Scheduled mess

There are two ways to examine the Bears' 2009-10 schedule. It's either the easiest in the league, as the average winning percentage of their opponents (.414) states. Or it is Darren Sproles-like, sneaky good, filled with teams that are capable of knocking the Bears off on any given Sunday. Opinions in the Windy City change as often as the weather does, and that greatly affects how to evaluate the squad. So what is the truth? There's no way to know until the games kick off.

2009 Chicago Bears schedule

On paper (or in this case, on a computer screen), the slate is tough but not impossible. Back-to-back national TV games kick things off, and three of the final four are against NFC North foes. Games against all four conference championship finalists (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Arizona and Philadelphia) are as challenging an advanced algebra degree, while the two versus the Lions and matchups with Browns and Rams are first-grade arithmetic easy. (Ex: Lions + Bears = Oh my, two wins!) Anywhere between seven and 12 wins have been mentioned, depending on what people think of the other two contenders (Minnesota and Green Bay) in the NFC North.

Yet there's one thing to remember when examining the Bears schedule: there is one constant - the Bears. If Jay Cutler plays great and the defense returns to a dominant form, it doesn't matter who is on the opposing sideline. Conversely, if Matt Forte goes down week 1 with an injury and the holes in the pass defense never get plugged, the schedule looks a lot tougher. Back on Tax Day, when the slate was first released, I predicted an 11-5 record. Now, with the season only a few days away, I'll go with the same mark. Losses will take place in weeks 2 (Pittsburgh), 7 (Atlanta), 12 (Philadelphia), 13 (Minnesota) and 15 (Baltimore). The record will be good enough to win the NFC North and be the #2 seed in the NFC come playoff time.

Hope I’m write, probably am wrong, but really who cares. It’s football season!



Now it's time for my weekly picks. Two years ago, I went 165-102, which is good but not great. Then, like the Jaguars, Browns and Cowboys, I took a step back in 2008. A record of 160-107 last season didn't sit well wit me over the summer, so I'm back to do better in '09. Here's who I have in the opening weekend.


My pick in bold

Tennessee at Pittsburgh

Miami at Atlanta

Denver at Cincinnati

Minnesota at Cleveland

Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Detroit at New Orleans

Dallas at Tampa Bay

Philadelphia at Carolina

Kansas City at Baltimore

NY Jets at Houston

Washington at NY Giants

San Francisco at Arizona

St. Louis at Seattle

Bears at Green Bay

Buffalo at New England

San Diego at Oakland

I've also decided to bring back my survival pool, where I will pick one guaranteed winner each week, with the catch being that you can only pick a team once. This week's pick is...the New Orleans Saints.