TURF WARS BATTLE #3

After another close voting, Jason evens up our season-long Turf Wars battle at 1-1 as you sided with his case for Bill Belichick being suspended. Are you listening Roger Goodell?

The official scoring was 57% to 43% (63 votes) in favor of Jason.

This week the debate on the plate is "Will the Chicago Bears Make The Playoffs?". Our very own Ross Mandel believes very strongly that the Bears are no better than a .500 team who will fail to defend their NFC Championship. Meanwhile, Jason believes this is a no-brainer, that the Bears, led by their great defense, should easily recuperate from their early season struggles and finish atop the NFC North.

Lets Get Ready To Rumble!!!

TURF WARS #3

OPENING STATEMENTS
JASON: The Chicago Bears didn't end up in the Super Bowl last year by accident. A superb defense carried them through the weak NFC North division as well as the NFC entirely, and helped them land in Miami practically untouched. Unlike last year, the Bears are starting off 2007 on a bad foot, but history shows that doesn't mean much. Despite being 1-2, the Bears have faced three playoff teams from 2006, the only team in the NFL to have that schedule. In 2005, the Bears stumbled out of the blocks, going 1-2. But they were able to rebound by winning the division behind now third-stringer Kyle Orton. Also in 2005, the Carolina Panthers started the season 1-2 and advanced to the NFC Championship game. In 2006, both the Giants and the Chiefs began the season with that record and made it to the playoffs. 1-2 is just a number right now. There's no reason to count out the Bears, especially in that division, as a playoff contender. It's hard to have faith in a team like the Lions, the Vikings are obviously rebuilding, and the only competition the Bears will face is in Green Bay Packers, who have an aging quarterback and a mediocre at best running game. The Bears should still be the favorite to win that division, which means an automatic playoff berth.

ROSS: No reason to count the Bears out? Here's a list for you: 02 NY Giants, 03 Bucs and Raiders, 04 Panthers, 05 Eagles, 06 Steelers...ALL Super Bowl teams who failed to make the playoffs the season after their Super Bowl appearances. Injuries, free agency, and failure of players to repeat performances from the Super Bowl season all contribute to the Super Bowl "hangover". When teams get to the Big Game, and even when they get to the playoffs, things have to come together. This season, it's pretty clear that things are falling apart for the Chicago Bears. Rex Grossman has finally been displaced, but now where will this startlingly average team turn to for its whipping boy? To say Grossman is the only thing separating the Bears from the playoffs is short-sighted. What about the injuries to FIVE defensive starters, including Mike Brown, who is out for the season, and Tommie Harris--whose absence last year rendered the Bears D punchless? What about the rushing offense with Cedric Benson? The guy they cleared the roster for is coming up amazingly small when BIG is what they need from their rushing game. You want to say Brian Griese will add the spark needed? I say he's a journeyman, cut by three teams, coming off a shredded ACL. Those who expect miracles from this palooka are going to be disappointed. Grossman is lost for this season, Griese is average at best...with a defense ranked in the middle of the pack right now, and one that is decimated by injuries, it's clear that the 07 Bears will be the latest team which fails to make the playoffs a year after making the Super Bowl.

REBUTTALS
JASON: The injuries are going to hurt them…but they dealt with injuries last year as well. The change at quarterback, now bringing in Brian Griese, is going to ignite this team, and with good reason. No one - except Lovie Smith - was truly confident in Rex Grossman. Now they have a seasoned veteran to hang their hat on. Griese isn't a hall-of-fame quarterback, that's why he's coming off the bench. But he's someone who knows the game, knows how to make a play when it's needed and can help jump start this struggling team. Just take a look at the remainder of their schedule. Only four teams of the last 13 games made the playoffs last year, and with a strong defense and "new" offense, the Bears will be able to capitalize on their mediocre opponents. Cedric Benson was a question mark coming into the season as whether or not he could handle the load. But look at the defenses he's been up against (San Diego, Dallas). With upcoming games against Detroit, Philadelphia and Oakland, there's no telling what Benson will be able to do. The Bears are taking this division without a fight.

ROSS: Griese is going to spark the Bears' offense? Why? Because people want him to? He's a journeyman. A stiff, cut by three teams. You know why? Because he's a backup. You don't want your backup to play 13 games. The offense is ranked 30th. Griese may be an improvement over Grossman, but to say he's going to be the answer over the course of the season is insane. And when he sputters, then what? You're gonna put Grossman back in? Nah. You mention the "soft schedule" the Bears have, but to go off of last year is part of the faulty assumption many fans make: last year's success means nothing in the NFL, that's why so many teams fail to make the playoffs a year after playing in the final game of the previous season. As for Benson, he's soft. He's gutless. He's averaging 3.2 yards per carry and has more fumbles than TDs! And even if you're a Griese backer, you have to admit there will be some adjustment time...and can they afford it? With the high scoring Lions up next and the league's 16th (read: average) ranked defense with injuries piling up...and a team without an offensive leader or a running back--how will they outscore the Lions? How will they win at Green Bay? They're staring 1-4 in the face! You think they're winning this division easily? How? With an awful offense and an injury-plagued mediocre defense? Last season their defense was crazy good--but how'd that defense look against Dallas? This is a team going nowhere.

THE BIG QUESTION
MODERATOR (FOR JASON)- With a quarterback controversy that seems destined to divide the locker room, a running back duo that has combined for four fumbles (3 lost) and six potential starters out on defense for an extended period of time, how can the Bears possibly overcome this? The coach is
on the hot seat and the offense is ranked 30th in the league. What makes this a playoff team?

Jason: Let's say it does take some adjustment time for Griese and the offense, and the Bears have to tough it out for a few more games. Even then they'll be able to capitalize on a weak NFC and still grab a wild card spot. Why? Because of playmakers -- undeniable stars on their team that can carry them to the playoffs. Wouldn't you like to have a perennial Pro Bowl linebacker covering just about anybody, anywhere on
the field (see: Brian Urlacher)? Or how about a game-breaking special teamer who's on his way to the hall of fame…in his second season! With field position like that on every drive, it doesn't matter how bad your offense is, you're gonna score at some point. As for the injuries, yeah, they're going to hurt the team. But good teams
overcome this type of adversity, and the Bears are a good team. Two straight division titles and a Super Bowl appearance aren't by chance.

MODERATOR (FOR ROSS) - The Bears are sitting in 9th place in the NFC at 1-2. It is a strong belief across the league that defense wins championships. With the NFC being a weaker conference than the AFC, what's to say that Chicago, a team that has dealt with plenty of adversity in the past can not overcome this? There are 13 weeks left of football to play. Their final five games are a cakewalk including NYG, WAS, MIN, GB, NO. Please explain your logic for such a talented team collapsing.

Ross: Collapsing to me means 4-12. Going 8-8 isn't a collapse, but it's going to happen, and that's bad enough to miss the playoffs. Their defense was, as I said earlier, insane last season. However, this year is a different year--things change, guys get hurt--as they have with the Bears. Offenses can go from average to terrible--as it has with the Bears. Last season, Bernard Berrian didn't drop passes. This year, he can't hold onto the ball. Last season the Bears scored 79 points in their first 3 games and were 3-0. This season their offense is behind Kansas City's! You mention a weak schedule--how do we know how bad the schedule will be at that time? The Redskins and Packers certainly look like they could handle the Bears easily...and let's not forget they have games at Philly, at Seattle, and host Denver. How is that an easy schedule? If the Bears were playing with last season's defense, I'd say they had a shot...but they're not. People who keep assuming that THIS year's team is LAST year's team are what keep Las Vegas going. The fact is, the Bears are LAST in the NFL in points scored and now they've changed quarterbacks--to a guy who hasn't seen real action since he tore his ACL! Not a good recipe for a team who
wants to make the playoffs. PLAYOFFS???

CLOSING ARGUMENTS
JASON: The NFC as a whole is weak, there's no denying that. One of last year's wild card teams (NY Giants) made it into the playoffs with an 8-8 record. With only two teams in the NFC still undefeated, its
pretty likely that 2007 will be much like 2006, and the wild card teams will be average -- at best -- and limp into the postseason. After just three weeks, anything can happen, and there's no way the reigning NFC Champs can be counted out. They still have a great shot at winning the mediocre NFC North crown, and if not, like you said
Ross, they'll probably be good enough to go 8-8. Which, as mentioned before, means a playoff berth. No, they're not the same dominant team they were last year. But they still have the majority of the components that got them to the playoffs. With so many factors (weak division, weak conference, average schedule) lining up in their favor,
the Bears can practically be written in for a playoff spot.

ROSS: Playmakers? Urlacher is a solid player, but he's an island out there on defense now. He and his ZERO sacks and 3 INTs last season. And Devin Hester is amazing, but settle down with the HOF inductions after one good season--is Dante Hall even on anyone's radar?. He's so amazing that teams are no longer going to kick to him. He's already whining about it, telling them to "play football" and kick him the ball. The facts are this: the Bears are abysmal on offense and Brian Griese, who may have a good week against the defensively challenged Lions, is simply not a guy who can lead a team to the playoffs by himself. And with no WRs to speak of, and a shaky RB, he's going to. The locker room is another factor--a lot of the Bears are already whining about the offense letting the team down. It was easy to see how that affected the team as a whole when they stunk up the joint DEFENSIVELY against Dallas. A weakened, injured defense that resents the offense, a journeyman QB, a subpar RB, no WRs, locker room griping--and a team on the rise in their division in the Packers...all of this adds up to a .500 season for this team. Playoffs are not in the cards. Maybe next year.

WOW! Strong arguments made all around the board here. It's time for you to weigh in. Will the Chicago Bears make the playoffs?