The Marc Trestman era is off to a great start with the
Chicago Bears starting the 2013 season with a record of 2-0. The two wins came
against playoff teams from 2012, and both victories were of come-from-behind
fashion.
After an exciting start to the season, I just wanted to
share some of my thoughts on the Bears, Trestman, and the 2013 campaign.
-Jay Cutler looks
comfortable and confident in the offense. Cutler was probably the happiest player
with the change to an offensive minded head coach, and the results have shown
it so far. Although he has still thrown three interceptions in just two games,
Cutler has led two fourth quarter comebacks and is making some big-time throws.
Hopefully he can now cut down on the turnovers, because this offense has a ton
of potential.
-The offense is
loaded with playmakers. We all knew that Brandon Marshall was a stud, but
Cutler now has multiple options to spread the ball around. Martellus Bennett is
a big, physical, and athletic tight end that presents plenty of matchup
problems all over the field. Matt Forte appears to be heading for a huge year
and should rack up a lot of yards in the passing game. Cutler is very
comfortable throwing to Forte, and Marc Trestman has made it a priority to get
him the football as often as possible.
-The offensive line
is vastly improved. The free agent additions of Jermon Bushrod and Matt
Slauson, coupled with the draft picks of Kyle Long and Jordan Mills have completely
revamped a terrible offensive line over the last few years. Jay Cutler has had
more than enough time to throw the ball and has only been sacked once in two
games.
-The defense is still
very opportunistic. Any thoughts that the defense would take a step-back
with the departure of Lovie Smith should be washed away. The Bears have scored
a defensive touchdown in both of their games, and the defense should be at the
top of the league in takeaways once again this season.
-Julius Peppers is
off to a slow start. Maybe it is because of injuries, age, the flu, or just
rust from resting during the majority of the preseason, but Peppers has been
ineffective during the first two games. Hopefully it is just an issue of rust
and Peppers can get back to play at a high level once again because the Bears
will need him to make some plays down the road.
-Devin Hester is
back! Well, maybe he never left, but he was improperly utilized during the
last few seasons of the Lovie Smith era. Now that Hester is solely focused on
kick and punt returns, he appears to be the huge weapon that he once was prior
to moving to wide receiver.
-Marc Trestman has
made a good impression. Although it has only been two games, I am really
excited about the direction this franchise is heading under Marc Trestman. He
appears to have a great relationship with Cutler and the rest of the players. Things
should only continue to get better on offense as the players and coaches get
more familiar with each other.
With all of that being said, the Chicago Bears are
positioning themselves to have a very competitive season. I predicted them to
go 10-6 and make the playoffs via the wildcard before the season started, and
so far I am feeling good about that projection.
-Eric Tichelbaut
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