No position in the NFL is more highly scrutinized, debated, and discussed than the quarterback. It’s impossible to build a consistent winner without one (and people who follow the Cleveland Browns would tell you that it’s impossible to find one period).

After this weekend’s Packers loss to the Bucs, Aaron Rodgers was a popular topic of conversation on Twitter. I made the comment that he has not shown me that he has the “it” that people always talk about when it comes to QBs. Some agreed and some disagreed, but it got me thinking about where Rodgers falls in relation to today’s crop of QBs.

Thus, I set out to rank the quarterbacks currently holding starting NFL gigs, taking into account their current age and skill level, future potential, past accomplishments, and the general confidence level I would have if that player was the QB of my team.

In fact, that last factor was always the tie-breaker as I went through my rankings: who would I rather have starting for my team, with everything else being equal, if my life depending on winning a football game?

I separated the players into distinct tiers as well so you can see where I think dropoffs exist.

The real fun and the main idea of this post is to generate discussion, criticism, and debate in the comment section below. These rankings are just my opinion and I’d love to hear yours.

Let’s do some ranking.

Tier 1: The First Ballot HOF Franchise Anchor Super QBs

1 – Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

1a – Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Do I really need to list out their accomplishments or explain why they are the only two men in this tier? Good, I didn’t think so.

Trying to decide between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would be like trying to choose between a Heidi Klum or a Minka Kelly screensaver for your computer. You’re going to be happy either way, and while both have their staunch supporters, each side can recognize the greatness of the other.

That Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are the two best QBs of the this decade is inarguable.

Here is why I put Peyton Manning ever so slightly ahead of Tom Brady: I don’t think that Peyton’s greatness will go down in history as being linked with any particular coach as Brady’s will be linked with Bill Belichick. Thus, to me, the statement “all else being equal” tips the scales to Manning because we’ve never seen Brady without Belichick nor have we seen Manning with Belichick.

Can you imagine?

Yes, Peyton had some great years with Tony Dungy, but he was drafted by Jim Mora and is continuing his excellence with Jim Caldwell as he moves into the third stage of his career. What both QBs have done with so many transient parts around them has been impressive, but Peyton has dealt with it atop his team’s coaching staff as well.

There really is no wrong answer here, but as we get ready for Colts-Patriots this weekend, I’d love to get a sense of where the majority opinion stands on this issue. Because we are Midwest Sports Fans, I assume that Peyton will win this, but let’s find out anyway.

Tier 2: Impeccable Franchise Anchor QBs

3 – Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

You know that I’m not the biggest Roethlisberger fan, and that I consider him to be something of a tool, but even the biggest Browns fan or Big Ben hater has to give Roethlisberger his due credit now. The guy has won two Super Bowls, he consistently comes up big in important spots, and is reaching a Brady/Manning-like level of being a guy that 11-, 12-win teams are built around on a year-in, year-out basis.

He’s not the prettiest, the most text book, or the most statistically impressive. But if he’s on your sideline, everyone else will believe victory is possible regardless of circumstance. That’s a powerful, proven presence that cannot ignored.

4 – Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

This choice could cause some consternation because Brees has not yet won a Super Bowl, nor played in one, yet there are Super Bowl QBs below him.

Here is how I look at that: Do you think that the Giants would not have won the Super Bowl in 2007 with Brees as their QB? Do you think Philly and their pass-happy offense would have been worse off over the years with Brees instead of McNabb? I don’t.

I just think Brees has had to wait a little longer for his opportunity, which appears as if it might be coming this season. He has proven time and again that he is a true franchise QB, an impeccable leader, and a guy who can rally a team (heck, even a city) when the chips are down.

I still rue the day that the Dolphins passed on him in the draft and when they passed on him after he left San Diego. Give this guy Tom Brady’s career and he just might have three Super Bowls too.

Tier 3: Proven Franchise QBs

A quick note about this section. Each QB in Tier 3 has the potential to be a Tier 2 QB, but for one reason or another has question marks that prevent even their most ardent fans from having 100% confidence in them. Certainly though, these are all guys that you’d be proud and excited about having as the QB of your team right now. At least I would.

5 – Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings

There is obviously a pretty big caveat with this one: he’s got to be healthy. But Brett Favre, right now, is playing the quarterback position as well as anyone in the league. He has 16 TDs with only three INTs against the backdrop of everything else that he has done in his career. Once again, Favre is authoring an amazing story.

Now, it remains to be seen whether Favre can keep it going for 16+ games. He wore down as last season went along, and could very well do the same thing this year. But in the right situation — and let’s be honest, Minnesota is the perfect situation for him right now — Favre is a legit superstar QB even at 40.

Look down the list and tell me you’d feel more comfortable with those other guys leading your team right now than Favre. Yes, they may be less annoying, less wishy-washy, and less self-centered than Favre is…but I just cannot justify putting anyone else above him.

6 – Eli Manning, New York Giants

6a – Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles

One thing separates Eli from Donovan McNabb in my mind: he has a Super Bowl title.

That’s it.

Eli has not reached the same statistical benchmarks as McNabb, he does not have as many playoff wins, and he is not as exciting a player. But bring Eli in your locker room and everyone immediately believes a Super Bowl is possible because he’s done it.

I do think, however, that even the strongest Eli supporter still has at least some trepidation regarding Eli’s ability to play at an elite level year-in, year-out. Did he catch lightning in a bottle in 2007? Can he win regardless of his supporting cast? We’re going to find out, as Eli’s career is far from a finished product.

As for McNabb, no matter his accomplishments — and make no mistake, five NFC Title games and a Super Bowl appearance is a terrific resume that is vastly underrated — we cannot say that a locker room full of players would immediately believe they are Super Bowl bound because McNabb walks through the door. It’s just the nature of the beast, and will be that way until he closes the deal in February.

8 – Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals

Like Favre, Warner’s age and proximity to retirement make him hard to place, yet his resume and continued excellence dictate that he has to be ranked pretty high on the list.

Warner proved last year that he is still an elite QB in leading the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. He didn’t win it, but he certainly played well enough to do so. His defense just couldn’t stop Ben Roethlisberger in the final minutes.

Warner is still capable of 5-INT duds like he threw up two weeks ago, but more often than not he is going to get the ball to right player at the right time. Plus, he’s been in every situation you can possible imagine and immediately commands the respect of any locker room he walks into.

If it weren’t for his age, I’d put him above Eli and Donovan, but they have more years ahead of them to try to match Warner’s accomplishments, plus have a less checkered history of injury.

Tier 4: Franchise QBs with Skins on the Wall

And by skins on the wall I am talking of course about playoff berths.

Fans of the teams these guys play for expect each to move into Tier 2 or Tier 3 by the time their career is over, and they’ve already come close to making the leap. All have the talent to do so, but it remains to be seen if they can take that next step.

For each one of these guys, moving into the next tier will be a function of one thing and one thing only: more playoff success.

9 – Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

I am a huge fan of this guy and came close to putting him in Tier 3. Yes, he makes funny faces and his whole nice-Christian- guy/supreme-trash-talker persona seems a bit incongruous, but this guy wins, and wins often, and is superb in clutch situations when his team counts on him.

Plus, go down the list below him and tell me (other than the aging and oft-injured Matt Hasselbeck) who has proven himself more than Rivers. He’s been in the playoffs every year he’s been a starter, made it to an AFC Championship game, and is another guy that commands the attention and respect of his teammates because they believe he will lead them to victory.

You can take any guy lower than Rivers on this list and I’ll play you head-to-head, with similar supporting casts, and I wouldn’t doubt victory for a second.

10 – Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals

There was a time not long ago when Carson Palmer was on the verge of entering the upper-upper echelon of QBs in the NFL. When he led a young, talented Cincinnati team to the playoffs in 2005, everyone thought it was the beginning of a long run of playoff berths for Palmer and the Bengals.

But then the weight of the Bengals’ cursed franchise (or, namely, Kimo Von Oelhoffen) came down on Palmer’s knee. His injury shattered the team’s hopes in 2005 and began a spiral that saw the Bengals plummet to their usual lowly depths and saw Palmer fall off the elite QB radar screen.

Let’s face it, to truly be an elite franchise QB you have to be playing in January and February. Palmer hasn’t been the last few years, but appears poised to do so this year. He’s always had the Aikman-like talent and look about him, but he has been surrounded by chaos. Now he appears to finally have a focused, selfless, defensively competent team around him that is worthy of his talents.

11 – Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

Clearly numbers 10 and 11 on this list don’t have many playoff skins on the wall, but they have at least led their teams to the playoffs. Romo has had an ignominious experience in the playoffs, and has become a punchline for the tabloid headlines his personal life has generated, and he is referred to as Mr. November, but there are signs that he finally is starting to harness his potential and “get it.”

We won’t know for sure until December rolls around, at which time Romo must maintain the high level of play he’s had for the past month, but he appears to be maturing on and off the field and finally is the guy in Dallas. This is his team and the decision to jettison Terrell Owens is looking better and better by the week.

12 – Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Ryan has not even completed his second season in the NFL, but he makes this tier for good reasons. He clearly has the talent, he’s already taken more playoff snaps than Jay Cutler, Matt Schaub, and Aaron Rodgers combined, and he has the kind makeup and countenance that suggest he can someday become a Tier 2 or even Tier 1 QB.

Yes, he’s struggled a bit here lately in throwing too many interceptions, but if the playoffs started today he would be there once again. That’s the mark of a franchise QB and Ryan most certainly is that. He just needs more experience, but I don’t doubt that he will make a steady climb up this list in the years to come.

13 – Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks

This is a tough one because Hasselbeck is the one guy in this tier who has actually played in a Super Bowl. He’s also played in more playoff games than Palmer, Romo, and Ryan combined. But when I check my gut feeling, I’d rather have all four of the guys above him with all else being equal.

Hasselbeck has been a very good QB for many years. I also think that he has benefitted from being in a very poor division that has provided him with an easier annual path to playoffs than the guys above him on this list. But the sad truth for Hasselbeck is that he’s now on the downside of his career and will probably be a constant injury risk as he gets older, considering he is already dealing with back problems.

Hasselbeck has had a great career and I don’t want to minimize it by placing him at the bottom of this tier, but power rankings are equal parts looking forward and looking back. The looking forward part just isn’t as rosy of a picture for Hasselbeck anymore.

14 – Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Flacco appears to have a lot of the same qualities as Matt Ryan, and also took his team to the playoffs in his first season. In fact, Flacco even won two playoff games and almost made the Super Bowl as a rookie. So why isn’t he higher on list?

I don’t think that Flacco was asked to do as much as Ryan. Yes, his poise and game management ability were impressive for a rookie, and that’s why he makes this tier in the first place, but I still feel like he has the most to prove of anyone in Tier 4.

Flacco is the one guy in the top 15 of these Power Rankings that has not yet dealt with the pressure of being the focal point of his team. He is becoming the Ravens’ focal point more and more, but Ray Lewis is still the alpha dog in Baltimore. I think Flacco will need to emerge from Ray’s shadow, as he gains more experience and wins, to move up the list.

Tier 5: Talented but Skinless Franchise QBs

The quarterbacks in this tier all have talent and the keys to a franchise, but have yet to take a snap in the playoffs. As with the Tier 4 QBs, fans of the teams these guys lead ultimately expect them to journey up this list, but they have to make the playoffs and win there first.

15 – Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

He is the most talented of the guys in this tier, but has a severe fatal flaw to me: his attitude and body language. This opinion comes from an outsider’s perspective, but I just don’t ever recall seeing a winning QB with the kind of deflated body language and pouty faces that we see from Cutler. I can’t imagine that inspires a lot of confidence, belief, and trust with his teammates.

Yes, he has a cannon. And yes, he has great competitiveness and confidence. But he also throws too many INTs and the Broncos went from a yearly playoff team to a home-in-January team when he took over.

There are just too many questions about Cutler for him to be any higher than this.

16 – Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Rodgers does some good things and has the potential to be a very good QB for a long time. But like Cutler, Rodgers has a fatal flaw that kills his team time and again. In Rodgers’ case it is his propensity to take sacks. He simply has to learn to protect down and distance better or his teams will always be facing an uphill battle.

Rodgers’ other deficiency is that he has not yet shown the ability be a great 4th quarter QB. Until he does, he will never be able to be considered among the elites, no matter what his cumulative stats are at the end of the season.

17 – Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

Another really talented player who racks up great stats, but who is defined by his fatal flaw: he can’t stay healthy. He has played in every game this season, which is a major reason why the Texans have a winning record, but he can only be ranked so high until he plays a full 16-game schedule and we get to see him in the playoffs.

Tier 6 – The Grizzled but Inconsistent Veterans

18 – Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos

I don’t think Orton was ever quite as bad as he was made out to be during his Chicago tenure, but he certainly is not as good as people are making him out to be through eight games in Denver. And after being exposed a bit the last two weeks, the Orton hype will probably start dying down. He is what he is: a solid but unspectacular QB who protects the ball relatively well but needs great skill players and a great defense to win.

19 – Jake Delhomme, Carolina Panthers

I’ve always been a Delhomme fan and it was hard to have to leave him out of Tier 4. This is a guy who came within seconds of winning a Super Bowl, a guy who has been to the playoffs a good amount, and a guy who has engineered plenty of 4th quarter comebacks.

But the sad truth is that Delhomme’s solid career is ending with a whimper as he either seems to throw 4-5 INTs in a game or play it conservatively and get only 100-150 yards. Delhomme is no longer the future in Carolina and may not even be the present as soon as next season.

But I’ll tell you this, for what it’s worth: if I needed to win one game, I’d take him over any of the guys ranked lower on this list. He’s got too many skins on the wall not to at least give him that level of respect.

20 – Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs

He burst onto the scene last year as Tom Brady’s replacement but it is hard to know just how much stock to put into his 2008 numbers. A lot of QBs would have succeeded playing with Randy Moss and Wes Welker with Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels calling the shots. Cassel is getting his chance now to lead a franchise and is having an okay season below-the-radar in Kansas City. But like any other purported franchise QB, he’s got to have success in the playoffs to move up the list.

21 – David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars

Garrard appeared to be an up-and-comer as recently as 2007. He threw 18 TDs, on 3 INTs, and got a nice new contract from the Jags. But his entire team struggled last year amidst devastating losses on the offensive line. This year, Garrard is playing similarly to last year, which means he is just a pedestrian, average quarterback.

Because of his experience, I like him more than any of the guys lower on this list, but he is not quite what the Jags were hoping for when they signed him to the extension. By all accounts he is a great guy, he is just not a great QB.

22 – Vince Young, Tennessee Titians

Yes, Vince is still a young player, but I think we can safely consider him “grizzled” at this point. He’s won Rookie of the Year, been booed and benched, and now regained his starting job and won two straight starts. He still has a long way to go to become a consistent QB, but the potential is still there.

Of all the guys in this tier, Young is the guy I’d have the least confidence in right now, but he’s also the only guy I could see moving up two or three tiers as his career progresses.

And simply because they have to be ranked somewhere and I don’t want to think of another Tier name…

23 – Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins

It would have been great to see how Campbell’s career would have gone had he been able to stay in one offensive system from year-to-year. With all of the turmoil in Washington, Campbell has never really gotten a fair shot. His inconsistent career is the appropriate manifestation of the constant flux in Washington.

24 – Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams

We can all agree that this guy is toast right?

Tier 7 – The Unknown Youngsters

We don’t really know anything about Mark Sanchez, Chad Henne, Matthew Stafford, or Josh Freeman, except that none of them are as good as Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. I will say that I am not a huge fan of this year’s rookie QBs and would take Chad Henne over any of them. Only time will tell of course, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Tier 8 – JaMarcus and the Rest

JaMarcus Russell, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Trent Edwards, Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, Matt Leinart…all of these guys have been given varying amounts of opportunity and none have seized the opportunity to start (or in the case of Anderson and Russell, to start with any level of effectiveness). I have better things to do than parse through the wreckage at the bottom of this list.

Suffice it to say, these guys all suck until they prove otherwise.

So there you have it. I now step aside and leave the comment section to you. Where do you agree/disagree? Is anyone placed in the wrong tier? Your feedback and opinions are much anticipated and appreciated.

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* – Philip Rivers screaming photo credit: Hugging Harold Reynolds

* – Jay Cutler photo credit: Walking the Sidelines

Editor’s Note: AJ Kaufman’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

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Check out Sadler’s Monday Night Football Recipe of the Week: Sadler’s Smokehouse Pulled Pork Stew

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

4th and Short NFL Picks Podcast

Jerod and Myles discuss Week 9 of the 2009 NFL schedule

[Note: All MSF podcasts are available for free at iTunes. Intro and outro music provided by Indy's own Henry French and the Shameless.]

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Monday Night Football

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Denver Broncos (6-1)

• Steelers-Broncos Date: Monday, Nov 9th
• Steelers-Broncos Kickoff Time: 8:30 pm
• Steelers-Broncos TV Network: ESPN
• Steelers-Broncos Announcers: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden
• Steelers-Broncos Point Spread: Steelers -3 (as of Saturday morning)
• Steelers-Broncos Over-Under: 40 (as of Saturday morning)
• Steelers-Broncos Spread Pick by Jerod: Did the glass slipper fall off of Denver last week in Baltimore? Or was it just a one week blip? We will certainly find out Monday night, but I think Denver is good enough to get more respect than being a three point home dog. Pittsburgh has been uneven this year and I think Denver will be able to slow down Big Ben and the passing game. With Rashard Mendenhall’s fumbilitis, I think plenty of opportunities will be there for Denver to get good field position and win a low scoring game. Steelers-Broncos free pick: Broncos +3

Steelers-Broncos MNF Preview and Analysis

While analysts around the league have suggested that last week’s loss against the then .500 Ravens is a “sign of things to come,” Broncos fans need not get wrapped up in such conjecture.

After all, the Ravens could easily be 6-2 if not for a back-breaking missed field goal in the closing moments of their loss to Minnesota, and a Ray Lewis unnecessary roughness penalty (that seemed literally back-breaking) against Ochocinco and the Bungles. Plus, historically, Denver is terrible against the Ravens, for whatever reason.

That being said, the true test for the Broncos will be how they bounce back from the loss against a very dangerous Pittsburgh Steelers team.

Kyle Orton’s performance against the Ravens was typical…for 2008. For 2009 however, it was his worst performance of the year. I think that much of the blame however has to be deferred onto Josh McDaniels who inexplicably refused to take chances down the field.

It has been posited (and I believe rightfully so) that the deep ball is the most deficient part of Orton’s game, and with deep threats like Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, it is reasonable that the Broncos go deep every now and then. Without that “vertical element” to the game, the Ravens were able to effectively jam receivers on the line and jump the short routes. They also were able to consistently keep eight men in the box, and in doing so, completely shut down the Broncos running game.

McDaniels will probably have to try and stretch the field (with a relative amount of success) in order to avoid another offensive meltdown.

The Broncos also have a big injury concern on their hands, as starting Right Tackle Ryan Harris has been ruled out for Monday Night’s game. Harris has done a good job this year, shoring up the line and providing Orton with enough time to get through his progressions.

With Harris out, the Broncos are left with Tyler Polumbus–a former undrafted free agent making his first NFL start. He will be matched up against LaMarr Woodley , who had 18 sacks last year in the regular season and playoffs combined. Yikes. Expect Tight End Tony Scheffler to help out Polumbus, thereby limiting his potential in the passing game.

The Broncos defense has been rock solid, and looked good again last week (with the exception of the 4th quarter). Denver’s biggest weakness is their secondary depth, of which they have practically none — leading to the Friday signing of five-time Pro Bowler, Ty Law.

Meanwhile, now that dandruff-free Troy Polamalu is back to full health, the argument can be made that the defending title holders are still the team to beat. Ben Roethlisberger is enjoying an MVP-caliber season, and Hines Ward keeps crack-blocking and grinning his way to 100 yard games.

There are, however, some causes for concern in Steel City. The first is that Travis Kirschke (who replaced Aaron Smith after his season ending injury) will probably miss the game this week. That means that the Steelers will be starting third-stringer, Nick Easton; but more importantly, that their D-line may struggle to get consistent pressure on Kyle Orton from the strong side.

Perhaps the bigger issue is that Lawrence Timmons has been held out of practice all week, and has now been ruled questionable for Monday Night’s game. Timmons has been a consistent cog in the Steelers 3-4 who has explosive play-making ability. His replacement, Keyaron Fox, has an explosive first name, but not much else.

The other “major injury concerns” for the Steelers are of little consequence.

Willie Parker, whether he is 100% or not, has already been supplanted by the more talented and better pass-blocking, 22 year-old Rashard Mendenhall, and Mewelde Moore is among the best 3rd down backs in the league. Also Ryan Clark’s absence from the game (because of a sickle-cell trait that reacts poorly with the “mile high” atmosphere) will be mitigated by veteran Tyrone Carter, who, despite not provide as many bone-crushing hits, will be just fine.

Steelers-Broncos MNF Prediction

Despite the Steelers injury concerns, I think they are the more talented team–the significantly more talented team. That said, Denver is primed for a rare Monday night game. The team that somewhat lost its Mile High dominance the past few years is still undefeated at home. I lean their way as an underdog.

Steelers-Broncos pick: Broncos +3

We have now had three weeks of the 2009 fantasy football season and everyone should have a decent idea of what kind of team they have.

I’m in six leagues and am at least 2-1 in five of them, so I’m feeling pretty good.

But the equations change a little bit this week as the bye week rotations begin.

This week, Arizona, Carolina, Philadelphia, and Atlanta are all on byes. This means that teams with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, DeAngelo Williams, Desean Jackson, and Tony Gonzalez, among many others, have to find productive fill-ins to keep them competitive in Week 4.

And that’s what we’re going to look at this morning.

So far, my start em, sit em picks have worked out a lot better than my sleeper picks on a weekly basis (Byron Leftwich last week, ’nuff said). In reality, though, Weeks 1-3 are really like the preseason when it comes to waiver wire trolling in the 50% -or-less category.

Most teams, if they drafted at least semi-competently, should not have been digging too far down the wire to plug any holes yet.

It’s a different ballgame now, with each team needing to find bye week replacements. This morning, I will attempt to identify players at each primary fantasy position (no kickers…not now, not ever) who have favorable matchups in Week 4 and could do some damage.

Here we go:

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Fantasy Football Week 4

Sleeper Picks and Bye Week Fill-Ins

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Week 4 Sleepers & Bye Week Fill-Ins: Quarterback

Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos (vs Dallas, 45% owned) — Where’s the love for Kyle Orton? He has throw three TD passes in three games this season and has yet to throw a pick. The Cowboys come into town this weekend and are suspect against the pass (don’t let a strong performance against a fading Jake Delhomme fool you). With Brandon Marshall getting his act together again, Orton’s numbers should be solid this week.

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets (at New Orleans, 43%) — Sanchez appears to be going down the road of rookie QB respectability traveled last year by Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. He has four TDs and only two INTs through three games. This week, the Jets travel to New Orleans to face a high octane offense and a defense that gives up a lot of passing yards. The Jets’ D will slow down New Orleans, but won’t totally stop them, meaning Sanchez will need to lead his team to more points than usual to win. Opportunities should be there for Sanchez to hit the 250-275 yard mark and potentially a couple touchdowns.

Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins (vs Tampa Bay, 34%) — Campbell had a very nice game last week against Detroit, which got lost in all the hubbub over the Lions breaking their losing streak. He will have more opportunities to hit Santana Moss this week with Tampa Bay and their pathetic pass defense coming to town. Don’t be afraid to start Campbell this week. He could have very good numbers again.

Week 4 Sleepers and Bye Week Fill-Ins: Running Back

Ricky Williams, Miami Dolphins (vs Buffalo, 42%) — Ricky has had a pretty strong start to the season in 2009, amassing 163 yards with a 4.8 yard per carry average and a TD through three games. He’s also caught seven passes and a scored a TD on one of them. Chad Pennington is now out, meaning the Dolphins are relying on unproven Chad Henne. Buffalo is 18th against the run this year and is allowing 4.4 yards per carry while also yielding four rushing touchdowns. I smell a solid day at home for the Dolphins, who will be in desperation mode trying to salvage their season.

Glen Coffee, San Francisco 49ers (vs St. Louis, 32%) — How in the hell is this guy only owned in 32% of leagues? Coffee had a great preseason and has a great matchup this week against St. Louis. Regardless of who is in the backfield, Mike Singletary is committed to pounding the rock, meaning Coffee should be among the league leaders in touches this week. Yes, he struggled last week, but that was against one of the league’s best run defenses. Don’t be fooled, he’s in store for a good day Sunday.

Tashard Choice, Dallas Cowboys (at Denver, 24%) — Here’s another guy whose % owned number I don’t really understand. Not only is Tashard Choice a vastly underrated all-around running back, but when you watch this video you will see that he is also a terrific team-first leader and the kind of guy you want to root for. Most importantly, for our purposes here this morning and on Sunday, Choice should continue to get touches with Felix Jones out this week and Marion Barber probably not at 100%. Denver is very good against the pass but a little suspect against the run. The Cowboys will lean on the run game and Choice will be a major part of it.

Others to consider: Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (at Kansas City, 47%); Chester Taylor, Vikings (vs Green Bay, 33% — only in PPR leagues); Jerome Harrison, Browns (vs Cincinnati, 6%)

Week 4 Sleepers and Bye Week Fill-Ins: Wide Receiver

Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans (at Jacksonville, 48%) — Gage has been up and down this season, but has a terrific matchup on Sunday. The Jags are allowing a league-worst 281.7 passing yards per game and have given up six scores through the air. Granted, they’ve played Houston and Arizona, so those numbers are a bit skewed, but the Titans will have opportunities to make plays in the passing game. Gage caught six touchdowns this year, and could be in line for his second of the year this Sunday.

Mike Sims-Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs Tennessee, 40%) – Two straight weeks of solid production for Mike Sims-Walker make him a prime sleeper pick against a defense that is giving up a lot through the air. The Titans are allowing 274.7 passing yards per game and have given up seven passing TDs. Walker has at least six catches and 80 yards in each of the last two weeks, plus he’s caught a TD. He is quickly becoming David Garrard’s most consistent target, and should be a solid player you can count on moving forward, not just this week.

Earl Bennett, Chicago Bears (vs Detroit, 27%) — Earl Bennett is tied for the Bears’ team lead in receptions with 13. He and Jay Cutler go all the way back to Vanderbilt, and their rapport is obvious. Last week, Bennett caught four passes and averaged 20 yards per reception. He has yet to find the end zone, but should have a great chance to do so this weekend against a terrible Lions’ secondary. Detroit has already yielded ten passing touchdowns this season.

Others to consider: Pierre Garcon, Colts (vs Seattle, 40%); Nate Washington, Titans (at Jacksonville, 26%); Davone Bess, Dolphins (vs Buffalo, 8% — PPR league especially); Kelley Washington, Ravens (at New England, 5%); Mike Wallace, Steelers (vs San Diego, 3%)

Week 4 Sleepers and Bye Week Fill-Ins: Tight End

Finally, America has wised up and Vernon Davis is now owned in more than 50% of leagues. All it took was one two-TD game…I guess that makes sense. However, there are now very few options in the under-50% category at TE.

Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins (vs Buffalo, 29%) — I know, I know, the guy’s been terrible and I may regret recommending him; but, that said, there are reasons to like Fasano. With a new, inexperienced QB playing, I would assume Fasano will get some targets. He’s only caught three balls all year, but he’s had opportunities to make plays. At some point, I think he starts to make those plays. Fasano caught seven TDs last year, and I would not be surprised to see his first one of 2009 come Sunday at home against the Bills.

Other than Fasano, who I do believe still has some upside, all of the other under-50% tight ends are pretty much the same.

Week 4 Sleepers and Bye Week Fill-Ins: Defense / Special Teams

Washington Redskins D/ST (v Tampa Bay, 29%) – The Redskins have been disappointing this season, and are without Albert Haynesworth, but they face a punchless Tampa Bay offense this week that is turning the reins over to unproven youngster Josh Johnson. Deangelo Hall and Fred Smoot have to be licking their chops. Tampa Bay will most likely try to control this game on the ground, but I don’t think they are capable of scoring many points.

San Francisco 49ers D/ST (v St. Louis, 29%) – The 49ers have a much improved defense and face a Rams team that has Kyle Boller starting at QB and no difference makers on the outside. If the 49ers can contain Steven Jackson, they can contain the Rams on offense. San Francisco’s conservative style on offense also will keep this game from getting into anything resembling a shootout. This should be a low-scoring, solid afternoon for the 49ers.

Cincinnati Bengals D/ST (at Cleveland, 21%) — I talked about the Bengals’ D in this week’s start em, sit em, but they merit another mention here because they are only owned in 21% of leagues. Folks, if you haven’t watched Cleveland on offense this year, there is almost no way to describe how bad they’ve been. If Brady Quinn plays QB, the Browns won’t be able to score. If Derek Anderson plays QB, the Browns will score some points but Cincinnati will rack up the sacks and INTs. Either way, you want Cincy’s D, which has been very productive in its own right this season, already notching ten sacks and a defensive touchdown.

Follow the link to my Week 4 start em, sit em column for more fantasy football week 4 info.

As always, use the comment section below to pose your questions, which I will answer as quickly as I’m able, and then get signed up at Explodium to join the MSF community. We are still developing the details, but it will be pretty cool and there are plenty of options for you to take advantage of with your own profile.

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* – Kyle Orton photo credit: Gremlin Dog

* – Jay Cutler / Earl Bennett photo credit: Jay Cutler Superstar

Here are the particulars:

• Bears-Broncos Preseason Game Date: Sunday, August 30th
• Bears-Broncos Preseason Game Time: 8:00 PM ET (6:00 local time)
• Bears-Broncos Preseason Game TV: NBC
• Bears-Broncos Preseason Game Location: Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, CO
• Bears-Broncos Preseason Game Point Spread: Denver -2.5 (via DocSports’ NFL odds)
• StubHub: Deals on Bears-Broncos Preseason Game Tickets
• StubHub: Deals on Denver Broncos Regular Season Tickets
• StubHub: Deals on Chicago Bears Regular Season Tickets

As you may know, Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton were traded for each other. Bronco fans were angry, and they still are, at Cutler for refusing to do anything unless he was traded. I can see why fans would hate Cutler. I believe they did get the worst side of the trade. Though some might argue that Denver got the better side of the trade because of the draft picks, you have to remember that just because you have high draft picks, and that you may draft good college football players, that doesn’t mean they will will amount to anything in the NFL.

The number 1 reason to watch this game is to see the QB battle. I am positive each QB will want to play better, command the game better, and perform better than the another. These QBs will play like it’s the Super Bowl! It should be a great battle to watch.

Kyle Orton has the chance to make the Bears regret trading him away, but I don’t see him having a great day to change any Bear fans’ or coaches’ mind. I liked Orton, but I didn’t see the Bears winning anything with him at QB.

Jay Cutler will have to win over the Bears’ fans over the course of the season, a process which he has already begun in earnest, and this game is a great venue to continue doing so. If Cutler does well, the fans will continue to develop their love for him, and if he doesn’t…well, it’s only the preseason, but you never want to do anything that might make the fans anxious or angry.

Be prepared to hear lots and lots of booing at Invesco Field, where Cutler used to play his home games. I expect every time Cutler is on the field to hear the fans boo until he steps off. That is how much the fans there now despise Cutler. Even Cutler expects to be hated endlessly.

Another reason to watch the Bears-Broncos preseason game is that this game should feel somewhat like a regular season game, at least until the starters leave. Up through that point this game should be very enjoyable. The QBs have things to prove, and the tension between the fans and players will give this game a regular season feel.

Overall, the first half will be a fun time for football fans. It will be a break from the boring and really long football preseason. (I am a fan of only two preseason games and the adding more games to the regular season, for the record.) While this game logically doesn’t mean anything, it actually does. Coaches and players won’t tell you that it does, but I think it does. Orton and Cutler are both thinking in their head “I have to do better than the other guy,” and that alone should make the game exciting.

Whether you’re a Bears or Broncos fan, or just an NFL fan in general, it doesn’t matter. This game should appeal to you.

The whole thing about Bears fans to loving and then hating their QB, and seemingly switching week-to-week is wrong, but you have to realize that Chicago has never had a franchise QB. No matter who they have tried, it has just never happened. So when they get somebody who has the best chance to become a franchise quarterback, the highs and the lows have the potential to be more extreme.

On Sunday night, Jay Cutler has one more chance to get Bears fans believing before the regular season starts. The fact that he will do so in front of his angry former supporters makes it all the more intriguing. So everybody tune in on the game Sunday at 7:00pm CST. You won’t be let down.

I was not expecting to hear anything about Jerry Angelo.

I presumed he was still on vacation until September 1st, until football commanded his attention. The GM for the Bears was one of the most despised in the city, where falling on ill favor is not that easy. Fans, while loyal and passionate, are usually comfortable here. It is hard to find a terrible rant about a sports figure in Chicago. Jerry Angelo, however, was on the verge of finding Windy City protesters at his house.

The Bears’ 2008 season proved nothing, except that the Bears had a franchise that desperately needed help. Questions popped up everywhere and it seemed that we would have to wait for the draft to have any of those questions answered.

The I hear on 670 the Score immediately upon getting into my car, “The Sun-Times website is reporting that the Bears got Jay Cutler.” Terry Boers stays on the mic reporting the story, while Dan Bernstein clearly pushed the rolly chair back from the mic and said, “Good GOD!” You would think that a stripper walked into the studio with a huge cardboard check, with his name on it.

The news about Cutler coming to the Bears was shocking, an amazing franchise move, something warranting exaltations.

But I paused.

I paused because of my not-so-emotional connection to the Bears. I am a transplant, and while I love the team and the city, my mind immediately began to dissect the pick, the pros and cons. Here’s what I got:

PROS

1. Jerry Angelo is alive and cares about his job. In fact, he has an eye for football talent; in fact, he actually seems to understand the amazing loyalty of Chicago’s fans and will try to reward that by performing the duties of a competitive GM.

All kidding aside, this was huge for Angelo.

On ESPN radio The Afternoon Saloon declared April 2 “Jerry Angelo Day”. The GM has never been a fan favorite but won over hearts by making a decision that will help the franchise in the long term.

2. Jay Cutler. Dude is All-Pro. He’s up and coming at 25 and has proven his competitive edge in the AFC West with a team that struggled last year with injuries and a brutal defense. Finally a quarterback will actually hold the football for the Bears whose major value is not the jokes you can throw around about his neck beard or errant passes.

3. The fans get a shot of life at long last. Bears fans weren’t thrilled about the future of the franchise at the end of last season. The McCaskeys couldn’t hide behind the accidental NFC championship in 2005 and Brian Urlacher. Moves needed to be made, so they were.

CONS

1. When I think of Cutler, I think of the highlight reel of him hitting Brandon Stokely in the slot, Eddie Royal deep, and Brandon Marshall in the end zone. Then I thought about Rashied Davis tripping on poorly run routes, Devin Hester apologizing to Lovie on the sideline cause he can’t run anything but a streak, and Greg Olsen dropping balls.

Who the hell does Cutler throw the ball to?

Yes, Brandon Lloyd showed some talent last year and barring injury maybe he’ll do it again. Of course you hope that Hester and Olsen improve with a talented QB placing the ball or else they’re just more dead weight waving around their two handed “U” on MNF. I understand that things will have to build around him but with a great running game you hope that Cutler doesn’t waste that deadly arm on pitching the ball to Matt Forte 35 times a game.

2. The cost was monumental. It is a fact that the Bears have a terrible history with first round picks but you must understand the value of those picks for two years is humongous. You can kiss that chance at grabbing Jeremy Maclin or some other first round caliber receiver you desperately need (I won’t even consider Crabtree or Harvin, because that’s just unreasonable…)

Forget replacing the aging and injured line. Last year’s 1st rounder, the OT Chris Williams went down with a flimsy back before he even saw the inside of Soldier Field and now you got to look to the later rounds to find that kind of talent again. I’m sure it’s out there, but the Broncos certainly now have a monopoly on it.

3. The buildup could hurt. Let’s remember, Cutler had one All-Pro year. Yes, he is talented. Yes, he can play. Is he Jesus? Well, if you’re going on looks alone Kyle Orton was just as close to this team’s personal Jesus. The reality is, we know nothing yet and if it proves to be a whole lot of not-that-great then this city will have blue balls for the next decade.

4. IF JAY CUTLER IS INJURED OR HIS DIABETES ACTS UP, REX GROSSMAN IS REQUIRED TO PLAY QUARTERBACK, DUE TO THE LOSS OF KYLE ORTON. REXTASY REMAINS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE FOOTBALL, FOLKS.

Are we excited? Damn right we are.

Football season has new blood in this city. Enough blood that I might start inviting people over to watch the games again because it’s worth getting excited about. Unfortunately, Jay Cutler hasn’t even been fitted for his jersey, and has a lot riding on him.

It was a great day in Chicago. For a city that has never had a quality QB, at least not a consistent one, loyalty was rewarded and fans are thrilled. Well done, Mr. Angelo. Perhaps if the Bears go 11-5 this year and win the division with Cutler, April 2nd 2010 will be Jerry Angelo Day. We’ll have to wait and find out, though, and now fans are happy to wait.

1. A complete analysis of the football implications of the Orton-Cutler trade from each team’s perspective.
2. An analysis of whether Jay Cutler will be a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan.
3. A pictorial reminder of the unintentional comedic joy that Kyle Orton takes with him from Chicago to Denver.

Regarding a football analysis of the trade, I am hoping that our buddy Kaner will be logging in at some point today to provide this. I could do it, but it would take time away from the fun I plan on having with #’s 2 and 3. So, if you are thirsting for serious football talk and just want a football-specific analysis on the trade, here are some links for you:

• Cutler might regret Denver exile — (Peter King, SI.com)
• Cutler, Angelo, McDaniels on hot seat — (Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com)
• Cutler trade among most notable — (Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com)

So there you go. Satisfy the “serious” football side of you at those sites.

Now, let’s analyze what is really important in the Cutler-Orton-draft-picks deal consummated between the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos: now that Jay Cutler is a proud Windy City citizen, will he be a White Sox fan or a Cubs fan?

Reasons Why Jay Cutler Might be a White Sox Fan:

We all know that Jay Cutler is talented. In fact, in some ways he is the NFL equivalent of Alexei Ramirez: he has put up great stats and he has worlds of talent, but no one is really sure just how good he really is. Can we believe the numbers? Is it more hype than long-term, sustainable success? I mean, we’re all pretty sure that Alexei Ramirez will be a badass moving forward, but we’re not positive. Same with Jay Cutler. So there is that connection.

Hmm…that’s about all I got, and it was a stretch just to come up with that.

Reasons Why Jay Cutler Might be a Cubs Fan:

Let’s just start with the things that come to right off the top of my head:

1. Jay Cutler is a whiny baby who complains, bitches, and moans when things don’t go his way.
2. Jay Cutler has exhibited levels of douchebaggery rarely seen from a starting NFL quarterback.
3. Jay Cutler’s reputation far exceeds his actual level of production or achievements. Hell, at least Alexei Ramirez made the playoffs in his one season.

All three of these truths are far more descriptive of a Cubs fan and the Cubs organization than a White Sox fan or their organization.

At the end of the day, Jay Cutler has proven that he will act like a petulant child when he does not get his way. Hmm…is there anyone who works at Wrigley Field that makes demonstrative displays when things do not go his way?

Now, I’m sure that all of the Cubs fans and White Sox haters out there will try to compare Ozzie Guillen to Sweet Lou and say that Ozzie acts like a child when he doesn’t get his way. And the difference, of course, is that Ozzie Guillen is a championship-winning badass who did what no one thought possible: bring a World Series to the city of Chicago.

When Lou Piniella and the Cubs do that, we’ll give Sweet Lou and his sychophants the benefit of the doubt. Until then, enjoy it when Jay Cutler shows up in the bleachers and then starts complaining because its too hot, or his beer is warm, or the Cubs are losing, or that it’s Saturday, or that…well, you get the picture.

The point is this: is there anything that defines a Cubs fan more than wanting recognition and deference despite the complete void of substantive accomplishments by them or their team? And by comparison, is there anything that defines Jay Cutler more than the same thing?

Conslusion: Jay Cutler is definitely a Cubs fan.

And when the Cubs get swept in the first round of the playoffs again this year (if they make it), Cutler will be there sitting on his hands not cheering, basically acting like the selfish brat he is, right along with the rest of the most overrated fan base in sports.

Now, let’s move on to the other quarterback in the deal: Kyle Orton.

When Orton was playing at Purdue, no one could have imagined the sheer volume of hilarious Kyle Orton pictures that would one day populate the Internet. As a Midwest farewell to Orton, we will run down a few of the more infamous and unintentionally hilarious picture here, in our Kyle Orton In Memoriam Photo Diary:

No longer will Bears fans be able to see this lovely image on their sidelines:

And, of course, this infamous image that first appeared on Deadpsin is now one that Broncos fans can proudly call their own:

But the real losers in this deal are the fine ladies of Chicago, who will no longer have the pleasure of being grinded upon by their city’s fearlessly bearded and tanked quarterback. Killer shades Orton. At least he didn’t pull a Corey Hart on us:

No, now the ladies of Denver will be the ones with the nightly chance to enjoy Kyle and all of his Ortonness. Broncos fans, I present to you Kyle Orton, the new next John Elway:

And that’s all the time we have for today folks. Good luck to both the Bears and Broncos with their new QBs. When neither team makes the playoffs again next year, we’ll all be wondering why we spent so much time worrying about this trade in the first place.

Super Bowl Media Day

• Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2009
• Time: Begins at 9:30 am ET
• Place: Raymond James Stadium
• Watch Online: NFL.com

Moving on, we get to today’s Link of the Day. And for today’s LOTD, we’re jumping in the time machine and going all the way back to February of 2007 in Miami. This was the time and site of Super Bowl 41 between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. It was also the inspiration for a hilarious photo essay from one of my favorites: the Sports Guy Bill Simmons.

(Note: The picture at the right was the fruit of an entertaining Friday night spend superimposing Greg Popovich’s hair, nose, and beard over Bill Simmons’ face. Follow the link to view that post if you so choose.)

You will have to open up the article to see the pictures, but here are a few of the funnier captions to quickly whet your funny bone:

1. Outside shot of Dolphin Stadium on a Tuesday morning. Hard to believe it was built only 20 years ago — this place has aged faster than Kirsten Dunst.
2. Definitely some interesting fashion choices. This photo doesn’t even remotely do that jacket justice — there’s a 65 percent chance it was pulled off a homeless man in Key Biscayne.
3. One of my favorite media day tricks: The player who’s not getting interviewed and pretends to be on his cell phone.
4. Wait a second … Lovie Smith is BLACK?
5. Steve Mariucci and Rich Eisen pretend they think Deion Sanders is funny for the 145,675th time in the past four months. We’re nearing some sort of record.

And finally this one, complete with the picture because the caption alone cannot possibly do it justice:

Check out poor Kyle Orton — he went Ron Burgundy on us! I kept expecting him to stand up and start staggering around the stadium while swigging from a carton of warm milk.

Follow the link below to view the rest of the Super Bowl 41 Media Day Photo Essay by the great Bill Simmons.

LOTD: Super Bowl 41 Media Day Photo Essay by Bill Simmons

And now some more links from our friends around the sports blogosphere:

Reading is Fundamental — (Cleveland Frowns)

The Browns Still Haunt Pittsburgh Cheerleaders — (Waiting for Next Year)

Keyshawn Johnson & Cris “Bullet” Carter Prove To Be Hypocrites Again — (Black Sports Online)

IU: Way, way better at rebounding than you think — (Inside the Hall)

Joe Crede: From 10,000 aches to 10,000 lakes? — (Sox Machine)

Super Bowl Memories and Trivia — (The World According to MoonDog)

Q&A With the Inventor (and Author) of “Instant Replay” — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Video of the OBR’s First TV Segment on ONN — (The Orange and Brown Report)

Martellus Bennett decides to become a rapper — (Dallas Sports Fans)

Love those objective Big Ten hater(s) — (Sparty and Friends)

Time Warp: Former Browns Players on the Hardwood — (Waiting for Next Year)

Let’s hear it kid: Bucks or Ducks? — (Cleveland Frowns)

Kyle Orton leads Vikings to the top of the NFC North

In what many are calling a “mental error”, Bears Quarterback Kyle Orton got some faulty halftime advice from back-up QB Rex Grossman on what to do in the second half Sunday night against the Vikings.

After a brief conference in which Grossman imparted some sage-like advice to his one-time third string backup, Orton threw three second half interceptions that led to Minnesota’s 17 unanswered second half points.

Panthers Win While Packers Argue Over Who Should Make a Big Play

The Packers dropped another close game after an argument amongst special teams and defensive players erupted over who would be the one to step up and make a big play. In the “we should really win this one though a loss would not completely eliminate us from winning our weak division” game, Packers players were all insisting that someone else stop at least someone from scoring in the crucial fourth quarter. Amid the confusion and finger-pointing, Carolina cruised downfield and won the game at Lambeau.

Detroit Players Regret Eating Turkey Before Thanksgiving Game

The Lions front office, feeling left out after having to work 69 thanksgivings in the last 74 years, decided that this year they would have themselves a grand turkey dinner in the locker room on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, the turkeys arrived before the game and the players all ate before remembering they had a game to play against the Titans. In what turned into a tryptophan induced performance, the Lions entertained a capacity crowd for 13 minutes before the rest of the Ford Field crowd hit the exits to go and eat their own turkeys before laying down at home.

And let’s be honest, 50% of the Kyle Orton that started the season for the Bears is better than 100% of Sexy Rexy.

On the official injury report, Orton was listed as a limited participant for Wednesday’s practice.

Kyle Orton is suffering from a sprained right ankle that he injured a few weeks ago when the Bears beat Detroit. During Wednesday’s practice, Orton was reportedly able to executive some drop backs and throws, and his improvement will be monitored throughout the week before a final decision is made.

The Bears will know much more today when they see how the injured ankle of Kyle Orton responds to the work he did on Wednesday.

Olin Kreutz, Tommie Harris, and Mike Brown were all rested during Wednesday’s practice but are expected to play on Sunday.

For more fantasy football news and advice, head over the Fantasy Sports Blog.  Between 9:00 and 11:00 ET on Sunday morning, we will be hosting a live chat to answer all of your start em, sit em lineup questions.

[tags]kyle orton, chicago bears, nfl, fantasy football[/tags]

I am so disgusted after the Browns loss to the Ravens that I can’t bring myself to write a recap yet. So…

Let’s procrastinate with a little bit of news on the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears took over sole possession of first place in the NFC North today with a 27-23 victory over the Detroit Lions, despite falling behind early and losing uber-hot quarterback Kyle Orton to an ankle injury. Orton was carted off the field in the first half and replaced by former starter Rex Grossman. Many fans and viewers, as well as the team, naturally feared the worst when Orton was carted off the field.

However, it appears that the Bears and their fans can breathe a slight sigh of relief. ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that the injury to Kyle Orton is not considered to be season-ending. Apparently, the Comcast postgame show in Chicago reported that Orton does not have an injured ankle. It is too soon to tell how long how he might be out, but certainly the current prognosis is better than the dire one feared by Bears fans everywhere.

(Update: According to ESPN.com, Kyle Orton will be out a month.)

Stay tuned to the Chicago Bears news page for the latest updates regarding the status of Kyle Orton.

The winless Lions actually led this game 23-13 at halftime. In defense of the embattled Rex Grossman, who did lead the Bears to a Super Bowl just a few years ago, he accounted for both second-half touchdowns for the Bears. He threw a TD to Rashied Davis and ran for the go-ahead score with 5:36 remaining in the 4th quarter. The star of the day for the Bears though was rookie running back Matt Forte. Forte did not please fantasy owners by failing to get into the endzone, but he ran for 126 yards on 22 carries and provided a consistent threat that helped to keep the hapless Detroit defense off balance.

Despite his two scoring plays, Grossman finished the game only 9-19 for 58 yards and did throw a pick. So I don’t think any Bears fan is going to feel totally comfortable if Grossman is under center for any extended period moving forward. Obviously the best situation for the Bears is to get Kyle Orton back as quickly as possible and resume the surprising rhythm with which he had been leading the resurgent Bears offense.

[tags]chicago bears, kyle orton, rex grossman, nfl, football[/tags]

Yesterday, Kyle Orton brought his team 77 yards down the field with 2:43 on the game clock. Bears’ fans rejoiced when the touchdown was upheld. The Bears had a lead and the Falcons had a huge mountain to climb with nothing left on the clock. Instead, a squib kick set up Atlanta on the 44 yard line. Chicago fans shook their head and said, “What?! Why? Big stop defense.”

Lovie’s justification for setting up the short field was that his boys, “were tired.” For a special teams squad on their last appearance of the game it’s ridiculous that Lovie wouldn’t tell them to run after the ball 20 yards farther down the field. They are paid to get tired, Lovie. You’re not their mom. You’re a football coach and you’re paid to make decisions that win games, not set up your opponent’s rookie QB with a flair for the dramatic to be on Sportscenter as the winner. Kick the ball out of the end zone, make the trek for a field goal be at least 50 yards.

Instead, Ryan found Michael Jenkins on one well placed ball 26 yards down the field. Jason Elam, a long ball kicker had no problem finding the middle of the uprights from 48 yards out. Bears lose 22-20, and the Falcons celebrations lead highlight reels all over sports nation. Since the end of gametime Bears’ fans have been screaming explatives about how Jenkins slipped under coverage, how Ryan brought his team back to field goal range with one ball, where the pass rush disappeared to and why Lovie told Robbie Gould to squib kick.

The tough part is that they have been shaking their head this way before. After the late losses to Panthers and Bucs, the Bears’ nation tried to stay positive, and see the silver lining in their two losses, saying things like, “Well, Orton managed a good game.” “The defense made some plays” “Matt Forte is impressive.” Most of all, “We have been in these games, we’ll get the win next time.”

Really, the silver lining doesn’t matter at this point. The NFL is a results league, wins are what matter, not “staying in the game”. So, where do you start the finger pointing? Well in breaking down the Falcons game you have to look at the defense first, Orton managed the game and put the points up to win. So, the defense takes big blame today, again. I heard a stat today that said Ryan went 9 for 16 on 3^rd down. 6 of those conversions were at 9 plus yard situations. Where is the secondary on that? Better yet, where is the pass rush? Ryan is not Vick, he is a pocket passer, and a rookie. A veteran Bears defense that shut down Donovan McNabb and Payton Manning should make mince meat of Ryan. Especially for the money that the Bears have locked up in players like Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris, you expect results when those checks go out. Why the letdowns, then? Why the groaning fans? Why the dashed hopes and dreams? Because this problem is bigger than simply giving up a few plays and its now visible, at least in my eyes.

It seems to me that there is nothing at stake here for the defense, there is no edge, there is no fire. They have their contracts, they have their faces all over CTA buses and they have a decent reputation. There are personal fouls, big letdowns, and big performances by opposing QBs but no disciplined consistency for a defense that Madden put on his horse trailer last Sunday. The offense is the squad with passion, with something to prove, and they are keeping this team in games. Unfortunately, the rest of the team won’t back them up every week and to me it’s more than just Tillman, Urlacher and Harris.

Even though the defense fell asleep on the job, I say that it starts with your coach. While Lovie knows the game, sets up a team well and has lead his team to an NFC championship. His energy rivals that of a librarian, a demure librarian at that. The fire starts with the leadership, and Lovie does not inspire the type of fire that the leader of smashmouth, run-up-the-gut, defense-wins-championships, ode-to-Butkis, Chicago Bears football team deserves. I’m not saying he needs to headbutt someone, but clearly the message of “don’t let this happen again” was not communicated strongly enough before the defense took the field in the final Atlanta drive.

A good football locker room culture of accountability, consistency and pride starts with your coaching staff. Frankly, Lovie does not seem to have that fire. Lovie is a calm guy, that came from the University of Dungy, that seems to work, too. Until this year, when mental and emotional letdowns acoount for all your losses.

Yes, he will honestly admit a letdown but who is he holding over the fire? Whose name is he saying when he talks about veterans who can’t get off blocks? Whose head turns down when he tells everyone who got beat by Michael Jenkins? Clearly, the defense was not feeling the heat of locker room conversation that followed Carolina and Tampa Bay, and if they were, the results of Sunday don’t represent that.

Lovie, what I’m saying is I think you’re soft. You are an emotional and mental leader, not simply a robot that makes play calls. Yes, the players are accountable for these letdowns but I want to know what you are going to do about it. How do you make sure your team stops these letdowns? Get your team up for every game and maybe people won’t have to say, “But look at the upside…”

A second NFC east beast was toppled on Sunday. No one thought that coming out of this weekend that the Cowboys and Eagles would see losses from the Redskins and the Bears. The old adage, however, “Defense wins championships” proved true. The Skins held the Cowboys offense off the field, keeping the football in Jason Campbell’s hands for 38 minutes. The defense came up with big stops in the second half batting down balls directed at TO and getting a timely INT from Romo. They controlled the game, then grabbed a break when Sam Hurd couldn’t handle a well placed onside kick. The Skins showed a lot of good stuff and played a perfectly executed game and got the ‘W’.

Well, the Bears got the W. There was some good stuff but there was some bad stuff, too.

They survived on big plays in the first half and made the Eagles play from behind. The Eagles didn’t look like the same team that was jacked up for Dallas and Pittsburgh. After two tough weeks the squad was a half a step behind Bears’ receivers and the offensive line missed working for Brian Westbrook desperately. They played at a deficit the whole night after Orton tossed three TDs in the first half.. They could have taken a lead with a few field goals. Akers, who is usually automatic, missed two chances, though, and kept the Eagles behind.

With the lead, the offense had a chance to step up and try to toss a nail at the coffin after a Kevin Payne interception put them on the Eagles’ eleven yard line, in the third quarter. Orton didn’t want to stray too far from the heart pumping gameplan, though. So, he gave the ball right back to the Eagles on a terrible second down pass to the end zone. Then, Kevin Jones and Orton decided to try and throw the game completely by botching a handoff, giving it to McNabb again. The offense finished with 4 turnovers in all and any football team knows it’s tough to win when your team is guaranteed to give the ball up at least twice a game, like they have in the last three games.

The Eagles got their big chance in the 4^th quarter but the Bears’ defense did their part, again, but the offense had to step up to finish the game in order to get the win. Without that first down, there was a good chance that McNabb and the Eagles would be jacked up to get back on the field and steal one from back from the Bears. They produced a huge goal line stand shutting down the chance for a winning touchdown. Madden got a boner, from this thing of beauty that stuffed Buckhalter 3 times. With the pride of the Bears D on the line, the boner was the most startling part of the whole incident. It was a big stop but the follow up was the key.

The reality is that the stop wouldn’t really mean anything if the offense handed the ball to Brad Maynard in the endzone 3 plays later. Then, the Eagles would have gotten back on the field with 3 minutes and a short field, playing against a defense that has not shown the endurance to make big stops late in the game. My faith would have been slim and my heart rate rising. Instead, Ron Turner and the offensive line showed what could have been the most inspiring play of the game. On 3^rd and 4, I sat watching skeptically, saying to my buddy, “Well, Reid isn’t that upset. Orton has to convert this 3^rd down. He knows he’s getting the ball back.” Andy Reid would be upset, in fact, because Ron Turner went with what works. Instead of trying to make Orton find someone in the face of a pass rush, he gave the ball to Matt Forte. With all of the second level of the defense looking pass Forte popped through the line and stumbled across the 15 yard line, getting the first down.

That was the play. That was the Bears’ team finishing the game.

The offensive leadup to that fourth quarter third down conversion made Bears’ fans real scared. There was no reason to think that Orton would get the job done. No one in the country was thinking, “You gotta put it in Orton’s hands.” So, we didn’t. Turner made the right choice. We gave the ball to Matt Forte and it worked. He is the most reliable offensive weapon we have had to date, and it was certainly the right call.

Orton under center leaves a lot of questions for the Bears but to get through September 2-2 with wins over Indy and Philly you begin to think, if the Bears get a few breaks, step up on defense and run the ball when they have to, they could win a few more games than expected. Better than expected is better than nothing.

[tags]chicago bears, nfl, philadelphia eagles, football[/tags]

Donovan McNabb returns to Chi-City this weekend for some Sunday night football in Soldier Field. He and his Eagles have been beat up by tough weeks in both Dallas and against Pittsburgh, but they still seem to be one of the best teams in the NFC and perhaps the league. This means disaster for the Bears. I remember going into week one of the season, looking at the Bears schedule thinking, “We gotta’ get through September,” well the month is almost over and after stealing one from some rusty Colts, the Bears are looking at 1-2, some real questionable play on both sides of the ball and tough Philly team. Falling to 1-3 would be hard for this team who already has established that they can do some things well but still can’t win. Philly won’t make it easier on them.

The Eagles proved that they can score at will against the Cowboys, through the air and on the ground (offensive numbers). Then, the defense proved that they could even bring Big Ben to his knees and beg for mercy with (sacks). Kyle Orton is going to look like prime rib and the offense will pick apart the defensive buffet unless some key things happen consistently for the Bears on Sunday night.

The first is being able to connect through the air. The Eagles are likely to shut down Forte. They slowed Barber down, letting up only 63 yards, and took Willie Parker out of the game, before his sprained left knee took him out of the game. Unless Forte breaks into the second or third level of the defense, he won’t see more than 3 yards a carry. So, Orton has got to soften them up.

He will need to find the tight ends and slot guys on some shorter routes. He cannot wait in the pocket. The Philadelphia line will shred him even on the three step drop. Most of us here in Chicago saw Rothlisberger get sacked 8 times last Sunday, by every slo-mo camera CBS had. What they did to Romo in the end zone of the Texas Stadium was a huge momentum swing in week 2. And the unflappable, hall of fame quality Marc Bulger of the perennially competitive St. Louis Rams couldn’t move the ball at all. If Turner doesn’t want to make Orton into Marc Bulger or be compared to the Rams he needs to keep the routes short and keep Kyle’s time in the pocket to a minimum. Trouble is, we do have to be able to throw the ball, or else Brad Maynard might see a lot of action.

If Maynard is working that leg too hard we’ll see another problem, too much time on the field for the defense. Even though Brian Urlacher said, “I don’t get tired” in the locker room on Sunday. It’s clear that the Bears D can’t go the distance. They were gassed in Carolina and made Jonathan Stewart look like he was the next Adrian Peterson (the purple one, not ours). He broke weak arm tackles and got into the end zone twice.

Then, in the home opener the secondary was solid…until the fourth quarter and then got worked in OT. Reminder: They got worked by Antonio Bryant, Jerramy Stevens and Brian Griese. Not exactly TO, Witten and Tony. It’s key that the defense is not expected to trail the surprisingly talented Eagle receiving corps. And even though he’s a backup, Buckhalter is a tough back to stop.

The one thing that they absolutely have to do is take advantage of every scoring opportunity. They cannot leave any points on the field, which means they need to set up a field position and take advantage of any and all turnovers. They won’t get many chances, but if they do, they must convert. Oh, and Robbie Gould needs to grow a pair and stop kicking like he’s in high school.

Realistically, the Bears could steal one. With some timely turnovers, big stops on third down and a big play the Bears might get to an Eagles team, who is a little shaken up after some tough games. And Brian Urlacher will scoff at Andrea Kramer, again, and tell her, “That wasn’t an upset. We expected to win.” Philly will drop their heads thinking, “Seriously? How’s that ankle Bryan?” Chicago fans will scratch their head saying, “I just don’t get it. What kind of team is this?”

Well, it was interesting to watch two almost identical teams face off in Soldier Field today at 12 pm Central Time. Both the Bucs and the Bears sit at 1-1. Both the Bucs and the Bears have showed some potential but nothing stunning. Both the Bears and the Bucs will be lucky to make the playoffs this year. Both the Bucs and Bears are teams with tough defenses that are required to play well in order to win. Both the Bucs and Bears have the same man under center, more or less.

Brian Griese and Kyle Orton are basically the same guy: Big Ten QBs that because of being inconsistently not bad at managing games are still in position to start games. Having worked together last year in the Chicago, it’s clear that Griese rubbed off on Orton letting him know that with one decently managed drive, you can hold a job in Chicago. Then, even when they’re done with you, you can get picked up by somebody else whose front office isn’t trying to make constructive moves under center.

With those two taking snaps, we knew it wasn’t really going to be a battle like Philly/Dallas, not an offensive clinic or highlight reel. It was going to be a gritty battle won in the box. One where you could fall asleep for twenty minutes and you would probably miss three consecutive punts (I only know that because I did that.)

Both teams’ defense had to manage the game. Keep their offense in striking distance and try to create turnovers by getting pressure on very shaky quarterbacks. The Bears knew they could get to Griese because he got to us when he was a Bear. Monte Kiffin’s defenses have always relied on a pass rush.

Both defenses did their job. Unfortunately, both defenses did it in such a way that they kept their weak offenses in the game. The Bucs defense grabbed two turnovers and turned one into 7 points. The Bears grabbed 3 interceptions from Brian Griese and turned the offense turned those into 11 points. Neither team was down by more than one score at any time, during the game.

Both teams, by the end of regulation had just over 330 yards of offense, and defenses who had both gotten takeaways early in the game but had given up major scoring drives late in the second half.

For Bears fans they couldn’t have asked for anything more. Consider the highlights:

1.Matt Forte had 89 yards on the ground 66 through the air and a touchdown. It’s official after three great weeks against solid defensive opponents: He’s the Bears’ best offensive threat.

2. Kyle Orton has a new best friend. The fourth year receiver out of Illinois, Brandon Lloyd stepped up and caught 6 balls for 124 yards and a touchdown in the 4^th. He made Orton look good, making huge adjustments to balls that were under-thrown but catchable. What’s more? He was matched up in coverage against pro-bowler Ronde Barber, who might be a little old, but is no slouch. Now we know, at least there’s somebody prepared to catch balls in Soldier Field.

3. Kyle Orton managed the game. When he had time in the pocket, he connected – 22/34 for 268, 2 TDs and 2 picks. The Gaines Adams interception came when he tried to ditch the ball to Desmond Clark on a screen. Poor decision making, on his heels, looking at a tough Tampa pass rush caused that one. Both TDs came in the second half, when they needed them. Kyle, I’ll refrain from saying, “Good game” yet, but I will give you a silent, double tap on the shoulder.

4. They are pulling their weight on defense. The Bears’ secondary ripped Griese up for three picks and grabbed a fumble in the first quarter. They shut down the ground game, leaving fantasy owners of Warrick Dunn and Earnest Graham in tears.

The only time they looked soft was down the stretch, when the Bucs ran the no huddle and slowed down the pass rush by keeping wind out of their lungs. Yeah, Griese got the majority of his 400 yards then but he did it on 67 attempts total, with the help of overtime minutes. They didn’t make huge stops late in the game but set their team up for success early and often. That’s their job.

So, how do the Bears let this one slip away from them? Really, it boils down to two huge plays. The first was a missed Robbie Gould field goal. It wasn’t a particularly windy day in the Windy City, but Robbie Gould managed to botch a 49 yarder in the 4^th quarter. That three point cushion would have kept the Bears out of overtime but the clearly overpaid Gould has a penchant for making Bears’ fans groan, again. (The Jersey Shore kicker has never made a field goal over 49 yards. You fucking kiddin’ me, bro?)

Then, came the second key play. After the Bucs went 3 and out on their own ten, Charles Tillman got called for unnecessary roughness, which wasn’t that rough but definitely unnecessary. He threw himself at a pile, where some dirty play was going on between linemen. Tillman got called for being the most visible and last man in. He wasn’t the only one but he got caught. We can gripe and groan all we want, pointing at Jeremy Trueblood (the primary Buccaneer in the mix) for being equally to blame but Tillman has to know that tossing a shoulder onto a pile, away from the ball, after a whistle, is a bonehead move. He does know, too. That key penalty brought the Bucs to the 25 and a fresh set of downs, with a little space they moved into place for a Matt Bryant field goal 8 plays later.

The Bears got the game they needed from the majority of the roster, just like last week but still couldn’t get the job done against their former QB and a pretty mediocre Tampa Bay team. The Bears continue showing Chicago fans what we want to see, but, then, go and rip the rug right out from under us and let teams get the better of us. The Bears need to find a way to step up and finish games, fast.

This Just In: The Bears’ offense is slightly better than as terrible as they thought we would be.

The Bears showed an offense with pieces in place to be competitive but it is surprising that Chicago offensive production, predicted to be worse than the defense, would be able to put up the numbers they have. They put up a surprising fight against a tough Carolina squad in the first half showing flashes of real potential that shocked the Colts last week but the let down in the second half revealed a more realistic flipside.

What’s the difference creating a plus side? We had the same QB last year, virtually the same offensive line, plus a rookie, a receiving corps that definitely didn’t improve with the loss of Muhammed and Berrian; the answer is number 22.

The addition of Matt Forte seems to be the gas that is making the Bears move down the field.

Picking up the Tulane grad has solidified the way that Lovie wants to win games and has allowed the Bears to be the team that they can be – a defensive minded squad that controls the line and the clock. At the half this week the Bears had virtually two times the offense that the Panthers did. With 148 yards passing, 73 on the ground and 9 first downs to Carolina’s 2, the Bears controlled the first half in a serious way.

The numbers coming out of senior year were impressive (2,127 yards and 23 TDs) but who knew that a back out of CUSA would bring to the Bears what they needed so badly.

It seems logical though, any team that quickly realizes they can run the ball, allows everyone to do their job much better. While he helps the team dramatically there is a cloud to every silver lining, if you catch my drift.

With a back like Forte the offensive line starts to work downhill for a guy that won’t just throw himself at a pile, like Benson used to do. The confidence and stamina of the Hog Mollys spike, when Forte hits the hole but they still don’t have the talent to manhandle a defense for a whole game. The second half showed that an athletic Carolina front can adjust in the locker room and get big stops forcing five punts and a huge fourth down stop in the last two minutes.

A great running back always promotes capability in the quarterback. He knows he has the defense in check and is able to utilize all the routes he wants when he steps back to pass. Not just that but he can relax in short yardage third downs and the boys in the booth might open up the playbook for him every once in a while when it’s 2^nd and 2.

Problem is Orton showed that he really can’t hit the broadside of a barn over 10 yards, going 1 for 9 on attempts deep in the secondary. The Panthers easily adjusted to that in the second half and shut down, allowing 1 passing yard in the second half. It was very clear the Panthers adjusted easily to Orton, reminding Bears’ fans and America that the Boilmaker Alum is not good at his job. (Something Jerry Angelo has ignored for a long time.)

Then there’s the defense, they finally get some wind and in the first half with that much possession. The Bears D got some deserved rest that showed by creating two turnovers and not allowing the Panthers into the end zone…till the second half. Then, it all falls down. The Carolina defense gets momentum and some takeaways and Carolina scores 17 points, while their defense makes rookie Jonathan Stewart look like he’s going to be the next best thing in Black and Blue, going for 77 yards on just 14 touches, over 5 yards a touch.

Forte is the missing piece for the Bears. We’ve seen the numbers and the talent on display. But Forte isn’t LT or Payton. He’s not a whole offense that makes the rest of the team look incredible. He won’t be, either. He’s a solid back that does his job well and sets up his team. The Bears have set up to be the about the best team they can be.

Half of that team is a very weak offense. The Bears can’t consistently go 70 -80 plus yards, they only did it once on Sunday in the first quarter and it still only ended in 3 points. Your line might give you a couple good series but an aggressive defense will get the better of them. Plainly, Orton sucks, thanks front office for sitting around all off-season.

The defense is great but if the opposition takes care of the ball and the Bears defense can’t force turnovers and create short field situations, (the only Bears’ touchdown came when Charles Tillman grabbed an interception and put the offense on the 23 yard line) the box score will show the offensive impotence, regardless of how many pro-bowlers are playing D.

With the addition of Forte the Bears are better, they have all the pieces in place. But realistically you put those personnel pieces together the Bears are a team that can’t win more than 6 games this year.