At 20/1 early odds to win the 2010 Super Bowl, the Chicago Bears might surprise the haters out there. Forget about Cutler for a second, we’ll get to him soon. Let’s talk first about the returning defense. This is, year in and year out, precisely why the Bears always have a shot to at least make the playoffs. And when Tommie Harris and Mike Brown are healthy (big ifs), they’re right up there with the top defenses in the league. Yeah, they’re a few years older than the Super Bowl crew that carried the offense into a decent matchup against Peyton’s Colts, but led by all-awesome team Brian Urlacher, they still have plenty of spring left in ‘em. And if you don’t think the whole team is re-energized by the acquisition of you know who, you’re kidding yourself.
So let’s talk about you know who. Is this guy enough to throw some change on Chicago to go all the way? Aside from the maturity factor, I think the answer to that question lies solely in Cutler’s ability to be Michael Jordan.
What? That’s right, on the sense that Jordan was known for, among other things, making the players around him better. Elevating their game because of the strength of his game. Hell, before Randy Moss showed up, Tom Brady’s been doing the same thing in New England for years.
So can Cutler pull it off? We’ll see, but the Bears receivers have potential to put up numbers. They have speed and desire, the only things they’ve been lacking is experience and a partner to get ‘em the ball. Whether one of those changes this year is the cause of all the hype and excitement in the Windy City.
I also like the element of surprise, at least to help boost the Bears up a few games and secure a playoff spot. The NFC hasn’t seen Cutler as much, and nobody really knows what types of plays are going to be set up for these guys. We’re talking about young, talented and extremely unproven Rashied Davis and young, talented converted receiver Devin Hester.
Two other things to consider before betting on the Bears. In all the QB talk, it seems lost that the team has one of the great young Rbs with star potential in Matt Forte. He had 8TD and more than 1,200 yards last year.
And finally, the Bears have what looks to be a favorable schedule. I mark three tough games on their schedule (Eagles, Steelers, Ravens), and only the Ravens game is on the road. We could very well see everything come together to produce an 11-5 season or better. At 20/1, those are great return odds to take a chance here.