The sound ain’t great but this is our first effort, kids, and it’s completely homemade. Hopefully by mid-season this will be a feature you’re each looking forward to each week. Give a listen to know what combination of picks are off-limits. (And I will add that I think my brothers did a tremendous job and as we get more professional about the process, the show will be dynamite.)

AND DON’T FORGET! [THE NEW T-SHIRTS ARE AVAILABLE HERE](http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/da-bears-blog/da-bears-blog-t-shirts.html).

Who will join **Albert in Tuscon**, **JMCyclone** and **soupbowlorbust** on the road to the postseason? MAKE YOUR PICKS BELOW.

The 2010 DaBearsBlog.Com t-shirts are now available!  And there are two!  They are send-ups of the very popular, now-controversial Shepard Fairey Obama “HOPE” image. (The official blog designer, Jared Friedman, is responsible.) Get your orders in ASAP. The longer you wait, the longer it’ll take for us to get the shirts to you.

Version 1: 2010 Wanny

Version 2: 2010 Papa Bear

Here’s the rear

**To purchase shirts, [click here](http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/da-bears-blog/da-bears-blog-t-shirts.html). (Be sure to follow directions and specify the Version or Versions you’d like, i.e. 2010 Wanny or 2010 Papa Bear.)**

Ah, the 2-0 start.  So elusive, like the mongoose that scavenges your camp site at night.  Lovie Smith has only had one team start 2-0 and that team went to a Super Bowl.  Is Sunday’s game at Cowboys Stadium that important?  To quote Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross, “It may mean something to you, it may not.  I don’t know.  I don’t know anymore.”  

Just spent the last couple hours watching the Cowboys’ opening game against the Redskins – a game I all-but missed Sunday night due to an overzealous Sunday afternoon.  It stunk but here are my thoughts on this Sunday’s opponent.

Offense

• According to Wednesday’s injury report, Cowboys offensive linemen Marc Colombo and Kyle Kosier participated fully in practice on Wednesday.  We have to assume the disaster of a line – they were far worse than our line – will be greatly improved by the return of two starters.
• Because of the limited ability their offensive line, the Boys relied almost exclusively on quick-tosses to their wide receivers: Austin, Bryant and Williams.  The Redskins were able to limit their offensive progress by tackling well on the outside.
• When Romo looked downfield, two or three times total all game, he was essentially launching jump balls into double coverage and hoping his athletic receivers made plays on the ball.  There was not a single pass connected to a wide receiver moving in-stride, vertically down the field.   
• When Romo looks to the sidelines, mostly to Miles Austin, the Jersey-native is basically beating corners one-on-one.  If the Bears give him a cushion, Austin will take it and the Cowboys will cut the Bears for eight-a-clip.
• Austin ran a beautiful out route when the Skins were in cover two for an easy completion.  It scared me.
• The Cowboys run game exists primarily on the perimeter.  They run stretch plays, pitches and even went to a three-back option in the second half against the Skins.  Against speedy, athletic linebackers I can’t see this working.  The few times they attacked the middle of the defense, usually with Tashard Choice, it worked for minimal gain.
• No matter who is playing on the offensive line Sunday, the unit itself is not great and the Bears will have their opportunities to pressure Romo.  Romo, even when protected with an unbalanced line, still looked unstable and tentative when he’s surrounded in the pocket.  The Cowboys seemed to have no handle on attacking linebackers.

Defense

• DeMarcus Ware might just be the defensive player in the sport.  If he’s not, he’s in the conversation with Darrelle Revis.  Coupled with Jay Ratliff and Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys pose arguably the most imposing threat Jay Cutler will face all season long.  The Bears will need to overload the line to protect the edges and keep a back stationary to chip whomever gets through. 
• While their pass rush is intimidating, it’s also creates massive holes for a mobile quarterback to step into and deliver the ball down the field.  They don’t have a very good secondary and if Donovan McNabb weren’t wretched at throwing the football, the Skins could have struck for twenty-yard gains at two or three big moments in the game.
• Mark my words: the Bears will have an opportunity to hit something big down the sideline.
• The move terrifically from sideline-to-sideline but like most speed defenses they tire late.  Clinton Portis was ripping through them with cut-back runs in the fourth quarter.  If the Redskins didn’t commit a few dumb penalties, his numbers would have looked even better.
• The biggest mistake the Bears can make Sunday is running tired, up-the-gut runs on first and second down and allowing this pass rush to know what’s coming.  They need to spread these guys out early and often.

Special Teams

• Their kicker, David Buehler, missed a thirty-four yarder like it was a sixty yarder.  I have a feeling he’s awful.

Hillenmeyer on Injured Reserve
Hunter Hillenmeyer’s 2010 season has met its end as the Bears placed him on IR with an undisclosed illness believed to be concussion-related.  If Nick Roach is unable to play in Dallas, that would leave Brian Iwuh, talented but inexperienced, as the only backup linebacker on the active roster.  It’s a sad day for a good guy but my favorite part of this story is the names of the guys trying out at Halas Hall today: “Marcus Buggs (Vanderbilt), Blaze Soares (Hawaii), Nate Triplett (Minnesota) and Donovan Woods (Oklahoma State) all had tryouts.”  Those all sound like movie characters.

Too Early To Start Thinking About 2011?
The Bears might have one of the league’s easiest schedules in 2011, as they’ll square off with the NFC South and AFC West.  One of the marquee matchups will certainly be Jay Cutler’s regular season return to Denver to face the Broncos.

Peanut Defends Lovie (While Not Defending Lovie)
I expected to read Fred Mitchell’s article about Charles Tillman and hear more pro-Lovie babble but I was taken aback but this terrific quote from the Nut:

“Coach (Rod) Marinelli’s approach to the defense is just ‘Monsters of
the Midway.’ Just taking it back to the old school Black-and-Blue
division. Back to the Dick Butkus days when it was hard-nosed, physical
football. If you came into Soldier Field, you’re in for a fight. I think
these last couple of years, we have kind of gotten away from that. Rod
is doing a pretty good job of every single day reminding us about that.”

“We have kind of gotten away from that” is a very, very telling phrase.  Here’s hoping the defense continues to reflect Marinelli’s Midway Monster mantra.

Telander the Enemy? 
Rick Telander may be welcoming his role as enemy of this crop of Chicago Bears but he won’t be my enemy as long he writes as entertainingly as he did Tuesday.  The opening was my favorite bit:

Maybe they don’t like us (”us” being media humans).  Maybe they eat with their hands.  Maybe they snarl when they whisper.  Maybe they sacrifice baby harp seals before each game.

But you know something?  They’re linebackers — the sporting equivalent of assassins — and it don’t matter.

This group of Bears is simply better when they’re expected to stink.  I’d think that was a generalization but it has been playing out that way since 2001.  The low expectations leading into the 2008 season led to an inspired, opening night win against the Indianapolis Colts.  The Bears lost their next two games.  Here’s hoping that history does not repeat itself.  

“Nothing has changed,” Smith said. “I went for it because I thought we could get it. Wanted the offense to see that I thought that. Felt good about it going for it then. And feel good about it now. In those situations, probably will do the same thing again.”

Wanted the offense to see that I thought that?  Did he actually say that?  What is this, kindergarten?  You chose to risk winning a game for a moral boost?  The answer, of course, is yes.  And the coach, of course, is wrong.  All three of Lovie Smith’s principle weaknesses were clearly on display with that call.

No Feel For the Game

• The offensive line is shaky right now but there’s definitely ability there.  This group will be pretty good by mid-season.  I was surprised to see the Bears moving the bulk of their running game over Lance Louis at right guard.  They must have a lot of faith in that kid.
• The more I see Devin Hester play wide receiver, the less I wanna see Devin Hester play receiver.  And I think the Bears should go get Vincent Jackson because Cutler needs big receivers.
• My patience with Greg Olsen is paper thin.
• How many times did the Bears punt in Lions territory?  Jesus, that was game was frustrating.
• Welcome back, Matt Forte.

Because it’s a tradition round here…