It took ‘til the very end of the third quarter and the Bears facing a 19-7 deficit that seemed a taller task than beating a hippie in a dirty hair contest. It was then the offensive coordinator (Mike Tice) and the quarterback (Jay Cutler) reached a conclusion they should have reached the second Alshon Jeffery was temporarily lost to a broken hand: Earl Bennett is a damn good receiver.

With under a minute to go in the quarter Cutler hit Bennett for 24 yards on second and twelve and followed the play by hitting Bennett for 11 yards on first and ten.  The Bears had done nothing offensively for three quarters. Suddenly Earl emerged and the Bears went 51 yards on the drive. (They missed a field goal.) On their next two offensive drives the offense, having looked as pathetic as we’d seen them in years, went 38 yards (after a six yard punt) for a touchdown to Kellen Davis and 55 yards for a game-winning field goal.

Why? There are probably fifteen X’s and O’s reasons the Bears suddenly blocked the Panthers up front and were able to move the ball through the air. But I think the answer is a simple one and it wears number 80. And unfortunately it’s impossible to praise Bennett as a wide receiver without criticizing Devin Hester. Because everything Bennett does well, everything he brings to the field and to the position, all the obvious chemistry he shares with the quarterback, Hester lacks.

Hester is the greatest kick returner in the history of football and Panthers coach Ron Rivera showed him more respect than I’ve ever seen by giving the Bears the ball on the 35-40 to start drives in order to avoid having Mr. Ridiculous skunk his special teams units. And as a wide receiver he does bring two distinct skills: deep, field-stretching speed and elusiveness. He is a package player. Let him test the back end of the opposing secondary once or twice an afternoon. Throw him a few bubble screens on second-and-short and see if he can make a few defenders miss. Hester is the perfect pint of Guinness. He doesn’t need to be a $300 bottle of Merlot. The Merlot ain’t better than the Guinness. It’s an entirely different species of booze.

How long are the Bears going to wait for Hester become a great route runner? (It ain’t happening.) How long are they going to wait for Hester to grasp the offense mentally? (Nope, not happening.) How long are they going to wait for Hester to look and play like an accomplished wide receiver? (It seems forever.)

They don’t have to wait because of Earl Bennett’s presence. Sunday in Nashville, a few miles from the Vanderbilt campus where Earl and Cutler first met, Lovie and Tice must line Bennett up opposite Brandon Marshall. Then they must leave him there until Alshon Jeffery returns. According to Michael Wright, Hester played 44 of 56 offensive snaps Sunday while Bennett played 35. That number should be flipped. And then some. Now is not the time for stubbornness. Now is the time for prudence. And to save this offense from drifting out to sea, the Bears must play their best offensive players. That means Bennett. Not Hester.

I don’t think the Bears have won a game quite like this since the infamous “who we thought they were” game in Arizona, 2006. They were outplayed overwhelmingly from the line of scrimmage, out-coached dramatically and made the types of mistakes that should lead to a 41-10 loss. Yet here they are at 6-1 and I’m starting to get those 2006 “team of destiny” vibes. (That team was “destined” to give Peyton Manning his first ring, however.)

Many thoughts….

• I thought Mike Tice was just awful. This should have been an afternoon the Bears wore out Matt Forte with 30-35 carries and treated him like the workhorse running back he’s capable of being. Tice is a great personality but he’s got a lot of work to do as a coordinator.
• And it’s not JUST the move away from running but the types of runs and passes he calls. The runs are predictable, trap-type runs that often seem designed to gain 3 yards. And are there any easy passes in the playbook? Why is Cutler constantly entrenched in the pocket for what seems like an hour?
• Two drops from Brandon Marshall. One first down drop from Devin Hester. A horrendous, game changing drop from Matt Spaeth.
• On a pivotal third down, Mike Tolbert jukes Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher – two of the best tacklers in the history of the Chicago Bears. At that point I was willing to concede the ballgame.
• And then there was Cutler. Many of us wanted to see Cutler, in the two-minute drill, lead the Bears to a victory. He was magnificent on that final drive and I don’t think it’s a coincidence the Bears offense started to find its rhythm when they started involving Earl Bennett.
• A ho-hum 7 for 118 afternoon against the Bears for Steve Smith. What if he doesn’t fall down? What if Cam Newton doesn’t force him to attempt a circus catch in the end zone after he shredded the Bears secondary? We all have to accept that Lovie Smith’s defenses can’t stop Steve Smith and never will.
• Nice to see Greg Olsen whiff on Shea McClellin. Just like old times.
• I think it’s time the Bears give McClellin double the snaps. I like Izzy and Woot as players but McClellin looks like a potential star.
• Nice to see Julius Peppers manhandle Jordan Gross repeatedly.
• Horrible mismanagement of the clock at the end of the first half by Lovie Smith.
• Chris Conte had his first clunker of the 2012 season. He was nowhere to be found in the passing game. But I like his intensity at times. I like that he’s not afraid to drop his should a pop a guy. And I think he got jobbed on the personal foul call.
• So did Israel Idonije. What does a defensive end do in that position? He’s being blocked to the ground and has access to the quarterback’s legs. Is he not supposed to attempt the sack? Is that what this league has become?
• Show me the game preview ANYWHERE predicting Greg Hardy would channel Warren Sapp and be unblockable Sunday. Seriously? Greg Hardy?
• I’ll have to watch the All-22 to know for sure but I don’t think the offensive played as poorly as their numbers. I’d blame Tice, Cutler, the scheme and coverage down field equally. But I’ll look later today.
• I thought Adam Podlesh may have had his best game as a Bear.
• Major Wright’s hit on Cam Newton, forcing the fumble TD, was textbook. He put the shoulder pad on the ball.
• Nick Roach did a very nice job covering Greg Olsen.
• Great toss and even better catch by Kellen Davis in the end zone. Any chance we’ll see that two weeks in a row?
• Another false start from Roberto Garza! Anybody found out the record for false starts from a center yet? He’s got to be on pace.

Here’s the truth: In December, nobody is going to remember how the Bears beat the Panthers and nobody is going to care. They played horrendously Sunday and found a way to win. They are 6-1. And they’ve yet to play a great game offensively.

Note: I’m in NYC which may be impacted greatly by Hurricane Sandy. Let’s wait and see but if I go powerless tomorrow I’ll leave it to y’all to hold down the blog fort.

I will have a column in the morning.

Above is my favorite NFL photograph, maybe ever.

Three final thoughts:

• My favorite line from Cam Worrell this week was “if the Bears make the Panthers one-dimensional and stop the run, it will be a turnover fest.” I agree. Look for the Bears to confuse Cam Newton both before and after the snap. Newton is a second-year player in a new system and has never been vaunted for his intelligence under center. (That’s not a shot. It’s a scouting report truth.)
• Win or lose, I really don’t want to see Steve Smith with on of those 11 catch, 175 yard performances. I’m just tired of it.
• I expect the Bears to test Cutler’s physical well-being early and if he’s not 100% they will put this game on their backs and short passing game. That could mean heavy YAC for Brandon Marshall and should mean another huge game against the Panthers for Matt Forte.

Bear down.

Picks Contest Note.

I will be posting the standings once again next week.

Picks Contest Prize.

You’ll be invited as special guest of DaBearsBlog to this year’s Round One Draft Party on Thursday night, April 25th at Cortland’s Garage in Bucktown. The prize includes:

• Accommodation for draft night at The Willows Hotel, Lakeview. To see the hotel, CLICK HERE. I’ll also be in the hotel and will gladly take you for a drink at the local spot Monsignor Murphy’s if you so choose.
• DaBearsBlog will cover the open bar for you and a +1 at the event.
• Two automatic entries into the ticket contest giveaway that evening. (We’ll announce the particular game and details once the schedule is released next spring.)
• A pair of 2012 DaBearsBlog tee-shirts.

*Sadly we’ve removed the Lou Malnati’s gift card for now due to some issues that have arisen. I am working on them and will have either the Malnati’s card restored or something in its place.

(Home team in CAPS)

New England -7 ST. LOUIS

TENNESSEE -3.5 Indianapolis

San Diego -3 CLEVELAND

PHILADELPHIA -3 Atlanta

DETROIT -2.5 Seattle

NEW YORK JETS -2 Miami

CHICAGO -7.5 Carolina

PITTSBURGH -4.5 Washington

KANSAS CITY -1.5 Oakland

PACKERS -14.5 Jaguars

New York Giants -2 DALLAS

DENVER -6 New Orleans

I rebounded last week with the horrible-to-watch Dallas Cowboys. And I am staying in that division and taking the WASHINGTON REDSKINS in Pittsburgh. I simply do not believe the Steelers are very good and I loved everything I saw from Bob Griffin in the Meadowlands Sunday. Steelers will be able to throw it on the ‘Skins awful pass defense but Bob keeps it close.

This week you can hear Cameron Worrell ON:

• Peanut Tillman, The Player & Charles Tillman, The Man
• The influence of Rod Marinelli on Lovie’s defensive looks both pre-snap and after snap.
• Why Steve Smith has tormented the Chicago Bears for the duration of Lovie’s tenure.
• The difficulty of facing a player as versatile as Cam Newton.
• Much, much more…

I need to give folks a chance to catch the mighty Crown. So tonight’s bonus is simple.

1. Someone must explain why I chose the above photo. And do it by kickoff.
2. Since apparently there’s a Jeff Jinx, let’s run with it. I want the total yards, rushing and receiving, for Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin from scrimmage. You must be within two yards. Thus if you guess 200 you will be given one correct week for anything between 198-202.

My guess: 168.

If Minnesota wins, all bets are off. No bonuses on games with anti-Bears results.

Here is the only great moment in Greg Schiano’s tenure with Rutgers. Maybe he’ll see this and be inspired to beat Minnesota tonight.

The Bears and Panthers played a Week Four shootout in October of 2011. But nobody has been firing anything but blanks at the 2012 Bears defense. And, almost bizarrely, the Panthers were a far better team with a rookie quarterback playing his fourth game than they are today.

WHY DO I LIKE THE CHICAGO BEARS THIS WEEK?

• I always like the Chicago Bears.
• Because I am not buying into the “letdown game” concept. And unless you buy into the concept of the Bears suffering a letdown coming off Detroit, you can not conceivably think this beaten-and-left-for-dead Panthers team is going to win a big game on the road.
• (See: Pertinent Statistics.)

PERTINENT STATISTICS

• Carolina is allowing over 120 yards per game on the ground.
• Matt Forte rushed for 205 yards against the Panthers a year ago.
• Carolina is ranked in the NFL’s bottom five in both yards and points per game.
• The Bears are allowing only 13 points per game. They are a full 1.3 points better than San Francisco’s 14.3.

STEVE SMITH IS ON THE CAROLINA PANTHERS

And I will have nightmares of his playoff Bears mauling from 2005 for the rest of my life. Don’t remember it?

Side note on Smith: I’ll be discussing an approach to covering Smith with Cameron Worrell on the pod later this week.

MORE ANALYSIS, PLEASE? SURE.

• We played the Ron Rivera/Greg Olsen motivation story line to death last year and the Panthers still lost the game. I don’t think Rivera or Olsen are thinking about anything Sunday aside from attempting to rescue a sinking season.
• Yes the Panthers played the Bears tight in 2011 but they played the Bears during the the worst portion of their Cutler season. The Bears had come off back-to-back embarrassments versus Green Bay & New Orleans and followed the Carolina game with their humiliating Monday night effort in Detroit.
• Steve Smith had 8 catches for 181 yards last year and has about 10,000 yards against the Bears in his career. If Peanut Tillman shuts Smith down, I’ll write a letter to Canton asking for his early enshrinement.
• I thought Cutler was going to have a breakout game against the Lions and he very well may have if he doesn’t get DDT’d by Suh late in the second quarter. Having watched the Panthers secondary a few times this year, this could/should be the week if Cutler is as healthy as he says.
• This is not what you want to hear your coach say. Ron Rivera in the Charlotte Observer: “If (firing an assistant coach) is what has to happen eventually, then yeah. Maybe that’s what happens,” Rivera said. “Do we cut players? Yeah. Maybe that’s what we’ll have to do. We’re evaluating everything as we go forward.”
• The Panthers have lost their last two games at home while scoring 12 and 14 points. The Bears are averaging 13 points allowed. Hmmm…
• I think Greg Olsen will be a significant test for Brian Urlacher over the middle of the field but Olsen is not exactly a tough, over-the-middle type.

ON CAM NEWTON

He’s the key to this game. Everything else is a secondary. I don’t see how any prognosticator/analyst can accurately predict what the big righty is going to bring to Soldier Field Sunday because he’s become the most unpredictable player in the sport down-to-down. The criticism has grown louder and louder. Here is what columnist Jason Whitlock wrote on Newton recently:

Cam Newton is being ruined. In the aftermath of Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, Newton, once again, handled the postgame news conference horribly. He not-so-subtly criticized his coaching staff. He flippantly quipped that he wanted to bring a suggestion box into the news conference. He condescendingly called a female reporter “sweetheart.”

He sounded like a crybaby and a loser. The black information bubble immediately leaped to Cam’s defense, claiming Cam’s critique of the offensive strategy was accurate.

The accuracy of his complaints is irrelevant. A quarterback is in partnership with his head coach and offensive coordinator. Their disagreements and criticisms should be handled internally and not referenced at a news conference by the QB.

Newton’s maturity – much like the maturity of his quarterbacking counterpart – has been questioned publicly and his out-the-door GM questioned whether he’d put any leaders in the Panthers locker room. He’s also been exhibiting odd behavior at press conferences. Like this:

I’m not concerned with his maturity (or the odd behavior, to be honest). I’m concerned with his ability to read defenses, make smart decisions and get the football to one of the best receivers in the game. Right now I just don’t buy he’ll be able to do that consistently for four quarters.

PREDICTION

Bears win easily and save their clunker for me, in person, in Nashville. Chicago Bears 28, Carolina Panthers 10

FIRST, SOME BUSINESS…

Look above. Those are the official tee shirts of DaBearsBlog. They are fantastic. And you have until October 31st  to own one. Or three. Or thirty. CLICK HERE and go get one. The shirts will not be available again until the end of the regular season and – most hopefully – the beginning of the postseason. How can you rationalize NOT owning one?

LET’S GO RAPID FIRE.

• Jay Cutler was hurt as the second quarter was coming to an end. And no matter what anyone around Halas Hall tells you Cutler had no business playing the second half. But the coaching staff knew it was important for Cutty to stay on the field and they managed the game accordingly. They were not going to risk his health until Detroit pushed the issue and a series of costly turnovers kept that from happening. Sometimes it’s not all about play calls and scheme. Sometimes it’s about understanding the moment. Lovie and Tice did an excellent job of that Monday night.
• The Bears need to get more out of Adam Podlesh. His foot goes limp deep in Bears territory and he’s terribly at pinning the ball inside the ten. Great punters can make a huge difference in the types of games the Bears will soon be playing. I don’t think Podlesh is one.
• Hey Jay Cutler. Slide.
• With about thirteen minutes left in the second quarter, Cutler hit Marshall on a bullet slant from the Bears 1. 18 yard gain on 3rd and 11. I think it was the single most important offensive plan of the night. (If Bears punt out of end zone they are in trouble.)
• What is going on in Gabe Carimi’s head? Why so many thoughtless penalties? He has become the biggest liability along the offensive line.
• I see why Mike Tice likes Chilo Rachal. He’s a street fighter.
• What’s the record for false starts by a center? Roberto Garza may break it this season.
• You know who the best player on the offensive line is? Lance Louis.
• I thought Nick Harris had a spectacular night punting for Detroit.
• I thought Brian Urlacher had more burst at the point of attack that he’s had all season.
• If Kellen Davis can’t catch the ball, send someone else into the routes. Give Kyle Adams a shot to make plays. I don’t need to see #87 drop any more balls this year. I’m good.
• I’m not as opposed to the Bears pulling Hester off returns as others. Sometimes it is very evident Hester doesn’t have his head in the game and he looked awful on returns early. Bears were trying to create some field position on specials and Hester wasn’t even fielding the ball.

THESE NEXT TWO GAMES…

…are must wins for me. Of course they could lose one of them still make a deep run in the postseason but they could be essential wins from a psychological perspective. Beat Carolina and Tennessee. Get to 7-1. And then all you’d “need” is a final eight split to reach 11 wins and a sure thing trip to the tournament.

BRANDON MARSHALL ON FIRST TAKE

I don’t watch First Take on ESPN2. Why? Because I would rather have my eyes gnawed out of my face by a toucan than intentionally spend thirty seconds with either Stephen A. Smith or Skip Bayless – never mind both simultaneously. But Brandon Marshall’s Tuesday appearance garnered some attention and he’s terrific. Here it is.

JUST READ THIS SHORT PIECE

From USA Today:

We’ve tended to highlight some of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler’s morequestionable antics around these parts, so it’s only right to point out when he goes out of his way to be a stand-up guy.

According to ESPNChicago, Cutler invited the family of the Bears fan killed in Jacksonville prior to the team’s road game against the Jaguars in Week 5. Christopher Pettry, 42 and a married father of three from Lake Villa, Ill., was stabbed at a restaurant in the Jacksonville Landing area.

Cutler gave Pettry’s family tickets to Monday night’s game against Detroit and spent time with them prior to kickoff. The Bears defeated the Lions 13-7.

“We wanted to reach out and bring them to the game,” Cutler told ESPNChicago. “It’s a tough situation. There’s nothing I or anyone can say that can really ease their pain or bring anybody back. Hopefully we were able to let them have an enjoyable time for three or four hours and kind of forget their loss and just have a good time and help them in that way because it’s hard.”

Don’t judge a man’s character by how he responds to questions from people like David Haugh.

Monday night was the definitive performance of Peanut Tillman’s great career in Chicago. The Great & Powerful Puncher of Balls held the game’s most explosive player (Calvin Johnson) to a couple catches for some meaningless yards. He also forced fumbles on back-to-back plays with the balls unfortunately bouncing to the sideline. He was a legend at Soldier Field.

This was his greatest game. But do you remember his greatest play?