My Dixie Normus

Mystery Solved.

It is less than a month after the season. Shit, don't beleive everything you read in Marriotti's columns for crips sake.

I just don't see the Bears going TE. You have Clark who is very serviceable. You have a lot of other areas of need that are first round pick worthy over TEs. Can you get a better TE than Clark? Maybe. But why start there? Show me where Clark missed blocks, dropped passes or blew routes. I don't think it happened. I am rethinking this and day one of the draft might be another all defense draft again. LB - Regardless of what we do with Briggs, a solid rookie could take the strong side and start infront of Hunter. DL - Ian Scott looks like he will be moving on and Tank Johnson is one more arrest away from serious time. DB - If there is a good one out there, it could be the pick. 3rd round is the tipping point between value and need.

They will probably be unencumbered by distracting offers by the Bears as well. I think outside of Briggs, Ruben Brown is the only other guy I would like to bring back. Brown is very serviceable and the Bears need the depth at that position.

ESPN is the worst researched sports network on television. They don't have a clue half the time. Benson was taking over since week 3 according to them. Posluszny could be the first LB off the board. He won't make it to 31. If the Bears do something with Briggs, the Bears will probably go interior line on defense and won't get back to LB until the 3rd. I think they will look to shore up the aging o-line first or second round. Arron Sears from Tennessee would be a great first round pick up.

I would like to see Mark Bradley get more involved in the offense. He has 4.43-40 speed and good hands. Outside of the Clark, he might have the best hands over the middle of all the Bears receivers. He gets injured more than I like but if he can shake that, I think he can provide a consistent target. I see him as a Meshawn Johnson type of player in the NFL.

Good Luck Bear Fans. Don't forget to designate a driver, call a cab, make arrangements to stay over somewhere or whatever. Don't ruin the memory with a DUI or worse. Stay safe and enjoy the game.

The media is very quick to dismiss the season long play of the Colts defense. If the Colts defense is great because they have played well in the playoffs, then Rex Grossman, who has played better than Peyton Manning in the playoffs, is a better quarterback.

This was a no brainer. If you didn't see this game moving to prime time, you were not paying attention.

The most popular guy in most any NFL town is the back up quarterback.

Peyton: 3 fumbles, 1 lost. Rex: 11 fumbles, 3 lost. Not that I am not happy with where Grossman is in his development. Grossman wrote much of this play book two years ago. JA made some serious commitments to put the right people in place (Miller, Tait, Kruetz, Muhammad) to make that book work. At the end of last years draft, I think we were all scratching out heads but you have to give it too him for sticking with his guns. The Bears are the most complete team on all three sides (O, D & STs) of the ball in the NFL today. The final piece to this puzzle is that Rex needs to protect the ball better than he has. That comes through better decision making. He needs to understand that tucking it in and tacking the sack is a better choice than trying to force something. It is a mistake that most rookie QBs make and the good ones over come.

Benson has 3 TDs in goal line situations, all 3 are runs 1 yard. Whoopee. But if you want to give him the ball on the one, I am fine with it. I don't think Benson would have made the cut back that Jones did from the 7 for a TD against SF. Benson doesn't add anything significant in goal line. Jones does just fine in the red zone. Jones TD Rushing. 2006 TD Distance Rushing: 3, 1, 7 2005 TD Distance Rushing: 1, 3, 16, 2, 24, 1, 1, 1, 2 2004 TD Distance Rushing: 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1 Benson 2006 TD Distance Rushing: 1, 1, 1 I don't see much difference. I think we learned last year that a one dimensional team can get to the playoffs. They just can get far in the playoffs. The SB Ravens being the only exception that comes to mind. But look at the Colts for the last several years. It can't be all one sided.

Jinx.

Rosenass is going to be asking the world for Briggs. He will be the next big over paid LB. It is the system, IMO, that gives him the great stats. No doubt he has talent but he can be replaced economically enough to warrant not over paying him. Even if it is a down grade talent wise, the money is better spent elsewhere.

Why is everyone swinging off Benson's nut sack? He has shown me nothing from a production stand point. The only big runs he has had is when the hole is big enough to drive a truck through. He can only run to the left side behind Tait. His YPC is for crap in any other direction. He leads the team in rushes for a loss. And he can't block. Sorry but I am of the opinion that Greise can't take the Bears to the Superbowl. He may be the back of the future but I the one we have now is better at every aspect of the game.

Chicago fullback Jason McKie signed a five-year contract extension with the Bears on Thursday through the 2011 season. One of the nice surprises this year he has provided a great check down option for Grossman.

It wouldn't piss me off to see them go with a OL on day one, rd. one. Replacing Briggs should be easier than most think since I think his stats are more a product of being the weak side LB in a cover 2 with great players around him. But a LB with speed and tackling is #1/#2 priority.

Who is clamoring for Hester on offense?

This is not the friggin developmental league. If the Bears were 2-5, then fine, 'crown his ass'. Play your bonus baby and do the on-the-job-training. But the team is 7-0 and the best on both sides of the ball (& STs) in the NFC. I would like to see another SB championship. Benson can work on his blocking next year in camp. Guys like Kruetz, Tait and the Browns deserve a shot at ring a lot more than Benson deserves chance to learn on the go.

Good news for the O-Line. It will be interesting to how the Bears approach the draft next year. I would think they will spend some high picks on development projects for Tait and Brown on the offensive line.

The only line that Benson should be anywhere near is the side line. He blew a block that got Greise crushed in the 4th Qtr against SF. The Bears can not afford to lose Grossman. Adrian Peterson should be the #2 and Benson should be going to school on the sidelines.

On the second play in the 4th Quarter, Benson blew a block and Greise got crushed. Soon after, Adrian Peterson started getting reps. Benson did nothing to calm the concerns over his blocking ability. As we all know, it could be just one of those hits and Grossman (and the Bears season) could go down.

O-Line. Without a doubt the number one priorty. Tait, Brown and Kruetz are all very long in the tooth.

The Bears suspended safety Brandon McGowan for one week for violating a team rule. He is currently on the physically unable to perform list.