get in the way of a good story.)

I Don’t Know Mark Dvorak…

…but he’s about to have a lot more people watch his video.

Groovy.

NASHVILLE TRIP

Hopefully Noah and I will be have no issue getting to Nashville this weekend. I’ve received a few emails from Bears fans who’ll be gathering down and we’re trying to put together a spot for a few drinks on the weekend. Let me know if you’re planning to be there by emailing me. jeff@dabearsblog.

P.S. I did fine in the storm. Both my neighborhood in Queens and my lady’s neighborhood in Manhattan suffered minimal damage. But a lot of my family went through a rough one – especially down the Jersey shore. So thoughts with them.