Bears Training Camp Q&A, with myself

Its close to training camp time and because this town is void of any meaningful insight on the Bears and their upcoming season (and no, I don't consider Chalk Talk on Chicagobears.com or a Mariotti Column on Grossman/Orton as meaningful insight), I am going to answer my own questions. Pathetic, I know, but I need a break.

1. Does it matter who starts at QB?
Answer, no. iTruth and I have come to agree that absent a hall of famer like Marino or Elway, generally, as long as your QB is a legitimate 1st or 2nd string NFL QB, it doesn't really matter who your QB is . What matters is (1) if your O-line can protect the QB and (2) if you have WRs that can get open (and 3 to a lesser extent whether you can run the ball which makes it easier to pass. But in that case, look at your O-line again).

For example, I remember watching the Browns play last year against the Bears in pre-season. The only positive of that game, if you were a Browns fan, was Brady Quinn throwing a couple of complete passes. No one cared too much of Charlie Frye or D. Anderson. Remember, Charlie Frye was the Browns # 1 QB to start the season. So what happens? Frye has a bad game and the Browns new and improved O-line decide to block. All of a sudden a below average QB in Derek Anderson becomes a pro-bowl QB. Unless Derek Anderson improved 150% in one week due to some miracle work out regimen, Anderson became a good QB because of better pass protection. Plus, it doesn't hurt when you can pass to Braylon Edwards and K. Winslow. (For other examples, guys like Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger, MAtt Hasselback, Brett FAvre, etc. have such inconsistent years, I believe more so because of inconsistent pass protection and not their inherent inconsistent QB play. Doesn't it make more sense that Bret Favre is always Bret Favre and the difference b/n a 20 interception season and a 10 int. season is his pass protection, among other externalities?)

In the Bears case, what matters not is Grossman or Orton (I believe at the very least they are legitimate # 2 QBs in this league), but how our O-line can protect and our WRs can get open.

2. Can our O-line protect and WRs get open?
Ummmmm, probably no. Rookie left tackles, guards playing with no ACL, and John St. Clair or Metcalf as a starting guard, don't make good offensive lines. Worse, when every chicago newspaper man's highest praise for a wide receiver is Rashid Davis, you know you have some issues. Rashid Davis? Seriously, don't these morons hype him up every off season? Its like they bought RD on the stock market and have an option to exercise if his catch total goes over 100 receptions. Take my advice, sell RD now! Arena league football players who haven't done anything in their brief NFL careers are not going to turn into pro-bowlers. Just a hunch.


3. Do the Bears have any shot in making the playoffs?
About a 1 in a million chance. So as Jim Carey in dumb in dumber would say-- so you're telling me we got a chance! Thus, unfortunately the Bears do have a chance at making the playoffs. I say unfortunately because if the Bears make the post-season, its likely because they go 8-8 or 9-7, and only win games because of Devin Hester kick/punt returns or crazy miracles like the 2001 season when seemingly everything went their way (beat Browns by hail mary pass caught by James Allen). What happened to that team? They got beat by Philly in their first game of the playoffs.

I hope this isn't the case and the Bears Defense dominates and Ryle Grosston becomes the next Derek Anderson. But objectively speaking, this seems unlikely.

4. Do we have any hope?
Its been a rather half glass empty kind of post (which is terrible considering this is the offseason), so I got to give a little "hope is the essence of man" type material. Thus, here's my hope(wish) list.
- Matt Forte is the next great Chicago RB
- Devin Hester is really a greek god and can play WR, QB, and safety
- Brian Urlacher isn't getting old
-Williams is a legit 1st round OT talent
-Mike Brown doesn't get hurt
- Olin Kreutz doesn't' get called for 20 + offsides calls (I simply don't understand this)
- And Lovie Smith turns into Belicheck (without the cheating of course).

Wow, that was still pretty pessimistic. This can't be a good sign. You should probably check out Larry Mayer at chicagobears.com for some blind hope.