How optimistic are you?

[heir_jordan22]

On topic: I love Phil Emery. All the moves he's made. I'm so happy to have a GM that seems to do everything in his power to assemble a balanced team with as much talent as possible so the coaches can actually use their schemes.

I have high hopes for a deep playoff run, possibly a superbowl appearance. Even if they don't get to the superbowl the Bears will be great to watch this season.

[lcomitor1]

I went to training camp yesterday, and the Bears looked as good as people have said. Cutler looked sharp and it looks like the additions of Brandon Marshall and Michael Bush will be key. However, you can only be so confident in this team. They're still working out the kinks and we won't really know how good they are until the season starts. Read more about yesterday's practice here:

http://midwaymadness.com/2012/08/revamp ... s-dynamic/

[heir_jordan22]

I went to training camp yesterday, and the Bears looked as good as people have said. Cutler looked sharp and it looks like the additions of Brandon Marshall and Michael Bush will be key. However, you can only be so confident in this team. They're still working out the kinks and we won't really know how good they are until the season starts. Read more about yesterday's practice here:

http://midwaymadness.com/2012/08/revamp ... s-dynamic/

That ruined the mood man

[lcomitor1]

The Bears have obviously gotten better on paper this offseason, and it looks like the improvements have translated to training camp, for the most part. It'll be interesting to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together with their first preseason game tonight, but it seems like things are looking up for the Bears. Read more here:

http://midwaymadness.com/2012/08/chicag ... -to-watch/

[blumeany]

It's cliche, I know, but it'll all come down to injuries. The Bears have the 'pieces in place' if you will. Jay finally has everything he's asked for: Bates, Big targets (Marshall and Jeffrey), a new OC, etc. Let's see what he can do.

I think that if this team stays healthy, that they have as good a chance as anyone to win the Super Bowl this year. I don't think that is me being a homer at all.

Are there some questions? Sure. How will Tice fare as an OC? How well will Tice/Bates/Cutler work together? Will Jay and Brandon regain that connection they had in Denver? Will Jeffrey be as good as he has looked so far? Will guys like Bennett and Hester be able to step up? Will the OLine improve, or will the new system - at the very least - help it?

But just look at what happened last year - the Giants won it all. Who predicted that? Not to mention the Bears were on a pretty good tear until Cutler went down. That was unexpected as well.

So, I see no reason NOT to be optimistic.

[NZB2323]

I just finished listening to the BS Report with Chad Milliman. I think that Milliman is a smart guy and I respect his opinion. He said that there are about 12 teams that could win the superbowl this year and that the Bears are one of them. However, he said that he doesn't like aging defenses and he doesn't like teams who have shaky lines. He said that later in the season Urlacher and Peppers will probably be banged up and won't have the impact that we're used to them having, especially since our defense relies on speed so much. He's also skeptical of the Bears o-line and how good the d-line will be if Peppers doesn't play fantastic.

I'm considerably less optimistic after hearing him. He makes some good points, but I still see this team winning 10 games. We can still beat any team in the NFL on any given Sunday, but it'll be hard for me to favor the Bears if we play a team in the playoff that has a better o-line than us and a better d-line than us.